YOU'RE JUST FREAKED OUT FROM 9/11

My first play, Last Call, was sort of a 9/11 play. I guess. What really makes a play a 9/11 play? A story about the particular events of that day in regards to the terrorist attacks? A story about people's reactions? A story that takes place anywhere in this world after that day, since we are told over and over how the world changed forever that day? I don't know. I do know it was a weird day, and that the country went insane for awhile. On the advice of Jack Halpin, I took an unfinished play and finished it. I put people in it who were tired and scared and lost. I put in a bartender who took a crucifix and wrapped an American flag around it, so that it looked like Jesus was wearing the flag as a loincloth. And I set the play far, far away from NYC, in the town of Salinas- which might as well have been the other side of the world that day. People seemed to like the play when it got produced by hope theatre, inc. as part of the 2002 New York International Fringe Festival. It won an award, and then got published. Here's a little bit. If you like it, you can buy the whole thing at IndieTheaterNow.

VINCE

Oh, you’re just freaked out from 9-11.  Everything’s gonna be fine.  Relax.  This is a natural reaction.

DAVID

I’m not talking about 9-11.  Not exactly.  I mean, yeah, that freaked me out, and it sucked, and still sucks, but that wasn’t the deciding factor.

JERRY

What the fuck are you talking about?

DAVID

I’m talking about blood and guts and life and death.

JACK

I don’t understand.

DAVID

It’s a long story.

JACK

What is?

DAVID

What happened to me.

JACK

What happened to you?

DAVID

Well, I guess it all started the night I tried to kill myself.

JERRY

You tried to kill yourself?

DAVID

I was going to.

VINCE

So first you’re dying, and now you’re trying to kill yourself?

JACK

What the Hell are you talking about?

           DAVID

It was about three months after 9/11.  After everyone started acting like their normal, boring, creepy selves.

VINCE

Including you?

DAVID

Oh yeah.  Especially me.  Thousands of people dead.  A war on terrorism that just gets curiouser and curiouser.  Anthrax, some kid putting pipe bombs in mail boxes- things are totally fucked up. And there I am, buying this and selling that, closing deals like nothing ever happened.  Keep going on like before.  That’s what everyone said to do to fight the terrorists.  Keep going on like before.  Even if you’re an asshole, keep going on like before.  It’s all so fucked and weird.  You ever feel like nothing makes sense, that time and space are all warped and you’re just sort of floating through it, powerless?

JACK

All the time.

GROOVY, DROWSY CARNAGE- ALIVE AND WELL AND LIVING IN COLORADO

We have a lot of fantastic theatre in Colorado. Which might sound surprising to people, seeing as we are a fairly small state, with a fairly small population. But that population is quite groovy. I was lucky enough to see four outstanding shows in the past month: Hair at Town Hall in Littleton, God of Carnage at the Curious Theatre, and both The Drowsy Chaperone and Jaques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris at the Fine Arts Center in Colorado Springs. All four shows were spectacular, and made me happy to be alive. Sometimes, you see a show, and it's bad. Really bad. And you sit there in your chair, which suddenly feels very uncomfortable, and words like "ponderous" keep floating to the surface of your slowly calcifying brain. But not so with these shows. I felt smarter after watching these shows. Better. Faster. Stronger.  It seemed as if my soul was being fed some sort of ambrosia that gave strength and courage. I believe that's what theatre, and art in general, is supposed to do, even if the subject is sad, gruesome, or horrifying: elevate your spirit, affirm to some degree what it is to be a human being, remind you that no one is alone.

HAIR was a joyous examination of the human spirit, with a solid cast, outstanding band, and rocking, show stopping numbers. GOD OF CARNAGE was wickedly funny, featuring four amazing actors- Karen Slack, Dee Convington, Erik Sandvold, and the always outstanding Timothy McCracken. THE DROWSY CHAPERONE might be the best musical I have seen so far in Colorado- the acting, singing, dancing, direction, design were all superb- and on top of that, Artistic Director Scott Levy stole the show as the Man in Chair. All those shows are closed- but you can still catch JACQUES BREL IS ALIVE AND WELL AND LIVING IN PARIS, which is playing through this week-end. The show is more of a revue, a tribute to Belgian songwriter Jaques Brel. If you like smart, beautiful songs about life, love, war, peace, old people, young people- well, songs about what it is to be a human being- that are performed with grace, style and humor, then this show is for you. The cast of four- Halee Towne, Lacey Conell, Max Ferguson, and Alejandro Roldan- are exceptional performers, able to conjure entire worlds out of thin air. The show is directed/choreographed at a crackerjack pace by Nathan Halvorson. The band is out-friggin'-rageous. I would have been quite content to  listen to them play until the wee small hours of the morning. The design, as always at the Fine Arts Center, was excellent. If you can, get yourself down there to see yet another fine show at this gem of the Colorado theatre scene.

