Tony Sokol (born March 23, 1963, inBrooklyn,New York, United States) is an American playwright, writer and composer, best known for writing the theatrical horror seriesLa Commedia Del Sangue: Vampyr Theatre[1] in New York City.[2]
As a musician, Sokol played guitar, bass or sang in Queer Jesus, The Others, Busted Chops, Head First, 4Q, Death of the Party and the Abstract 4.[3] He appeared several times onWBAI-FM with jazz vocalist Devorah Simpson,[4] as well as backing her on live sessions on the station on guitar and with his band. Sokol wrote incidental music for the filmsWoman, Man, Gun andHide Me, both directed by Jenice Malecki;The Gauntlet andQuest, directed by David Burgos; plusZaritsas: Russian Women in New York, directed byElena Beloff.
He wrote songs and incidental music for over a dozen films and over twenty stage productions and appeared on theJoan Rivers (TV) Show,[5] Strange Universe,[6]WNEW-FM,[7]WBAI-FM,WABC-AM,WFUV-FM,WFMU-FM,BBC-Television and Radio, Britain's "The Girlie Show," bars and nightclubs throughout the tri-state area and over a dozen ManhattanPublic-access television TV shows. He also wrote, produced and occasionally directed or acted in the stageshow Vampyr Theatre, which ran 13 plays in New York in the early 1990s; the radio play "The Excommunication of God;" two short films, more than 20 produced plays and the rock operaAssassiNation: We Killed Kennedy.[citation needed]
Sokol wrote skits for several comedy troupes and Manhattan Public Access shows includingYoung, Gifted and Broke. He wrote several skits for the radio showDrama With Miss Kitty, and appeared with the actress on such radio programs as The Black, Jew and Gay Comedy Hour on Rawenergyradio.com. He also co-hosted a cable call-in show withElena Beloff onManhattan Public Access.
In 1986, Sokol wrote and performed "I was thirsty and you drowned me," a vampiric ritual performance art piece at The Anarchist's Switchboard, Centerfold and other venues, along with other spoken word and musical performances throughout New York City. After writing the play, "The Summer After," for director Rosalie Triana, she asked him if there were any other theatrical works he had written. He responded by turning the vampire rituals into a series of plays "for vampires" which were staged throughout Manhattan in theatres and clubs beginning in 1992[8] and ending in 1997. Thirteen plays were produced, including "Let Us Prey,"[9][10] which Michael Musto, reviewed for the Daily News on January 28, 1994, writing "Every bit as weird as it sounds, "Prey"—written by horror/comedy scribe TONY SOKOL for the troupe La Commedia Del Sangue—presents its eerie rituals with conviction, unabashedly lacing the vampires' ruthless survival tactics with more of a raw sexuality than the misty romanticism they're usually diluted by."[11]
Beginning in November 2003, on the 40th anniversary of the assassination ofJohn F. Kennedy, Sokol wrote, directed and performed the rock opera "AssassiNation: We Killed Kennedy" at theBowery Poetry Club,Don Hill's[12] and other New York and New Jersey music and theater venues.[10][13] Sokol formed the band Death of the Party and used guest singers from New York City bands to play various conspirators. After the performances, the band renamed itself The Abstract Four and continued to play New York City area clubs.[citation needed][10]
Sokol has had his plays produced by several New York theatrical troupes. Among these: "Frankenstein Walks the Wolfman,” whichTime Out New York favorably compared to the horror movie Scream; "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby,” "Baby Jane on Training Wheels", "How You Slice It", "Death Takes a Valium," "Cosmic Inertia", "The Wack", "Factually Incorrect", "Weight Loss by Vivisection" by Creative Artists Laboratory".[14] "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby"[15] and "Baby Jane on Training Wheels" by Spotlight On Productions; "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby", "The Intervention," "How to Skip Alimony Through Voluntary Manslaughter," Produced byThe Irish Arts Center/Company of Impossible Dreams, NYC, 1999, and "Just Us Served". "How You Slice It" was revived by producer Laura Ludwig and performed at Eco Books and was recorded and broadcast by the Museum of Sound.[16] “You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby” has been revived by several theater troupes and was published in its entirety in Criminal Defense Weekly.[17] Sokol was a writer, performer and co-producer of Insightful Riot, an evening of bad taste standup comedy at theNew York Comedy Club.[10] Sokol's play "Everybody ODs" was revived by The Collective in New Bedford, Mass., in March 2017.[18]
Tony Sokol wrote the music for his short filmsDon't Forget, Hire the Vet and970-SPIT in 1988. It led to his writing music for such films as Jenice Malecki'sHide Me andMan, Woman, Gun; John Tranchina'sJust Beyond the Door; David Burgos'The Quest andThe Gauntlet, and other independent films. He also wrote music for New Moon's production ofNo Exit, White Rabbit Theatre's production ofBubby's Shadow[19] and other theatrical performances. He recently contributed music toElena Beloff's documentary on Russian immigrant women in America,Zaritsas: Russian Women in New York and the bank robbery filmDesperate Fate.
Sokol's poetry and short stories have been published inOghamstone,The Urban Magazine of Arts,Nut Magnet and other magazines. Sokol wrote forWicked Mystic,Delirium andNighttimer[20] magazines. He was an abstract writer at PR Newswire for over twenty years. Sokol is the culture editor atDen of Geek,[21] where he reviews films and TV, and conducts celebrity interviews with such artists asMarilyn Manson,[22]Malcolm McDowell,[23] and others, as well as writing on the music, true crime and the occult. He is television editor atEntertainment Voice magazine. Sokol was senior writer and editor atDaily Offbeat[24] and senior writer atKpopStarz.[25] Sokol wrote articles, film reviews and interviews with such artists asHudson Leick[26] andZeena Schreck[27] for Chiseler.[28][29] He was contributing editor at Coed.com,[30] and was a regular contributor toAlt Variety,[31]Inside the Reel,The Silver Tongue,Bedlam and other magazines. Sokol was co-head writer, along withJim Knipfel of the New York weekly magazineSmashpipe.[32][33][34]