Experiment BIRTE - Good to Go!

SCI-FI-Q Gives Readers

An Inside Look at IRTE-TVs New Programming

New CEO at IRTE-TV Promises Bold New Programming

Jeremy Binderhull, Staff Writer for Sci-Fi-Q

Interviews IRTE-TV CEO Hollander Caul-de-Zak  

      

SFQ Staff file photo.

Science fiction fans respond to news from IRTE-TV with cautious anticipation.

He’s been an enigmatic presence in the regional television broadcasting industry ever since he breathed life back into dying but beloved local tv station, WXRV, thirteen short months ago, reconfiguring it as an analog/cyberspace crossover property for the digital age and renaming its flagship television brand, IRTE-TV.

Get ready to be surprised again, because Rochester’s own Rupert Murdoch is at it… again!

Hollander D. Caul-de-Zak, the brash and eccentric CEO of WXRV, and its most famous outlet, IRTE-TV, has taken a gamble with a bold new programming move. Sci-Fi Q’s award-winning blogger, Jeremy Binderhull, took a few moments the other day to sit down and stick a probe in old Hollander’s brain.

Here’s what we found out...

SFQ: (adjusting settings on recording device) Ah, let me just… Oh, we’re live - uh, we’re recording now, sir.

Caul-de-Zak: (coming at the blogger with a raised palm) I thought you told me you weren’t going to record this first part!

SFQ: Oh, I’m sorry. I thought we already finished the - I’m sorry. Here, I can turn it off.

Caul-de-Zak: Oh well! Never mind!

SFQ: What?

Caul-de-Zak: I said Go Ahead! Are you deaf?! (muttering to himself) Or just an idiot!

SFQ: What? Oh. Ok. No, sir. Ok, fine.

Hollander Caul-de-Zak sits silent, stern and stolid, not saying a word.

SFQ: Shall we continue, then? Let’s continue. Ah, I mean, where shall we begin…?

Caul-de-Zak: (twiddling his fingers as if brushing crumbs off his robe) Go ahead…

SFQ: I’m sitting here with relatively new CEO and Chief of Programming at Rochester’s own, and much beloved, WXRV, and their “offspring”, as it were… (coughs slightly) the crown jewel of Lake Ontario South Shore television programming, IRTE-TV. (covering mic and speaking directly to Mr. Caul-de-Zak) Did I say that right? Rhymes with “birdy-teevee”? (whispering) Ok, good. Thank you... Sorry.

SFQ: (clears throat) The buzz on the airwaves is you’re about to shake things up with local original and/or “renewed-retro” programming, specifically in the 5 to 9 p.m. time-slots, Monday through Wednesday, for those customers with satellite dish service or piggybacking off a strong signal from the Canada side of the lake, most likely in the Prince Edward area of the lowest southeastern portion of Ontario. That tends to give the strongest signals to us Rochesterians who like to add variety to our viewing choices… Sorry. Uh, people in the know say this is a gamble that is likely to pay off?

Caul-de-Zak: Well, I’ll tell you what, young man. I’ve been in the industry a long time for around these parts. I’ve learned a thing or two, and I know you can’t win big if you’re not willing to pony up and throw a heaping pile of chips onto the table every once in awhile.

SFQ: Yes, well people in the know are saying -

Caul-de-Zak: I know what people in the know are saying! I am People in the Know! Now let me tell you what we’re up to over here at XIRT-V - that’s what I call it, son. You can’t call it that.

SFQ: Ok, Mr. Caul-de-Zak. Of course, sir.

Caul-de-Zak: Now where was I? (twiddling his fingers again) Oh, yes. About six or seven months ago I was sitting around with my business partners, if you know what I mean, and we were discussing possible next moves for the early evening to prime time slot in our early to mid week extended programming service. And one of the guys was talking about his niece writing a story for a science fiction contest, and - oh, hell! You don’t need to know how the sausage is made! I came up with this great idea for after-school and dinner-time tv watching for our local families and extended programming tv viewers!

