Adam Szymkowicz

Aug 15, 2007

wow Cheney in 1994--take a listen

https://pol.moveon.org/donate/cheneyvideo.html?r=2879&id=10983-5323594-T9Pjx9&t=1 So if Cheney clearly knew all along that the war would do this, why would he do it? It seems almost certain it was done purposefully without regard for American or Iraqi lives for his own political and monetary gains. It's so insane. so very insane. And now we're stuck there as he knew we would be draining money, letting our soldiers die while Halliburton rakes in the bucks. It's so very evil. Is there another word? If it is clear it would destabalize the region, why would anyone do it? Especially without a good plan?

http://mmadan.wordpress.com/

Jay Leno : It was this week in 1974 that Richard Nixon resigned the presidency after getting caught lying and violating the constitution. Remember when that kind of thing used to get you kicked out of office!

Aug 14, 2007

from Allison

http://theatrenotes.blogspot.com/2007/08/confession-of-sorts.html

"This process is why I don't believe that any critique - and certainly
none of mine - can ever be the last word on any work of art. It would
be the height of solipsism - and even I am not that solipsistic - to
think that I, alone of 50 or 200 or 800 other people in an auditorium,
can have the only authentic experience in the theatre. It would also
be rather dull. Any response is, rather, the beginning of another
conversation. And it's all these conversations, shimmering skeins of
them, over dinner tables, in newspapers and journals and blogs and
pubs and cafes, that make what I understand to be a living culture.
And I am very proud to be one talkative thread in the whole noisy
tapestry"

I think this sort of open ended conversation on theater is missing in
American reviewing. And I think some of the blogs here are trying to
create something like this and i applaud them. Am I wrong or does it
feel like most reviewers here are trying to be the last word on the
art they are discussing?

For some crazy reason I started reading some of the bad reviews of my
previous plays. Don't ask me why. It's amazing how many voices in
our day to day writing life say "no" and "bad" and amazing how many
people want your play to be something other than what it is. If you
listened to these people and let them in and believe everything they
say, you would implode.

Sometimes you just have to be like, fuck you. this is my play. this
is the way i want to write it. Your idea will not help it. I do not
need to know you don't like it. i do not need to know what you need a
play to be.

You can't create anything new if you are worried about pleasing people.

At the same time, there are smart people sometime who know what they
are talking about and can help you and when they speak they are maybe
not saying what you want to hear about your play, but you know they
are right and you know you should work towards the things they are
saying.

Survival in this field is all about navigating these voices. I got a
show coming up and maybe I should go back to not reading reviews
again. I know what this play is. I know its strengths and weaknesses
and I will learn everythign I need to know by sitting in the audience
and feeling their energy. Do I need to read what someone thinks of
the show? Not really. Who said that if you believe the good reviews,
you have to believe the bad reviews? I'm not sure how you can do that
when they contradict but again, i'm taking everything too literally.

if you get a chance

go see Gus Schulenburg's Riding the Bull in the fringe. I saw it and
it's pretty great.

http://www.fluxtheatre.org/

Aug 15 in Columbus, OH

A reading of my play, Pretty Theft

http://www.avltheatre.com/Shows/nwn.html

Aug 13, 2007

on saturday

http://www.myspace.com/susangetssomeplay

Rudy Guiliani, Urban Legend

http://www.rudy-urbanlegend.com/

h/t jason

http://jasongrote.blogspot.com/

The problem that NY Firefighters have with Guiliani's leadership and
his platform which rests on the ashes of September 11.

"Paid for and authorized by the International Association of
Firefighters Interested in Registration and Education Political Action
Committee (www.iaff.org)
and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee."

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."

Aug 10, 2007

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."

Aug 9, 2007

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

Aug 8, 2007

'...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

Aug 7, 2007

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

Aug 6, 2007

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