Fezzed for Mayhem in "Naked Came the Painting"

The cast for "Naked Came the Painting," a one act comedy by LindaAnn Loschiavo, has been rehearsing during October in Manhattan's theatre district.

• • In the cast are: Lila Smith, Katherine Mylenki, and David A. Green.

• • Shela Xoregos directs.

• • Handsome David Green, who plays the enthralling psychic Mr. ZIMBATATTA, wears a World War I trench veteran's fez in the play.

• • A Short History of the Fez • •

• • The fez was adopted in 1826 as the universal male headgear in the Ottoman Empire as part of the modernizing reforms of Sultan Mahmud II. Prior to this date, it was worn sporadically in the Maghreb (Northwest Africa) by some units of the Ottoman navy, and by the inhabitants of some Greek islands.

• • Initially a symbol of Ottoman modernity, the fez soon came to be seen as part of an "Oriental" cultural identity. In Turkey, however, wearing the fez was legally banned in 1925 as part of the modernizing reforms of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. The origin of the name is controversial. The Turkish word "fes" may refer to the city of Fez in Morocco, or to the name of the crimson berry, which was imported from that country and was used to dye the felt.

• • The fez was initially a brimless bonnet of red, white, or black with a turban woven around. Later the turban was eliminated, the bonnet shortened, and the color fixed to red.

• • In the Western world, the fez occasionally serves as a symbol of relaxation. In cartoons, characters are shown wearing a fez often while lying in a hammock on vacation or relaxing after a hard day of work. This curious imagery may be a throwback to the late 19th century English practice of men wearing a loose fitting smoking jacket and braided fez-like headdress when relaxing informally in the evenings.

• • Punch cartoons of the period 1875 — 1890 frequently portray middle-class male figures dressed in this fashion. This practice is called "wearing mufti" and came from the habit of British officers and public servants wearing what was then Indian dress in the privacy of their homes. The dress was more comfortable in the Indian climate and created a sense of ease and relaxation such that the clothing, not unlike that of an Islamic scholar or mufti, came into the English language as a word meaning 'out of uniform' or undress.

• • One of the best-known wearings of a fez in a Hollywood film was by Victor Mature, playing Dr. Omar in Josef Von Sternberg's The Shanghai Gesture (1942).

• •  Laurel and Hardy wore fezzes in their film Sons of the Desert, and so the members of the international fraternal organization named after the film wear fezzes in tribute.

• •  The Shriners are notable for wearing fezzes.

• •  A Tarot card, the 7 of Swords, shows a man wearing a red fez.

• • The adjective — —  that refers to an individual who is wearing a brimless cone-shaped flat-crowned hat that usually has a tassel, is usually made of red felt, and is worn especially by men in eastern Mediterranean countries — — is "fezzed."

• • This spirited three-character comedy — — that explores the boundaries between art and artifice — — will make its debut at the 2010 Harvest One-Act Play Festival.  Variations Theatre Group will offer performances between November 10th — 20th, 2010 at the recently renovated LABA Theatre at the 14th Street Y.

— —  — —  — —  WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE — —  — —  — —

• • First performance dates and times have been announced by Variations Theatre Group for the sprightly one-act comedy "Naked Came the Painting" by LindaAnn Loschiavo.

• • FIRST DATE:  Wednesday, 10 November 2010 — — 7:00 PM

• • SECOND DATE:  Saturday, 13 November 2010 — — 9:15 PM

• • POSSIBLE DATES:  November 18th — 20th.

• • WHERE: LABA Theatre, 344 East 14th Street, NYC 10003.

• • WHAT: 2010 Harvest One-Act Play Festival

• • Subway: Union Square Station/ IRT Lexington, 4, 5, 6; First Avenue Station / L line

• • http://nakedtheatreny.blogspot.com/

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• • PHONE: 646-400-3253 to get ticket information

• • BUY TICKETS Online — — http://www.variationstheatregroup.com