God of Garbage

My hometown paper, The Stranger, takes down French playwright Yasmina Reza (author of God of Carnage) and it's pretty delicious.

Read the whole thing. It's short!

My favorite bit?

I can only imagine that people like her plays in the same way that people like to stare at themselves in a mirror: Vacuous, middle-class theater subscribers like to watch plays about vacuous, middle-class people.

You're playing my jam, man. You're playing my jam.

Be There In 2011

In the spirit of being there, I thought it would be nice to lay out who exactly I'd be showing up for in 2011. Who are the artists and companies I love? Whose shows do I recommend following in 2011? The writers of Youngblood, obviously, but also these:

The Debate Society
http://thedebatesociety.org/

The Debate Society is made up of actors Paul Thureen and Hannah Bos as well as director Oliver Butler. Buddy Cop 2 was one of my favorite shows of 2010, and its ironic title (and marketing image) belie what a smart, funny, natural, and touching piece it is. It's being remounted at The Atlantic in January. Don't miss it!

Half Straddle

http://www.halfstraddle.com/

I love, love, love Half Straddle and the work of their resident playwright, Tina Satter. The girls and gays of Half Straddle combine poetic language with comedy and music and dancing in ways that are surprising and delicious. Tina Satter's Family was another one of my favorite shows of 2010. Their description: "Twenty-year old Lily is about to be impregnated with Rudolf Nureyev’s frozen sperm to make her mother happy. Little sister Frarajaca wants to stage an artistic gangbang. And Mum doesn’t want to deal with anymore goddamn idiots. It’s a family drama. Sort of." Amazing! My beloved Jess Barbagallo (from MilkMilkLemonade) is also a member of this company.

Michael Yates Crowley

I reviewed Michael Yates Crowley's Evanston: A Rare Comedy at PS 122 a while back and have been following his stuff ever since. He runs theater company Wolf 359 and a monthly salon series, Hearth Gods. Wolf 359 "takes a chainsaw to language and pretension to create a new kind of American theater." A to the motherfucking MEN. Michael is in the Soho Rep Writers/Directors Lab this year and I can't wait for his reading.

Joe Tracz

Full disclosure: Joe and I have worked together before. Not that this matters, really, since I'm not a critic. Joe is one of the brightest, funniest, nicest, cutest playwrights I know and a member of Ars Nova's Play Group. He writes plays about gay werewolves and dance parties aboard satellites. Enough said. He is really, really taking off.

The Amoralists

What can I say about The Amoralists that hasn't already been said? They are probably the single most important theater company downtown and resident playwright Derek Ahonen has a real set of brass balls. This is what mainstream theater would look like if it weren't so boring and dusty.

And finally, Little Lord

http://www.littlelord.org/Little_Lord/home.html

I'll confess to being partial to a junky, toy theater aesthetic and the Little Lords have mastered it. Little Lord "manipulates classic texts, pillages faulty nostalgias, and celebrates the homemade as a means to create vibrantly bawdy, offbeat, intelligent, queer, funny (and often musical) theater." I loved, loved, loved their version of Babes in Toyland with David Greenspan and I look forward to their version of the tale of John Smith and Pocahontas.

Happy New Year!

Brunch of the Living Dead.

If you think the weather outside is FRIGHTFUL...

What better way to spend the very first Sunday of the New Year than cowering under your seat, clutching your bloody mary in abject terror. Welcome [creaking door noises] to the BRUNCH OF THE LIVING DEAD...

Six (it's a bonus pack!) brand new short plays in the horror/thriller/slasher genre. Laughs, chills, thrills, creepy voices, a new musical -- we've got it all. Kick baby New Year right in the diaper with the YOUNGBLOOD SUNDAY BRUNCH.

SKIING WITH JESUS

by Lydia Brunner
directed by Lila Neugebauer
with Lucia Brizzi, Darcy Fowler and Nedra McClyde

PASS IT ON
by Joshua Conkel

directed by John Giampietro
with Loren Brown*, Molly Carden and Maya MacDonald

THE HORROR
by Darcy Fowler
directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel*
with Geneva Carr*, Frank Harts and Seth Kirschner

BYE BYE VERONICA
by Patrick Link
directed by Jason Bruffy
with Dylan Dawson, Julie Leedes* and Shawn Randall

MURDERTOWN
a new musical by Eric March
directed by Abigail Zealey Bess*
with Robert Askins, William Jackson Harper* and Bobby Moreno

THE INNOCENT
by Erica Saleh

directed by Kel Haney
with Jackie Chung*, Jared McGuire and Megan Tusing

* member of Ensemble Studio Theatre

Five brand new plays, plus our fabulous BRUNCH BUFFET of pancakes, eggs, bacon, pastries and our fiscally irresposible open bar - all for just $18! Special holiday beverages may be had!

