Jacqueline E. Lawton
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Forum Theatre presents the World Premiere of Meena's Dream by Anu Yadav

1/6/2014

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MEENA'S DREAM

Written and performed by Anu Yadav
Directed by Patrick Crowley
Music by Anjna Swaminathan, Rajna Swaminathan, and Sam McCormally
 
January 8-18, 2014

Click here for a full list of performance dates and here for ticketing information

About the Play
During the day, nine-year-old Meena wishes that her mother could get well; and by night, the Hindu God Lord Krishna appears, entreating Meena's help in his war against the Worry Machine. Meena's Dream creates a fantastical world through storytelling and live music, from South Indian classical to indie folk.

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"Meena's Dream is, in a lot of ways, exactly the type of show Forum has been evolving to produce. We've been scratching and searching for the the type of plays and artists that best achieve our mission and these past few seasons have been a real revelation. 

Forum's highest priority to is to create and present theatre that has real relevance and connections to our audience's lives. In many ways, Meena is just that type of play. It's a beautifully theatrical work that melds the fantastical to a true emotional core. It takes the viewer on a wild trip that feels a millions miles away and lives in your guts at the same time.

I've known and admired Anu and her work for many years and it has been an absolute honor and privilege that we get to produce her show. I have the utmost respect and awe with her voice and her talent." Michael Dove, Artistic Director of Forum Theatre

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"I think Anu has found a sweet spot with this play in that it has an earnest political message, but it is mitigated by the messenger, a young Indian American girl, Meena. The incredible original music created for the show, the imaginative whimsy, and Anu's knack for funny, revealing and nuanced character portrayals are the spoonful of sugar that makes the medicine go down. Meena argues that there is enough in the world so that we can all have what we need, and that fundamentally our problems flow from a lack of imagination. Meena refuses to be victimized by injustice and dares to dream of something better. While many of our most beloved protagonists today are dark anti-heroes, Meena stands center stage as a young, wholesome heroine we can all root for." Patrick Crowley, Director of Meena's Dream.



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Forum Theatre produces adventurous, relevant, and challenging plays from a diversity of voices that inspire discussion and build community -- and that are accessible, affordable, and entertaining.

Since Forum Theatre’s inception, we have aimed to be both the home for stories that provoke discussion and the place to host that discussion. We want our plays to be a conversation with the audience. We tell stories about who we are as a local, national, and global community.

So what is a Forum show? That’s never been the easiest thing to describe, but a few things tend to always be true: A Forum show asks big questions. A Forum show is intricate and challenging, but has a big heart at its center. And a Forum show gives you something to think about and a lot to talk about.

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Active Cultures Theatre presents High Tea Stories

12/12/2013

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Tomorrow, Friday, December 13th at 7:30pm, please join Hilary Kacser, Laura Zam, and Mary Resing at High Tea Stories--a performance of true stories of honesty, generosity, quality, responsibility and community.

"Laura Zam has written a wonderful piece that really captures moments in the lives of women striving to help the world," said Mary Resing, Artistic Director of Active Cultures.  "It is very fun and touching.  Hilary Kacser and Laura are delightful as they rapid shift from character to character, showing a wide range of the Jewish women of Baltimore."

High Tea Stories
by Laura Zam
directed by Mary Resing
performed by Laura Zam and Hilary Kacser

Synopsis
When Chana, a character from the Book of Samuel, faces conflict and self-doubt, she turns to a group of modern day women in Baltimore for help. A modern parable, High Tea Stories celebrates the role of authenticity, community and generosity in our lives.

Friday, Dec 13, 7:30 pm
Old Parish House
4711 Knox Road
College Park, MD 20740
Click here for directions.

Commissioned by The Associated of Baltimore and produced by Active Cultures. Please support our free events with your donation at the door.

