New toy store and play studio opens in Clinton Hill
BY KEVIN DUGGAN
A new toy store and play
studio opened in Clinton Hill
in Brooklyn on Nov. 9. Toyish
Lab debuts at Gates Avenue
and St. James Place and will
offer pent up kids and grownups
a chance to play and get
creative, while adhering to
COVID-safety rules, according
to the business’s founder
and CEO.
“COVID-19 has kept us
stuck inside for months, so we
feel that now is the right time
to share a safe space with the
community where kids can express
themselves creatively,”
said Assaf Eshet in a statement.
The play haven is focused
on Eshet’s creation
called Clixo, a building toy
KIDS
Toyish Lab at 109 Gates Ave. at
St. James Place in Clinton Hill,
Brooklyn, www.myclixo.com.
Open Monday-Friday 11 am-6
pm. Weekend hours available
upon enquiry. To schedule a
reservation, email hello@myclixo.
com.
that’s somewhere between
origami and classic blocks,
which allows for open-ended
fun and imagination, according
COURIER L 26 IFE, NOV. 13–19, 2020
to the designer.
“With our new space, kids
and adults alike can experience
fi rsthand the freeing
nature of Clixo and how it’s
changing the way we play,”
he said. “For so long we’ve
had this perfectionist mindset
around life, but we are building
the tools to help everyone
get back to open-ended play
and imaginative thinking.”
The workshop includes a
full magnetic wall to hang
creations, modular pedestals
for individual playtime, and
chandeliers built entirely out
of Clixo.
To maintain a safe environment
amid the pandemic, Toyish
Lab follows all guidelines
of the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention.
All visitors will have their
temperatures checked upon
entry and must sign a contact
tracing waiver. Masks and social
distancing are required
at all time, and the studio will
provide hand sanitizer and
three separate sinks for hand
washing.
The company has also installed
an advanced air fi ltration
system.
They highly encouraging
scheduling a visit in advance,
but individual or small group
walk-ins are allowed, according
to the fi rm.
BY MEAGHAN MCGOLDRICK
At a time when local creators
are struggling bring
their visions to life during
the pandemic, one Red Hook
fi lmmaker managed to shoot
an exciting murder-mystery
while still safely adhering to
social distancing mandates.
By enforcing six-feet of separation
between castmates,
cutting down on non-essential
crew, and testing everyone
regularly, “Indie” artist
Elias Plagianos fi nished off
the pilot of “Hudson Falls,”
a crime drama about an LGBTQ
science professor who
mysteriously quits her job at
a university and opens a craft
brewery. The show’s protagonist
quickly fi nds herself in
a tricky predicament when a
private eye comes to town, and
the secrets of her small upstate
college town begin to unravel.
Plagianos fi lmed the series’
fi rst episode — starring Richard
Kind, Jessica Hecht, and
Tara Westwood, among others
— while adhering to the state’s
COVID-19 guidelines, which
forced the fi lmmakers to get
creative, according to Plagianos,
whose roots in Red Hook
go back at least a decade to his
work on the fantasy-thriller
“The Crimson Mask.”
“We actually wrote this
project to be shot in this sort of
crazy world,” he said.
Adding to the complications,
the artist was forced to
limit the amount of one-onone
scenes to keep the show on
track — which was not ideal
for television, but was aided
by the sprawling North Brooklyn
warehouse where the fi lmmaker
shoots most of his work.
And with “virtually no crew
at all,” Plagianos also had to
push through fi lming quickly
to avoid blowing their budget
on repeated COVID testing.
“It had to be incredibly
quick because the COVID exams
were very expensive and
you needed to do it every three
days, so we had to wrap the entire
production in one week or
we would have lost all of our
money on that,” he said. “But
on the fl ip side, because we had
such a short window of fi lming,
we were able to get this incredible,
dream-like cast.”
The “Swiss Army Knife”
crew consisted of just a cinematographer,
sound recordist,
and prop master, and they all
kept at least six feet from each
other, as well as the actors —
who even did much of their
own hair and makeup.
“Everyone worked together
to say ‘how can we pull this
off?’” said Plagianos.
One of the show’s stars,
Tara Westwood, was even integral
in streamlining the fi lming
process, Plagianos said.
The actor and producer —
known for roles in productions
like “The Grudge” and “Law
and Order” — helped the crew
at “Hudson Falls” research
newer, faster COVID testing,
that she ultimately convinced
the Screen Actors Guild to
okay for fi lming.
“We started the week New
York allowed production, and
we jumped in there with this
crazy plan, and we had to do it
under very strict SAG rules —
and they required a really specifi
c COVID exam, one that New
York did not have,” Plagianos
said, “so the production team,
led by Kathlen Burke, Brett Demeron,
and Westwood actually
did this extensive research
just to fi nd something that fi t
the qualifi cations.”
“The guidelines when we
wanted to start were that cast
and crew had to get a molecular
test, but you had to get
your results in 72 hours. At the
time, no one was getting tests
that quickly,” Westwood said.
Knowing people who were
high-risk and getting quick
results, the star discovered
the Phosphorus RT-qPCR
test, and “fought like crazy”
to have SAG approve it — and
when they did, it was back to
work for her and the rest of the
“Hudson Falls” team.
“Waking up the fi rst day
of fi lming and getting to go
practice my craft — there’s no
feeling quite like it,” she said.
“The reality is these days,
when this is the type of business
you’re in, you’re grateful
to get back to work.”
And Plagianos was equally
grateful for Westwood’s help in
securing the fate of the project.
“Without her, we probably
would not have been able to
fi lm this pilot,” he said.
“Hudson Falls” will premiere
at festivals starting next
summer, but in the meantime,
the Brooklyn-based fi lmmaker
says he’s making the most of
the new hand he’s been dealt.
“Since we shot that show
I’ve been approached to shoot
other shows as well because
we sort of know how to navigate
these waters now,” he
said. “It’s been exciting.”
Come out and play
Hook fi lmmaker shoots ‘Hudson Falls’
pilot while bending to COVID guidelines
BROOKLYN
Show must go on
MAKING IT: A new toy store and play space in Clinton Hill promises to
entertain both children and adults. Photo courtesy of Clixo
Actor Tara Westwood stars in “Hudson Falls,” a new television pilot shot
by Red Hook fi lmmaker Elias Plagianos as COVID-19 mandates rocked productions
across the country. Photo courtesy of Elias Plagianos
link
link
/www.myclixo.com
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/www.myclixo.com
