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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...

Stageplays.com

Feb 28, 2007

edward albee via Freeman

http://www.laweekly.com/stage/theater/is-edward-albee-softening-with-success/15646/


http://matthewfreeman.blogspot.com/

"We have no paucity of good young playwrights, and
good older playwrights; we don't have the happiest
environment for them to work in. Like in the art world
and in literature, the theater's just as trendy, as
dangerous and corrupt. The big problem is the
assumption that writing a play is a collaborative act.
It isn't. It's a creative act, and then other people
come in. The interpretation should be for the accuracy
of what the playwright wrote. Playwrights are expected
to have their text changed by actors they never
wanted. Directors seem to feel they are as creative as
the playwright. Most of these changes are for
commercial reasons. I know a lot about it because I'm
on the council of the Dramatists Guild, but of course
the pressures are on all of us. I'm in the lucky
position where I just say, 'Go fuck yourself; if you
don't want to do the play I wrote, do another play.'
The forces of darkness would back down if everybody
said that."

go here please

stop global warming.

http://algore.com/cards.html it will take you less than 30 seconds.

Feb 25, 2007

tomorrow--monday

LITTLE THEATRE: Vol VII, No. 5 - February 26, 2007 JUDGE MENTALS a performance by Aki Sasamoto BRIAN DEWAN a musical performance THE ENTREPRENEUR a play by Adam Szymkowicz, with Travis York, directed by Kip Fagan PATRICK BORELLI monologs and videos THROUGH GLASS a film by Kelly Stuart Monday, February 26, 2007 - 8:00 PM @ Tonic 107 Norfolk btw. Delancey & Rivington (F Delancey; JMZ Essex) Tickets $8.00 @ the door, 1st come, 1st served, no reservations

Feb 22, 2007

first draft of a new scene from a new play--it might not be good yet so don't judge.

(MIRANDA returns carrying garden shears. She quickly
hides them under BRIAN's desk.)

BRIAN
What are those?

MIRANDA
Shh! You said you wanted to go home early, didn't
you?

BRIAN
So?

MIRANDA
So I need to hide this under your desk.

BRIAN
What's going on?

MIRANDA
The network connections are down, right?

BRIAN
Yeah.

MIRANDA
You have any internet on your computer?

BRIAN
No.

MIRANDA
Right, so we can't do any work and we'll have to go
home until they can fix it.

BRIAN
I could do more filing.

MIRANDA
No! John will be by soon and he'll tell us we can go
home.

BRIAN
Really?

MIRANDA
Yes, really.

BRIAN
OK.

MIRANDA
OK?!! OK?!!! How about thank you, Miranda? How
about thanks for getting us out early?

BRIAN
Um . . . but that means I won't get paid for the
whole day today.

MIRANDA
Yeah you will. Just mark it down like a normal day.
The guys that sign those aren't even in this office.
No one will remember.

BRIAN
Oh.

MIRANDA
The good thing is that we slowed capitalism just a
little today. We made it stall. We made it stumble.
We take small step, Brian sometimes. We have to take
small steps to get where we're going until we take big
steps.

BRIAN
Or then we can take a cab or something.

MIRANDA
What?

BRIAN
Nothing.

(Enter JOHN.)

JOHN
Hello, Miranda. Brian, right?

BRIAN
Right, Brian.

JOHN
You probably noticed the network is down again.

MIRANDA
I know. What's going on with this place? I have so
much work.

JOHN
I know. I know. They're working on it but they don't
think it'll be up anytime soon.

MIRANDA
That's a shame.

JOHN
Yeah. So, we're going to send everyone home.

BRIAN
Oh.

JOHN
Sorry about that. I'm sure they'll have it up again
by tomorrow.

MIRANDA
I hope so.

(JOHN tries to pull MIRANDA out of BRIAN's earshot.
He talks quieter. MIRANDA does not. If anything, she
speaks louder.)

JOHN
Miranda.

MIRANDA
What?

JOHN
Come here.

MIRANDA
What?

JOHN
You want to . . . I don't know . . . get a drink or
something?

MIRANDA
I can't, John. I have—

JOHN
Oh, you have—

MIRANDA
I promised Brian that we would get a drink.

BRIAN
Oh—uh—

MIRANDA
You know, kind of give him an orientation.

JOHN
What do you mean?

MIRANDA
How things work, you know.

JOHN
You don't mean—

MIRANDA
(aggressive)
What?

JOHN
Nothing.

MIRANDA
OK, well, see you later.

JOHN
Right, yeah.

(exit JOHN)


MIRANDA
Alright, so let's go.

BRIAN
Where?

MIRANDA
To get some drinks.

BRIAN
Oh, really?