SFQ: Great! I’m sure our readers would love to know all about it.

Caul-de-Zak: Alright, well, it’s gonna be great!

SFQ: Great! Sir. I wonder if, perhaps, you might be able - uh, willing to share a bit more detail for our - and your - fans, sir.

Caul-de-Zak: Well, I don’t want to give too much away, but let me just say that we’re giving science fiction fans a whole new reason to tune in on weekday evenings. A whole new reason!

SFQ: Great!

Caul-de-Zak: Let me finish, son. Yes, it IS great! Now I know that nowadays young folks like their entertainment fast and cutting edge - “EXTREME!” I think they call it. People want to feel that what they’re watching is beyond real. Hell, even at the national level the lines between reality and made-up facts is getting blurred. So we’ve gone ahead a retooled many classic science fiction favorites and injected them with new life, literally! (directly to Sci-Fi Q blogger) Now this is where you ask me, “well how are you doing that?” Go ahead, now.

SFQ: Oh, now. That’s now? Ok...So, tell me sir, because I’m sure our readers are dying to know, how are you going to do that?

Caul-de-Zak: I’m glad you asked. We’ve hired a good, sturdy stable of the finest actors in the area - Regional Actors - and we’ve got them performing LIVE in front of a studio audience some of the great science fiction thrillers in motion picture history, and a few as yet unseen. And let me tell you, we’re real excited about this whole deal.

  

Regional Actors in Caul-de-Zak’s WXRV’s IRTE-TV “Experiment”

SFQ: I’ll bet you are! Oh, boy!

Caul-de-Zak: Settle down, kid!

SFQ: Sorry.

Caul-de-Zak: Anyway, as I was saying - and this bears repeating because this is major stuff happening here! We are going to broadcast a LIVE taping of a performance in front of a LIVE audience a series of sci-fi thrillers! Do you understand what I’m saying here?

SFQ: Yes, of course I do, sir!

Caul-de-Zak: This is cutting edge! This is “EXTREME”! Now print that! Or post it, or whatever it is you people do these days.

SFQ: That’s why I’m here, sir.

Caul-de-Zak: That’s why I’M here.

IRTE-TV’s thrilling new sci-fi programming, appropriately entitled The Experiment, will begin with a two-weekend premiere celebration Friday and Saturday nights at 8 p.m., April 21, 22, 28, and 29.

Watch the creepy trailer here.

Return next week when SFQ Staff Writer, Jeremy Binderhull, brings readers an exclusive super secret look into the clandestine world of “Syracuse Soothsayers,” who claim to hold the missing link between the Star Wars and Star Trek universes.

THE EXPERIMENT

Friday and Saturday nights at 8 p.m. 

April 21, 22, 28 and 29

The Producer’s Club

358 W 44th St, New York, NY

Tickets: $15

OMG! THE SENSE-ATIONS ARE HERE!

by Rose Isred

Unless you've been living in an underground bunker at the edges of a valley in the Wyoming badlands, you've heard of THE SENSE-ATIONS! Probably by just reading the name of this supergroup, some of their lyrics and tunes are running rampant in your head. Such songs as "We Are Here for You", "Make Your Dreams Come True", and even "Look, Girl, I Hear You Smelled My Tasty Feelings" have made their way into the psyche as prime candidates for the great American song book.

The new album from the SENSE-ATIONS, "To the Rescue"

What super group wouldn't be "sense-ational" that had five members who've been singing and dancing since birth? And now, nurtured and guided by their sensational and (some would say overly) affectionate business manager, Marg, the sky's the limit for these overachieving idols.

But, there's a flip side to these five heartthrobs. They not only pose as super singers, but soar as super heroes as well. When they started their opening number at a concert in Santiago, Chile, Billy Beak stopped the concert because he smelled forest fires in the Blue Ridge Mountains. A quick call to fire fighters limited the damage to only thousands of acres. As they were just beginning a concert at Mattress Firm Stadium in Ballwin, Missouri, Lil Peepers saw poachers taking aim at a herd of elephants in a Kenyan wild life preserve. The concert stopped as the Sense-ations took off in their super sonic private jet to arrest the poachers, but by the time they arrived in Kenya, eleven hours later, the poachers had fled the scene. Where do they get their super senses?

