Independent Arts News Reporting 
Pictured Above: Playwright and Performer, Dave Droxler. All Photos Credited To: Grace Copeland.
Official Photos Released of Off-Broadway Production Robin & Me
Newsroom Post: NEW YORK, NY
New York, NY – Take a look inside the Off-Broadway premiere of Abingdon Theatre Company’s Robin & Me: My Little Spark of Madness. Written and performed by Dave Droxler, and directed by Abingdon Theatre Company’s Artistic Director, Chad Austin.
In Robin & Me: My Little Spark Of Madness, Dave’s got a lot on his mind. And the only person who can help him unpack it all is his imaginary friend and real life idol: Robin Williams. Robin & Me: My Little Spark Of Madness is an autobiographical play that follows Dave as he becomes multiple characters and whimsically relives hilarious and difficult life moments, including the times when his father dropped the ball and Robin stepped in to get him through it. But how long will it take before Dave learns how to do it without Robin’s help?
Robin & Me: My Little Spark of Madness is playing a strictly limited engagement in Theatre 4 at Theatre Row starting April 15, with opening night set for April 20, running until May 14, 2023.
Abingdon Theatre Company is continuing to work towards their goal of making theatre accessible for all and will be offering $30 tickets throughout the entire run in honor of their 30th anniversary season. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased here.
Established over 30 years ago, Abingdon Theatre Company (ATC) develops and produces critically acclaimed brave new works. Most recently, ATC produced the New York Premiere of Queens Girl in the World which was nominated for Outstanding Solo Performance for the Vivian Robinson Audelco Recognition Awards for Excellence in Black Theatre. Other recent productions include the NYT Critics’ Pick, Get on Your Knees, written and performed by Jacqueline Novak, which was nominated for a Drama Desk Award.
Abingdon Theatre Company’s One Night Only Series has showcased work such as Alex Edelman’s Just for Us which went on to receive Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations, The Prompter starring Oscar-winning actress Estelle Parsons, and Date Of A Lifetime, a new musical with book and lyrics by Carl Kissin and music by Robert Baumgartner Jr. ATC’s free to the public Around the Table Series has produced staged readings of exciting and challenging new plays such as The Inferno by Chris Sherman and Arancini by Joey Merlo.
In 2020, ATC established Abingdon Virtual and has since produced three award-winning films including As Apple Pie, written and directed by Artist-in-Residence Pierre Marais, which was an official selection of the Cannes World Film Festival for Best Young Filmmaker and won multiple awards at festivals including Best Cinematography, Best Director, and Best Drama USA. Abingdon Virtual’s premiere film, It Cries Too Loudly, was an official selection of the Prague International Short Film Awards and won Best Cinematography and Best Short Film at the Eastern European Film Festival.
He says writing Robin & Me required a lot of trial and error and figuring how many jokes to include, and how often he should work his take on Robin Williams into the play.
The show, which is being directed by Chad Austin, begins with Droxler stressed out before a show backstage, and that leads to Robin Williams “visiting” with him for the first time since the legend’s death in 2014.
“It’s fun because I get to have those Robin Williams moments where I address the audience and comment on the audience,” Droxler says. “Then there’s also the narrative aspect of it, which goes back to me as Dave.”
The scenes about Dave involve his parents and stories from his childhood into his 30s. Those moments also include him performing comedy bits he developed in his 20s and 30s.
“It’s fun, but it’s exhausting, let me tell you,” Droxler says of being in his 40s and doing things that came much easier in his younger days.
For some of us, the actors and characters we watched in movies and on TV make a real impact on our lives—and the fact that people can affect others they have never met is something Droxler finds amazing.
“On the flip side of it, it’s so cool to think that just because you might not be a celebrity, that doesn’t mean you as an individual, as a human, can’t try do the same thing,” Droxler says. “Just through humanity and the way you act towards people and how you might affect somebody in a positive way.”
Robin & Me: My Little Spark of Madness will be performed at Theatre 4 at Theatre Row, 410 West 42nd St., New York April 15 through May 14. For tickets and information, go to abingdontheatre.org.
