I have a short play here on Friday

in case you didn't know

Jon Bon Jovi is a great actor. He nailed his scenes
in my short play last night.

I mean we all know Steve Buscemi is a genius. That's
a given and Jena Malone and Jamie-Lynn Sigler were
both fantastic but the surprise for me was Bon Jovi
who it appears is much more than a rockstar.

Other highlights of the night included a hilarious
Steve Schirripa as auctioneer, Sam Rockwell and Aidan
Quinn wailing on each other and Juliana Margulies
putting them in their place and a heartfelt and
stirring speech by John Voight about the importance of
live theatre.

All in all it was a fantastic night and I hope Studio
Dante will be around for a long time and if last night
is any indication, it surely will be.

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/106705.html

coming soon

My friends Larry and Jake are working on this:

http://www.guyadrift.com/

oh, spidey

As part of research for a play I'm going to write, I have begun reading comic books. I went to the comic book and graphic novel store on Court yesterday and spent way too much money. As a kid I sometimes read my father's old comic books--mostly Donald Duck and Archie and old school Disney stuff and when I did buy new ones, which was not often, I never really read the superhero ones. I only read the funny ones (or the ones that were trying to be funny anyhow). Reading the Marvel comics and others for the first time, I finally get it. the stuff is like candy. I finish one and want to start another. I didn't buy more than one of a series and so I get hooked on the art and the plot and then it's over and I move on to the next and get hooked on that story line. The colors and the action are amazing. I had no idea I was someone who liked comic books.

political theater

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/24/nyregion/24drama.html?bl&ex=1175054400&en=3a196f9643323327&ei=5087%0A

"But even as 15 student actors were polishing the
script and perfecting their accents for a planned
April performance, the school principal last week
canceled the play, titled "Voices in Conflict," citing
questions of political balance and context."

wow

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/25/nyregion/25infiltrate.html?pagewanted=1&bl&ei=5087%0A&en=3a196f9643323327&ex=1175054400

on the West Coast

Coming the End of April to LA, Food For Fish

http://www.myspace.com/food_for_fish

http://www.theatreofnote.com/

A review of Nerve is on the bottom of this page.

http://www.tranexp.com:2000/InterTran?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.matica.hr%2FVijenac%2Fvijenac321.nsf%2FAllWebDocs%2FKAZALISNIGLOBUS&type=text&text=&from=rom&to=eng

I don't really know what language this is but very
different words pop up based on the language I plug
into the translator.

Possible pull quotes include:

"quantity with suckles"

"exceptionally had witty comedy"

"spicy comedy on the first assembly"

"Amusingly, spicy, unpretending plus dynamic"

"to get dow on one's marrowbones"

And of course

"Sportfully, spritedly, unpretentious i zippy —
wrinkly svih velièina with kojima are yourself nark
put susreli somewhat opu¹tanja yum-yum doðe."

Descriptions of me include:

Adams Szymkowicz (conspicuously Husk countryman, limit
with amerièkom superscription)

Adam Szymkowicz (barely Husk compatriot, but with
amerièkom Address)

Adam Szymkowicz (nakedness Test landsman, whether with
amerièkom mailer)

And

Adam Szymkowicz (oèito Highwayman bread pudding, ali
with Yankee superscription)

monday

http://www.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=16868

"The benefit will honor actor Jon Voigt (Coming Home,
Midnight Cowboy, Ali), and will feature the talents of
Steve Buscemi, Jon Bon Jovi, Sam Rockwell, Jamie-Lynn
Sigler, Aidan Quinn and Piper Perabo. The stars will
be featured in readings of two short plays - one by
Mike Dowling and the other by Adam Szymkowicz."

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/106705.html

"Michael Imperioli — the Emmy-winning star of "The
Sopranos" and Studio Dante's co-artistic director with
his wife Victoria Imperioli — will introduce the
plays, which are by Mike Dowling and Adam Szymkowicz.
A live auction will be led by Imperioli's "Sopranos"
co-star Steve Schirripa. Professor Richard Brown of
the AMC series "Movies 101" will present the tribute
to Voight." --------------------- Update: I am told that my short play will star Steve Buscemi, Jon Bon Jovi, Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Jena Malone!