I myself have a new show opening this week-end- a new version of ROSE RED, which I wrote the book and co-wrote the lyrics for along with Kari Kraakevik, who did music and also co-wrote lyrics. The cast is amazing, the script streamlined, and we are premiering a new song. So, if you are in the Boulder area, please come see the show- which features some of the best young talent in the state.

And last, but not least, I hope you all take a gander at the indiegogo page for my movie Strong Tea. We just put up a new pitch video yesterday, and it's pretty damn funny. To see it, go HERE. If you like what you see- please throw in a couple of bucks, and share the site with all your friends via facebook, twitter, or whatever social media floats your boat. Thanks, and I'll see you at the theatre.

http://igg.me/at/strongtea/x/3385268

TITAN APPETITES

So I shot a short film, and now I am raising funds to finish it. The movie is STRONG TEA. It's a dark comedy about a really horrific family dinner. For whatever reason, most people seem to be able to relate to a Thanksgiving that ends up with screaming and yelling, hurt feelings, and awkward silences. It stars Timothy McCracken, Devon James, and Adrian Egolf. And they are amazing. The footage is so good, and what we have is, in my humble opinion, out of this world. Now, we need to edit, mix, add soundtrack, and then enter film festivals. And, of course, this takes some bucks. So I thought I'd share a little bit of the script, and then give you all the link to the Indiegogo site where you can help in two ways: by either contributing financially, or sharing the link via Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, etc. Naturally, I would love it if you could do both. But any and all help is greatly appreciated. So, here is a little taste of Strong Tea:


INT. KITCHEN - MINUTES LATER
ALVIE STANDS AT THE COUNTER, MAKING A POT OF TEA.  MOLLY ENTERS WITH SOME DISHES, WHICH SHE PLACES BY THE SINK.

MOLLY
I am stuffed.

Alvie looks at several pies laid out on the counter.

ALVIE
Do you think we’ll skip dessert?

MOLLY
We never skip dessert.

ALVIE
Never?

Molly dips her finger in a bowl of whipped cream.

MOLLY
We could each eat a pound of fried grease-

Molly smears some whipped cream Alvie’s cheek.

MOLLY (CONT’D)
Set a pie in front of us-

Molly licks the whipped cream off his face.

MOLLY (CONT’D)
We chow down.

Alvie nervously backs away from Molly.

ALVIE
Your family does have titan appetites.

Molly backs Alvie into a corner.

MOLLY
We like what we like.

Molly leans in very close to Alive, almost nose to nose.

MOLLY (CONT’D)
A lot.

Alvie maneuvers around Molly back to the tea kettle.

ALVIE
Molly, please. What happened was wrong.

Molly nods in agreement.

MOLLY
Yes it was. Fun, dirty and wrong. Of course- I have confessed our sin-

ALVIE
You confessed?!?!

MOLLY
To the Lord, and He has forgiven me.

Molly begins to pull dessert plates out of a cupboard.

ALVIE
The Lord has forgiven you, but not me?

Alvie grabs her by the shoulders.

ALVIE (CONT’D)
You were the one who got into the shower!

MOLLY
I was weak-

ALVIE
While my wife- your own sister- was out getting cigarettes.

Molly backs away from Alvie.

MOLLY
She promised us all she quit!


So that's a little bit of the script. I hope you liked it. Now, if you go HERE, you can see our Indiegogo page, and help make this movie a reality.

