and give James money

http://jamespeak.blogspot.com/2007/08/for-those-that-couldnt.html

This Friday I will turn 30. Being that I am turning 30, now is a good time to be critical of my life and bemoan my plight and perhaps even celebrate my accomplishments.

Things I haven’t done:

Learned Spanish.

With the exception of France 12 years ago and Canada, I haven’t left the country.

Written a novel (although I’m about 17,000 words into one and had to put it aside to write plays and screenplays. Maybe next year)

Run a marathon. (In fact I’m not really in great shape right now. But I’m going to start going to the gym again, I swear.) (this is starting to sound like new years resolutions. 30 year resolutions?)

Learned a musical instrument. (this may never happen.)

Paid off my student loans (or come anywhere near doing so)

Bought a house or apartment.


Things I did:

Learned to drive, swim, speak, write, read, cook a few things.

Wrote 19 or so plays that are over an hour long, 3 or 4 one acts, 30 or so ten min plays. Most of the 10 min plays have been done, many of them multiple times. I’ve had 7 of my long plays on their feet, 4 of them have had 2 or more productions. Three of them are now published.

Co-wrote one screenplay. Wrote another on my own and am working on a third.

Got a masters, went to Juilliard, got engaged.


So that’s not so bad. It was a good thirty years. In fact, if things keep going like this, I feel pretty good about it all. I’m OK, you’re OK. We’re all OK. Let another year come. They say 30 is the new 22.

ny times on US healthcare

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/12/opinion/12sun1.html?em&ex=1187150400&en=81027c4b9b038e39&ei=5087%0A

"The United States, to its shame, has some 45 million people without
health insurance and many more millions who have poor coverage.
Although the president has blithely said that these people can always
get treatment in an emergency room, many studies have shown that
people without insurance postpone treatment until a minor illness
becomes worse, harming their own health and imposing greater costs."

from Sheila, I guess I'll try it too

http://www.sheilacallaghan.com/blog/archives/2007/08/#013930

If your plays were people . . .

MAtt tries it:

http://matthewfreeman.blogspot.com/2007/08/plays-as-people.html

Josh does it:

http://writerjoshuajames.com/dailydojo/?p=359

Now me--

Pretty Theft
An A.D.D. juggler you see at the circus walking a tightrope while
ogling the girl on the flying trapeze.

Food For Fish
The kid who sits in the front row wearing a green mask he made out of
paper maiche for Halloween. Surprisingly he won the costume
competition. Now in front of everyone he is eating all his candy,
smearing chocolate all over his big smile.

Nerve
A quiet girl sitting behind a giant loom, building row upon row
suddenly gets her finger stuck and bleeds on her tapestry. Five years
ago you bought a photo of this at a yardsale.

Anne
That old friend secretly smart but completely awkward who wears
clothes two sizes too big and who you have lost touch with. I think
she can speak Greek.

Herbie
The wackiest uncle who wants to play cowboys and indians although all
his nephews are shaving now.

The Art Machine
The tie-wearing coworker who is may be a robot but definitely has an
uncomfortable sexual past.

Deflowering Waldo
A sister of a friend who wears petticoats and lots of rouge but wants
to be Woody Allen.

Incendiary
A boy burning ants with a magnifying glass suddenly looks up and
discovers girls for the first time.

Bee Eater
The saddest girl in the world reading poetry in Russian accidentally
walks in front of a truck.

Searching
A bum with a metal detector on the beach you went to for vacation who
secretly may be destroying the world.

Susan Gets Some Play
a fun fringe play. you should come see it.
http://www.myspace.com/susangetssomeplay

fringe shows to see

http://www.thevillager.com/villager_223/whatsonyourfringe.html

all of new york is confused

Which subway is running? What's going on? Does anybody know?

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/10/nyregion/10info.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

from Charlie Willis:

http://confoundedblog.blogspot.com/2007/08/quotes-and-response.html

"For a short time, theatre became a medium where you COULD make more
than just a living. You could actually live fairly comfortably on a
theatre artist's salary. I don't believe that's the case anymore --
except under the most abnormal of circumstances -- but few people who
aren't directly involved in theatre work understand that fact as
anything more than the old joke based around "I'm poor; I work in
theatre." The general public is working under the assumption that you
can make a decent living at it, as long as you're talented enough.
Unfortunately, this is shared by many young people going into college
programs, or just starting out following graduation from said
programs. In their heart of hearts, they think they'll be the lucky
one who will "make it", or manage to transubstantiate their theatre
work into a film/TV career. And maybe about 12 of them do."

timeline, 6 more months in Iraq and 6 more and 6 more and 6 more

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2007/08/timeline.html/

h/t isaac

http://parabasis.typepad.com/blog/2007/08/this-is-amazing.html

'...the police action helped to all but eliminate dissent from New
York City during the Republican delegates' visit. If that was the
goal, then mission accomplished. And civil rights denied.'

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/08/opinion/08wed2.html?_r=1&hp=&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print

So there might have been a tornado in brooklyn this morning. There was definitely a crazy thunderstorm that poured water over our streets.

It also messed up the trains. It took me 2 1/2 hours to get to work this morning.

alas.

mark your calendar/buy your tickets

Susan Gets Some Play in this summer's NYC Fringe Festival Presented by Stage Fright Productions
Writer: Adam Szymkowicz
Director: Moritz von Stuelpnagel
Starring: Jorge Cordova, Danny Deferrari, Kevin R. Free, Susan Louise O'Connor, & Travis York. Susan 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.