Great post from Lucas on the unrepeatable.

http://lucaskrech.livejournal.com/109068.html

It's the kind of thing that draws people to live theatre.

The world moves too fast and too slow for me.

equity

thanks to freeman for this

http://matthewfreeman.blogspot.com/

The problem of the equity showcase and the solution

http://leagueofindietheater.blogspot.com/

Let's get on this!

http://www.algore.com/cards.html

Pleas show your support--help stop global warming

nyt editorial power power power

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/14/opinion/14wed1.html?bl&ex=1174190400&en=fd3058536c382e3f&ei=5087%0A

Monday, March 26th; 6:30-10pm

I'm having a short play read here to benefit Studio
Dante

http://www.studiodante.com/calendar/13.shtml

If you have 500 dollars to burn, you can come see the
incredibly talented folks listed, 4 of which will be
reading my play. For more info, send me an email. the address, etc is not listed.

hmm...

I'm beginning to believe there might be some untoward
things going on in the Bush presidency.

Am I crazy? Paranoid? Maybe so.

blog review of my play Pretty Theft from last summer

http://tuxxer.blogspot.com/2006/07/goodness-in-many-forms.html

and blog review of the reading in nyc

http://bixbyelliot.blogspot.com/2006/03/pretty-theft.html

go see it in Seattle

http://www.outsiders-inn.com/season_prettytheft.shtml

of interest

New York City's online resource of rehearsal and
performance spaces for theatre and literary readings,
is now up and running!

http://www.nyctheatrespaces.org/

Lethem giving away his option

http://jonathanlethem.com/freelove.html

from
http://parabasis.typepad.com/blog/2007/03/money_where_you.html

and

http://matthewfreeman.blogspot.com/

I need to buy a suit. Can you recommend a place?

new post from qp after a silence

http://www.quarantinedpoesy.blogspot.com/

out there

Turner raised his eyebrows. "I'm not embarrassed to
say it's the most profound mystery in all of science."

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/11/magazine/11dark.t.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5087%0A&em&en=4dbcd8b7f8e71cd9&ex=1173931200

1997

Yesterday I got a package in the mail. My friend from
college, Stephanie, mailed me a letter I had sent her
the summer of '97. It was fascinating to read. I was
a different person 10 years ago. In it, I write about
going down to Salmon River and how much I love nature
and how I could never live in a city. hmmm.

I also say in the letter I'm going to try and write a
play that summer (while holding down a full time job).
Now I don't remember exactly if this was my first or
third attempt at a play. It might be my first, and if
so it was a terrible beckett-inspired symbolist play.
There were some funny lines and a lot of philosophy
and deep meaning I'm not sure I could explain now. In
other words, I'm not sure it meant what I wanted it to
mean.

The reason I bring this up, I guess, is that ten years
ago I took off down the path to be a playwright which
meant 4 years later moving to New York to work very
hard writing plays and doing all the things not
related to writing plays that playwrights have to do.
In the process, I managed to accumulate about 90
thousand dollars of debt going to grad school.

And now I'm here going to a different grad school for
free. The playwriting is going better than ever. And
I'm feeling worse about it than I ever have before.
Oddly discouraged. All the small things going well
seem much too small.

The productions, the readings, the good reviews, the
writing groups, all things I'm happy about. But I
feel like I could stay here at this level working my
ass off for the rest of my life not getting any closer
to whatever it is I'm looking for.

(What is it I'm looking for? A way to transcend life
and show it at the same time? A way to immortality?
A version of beauty? A lasting understanding? A way
to escape? A rippling truth? Does this have anything
to do with the plays I'm writing or am I kidding
myself?)

I want to go back 10 years ago and tell my young self
not to write that first play. I want to tell him to
spend more time swimming in the river. I want to tell
him to get a job working for one of the many insurance
companies so he can buy a house in town--one with a
big lawn and some woods in the back yard.

