is this new?

Is this something we haven't heard before?

http://www.salon.com/ent/feature/2007/06/08/theater/index_np.html

Theatre gets overdeveloped. There are fewer slots.
the NEA is not around. A lot of playwrights go write
for TV where they can make a living. TV is better and
more adventurous than ever before, especially HBO.

I don't know about you, but I never have watched the
Tonys. It is so irrelevant, as are all awards, but
also to what I think of as theatre. The exciting
stuff right now in theatre is not on broadway. This
is not news. The exciting stuff for me is the stuff
that cannot be done on TV like Eurydice at 2nd stage.
And countless other plays written for the stage in the
vocabulary of theatricality.

I for one am tired of the endless articles about what
is wrong with the theatre. We know this. Tell me
what's right with it. Or if you don't know what's
right with it, stop seeing broadway and start seeing
the shows that matter.

Sorry to be picking on this article, partially because
I agree with much of what the writer says.

Did your parents get a divorce?

Go See Matt Freeman's very funny "Interview with the
Author"

Only one more performance.

http://matthewfreeman.blogspot.com/2007/06/pretentious-festival-shill-for-friday.html

visual dramaturgy for something new

Friday

I have begun writing lyrics to songs during my commute
or in the mornings. I don't know if this will
continue but at the moment I'm enjoying the freedom of
it. Also, I like to rhyme.

event 1 for next week

http://www.fluxtheatre.homestead.com/page04.html

The Dream Chain: an adaptation of the play written by
multiple authors, each writing only one scene of the
play. Contributing playwrights include: Sheila
Callaghan, Marcus Gardley, Amlin Gray, Jason Grote,
Carmen Rivera, Adam Szymkowicz and Candido Tirado

Directed by August Schulenburg

Tuesday, June 12, 8pm

Michael Weller Theater, 311 W 43rd St, 6 Floor

event 2 I will attend next week

http://www.dramabookshop.com/NASApp/store/IndexJsp?s=storeevents&eventId=348208

Time: Friday, June 15, 2007 5:00 PM
Title of Event: New York Theater Review: Reading and
Book Signing
Friday, June 15, 2007 at 5:00 p.m.
Free Reading and Book Signing
New York Theater Review 2007

Special guests to include: Quiara Alegria Hudes (2007
Pulitzer Prize finalist for ELLIOT, A SOLDIER'S
FUGUE); Adam Szymkowicz (FOOD FOR FISH); Anne Washburn
(I HAVE LOVED STRANGERS);

and

George Hunka (Superfluities theater blog); Garrett
Eisler (Playgoer theater blog); Alan Lockwood (Beckett
centenary) and Caridad Svich (playwright and
founder/maestra of NoPassport)

The 2007 edition of the New York Theater Review
features essays from Playgoer's Garrett Eisler, Alan
Lockwood, Brook Stowe and Caridad Svich, and the
complete texts of new, full-length plays by Quiara
Alegria Hudes, a 2007 Pulitzer Prize finalist for
Elliot, A Soldier's Fugue (introduced by P73's Liz
Jones & Asher Richelli); Adam Szymkowicz' Food for
Fish (introduced by fellow playwright Crystal
Skillman) and Anne Washburn's I Have Loved Strangers
(introduced by fellow playwright Jeffrey M. Jones).
Plus a great big, juicy group interview with some of
the top movers and shakers in contemporary alternative
New York theater and a photo recap of last Fall's
fundraiser at the Brick Theater that helped make this
issue possible. Introduction by Superfluities' George
Hunka. Cover design by Savage Candy.

http://www.nytr.org

thoughts on "Conservative Theatre"

This is in response to laura's recent post

http://lauraaxelrod.typepad.com/

I'm generalizing here but I think there are many
reasons there is not a lot of conservative theatre.
First of all, the best places for theatres are cities
and cities are the most liberal part of every state.
Wherever the most people congregate, you will have the
most theatre and also the most liberals. So in almost
every community, theatre is set in a place where your
audience and your practitioners are liberal.

Artists by a large majority are liberal if you take
that word to mean generally inclusive. (theatre is
pretty inclusive in terms of different types of
artists and different types of people, but also
oddballs end up in theatre for various reasons and
stick around because they find acceptance.)

