Playwrights's topics - tribe.net

"Can I Download Your Play?"

2009-12-19T22:20:32Z

A think-piece about the one audience member's attitude towards the intellectual property rights of artists, sparked when somebody posted that he was looking for a free download of my play.

http://ianthal.blogspot.com/2009/09/free-play-free-for-all.html

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The Loop-- a social networking site for playwrights

2009-07-26T19:24:38Z

http://thelooponline.ning.com/

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April 26th: Staged reading of "Total War"

2009-05-22T10:22:14Z

April 26th @ 8pm

Ian Thal hosts a staged reading of his play, "Total War", at Cambridge's Outpost 186.

"Total War" is a five-act play set at a Catholic university where the student newspaper has published a Holocaust denial advertisement. While faculty and staff attempt to show solidarity with the small Jewish community on campus, an anarchist-cell using the nom-de-guerre of “Total War” begins a campaign of guerrilla art attacks before a predictable dialogue on free speech and religious pluralism can begin.

"Total War" was recently named a semi-finalist in the 2009 Dorothy Silver Playwriting Competition. The reading is an opportunity both for the author to develop the play through listening and for an audience to experience a stripped-down version of a work-in-progress. A talk-back will follow the reading.

Outpost 186
186 1/2 Hampshire Street
Cambridge, MA

http://ianthal.blogspot.com/2009/04/april-26th-staged-reading-of-total-war.html

posted in Playwrights - 1 reply

who can play a gay arab in an award-winning stageplay?

2009-05-21T20:22:13Z

if you're interested, we need you right away. one of our lead actors has fallen ill, and we need his replacement immediately. you do not need acting experience, just enough availability to come to rehearsal three times a week and appear on stage on monday, june 8th. this play is for the National Queer Arts Festival in San Francisco. please contact the director at 917-498-7914 if you're interested

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Staged Readings

2008-08-12T19:20:01Z

I've written my first full length play and it is my feeling that before I seek out a fully staged production that it would be helpful to have some staged readings in order to hear how the written dialogue sounds when voiced (and make the appropriate revisions.)

The question I have, does it make sense to seek out readings outside of my general geographical area (Boston, New England) since I would need to be in attendance for the process to be of any benefit to me as a writer?

In addition, does it make sense to work with multiple theatre groups during the staged reading process?

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W. Kamau Bell's Solo Performance Class Begins Again in April

2008-03-18T19:24:01Z

W. KAMAU BELL'S SOLO PERFORMANCE CLASS

ABOUT THE CLASS:
Started in 2005, this 8 session course (over ten weeks) is designed to develop 15-20 minute professional level solo theater pieces using a variety of writing and performance techniques. Each student will create a unique and personal performance piece that will culminate in a public theater performance at the end of the course. The class is recommended for performers of all disciplines, including actors, writers, comedians, spoken word artists, musicians and dancers. People of all levels of experience are welcome, from those who have never been on stage before to those preparing a piece for a professional production or audition.

ABOUT W. KAMAU BELL:
W. Kamau Bell has been a Bay Area comedian, writer, and director for more than ten years. Kamau is a favorite at Cobbs Comedy Club, The Punch Line, The Porchlight Storytelling Series, and is half of Siskel & Negro on Live 105. Kamau has appeared at The Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal, on Comedy Centrals Premium Blend, and Byron Allens Comics Unleashed. Also he is featured in The Soft Skull Press publication What Would Bill Hicks Say? Kamau has been profiled in The San Francisco Chronicle on three separate occasions, including not ironically during Black History Month. Kamau is currently hard at work performing his debut solo show, "The W. Kamau Bell Curve: Ending Racism in About an Hour". The SF Guardian declared, "W. Kamau Bell plays against type and comes with not only the insights you wish you had spewed first but also the wit.." The SF Weekly called him smart, stylish, and very much in the mold of politically outspoken comedians like Dave Chappelle and Margaret Cho, although he was more excited that they called him handsome. However, Kamau is most proud of being the leader of The Solo Performance Workshop.

ONE-HOUR FREE CONSULTATION:
Sign up through Brown Paper Tickets and receive an hour of free consultation w/ Kamau to help prepare for the class.

WHEN/WHERE:
Sundays April 6 - June 8 (10:00-1:00) 8 classes over the course of 10 weeks + a performance, no class on April 20 & May 25
Shelton Theater (533 Sutter nr. Powell St., SF)

Tuesdays April 8 - June 10 (6:30-9:30) 8 classes over the course of 10 weeks + a performance, no class on April 22 & May 27
Shelton Theater (533 Sutter nr. Powell St., SF)

ENROLL/COST:
$400
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/30954

INFORMATION:
Bruce Pachtman
415-826-1709 or brupach@gmail.com

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New SF Theatre Space in the Throbbing Theatre District! Great for classes, film screenings, film/photo shoots/rehearsals/parties,auditions

2008-01-13T03:51:32Z

55 seat theatre with 20'x12' stage. Sound Proofed with Piano. Projector.

Great for classes, rehearsals, or productions, auditions, film/photo shoots, private parties.

5 blocks off Bart in the exciting theatre district.

Full theatre lighting system with 16 channel light board, 12 channel Mackie sound board and excellent sound system, 5 disc cd changer, dvd player, dual cassette player, projector, microphones, mic stands, piano, comfortable seats, dressing room with mirrors and lights, large stage with 3 possible entrances.

Email for booking and rates

Check out the website calendar for open booking dates and map of the area.
http://www.stagewerx.org

contact us at
heyyouguys@stagewerx.org
533 Sutter st. at Powell San Francisco California 94102

burners can own theatres too!

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Nita Little \\ first call

2008-01-04T13:15:29Z

Caravajal15 residenza dinamica
International Projects 2008

Orvieto \ Italy
April 25–May 2 / 2008

Nita Little
Restless Peace
A mind in motion and Contact Improvisation experience
Residential project for experienced movers

The American performer Nita Little will be the special guest of our association, first time in Italy as guest artist, for giving the project “Restless Peace”. The intensive workshop with Nita Little is in the calendar of our Residential Projects 2008, and will be from April 25 to May 2, 2008 in the beautiful Etruscan city of Orvieto, in middle Italy.

After the end of the workshop, on May 3rd and 4th, the association will plan also two days with the International Springfest Jam.

The intensive workshop and the Jam will be held both at the headquarters of the cultural Association Caravajal15 residenza dinamica, in the prestigious sixteenth century rooms of the Palazzo Caravajal-Simoncelli, in Orvieto.