AVENGER, VON DOOMER, AND DARK KNIGHT DETECTIVE

I used to live in a castle. Castle Von Doom. This was when I ran with wolves, always went over the limit (4 rocks and  a shot) and had many battles with the Dreaded Egg Lady of Yorkville. And one my my closest compatriots in these glorious salad days was Vinnie. We met during a production of Hamlet, which was being done as part of the fabled Shakespeare in the Park(ing) Lot. I was replacing another actor as the Player King, Fortinbras, and Bernardo. Vinnie was, among other roles, the Player Queen. One night early in the rehearsal process, Vinnie and I decided to grab a beer at Motor City, a bar on the at the time desolate Ludlow Street on the Lower East Side. We hadn't really hung out at all before, and figured what the hell? Instantly, we realized we were both uber-nerds with lots of interests in common- comic books, The Simspons, Weezer. We laughed our asses off for a long time that night. Many drinks into the evening, I announed to Vinnie that I had powers. Super powers. Vinnie did not believe me. I pointed to the only other person in the place, an attractive girl sitting at the bar, and started making "come to me" gestures, while also saying "come to me" over and over. Vinnie laughed, as did I. I turned back to Vinnie- who's face suddenly looked surprised- because the girl walked up to the table, and asked if she could sit with us. We said "Yes!" She told us her name was Ziggy. We nodded. She said she lived near there. We nodded. She left. Vinnie looked at me like I was crazy, asked me why I didn't leave with her- sadly, booze gives courage and stupidity in equal shares. I ran out of the bar- but Ziggy had vanished in the night. We decided she must have been a succubus, and I was lucky to be alive.

After that night, we were fast friends. Many nights we spent at rehearsal, at Motor City, and also literally jumping from roof top to rooftop, running across the FDR at sunrise after an all nighter, and working on some fantastic theatre- The Seagull, Henry V, Last Call. We quickly gave ourselves, and our circle of friends, many new names from different universes. In the DC universe, Vinnie was Batman, I was Superman. We figured out who would be which hero in both the Avengers, as well as the larger Marvel Universe. We were gloriously mad. We became room mates after about a year- Vinnie, me, and my brother Jerry. We named the place Castle Von Doom. The parties there were legendary. As time went on, we got a little older. I still remember, clear as a bell, taking a cab home one night after rehearsing Muse of Fire. Vinnie asked me what I thought about Shannon- a girl who he would go one to marry and who is one of the most excellent people in the world.

These days, we live far apart with families and all that. No matter. He is one of my best friends, and I know if I ever need him, all I need do is face the east and cry "Avengers Assemble!"

His birthday is today. Thanks, universe, for this wonder of a man.

And here's a link on the latest about ROSE RED and MOON OVER BUFFALO:
http://squeakystheatrepage.blogspot.com/2013/05/moon-rises-tonight-rose-blooms-in-june.html

RECKLESS AND INSANE

We open MOON OVER BUFFALO at the Wolf Theatre Academy at the Denver JCC this Wednesday. It's going well. No, it's going fantastically. What is really amazing is watching these young lions of the theatre figure the show out- to see their eyes grow wide when a comic moment occurs to them, they try it, and it works. I swear, sometimes I think I can see them literally grow taller on stage.  I learn so much from my students. I think the world would be a better place if everyone, for just a month, had to teach young people. Anyhow, we are having a blast, the show is hilarious, and the piece has a gigantic heart. The glee is palpable. The show itself is a love letter to theatre, to being brave and scared and inspired and crazy. Happily, everyone involved in the show loves the theatre as much, if not more, than I do. Every rehearsal, we find something new. Every rehearsal, someone takes a risk, finds a greater truth, and adds to the show. I think the essence of the show is said best in a monologue the character George has in Act Two. It goes like this:

"Think, woman! Think for a minute! Use your brain! Think of all the fun we have together. Rambling from town to town like minor royalty. Signing autographs and doing interviews. My God, you'll be laughing about my entrance as Cyrano for months! And think of the joy you give to thousands of people every week. As Amanda and Roxane. Lady Bracknell and Eliza Doolittle. Youre and actress, Charlotte. It's in your veins. If you were caught in the spotlight of a runaway train, you'd break in to a time step. It's a gift to be so reckless and insane. There are people out there in the darkness who are living through you. Dreaming of what they can be through your voice."

So if you are around Denver this week, come to the show and share the love, the joy, the reckless insanity. For details, click HERE.

MOON OVER THE J

I'm directing a production of Moon Over Buffalo at the Denver JCC right now. Most students call the JCC "the J", and I have picked up the habit. Nicknames are funny like that. They creep into your consciousness like ninjas, and before you know it, you have a new word in your vocabulary. I didn't consciously say to myself "I'm going to call the JCC the J". It just happened, and that was that. Nicknames are like that- someone makes an off-handed remark, calls someone or something by another name, it sticks, and next thing you know, a nickname is born. And you can't force them, or request people call you something and think it will work. I have a friend who once, when we were all younger and, if possible, goofier, announced that he wanted to be called Ace. It didn't happen. Not that you can't take a new name, a new persona, or whatever. It just has to stick. I have a student who for several weeks in the Fall would say, for comic effect, "I'm offended". I began to call her "Offended". She liked it, the name stuck, and that became her nickname. I myself have had many nicknames: Mick, Mac, Mackie-Doodle (my wife's favorite), and Mr. Squeaky- a name given to me by one of my all time best students ever, which stuck immediately and which a lot of young actors still think is my actual name.

