Too, Too Solid Flesh on Zoom

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted here; in this age of COVID-19, there’s not much happening in the theater world. However, I am happy to report that my play “Too, Too Solid Flesh,” winner of the Firehouse Center for the Arts‘ Honegger Prize in 2015, will be performed in a Zoom session presented by the Firehouse. It will be directed by Stephen Faria, who directed the original Firehouse production of the play.

The plays will be performed on Sunday, June 14th, at 7:00 PM EST.

Click here for details. 

(Note that for some reason “Too, Too Solid Flesh” is not listed on that site as one of the plays to be performed.)

Addendum June 14th: Okay, the reason the play is not listed on their site is because it ended up not being included in the evening’s shows. However, it is possible that there will be second set of Honneger winners done at a later time, so stay tuned.

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Magic in Cabot

On Friday, July 26, I had the extreme privilege of visiting Cabot Vermont. As noted in my previous post, my friend Karen Mueller-Harder runs a children’s theater camp there, and had commissioned me to write two new plays for the kids: “Reunion” (for 11- to 16-year-olds) and “How I Became the Nightmare Queen” (for younger kids). Karen worked with the kids over the course of the week leading up to the 26th, rehearsing “Nightmare Queen” in the morning and “Reunion” in the afternoon.”

Me (center) and Karen (at far right) with some of the “Nightmare Queen” kids

My wife Vinita and I got to Cabot shortly before noon, giving us a chance to meet the younger set after their last rehearsal. We sat in a big circle and talked about the process of writing scripts and turning them into plays. Though young, the kids were no strangers to the stage; every one of them had appeared in front of an audience before now! They were smart, friendly, and engaging, and asked thoughtful questions.

A scene from “How I Became the Nightmare Queen”

In the afternoon, I met with the older participants. Once again, we sat in a circle(somewhat smaller, this time), and talked about how “Reunion” had come to be, and going into detail about the creative process.

In the evening, it was time for the show! First came “Nightmare Queen,” a rousing and funny production in which the performers gave their all, playing characters like the Software Bug, the Were-Terrier, and the Fish-Eating Zombie. To fit all the participants in, the major characters were portrayed by two actors (and in the cast of the protagonist, Cass, by three). The large audience (there were more people than seats) responded enthusiastically.

Then came the more thoughtful “Reunion,” featuring seven young actors who deftly portrayed the humor and drama in this tale of a handful of cousins at a family reunion, coming to grips with what it means to grow up.

All in all, it was a marvelous experience. I want to thank Karen for bringing me on board, and all the participating kids for bringing life to my scripts.

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Plays for Kids in Cabot, Vermont

My good friend Karen Mueller-Harder (whom I have known and worked in theater with longer than either of us would care to admit) runs a summer theater camp for children, associated with the Cabot Community Theater of Cabot, Vermont. For this year’s camp, Karen commissioned me to write two new short plays for kids. Through the course of the week-long camp. she will rehearse the plays, which will be presented publicly on Friday, July 26, at 5:30 PM.

I’m pleased and proud to be part of introducing the newest generation to the wonders of live theater. This marks the first time I’ve written for children (plays, that is; my unpublished novels for teens are another story). The first play, for younger children, is a comic fantasy called “How I Became the Nightmare Queen,” about a young girl who finds that her scary dreams aren’t scary at all, and decides she can make better nightmares herself. The second play, “Reunion,” is for an older set of actors, and is a comic drama about a set of cousins hanging out during a family reunion, wondering why their parents act the way they do.

The plays will be performed at the Cabot School Performing Arts Center. I will be there, and will get a chance to meet with the young actors before the performance.

Cabot Community Theater Summer Theater Camp Presentation
Cabot School Performing Arts Center
25 Common Road
Cabot, VT 05647
July 26, 2019

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Writers at Play: 2019 Showcase of New Work

Writers at Play: 2018 Showcase of New Work

FREE
Tuesday, June 4th at 7:00 pm

Boston Playwrights’ Theatre
Reception to follow!

  • Learn more about us the playwrights, our distinct voices, and the other projects we have on the horizon.
  • Sample a few scenes from each new play, read by the professional actors .

John Minigan: Sarai’s Knife

Deirdre Girard: Possibility

Michael Towers: Cayce

Maggie Kearnan: Changing Lanes

Peter M. Floyd: Letters from Christopher

Cast: Alexandria King,  Christine Power, Brooks Reeves, and Ciera-Sadé Wade

Plays from our often-produced and award-winning playwrights include a quirky and comic mystery, two plays that touch on contemporary social issues in strikingly beautiful but very different ways, a drama about a woman’s fight for agency, and a new musical about one of the most famous psychics of all time.

What playwrights need more than anything is an audience to cheer and provide feedback throughout the long development process.   We would love to have you with us as we begin our latest journey!

Tuesday, June 4th at 7:00 pm
Boston Playwrights’ Theatre
949 Commonwealth Ave., Boston

 

 

 

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Boston Theater Marathon 2019

It’s May again, and that means flowers, Mother’s Day, and the Boston Theater Marathon, the annual event featuring 50 10-minute plays being performed over the space of ten hours at the Boston Center for the Arts. This year, I’ll be represented with my play “The Door.” This will be my [counts on fingers] seventh appearance in the BTM. Amazing!