Application for registration in the project with Nita Little is open from January 7th. For information and more details write to: info@contactfestival.it, or telephone to +39 0763.341479.

Nita Little
Restless Peace
The urge to move, to go where we have never been, is the soul of our practice in this workshop.
Developing a "home base", a place of personal and creative safety is as important as the journey; how wonderful to be free when you have a home! We learn, how like nomads, we may carry our home with us, even as we track paths in and out of unfamiliar territory.
We focus on developing the mental, emotional, and physical skills that enable dancers to travel creatively. Utilizing a full dance vocabulary, we integrate gestured movement improvisation with contact improvisation and build the skills to consciously weave these two forms.

We investigate “states” of mind / “states” of body as a means to develop and direct creative work in our improvisations. Developing the ability to describe and craft subtle levels of action and experience, we boost our physical potential while increasing our readability. Moving in solo, duet and group forms, we gain compositional tools for structural orientation; like torches, they light the way.

This workshop is developed for experienced movers who wish to pass beyond the threshold of old patterns. The restless human drive that takes us out of comfort, urges us to meet the unfamiliar, to move into, through and with the unknown, is a dance artist’s call. Here, we harness that drive and discover how, moving at the speed of our restless calling, we can find peace.

This class culminates in a creative work for performance at the workshop and at Zipfest08.

Things we will do:
Go deep into the physical philosophy behind contact improvisation.
Learn underlying CI principles that manifest as pathways of action.
Build the tools for safe physical and creative relationships
Discover different spatial orientations: vertical/hierarchical and horizontal/diffuse.
Learn about our temporal orientation and develop tools that modulate time.
Develop the skills to be able to move freely between states of mind.
Deepen our agreements to open to life, to the dance.
Honor peace.

about Nita Little
www.nitalittle.com
Nita Little has been developing, choreographing, performing and teaching improvisational dance for the past thirty-six years, notably Contact Improvisation, which she helped evolve from its inception with Steve Paxton, Nancy Stark Smith and others.
She collaborated in numerous performing companies introducing Contact Improvisation throughout the United States. She is a master teacher with former students all over the world, who are themselves now master dancers and teachers: Gretchen Spiro, Andrew Harwood, Frey Faust, Scott Wells, Julie Oak, Peter Bingham to name just a few. Through CI she discovered her abiding interest in the evolution of consciousness and the mind body relationship. Since 1981 she has been developing an evolving curriculum called The Mind in Motion, which explores the range of experiential states along the mind-body continuum and reveals principles that define Contact Improvisation as well as other movement forms. This work is informed by her investigation of the mind through work such as hypnotherapy and NeuroLinguistic Programming.

As a performing artist her current work is a mix of both formal and improvisational choreography and scores. While anchored in process, it frequently explores character, story, and concept.

Nita received a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in choreography and was on the California Arts Council Touring Program.
The latter award was to her solo dance company, NITA LITTLE DANCE THEATRE, which she began in 1984, continued through 1990, and reinstated as a pickup company in 2000. In 2002 Nita created Playing God, an hour-long dance opera that received funding through the Dance USA /National Endowment for the Arts.

Over the years Nita has been both faculty and guest artist at numerous colleges and universities including New York University, California Institute for the Arts, Texas Christian University, Temple University, Tufts University, Scripps College and UC Santa Barbara.

Nita teaches and performs yearly at national and international dance festivals including ImPulsTanz, Vienna, The Side Step Festival, Helsinki, Kontakt Budapest International Improvisation Festival, the International Contact Festival Freiburg, Germany,the Seattle Festival of Alternative Dance and Improvisation and the West Coast Contact Improvisation Festival, Berkeley California.
She also teaches locally and nationally throughout the year. She lives with her son in Santa Cruz Mountains in California.

As she has pioneered a path in the understanding of the mind/body/spirit relationship, Nita's mission, conscious evolution, has been the backbone of her passion and her practice. Her goal is to see, feel and reveal grace in all its forms and as it exists in the actions of the mind and the body.

Info and reservation
Caravajal15 residenza dinamica
Via Malabranca 15
05018 Orvieto (TR) - Italy
tel +39 0763.341479
fax +39 0763.340669
info@contactfestival.it
www.contactfestival.it

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Support the arts!

2007-12-05T22:14:14Z

Hey everyone,

The Marsh is a non-profit theater located in San Francisco on Valencia st. We are small and are working towards beginning a network online to help bring in new talent and new patrons. We've been around for 18 years and are a breeding ground for new performance. Focusing on solo performance, but also branching out to others, we pride ourselves on being a place for performers to come and have an opportunity to display their work in front of audiences.

So we would like to grow our network! If you would like to learn more about The Marsh please visit www.themarsh.org. And if you like what we're doing, add us as your friend and help us get ourselves out there a bit more. Your help and support is greatly appreciate as we all raise the awareness and appreciation of the arts!

Thanks!

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Winter Solstice Jam \ last call

2007-11-24T20:37:25Z

Caravajal15 residenza dinamica
Orvieto - Italy
presents
Four Seasons Jams

International Winter Solstice Jam
21\22\23 December 2007

Palazzo Caravajal-Simoncelli
Orvieto - Italy
info@contactfestival.it

Last days for the registration in the Jam!!
With Christmas just around the corner…we’re dancing Contact !

Second encounter with Four Seasons Jams, a project of art and culture that continues to call attention to the city of Orvieto in Italy, with regards to Contact Improvisation, the Performing Art and dance of Improvisation.

The next appointment is the International Winter Solstice Jam on the 21, 22 and 23 of December, to greet the arrival of winter, and to celebrate Christmas time and a week from the end of the year, dancing Contact together.
Second Jam in a series of four, every three months, at every change of season.

The jam will be held at the headquarters of the cultural Association Caravajal15 residenza dinamica, in the prestigious sixteenth century rooms of the Palazzo Caravajal-Simoncelli.

The dance studio in our dynamic residence is welcoming and serene; in addition to dancing together, time and space are dedicated to personal requirements, to being together, to visiting the splendid Etruscan city of Orvieto.

We’ll dance together and we’ll warm ourselves in front of the fire in the fireplace in the frescoed Room of the Four Seasons, during the three days of the jam.

It is open to all, with three days of improvisation dance in the residence, including hospitality, reception and meals.

The fee is 100 euros, which includes also hospitality, reception and meals.

For information write to: info@contactfestival.it, or telephone to +39 0763.341479.