Reservations are ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL!
boxoffice@ensemblestudiotheatre.org
or call (212) 247-4982 x105

Sunday, January 2
doors open at 12:30pm for the buffet (food goes fast so get there early!)
show starts at 1pm


PLEASE NOTE: We usually have a waiting list, so any reservation not picked up by 10 minutes before curtain time can NOT be guaranteed.

Ensemble Studio Theatre
2nd Floor
549 West 52nd Street (bet. 10/11)

New Year's Resolutions For the Playwright

Dear Myself,

Yeah, yeah, I know. Resolutions are for chumps. But let me tell you something: so too is going into a new year completely unprepared. Especially this one. "2011." See, I got a look at the guy, in a Preview Issue? And I'll tell you what, 2011 may look to you currently like a wide-eyed babe in a cunning party hat, but oh no. He's got plans, plans you're not gonna see comin'. Fortunately for you, me, us, whatever: I learned a few things here in 2010, and with these things thus learned, we're gonna make a few resolutions. Now sit still, it'll be all right. I'm a professional resolver.



1. Be not bitter. Look, it's hard. Theater has currently a narrow-feeling playing field with a very few resources, and so, the successes of our peers can feel like judgments against us. SHE got this thing why did SHE get that thing certainly I could have got that THING but maybe I didn't know the right PEOPLE or go to the right SCHOOL or go to SCHOOL AT ALL plus HAVE YOU NOT NOTICED I HAVE BETTER HAIR etc etc. But I'll tell you, nothing is uglier than a chorus of brilliant people wallowing in mean-spirited, cold-hearted disengagement. Blowing off steam is one thing, but the tone I've heard you take -- ! So fight the fights, certainly, drum up the awarenesses. But fight the battles of class with class, learn how not to self-defeat in your defeat, and for heaven's sake, do not delight in the failure of others. Find something to love instead.

2. Find something to love. Oh, hello! I didn't see you there. I know you love plenty already, but really. Really, this year, chase down an obsession (or two). Fill up books and pages with it. Research it, talk about it, learn about it, live it. Maybe it's a band, a genre, a language, a plant, a person, a philosophy. Watch what it wakes in you. Then write that down. 'Cause not to sound like a damn hippie, but that's kind of the point, you dunce.

(Sing this to yourself if it helps. Someday you're gonna be free, Lord.)

3. Write. Don't give me that face. Write. Under any and all circumstances. However you need to, with and without restriction. Start things. Finish things. Feel the fear and then jam a fist in its face. SOON THE FEAR WILL FEAR YOU.

Also keep giving yourself these pep talks, they are hilarious. Jam a fist, that's a good one, is that some fancy new slang?

4. Be there. It means something to people when you support them. Go see their shows, readings, puppet shows, pantomimes. Dance, after; drink, after. Feedback, sure, if they want it, but being present! Rising the tide that floats all our ships. Don't think you can't go because you never know what to say after. Being there is part of the faith we all share that what we're doing is a thing worth doing, and, look. Faith is a hell of a thing to have when trying to act on all of these other high-minded resolutions.

5. Speaking of ships: acquire, by any means necessary, a Youngblood Ship. For real this time. Something along the lines of a beautifully restored 1920s steam ship with jet skis and a grand piano and a lavishly-appointed dining room. Then commence sailing around the world, bringing theater and cocktails to all. Ahoy!

Sam Shepard Is A Dick.

I recently read Patti Smith's truly excellent memoir, Just Kids, which details the singer's famous friendship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe from beginning to tragic end. As you may or may not know, Patti Smith and Sam Shepard were lovers for a while, and this period in Patti's life is just as romanticized in the book as any other. Patti Smith writes about Shepard with a lot of love and kindness. That said, here's the thing: I think Sam Shepard is a dick, and so, apparently, did Robert Mapplethorpe.

We've debated whether or not Sam Shepard is a hot playwright on this blog before. Link says yes. I say no, only because I suspected he was an a-hole. My suspicion has been confirmed. Patti Smith and Sam dated for a while before Patti knew who Sam actually was. He went by the name "Slim" (ugh, how pretentious) and Patti had no idea he was an Obie winning playwright. She wouldn't know his real identity until Jackie Curtis pulled her into the girls' room one night and yelled, "Don't you know who that IS?" Strike One.