MIRANDA
Yeah.

BRIAN
It's kind of early.

MIRANDA
It'll be late when we're done. Come on.

BRIAN
OK, cool.

(BRIAN and MIRANDA exit.)

(BRIAN's phone rings.)

(TODD alone in the apartment on the couch, on the
phone.)

TODD
Hey! Hey! Brian! Pick up the phone.

Feb 20, 2007

on jealousy

Malachy wrote a post about jealousy and used me as an
example so I feel like I have to say something about
it. Maybe I don't.

http://litdept.blogspot.com/2007/02/jealousy.html

It puts me in mind of Jason's post a while back.

http://jasongrote.blogspot.com/2006/04/why-am-i-so-freakin-jealous.html

It's hard to be working in a field where there are so
few opportunities and not feel this at one time or
another. The trick is not letting it take over. But
we're all struggling with this. There is always
someone doing better. There are even people who make
a living at this I hear (not really). But yeah, It
would be nice to get a comission or two or a
two-picture deal (as a friend of mine recently got).
It would be nice to not have to work a full time job.
It would be nice to see my work produced regularly all
over the country.

And I have to admit I feel the jealousy less
frequently these days but then I'll feel that twinge
when my friend gets into something I wanted to get
into or gets the attention of someone whose attention
I want. And I have to remind myself again that we all
have our own journeys in this and that comparing my
journey to your journey doesn't make sense. We didn't
come from the same place. We're not making the same
art. Sometimes things work out and sometimes they
don't and when it comes down to it no one really knows
why.

I hope that wasn't annoying.

Feb 19, 2007

love and science

thanks to Daisey for this.

http://www.mikedaisey.com/

http://www.youramazingbrain.org/lovesex/sciencelove.htm

It's not what you say...

Psychologists have shown it takes between 90 seconds
and 4 minutes to decide if you fancy someone.

Research has shown this has little to do with what is
said, rather

55% is through body language

38% is the tone and speed of their voice

Only 7% is through what they say

coming next monday

LITTLE THEATRE: Vol VII, No. 5 - February 26, 2007


JUDGE MENTALS
a performance by Aki Sasamoto

BRIAN DEWAN
a musical performance

THE ENTREPRENEUR
a play by Adam Szymkowicz, with
Travis York, directed by Kip Fagan

PATRICK BORELLI
monologs and videos

THROUGH GLASS
a film by Kelly Stuart

Monday, February 26, 2007 - 8:00 PM @ Tonic

107 Norfolk btw. Delancey & Rivington (F Delancey; JMZ
Essex)
Tickets $8.00 @ the door, 1st come, 1st served, no
reservations

from New York Times--a student at Columbia Grad Sch Journalism

Every time I talked to someone at a party, in a taxi or at the store, the same chain of questions would follow after I said I was from Iraq. Some people gaped. Others sat silent for a second, then shook my hand differently. “Wow, so interesting,” they would say. “So what do you think of the whole situation? What went wrong over there?” Finally, the inevitable: “Do you think we should pull out?”

Feb 14, 2007

South Coast Rep was a Dream . . .and now I'm back and reality looks a lot like sleet.



We had the reading in here. It went well, i think.



So much sun. Such beautiful theatres. They do great shows there. And I can say they treat visiting artists very very well. the whole trip made me optimistic about theatre again.

And now I'm going to go outside and get sleeted on. But then I will go see the Juilliard kids and that will make me optimistic too even thought the literal sun is gone gone gone.

Feb 13, 2007

next

This week at Juilliard
INCENDIARY
Directed by Kip Fagan
Starring Jessica Love, Adam Driver, Stacey Scott, Sena
Rich, Alex Rodriguez, Sean Parker, Geoffrey Murphy
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

then

at Outsiders Inn Collective in Seattle
http://www.outsiders-inn.com/season_prettytheft.shtml
PRETTY THEFT
April 19-21 @ 8pm and April 22 @ 5:30pm
April 26-28 @ 8pm and April 29 @ 5:30 pm
at Studio-Current Seattle, Washington

then

at Theatre of Note in Los Angeles
http://www.theatreofnote.com/
FOOD FOR FISH
directed by Heather Holloway
April 27 - June 2.

Feb 8, 2007

I'm off

To sunny, warm Costa Mesa. See you again on Valentines Day, NYC.

or if you're in LA

see you here monday at 7:30

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

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

children need to know about vaginas

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article.html?in_article_id=36594&in_page_id=2

next week--free--tell me now if you wish to go

Incendiary at Juilliard directed by Kip Fagan.

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.)


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.

http://aszym.blogspot.com/2005/08/so-i-have-this-short-play-soup-i-wrote.html