Info and reservation
Caravajal15 residenza dinamica
Via Malabranca 15 Orvieto (TR) Italy
tel +39 0763341479
fax +39 0763340669
mobile +39 3391017492
info@contactfestival.it
www.contactfestival.it

Lodging in the residence
We can host up to 20\24 people, comfortably.
We are organized with mattresses that the participants can use, scattered here and there in the 150 square meters of the studio.
You have to bring your own sleeping bag and a blanket, or sheets\pillow and blanket, as you prefer.
There’s a room in residence equipped for preparing breakfast and meals, in addition to dressing rooms and showers.
One person will cook for us during the three days of the jam.
Lunch will be light (fruit, rice, vegetables and/or cheese, cookies, honey, tea, coffee, etc.).
Evenings a dinner will be offered.

Artistic project and organization
Caravajal15 residenza dinamica

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Simone Forti "Logomotion Writing Workshop" \ project in residence

2007-10-14T00:31:44Z

Caravajal15 residenza dinamica
Orvieto \ Italy
International Projects 2008

Hello!
We are happy to announce that Simone Forti will be again the guest artist of our residence, for giving her intensive residential workshop “Logomotion Writing Workshop”.
The intensive workshop with Simone Forti is in the ambit of our international projects 2008, and will be from March 8 to 15 2008 in the beautiful Etruscan city of Orvieto, in mid Italy.
The workshop is limited to 16 participants.
The intensive workshop will be held at the headquarters of the cultural Association Caravajal15 residenza dinamica, in the prestigious sixteenth century rooms of the Palazzo Caravajal-Simoncelli.
The fee is 400 euros, which includes also hospitality, reception and meals.
Application for registration is open from October 15th.
For information write to: info@contactfestival.it, or telephone to +39 0763.341479.
Info and texts below.

Simone Forti \ Logomotion Writing Workshop
Intensive residential workshop
8-15 March 2008
maximum 16 participants
7-day workshop, plus one day pause
fee 400 euros (including meals and lodging)
pre-registration: 150 euros

Logomotion Writing Workshop
Sometimes our words don't have access to what we know in our bones.
In this workshop we will be improvising moving and speaking, and we will be writing.
While our writing will stimulate our imagination and support our improvisations, our improvisations will enrich our writing with a kinesthetic timing to phrasing and windows on sudden thoughts and memories.
Our activities will include studio sessions of improvisational moving and speaking, spontaneous writing, walks in town, with partners, for conversations about matters large and small, and private times to write and to craft our writings and to read them to each other.
We will borrow from the writing practice of Natalie Goldberg as found in her books “Writing Down the Bones” and “Wild Mind”, discovering the associations that gather spontaneously around a chosen point of departure.
As our movement work will include many activities in partners and in groups, some of our writing will include more than one voice, focusing on the relationships between the thoughts of different people.
A goal will be to write with wild mind and intention, and with awareness of world.

Jennifer Dunning writes in her 1991 New York Times review: “Simone Forti presented her first dance program in 1960 and has since then had a steadily increasing influence on post-modernist choreographers interested in exploring ‘natural’ or non-formalist movement and dance”.

Info and reservation
Caravajal15 residenza dinamica
Via Malabranca 15
05018 Orvieto (TR) - Italy
tel +39 0763341479
fax +39 0763340669
info@contactfestival.it
www.contactfestival.it

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New Play "Chola" Welcomes Your Critique

2007-08-26T06:01:58Z

I have a play titled “Chola” I am getting ready to bring to the stage in the spring of 2008, but before I do I want to make sure it is as good as it can be. This play is registered with the Writers Guild of America, but I am looking for readers to give me an honest critique to see if I want to make any changes while there is still time.

A brief synopsis:

What if a female Latina gangbanger moves from the big city to a small community to stay with her aunt and uncle, but she brings her colorful ways with her?

CHOLA The Play will take you on a journey as Lupe, a nineteen-year-old Chola from Fontana, California arrives at her relatives’ home and the drama begins.

The last census showed 228 people in the town, though technically it wasn’t really a township. Not Yet. Perhaps in a few years they’d get around to it, but there was no hurry. Things were slow out here. Life was predictable, simple, quiet. At least until Lupe arrived.

So what does a Chola do in such a remote place to keep from getting bored? Old habits die hard, they say. And as Lupe goes about “fitting in,” her big city ways soon bump up against the local lifestyle.

If you are interested in reading it, message me with your email and I will send it to you.

Thank you!

Donnie Nichols
Playwright, etc.

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Creativity and Inspiration

2007-06-30T21:37:33Z

Talented people, a humble muse and well placed frenetic energy got together accepted a challenge and overcame.

Mr. Clean presented an opportunity to create a commercial and win $10,000.00 Dollars. The deadline June 30th 11:59 PM EST
We found out about this contest Tuesday Night and Thursday night we had a finished commercial... Just before the dead line.
A GREAT GROUP OF PEOPLE came together to make this spot and enter... This is our entry, all we need now is your support. Watch the video on You tube and please rate it.

Visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNWyuyIM20I and give us some love.

Thank You.

posted in Playwrights - 1 reply

looking for stage play to produce and direct

2007-06-05T18:59:03Z

Greeting.

I am a San Francisco based film and stage director. I am looking for a stage play to direct and produce. I am open to, and interested in, a broad spectrum of subjects and themes.

For more information and further references, please contact me directly at:

mail@hoardmag.com

posted in Playwrights - 1 reply

new plays by Catherine Scott

2007-06-05T18:55:05Z

I have a couple of new plays by the above author, you can review the writing style of the play "Finding Forever" at kined4u.mysite.com. This is a play about what makes for great relationships. The charactors are well written and offer roles for older actors as well as a young couple. Catherine also has a comedy about a young girl who can talk to stuffed animals.

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Zipfestival's video 2005 on line

2007-04-18T20:00:33Z

Dear Friends
As they say, better late than never!
We have published a few video extracts from Zipfestival 2005 on Youtube http://www.youtube.com/
We shall shortly send you the websites (URL) so you can see and download the video extracts.
Or you can easily find it on the festival website’s page
http://www.contactfestival.it/2007/ITA_2006/zip_video.html
In the meanwhile we are working on the 2006 video and in June 2007 (19-24) we remind you the next festival is just around the corner!
Have fun watching and let us know what you think!
Till then
Zipfest

http://www.contactfestival.it/2007/ITA_2006/zip_video.html

OR check one by one on these links:

Documentario Zip 2005 – track 1
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roqpVM-nKRA

Documentario Zip 2005 – track 2
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05ADwTz58GY

Documentario Zip 2005 – track 3
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EoUY1KECUU

Documentario Zip 2005 – track 4
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FFfvZe9Qkw

Performance Real Time track 1
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1T3NWzqGmG4

Performance Real Time track 2
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHlJotx0U0E

Performance Real Time track 3
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QepglIvIEM

Performance Last Minute track 1
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pS2TI6x83gk

Performance Last Minute track 2
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5PVVHJh_ao

Performance Solo in Motion
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uGTf0oA8go

Duo Piano concerto Bollani-Salis
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SefO-o4d29k

Trio concerto Salis-Rabbia-Bellatalla
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ch9i-Q1Bfz8

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Zipfest07 \ 19-24 June 2007 , Orvieto in Italy \ registration open

2007-03-17T22:41:34Z

Zipfest07
International Improvisation festival live performing arts
www.contactfestival.it

What:
one week with international guest artists and intensive workshops on Contact Improvisation and Improvisation, laboratories around the themes of physicality, jams, performances and concerts.