In some ways conservative theatre is an oxymoron...
which is not to say it doesn't exist, just that the
word conservative doesn't go with the idea of theatre.
When I think of the word conservative, I think of
certain constricting values that exclude instead of
including which I think is why there isn't a lot of
conservative theatre. Even the work required to sit
and watch a theatrical piece involves a certain
openess and going to the theatre is about putting
yourself in front of something unpredictable that has
not been vetted by any rating system or governing
board and being open to the effect it may have on you.

SGSP

coming soon

Susan Gets Some Play

Stage Fright Productions
Writer: Adam Szymkowicz
Director: Moritz von Stuelpnagel
FringeNYC favorite, Susan Louise O'Connor, and her
best friend Jay try to find Susan a boyfriend by
holding auditions for an imaginary production in hopes
of finding Mr. Right. Or at least a date. Or even just
a freakin' kiss.

http://www.fringenyc.org/basic_page.asp?ltr=s

Torture Nazis/Bush Administration

h/t Daisey

http://www.mikedaisey.com/

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2007/05/verschfte_verne.html

"Critics will no doubt say I am accusing the Bush
administration of being Hitler. I'm not. There is no
comparison between the political system in Germany in
1937 and the U.S. in 2007. What I am reporting is a
simple empirical fact: the interrogation methods
approved and defended by this president are not new.
Many have been used in the past. The very phrase used
by the president to describe
torture-that-isn't-somehow-torture - "enhanced
interrogation techniques" - is a term originally
coined by the Nazis. The techniques are
indistinguishable. The methods were clearly understood
in 1948 as war-crimes. The punishment for them was death."

posting, crossposting

Eurydice at 2nd stage is amazing. Beautiful, magical
wonderful, outstanding. go see it.

Also read this tom foolery.

http://bloggingevent.blogspot.com/

plug for flux

Flux Theatre Ensemble presents:

Life is a Dream

by Pedro Calderón de la Barca, translated by John
Clifford
Directed by Kelly O'Donnell

Previews June 7
Opens June 8
Runs June 8 - 24
Wednesdays - Saturdays at 8:00pm, Sundays at 3:00pm

All tickets $18
To purchase tickets, visit this link:
http://www.theatermania.com/content/show.cfm/show/132738
OR call (212) 352-3101 or toll free (866) 811-4111

A jilted lover locked in her disguise as a man
A forgotten prince chained to his life as a prisoner
An influential father caught between love and honor
A classic play about the dream of life

Location: The Michael Weller Theatre
311 West 43rd St, 6th Floor (between 8th and 9th Aves)

Cast
Jake Alexander, David Crommett*, Michael Davis, Scout
Durwood, Tatiana Gomberg*, Katie Hartke*, Joe Medina,
Lawrence Merritt*, Christina Shipp and Isaiah
Tanenbaum

*These actors appear courtesy of Actors' Equity
Association
Production Team
Tiffany Clementi, Heather Cohn, Ryan Dowd, Jessica
Felix, Joseph Mathers, Kelly O'Donnell, Jason Paradine
and Hannah Rose

For more information visit www.fluxtheatre.org
postcard design: Isaiah Tanenbaum

FREE
Life is a Dream is the culmination of The Dream
Project, an exploration of La Vida es Sueño through a
series of free staged readings of adaptations of
Calderón's masterpiece. For reservations to the
readings, email gus@fluxtheatre.org.

The Dream Chain - Multiple authors each writing a
scene of the play. Contributing playwrights include:
Sheila Callaghan, Marcus Gardley, Amlin Gray, Jason
Grote, Carmen Rivera, Adam Szymkowicz and Candido
Tirado. Directed by August Schulenburg.
Tuesday, June 12, 8:00pm at The Michael Weller
Theatre.

La Vida es Sueño - a reading of the original Spanish
text. Directed by Jerry Ruiz.
Tuesday, June 19, 8:00pm at The Michael Weller
Theatre.

meme from Laura, I'm it

http://lauraaxelrod.typepad.com/

Here are the rules of the house: Bloggers must post
these rules and provide eight random facts about
themselves. In the post, the tagged blogger tags eight
other bloggers and notify them that they have been
tagged.

This is a little rough because I did one of these a
while back. What did I not tell you that is of
interest?

1. I am not one of those people who watches movies
over and over with the exception of Wonder Boys which
I have watched many many times.

2. I am putting off finishing my novel yet again,
this time to write a screenplay.

3. I had intended to become an engineer, not a
playwright but then I liked English more than
calculus.

4. I was an actor first. I was in 30 something plays
from kindergarten to college. I stopped because it
was terrifying and not as fun as playwriting. I
played Pozzo, Paris, Puck, Picasso, and others.

