David Cote on knowing too much

http://histriomastix.typepad.com/weblog/2007/01/critical_distin.html

"Now, is this a sick situation? Probably. I don't
entirely believe in it. I mean, it leads to reviews
that have nothing to do with the show, but everything
to do with the critic's obsessions and prejudices.
Reviewing isn't actual journalism, it's
opinion-mongering, so it's not subject to the same
rigor as journalism, even when the critic gets facts
wrong or wildly distorts reality to fit an opinion.
But still, journalistic ethics say the critic must
maintain distance from the subject. A reporter may
interview a subject but he/she's forbidden to buy
gifts or dinner or whatever. Or accept them."

fees

Words from Patrick Gabridge on the playwrightbinge
listserv on theatres charging submission fees to
playwrights. Reprinted with permission:

"The main problem with most contest fees for play
competitions, especially for short play competitions,
is that they don't make sense for the playwrights or
for the theatres (or for audiences).

For playwrights, it's a cost/benefit problem. (Evan, I
think, brought this up briefly.) Generally, when you
enter a contest for which you pay a fee, you do so
with the expectation that you're taking a risk which
has the potential for great gain if you win. And a
contest, rather than a lottery, involves some element
of skill on your part, so if you (think you) are more
talented and/or experienced, you would expect a
greater chance of a win.

Oddly enough, many short play competitions that
require entry fees do not offer significant prizes.
Often, the winners get a production of the play, and
maybe a video. In some instances, the writers might
only get staged readings. However, what is the value
of these productions to the writers? The theatres seem
to think that a production has a value worth a fair
amount of cash, perhaps enough to cause a talented
writer to wager $5 or $10.

This isn't really the case. For an experienced
playwright, a production of a ten-minute play, in East
Podunk, Indiana, which will lead to no further
professional productions, no useful contacts, will not
generate any useful reviews, and won't even be seen by
many people, is not particularly valuable as a prize.
If it's in a venue that's close to home, and the
playwright can see the show, then the value goes up.
But if it's far afield, and the writer can't see it,
the writer gets very little from it. And a video? Ever
watch a badly produced video of an amateur theatre
production? Not so fun. For an beginning playwright,
it's useful to have a competition win and a production
to put on a resume, but even with these, they're not
going to impress the folks at big theatres.

If theatres offer a $500 prize for the winners, then
hey, I might be there. Lots of other experienced
writers will be, too. But otherwise, the rewards are
too low. Writers who are submitting to these
competitions are selling themselves short. I don't
think this is an ethical issue, really. I don't care
what the theatres do, but it doesn't make sense for
most playwrights to participate.

Why is it bad for theatres? Well, because it's bad for
writers. And especially bad for experienced writers
who can get productions elsewhere (where they get
paid, rather than pay the privilege themselves). So
what this means is that theatres have created a
situation where they have a competition that does not
draw in the best material. Ideally, a theatre should
want to work with the most talented writers possible,
but these competitions are taking away the incentive
for these writers to send them this work.

Some theatres introduce fees to keep the volume of
submissions down. This is just stupid. Yes, raising
fees will bring in less submissions. But it mainly
means that you get less varied submissions (class
issues at play here, playwrights with spare money are
not necessarily better
writers) and a lower quality of submissions. A more
effective way to get fewer submissions is to narrow
your window, time-wise, when you'll accept
submissions. Or narrow the subject matter. Or state in
your guidelines that you will only accept the first
200 submissions, and post on your web site when the
door is closed.

Why is it bad for audiences? Again, it's bad for
audiences because it doesn't encourage submission, and
therefore production, of the best possible plays
available. In this age of constant media exposure,
theatre needs, more than ever, to present exciting,
vibrant work of the highest quality. Going to watch a
mediocre evening of theatre is worse, I think, than
watching a thoroughly wretched evening of theatre.
Mediocre theatre makes people feel that "this was
nice, but I could just have easily have stayed home
and watched something better on TV."

If theatres need to raise more money to put on these
festivals, they should pick better plays (from a
better pool) and sell more tickets for work that
really thrills audiences. If you can't find and
produce such work, get out of the business. One of the
reasons many ten-minute play festivals start in the
first place is because they can utilize a lot of
actors, which means a lot of tickets sales to friends
and family, which means it's easier to cover costs.