When:
June 19 - 24 / 2007

Where:
Orvieto – Italy

Whit:
K.J. Holmes, Oleg Soulimenko, Charlie Morrissey, Patricia Kuypers, Rossella Fiumi, Keith Biesack,
Jacky Miredin, Adrian Russi, Bettina Helmrich, Laura Moro, Ruby Worth,
Manuela Bondavalli, Barbara Lucarini and the guest group for music concert Officina Zoè

Cost:
Zipfest all included registration 250 Euros

Contact/registration:
more info details write to info@contactfestival.it or visit www.contactfestival.it

posted in Playwrights - 1 reply

Looking for Mid 1500's English Playwrights

2007-01-29T05:31:39Z

Greetings,
I am hoping to find playwrights from the mid 15oo's. Anyone know any? I am looking for English playwrights that did comedies in the mid 1500's not after 1565.
Please, if you know of any, let me know, I would be very grateful!!!! My troupe is seeking plays of that time period.

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Free Admission to "THE LORD'S LOVER" TOMORROW NIGHT!

2006-05-20T10:44:04Z

Yes, it's true. I am offering free admission to all of my Tribe.net bothers/sisters if they just drop me a line back and ask nicely. This is the single coolest thing I have ever done, Kids! Come on down THIS Sunday for a show like nothing you've ever seen before! Hope to see you there!

THE LORD'S LOVER

Surreal elegance, satirical drama and philosophical hi-jinks collide in this exploration into the timeless mysteries of Love and God, written & directed by yours truly!

THE LORD'S LOVER breaks conventional boundaries of modern stage, with elements of cabaret, performance art, dramatic theater, erotic dance, cutting edge video imagery, and special effects. Through seven fast-paced scenes, the intricacies of human sexuality and the controversial themes of pride, lust and free will are explored and celebrated.

WHEN: THIS Sunday May 21st Promptly at 8pm, get there early if you want a seat! Show is just about one hour long!

(ALSO - Sundays May 28th, June 4th...)

WHERE: King King, 6555 Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood, CA 90028.
Off of Whitley Ave. (Parking and entrance in back!)

ADMISSION: Standard Ticket Price: $15 at the door.
FREE TO YOU IF YOU WRITE ME BACK!

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Seeking New Plays for Women's Festival

2006-01-31T06:01:50Z

The Drammy Award-Winning Theatre Company
Radiant Theatre
Announces
EMERGENCE 2006
Our 4th Annual Celebration of Women
NEW PLAYS WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY WOMEN!

After expanding to a national festival last year, we have decided to focus back on the regions of Oregon and Washington this year and for the future. We feel that it is important to support local female playwrights and beginning in 2007 we will be offering free playwriting workshops to young women in Portland. 2006 marks our fourth year putting on new plays and we are proud to be able to continue the tradition of supporting emerging female writers. Past playwrights include Francesca Sanders, Shirley King, Elena Naskova, Sandra Hosking, Roxanne Ray, Rachel Parenta, Ravyn Jazper-Hawke, and Sandra De Helen.

SUBMISSION INFO:
Radiant Theatre is seeking NEW PLAY submissions for our 4th Annual Celebration of Women--Emergence 2006.

The plays must:
Be written by a female
Have good women's parts
Be empowering to women
Not have been publicly performed before

Playwrights must live in Oregon or Washington.

There is no age limit on plays or on playwrights (and plays can have characters of every gender).

Plays can be as short as 10 minutes and as long as 2 1/2 hours.

Text must be easy to read and name, address and other contact information should only be on the first page. Plays can be returned if playwrights provide a SASE and enough postage with their submission. Otherwise, RTP will retain them for future use...always with playwright’s permission.

Please send submissions can be sent to by mail to 6629 SE Rhone St, Portland, OR 97206.

Please provide at least 2 copies with numbered pages. Preferably double-spaced (basically--easy to read, thank you!)

Please also include a one paragraph synopsis.

Playwrights will have an opportunity to rewrite material if they choose to workshop the play with the director and actors.

Submissions are due by March 30, 2006.

PERFORMANCE INFO:
The festival will be July 15-19, 2006 at the CoHo Theatre at 2257 NW Raleigh Street, Portland, OR.

The festival is free to the public.

Plays will be either staged readings, reader’s theatre style or memorized.

Directors may include Jan Powell, Ret Beadnall, Amy Gray & Anna Soderberg.

For more info check www.radianttheatre.org

This Festival is funded in part by:
Regional Arts & Culture Council

posted in Playwrights - 0 replies

Playwright Wendy Wasserstein dies of Cancer at age, 55

2006-01-31T01:49:34Z

Playwright Wendy Wasserstein Dies By MICHAEL KUCHWARA, AP Drama Writer

NEW YORK - Playwright Wendy Wasserstein, who celebrated women
confronting feminism, careers, love and motherhood in such works
as "The Heidi Chronicles" and "The Sisters Rosensweig," died Monday.
She was 55.

Wasserstein, who had been battling cancer in recent months, died at
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Andre Bishop, head of
Lincoln Center Theater and Wasserstein's close friend and mentor,
said the cause of death was lymphoma.

"She was an extraordinary human being whose work and whose life were
extremely intertwined," Bishop said. "She was not unlike the
heroines of most of her plays — a strong-minded, independent,
serious good person."

Wasserstein's writing was known for its sharp, often wry
observations about what women had to do to succeed in a world
dominated by men.

Full Story...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060130/ap_en_ot/obit_wasserstein

posted in Playwrights - 0 replies

New Theatre Group in Los Angeles

2006-01-31T01:37:42Z

We are a new theatre group based in Los Angeles.