About the Artists

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Mary Resing is a playwright, director, dramaturg & producer and the founder of Active Cultures Theatre. In 2012, the Maryland State Arts Council recognized her with an Individual Artist Award in Playwriting for her signed/spoken musical Visible Language. She has served on panels for the TCG, CIES and The Rockefeller Foundation. A proud alumna of Michigan-Ann Arbor, NYU, and Spring Hill College, Dr. Resing was a 2005-2006 US Fulbright Scholar to Armenia. In 2005, she also received an Offstage Award from the League of Washington Theatres for her body of dramaturgical work at Woolly Mammoth. With Tim McKeown, she is co-owner of the successful startup ResingMcKeown Unlimited.

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Hilary Kacser is a long time DC actor,who has performed regionally and internationally, on stage and screen.  She has produced and performed in every Capital Fringe Festival since the Festival’s inauguration eight years ago.  Her original work has been awarded multiple DC Commission on the Arts and Humanties grants. Hilary just returned from Austin,Texas and Miami, Florida, where she performed her touring solo show, “DisordR, the Play,” in which Pakrat Patty the Hoarder comes out of the Clutter Closet (2reprises.blogspot.com).

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Laura Zam is a writer/performer specializing in solo plays. MARRIED SEX, commissioned by Theater J (Semi-Finalist O’Neill), at NY Fringe and Off-Broadway (United Solo). Other NY performances: Dixon Place, Public Theater, EST and others. COLLATERALLY DAMAGED tours nationally, including Kennedy Center, Woolly Mammoth, Shakespeare Theatre, universities, schools, conferences, and museums. International: four Prague productions. Awards: Tennessee Williams Fellowship, Artist Fellowship (DCCAH), Amiri Barka Literary Prize, and others. Publications: six book anthologies, personal essays and articles. As an arts-educator, Laura has worked with post-trauma populations internationally, including teens from Mid-East, wounded soldiers, and sexual trauma survivors. M.F.A from Brown (Playwriting). LauraZam.com. 

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On Values: An Invisible, but Palpable Line

12/2/2013

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“Laws and principles are not for the times when there is no temptation: they are for such moments as this, when body and soul rise in mutiny against their rigour ... If at my convenience I might break them, what would be their worth?” 
― Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre


The thing about core values is that once you establish them, they will be tested. Constantly and at varying degrees of intensity. You must continually nurture, finesse, and engage them. In doing so, you will either re-avow your allegiance or release them. Quite frankly, it seems that the more you honor and live by them ... the more you firmly hold on to them, the greater the test will be. As great as holding on for dear life to a twig in the midst of a tempest. You dare not let go, for you must protect yourself and the twig. You're in it together. Such a moment happened to me last night:

It was just past midnight. I was lying down in bed. My upstairs neighbor was either watching porn or playing videos games. There were odd and random sounds and bad music playing. Really, it could have been either. 

Despite efforts to the contrary, I was wide awake. I turned to my side and placed a pillow over my head. This strategy has never worked to drown out sound, but the effort--its dramatic release of frustration--seems worthy of repetition. I saw a blue light flashing on my phone indicating a message. I'm waiting to hear back about several exciting job opportunities, so every message is read with eagerness and enthusiasm. 

I read the email and was struck. I was being asked to consider something that put my personal, professional and artistic integrity on high alert. My heart started racing and leapt into my throat. It was difficult to breathe. My vision blurred and I was thrown into a fit of tears recounting the number of times I'd been asked to whitewash a situation and put conversations about racial equity, cultural awareness, and gender parity aside for the betterment and ease of the room. 

But then I remembered the line that I drew some years ago ... an invisible, but palpable line that stood between who I am (the essence and truth of my honor and dignity, and how I choose to live in the world) and what I am willing to walk away from no matter what the cost. By meditating on that line, I contemplated what it would mean to cross it and the silence I would have to bear if I agreed with the conditions set forth in this email. 

Make no mistake, the cost of walking away from this situation would be great and public, but I would have to walk away. I would neither be able to stand the hypocrisy nor stomach the lies. What's more, I wouldn't be able to advocate for women playwrights and theatre artists of color or continue the work that I'm doing around Diversity and Inclusion in the American Theatre with any credibility. 

