Then Covid-19 hit and these plans went into abeyance.
NEWARK, ITALY AND ME received a 5 star review by PRIMO magazine on Amazon.com. There is so little material on Italian-American history that I started to think about a documentary non-commercial film.
At this point, I prepared a web site on Film Freeway where we already won 22 Awards/Citations for SACCO & VANZETTI: BURN !!!. We also received 6 more Awards/Citations for DEATH OF HERCULES from Sophocles’ rarely seen tragedy
THE WOMEN OF TRACHIS.
I thought it would be very exciting to turn it into a documentary film with your support.
WE ARE LOOKING FOR CHARITABLE SUPPORT FOR THIS PROJECT FROM OUR COMMUNITY AND FRIENDS FOR 2022–23.
Grammy Award-winning pianist Daniil Trifonov brings his technique, style, poetry and power to one of the most monumental piano concertos ever written. Brahms’ grand Second Piano Concerto has left audiences in awe ever since its premiere in 1881.
EXPLORE THE FILMMAKING INSIGHTS, PERSPECTIVES & MORE!
Below, you’ll find our exclusive interview with Daniel P Quinn. We hope you enjoy!
Could you start by telling us a bit about yourself? Give us a brief introduction!
We won 34 FilmFreeway Awards/Certificates for American Phantasmagoria (Best unpublished Script) Newark, Italy and me (Lulu.com); the DEATH OF HERCULES from Sophocles’ THE WOMEN OF TRACHIS; and SACCO & VANZETTI: BURN !!! in Berlin, Paris, Bali; Kurdistan, Iraq; Rome; Seattle; San Diego, Montreal, Sweden, Philly, Milan, New Orleans and more from 12/20-2022.
Where are you currently based out of?
Metropolitan NY/NJ
What inspired you to start creating films?
Stanley Kubrick, Federico Fellini, Roman Polanski, Francis Ford Coppolla, Edward Bond.
Who most inspires/influences your style and specific execution currently and why?
DREAMS OF MADNESS & WONDER The epoch of (t)rump is on us and the world stage. Farm and urban or rust belts economically are a shambles. Arts attendance is falling but my career began to practice my theatrical notions of “madness and wonder.” Wonder is a word that has only attracted me in the recent past, a word which I never felt particularly excited about.
Until…
A fleeting memory of the Adults in The Nutcracker when I was 8 years old with the NY City Ballet way upstairs via a Second Balcony entrance.
In Newark, I remember the torn proscenium curtain more than a Russian pianist recital at the Mosque Theatre (Symphony Hall) about 1962.
Certain practitioners of genius have remained with me throughout my theatregoing life:
American Bass-Baritone Norman Treigle in NY City opera career from Boito’s opera MEFISTOFELE, Gounod’s FAUST, Offenbach’s HOFFMANN (in his final performance there) from 1969-1972.
The magical Broadway work of Tom O’Horgan from HAIR in his Broadway debut to productions of LENNY; INNER CITY; and JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR.
Luca Ronconi’s debut with ORLANDO FURIOSO in Bryant Park. His distinguished work at LaScala and in Milan at the Piccolo Teatro. Ronconi’s epic Broadway production of Goldoni’s LA SERVA AMOROSA at the (now defunct) Mark Hellinger Theatre in 1986.
Let us not forget the maligned Repertory Theatre of Lincoln Center but treasure their productions of Gorky’s ENEMIES, Al Pacino in Tennessee Williams’ CAMINO REAL with notable actors like Rosemary Harris, Josef Sumner, Nancy Marchand, Susan Sharkey, or Philip Bosco for example.
The rigor mortis in the itty bitty was the floor of the basketball court at The American University or a lecture hall in their law school no less. While I was thrilled to be working at the Kennedy Center as an usher,
Except !!!!
When Charles Ludlam, Black Eyed Susan and Ethyl Eichelberger arrived as The Ridiculous Theatre Company in repertory with their CAMILLE, BLUEBEARD and when I starred in their Commedia dell’arte as il Re (the King) outdoors in a steamy humid and hot Washington, DC.
Andrei Serban’s FRAGMENTS OF A TRILOGY at La Mama, the BAM engagement of Josef Szajna in Brooklyn and the debut of Pina Bausch Tanzteatr Wupperthal which was thrilling. All these artistic works had great impact on me as a human being. Joseph Chaikin alluded in a metaphysical way to “presence,” in his book THE PRESENCE OF THE ACTOR.