Marg, business manager to the stars!

It has been reported, however, with very questionable sourcing, that as middleschoolers, the SENSE-ATIONS! were brought to a remote Japanese island where the samurai were trained to walk silently through egg shell fields. The island is also home to many cats. This island, known to Americans as "the remotest Japanese island," was home to their superpower guru, Sensei Shin. It is said, he took Patsi Klein of our supergroup, blind folded her, stopped up her ears with wax, stuffed her nose with cotton, and coated her tongue with herring. This forced Patsi to only use her sense of touch to get back home before a dinner of rice and stewed beets. Likewise, the other SENSE-ATIONS! were treated in a similar manner.

Angus, THE roadie

After returning to the states, and having missed all of middle school, the SENSE-ATIONS! were home schooled by their overly caring manager, Marg. Marg would never have been able to get the SENSE-ATIONS! to their current ninth grade reading level without the help of trusty roadie, Angus, who seems to know much more than he lets on. Who else fixes the supersonic jet, or tunes the instruments, or gets the blood stains out of the SENSE-ATIONS! capes?


I have to admit, it is a wonderful feeling to have our singing sweethearts back in our fair Metro City, especially since crime is sky rocketing after Madame Mayor Mayer's new initiative entitled, "The SENSE-ATIONS! Can Take Care of Everything." The entire Metro City police force has been laid off as a result of this new crime fighting initiative. So far, it does seem to be modestly working. Banshee, the SENSE-ATION! with super hearing has heard every broken window and car alarm in Metro City since the new rule has been put into effect. And, Butch Lang, our super singer with the super tongue, has identified over twenty-two restaurants that deserve their B rating.

Our Mayor Mayer

Soldier on, my pop stars, my caped dancers, and sensitive crime fighters. I'll have front row seats to the next SENSE-ATIONS! concert in Metro City's own Dr. Zizmor Arena.

Come see the improvised theatre phenomenon that is 

THE SENSE-ATIONS!

March 17, 18, 24, & 25, 8:00 pm

The Producers Club

358 West 44th Street

New York, NY 10036

Tickets: $15

Conceived by Curt Dixon

Directed by Robert Baumgardner

Starring

Nannette Deasy

Curt Dixon
Brianna Lee

Jamie Maloney

Bill Berg

Evie Aronson

Michael Hauschild

Tara Sargente

With special musical guests 

ReW STaRR (March 17)

Craig Greenberg (March 18)

Eli Bridges (March 24)

Carla Ulbrich (March 25)

Happy Crappy Birthday!

By Jamie Maloney

This week, IRTE will be bringing its interactive birthday party show, Happy Birthday, Stupid Kid!, to the Asheville Fringe Arts Festival in North Carolina. The titular character persists in seeing his 12th Birthday in a relentlessly positive light (even as his family falls apart around him). For many of us in the cast, the show brought back some conflicted memories surrounding our childhood celebrations - the highs,the lows, the excitements, the disappointments.

Jamie Maloney elaborates...

I had birthday parties until I was eleven years old. I'll call them disappointing. The reasons were justifiable if I look at them from an adult's perspective, but at the time I was not happy. 

I lived in a neighborhood which was far from my school and relatively devoid of other kids. It also wasn't the safest area of New York City in the late 70's and early 80's. Add to this, a summer birthday, when people were away on vacation and it's easy to understand the low turnout for my parties. My parents did their best to give me happy celebrations but my social isolation left them and me ignorant of the trends and interests of kids at the time. Sitting in a circle and using teaspoons to pass a tennis ball around may have been fun in their day but the savvy kids of the 80's wanted more. And of course I was at a loss because being the weird kid in class whose living situation was a mystery and who compensated for his awkwardness by acting out didn't earn me many invites to other parties. 