That line, which temptation, greed, convenience and power, oft tempt to erase brought me comfort, hope, empowerment and sanity. I renewed my allegiance and slept a good, uninterrupted sleep. As for the rest, we'll see what unfolds.
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Dramatic Women Who Play Wright

5/31/2013

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America Women Writers National Museum 
presents
The Dramatic Women Who Play Wright

Wednesday, June 5th 
McLendon Room of the National Press Club (529 14th St. NW, 13th Floor)

Event Details
Meet & Greet with Writers at 11:30am
Women Who Play Wright Discussion from 12:00pm 
Questions & Social at 1:00pm 
50-state Project honors Women Writers from 
Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Maine at 1:15pm 

Please join three extraordinary women playwrights for a in-depth and engaging conversation about writing for the stage. American Women Writers National Museum welcomes Renee Calarco (The Religion Thing and Short Order Stories), celebrated playwright and professor at George Washington University; Jennifer L. Nelson (Torn from the Headlines and 24, 7, 365) and critically acclaimed director and playwright, now Director of Special Programming at Ford's Theatre; and Mary Hall Surface (Lift: Icarus and Me and Perseus Bayou, ), an internationally recognized playwright and director, and Artistic Director of the INTERSECTIONS: A New American Arts Festival.

All AWWNM programs are free and open to the public. 
Click here for more information.

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RENEE CALARCO

Renee Calarco lives and works in Washington, DC. Her play SHORT ORDER STORIES received the 2007 Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play. Other plays include THE RELIGION THING (2012 Helen Hayes Recommended), KEEPERS OF THE WESTERN DOOR, THE MATING OF ANGELA WEISS, BLEED, and IF YOU GIVE A CAT A CUPCAKE (commissioned by Adventure Theatre in 2011). Her 10-minute play WARRIORS was published by One Act Play Depot in 2010.  Other short plays include SEMPER FIDELIS,  POUNDS AWEIGH, and FIRST STOP: NIAGARA FALLS. Renee is an artistic associate with First Draft/Charter Theater, the program coordinator for Naked Ladies Lunch, and a proud member of both DC Area Playwrights and The Dramatists Guild of America. She teaches playwriting at George Washington University and improvisational comedy at The Theatre Lab, and is a licensed professional tour guide.  www.reneecalarco.com


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JENNIFER L. NELSON

Jennifer L Nelson is currently Director of Special Programming at Ford’s Theatre.  Prior to this appointment she was the founding Producing Artistic Director of the African Continuum Theatre Company, Washington D.C.’s only professional black theatre company. During that eleven year tenure, she produced twenty plays, multiple readings and other events. Ms. Nelson is a commended playwright and published poet.  Her musical play Torn from the Headlines was awarded the 1996 Helen Hayes/Charles MacArthur Award for Most Outstanding New Play. Her three-minute telephone play Somebody Call 911 was commissioned by and featured at the 2001 Humana Festival at the Actors’ Theatre of Louisville. Her latest full-length play 24, 7, 365 was produced by Theatre of the First Amendment. Her full-length musical Hubert & Charlie was honored by the 2003 Larry Neal Writers’ Awards and was subsequently produced by the African Continuum Theatre. She has received several commissions to write issue-oriented plays for young audiences, most recently by Ford’s Theatre to bring to life historical character Elizabeth Keckly (2011 Washington Post Helen Hayes Theatre Award).  She has also been commissioned to write short plays for the Theatre Lab; Active Cultures/Sportaculture Festival; the Cultures-in-Motion Program of the National Portrait Gallery; the Education Department of the Corcoran Gallery; the Kennedy Center Program for Families; and Round House Theatre’s HeyDay Players. She is a three-time grantee of the DC Commission on the Arts Individual Artist program, and a recipient of the Mayor’s Arts Awards for Excellence in an Artistic Discipline. 


