What seems like many moons ago, in a land far, far away, past the candy cane forests, and through the Lincoln Tunnel, I was pursuing an acting career. As a young actor, I found myself auditioning for (and landing some) roles, that I didn't really want, but got stuck with. I thought "Hey, I can do better than this." I wanted to start my own troupe/company. I got on a website and posted a call. I actually pretended to be someone else... my alter-ego, I guess: Mel Grovero was born. I thought that he commanded a bigger response. I was able to find a few great people to work with, then asked a few people I had performed with to join us and round out the group. Mel Grovero Productions launched a night of theatre at Raw Studios on the west side of 42nd Street (it's gone now.) We had fun, and got to perform on our own terms. A few people stuck around, a few moved on, and we added a couple to put on a more polished night of short plays, on the Upper West Side at 78th Street Studios, called "Laugh, I Said Laugh." Having written a few of these shorts, my writing side gained strength. Lacking the ability to hire tech people and directors, and some people flaking out, my directing side grew too. The director in me was fueled more, when one of my company members, Cinda, asked me to direct her one-woman show Don't Get Me Wrong, and then the show that got her in a festival called It Is What it is. These were produced under the guise of "Acting On Principle Productions."
One thing held true through all of these productions, and that was the collaboration with the steadfast Cinda Lawrence. Some of the others in the group went on and started other companies and projects, so Cinda and I said "Hey, let's merge everything into one name." But what... That was soon answered by Cinda's love for music, and seeking out fresh voices. We had featured a song called "You Are My Spoon" by Amy Fix. This song resonated with our desire to nurture artists that we work with and maintain a positive work space. Neither one of us showing teeth, we decided that we would be called the Two Spoons Theatre Company. Now focused, we produced my original play "Have You Seen This Man?" at the Producers' Club in Midtown. Actually, Mel Grovero became a character in this one. It was just a workshop production, but well received, and more importantly, the cast and process provided for a fantastic experience. So, we jumped off and decided to find other new works. We produced the Teaspoon Festival of one-act plays. We had playwrights from all over the country with all sorts of themes. All of the plays took place in a coffee shop, and the whole theatre was decorated as such. That was truly one of the most enjoyable theatre experiences ever! More than thirty artists collaborated , and all of them were spoontastic! Of course, now that we were rolling, naturally, I should move to Virginia. Sorry Cinda. I know that you will continue spooning the world with your gifts in NYC. I like to think of the spoons as temporarily shelved. Thanks for reading. Check out my links for some of the reviews and sites that talk about Two Spoons, and a link to fabulous Cinda's page. Okay, drink some coffee and read some of my samples if you haven't already.
Want to hear the spoon song? Click to go to Amy Fix's website!!! "You are my spoon"
If you are a theatre person in NYC and are looking for a dedicated, and talented addition to your acting troupe, you should contact Cinda, or check out her web-page.