Our Mission: To develop a dynamic & provocative space where energies come together to create theatre.

Our Vision: TBA

Membership: We believe that anyone who is passionate about doing theatre in an ensemble should be able to join and can remain a member if she or he has; a. Introduced themselves on the message list, b. Met with us (see calendar for meetings), and c. Put in their share of effort to achieve our goals.

We request that we all express ideas freely while respecting each other in this forum. We request that you contribute by always pursuing your passion.

Join at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/boardsnpassion/

posted in Playwrights - 0 replies

New playwrights?

2006-01-09T17:05:31Z

Hi all, I work for a theatre in Portland, OR, and part of our mission is to give a voice to untold stories. Part of what this means is unveiling new and inspirational works by writers who aren't quite known yet. I'm wondering if this would be a good place to open up the conversation and invite any recommendations for compelling, well-written new works. If you have thoughts, please let me know.

Thanks!

posted in Playwrights - 4 replies

anyone know this play...?

2006-01-09T16:11:31Z

I have just been asked to audition for
'Where the Deer and the Antelope Play" and can find no
info on it anywhere...... anyone know it, what it's about
and/or volunteer a review?? thanx

And, yes, I am a playwright .

posted in Playwrights - 0 replies

Join the Yahoo group, Hollywood Home Page

2005-10-30T05:34:15Z

Join the free Yahoo group, Hollywood Home Page.
We cover everything from Broadway to Hollywood, and everywhere else!
For actors, models, agents, directors, writers, musicians, and on, and on!
I moderate the group, and there is no spam!!
The Hollywood Home Page is active, and popular.
George Vreeland Hill

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hollywoodhomepage

posted in Playwrights - 0 replies

northwest playwrights guild

2005-09-20T15:15:54Z

What ever happened to the NW Playwrights Guild? Are they still in existence? The website seems to be defunct and I haven't heard anything of them. They were quite active when I last lived here 15 years ago.
Good writing...
Buffy

posted in Playwrights - 1 reply

Last Call - a play by Lloyd Vance

2005-08-09T05:19:29Z

Last Call is a dark comedy about an eclectic group of characters and the bar that they call home. Lloyd Vance has created a contemporary landscape that searches for who we are, what we’ve been, and where we’re going.

In Vallejo at the Fetterly Playhouse, 3467 Sonoma Blvd. Suite 10.

Check out www.darkroomarts.com for more information.

August 12 and 13 at 8:00pm

posted in Playwrights - 0 replies

Taming of the Shrew!

2005-08-09T00:29:45Z

The Muse Theatre's production of William Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew" opens on Friday, August 12, 2005 at 8 p.m. The show runs Aug. 12 - 27 Thursday - Saturday @ 8 p.m. & Sunday @ 2 p.m.

There will also be a press / industry night on Thursday, Aug. 11, 2005 at 8 p.m., after which there will be refreshments in the theatre for the audience. The cast and director will also be available for comments.

Tickets are $15 and can be reserved either by calling the Muse Theatre's Ticket Hotline (818) 752-9080 or by using PayPal through their website www.musetheatre.com.

The show is directed by Lars Tatom, former head of the Sacremento Shakespeare Festival and assistant director of the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. He is currently the head of the school of theatre at American University in Cairo, Egypt.

The Muse Theatre 6470 Santa Monica Blvd Hollywood, CA 90038.

This is the funniest, food-fight-filled romp you'll see this year!

-Mike Murdock
Co-Artistic Director
The Muse Theatre

posted in Playwrights - 0 replies

David Edgar Playwrighting Workshop at Cal Shakes

2005-07-09T02:32:55Z

Hey everybody, below is a workshop that we're offering with David Edgar, it should be rather brilliant, so check it out if you can.

Dear Playwrights and Friends,

California Shakespeare Theater is hosting a playwrighting
workshop with Tony-Award winning playwright, David Edgar. The
workshop will be 1-4 pm on Saturday, July 16. Cost for the workshop
is $100. Please spread the word!

In this three-hour participatory workshop, acclaimed Tony Award-winning
playwright David Edgar will define and explore the concepts of story,
plot, action and character. Class size is limited.

Workshop members will need to choose a favorite play which, if asked,
they can describe in no more than five minutes.

David Edgar founded Britain's first postgraduate playwriting course at
the University of Birmingham in 1989, retiring as Professor of
Playwriting in 1999. His own plays include Destiny, Pentecost and The
Prisoner's Dilemma (and adaptations of Nicholas Nickleby and Dr. Jekyll
and Mr. Hyde) for the Royal Shakespeare Company, and The Shape of the
Table, Albert Speer and (upcoming) Playing with Fire for the National
Theatre. His cycle of two plays about contemporary American politics,
Continental Divide, was produced by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and
Berkeley Rep in 2003.

David Edgar founded Britain's first postgraduate playwriting course at
the University of Birmingham in 1989, retiring as Professor of
Playwriting in 1999. His own plays include Destiny, Pentecost and The
Prisoner's Dilemma (and adaptations of Nicholas Nickleby and Dr. Jekyll
and Mr. Hyde) for the Royal Shakespeare Company, and The Shape of the
Table, Albert Speer and (upcoming) Playing with Fire for the National
Theatre. His cycle of two plays about contemporary American politics,
Continental Divide, was produced by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and
Berkeley Rep in 2003.

To sign up, contact Erin Carter, Cal Shakes Artistic Learning
Coordinator at 510.548.3422 ext. 127, or by email at
erin@calshakes.org.

WEBSITE
www.CalShakes.org

posted in Playwrights - 0 replies

Auditions!

2005-07-08T22:24:14Z

AUDITION NOTICE:

FOR WHAT:
Taming Of The Shrew
By William Shakespeare

Adapted & Directed by: Lars Tatom
Produced by: The Muse Theatre Company

WHEN:
Saturday, July 9th, 2005
Noon – 5 p.m.

&

Sunday, July 10th, 2005
9 a.m. – Noon

WHERE:
@ The Muse Theatre
6470 Santa Monica Blvd
Hollywood, CA 90038

WHAT YOU NEED:
1. Bring headshot / resume. Also, know your schedule for the next 2 months.
2. Prepare two (2) contrasting Shakespearean monologues not from the play.
3. Read the play. Have an understanding of physical comedy & word play. Bring something new to the table.

STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW:
Park Wherever You Can.
You will have 4 minutes from the time your first piece begins.
Rehearsals will begin July 19th.
The show will run Aug. 12 - 28.
There Is No Pay.
This is a Non-Union Show.