One cool kid came to one party and apparently spread the word because after that my only attendees were children of my mother's friends, kids I had known since infancy and the one cousin I had who was my age until we had a falling out over a Star Wars toy when we were eight. I have old pictures of a line of shirtless boys in our backyard waiting to play another round of "catch the potato" wearing the expressions of a group of convicts before they set out for a day of hard labor, and quite a few more of me pouting in the corner.  

For my eleventh birthday (and final) childhood party, I caught on to the fact that all the kids were having their events at Laces, the local (to my school) rollerskating rink. I invited the entire class, terrified of the humiliation I was certain to endure when surely no one would show up. At the rink, with wheels on my feet and an escape route already planned, my guests started showing up. ALL of them! I was thrilled. They actually like me! I went over to some of the boys from my class to thank them for coming, but they ignored me. Some of the girls did talk to me and let me know that another boy in the class was having his birthday party at exactly the same time and that the girls and a few friendly boys were there for me and the rest were there for him. From anxious to vindicated to humiliated in the span of a minute. I parked myself in front of the Donkey Kong machine in the corner and had to be dragged physically into the back room where the cake and the presents were happening. I was done with birthday celebrations for the rest of my teen years. 

When I was 21, I decided to celebrate my birthday alone. You come into the world alone, so

why not appreciate that? I went to the movies. Alone. And why not? Why not go alone? I felt a bit conspicuous at first but I discovered my solitary viewing preference and in a roundabout way it lead me to understand and embrace my introverted nature. For my 39th I saw the original Planet of the Apes at Film Forum, followed by a showing of The Warriors in Tompkin's Square Park. In Planet of the Apes the date on the console of the ship that Charlton Heston is in at the beginning of the movie shows the date July 14, 1972, the very day I was born. I viewed it as

personal acknowledgement. And as for The Warriors, I arrived at the park about six hours early so I could get a good seat. While I was waiting I watched a little kid roller-skate in circles for about 20 minutes until he was so dizzy he couldn't stand up anymore. Now, as I look back on all those childhood parties I'm grateful for what ended up being the circular the path they put me on. But really mom and dad, potatoes?

​IRTE Presents: Happy Birthday, Stupid Kid! at the Asheville Fringe Arts Festival
THURSDAY, January 26, 2017 @ 7:00pm

SATURDAY, January 28, 2017 @7:00pm

The BeBe Theatre

20 Commerce Street

Asheville, NC 28801 

Tickets $13 

​

New Year, New IRTE

By Nannette Deasy

It's January 4th and as I sit here in a post-holiday daze, I can't help but wonder... Do my clown pants still fit?

This Saturday, IRTE will kick off the new year by remounting last season's improvised birthday party,

I'm very glamorous

Happy Birthday, Stupid Kid! for the Asheville Fringe Arts Festival in North Carolina (performances Jan 26 & 28). (Yes, I play a clown - an amateur children's party clown.). Before our rehearsal this weekend, I will need to make my way down to our building's storage and retrieve wigs, streamers, the various dime store goodies we use as props and, of course, one pair of abused clown pants. (You know it's been an indulgent New Year's when clown pants are snug.)

It's actually an exciting time for IRTE. The end of 2016 was a rough one for many of us, so we're looking forward to a 2017 full of laughter, artistic growth, music and good ol' indie theatre weirdness. In these uneasy times, all artistic voices matter, even the small and silly ones, especially the small and silly ones. Who we are and how we feel about ourselves, one another and the world around us is not solely inspired by the largest commercial stages and screens. We can be nourished one evening at a time, together in a small black box theater. There in the darkness, we connect and laugh and (hopefully) feel a bit better about everything for an hour or so.



With that in mind, Robert, Bill, Curt, Jamie and I got together, pitched about a billion (actually 35) ideas, voted, ate snacks, wrestled (mentally) and re-voted until we all agreed. (I kept pitching a show

When I googled "T-Rex" and "beauty pageant,"
the first image that came up was Donald Trump

called Toddlers and Tyrannosaurs about a child pageant show in which a T-Rex gets entered and then eats all the children. This is the third year I've pitched that show. It never gets chosen.)