And yet I know, that was not the life I wanted. I
chose this. I want this, this life in the theatre.
Don't I?

-----

P.S. Please don't misunderstand. I'm just voicing
something that I think needs to be said. Don't start
worrying about me or anything. Also don't think for a
second I'm going to stop writing. Hell, I can't even
slow down.

more darlings that had to die

a scene from Pretty Theft that is no longer in Pretty Theft (JOE sits in a chair in a straight jacket. Two DOCTORS in white coats circle him. The lights are dreamlike.) DOCTOR 1 I am concerned he’s not getting enough drugs. DOCTOR 2 I have the same concern, doctor. DOCTOR 1 Nurse, see that he gets three hundred and thirty three more cc’s of centa-rama-thol. DOCTOR 2 And twenty seven more cc’s of orga-rata-thol. DOCTOR 1 And eighty-five more cc’s of prozacoril. DOCTOR 2 And give him a bath. DOCTOR 1 Give the poor fucker a thrill. (The DOCTORS laugh.) DOCTOR 2 And don’t scrimp on the soap. DOCTOR 1 And while he’s taking a bath, dose him with fifty five thousand more cc’s of cortapentathol. DOCTOR 2 And ninety thousand more cc’s of gor-vidal-a-cal. DOCTOR 1 I should give Gore Vidal a call. (The DOCTORS laugh.) DOCTOR 2 That joke never gets old. now the old version of another scene SCENE 21 (ALLEGRA and SUZY in the car.) ALLEGRA (To audience.) We go north to go south and we zig zag zig across the continent like headless chickens or weather balloons forced to cling to the ground. We try to be weightless and free but we are tied to the earth, we are tired, and we are quickly running out of cash. SUZY I have to sleep in a bed tonight I don’t care what you say. ALLEGRA How are we gonna buy gas to get back? SUZY I can figure something out. (Pause. SUZY speaks to audience.) SUZY At night, I like to lie in the back of the station wagon and watch the stars come out while Allegra drives. Allegra does not like this. I can feel it in the way she drives. She feels deserted and left out. Because the stars are all mine and the whooshing cars are hers. The headlights blind her and trail across the windshield. The stars lull me to sleep. ALLEGRA Why don’t you sleep in the back again? You seem to like that. SUZY No. I need a bed. I need room service. I need a bathtub. ALLEGRA They’ll want money up front. SUZY Christ! You’re so . . . ALLEGRA What? SUZY Nothing. (Pause. ALLEGRA speaks to the audience.) ALLEGRA During the day, I watch the land change from east land to west land. Hills become plains become canyons become plains become canyons become plains become mountains. In the middle of the US, all the billboards advertise x-rated stores and fireworks and Jesus. In Texas we saw the biggest cross in the Western Hemisphere. The dirt becomes red in Oklahoma. There are forests of windmills followed by miniature oil rigs. There are petrified logs. Tiny lizards. Huge canyons. There are miles and miles of nothing. SUZY (To audience) There is no doubt we are running. The only question is how long can we continue. (To ALLEGRA.) We’re really good friends now, huh? ALLEGRA Yeah. SUZY Like best friends? ALLEGRA Uh huh. SUZY Best friends could stab each other and it’d be OK. We’d forgive each other for things, huh? ALLEGRA You mean like for stealing this car and not telling me? SUZY Yeah. That. And for kissing your boyfriend? ALLEGRA . . . SUZY Now you’re mad. ALLEGRA . . . SUZY I didn’t mean to. It just happened. ALLEGRA . . . SUZY I’m sorry. You deserve better anyway. ALLEGRA No I don’t. SUZY Oh, honey, yes you do. We both do. ALLEGRA I think this trip was a mistake. SUZY No it wasn’t. ALLEGRA Don’t talk to me. Just don’t talk to me. SUZY What did I do? and the new version of the same scene--I prefer the above but because of where it is in the play, the audience can't stand all the inactivity then and I really had to lose a lot of the ambience. ah well. Here is the new version: SCENE 21 (ALLEGRA and SUZY in the car.) SUZY I have to sleep in a bed tonight I don’t care what you say. ALLEGRA Why don’t you sleep in the back of the car again? You seem to like that. SUZY No. I need a bed. I need room service. I need a bathtub. ALLEGRA They’ll want money up front. SUZY So? ALLEGRA How are we gonna buy gas to get back? SUZY Christ! You’re so . . . ALLEGRA What? SUZY Nothing. ALLEGRA I’m sorry. (Pause) SUZY It’s OK. (beat) We’re really good friends now, huh? ALLEGRA Yeah. SUZY Like best friends? ALLEGRA Uh huh. SUZY Best friends could stab each other and it’d be OK. We’d forgive each other for things, huh? ALLEGRA You mean like for stealing this car and not telling me? SUZY Yeah. That. And for kissing your boyfriend? ALLEGRA . . . SUZY Now you’re mad. ALLEGRA . . . SUZY I didn’t mean to. It just happened. ALLEGRA . . . SUZY I’m sorry. You deserve better anyway. ALLEGRA No I don’t. SUZY Oh, honey, yes you do. We both do. ALLEGRA I think this trip was a mistake. SUZY No it wasn’t. ALLEGRA Don’t talk to me. Just don’t talk to me. SUZY What did I do?