Theatre is more real to me, and more powerful than any experience which I know, except religion. That brings us back to the notion of ritual and sacrifice which brings us to a our notion of tragedy with the Greeks from Aeschylus to Sophocles, and Euripides. At Ramapo College I staged Sophocles’ ELEKTRA in the auditorium lobby on a home made raked stage (like a ski slope).
What is your favorite film of all time?
Satyricon, Chinatown, The Godfather, 2001: A Space Odyssey
As a creator, what do you find to be the thing that most drives you to succeed? We like to use this portion for others to learn from you!
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What is your overall dream in life?
Gratitude for achieving this work over many years of struggle.
What’s the title of your current project?
DEATH OF HERCULES
What is your role in the film?
Producer and Director
Who is the director & who is the writer?
Daniel P Quinn and Sophocles
What is the film’s genre?
Greek tragedy
What is the film’s logline?
My productions of Sophocles’ WOMEN OF TRACHIS and Edward Bond’s STONE moved beyond entertainment. In the final scene of STONE the Mason crushes stones which drip blood. Audience members were gasping. In the Sophocles, all of the roles were played by Ellen Lanese. Her role reversals evoked the basic human impulse of suffering, love, and loss. The day we opened the Sophocles tragedy was the funeral of the mother of my performer. When she spoke to the “mother” in the play, the voices merged and I heard an opening into the soul. This was transgender drama decades ago and today.
What inspired the way that you went about executing this project?
Multi-year process on and Off-Broadway to this short film. Death of Hercules 1 Selected 2 Award Winner 1 Finalist 1 Semi-Finalist 1 Honorable Mention
What was the most difficult part in the process of creating this film? How did you overcome it?
Money and a lack of post-editing.
What was the most fun part of this entire production?
Our first Award on FilmFreeway
What is the single greatest lesson you learned along the creation of this particular project?
Death of Hercules 1 Selected 2 Award Winner 1 Finalist 1 Semi-Finalist 1 Honorable Mention
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Is there anything else you would like us to know? Or any final thoughts/things you’d like to share with our readers?
Thank you very much.
Thank you so much for being a part of The FILMNET Community, Daniel P! We can’t wait to see what you do next.
THIS HAS BEEN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BROUGHT TO YOU BY
THANK YOU FOR TUNING IN!
Keep up with Daniel P Quinn and all the incredible work to come!
Dear Readers and Friends, When people talk about 2022 in the future, what will they remember? Undoubtedly, we will speak of the millions of people across the world displaced from their homes due to violence—and the hope that music can bring in moments of loss. We will remember our growing struggle with global heat—and the local artists creating cooling murals in the hottest neighborhoods. When we talk about schools becoming sites of fear and censorship, we can still find joy in the actors bringing a Philadelphia elementary school to life on Hulu. Ask any artist, and they will tell you that the greatest art often comes from a place of uncertainty. Artists are at work around the world every day, creating moments of hope and beauty for their communities—even when the odds are stacked against them. You’re receiving this message because you have already experienced the generous work of an artist,and have been inspired to invest in their creative journey. We’re here to thank many of you for your previous donation to Arts PRunlimited, Inc.,and invite you to join us again in supporting their mission. Your gift is an investment in the power of art, and its ability to spark conversations, question systems, and fill a room with laughter. Today, we are asking you to bring your momentum to their project by donating again before the end of the year. If you are able, please consider giving again at the link below. If you aren’t already, you can also become a monthly supporter of Arts PRunlimited, Inc. and help sustain their work all year round. https://fundraising.fracturedatlas.org/arts-prunlimited-inc Thank you for your generosity. From everyone at Fractured Atlas, we wish you a happy, healthy, and safe holiday season. Sincerely, Theresa HubbardChief Executive OfficerFractured Atlas cc: Daniel P Quinn, FounderArtsPRunlimited, Inc.