Now, without further ado, I'm pleased to announce IRTE 2017! Mark your calendars! Blow your horns! Clap your hands! (unless you're a T-Rex)*

​
The Sense-ations!
Conceived by Curt Dixon
Directed by Robert Baumgardner
FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS March 17, 18, 24 & 25, 8:00pm,

​

**Management not responsible for any super villain attacks during the show.

They're international pop superstars! They have REAL super powers! Experience the phenomenon that is THE SENSE-ATIONS!**

The Experiment

Conceived and Directed by Bill Berg
FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS April 21, 22, 28 & 29, 8:00pm

Time-traveling creatures from inside your mind..

​Genetically-modified clones of your worst-nightmare-self…

Hold onto your seats because anything can happen when the twisted minds of IRTE meld with the spur-of-the-moment suggestions of the audience in this improvised B-movie sci-fi thriller that will have you laughing, screaming, and dying for more!

​

Avoidance!
Original Concept by Jamie Maloney
FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS May 19, 20, 26 & 27, 8:00pm

The game show where contestants face the discomforts of everyday life, vying for the grand prize - 

a year alone, away from the madness of daily life. Will they succeed in avoiding their greatest fears and anxieties?​

​

BRP II

Conceived and Directed by Robert Baumgardner
FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS June 16, 17, 23 & 24, 8:00pm

The big get BIGGER, the rich get RICHERER, the powerful get even more POWERFULLERERER! … but who Trumps them all? Witness the private lives of the titans of industry. Who falls from grace? Who marries up? Who moves to Washington? Find out in this improvised comedy based on the IRTE hit "Big, Rich & Powerful"!

*All shows take place 8pm at the Produces Club, ​ 358 West 44th Street New York, NY 10036.  Tickets $15



Another piece of exciting news! For the first time ever, IRTE's holding auditions! Want to be a part of the shows mentioned above? Let us know!

We are looking for diverse, experienced improvisational actors to join our roster of guest improvisers (GIRTEs). IRTE is a share-based company, meaning all show expenses (rehearsal space, performance venue, publicist, tech, postcards, posters, etc.) are split equally among the company (IRTE main ensemble and GIRTEs equally). In return, all ticket sales are also divided equally among the company after the run. For an audition slot or questions, please e-mail: irteinfo@gmail.com.⍏ GIRTEs and former Ensemble members from previous seasons need not audition, but should email their interest in being cast for future shows. For more information, please visit www.irteinfo.com.



⍏T-Rexes and beautiful child pageant stars need not apply. Apparently, some people do not find them amusing.

Help Us to Continue Bringing Good Cheer in the New Year!

Dear Friend,

We had a great season this past year, producing four different shows. Plus, we're doing our best to reach audiences outside of New York City, as well. In January, we're performing at the Asheville Fringe Festival. So, if you live in or near NC, now's your chance to check us out live and in person!

For the upcoming 2017 season, the IRTE elves have opened their workshop, and are hard at work making plans for four new improvised shows. They're hoping to bring entertainment and laughter to all, and give everyone some relief from the past year.

We can't do this without contributions from people like you who want to share terrific, zany, live comedy and who want to make sure it's affordable for everybody.

If you weren't able to take part in our 2016 Indiegogo fundraiser, and would like to see  small, independent theatre thrive, there is still time to make a tax deductible gift to IRTE in 2016 through our fiscal sponsor, Fractured Atlas. To give a gift to IRTE during this charitable time of year, please go to the Fractured Atlas IRTE page and make a tax deductible donation on-line. If you prefer, you can also donate by check. Please send contributions to IRTE c/o Robert Baumgardner, 10 W 66 St, #19-H, New York, NY 10023. Checks should be made payable to Fractured Atlas, with IRTE in the memo line. IRTE is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the charitable purposes of IRTE must be made payable to “Fractured Atlas” and are tax‐deductible to the extent permitted by law. We greatly appreciate it.