For more information, visit www.musetheatre.com. or e-mail musetheatre@gmail.com. Please DO NOT E-MAIL HEADSHOTS OR RESUMES.

posted in Playwrights - 0 replies

Do you set out to write "about" something?

2005-07-03T18:22:03Z

i don't think i could; i know for certain such efforts have invariably derailed in the past. at some point - usually the end of a draft or two - i am getting an idea about what's happening in the play, and this informs the going back and re-writing, but when i have set out consciously, "intellectually," to write about something, the effort seems not to take. it is as if because the impetus is not organic - "of" me, for lack of a better phrase - and is instead manufactured, i have great difficulty caring or engaging emotionally or psychically. the intellect is tickled and can enjoy the problem-solving but, in my case, it makes for stale, even forced, playwriting.
So what I end up writing is a surprise, given the genesis of it, which could be a word or phrase, a face I see, whatever pushes that button that draws one in and becomes the thing you want to discover, and "finish." what i begin with becomes something else.

does your work "surprise" you in that way or are you more likely to have the Idea and then write to fulfill it?

posted in Playwrights - 3 replies

Show Opening In Hollywood!

2005-06-30T09:57:19Z

WHAT:
Devil Radio
by The Muse Theatre

WHEN:
Thursday, June 30, 8 p.m.
Friday, July 1, 8 p.m.
Saturday, July 2, 8 p.m.
Sunday, July 3, 2 p.m.
Thursday, July 7, 8 p.m.
Friday, July 8, 8 p.m.
Saturday, July 9, 8 p.m.
Sunday, July 10, 2 p.m.
Thursday, July 14, 8 p.m.
Friday, July 15, 8 p.m.
Saturday, July 16, 8 p.m.

HOW MUCH:
Tickets Are $10 At The Door
To Reserve Tickets Call:
(818) 752-9080 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Or E-Mail: musetheatre@gmail.com

WHERE:
The Muse Theatre
6470 Santa Monica Blvd
HOLLYWOOD, CA 90038
Part of The Complex Theatres

WHAT IS IT?:
"Devil Radio" is an original comedy show in The Muse's "hybrid-theatre" format, combining live actors and film for one complete comedic experience. This ground-breaking comedy is not to be missed. For more information on The Muse and "Devil Radio" please visit www.musetheatre.com

We open this Thursday! If you like original comedy and making fun of Kiefer Sutherland on a green screen, come check out Devil Radio!

-M

www.musetheatre.com

posted in Playwrights - 1 reply

A Call for Submissions- Neat opportunity

2005-06-10T01:15:52Z

Call for submissions. . .

The Second Annual
Sacramento
2 Page
Play Festival
We will produce 18-21 plays
September 16 to October 16
Fifteen performances

Three Levels of Awards
•$25 for one page plays
•$50 for 2Page plays
•Three to five $100 awards

First deadline July 1, 2005

All authors receive a DVD of the whole show.
Submit up to five scripts.

2004 Winners posted on web site.

Check the web site www.SacActors.Com for detailed rules, submission form and other details.

SacActors.Com presents provocative and quality theater, often using humor. In a culture that increasingly objectifies people, we celebrate our individuality and humanity. We are in residence at the 49 seat Geery Theater in midtown Sacramento for September through May through 2007.

posted in Playwrights - 1 reply

Talent, Staff, and Crew Call - National

2005-02-24T08:00:20Z

Talent, Staff, and Crew Call - National

NO EMAIL REPLY - PLEASE READ NOTICE BELOW

Gigdirectory.net is an online job referral service, resume library, community, and classifieds for the arts and media industries. In 2004 Gigdirectory.net received over 15 000 new registered users and served over 1 million page views, establishing itself as a highly active resource. In 2005 the focus is on contacting employers and forming a talent, staff, and crew pool worthy of national exposure.

Professional and intern resumes are being accepted for FREE inclusion in the Gigdirectory.net classifieds resume libraries. All arts and media talent, staff, crew, management, and design personnel in all areas of film, theater, music, live production, radio, digital media, fine arts, literary, and television.

To post your resume on http://www.gigdirectory.net for free....
1) Go to http://www.gigdirectory.net
2) Click Sign Up - left column - and register a new account.
3) Click Home and read posting instructions and user friendly site tips.

* Please review the Classifieds categories before posting *, and follow the posting instructions *; it makes the site more user friendly for everyone, plus others can find your notice in a search.

You Can Post Images (head shots, art samples, logos etc). All images should be clear, professional looking, and no more than 64 k each.

No Adult Industry talent notices, images, or resumes please. Gigdirectory.net does not have an over 18 rating and does have minors and parents viewing... Thank you for your respect.

If you get stuck please use the Help/FAQ link in the left column.

Please Note: Gigdirectory does have some areas and services that are subscription, but they do not affect your ability to post in the Classifieds for free. If you are curious you can view lists of grants, opportunities, events and other useful information through the Classifieds for free, and you can post your own shows, business ads, and workshops for for free.

PLEASE DO NOT EMAIL YOUR RESUME OR NOTICE - IT WILL BE DELETED - POST YOUR RESUME YOURSELF ON GIGDIRECTORY.NET - WE DO NOT ACCEPT RESUMES OR NOTICES SENT BY EMAIL - POSTING YOUR RESUME YOURSELF IS FREE ON HTTP://WWW.GIGDIRECTORY.NET

==================

posted in Playwrights - 0 replies

R.I.P. Arthur Miller

2005-02-15T22:53:40Z

Thank you for all your glorious plays.

posted in Playwrights - 1 reply

Worried about director plagiarizing

2005-02-07T19:10:56Z

Hi, I'm new to this tribe.

I was offered a project by a friend's famiy to write a story
about someone from overseas, a specific family story that
required a lot of research and background mat'l reading, which
I did for a couple of years. In that time I found a director I don't
know personally, but I like his work a lot. We talked, I sent him
my notes. He is working on his own project also about the same
country. I sent him a lot of info, and he won't tell me about the
project he's working on separately - I suspect he may use the
historical work for his own. Anything I can do? I don't usually
work like this, so I feel very exposed.

posted in Playwrights - 11 replies

Blocked?...

2005-02-05T23:55:34Z

What do you do when you're stuck? When you're sick to death of a play and its problems and can't make yourself just *write*? When you, say, finally have a day to get back to the play and blow the entire afternoon, say, joining tribe dot net and surfing tribes and posting opinions about local restaurants and other urgent matters instead of focusing on the *play* as you dearly want and need to do?... Any concentration tricks? Revision strategies? Ways of forgetting yourself and getting inside the work again?...

posted in Playwrights - 4 replies

Calls for Submissions

2005-01-31T16:38:44Z

And I'll kick this topic off with ....