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MARY HALL SURFACE

Mary Hall Surface is a playwright and director specializing in theatre for families and multi-disciplinary collaborations.  A DC theatre community member since 1989, her producers include Round House Theatre, Arena Stage, Folger Theatre, the National Gallery of Art and over 15 productions at the Kennedy Center. Internationally her work has been featured in productions and festivals in Germany, Canada, Japan, Peru, France, Taiwan, Sweden and Ireland. Nominated for four Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play and five Helen Hayes Awards for Outstanding Direction, she received the 2002 award for her musical, Perseus Bayou. She is the artistic director of INTERSECTIONS: A New America Arts Festival at the Atlas Performing Arts Center.  She received the Charlotte Chorpenning Award, presented by the American Alliance for Theatre and Education for an Outstanding Body of Work as a Playwright, May 2006. She was a finalist for the 2011 DC Mayor's Arts Award for Service to the Arts.

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Women Playwrights of D.C.: Sounding Off

3/27/2013

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Back in August, I launched the Women Playwrights of D.C. Series. It was encouraging to learn about the experiences, challenges, dreams and ambitions of my colleagues in this community. While much has transpired in our respective lives and careers since our last conversation, it appears that for audiences and threatre artists in the D.C. Theatre community opportunities to experience the work women playwrights and playwrights of color remain few and far between. 

As season announcements have been rolling out, I've received them with a mix of enthusiasm and disappointed. I'm excited about the plays I'll have an opportunity to experience next season. At the same time, it's frustrating that so few opportunities are available for women and artists of color. What's more, I've received numerous emails from beloved friends and respected colleagues expressing their own anguish and despair over the situation. Honestly, it's hard to stay positive and create in an environment that doesn't seem to value the stories of women and people of color. However, it doesn't serve us to sit mired in misery and disappointment. It just doesn't.  We must find ways to commune, heal, encourage, nurture, support, and challenge each other and ourselves. If we do, magic can happen. For instance, director Elissa Goetschius is compiling a nationwide list of women directors. What an amazing and extensive resource. Such positive and productive action is inspiring and necessary. 

For my part, I've invited the Women Playwright of D.C. to Sound Off in a fun, direct and productive way. I mean, what's the use of being sad, angry, frustrated and disappointed in silence, when you can dance, sing, shout and write about it. As more responses come in, I'll post them. For now, please enjoy these submissions from Bari Biern, Allyson Currin, Kitty Felde, Caleen Sinnette Jennings, Kristen LePine, Liz Maestri, Danielle Mohlman, Kristy Simmons, and Laura Zam. 

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JACQUELINE LAWTON: Would you consider writing under a male pseudonym if it guaranteed you a long, successful and sustainable career (ie. awards, critical acclaim and regular productions of your work at local, regional, and national theatres)? The hitch, you could only reveal your identity posthumously. Why or why not?
Bari Biern: 
This one’s a no-brainer.  Please feel free to bill me as Barry Biern.

JL: Next, how do you define success? How has this definition evolved over the years?
BB:
 Success is seeing my script or libretto realized onstage exactly—or better than-- the way I envisioned it while I was writing.  In the beginning, I imagined success would be getting a company to actually produce one of my scripts.  Since then, I’ve witnessed, through the experiences of my fellow playwrights, that, if it’s not the right company, a production can actually break your heart.

JL: As a playwright, what do you need from your community of:
  • Actors/Directors/Designers:  All I ask of actors, directors and designers is that you bring your enthusiasm and imagination to the playground as well as your skills.  Live theatre doesn’t happen in a vacuum.  It’s a collaboration.   The script is the foundation, but it’s not the house.
  • Playwrights:  I’m so grateful for our outstanding community of playwrights.  We are a community in the best sense of the word.  We are there for each other, providing support, advice, a cheering section, empathy and friendship.
  • Artistic Directors:  You have some of the best talent in the business right under your nose.  You don’t have to fly us in or find us housing.  We’re here and we’re writing. Here’s what you can do for us" (1.) Read our scripts and let us know what you think; (2. ) Give us a topic that you’d like to see developed into a play and hold a festival of one-acts; (3.) Save a slot in your season for a new work by an area playwright, like Theater J’s Locally Grown Initiative; and (4.) Make your dark nights available for local playwrights to hold readings.
  • Audience members:  Keep coming, keep supporting the theatres you love and don’t hesitate to treat yourself to shows at theatres you’ve never visited.  Encourage area theatres to produce more shows by local playwrights!
  • Theatre Critics:  Use the social media to continue promoting shows you strongly recommend in your reviews.  Tweets and status updates are great ways to remind theatergoers to see these great shows before they close.

