http://www.scr.org/season/06-07season/releases/newscriptrelease.html
Feb 8, 2007
next week--free--tell me now if you wish to go
Incendiary at Juilliard directed by Kip Fagan.
Wednesday, February 14th @1:30pm
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
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.
Feb 7, 2007
beginning of my ten minute (?) one-person play, Entrepreneur
(TOM is sitting on a ratty recliner in his apartment.
He rises as he sees us.)
He rises as he sees us.)
TOM
Hey, hi there. Come on in. Yeah. Hi. I'm Tom.
Does anyone want any cheese or anything? I got some
cheese. American cheese? You want some? There might
be some Triscuits too but I'm not sure how long they
been in there so… you might be taking a chance going
with those. Yeah, take off your coats. Right. So.
So, um I'm here to talk to you about how to pick up
chicks. Normally my friend Phil teaches this seminar
but he got some job doing some kind of consulting. He
can't talk about it but he asked me to fill in today.
Because, um, I'm currently unemployed. I had a job
though until recently . . . My former boss-- when I
used to say to someone, "yeah I work at the Electronic
Superstore" he would be like "No, don't say you work.
You are employed by the Electronic Superstore." He
was kind of an asshole.
Oh, um so maybe now would be a good time for you to
give me the money for the session. Yeah a check is
ok. Thomas Hond. H-O-N-D. Cool. Yeah just right,
leave it on the table there. Cool. Is everyone here?
Cool. So like I was saying: how to pick up chicks.
First of all are any of you rich? Let's say you're
rich, you should go out and buy real nice clothes and
have a real nice car and you should just carry around
a lot of money. Let's say you see a hot girl. You
just flash the wad. Like this. You just flash it and
you go "look. Hey look." And she sees your wad and
she will go for you then. Or if you want to be slick
you go "hey so you want me to buy you a beer or
something" and then when you go to pay for the drink
you take out a huge wad and she sees the wad and she
thinks yeah that's the kind of guy I want to go home
with tonight.
I tell you, if I was rich, I bet Cindy wouldn't have
left me. She was like "you got fired again?" and she
was out the door. Just out the door and I was like
"hold on" and she was like "you can't keep a job. I
can't be with a man who can't keep a job" and I was
like "fuck you bitch." And she was like "what did you
say to me?" Oh, so step two if you want to pick up a
girl, do not say "fuck you, bitch." Wait until she
sleeps with your best friend Phil and then dumps you
because you got-- because you are no longer employed.
Then you can say it, but don't expect her to stick
around or anything.
(From out in the yard we hear the sound of a dog
barking loudly. TOM shouts at the barking.)
Shut up! Shut up. Seriously. Shut up!
Feb 6, 2007
oh, soup, little play of mine
I received a request from a student at a university in
England today who wants to direct my play, Soup. This
is not the first time it's happened. I still don't
understand.
England today who wants to direct my play, Soup. This
is not the first time it's happened. I still don't
understand.
http://aszym.blogspot.com/2005/08/so-i-have-this-short-play-soup-i-wrote.html
Feb 5, 2007
buy stuff, make dramaturgs smile
LMDA will hold second annual
ebay auction 2-9 March 2007 to benefit
early career dramaturgs
ebay auction 2-9 March 2007 to benefit
early career dramaturgs
The Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas
(LMDA) is pleased to announce their second annual eBay
Auction. The auction will be held from 2-9 March 2007.
The items for bid are being compiled but already
include tickets to some of the nation's premiere
theatres, a selection of appetizing books, rare
scripts and autographed magazines. The funds generated
by this year's auction will support travel expenses
for Early Career Dramaturgs to attend LMDA's annual
conference. This year's conference will be held in
Toronto's historic Distillery District from 21-24 June
2007.
The 2006 eBay Auction raised over $1500 and helped pay
travel expenses for three Early Career Dramaturgs
(ECDs) to attend the 2006 LMDA conference in
Minneapolis, where they had opportunities to meet and
share ideas with literary managers and dramaturgs from
all over the world. The annual conference is regarded
by many to be the best place to form important
connections in the fields of literary management and
dramaturgy.