As usual, each play in the Marathon is being produced by a different New England theater company. “The Door” is being presented by imaginary beasts, who also did my play “Evolution” when it appeared in the 2016 Marathon; Matthew Woods will again be directing. The company did a superb job with “Evolution,” so I am excited to see what they will do with my newest play.

By all means, do come and see the Marathon! This year’s collection of playwriting talent includes Christopher Lockheardt, Ellen Davis Sullivan, Cynthia Arsenault, K. Alexa Mavromatis, L.H. Finigan, Greg Lam, Walt McGough, John J King, Patrick Gabridge, John Minigan, Ron Radice, Ronan Noone, Steven Bogart, Gary Garrison, and many, many more. It runs from noon to 10:00, with a post-show party afterwards. However, don’t feel that you have to watch all ten hours; once you have your ticket you can come and go as you please.

If you want to see “The Door,” however, you should come early: It’s scheduled to be the very first show (the keynote, as it were), staring the proceedings off right at noon!

Click to buy tickets.

Boston Theater Marathon XXI
Boston Center for the Arts
539 Tremont St.
Boston, MA 02116
May 19, 2019

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A Warm Reception in Mantua

On Saturday, February 9, my wife Vinita and I were guests of the Academia Teatrale Francesco Campogalliani in Mantua, Italy, at the opening night of their revival of Assenzethe Italian translation (by Antonia Brancati) of AbsenceAs noted in my previous post, this was the company that had premiered this translation two years ago, when I was unable to attend.

Me with the cast and crew of Assenze after opening night

It was a magnificent performance, powerful and moving, with a brilliant cast anchored by a heart-stopping performance by Francesca Campogalliani (the granddaughter of the company’s founder!) as Helen. The designers created a beautiful world in the intimate theater, under Mario Zolin’s solid direction.

But more than the play itself, Vinita and I were moved by the warmth and generosity of everyone at the theater, who invited us to have dinner with them after the show and made us feel completely at home. The two of us spoke little Italian, and many of the people there spoke little English, but we were able to make our mutual admiration known!

I was also happy to meet Antonia Brancati herself. We’d been e-mailing each other for years, but we at last got to meet face to face! (She’s a talented playwright in her own right.)

It’s always an honor to have my work performed in translation, but it’s also humbling to see “my” work performed successfully with words that aren’t actually my own.

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Absence Gets Revival in Mantua

Assenze posterIn February of 2017, Absence (or Assenze) received its Italian premiere at the Accademia Teatrale Francesco Campogalliani in Mantua, a production directed by Mario Zolin from a translation by Antonia Brancati. I had worked with Antonia on the translation, and I knew it was going to be a splendid production. Alas, I was not able to see it, as my back chose that time to go out of whack, and I spent much of that winter hobbling about with a cane, bent into a question mark.

I am therefore overjoyed to announce that Assenze will be revived at the theater, playing from February 9th to the 24th, and this time my back is playing ball and allowing me to remain upright. I will thus be able to attend opening night, and finally see the show in glorious Italian!

The reviews of the 2017 run were raves, singling out the performance of Francesca Campogalliani as “magnificent” and “masterfully dramatic” (if Google Translate is being trustworthy).

If you happen to be in Mantua this February (and why wouldn’t you be?) I hope to see you there.

Assenze
Accademia Teatrale Francesco Campogaliani
Mantua, Italy
February 9 – February 24

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Boston One-Minute Play Festival 2019

Another year, another Boston One-Minute Play Festival! As always, I’m delighted and honored to be part of the 1MPF, always a great way to start the year. This year features my brand-new short (very short) play “The Match Game,” part of a block directed by Alexandra Smith. My play features the talented young actors Will Jobs and Robin Russell.

The Festival runs from Saturday to Monday, January 5th to 7th (at 8:00 pm on each night), at the Boston Playwrights’ Theatre. Many thanks to Caitlin Wees and Dominic D’Andrea for putting together another night of great pieces by an impressive coterie of playwrights.

Ticket information 

The 8th Annual Boston One-Minute Play Festival
Boston Playwrights’ Theatre
949 Commonwealth Ave.
Boston, MA 02215
January 5 – 7, 2019

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Best Ten-Minute Plays of 2017 features “Evolution”

This is a bit of old news, as the book actually came out a number of months ago, but I was waiting for Smith & Kraus to send me my author’s copy which *ahem* they did not do.

Be that as it may, I’m delighted to report that “Evolution,” featured in the 2016 Boston Theater Marathon, is included in the S&K The Best Ten-Minute Plays of 2017making it the second play of mine so honored. (The 2015 anthology included “Too, Too Solid Flesh.”)

Click here to order the book on Amazon.

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Writers at Play Showcase 2018


Writers at Play: 2018 Showcase of New Work

Tuesday, May 22, 7:30 PM

FREE

Reception to follow!

Boston Playwright’s Theatre

My playwriting group, Writers at Play, will be having its third annual (more or less) showcase of new works on Tuesday, May 22, at the Boston Playwrights’ Theatre. We will presenting scenes for the plays we have been working on over the past year, read by four wonderfully talented professional actors.

Michael Towers: On Marriage: A Modern Absurdism

Colleen M. Hughes: Súgán

Deirdre Girard: Resettlement

Peter M. Floyd: Infestation

Cast: Lewis D. Wheeler, Amanda Collins, Christine Power, and Ciera-Sadé Wade

Tuesday, May 22 at 7:30 PM
Boston Playwrights’ Theatre
949 Commonwealth Ave., Boston

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