Your comment has been approved!Thank you for sharing your thoughts with The New York Times community. DPQuinn | New Jersey Played Parcheesi decades ago, and Cannasta by my Grandmother—this has gleaned my interest… What can we send to Iraq in exchange ? Recently, my 2 short films made Honorable Mention in Erbil, Irag, Kurdistan… Am game two………View your commenthttps://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/17/crosswords/ur-first-board-game.html#commentsContainer&permid=121594401:121594401Copies of my books: “organized labor’ are also available on sale at the Bar at the Landmark Tavern with EXITS AND ENTRANCES (AuthorHouse.com) $29.99. New work was published by Red Wheelbarrow in 2022. We co-hosted Christine Conforti in Totowa and have invited here to appear with us at Biricchino in Manhattan in early 2023.
I urge you to move the Symphony to end the first half of the Program, as it gets upstaged by the Ravel. There it would get a better perspective, and have a greater impact after the Beethoven or Mozart.
We are thrilled to announce that we have received Best Short Screenwriting Awardfrom Red Moon Festival for Nevarca/Newark, Italy and me (Lulu.com) on Film Freeway. Newark, Italy and me (Lulu.com)was also SelectedbyNew Born Short Film FestivalScreenplay Competitionin Berlin, GermanyonFilm Freeway.
Newark, Italy and me (Lulu.com) Before the Pandemic, I had begun some work to use some of the Narrative Historyas a short film. There are sights I had chosen to film in some cases before they were demolished. This included the Columbus Monument on Broad St. that was demolished by the City of Newark in 2022. We are beginning a campaign to raise money with these 2 Film Freeway selections that add greater momentum.My Antonio Caruso/Tuosto Family in 1925 in The Newark Sunday Call. My Great-Grandparents and other relatives are all there in 1925. Antonio also donated a window to St. Lucy’s Church dedicated to his Mother as they were from Capo Selle in the Province of Avellino outside Naples, Italy. They were all devoted to St Gerard and that legacy remains even today at St Lucy’s Church to the right of the altar above the door to the Sacristy even today after 97 years.Newark, Italy + Me.by Daniel P Quinn,View this Author’s SpotlightPreview on Lulu.com. Newark has many histories including G. Antonio Basso who emigrated from Italy to Newark, NJ in 1900. Antonio Basso was my Grandfather who came to America at age 14. Newark has many artistic roots including Armenia, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, France which are featured in Newark, Italy + Me. Immigration is a ongoing event. The past is indeed prologue to our present and future. Welcome to my Newark, Nevarca and the new old sod in New Jersey. Daniel P Quinn’s books include “Exits + Entrances, 25 years off-Broadway, Opera and Beyond” and “organized labor” His plays included in Short Plays to Long Remember (TNT) now appear in “AMERICAN PHANTASMAGORIA (Lulu.com). Ratings & Reviews | Product DetailsText Link
DPQuinn | New Jersey Numbers are a useless abstract comparison run rampant in America. Professional, people can be apI , inept, caring or incompetent at ANY age. As MLK once said, it is ALL important the content of their character and contributions to society. I remember how at 17, I blurted out to my cousin that he was OLD at 29. Recently, I just crossed a numerical line but rarely if ever, do I mention my number… My cousin in now 81 and we are both still here.
JFK was assassinated when I was a child in grammar school in 1963. We take note of this event in 2022, barely remembered in our time.
As children, we were all asked to contribute for this monument in Newark, NJ.
Taken for granted now it remains in Military Park on Broad St. (Photo)We were dismissed from school after we heard the news. In a conversation I said:“I bet the Russians are laughing their heads off” that day in 1963.
JFK Memorial (1965) in Military Park, downtown Newark, NJ.
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Copies of my books: “organized labor’ are also available on sale at the Bar at the Landmark Tavern with EXITS AND ENTRANCES (AuthorHouse.com) $29.99. New work was published by Red Wheelbarrow in 2022. We co-hosted Christine Conforti in Totowa and have invited here to appear with us at Biricchino in Manhattan in early 2023.
My Antonio Caruso/Tuosto Family in 1925 in The Newark Sunday Call. My Great-Grandparents and other relatives are all there in 1925. Antonio also donated a window to St. Lucy’s Church dedicated to his Mother as they were from Capo Selle in the Province of Avellino outside Naples, Italy. They were all devoted to St Gerard and that legacy remains even today at St Lucy’s Church to the right of the altar above the door to the Sacristy even today after 97 years.Newark, Italy + Me.by 
JFK Memorial (1965) in Military Park, downtown Newark, NJ.
Daniel P Quinn, 