But I digress. What I wanted to write about today is Moon Over Buffalo, and what it's like directing a backstage farce. But there is a connection, and that is the idea of things either sticking or not. In a farce, you try all sorts of bits- little moments that hopefully propel the show forward in a manner that is justified in the world of the play, intensifying the situation and upping the stakes. Some bits stick, some do not. We are finally getting to the point where things are sticking, jokes are getting funny, and characters are filling out. Comedy is a work out, and we are running our butts off in this one. One of the great joys of directing young people is when a show starts to click, and you see that they know it's starting to click. They stand taller. Their confidence explodes. And they begin taking risks on stage- which is vital in any production.

So now we have a show- a door slamming, frantic, fast paced comedy. We play May 8-12. Click HERE for tix.

And don't forget, if you are an aspiring young actor, to sign up for ROSE RED, which will be having a run in June at SOFA, with two casts- one ages 8-12, and one ages 12-18. Next auditions are May 13 & May 20, both from 5:30-7:30. Email info@offbroadwayfinearts.org for a slot.

And coming soon to your digital reader: APRIL'S FOOL.

STILL SHE HAUNTS ME, PHANTOMWISE

Phantomwise. What a cool word. Thanks, Lewis Carroll. Or is it Mr. Dodgson? Whomever you are, your brain was superb. And I am haunted by many things, phantomwise. You can tell, if you read most of my stuff. I have all these people and places and songs and memories running rampant in my head, like some mad tribe of loonies- and whenever I am writing, they leap out of my head, escaped convicts wrongfully imprisoned in my mind. I don't know if that's true for everyone, but it's certainly true for me. If you come to the reading tonight of my latest play, APRIL'S FOOL, at the Fine Arts Center in Colorado Springs, you'll see what I mean. It's at 7:30, and tickets are only $5. So what's you're excuse? The only person I am giving a hall pass to for missing tonight is my good friend Timothy McCracken, and that is because he is appearing in the Curious Theatre's God of Carnage- which by all accounts rocks, and you should all go see. (just don't see it tonight- come see my reading tonight)

So, since the play has so many phantoms, I thought I'd tell you about the one time I ever saw a ghost. Well, two ghosts, really. It was long ago and far away in the land called New York City. I was living on the upper east side, in this apartment that was given the name Castle Von Doom by the great Vinnie Penna. Lots of crazy things happened there- parties, people, moments in time that are part of the make up of a lot of people. It was this split level apartment with one true bedroom, and its own backyard, which is beyond rare in NYC. At one time or another, over twenty artists have lived there. When I met the ghosts, I was splitting the downstairs area with my brother Jerry. One night, Jerry was snoring loud enough to raise the dead- which seems to not be a figure of speech but what actually happened. I was laying in bed, yelling at him to please stop snoring. It was somewhere near 3 am. All of a sudden, I felt very calm, and sort of other-worldly. I can't really describe exactly what it was like- a sort of quiet feeling, as if I was watching what was happening to me from far away. There was a spiral stairway in the apartment, and something was moving on it. I turned, and saw a young girl, maybe 8 or 9 years old, and a little boy, maybe 5 or 6, coming down the stairs. They stopped at the bottom of the stairs, the girl in front and the boy peeking out from behind her. We looked at each other for what seemed like a very long time, and then the girl spoke. "Don't be afraid", she said. "We just want you to know we are here. And there are many of us." She seemed very at peace. The boy did not. He looked kind of crazy- the crazy that happens to people who have had very bad things happen to them. I got the sense they were brother and sister. But I don't know. Then the girl said "We want to show you". And I was- well, given a vision. It was weird. I was still sitting in my bed, but they were showing me this huge room, full of people frozen in these strange positions. When I say the room was huge, I mean somewhere between a ball room and Grand Central Station. I can still see, clearly, this one lady frozen in emotion- either laughing or crying. Ever notice how similar the two are? Then, just as quickly, the vision was gone, and I was again sitting in my bed, and the two children were standing at the bottom of the stairs. Then they walked up the stairs, and sort of vanished as they climbed. And then I freaked out. I woke my brother up, who somehow slept through the entire thing.

I did not sleep that night.

So maybe I'm crazy. But that happened.

Come see the reading tonight and ask me about it. Again, it's at 7:30, at the Fine Arts Center in Colorado Springs.