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1100 Playwright Interviews

1100 Playwright Interviews A Sean Abley Rob Ackerman E.E. Adams Johnna Adams Liz Duffy Adams Tony Adams David Adjmi Keith Josef Adkins Nicc...

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Aug 28, 2008

chuck mee teaching and how he won't tell you what's right and wrong

http://theoffcenter.com/2008/08/mr-teacher/

nice post from Don about conscience and health care

http://donhall.blogspot.com/2008/08/right-of-conscience.html

question

Ok, so what ever happened to all the talk about voting machines. Has anything been done to prevent McCain from stealing the election in the same way Bush did twice? If you recall, a lot of votes in Ohio weren't counted. And on the electronic machines people would put in one person and it would count for the other person. There was no paper trail and the company who made the machines was owned by a good friend of W. So were any of these problems ever solved. Anyone?

Aug 26, 2008

from this month's Dramatists magazine

FROM THE FRONT DESK of Gary Garrison In the May 15 E-newsletter, I detailed a trip I’d taken to Seattle that culminated in one of the most open, honest and frank panel discussions I’ve ever witnessed on large, named theatres producing (or not producing, as is often the case) unknown playwrights that live in the very communities these theatres do business in. Just to catch you up to speed, here is the original narrative: The Backyard Syndrome Like a lot of you, I’ve heard about the perpetual and perennial misting rain of Seattle, the we-did-it-first-Starbucks phenomenon and the almost legendary theatre scene that builds an uptown aura with a downtown sensibility. My Guild visit to Seattle this weekend was a tremendous success: yes, there was the steady rain; sure enough, there was enough coffee to float a small country (but isn’t that now true everywhere?). But it was the gorgeous spirit of the theatre community that just knocked my socks off. A dinner with the Seattle Rep Dennis Schebetta combined with a Town Hall meeting with local artists/administrators and passionate Guild members quickly articulated a common concern among a lot of our members: dramatists can’t get produced in their own backyards. I’ve heard this serious concern announced in Atlanta, Houston, Boston, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles and San Diego. Let me be clear: it’s not about just getting produced in your own backyard, it’s about getting produced by one of the named theatres that’s in your own metropolitan neighborhood. What was extraordinary and different (and incredibly positive) about members talking about this issue in Seattle was the almost instant call – by representatives of the three large theatres: The Intiman, A Contemporary Theatre (ACT) and Seattle Rep – for playwrights to stop focusing on something that’s probably not going to happen for a variety of predominantly economic reasons, and instead to channel that passion and energy in to either co-producing (like 13 P in New York or Playwrights 6 in Los Angeles) or self-producing. To hear representatives of the three big theatres in town say in a straight-forward, no-nonsense but kind way: “Look, we love new writers. But we have twelve-hundred seats that we have to fill or we’ll go under. And base-line economics suggest big commercial names of plays and playwrights are going to sell those seats.” They said it. Out loud, even. They said what other theatres won’t or can’t or don’t want to say in a public way for a variety of reasons (that have to do with mission statements and grant writing, I’m sure). There was something liberating, for everyone in the room, in the truth being spoken out loud. More importantly, there was something very empowering in dramatists realizing that if they want their stories told to a local audience, they’d most likely have to figure out for themselves how best to do that. And they should. They should figure it out because every voice should be heard, and every story desperately needs to be told. Once that ice was broken, all the bigger questions came out: who are we writing for? Is our effectiveness as dramatists determined by the size of the audience and the theatre that serves them? Are we writing for the prestige of an association to a large theatre? To Broadway? To a published anthology? Or are we writing because we have a desire to change the world, be that in front of a crowd of fifty or five-hundred? Where do you want to be: sitting in a small, dark theatre where your story is unfolding in front of an appreciative audience or staring at your manuscript that won’t be produced by a theatre you’ve defined as worthy and successful? Hmmmmm. That’s a tough one. I know. I usually count on twenty or thirty members to always respond to my columns in the E-newsletter, depending on what area of craft, career or spiritual journey I’m writing about. When I receive over a hundred responses from members (like my column on agents, and then this Seattle column), I know that something in the content is resonating in a lot of people. More importantly, I know there’s wisdom, opinion, passion and argument to share with you. Here, then, were some of the responses: (omitted. Check the magazine for them.) I'd love to hear your responses, however. more here

Aug 22, 2008

here is a short film

This started out as a play commissioned by Clubbed Thumb the summer of 2006. (Sam directed that too.) it was subsequently produced by Howling Moon Cab Company and Marisa Viola in New York then by my friends at Theatre of Note in LA and my other friends at Bluebox in New York. the film is directed (and filmed) by Sam Buggeln and stars Susan Louise O'Connor and Michael Chernus.

Aug 21, 2008

now, i bike everywhere I go

This week I read White Teeth, Neverwhere and the Confessions of Max Tivoli. I did some writing on the novel, turned in a draft of a pilot, visited the Walker Art Space during the day. Next week I start temping. My life of leisure had to end eventually. And then later that week, Freeman comes to town to show me how to party down at the state fair. What are you up to? I need a new book to read. any suggestions? How about a Gaiman recommendation? I loved Neverwhere.

Aug 15, 2008

scotland

Oh and if you're at Edinburgh, I have a short play there now:

http://www.fringemediacentre.com/theatre/bitesize/index.php

August 2nd, 5th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th, 20th,23rd

Friday I'm getting old

I finished the first draft of a pilot today. Last night K and Adjmi and i wandered around the sculpture garden at night. Here are some visuals--none of these photos were taken by me though. Tonight there is talk of bowling. I'm reading 13 ways of looking at a novel by Jane Smiley. It's a cool book. Anyone else read this? She basically got stuck while writing a book and read 100 novels and then wrote about them and about novel writing in general. It's specific to the novel but much of what she says is relevant to all artforms.

Aug 10, 2008

attention music lovers like Travis

Minneapolis has like the best radio station I have ever heard. I generally get annoyed with all radio pretty fast, but they play a good selection of good new and old stuff. Head over here to stream it: http://minnesota.publicradio.org/ It's called the Current. Up top on the right.

Minneapolis is beautiful

in the summertime. Yesterday K and I spent the day riding around on our new bikes all over town. There are bike trails everywhere in this so-called city. And lakes. A fuckload of beautiful lakes. Like this one. Later that night we went to a party thrown by a playwright couple. There is a sort of Jerome mafia here and my social calendar is already full by hanging out with the likes of these talented cool-ass individuals. Am trying to write something new and am trying not to think that I have to get a job soon. So far we moved in, had some fine minneapolis cuisine, including some great ice cream, saw one fringe show (a fine play by Trista Baldwin) and built some shelves for the living room. In Minneapolis the living is easy. (in the summer)