JL: Pick a local, regional or national theatre company, study its mission and a pitch play directly to them:
BB: 
Okay, Washington Stage Guild.  Here’s the elevator pitch, even though you don’t have an elevator.  You produce “eloquent plays of idea and argument, passion and wit…enacted by a classical ensemble.” You also present excellent adaptations of classic literature, including this season’s offering, Dante’s Inferno.  My adaptation of E.F. Benson’s Mapp & Lucia has all the elements you seek—idea, argument, passion and wit, plus it’s written by a local woman playwright.  Who could ask for anything more?  If your main concern is the number of characters, Bill Largess can play all the parts!

JL. What's next for you as a playwright? Where can we follow your work?
BB:
This June, the In Series will present the DC premiere of Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, featuring my English libretto, which sets the opera in South Philadelphia in the 1970s (yes, cheese steaks are involved).  The Round House Theatre’s HeyDay Players will present my ten-minute play, The Old and the Zestless.  This wonderful title was suggested by the actors.  I love it. I just completed the English script and lyrics for The Key, and original family musical by Hungarian composer, Tibor Zonai.  We’re currently looking for producers. Next up…I’m writing an English libretto for the fall 2013 In Series production of Mozart’s The Abduction From the Seraglio, directed by the wonderful Tom Mallan. You can follow my adventures at my website, www.baribiern.com.


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JACQUELINE LAWTON: Would you consider writing under a male pseudonym if it guaranteed you a long, successful and sustainable career (ie. awards, critical acclaim and regular productions of your work at local, regional, and national theatres)? The hitch, you could only reveal your identity posthumously. Why or why not?
ALLYSON CURRIN:
Oh, I hate this question.  I hate it because I can’t pretend to be high-minded and noble when I answer it.  I would probably totally do that with all those career certainties in place.  Dammit.  But here’s the flip side: I have always been extremely proud of my work, and proud that it shows up under my name.  I have been tempted before to write under a male pseudonym, and know women artists who do.   But in the final analysis, I am too proud of my work.  I want my name on it.  So, that’s a dream world/real world response.  Do with it what you will…sigh…

JL: Next, how do you define success? How has this definition evolved over the years?
AC: 
Being a performer has diminished in importance for me, mostly because my playwriting took off in the way that it did.  Playwriting was ultimately more gratifying and artistically fulfilling.  I have also come to place far less importance on working within “the system.”  It feels so good to seize the reins, buck the trends and produce your work yourself.  I also think I am more generous and less competitive with my fellow playwrights, and I am better at embracing my theatre community, singing its praises.  But most compellingly, I define my success increasingly by the growth of my own expression and creativity.  When I started out, I was definitely more content to coast along with what I knew was a sure thing, with what was glib and funny.  That was enough then.  It isn’t CLOSE to enough now, and I think my writing has really deepened and grown because of that.  I think I’m a better playwright now. 