As to why screenplay competitions charge so much (this
is often an excuse used by play contests)--it's a
totally different business. The film business has very
few entry points, through which tens of thousands of
writers are trying to cram material. Access to
producers and agents
is a precious commodity. And the best screenplay
contests (they're not all created equal), offer big
cash prizes for your $50. Some of them might have as
much as $30,000 in total prize money, as well as
guaranteed reads by agencies or production companies
(who are named on the competition web site or
brochure). The ones that don't offer this are a
complete waste of money.

The good news for playwrights is that there are tons
of theatres out there, large and small, and lots of
opportunities to get our work produced and seen by
audiences. We need to save our money, buy theatre
tickets, and go network afterwards with the producers
and directors and
actors."

imagination

more about the upcoming scr reading and the magic of
readings in general:

http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/entertainment/columns/article_1556218.php

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/26/washington/26nsa.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5094&en=9044950dc6386d92&hp&ex=1169874000&partner=homepage

The Bush administration has employed extraordinary
secrecy in defending the National Security Agency's
highly classified domestic surveillance program from
civil lawsuits. Plaintiffs and judges' clerks cannot
see its secret filings. Judges have to make
appointments to review them and are not allowed to
keep copies.

...

A federal district judge in the case, Garr M. King,
invoked another book after a government lawyer refused
to disclose whether he had a certain security
clearance, saying information about the clearance was
itself classified.

"Frankly, your response," Judge King said, "is kind of
an Alice in Wonderland response."

It's 10 degrees Farenheit right now. Remember a few
weeks ago when it was 70?

when did this become a weather blog?

hey there

OK, if you want to go to Incendiary at Juilliard
please let me know now before it fills up.

Wednesday, February 14th @1:30pm
Thursday, February 15th @ 7:00pm
Friday, February 16th @ 7:00pm
Saturday, February 17th @ 2:00pm
Sunday, February 18th @ 7:00pm

Check out report on Play Development Panel

>From Mark. I was not in attendance. It sounds like
an interesting panel however.

http://mrexcitement.blogspot.com/

first draft of first scene of a new play

ONE

(BRIAN wearing a button up shirt and tie knocks on the
bathroom door.)

TODD
(os)
In a minute!

(BRIAN goes downstage toward the futon where NEAL is
sitting holding a video controller. He is deep in the
throes of a video game.)

BRIAN
You're up already?

NEAL
Up?

BRIAN
Yeah.

NEAL
Oh, no, I didn't go to sleep yet.

BRIAN
Oh.

NEAL
Yeah.

(Pause)

BRIAN
I start a temp job today. I have to wear a tie.

NEAL
Huh. I should get a job.

BRIAN
Yeah. (Pause) Did you have a job before?

NEAL
Huh?

BRIAN
Is this a good game?

NEAL
What?

BRIAN
I've never played it.

NEAL
Oh.

TODD
(os)
I'll be out in a minute!

BRIAN
I'm supposed to wear a tie. I'm a little nervous.
Have you ever . . .?

NEAL
What?

BRIAN
Nothing. (Pause) Neal.

NEAL
What?

BRIAN
Are you going to be around later? After I'm done with
work?

NEAL
I don't know.

BRIAN
I was just thinking.

NEAL
Huh.

BRIAN
Maybe . . .

NEAL
I'm sorry, what?

BRIAN
Nothing. It's just . . . I don't know. It's like .
. . are you happy here?

NEAL
What?

BRIAN
In New York.

NEAL
Oh.

BRIAN
I was just wondering if . . . you know, this is--

NEAL
I need some crackers or something.

(NEAL gets up and exits stage left to the kitchen.
BRIAN walks upstage to stand next to the bathroom
door.)

BRIAN
Todd.

TODD
I know. I know.

BRIAN
I really have to go. I don't want to be late my first
day.

TODD
I know. I swear, I'll be right out.

BRIAN
That's what you keep saying.

TODD
We're best friends, huh?

BRIAN
Yeah, Todd.

TODD
We're always going to be best friends.

BRIAN
Sure.

TODD
Even sometimes if I lock myself in the bathroom, huh
buddy.

BRIAN
Uh huh. I got to go.

TODD
We should have a special best friend language that we
speak that no one can understand.

BRIAN
Yeah, ok.

TODD
I'm serious.

BRIAN
I know you are.

TODD
Remember that time we went bowling?

(NEAL reenters.)

NEAL
Have you seen the crackers?

BRIAN
No.

(NEAL looks at him then re-exits.)

TODD
I ate all the crackers.

