"We are all lovers and We are all Champions of Love"
-Ray Caspio Tingle Tangle
The moment you step inside a Theater Ninja Production there is a journey to be experienced. This journey was conceived by Ray Caspio and brought to life by the humble cast of actors and actresses that blurred the lines of gender and sexuality under the direction of Jeremy Paul.
All of this is accompanied by the composition of Eric M.C. Gonzalez.
In a small pop style theater you are transported to a true work of Victorian burlesque.
The everyday life of an individual and the reality of many make for an emotional journey. The interaction with the audience starts immediately with a comedic sketch that eases you
into the following magic that appears on stage. The scenes are simple, yet powerful, as the play unravels in front of your eyes.
The conversation of real issues mixed with comedic moments, passionate words and real life emotion make Tingle Tangle a part of all of us. The presentation made that very clear at the beginning of the show. The music of Tingle Tangle is moody and it's apparent that with the audience there are feelings being felt, conversations being had, and thoughts being developed.
We took some time to sit down with Ray Caspio and talk about
The Theater Ninjas and Tingle Tangle.
Why do you think the audience has connected with it so much?
I think it's the honesty of the piece. Nobody is hiding in this show and when we show each other our hearts — who we truly are — it's impossible to not connect and relate.
How have you connected to the audience?
Theater Ninjas has been working for years on genuinely connecting with audiences. Each show does it in a slightly different way but always with care and respect for the audience. We want everyone to feel comfortable in our spaces: to feel GOOD. It's an art form we're constantly evolving that's been a part of both my training and Jeremy Paul's (Theater Ninjas' Artistic Director and TingleTangle's director) training. Our audience relationship has been an integral part of The Excavation & The Excavation @ the Cleveland Museum of Art, Code: Preludes, Marble Cities,NICK&JEREMY, and now, TingleTangle, where we're speaking directly with you. We see each other in this intimate space so the show becomes different every night depending on who's in the audience.
What makes this play so unique to you and the theater ninjas ?
This is certainly the most personal show I've ever done. I'm talking about my experiences as a married gay man in Ohio, whether that's through monologues or songs. Improv is also a part of the show and the scenes, which were created through improv, are some of the funniest we've ever done. That's thanks to this brave ensemble who created and attack this material every night. Every artist who is a part of this piece has given their heart and soul to it.
How do you feel after this run of shows is over, Do you have any plans to extend it any further?
I'm so excited and grateful we were able to extend it to Sunday. Since this show is part of Theater Ninjas' "Preludes" system, that means it will continue to evolve and come back in different forms...which I believe you'll see in 2015! Social and political changes in terms of LGBTQ issues will help form new content. Response from audiences and critics has been fantastic, we've sold out over half of the shows, and we love doing it, so you'll definitely see TingleTangle again.
"I'm trying not to think of this run ending. It's more than what I dreamed of."
What is after Tingle Table as far as projects?
In January, Theater Ninjas will co-produce Fire On the Water at Cleveland Public Theatre, which Jeremy Paul is co-directing. Tickets are available at Cleveland Public Theatre's website.
April 2-5 is The Grand Celebration of the Celestial Mystery — { a Marble Cities Prelude }
Directed & Devised by Jeremy Paul
You are invited to join an elite cabal of mad revelers and decadent cultists in an immersive theatrical party unlike any other. Every year, the members of a secret society gather to feast, sing, dance, tell stories and perform ancient rituals. None of them believe in the magic of these ceremonies. They are about to find out how wrong they are. This Prelude is a further exploration of the connection between imagination and power from 2012’s Marble Cities.
And my next project, which I'll begin researching and co-writing after TingleTangle is:
The Turing Machine — { a Code Prelude }
Written by Ray Caspio and Jeremy Paul. Directed and Devised by Jeremy Paul
May 2015
The Turing Machine is an original, metaphysical take on the many lives and deaths of Alan Turing. The ghost of Turing has been reincarnated as a computer program, forced to endlessly relive the complexcontradictions of this singular genius. Starring Ray Caspio in his ‘transcendent’, ‘riveting’ one-man performance, this Prelude is an evolution of work first begun in 2014’s Code:Preludes.