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich
acknowledged he was having an extramarital affair even
as he led the charge against President Clinton over
the Monica Lewinsky affair, he acknowledged in an
interview with a conservative Christian group.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Gingrich-Affair.html?hp

impeach

>From Freeman

http://matthewfreeman.blogspot.com/

http://www.commondreams.org/views07/0307-22.htm

Impeaching Bush--why couldn't this have happend years ago?

from early career dramaturgs

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search for seller "Literary_Managers_and_Dramaturgs"
on eBay!

current play

These are notes and the outline of the play i am
currently writing. i have already deviated from the
outline in some parts and I'm sure will deviate again.
Also, don't think that some of that terrible dialogue
will actually be in the play. it's just a guide for
me.

This is a play that takes place in new york. It
starts when the rabbit comes out of the bathroom and
ends when the rabbit packs his bags and leaves.
The main character wants a friend but can't get over
the death of his friend. Strong need to connect.

1 the apt todd in bathroom, brian going to work.
Brian talking to todd. Neal enters brian tries to
talk to him but there is no connection. Neal exits
and then todd comes out of the bathroom. –how do I
look? --good.
2 at work John show ropes –job is ridiculous. Before
john arrives Miranda appears over cubicle wall and
says nothing? Says hello? And then john comes in and
starts telling him what to do. Todd sits and watches
and makes comments. His comments are perhaps what
brian is thinking. intro Miranda what she's all
about brian tells he he just moved here from a small
liberal arts college in new Hampshire? --why did you
come to new york? I don't know. –you don't know?
--I want to do something worthwhile. –oh. What? --I
don't know. and then john asks her to come to his
office and she says alright but talks to brian for a
while longer –I like to make him wait. after Miranda
leaves, todd talks about her
3tries to connect with roommate again. On arrival,
brian says hi neal –hi and then todd –hi neal. Neal
says nothing. Brian tries to talk to him and then
--ok I guess I'll go to my room.
4Miranda and boss in fighting match followed by
Miranda talking about the overthrow of capitalism and
how she will do her part does he want to get a drink.
Maybe opens with todd reading out loud from a book
about rabbits while brian tries to alphabetize.
5 the drink let's make out they do? Won't that be
weird at work? If you don't want to? No, let's do
it.
5b she takes him back to the office and they have
sex? On a copier? In the boss's office? What goes
wrong here? He does something wrong? He says I love
you maybe? He gets too close. Sex is offstage and
todd narrates the whole thing.
6 scene with Miranda and boss where we figure out
what's going on. She is difficult, young, he wants
her to have sex with him. Miranda ignores brian at
work.

