Following a popular run at another venue, Astoria resident Derek Ahonen will now see his show “The Pied Pipers of the Lower East Side” make it to Off-Broadway.
“I always wanted to write plays from the time I was a kid,” said Ahonen, who is the writer and director of the show. “I just love making theatre.”
As a child, Ahonen said that he also loved inventing, but added that inventing plays was the only thing he was actually good at. When he was in his early 20s, Ahonen said he began taking playwrighting more seriously.
Ahonen is also the co-founder of the theatre group The Amoralists. He said that, while heading to Las Vegas, he and his friends decided to try to win enough money to start their own theatre company. Although they ended up losing money instead, they still decided to form it in November of 2006.
Having many talented people in their inner circle who “hadn’t cracked into the industry,” Ahonen said he and his friends began to pool their resources. He also said that a lot of luck has been involved.
After a show that “didn’t really go as expected,” Ahonen wrote “The Pied Pipers of the Lower East Side.” He said that he wanted to write something that dealt with everything about love, desperation, money, sex and gender roles.
According to The Amoralists’ web site, the show is about “An extraordinary gathering of young idealists [who] live as a modern day urban tribe above a vegan restaurant in NYC. Billy, Dawn, Dear and Wyatt are an extended sexual family battling their fears and addictions in order to live their utopian dream. ‘The Pied Pipers of the Lower East Side’ is a celebration of love and the search for human grandness.”
From June to August, the show played at P.S. 122. Ahonen said the show was doing very well there and the seats were at 98 percent capacity.
Down the street from that venue, a theatre company had moved out of the Off-Broadway venue Theatre 80 St. Marks. Ahonen said they decided to move the show to the bigger space, hoping that it would remain “hot.”
“The Pied Pipers of the Lower East Side” opened in the available space on September 10 and is scheduled to run through October 10.
“It feels great,” Ahonen said of seeing his show move to Off-Broadway. “It’s very exciting and very tiring at the same time.”
Ahonen said that one reason why the show has remained popular is “probably because it’s got interesting, young characters, which is hard to find.” He also said that it is due to the charming and talented actors in the show.
Ahonen has already started writing his next show, “Happy in the Poor House,” which will be ready to open early spring.
“I’d like to reach the largest audience possible,” Ahonen said of his future goals. “But, I’m pretty happy with how it’s going right now.”
“The Pied Pipers of the Lower East Side” will have performances through October 10 on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays at 7:30 p.m. and at 5 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are $40 or $25 for students and seniors. Due to the content of the show, those under 17 will not be admitted.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.TheaterMania.com or by calling 212-352-3101.
Theatre 80 St. Marks is located at 80 St. Marks Place between 1st Avenue and 2nd Avenue.
For more information on The Amoralists, visit www.TheAmoralists.com.