Okay, a short diatribe that's somewhat unrelated. it burns me up that Jackie Curtis would be star struck by Sam Shepard when Jackie Curtis is JACKIE FUCKING CURTIS. If you don't know who Jackie Curtis was, (s)he was an Andy Warhol girl and the star of Women in Revolt. She was a genius comedian and the world is an uglier place without her. I don't know, it just makes me sad when the world doesn't remember the right artists and SO often those artists are queer artists. If I had a nickel for each of them, to quote a John Waters' movie, "I'd buy a big purple Cadillac and drive around and laugh at poor people." Anyway. Diatribe over.


Patti continued to date Sam even after his whole weird "not telling her who he is" thing. They wrote and performed the play Cowboy Mouth together.Then she found out he had a young wife and a new born baby at home. And she continued to date him! Okay, I know a lot of the blame must be placed on Patti for going along with all of this, but she wasn't the liar. (Also, I like her work a lot more than his.)

Robert Mapplethorpe and Sam Shepard seemed wary of one another. Of course Mapplethorpe was wary... look at the shit Shepard was pulling. Ladies, if your oldest friend in the world doesn't like your new boyfriend, chances are your boyfriend is a total dick. If your new boyfriend doesn't like your oldest and best friend, chances are your new boyfriend is a total dick. It's true in both directions.

Eventually Sam Shepard sort of stops talking to Patti Smith, which is fine. Patti went on to marry the love of her life, Fred "Sonic" Smith form MC5, for whom she wrote the beautiful song Fredrick. Sam Shepard went on to become, well, Sam Shepard.



It was a funny experience to read this book. I've been a huge Patti Smith fan since I was in Junior High School. Obviously, I don't know her personally, but her music is so intimate that it sort of feels like I do. And I've been the best friend to enough girls that as soon as "Slim" entered the book I thought, "Uh oh. I bet this is Sam Shepard and I bet he's a total dick."

I was right, and so was Robert Mapplethorpe.

Get On That Carousel, Old Man.

Youngblooders who turn 30 must take a ride on the Carousel.

Is it good that Logan's Run came out way before I was born, or is it sad that I'm old enough to know what Logan's Run is?

New Tick Tock with Chris Sullivan

Hi internet,

Just in time for the holidays is a new post on my news and politics blog, Tick Tock with Chris Sullivan. This week we discuss the Bush Tax Cuts compromise that went through congress this week, Don't Ask Don't Tell, and Republicans lovin' that Christmas, among other current events. Take a peek!

I have a soft spot for plays -- and styles of playwriting -- that have become the silent geriatric corner-sitters of the contemporary American theater. Plays that are broken, bent, hard of hearing; plays that are a bit too earnest, or tone deaf; plays that are raised in a different era, and according to different social mores.

I'm talking plays that are, for all "modern" intents and purposes, bad plays. Plays that ought to just cede their places to younger plays, turn up their toes and die (read: move over to academia).

I have a soft spot for these plays because they let us imagine a time when people thought about people and performance completely differently. These plays take for granted none of the psychological "truths" we rely on so heavily these days: that people don't always say what they mean, for instance, and that politics are always personal.

I'm talking about Racine and Dryden, about medieval passion plays, about early twentieth century agitprop, about grand nineteenth century melodrama.

Sometimes my affection blinds me to how truly bad some of these plays are. I sit beside them (if you'll excuse the long-suffering metaphor) cooing and asking them to, yes, please, to please tell me their stories. And they croak on inaudibly in heroic couplets and breathe on my face.

Other times, though, these plays sneak up on you with moments of emotional fire, finely-wrought ambiguity, and general cojones.

I'd love to find a place for such plays in our cutting-edge, ironic hearts. I'm sure there are ways of looking to Dryden for playwriting tips, even if those tips require a bit more translation than Albee's or even Annie Baker's. These old, frumpy plays might show us ways to reinvent the worlds we create on stage, to build rules of behavior and emotion from the ground up.

What do y'all think about that dear venerable theatrical nursing home? Do you have any old favorites that still whisper in your ear as you write?

---

Now I'll make my pitch:

If you're looking for some reinvigorated geriatric theater this week, check out American Centaur's LORD WHAT THESE WEATHERS ARE COLD, a mash-up of two fifteenth-century cycle dramas (The Second Shepherd's Play + Joseph's Trouble with Mary, for those of you keeping score).