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS from TRIBE.NET MEMBERS
======================================

WANTED: plays, scripts, and other texts intended for performance.

SUBMISSION PROCEDURE: Post directly into "Plays about Waiters" topic in "the girl detective" tribe.

SUBMISSION LENGTH: *Reader-friendly.* Use your own discretion. Submissions that scroll on and on will really have to work hard to earn reader commitment. Also, try not to use special characters that might become garbled in the post.

SUBJECT: All submissions, regardless of style, form, or personal/artistic agenda, should be inspired by the following passage from Kelly Link's *The Girl Detective*:

"I like to eat food made by other people. It feels like a relationship. But you can't trust other people. Especially not waiters. They aren't our friends, you see. They aren't our mothers. They don't give us the food that we long for -- not the food that we dream about -- although they could. If they wanted to.

"We ask them for recommendations about the menu, but they know so much more than that -- if only they should choose to tell us. They do not choose to tell us. Their kindnesses are arbitrary, and not to be counted as lasting. We sit here in this world, and the food that they bring us isn't of this world, not entirely. They are not like us. They serve a great mystery."

DEADLINE: Midnight, Pacific Standard Time, February 14 (Valentine's Day), 2005

Submissions will not be edited (just go on and post them). However, submissions will be considered for two performance opportunities: a live reading in Philadelphia in the Spring of 2005, and a presentation at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival in September of 2005. No submission will be performed without permission of the author. Further details regarding performance will be shared individually with artists whose work is chosen for performance.

posted in Playwrights - 0 replies

Introductions

2005-01-31T06:31:45Z

Nominally I'm the "mopderator," but since I set this tribe up and then promptly forgot the tribes.net even exists, I nominate Bob to be the real moderator. As if we need moderators.

In any event:

I'm Zay Amsbury (zaypop.com), 29, born near San Francisco.

I went to the Dramatic Writing Program at NYU's Tisch School for the Arts, where I won some award. I never graduated though, and spent five years back in the San Francisco Bay Area working with Impact Theatre Company (impacttheatre.com), who produced four of my plays. Two of them are described extremely well by my favorite director Josh Costello at joshcostello.com.

I teach Dramatic Writing at the California State Summer School for the Arts (csssa.org).

This fall I'll be going back to NYU to finally get my goddamn B.F.A. so I can apply to grad school, cause I'm a sucker for the big learning.

Who the hell are you?

posted in Playwrights - 13 replies

Two great new Tribes!!!

2005-01-17T19:06:57Z

Check these out...

Acculturation is a tribe to discuss the bringing together of cultures in all forms of the arts, including theatre, and life in general.

The URL is: acculturation.tribe.net

Theatre Theatre Theatre is obviously a theatre tribe, but one for people who live in the LA area, who want to have a place to post auditions, shows, ideas, requests for help, etc.

The URL is: theatrethreatretheatre.tribe.net

Come check them out!

posted in Playwrights - 0 replies

characters' faces, physical types

2005-01-06T23:34:12Z

Do you tend to have a mostly set and lasting image of characters' appearance, aside from the obvious notes regarding what they're wearing?

Actually, what I'm getting at indirectly is...there've been times i'll have a character whose physicality, etc., is reminiscent of a performer i've seen in a film, and I may find myself with that particular actor in mind as i continue.
generally, i am suspicious of this and tend to want to snap myself out of it, as if under a spell, and get back to letting the character reveal him/herself APART from any "mold" that might fit.
Sometimes, though - because some actors are so gifted - one will stick well enough ("type") that having that face or physicality in mind is a propellant of sorts, a catalyst toward further filling-out, at which point, hopefully, the character is so fully developed that "any" actor could step in and be suitable. (that's a playwright's conceit, the point being the character is now ready to be inhabited by an actor.)

Also, as may become obvious, when I am writing but stuck in it, I will write just to write just to write, hoping to lube the machinery (add espresso) a bit. Excuse me if I "exercise" here too much.

posted in Playwrights - 4 replies

on writing plays

2004-11-11T15:16:53Z

http://www.observer.com/pages/theater.asp

posted in Playwrights - 0 replies

Sanctuary: Playwrights Theatre

2004-09-27T21:57:03Z

I have no connection to this NYC-based company, but I found out about them from the RAT-list, and their inaugural production looks pretty interesting:

6 site-specific original short plays commissioned
by Sanctuary: and presented at six different locations
throughout the boroughs, one location each night,
all six plays each night (one play is the "host" and
the others are "guests") and free to the public. Some
of NY’s most visionary playwrights experiment with
the context-shifts that location inspires. Each night
will be utterly one of a kind. And once the 6 nights
are over, they’re gone. Sept 23, 24,25, 29, 30, Oct 1

http://sanctuarytheatre.home.pipeline.com/

I'm going to try to take a trip up to see one of the nights, and I'll report back if I do.

posted in Playwrights - 1 reply

monologues

2004-04-30T18:35:43Z

i will most likely use this space in the most self-serving manner from time to time, as sometimes even posting to a tribe (posting to myself, in some ways) provides more impetus to work stuff, play with things...than if i'm just scribbling on a piece of paper.
or, i may not. i am the toy of my whims.

at any rate, though it may only be me doing this, if you feel so frisky as to toss a monologue up here, even if totally out of context, and not even solicitous of feedback, please do.
sometimes a monologue will cast more light on a character, enabling one to push ahead further informed.

personally, i am dubious about monologues, though they have their place and there've been countless great, memorable (well...) monologues. however, i have found that playing with them (seriously, of course) can be very informative to the writer.

don't be too surprised if you bump into a nonsensical monologue in this thread, or the same one later, re-worked.

and again, if you're so inclined, DO drop something of yours in here. in which case, thanks in advance.

posted in Playwrights - 3 replies

but seriously folks...

2004-04-26T23:53:45Z

if anybody could speak to, f'rinstance, HOW you got involved in theatre, i'd love to hear. as i'd welcome any telling of why you think Theatre is "important," IF in fact you think theatre holds any innate "importance" at all.

and any blabbering you want to do about your writing - process, interests, how you came to it, playwriting that's touched/moved/affected/etc. you in, say, an "inspirational" way - will be welcome reading on this end.

last, for now: i came across in the LA Public Library some tapes made by the American Theatre Wing having to do with theatre, specifically working and (HA HA HA HA) making a living in theatre. (now THAT'S funny.) the episode i picked out pertained to "writers, directors and choreographers," though others relate to design, producing, etc.
if i can find a worthy link, i'll post it to this thread.

posted in Playwrights - 9 replies

"and i quote..."