All of this is accompanied by the composition of Eric M.C. Gonzalez.
In a small pop style theater you are transported to a true work of Victorian burlesque.
The everyday life of an individual and the reality of many make for an emotional journey. The interaction with the audience starts immediately with a comedic sketch that eases you
into the following magic that appears on stage. The scenes are simple, yet powerful, as the play unravels in front of your eyes.
The conversation of real issues mixed with comedic moments, passionate words and real life emotion make Tingle Tangle a part of all of us. The presentation made that very clear at the beginning of the show. The music of Tingle Tangle is moody and it's apparent that with the audience there are feelings being felt, conversations being had, and thoughts being developed.
We took some time to sit down with Ray Caspio and talk about
The Theater Ninjas and Tingle Tangle.
Why do you think the audience has connected with it so much?
I think it's the honesty of the piece. Nobody is hiding in this show and when we show each other our hearts — who we truly are — it's impossible to not connect and relate.
How have you connected to the audience?
Theater Ninjas has been working for years on genuinely connecting with audiences. Each show does it in a slightly different way but always with care and respect for the audience. We want everyone to feel comfortable in our spaces: to feel GOOD. It's an art form we're constantly evolving that's been a part of both my training and Jeremy Paul's (Theater Ninjas' Artistic Director and TingleTangle's director) training. Our audience relationship has been an integral part of The Excavation & The Excavation @ the Cleveland Museum of Art, Code: Preludes, Marble Cities,NICK&JEREMY, and now, TingleTangle, where we're speaking directly with you. We see each other in this intimate space so the show becomes different every night depending on who's in the audience.
What makes this play so unique to you and the theater ninjas ?
This is certainly the most personal show I've ever done. I'm talking about my experiences as a married gay man in Ohio, whether that's through monologues or songs. Improv is also a part of the show and the scenes, which were created through improv, are some of the funniest we've ever done. That's thanks to this brave ensemble who created and attack this material every night. Every artist who is a part of this piece has given their heart and soul to it.
How do you feel after this run of shows is over, Do you have any plans to extend it any further?
I'm so excited and grateful we were able to extend it to Sunday. Since this show is part of Theater Ninjas' "Preludes" system, that means it will continue to evolve and come back in different forms...which I believe you'll see in 2015! Social and political changes in terms of LGBTQ issues will help form new content. Response from audiences and critics has been fantastic, we've sold out over half of the shows, and we love doing it, so you'll definitely see TingleTangle again.
"I'm trying not to think of this run ending. It's more than what I dreamed of."
What is after Tingle Table as far as projects?
In January, Theater Ninjas will co-produce Fire On the Water at Cleveland Public Theatre, which Jeremy Paul is co-directing. Tickets are available at Cleveland Public Theatre's website.
April 2-5 is The Grand Celebration of the Celestial Mystery — { a Marble Cities Prelude }
Directed & Devised by Jeremy Paul
You are invited to join an elite cabal of mad revelers and decadent cultists in an immersive theatrical party unlike any other. Every year, the members of a secret society gather to feast, sing, dance, tell stories and perform ancient rituals. None of them believe in the magic of these ceremonies. They are about to find out how wrong they are. This Prelude is a further exploration of the connection between imagination and power from 2012’s Marble Cities.
And my next project, which I'll begin researching and co-writing after TingleTangle is:
The Turing Machine — { a Code Prelude }
Written by Ray Caspio and Jeremy Paul. Directed and Devised by Jeremy Paul
May 2015
The Turing Machine is an original, metaphysical take on the many lives and deaths of Alan Turing. The ghost of Turing has been reincarnated as a computer program, forced to endlessly relive the complexcontradictions of this singular genius. Starring Ray Caspio in his ‘transcendent’, ‘riveting’ one-man performance, this Prelude is an evolution of work first begun in 2014’s Code:Preludes.
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