Mike Daisey in the Stranger

How Theatre Failed America

http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=503829

h/t mark

http://mrexcitement.blogspot.com/

Alive and Easy to Find

I got an email this morning from a college student who is directing my play Food For Fish as one of his school projects. Because I'm alive and easy to locate online, he can ask me questions about the play and tell me about his production. Because I am poor, I can't actually go see it but that doesn't make me any less happy that it's happening. Earlier this morning I posted a comment on Jason's blog in response to something Mr. Walters said: I don't know about other playwrights but I also want my work to get seen. I want my words to be heard and my characters to breathe in many different bodies. I didn't get in this to have my play on a big stage. I got in it because I was an actor on a small stage and I fell in love with theater. And I wanted to make theater and I wanted my plays to be done all over the country on tiny stages. But eventually I figured out that the only way to get it to the tiny stages was to first get it on the big stages. I wish that weren't the way it is, but that's how it is. (Not to say anything bad about big stages because I bet it's pretty fucking great to have a show on a big stage.) In any case, what I'm saying is one theater is not enough. One town is not enough. Do I want a home? Yes, very much. But that home should introduce my work into the world, not keep the world from seeing it. You can see the discussion here to understand the context and what Scott is proposing in order to give playwrights homes. This student wouldn't be doing my play now if it weren't published. It wouldn't be published if it hadn't gotten a pretty great production in New York. And I'm sure the good review from the Times didn't hurt either. And after this student production, there will be another in North Dakota soon after. I am thrilled that my play will be a part of the early careers of these kids. And I am thrilled that it will be a part of their lives at this point, even if they don't all go on to be theater professionals, I am honored to play a part from afar. I mean, I'm sure Edward Albee would do in a pinch, but I'm glad it's me instead.

This Sunday at 8

http://rapidresponseteam.org/

Hope to see you there.

Deathbed

I have a new code for $20.00 tickets -

DB20T

http://www.deathbedtheplay.com/

Great post from Grote

http://jasongrote.blogspot.com/2008/02/long-overdue-response-on-new-play.html

today

I'm home sick but read this

http://99seats.blogspot.com/

(h/t mac

http://slowlearner.typepad.com/weblog/)

and go see this

http://apparitionproductions.com/projects.html

Marisa's post where is the female writer

http://chainsawcalligraphy.blogspot.com/2008/01/where-girls-are.html

Durang's take on Obama

Well worth a look

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-durang/my-blink-we-need-barack-_b_84303.html

what's going on

So for a long time now I've been trying to write this one man show. I wrote about 40 minutes of it from the perspective of a dog and I heard it out loud a couple times and liked it a lot. But I kept trying to figure out what would go before it or after it. I wrote a ten minute thing that I thought would go before it that Travis and Kip worked on for me and we did at Little Theater but I realized it wasn't the right thing. Now, I think I've finally figured it out. I'm working on a second related one person show that will go after it. I'm trying to get it done before the 20th when I am presenting at Ars Nova. Here is a small section from what I wrote yesterday: THOMAS Oh, the story. I was going to tell you the story. OK, so I came up with this when I was a kid. When my mom and dad were yelling, I used to go hide out in the dog’s pen and read comic books and the dog would put his head in my lap. Well, anyway, that’s when I came up with the Escapist. He’s a superhero, you see, who helps people escape. Like if you’re in a loveless marriage or a dead end job or in a lot of debt, he comes a long and helps you get out of these situations. Or if you’re like kidnapped, he’ll help you escape from that too. Here, let me illustrate. (THOMAS removes his clothing in one swift motion and underneath, he has a superhero costume with a big E on the chest.) I had this made. (The lights change. THOMAS becomes vigilant.) What’s that? Do I hear someone who needs the help of the Escapist? (THOMAS pretends to swoop down—perhaps he flies--and help someone.) I am the Escapist. How can I help you escape? And then the person says something like “I can’t get a good job without going to college but how can I afford college without a good job?” And the Escapist is like, “I can help.” And they work on the college application together and then they fill out loan applications. But then the person is in like a lot of debt from school and so they’re trapped again. So the escapist comes along again and says, “How can I help?” And so they rob a bank together because sometimes the Escapist does something like that. And then the Escapist flies off to help someone else. What’s that? Do I hear someone in need of some help? (The phone rings. The lights return to normal.) Oh. I better put my clothes back on. This is not considered proper attire for the office. (He snaps all the snaps, puts all his clothes back on, while answering the phone.)

RRT