2004-04-22T15:17:30Z

'. . . what drew me to theatre was precisely the opportunity it provided to join word and image, word and action, to force language to encounter the three dimensions of the theatrical space.'
-- Beth Herst

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'People's relationship to what they want from theatre is changing. People, including me, are still looking for the next STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE. And people can't or won't write that anymore.'
--Austin Pendelton

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'If I find myself still writing large plays when productions will perhaps one day soon be all but impossible, why continue writing for the theatre? Love of theatre, obviously. . . . the reason I go on, is that every new play is the first time out. And because it is always the first time, it is always the next one that might prove to be the experience of a lifetime, the one which to miss would diminish me, the one everything before it was aiming at . . ..'
-- Michael Weller

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'In five days we had the [TV series] pilot pitched out. We had seven characters fleshed out. . . . This kind of thing takes a certain amount of good fortune, and lots of money. I wouldn't recommend the process to just anyone.'
-- Diane English

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'The dramaturge is the [playwright's] best friend. That doesn't mean you get to walk down the aisle.'
-- Jack Viertel

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'. . . as far as the regime is concerned, well, the play is sheer terror for them. Because they feel, How dare -- how dare anybody lift his or her voice in criticism against us? We have the guns. Their level of paranoia and power-drunkenness is unbelievable.'
-- Wole Soyinka

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'One of the things about what . . . I do -- writing plays -- is that a poll is not taken before you say, Well, I'm going to write this because I think that you're going to like this and therefore you'll buy a ticket for this.'
-- Wendy Wasserstein

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'The first several scenes are about sexual addiction. They're not specifically political at all. . . . I didn't sit down and think, I am going to write something about the religious right. I started out by writing something about sexual addiction, and it evolved. . . . I don't look at a calendar and say, Oh! There's going to be an election in 1996. I think now, in 1993, I'll start writing a play that will be ready for it.'
-- Christopher Durang

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'[Henry] James is much more complex than Jane Austen. That's why it's not so easy to adapt him. People expect a nice period piece, but that's not always the case. There's a deep human mystery in his work.'
-- Agnieszka Holland

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'There are times when the people you have nurtured come up with a play that is not necessarily their best work. But they feel very strongly that it should be seen, and you've nurtured it in the development process, and you become slightly blinded to it, because you believe in [this playwright]. Yet the public doesn't understand that some writer's trying something new and you want to support that. It's the downside of the development process.'
-- Carole Rothman

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'[Using humor to explore serious issues] disarms people. It's a way in. It's gentle, but at the same time it's subversive, and I like that duality.'
-- Lisa Loomer

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'I now know that to do a worthwhile family history I must interpret the past without falling into either demonizing or unquestioning acceptance. . . . As a playwright, what I object to right now is any form of fundamentalism, whether it's nationalistic, religious or ethnic. . . . I think it is ridiculous -- and fundamentalist, by the way -- to say that I am not changed by the culture around me.'
-- David Henry Hwang

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'The most important playwright's gift is to hit your time and speak to your time.'
-- David Hare

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'On their own, each [character] is a victim of no importance. But when you bring them together, they become a dangerous weapon. Jeanne is the vowel and Sophie the consonant. Psychologists know this phenomenon well. Each individual is harmless, but together they create an explosive chemical reaction. It's like Bonnie and Clyde, like Thelma and Louise.'
-- Claude Chabrol

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'I think the biggest challenge [in writing for children] is, how am I going to write a play without a lot of "fucks" in it. . . . There's a kind of cliché language used in writing for kids -- it's a language no one really speaks, but it's accepted as how you communicate with children. So my biggest problem was, how do I write in the language I'm most comfortable with -- with moderation, because these are children -- without slipping into that kind of language cliché that uses pop culture.'
-- José Rivera

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'The plays I find most interesting are the plays I don't understand when I read them on the page.'
-- Marcus Stern

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'I was not interested in doing the plot of OEDIPUS in blackface. I did wonder, what would these people have been like if they hadn't been in that situation? . . . One could look at Oedipus, or at my character Augustus, as a cynical schemer who did everything because he was hungry for power. But that's just too easy. I'm more interested in how humans can embody conflicting goals and emotions.'
-- Rita Dove

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'It's interesting during these lean times that one of the jobs of playwrights and directors is figuring out how to do huge epic things, and then solving everyone's problem of: wait, I need both of these characters but we do not have the bodies because we cannot afford the bodies or we don't have the rehearsal space.'
-- Alison Carey

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'I always thought that playwriting was supposed to be a lonely process. That's why they invented alcohol -- liquid balm for poor shlubs like Sophocles . . .. Those, of course, were the good old days when . . . it was presumed that you knew what you were writing about. They respected your voice. For some reason, partly to do with money, partly to do with the influence of Hollywood, and partly from an arrogance inherent in the patronage system, playwriting has become more like screenwriting -- a group exercise.'
-- Steven Leigh Morris

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'At best, the relationship between drama critic and playwright is a pretty twiggy affair. When I'm asked whom I write for, after the obligatory, I write only for myself, I realize that I have an imaginary circle of peers -- writers and respected or savvy theatre folk, some dramatic writers and some not, some living, some long gone. . . . Often a writer is aware as he works that a certain critic is going to hate this one. . . . You don't let what a critic might say worry you or alter your work; it might even add a spark to the gleeful process of creation.'
-- Lanford Wilson

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'So here's the tough question. Is all this [development] activity making great plays and great playwrights? With notable exceptions, I submit to you that it is not. . . . Play development leaves playwrights at the mercy of directors, producers, actors and dramaturgs who are ill-prepared to do more than give subjective responses to the play -- and playwrights are ill-prepared to sift though this feedback.'
-- Roberta Levitow

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'I thought if I can do something more playful and light like my play BEYOND THERAPY, it might be a money maker. I think one of the reasons BEYOND THERAPY has legs -- it's been very successful for me around the country -- is because it's a friendly play, rather sunny.'
-- Christopher Durang

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'I'm back in fashion again for a while now. But I imagine that three or four years from now I'll be out again. And in another fifteen years I'll be back. If you try to write to stay in fashion, if you try to write to be the critics' darling, you become an employee.'
-- Edward Albee

posted in Playwrights - 0 replies

Playwrights Horizons

2004-04-22T14:16:00Z

http://www.playwrightshorizons.org/

posted in Playwrights - 0 replies