We at IRTE would like to wish all of you a happy holiday season and a wonderful new year! We'd also like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all your support over the past five years. Our 2016 fundraising efforts helped us pay for over a third of our overall costs. Our biggest expense, by far, is rent on theatre and rehearsal spaces. This year we spent over $3,400 on that alone. Donations weren't the only way you supported us. We had a blast seeing so many of you in the audience for multiple shows in our season.
 
Happy Holidays from all of us at IRTE, and we look forward to seeing you for our exciting new 2017 season (announcement coming soon)!

Nannette Deasy, Artistic Director
Robert Baumgardner
Curt Dixon
Jamie Maloney
Bill Berg

Ravening Mummies, Fascist Elephants, and a Fearless Lady Archaeologist

Meet IRTE’s New Jersey Nora

"New Jersey" Nora. Photo Courtesy of Roberto Tobar

by Jeff O'Leary

Back by popular demand, IRTE’s archaeological adventure show, ‘Dig,’ will be making a very special appearance at the Midtown International Theater Festival -- featuring New Jersey Nora, a very special lady archaeologist.  Guest star Jeff O’Leary interviewed our heroine to learn what makes this brilliant and intrepid adventuress tick.  Read on!

How did you get your start as an archaeologist/explorer? Any mentors, people you pattern you career after?

Mummies are fun on dates but they have commitment issues

My passion for archaeology began as a small child. I traveled the globe with my parents Norman and Noelle Netless who were famous aerialists for Giggling Brothers World of Wonders Circus. They were the headliners until tragically murdered by a Nazi elephant. Spending my earliest years under the big top, I learned many skills invaluable to a budding archaeologist - knife throwing, whip wielding, sharp-shooting, horseback riding, flying aircraft, and Sanskrit. After my parents untimely demise, I was sent to live with my great uncle Alpheus Leakey Fawcett, an Egyptopaleoanthroapologist at Camden, New Jersey's renowned University of University. It was he who instilled in me a great respect for rescuing ancient antiquities from moldering ruins and indifferent governments and placing them where they belong - IN A MUSEUM! (preferably a Western one).

Batman has his Robin, Obama has his Biden -- any sidekicks that you have fond feelings for?

I've gone through TA's like a hot knife through butter. A TA's career in my class is often short-lived (literally). The "field research" can be a bit...fraught...  Sadly, I can barely remember the faces of many of my teachers assistants. It's a blur ('cause they've usually been ripped off by some mummy).

Book of the Dead -- not appropriate bedtime reading

New Jersey Nora in action! Photo Courtesy of Roberto Tobar

However, there was one companion who will always have a special place in my heart. Her name was Rags, an orphan who stowed away in my steamer trunk while I was lecturing on the dangers of reading aloud from the Book of the Dead at the British Museum in London. I'm pretty sure Rags wasn't her family name, but it seemed appropriate given her deplorable fashion sense. I taught her so many things during our many adventures together - how to drive a stick shift, how to remove blood stains from khaki, hiding in wicker baskets, dusting, and that monkeys are not your friends...


It can get pretty lonely out there in the jungle. Is there are special someone in your life that keeps you company when you are on the trail of a rare artifact?

I'm a romantic. I've been married countless times and never divorced (usually because of mummies).

Indiana Jones is famously afraid of snakes. What sort of things give you the creeps?

Elephants with Fascist leanings.

Do you have a "bucket list" of archaeological discoveries?

I've been hot on the trail of unearthing Jesus' Yearbook. Fingers crossed!

Want to see more of New Jersey Nora?  Then don't miss this special performance of IRTE’s Dig:

Midtown International Theater Festival
Saturday, July 30 at 9 PM - 9:45 PM

WorkShop Theater's Jewel Box Theater,

312 West 36th Street, Fourth Floor,

New York, NY 10018
Tickets: $20