microcrisis: the ad and the blog

THE AD:

Ma-Yi Theater presents "microcrisis"
by Mike Lew
directed by Ralph Peña
Starring: Jackie Chung, David Gelles, William Jackson Harper, Lauren Hines, Alfredo Narciso, & Socorro Santiago

Sept 28 - Oct 23, 2010
Tues-Sat at 8:30pm; Sat at 4pm
Additional performances on Mon, Oct 4 & Sun, Oct 17
Ticket info: www.ma-yitheatre.org

microcrisis is a ridiculous comedy about the world's next financial crisis. It's about what happens when bankers exploit microcredit, the tiny loans to Third World entrepreneurs meant to alleviate global poverty.

THE BLOG:

microcrisis was first presented last October in Labfest, Ma-Yi Writers Lab's annual reading series. It was then presented in February in Unfiltered, Youngblood's annual bare-bones "workshop production" series (6 performances, no press reviews). Now it's back at Ma-Yi for the premiere production.

I'm so grateful to both Youngblood and Ma-Yi for providing this kind of continuous artistic support. Real production opportunities are so hard to find, especially for young playwrights and double especially for playwrights of color. Plus my fellow Youngblood and Ma-Yi writers are super-talented, and having a community of sharp writers has really kept me on my toes and forced me to work harder.

Since this is the Youngblog I'll talk about the Unfiltered project in particular. Being able to hone microcrisis in front of an audience was critical for this play. Last February, we were constantly adapting the play based on audience response. The actors had new lines (and even new scenes) on a daily basis. Readings are great, but after a million readings we'll all end up writing radio plays. Unfiltered was a singular experience because it let me see the play in 3 dimensions - we got 3 weeks of rehearsal followed by 6 performances (with design elements) in front of an audience. The fact that Unfiltered is not subject to press reviews is similarly crucial. Without the pressure of reviews, we were able to focus on honing the play rather than worrying about a premature critical response.

I hope you'll be able to check out the results this October and stop by the microcrisis premiere. I also hope you'll check out the fabulous lineup of Unfiltered projects coming to Youngblood this Spring.

-Mike Lew