BRIAN
Todd! Seriously. I have to go now.

TODD
OK. I had my suit cleaned. You want to see?

BRIAN
Todd!

TODD
Close your eyes.

BRIAN
Todd!

TODD
Are your eyes closed?

BRIAN
(Closing his eyes)
Yes.

TODD
Are they closed?

BRIAN
They're closed.

(TODD opens the door. He stands in a full white
rabbit costume with a place cut out for his face.)

TODD
What do you think?

BRIAN
Very nice. Let's go.

Feb 12 in Costa Mesa, CA

http://www.scr.org/season/06-07season/releases/newscriptrelease.html

Incendiary is the comic tale of a combustible group of
people. Elise is a pyromaniac fire chief. Jake is the
police detective investigating her fires. Carrie is a
therapist who's trying to get a client to quit some
truly destructive behavior, and Gary is leading the
life of a somewhat ineffective corporate spy. As the
smoke begins to billow and the sparks begin to fly,
they're all about to find out that love is the most
incendiary thing.

visual dramaturgy for a new play

part 2 of Zadie Smith article

http://books.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,1993767,00.html

SCR

My play Incendiary is going to have a reading at South
Coast Rep Feb 12. They are flying me in for the
reading.

It's part of the Newscripts series and will be the one
hundredth reading in this series which began in '85.

http://www.scr.org/aboutSCR/newscript.html

Here are 97 that were read in past years

http://www.scr.org/aboutSCR/history/nshistory.html

and then add Mat Smart and Brian Tucker earlier this
year and now me. I hope to see you all there for this
historic event.

this morning--snow!

ok, so this isn't actually a photo from this morning but it's almost like that. and it's still snowing.

Got some good news last night. I'll tell you all about it soon.

An open letter

To the people who are searching for reviews of my play
Deflowering Waldo and stumble on my blog instead:

First of all, why do you care? Either you like the
play or you don't. Either you want to do it or you
don't. Why do you care what other people say?

Second, you're not going to find a review of it
online. We performed it in secrecy. At night. You
had to know a special password to get in. And you had
to be able to say it correctly, in Russian. And you
had to pay a lot of money directly to a Swiss bank
account prior to the performance. And we did it in my
basement. And the people who saw it were sworn to
secrecy and could never talk about the experience.
Because we didn't want the riff raff to see the show
and then write an online review.

I hope this information helps.

Sincerely,
Adam

from the Guardian

Fail better

What makes a good writer? Is writing an expression of
self, or, as TS Eliot argued, 'an escape from
personality'? Do novelists have a duty? Do readers?
Why are there so few truly great novels? Zadie Smith
on literature's legacy of honourable failure

http://books.guardian.co.uk/departments/generalfiction/story/0,,1989004,00.html

tuesday 23, 2:30 pm in NYC

I'm having a reading of my new play Searching at
Juilliard.

It's a dark comedy and goes back and forth between our
president plotting to get unlimited terms and 3
soldiers in the desert searching for Osama. There is
also a love triangle in the desert and unrequited love
between Bush and Cheney.

Let me know if you want to go and I'll put you on the
list.

also

http://www.szymkowicznaked.blogspot.com/

Floyd Britchcraft

The voice of God? You be the judge.

http://www.floydbritch.blogspot.com/

frtom Bob Geiger

Speaker Pelosi also confirmed what Bob Cesca wrote in
Tuesday's Huffington Post: That one of the conditions
being placed on the Iraqi government by the White
House is that American oil companies be given first
shot at Iraqi oil and be allowed to keep 75 percent of
the profits.

"In the president's proposal, one of the standards
that he's setting for them to meet is that 75 percent
of the oil production goes to U.S. companies," she
said. "This is stunning -- 75 percent of the
production goes to the U.S. Is this what our kids are
over there for?"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-geiger/pelosi-on-opposing-iraq-e_b_38260.html?view=print

a book of poetry by my high school english teacher

http://www.antrimhousebooks.com/stanizzi.html

in the desert

I'm having a reading of my new political play
Searching at 2:30 at Juilliard on the 23rd. If anyone
wants to come please let me know and I'll put you on
the security list.

bush, sociopath?

http://mrexcitement.blogspot.com/2007/01/bush-is-sociopath-says-psychoanalyst.html

I have this recurring daydream that I will lose all my
memory and will have to use my cell phone to figure
out who I am. And I try to imagine what people in my
cell phone would say if I called them and asked them
who I was. I've been thinking about this a lot.
Maybe it will become a play.