JL: As a playwright, what do you need from your community of:
  • Actors: All I need from actors is what I already am lucky to receive from them: their trust, their belief, their wonderful energy in performance, their generosity…I love writing juicy roles – I won’t write a role I wouldn’t die to play myself – and I love actors who are hungry, smart and honest in the playing of those roles.
  • Directors: Head-to-toe belief in my work if they have signed on to direct it.  The semi-committed need not apply.  Trust, Trust, Trust.  Plus someone who is willing to call me out for relying on the easy, the glib, the “bag of tricks.”  I like a director who keeps me honest.  Ditto for dramaturgs.
  • Designers: I wish I worked with designers one-on-one more than I do!  I am fascinated by the fact that their approach to creativity is so different from my own wordy way, but that they illuminate text so viscerally and beautifully with their soundscapes, stage pictures, costumes, lights, props…I have an enormous amount of respect for what designers bring to the table.  I love the way they read scripts…looking for clues to time of day, color, mood…it’s a very different way to read a text.  I wish I was a more visual person.
  • Playwrights: Our DC community of playwrights is in the process of developing the most remarkable sense of common purpose.  The selflessness and support that is on the rise amongst us is really working for us.  I firmly believe this.  If one of us has a success, we all raise our collective profile.  And I think playwrights are not only buying into this idea in DC, but are making it work.
  • Artistic Directors: I like artistic directors who READ new plays.  I like artistic directors who SEE new plays.  I like artistic directors who KNOW THIS COMMUNITY.
  • Audience members: DC audiences are awesome.  I’ve been in town long enough to remember when they weren’t kind at all to new work.  Audiences have grown enormously in their appreciation of new work, and the language that is most useful to use when talking about it.  We have a very sophisticated audience, and they have been unfailingly generous with me.
  • Theatre Critics: Critics are, for the most part, increasingly appreciative of DC’s unique national profile in theatre.   I worry about the difference between criticism (which is a specific skill that is taught, learned and honed) and blogging, which anyone can do.  Uninformed, unkind or biased opinion blasted out in the internet can really hurt a new play, especially because new plays often depend so much on word-of-mouth and goodwill from the community (in the absence of a marquee name to sell tickets).  There are responsible, supportive bloggers out there, of course, but there are those who aren’t.

JL: Pick a local, regional or national theatre company, study it's mission and a pitch play directly to them:
AC:
Kitchen Dog Theatre!  Let’s partner up on my new play CAESAR AND DADA – a dark backstage comedy about a production of JULIUS CAESAR in post-World War I Zurich.  The days of Dada are upon them and Dada’s punk rock anarchy starts to infect their production, their dreams, and ultimately their lives.  It’s a play about a world blown apart!  About tables without legs!  “The Huns are coming – disassemble the LOOM!!!!”  Come on, Kitchen Dog, you guys like to jack things up – let’s play!

JL: What's next for you as a playwright? Where can we follow your work?
AC:
I have a lot coming up fortunately! 
  • My play BENCHED is premiering with Pinky Swear Productions here in DC from April 19-May 19.  It is a one-act that is paired with my pal Renee Calarco’s new play BLEED.  BENCHED/BLEED (both about bad adult behavior on a playground) will run Fridays at 8 and Sundays at 3 at The Writers Center in Bethesda, MD.  
  • I am also one of the Resident Playwrights with Theatre J’s Locally Grown Initiative this season, and my new play HONK IF YOU SPEAK LATIN will have its first staged reading there on April 15.  
  • I am also having a retrospective of my work, produced by The Arts Club and 1st Draft Reading Series, on Tuesday, April 23, culminating in the staged reading of my new play THE SOONER CHILD (which will also have a 1st Draft reading at Theatre on the Run on May 14).  
  • I am working on a new musical with Matt Conner – we have been commissioned by Signature Theatre to write it, and we’re humming along quite nicely on that.  I love working with Mattie.
  • And last, but far from least - my new play CAESAR AND DADA, probably my favorite play that I’ve written in years, is premiering at WSC Avant Bard this summer!!!!!   I’m really eagerly anticipating this one!!!  


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JACQUELINE LAWTON: Would you consider writing under a male pseudonym if it guaranteed you a long, successful and sustainable career (ie. awards, critical acclaim and regular productions of your work at local, regional, and national theatres)? The hitch, you could only reveal your identity posthumously. Why or why not?
Kitty Felde: Nope. I've been Kitty Felde since I was born. If my stuff isn't good enough, it isn't good enough. Changing my name to Ralph isn't going to help.