1h Manhattan New York Comedy
Improv/Sketch/Stand-up
VENUE #5: The New School for Drama

Sat 18 @ 12
Sun 19 @ 9:15
Thu 23 @ 4:45
Fri 24 @ 9
Sun 26 @ 1:45

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

http://www.myspace.com/susangetssomeplay

I'm an uncle yet again

Please welcome Evan Hunter Steflik to the world.

I just came from a stumble through of Susan Gets Some Play. there was
some stumbling but it will be excellent I think. It's a fun show.
you should come.

jason grote tells it like it is

http://jasongrote.blogspot.com/2007/08/better-than-nothing.html

I don't drink no Robot Coffee
I don't swing wit' no hottie totties
I can't stand jam on my cake
I can't drink the tea you make

Don't like sandpaper on my chair
Don't like felt underwear
Keep that dog away from me
And don't offer me no Robot Coffee

Great post on bush and checks and balances from Chris Durang.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-durang/will-bush-ever-get-his-co_b_57893.html

I never go to the Fall Cafe

7/27/07
Today I will do it. I will just walk through the door. Past all the
people with their haircuts and flip flops and laptops. I will march
to the counter and I will say, "Please sir. I would like a coffee
please and maybe a bagel." And then I will pay for it and there will
be an empty fluffy chair by the window perhaps and I will sit down and
I will take out my notebook and I will seem smart as I doodle and
sesame seeds will fall off the bagel and into the notebook crack.

7/28/07
I tried to go in. I tried. Instead of walking by, I stopped and then
I reached out my hand to open the door but it burned my hand. I
screamed out, "Don't touch it, " when a girl in a tank top with
microbraids reached for the handle but she opened it and entered
without any trouble and without a look in my direction. So I reached
out my hand again, but before I touched it even there was a searing
pain and the smell of flesh. Who knew my burning flesh would smell
like lamb? So I took off my shirt and wrapped it around my hand but
it made no difference. So I went home to run cold water over my
cooked hand. I'll try again tomorrow.

7/29/07
Today I stood outside the Fall Cafe for a good ten, fifteen, twenty
minutes watching people walk in and out. And then I thought, well
maybe the next time someone opens the door, I could just sneak in
behind them before the door closes. So I waited. A slouchy guy with
hair over his eyes came by after not too long and opened the door. I
had one foot in the door behind him when everything went black. I
woke up on the sidewalk. Two hours had passed. I got up, and went
home and drank some tea. I guess I won't go to the Fall Cafe.

in seattle

http://hickwithmasters.blogspot.com/2007/08/starving-local-artist.html

h/t daisey

http://www.mikedaisey.com/

"When the play finally opens, the actors will be exhausted by their
schedules and broke due to the costs of transportation, parking,
meals, and in some cases babysitters and loss of income due to time
off for the show. On stage they will probably wear at least one
garment from their own "costume wardrobe" at home, and very likely
shoes that they have provided. They will wear makeup they bought. They
will pay their way to and from the theater every night. And still they
will not be paid for their work."

no, seriously

China tells living Buddhas to obtain permission before they reincarnate

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article2194682.ece

http://www.myspace.com/susangetssomeplay

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

from the Sun

http://www.nysun.com/article/59913

"Some people just don't learn -- even after they succeed in snazzier venues, they keep coming back to the Fringe.  . . . So too returns perennial favorite Susan Louise O'Connor, laying bare her bad dates in "Susan Gets Some Play" by oddball Adam Szymkowicz, whose "Nerve" garnered early hipster buzz."

Oddball, huh?  Who told them.  Hope to see you at my play which I hope will garner me more hipster buzz.

the fringe

we got a nice photo and little paragraph in the daily news for Susan Gets Some Play.  Hope to see you there!

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/culture/2007/08/05/2007-08-05_filling_the_stage.html

spoilier song from the neo futurists

Joey spoils Harry Potter for you (in song!)

http://www.nyneofuturists.org/podcast/spoiler-alert.mp3

SGSP in nyc fringe starting Aug 18

Susan Louise O'Connor and Kevin R. Free

http://www.nytheatre.com/nytheatre/fr_prevdetail.php?0=S&1=122

http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2007/07/wiki-play-has-no-wiki-entry.php

"The Internet's greatest time-waster, Wikipedia, has become the inspiration for a new Off-Broadway show premiering at midtown Manhattan's Ars Nova theater on August 3. The Wikipedia Plays, overseen by associate producer Kim Rosenstock, is a mini-marathon of short vignettes, each inspired by words from connecting Wiki entries."

tomorrow, sat, sun, mon

Pataphysics workshops

http://www.theflea.org/pataphysics/index.htm

political notes from Isaac

http://parabasis.typepad.com/blog/2007/07/quick-political.html

Arrr

Weathering the storm

If the theatrosphere were the ocean, there are lots of new ships never seen before gliding in to dock with glistening new hulls. At the same time, others who we admire for their beauty and strength are leaving our shores perhaps never to be seen again.  There are squalls out on the water, rocking this one and that one.  Pirates, jumping from boat to boat, perhaps doing damage, perhaps not.  I hear cannons in the distance, but I can't tell if hulls are cracking and blistering or if it's lots of bluster.

 

Meanwhile, our lives go on in the real world.  All of us artists struggling to make art and find places to be.  I'm not sunk yet, though some days I feel like heading to dry land and studying barrelmaking or public accounting.

Murdoch buys Wall Street Journal

Here is a Wall Street Journal mocked up with actual Fox headlines. Murdoch owns Fox and has now bought the Journal. Welcome to a world of Fox "news"