I recently put in my parent's phone number into my new
phone under "mom and dad" even though the number has
remained unchanged for all my life and there is no
sane reason for me to have that number programmed into
my phone. I'd like to think that when I get amnesia I
will call them first. Of course they won't be home
and I wouldn't know to call K. I may change her
number in my phone to say girlfriend. If you had
amnesia, would you dial the number programmed into
your phone as significant other or would you assume
it's a business or something?

what is your recurring daydream/fear?

on writing

http://www.writingproject.org/cs/nwpp/lpt/nwpr/456

thanks to malachy

http://litdept.blogspot.com/

it stopped snowing

It's snowing

It's cold! Thank God. I thought I would never see
snow again.

K and I joined the Y on Atlantic. We are very excited
and going to go there tonight and work out for the
first time. They have a pool and a basketball court
and it is only 40 bucks each a month because of her
insurance.

I just have to actually go there. I think I can do
it. It seems like a place I will enjoy going to.
right? I just have to not be so freaking lazy all the
time.

tonight

http://szymkowicznaked.blogspot.com/

Incendiary coming soon

a scene i had to delete from incendiary

i like this scene. i'm sorry to have to lose it. Scene 25 (TOMMY, JIMMY, GARY and CARRIE in CARRIE’s burnt office. JIMMY is flipping through a phone book.) CARRIE My rug. TOMMY And you sure she went to this boyfriend’s house. CARRIE I’m not sure but where else would she go? JIMMY Statberg? CARRIE No. It was Jake Statsomething. JIMMY Stathouse? CARRIE No. TOMMY Keep looking. CARRIE I loved that rug. I can’t believe she burned that rug. You remember when I got that rug, Gary? Gary? GARY So we’re cool now, right? TOMMY I don’t know what you mean. Do you know what he means? JIMMY I haven’t the foggiest. GARY So you can leave me alone now and go after her. TOMMY Well, how do we know she set the other building on fire? JIMMY That’s true. We don’t know that. CARRIE She did set it on fire. GARY When you catch her, I’m sure she’ll tell you all about it. JIMMY Yeah but . . . GARY What? TOMMY See the thing is, you can’t really believe what people tell you under torture. GARY Then why do you do it? JIMMY It’s our nature. Statler? CARRIE No. GARY So what? I have to go with you? CARRIE Yeah, yeah, let’s go with them. GARY Darling. CARRIE What? GARY You’re not helping. TOMMY You still owe Liz some spy stuff, right? I think you better come along with us at least until we get a hold of this dame. GARY But he’s a cop. Why am I following you to some cop’s house? JIMMY He’s a cop? CARRIE Yeah. Detective Jake Stasomething. TOMMY We’re going to some detective’s house? JIMMY What, all of a sudden you are afraid of the law? TOMMY I just want to get it clear. We’re going to go in there and get some broad from some cop? GARY You can’t handle that? TOMMY I can handle don’t ask me what I can handle. CARRIE Do you think I’m a bad therapist? I mean she’s right, I didn’t help her stop setting fires. But sometimes it made her so happy I didn’t even want to help her. Helping her would hurt her. You should have seen the look on her face when she talked about it. It was like when we were first married, Gary how you used to look at me. Why don’t you look at me like that anymore? Was it something I did or something I said or did you just grow sick of me or is it something else? You know, we go to school get our license and everything but really it’s all instinct and my instinct was telling me to let her set fires throughout the city. Am I a bad person? Is that why you don’t look at me like that anymore? JIMMY Hey, now, I bet you’re a really good therapist. TOMMY Jimmy Splinters is right. I already feel better just being in this room. Although I do think you should get a new rug. JIMMY I know a guy. CARRIE But do you feel your antisocial impulses confirmed? TOMMY I’m very social. CARRIE Or are you going to give it all up because you realize it’s wrong and harmful to society. JIMMY What we do is not harmful to society. We are like checks and balances. Some guy gets out of line, he’s got to be put into check. GARY How noble. TOMMY Don’t get smart. JIMMY Wait, is it Jake Stratford? CARRIE Yeah. I think so. JIMMY Tommy, you remember Detective Stratford? TOMMY No . . . oh, yeah. (sincerely) A shame about his wife. JIMMY That was a shame. Here it is. Twenty Sixth street. TOMMY Let’s go. Scene 26