5. I played soccer.

6. Most of my notebooks are covered with these
complicated collages that I spend hours creating and
adding to.

7. I have a cat named Skeezer

8. I am a middle child, and the only boy.

I tag no one and everyone. If you want to do it it
and you read this, consider yourself tagged. If you
didn't get this far I tag thee not.

coming soon

NEW YORK THEATER REVIEW
Brook Stowe, Editor
------
Book Release and Signing

Reception Follows

Friday, June15
5-7pm
at
THE DRAMA BOOK SHOP
250 W. 40th St.
Manhattan

FREE!!!
However ... we would be remiss if we didn't stress
that seating is LIMITED to this FREE event.
Don't delay and get left out! Make your rezzie NOW at:

info at dramabookshop.com
or
212.944.0595, ext. 417

The Evening will Include Playwrights & Readings from
the 2007 Edition Plays:
Quiara Alegria Hudes (2007 Pulitzer Prize finalist for
ELLIOT, A SOLDIER'S FUGUE); Adam Szymkowicz (FOOD FOR
FISH); Anne Washburn (I HAVE LOVED STRANGERS).

PLUS

Conversations with 2007 Edition Contributors :
Garrett ( The Playgoer) Eisler, Alan Lockwood &
Caridad Svich

*******
The New York Theater Review was launched to help
increase recognition of downtown New York theater
artists and productions. The 2007 edition also
includes a great, big juicy group interview with
downtown movers and shakers Susan Bernfield, Kelly
Copper, Cynthia Croot, Mike Daisey, Lear deBessonet,
Alec Duffy, Zhenesse Staniec Heinemann, Pavol Liska,
Davis McCallum, Polybe + Seats & Kenneth Schlesinger.

Can't wait for the 15th? The 2007 Edition is available
now at the Drama Book Shop.

Our debut release features new plays from Sheila
Callaghan (the critically-acclaimed New Georges hit
Dead City), August Schulenburg (Riding the Bull) and
Ken Urban ( The Female Terrorist Project ) plus essays
and reviews ranging from Julian Beck's Living Theatre
to SoHo's own legendary Wooster Group.

Also available from Drama Book Shop .

www.nytr.org
www.dramabookshop.com

I <3 Judd Apatow

I <3 Clubbed Thumb

I saw one of the greatest funniest things ever last
night and one of the worst this morning but I can't
really talk about either one.

Let's just say the TV/Film industry is constantly
getting so much better and more innovative and at the
same time they won't stop making unwatchable dreck.

But you already know about this.

Chris Durang

33 years writing plays

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-durang/a-life-in-the-theatre-so_b_49630.html

Susan Gets Some Play

i felt it was my duty to protect all theatre people
everwhere. So i wrote this song which i think will be
in my fringe play. It's called Never Fuck The
Director and i hope you will take it to heart. here
is the beginning. To see the rest, come see my fringe
show. We're going to makes Susan dance again.

(spoken) There's a motto in my profession, goes
something like this:

Never say the Scottish play when walking round
backstage
Never kiss the understudies when they're underage
Don't fool with the lighting guy if you want to be
well lit
And stay away from the costumer if you want it all to
fit

Chorus:
And Never Never Never fuck your director
Never Never Never fuck your director

visual history of women in art

h/t Phantasmaphile

http://www.phantasmaphile.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUDIoN-_Hxs

Last chance, west coasters

last weekend for Food For Fish in LA. See it if you can. It's a great production!!

" . . .Szymkowicz has written a refreshingly perceptive work about how love, work and interior narratives act to both blind and free the individual." - Steven Mikulan, LA Weekly


