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.

I'm back

Lots to catch up on here. Talk soon.