“Sold out Off-Broadway at HERE Arts Center in New York City.”
HORATIO
Meatpacking District, New York City. 2010.
HORATIO began with a documentary about the basketball court at Horatio Street and the people who played there.
Then the court became a stage.
Film, writing, performance and the neighborhood itself came together in a mixed-media theater piece presented at HERE Arts Center in New York, including two sold-out performances.
“Though Horatio is ostensibly about basketball, what is at stake is much larger.”
— ArtCards
FROM THE SCRIPT
MIKE SERAVELLI
It’s simple. We don’t need any bureaucracy.
We don’t need any government.
We do it ourselves. Self-governed.
It’s like a tribe with our own rules and rituals.
You come into the park and you ask, “Who’s got next?”
If no one has it, it’s yours. If someone’s got it, you can play with them—IF they want you.
If not, you’re out.
“Feel-good humor is a defining thread in Horatio… The play is brilliantly paced and timed.”
— David St. Lascaux
“Revealing the broader social tensions at play within the city itself.”
— ArtCards
STILL LIVING
The Court as a Stage was originally created as a producer’s package for taking HORATIO further. The full script is here too. More than fifteen years later, the material is still alive, and the question of what form it might take next remains open.
The Court as a Stage: Writing, Theater and the Game of Life
Few places in New York City have seen as much transformation as the Meatpacking District. Horatio captures the raw energy, humor, and culture of Corporal John A. Seravalli Playground—affectionately known as Horatio—where Wall Street execs, drag queens, construction workers, and kids from the neighborhood collide in the most unexpected ways. This park is more than just a basketball court—it’s an unfiltered, self-governing world with its own rules, its own hierarchy, and its own brand of justice.
This post serves as an introduction to my work in scriptwriting and mixed-media storytelling—a look at how I blend documentary and fiction to explore identity, community, and cultural shifts. Horatio started as a personal story, evolved into a theatrical production, and now acts as a blueprint for future projects that challenge traditional storytelling formats…
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