Julie Felise Dubiner, literary manager at Actor's
Theatre of Louisville, is spearheading the efforts of
this year's auction. Dubiner is both a member of
LMDA's Board of Directors and the point person for
LMDA's Early Career Dramaturgs group. Dubiner has an
active and able committee of ECDs working with her on
this year's auction: Laura Butchy, Jason Fitzgerald,
Jana Goold, Lauren Ignaut, and Sarah Slight.
Last year, the auction offered such one-of-a-kind
items as a guided tour around scenic Puget Sound,
Washington; two tickets to Chicago's Steppenwolf
Theatre and a Leather Steppenwolf Letter Jacket; a
backstage tour and tickets to The Lord of the Rings;
limited edition prints by the renowned
director/designer Robert Wilson; and a shirt signed by
the cast of television's ER. This year's auction will
feature an even wider selection for bidders to
consider. Check out
http://www.missionfish.org/NPMMF/nphomepage.jsp?NP_ID=10372
starting March 2 to see the exciting array of items up
for bid!
For more information about the eBay Auction or any
item mentioned in this release, contact Shelley Orr,
co-Vice President of External Communications for LMDA:
orr@email.arizona.edu.
For more information about The Literary Managers and
Dramaturgs of the Americas, visit our website at
http://www.lmda.org/ or contact our administrative
office: lmdanyc@hotmail.com.
first draft of a new scene
FOUR
(MIRANDA and JOHN enter the office area shouting at
one another.)
JOHN
You know what you are? You're a spoiled brat!
MIRANDA
Why don't you fire me then, huh? Go ahead and fire
me, big shot!
JOHN
You're so incredibly young.
MIRANDA
You're old!
JOHN
Immature.
MIRANDA
Overly mature!
JOHN
It's sad.
MIRANDA
It is! You pathetic cloying man! Clawing your way to
middle management! Reeking of Old Spice and
Listerine! Ironing your handkerchiefs alone every
night!
JOHN
I use Kleenex!
MIRANDA
Ironing your Kleenex.
JOHN
One of these days, Miranda—
MIRANDA
John.
JOHN
One of these days you won't be able to extricate
yourself from one of your situations. You'll create a
mess you can't get out of and then what will you do if
someone like me isn't here to help you out of your
mess.
MIRANDA
There is always someone like you around. You're one
of the many expendable barely competent people who
populate our world. And I don't mean that as a
compliment!
JOHN
You bitch!
MIRANDA
What's that?
JOHN
You ungrateful bitch! I should fire you.
MIRANDA
Go ahead.
JOHN
I should!
MIRANDA
Do it!
JOHN
Don't tell me what to do!
(BRIAN has arrived.)
BRIAN
Good morning.
JOHN
Hi.
MIRANDA
Good morning, Brian.
JOHN
I'll be in my office. We'll talk about this later.
(Exit JOHN.)
MIRANDA
I'm sorry you had to see that.
BRIAN
See what?
MIRANDA
Whatever you saw.
BRIAN
Oh.
Feb 4, 2007
context, narrative, ambiguity
Two interesting posts from Jason Grote on the
mainstream American need to "get it"
mainstream American need to "get it"
Feb 2, 2007
Jan 30, 2007
photos of playwrights
http://www.peterbellamy.com/
I'm down there towards the bottom if you are able to
see it.
Jan 29, 2007
chris shinn via mr. excitement
I've been thinking about this a lot lately as I start
a new play and look at my political plays languishing.
a new play and look at my political plays languishing.
http://mrexcitement.blogspot.com/
"Breaking these questions down into their component
parts sheds even more light on the task facing a
political playwright as she begins work on a new play.
Let us imagine her thought process in simple language:
-- What should I write about in my experience of the
world? Should I write politically?
-- What kind of audience is there if I write
politically; does it exist?
-- What kinds of theatres exist to put on my political
plays; will they be able to pay me a living wage?
-- How am I to make a living as a writer in Hollywood
given the concerns that I express in my political
plays; are there TV and film producers who will hire
me based on these plays, so that I can make a living
writing?
-- What kind of chance do I have that there are
regional theatres across the United States that will
produce a political play following its initial
production?
-- Are there people who have financial ties to these
theatres that may not want to hear what I have to say
about certain political issues, and will an artistic
director be thinking about their concerns when
programming a season?
-- What kinds of people are out there who might
threaten or try to harm or kill me if I write
political plays?
-- Why should I write plays that put me at mortal or
financial risk?"
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:
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."
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