"Adam Szymkowicz puts a fresh spin on Anton Chekhov's most popular play in this hilarious facelift of The Three Sisters, performed by LA's multi-talented theatre of NOTE. Three sisters from New York put their father to rest in the Hudson River, and as he quickly becomes nourishment for the river denizens, they confront their individual choices and assess if, and how, the unraveling threads of their lives can be salvaged. Examining the least flattering tendencies of human nature both draws the siblings closer and threatens to pull them apart, showing that, as in life, tragedy and comedy exist side by side." - Flavorpill LA

http://www.theatreofnote.com/

Please welcome my good friend flailing girl

http://flailinggirl.blogspot.com/

Bill Clinton

This is the beginning of my Wikipedia play written for Ars Nova--they will be done in August. As always, this is a firt draft. (JAMES in a spot. The 10 or so interns are moving around in the background trying to look useful and busy.) JAMES Recently, by some sort of a cosmic fluke, I made two million dollars. I took a couple of my notebooks and gave them to my friend who was this like assistant editor and he made them into an anti novel slacker manifesto called “Runk.” It’s not even a real word. A lot of it was doodles I did when I was supposed to be filing at various temp jobs I held. It sort of has a narrative and it sort of doesn’t. It’s funny in parts. There’s some poetry and some string and some photos of my childhood dog. One page is a coffee stain. My “book” was hailed as a work of unadulterated genius by some and a waste of time and trees by others. But now, I’m suddenly wealthy. So I sort of don’t have to do anything anymore. So I don’t . . . do anything. When my recent success got back to my alma mater, they asked me if I wanted to be part of their internship program and I thought what the hell. And so now I have all these interns but I don’t really have a lot for them to do um . . . at all. (to INTERN 1, male, who is reading from a computer screen.) How’s it coming? INTERN 1 Good, good. JAMES I got him reading the internet. I said, read the internet and then report on it. He takes it very seriously. INTERN 1 I’m learning a lot. (INTERN 2, female approaches.) INTERN 2 You want me to take your laundry? JAMES Nah. I’m sort of wearing the same thing as yesterday. INTERN 2 Oh. JAMES Maybe tomorrow. INTERN 2 OK. You want me to vacuum again? JAMES Maybe later. You want to help that guy over there answer my fan mail? INTERN 2 OK. JAMES Just write whatever you want. You can sign my name if you want. INTERN 2 Really? JAMES Yeah. (to audience) Oh, so there is one thing. So one of the interns, she um . . . (Enter INTERN 3, female, the intern JAMES was about to tell us about.) INTERN 3 Hi. JAMES Hey. INTERN 3 So what do you want me to do? JAMES What do you want to do? INTERN 3 I dunno. What do you want me to do? JAMES Um, I don’t know. What did I have you do yesterday? INTERN 3 I sort of followed you around and took notes. JAMES Did you like that? INTERN 3 Sure. JAMES OK, let’s do that. INTERN 3 Cool. JAMES So this is Janice. INTERN 3 Hi. JAMES Um, don’t listen to what I’m saying for a second. So, um I know Janice is my intern and everything, but um, I kind of— (Enter ANDY who interrupts. JAMES and ANDY are in a sort of bar space away from the busy interns.) ANDY You dig her. JAMES Well yeah, but she’s my intern. ANDY So what? You just go Bill Clinton on her ass. You’re like, hey intern girl why don’t you stay a little after everyone goes and then bam bam thank you ma’am have a cigar, don’t wash that dress, don’t tell your friend or get me subpoenaed. You know what I’m saying? JAMES I think so. ANDY I don’t think you know what I’m saying. JAMES No, no. I get it. ANDY All right. JAMES You want another drink? ANDY You buying?

a new book by my former professor

Tastes Like Cuba: An Exile's Hunger for Home (Hardcover)
by Eduardo Machado (Author), Michael Domitrovich (Author)

LA Daze, New York Days

I had a great time in LA even though I was in culture shock much of the time. And all that sun and open space and having to drive a car. But I got to meet with a lot of great people and the theatre of note production is really excellent. Go see it if you're on that coast.

But yeah I'm happy to be back in crowded subways again. I'm happy to be graduating in two days. I kind of wish I had an excuse to wear a robe every day without having to answer a bunch of questions.

on friday

I'm graduating

http://www.juilliard.edu/

upcoming

I wrote a scene in the Dream Chain which will be read
June 12 at Michael Weller Theatre:

http://www.nytheatre.com/nytheatre/drea5149.htm

As you may know, my play Food For Fish is published in
the New York Theatre Review. There is a reading and
book signing at the Drama Book Shop June 15.

http://www.dramabookshop.com/NASApp/store/IndexJsp?s=storeevents&eventId=348208

The New Improved Dramatists Guild

Read about it here

http://writinglife3.blogspot.com/2007/05/gary-garrison-in-boston-for-dramatists.html

mini review of F4F in LA

http://la.flavorpill.net/109219

It's a really good production. Go see it if you can.