Act 2
Phone messages where it becomes clear she is ignoring
him at work and ignoring his phone calls.
6b—what's with the getup. –oh I'm a bicycle
messenger. You are ? --now I am. –I didn't even
know you had a bike. –yeah. It was under the stairs.
–how did you become a bike messenger? --Apparently I
ran out of money. –how was it? --every muscle in my
body hurts and apparently I have to do it again
tomorrow. Brian and roommate bond a little over
brian's woman troubles. Neal gives advice tood also
gives advice. He says that brian should just forget
her. Brian ignores him.
6cFollowed by brian confronting Miranda? Brian takes
neal's advice –I'm not crazy. I'm not going to harass
you or anything. And I won't try to have sex with you
again. I just thought we could hang out. I like you.
you like me. Or I though you did. It's been a
really long time since I found someone that I truly
liked. I don't have very good friends but I fell like
you and I could be that—good friends. And I would be
really sad if that wasn't possible anymore. And I'm
sorry because I know I fucked it up because I always
fuck everything good up.
7They make up plan to overthrow the company in a bar.
Miranda tells brian about having sex with the boss—he
gets angry about the boss. Did he force you? We
could have him fired. maybe it's because of my father
she says. It is here that we learn about todd and
about miranda's father who is dying. Is she doing it
for anarchy or is she doing it to get back on the boss
cheating on her? And what are they doing exactly?
8 brian tells the roommate what happened. I think
we're going to just be friends. –is she not that
attractive? --she's very attractive. –then what's
the problem? --well, she's kind of fucked up. I mean
I want to hang out with her but I'm not sure I want to
be part of the drama, you know? Todd tries to
interject but brian is ignoring him –I know you can
hear me. Hey!
9 they carry out the plan. But john comes back while
they are fucking up a cublicle.
John yellsa t them threatens to call cops but she also
threatens to tell the boss and or his wife that he
likes to fuck the temps.
11 they are both out on their asses. They plot to
take down another company. We'll just call another
temp agency. And then we'll take down another
company. She brian and neal hang out and todd leaves.
Like the end of the station agent.

a hammer

I've been sort of freaking out lately. The normal stuff--what am I doing with my life?, how long can I stand being an administrative assistant?, should I continue to live in New York? etc. But also the fatigue is setting in. I've been working so hard--writing like it's going out of style (which it may be)--but also working so hard on getting my stuff out there, getting it read by strangers. I'm just really tired right now. Tired of all the work it takes to be a playwright. Tired of not seeing anything resembling a way to playwright for a living. And the other voice in my head is saying, "Really?" "Did you really think there was a way to make a living doing what you love?"

All this makes me want to quit, bow out, stop running the race. I'm in the middle of writing a new play. Literally at the intermission and I know I will finish it. Because that's what I do. And behind it I can visualize all the other plays I'm hoping to write in varying stages of clarity. And there is a novel there too, supposedly. And supposedly I'm going to go back to that novel after this play is written. Even though I hear other plays calling.

Even though I am so so tired. Of running on this track. And yet this track is also the only thing that keeps me sane some days. Try to talk to me sometime after I've gone a week without writing. It will not be a pleasant experience for you. You see, I need it to keep me sane but it’s also slowly driving me mad. So I'm not so sure what to do about that. And I keep beating my head against the wall and chips of the wall tumble down but this wall....how thick is this wall? Two feet? Three feet thick? And I need a fucking hammer, OK. My head is found to be insufficient.

But really I just want to stop, move to the country, somewhere where there are trees and I won’t be able to see plays every night. Because it’s not good for me anymore to see the amount of theatre I see. Theatre has taken my life away and I’m not fighting hard enough to get it back. But I love it too. I love the theatre and can’t understand why everyone else doesn’t love it too.

But this life isn’t working right now. I got to take a break. I got to . . . I got to finish this play. Dude, I am fucked.

to do list, NY Times

Thanks to Dam* Writer for this

http://damwriter.blogspot.com/2007/03/read-this-editorial.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/04/opinion/04sun1.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

"The Bush administration's assault on some of the
founding principles of American democracy marches
onward despite the Democratic victory in the 2006
elections. The new Democratic majorities in Congress
can block the sort of noxious measures that the
Republican majority rubber-stamped. But preventing new
assaults on civil liberties is not nearly enough."