It'll happen at the Montgomery Gardens in Prospect Heights (104 Montgomery Street, Buzzer 6), Thursday the 16th at 8:30. Free. Followed by drink and revelry.

See http://americancentaur.weebly.com/ for details.

Hey everyone! A workshop of my play "The Bird and the Two-Ton Weight" is going up this weekend. Come check it out! Here's the info:

















The Bird and the Two-Ton Weight
a new play by Darcy Fowler
directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel

As part of Ensemble Studio Theatre's 6th floor workshops

featuring Molly Carden, Seth Kirschner, Heather Robb, Chris Thorn, and Sarah Townsend Turner.

WHEN:
December 16 at 7pm
December 17 at 7pm
December 18 at 2pm and 7pm

TICKETS:
$10 suggested donation
Reservations recommended. Email to boxoffice@ensemblestudiotheatre.org.

LOCATION:
At Ensemble Studio Theatre
549 W 52nd Street (between 10th & 11th Aves)

QUESTIONS? Email info@ensemblestudiotheatre.org.

Spidey and the Haters

I just bought a ticket to see Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark, and I feel compelled to contribute via the Youngblog regarding the bizarre, swirling cloud of public speculation, schadenfreude, and calamity that surrounded the show even long before anybody had seen anything. At this point the show is still in previews, so technically even now nobody has really seen anything. And yet people delight in hating on it, even before they've seen it, which says to me that they aren't hating on the show, they are hating on the artists' attempt to make it.

Basically, this is what I want to say.

I have no patience for the haters.

None. I just don’t. Especially the haters who are members of the theater community. Look, why are you gonna shit on fellow artists who have taken on a massive challenge in the hopes of achieving something magical? Are you jealous? Are you jaded? Or do you straight up have an astonishingly tiny mind?

It is disheartening that so many people are rooting for these artists to fail. It’s hard enough. Failure is the looming specter that haunts every artist, from the moment we dress up in whatever uniform we’ve been assigned and pretend to care about coffee, office management, or mail-sorting, to the moment we entreat all our friends on Facebook to please come to our summer Fringe show in a non-air conditioned 6th story walkup tenement black-box theater, to the moment our mothers call to politely remind us that the uterus is not a canned good, that a twin bed is not cute after college, and that we do not contribute to society in any measurable way. Okay, so maybe Julie isn’t doing tenement black-box shows anymore, but still, compared to other professions, the deck is stacked, my friends. Do we also need our fellow artists screaming for our blood?

Some people say that what bothers them is the amount of money being “wasted” on this project. First of all, let’s remember something. This is America, where the auto industry gets public money and the arts do not. If rich people want to make an investment in theater, let them! For God’s sake, let them! That’s awesome! Others rail against the show’s high ticket prices, which render this and most other Broadway shows inaccessible to average people. Yeah, that definitely sucks, but that’s what happens when you both try to pay artists living wages and try to do it with no public funding.

I chafe at this trend of blaming artists for working within the system to create their work. If the issue is ticket prices, blame our government and our voters for not supporting the arts. And if the issue is the Hollywood-fueled superhero worship, blame the audience for liking what they like. Don’t blame the artists for making the show that people want to see, and for attempting to do cartwheels down the tightrope between commerce and art that we all must navigate.

All this is not to say that smaller, weirder, cheaper theater isn’t worthwhile. I love it. I make it. I pay to see it. But there are some things that can be accomplished with a massive budget that cannot be accomplished without it. This is fact. Why should we shackle the people who have somehow wrangled access to those resources? Why do we want more limits to the variety of what we as a community can accomplish?

I’ve been rooting for Spiderman for years now, ever since I passed by the loading dock area for the theater while the doors were open and saw a dark jungle of cables and rigging dangling from the grid. I stopped and gaped. I was excited. I wanted to witness this. I was willing to save up the money and spend it on an event, one that would take its place in the litany of experiences that add up to my life on this planet. This is the point, people! This is why we do this!!

So yeah. Don’t hate on our own. Because whether you think it's good or not is completely irrelevent to whether or not they should try.

Asking for Trouble VIDEO!

ASKING FOR TROUBLE!

Asking For Trouble
is just two days away...I've heard there's going to be blood, avocados, and a bush!

Here's how it works:

Youngblood playwrights picked a title, a holiday, a director, and a couple actors out of a hat, then spent a week writing a ten minute play and...

Thursday Dec 9, Friday Dec 10, Saturday Dec 11

See for yourself :

www.ensemblestudiotheatre.org/asking-for-trouble-2010