JL: Next, how do you define success? How has this definition evolved over the years?
KF: Seeing my work on a large regional stage would be considered a real success for me. I've written for television, acted in a Woody Allen film, got to interview Colin Firth. Those are successes of another kind. But even though my work is performed around the world, I don't think I'll see myself as a "successful playwright" until the Taper or Arena or some other legacy regional theatre picks up a piece of mine.

JL: As a playwright, what do you need from your theatre community:
KF: Actors are gold. They are generous with their time and talent, hungry to take on a new play. Bless them all. Directors are like your wise older sister, seeing things in your work and challenging you to defend your stuff. Designers have a gift I wish I had: making words into three dimensional spaces. Playwrights "get it" - they understand the need to sit for long hours at the keyboards for little encouragement and no money. They don't think I'm crazy. Artistic Directors are my cheerleading squad. Even when they don't tackle one of my plays, the fact that they read it or come to a reading or send an encouraging email makes me feel as though I'm part of this larger theatrical community. Audience members keep me honest. If it doesn't work, they let you know with every squeak of their chair, rustle in a purse, even a yawn. And bless them, they laugh to let me know when I get it right. Theatre Critics are the smartest kid in the classroom - even when they're not. The key is to know in your heart when they're right - and when they're not.

JL: Pick a local, regional or national theatre company, study it's mission and a pitch play directly to them:
KF: done

JL: What's next for you as a playwright? Where can we follow your work?
KF: My angry response to "Clyburn Park" - a ten minute piece about how desegregation REALLY happened in the 1960's called THE FLIER - gets a reading in LA next month. You can keep up with me at www.kittyfelde.com.


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JACQUELINE LAWTON: Would you consider writing under a male pseudonym if it guaranteed you a long, successful and sustainable career (ie. awards, critical acclaim and regular productions of your work at local, regional, and national theatres)? The hitch, you could only reveal your identity posthumously. Why or why not?
CALEEN SINETTE JENNINGS:
Sure. It would be so much fun and it would prove a point, even if I wouldn't be around to enjoy it.  I don't need the public recognition and acclaim. I don't need people to know that a woman wrote it. The buzz would be seeing my work on stage, hopefully getting people to think and engage with ideas.  And the money would be nice, of course. 

JL: Next, how do you define success? How has this definition evolved over the years?
CSJ:
I define success as being alive and healthy, loving and being loved, learning, taking risks, having time to smell the flowers, doing a meaningful service for someone else. When I can do this through my plays or through teaching, it's more than success, it's nirvana.  The day I let go of self-imposed deadlines regarding recognition, awards, or number of productions and embraced success in terms of  what I listed above, was the day I felt my writing become freer. Now I can genuinely celebrate someone else's success (without having that secret pang of regret or depression about my perceived lack of progress). I'm successful because students I've taught are working and happy, because actors and directors in this town ask me, "you working on something?", because I'm living in D.C. where I get asked questions by Jacqueline Lawton, and I get to read the inspirational answers of my sister playwrights. Feels like success to me! 

JL: As a playwright, what do you need from your community of:
  • Actors:  Their fabulous, inspirational work and their continued generosity of spirit.  To know I can buy a triple Helen Hayes award recipient a coffee and ask him/her to have a look at a script of mine is worth a million bucks!  There's a cadre of DC actors with such integrity and such an amazing set of skills and values that I can say to my students:  "Look at these people as models."
  • Directors:  Candor, compassion, a willingness to take risks. D.C. has some of the best in the nation. Smart, smart, smart.
  • Designers:  Their eyes and imaginations. Their willingness to keep pushing me out of the realism box.
  • Playwrights: Their continued friendship, inspiration, compassion, willingness to vent and be vented to, their amazing senses of humor and their continued awe that we actually write plays.
  • Artistic Directors: Their continued willingness to cultivate new audiences, embrace and include diverse audiences in their thinking and planning, their continued ability (despite the hard financial times) to take breathtaking risks as artists (not solely business people).
  • Audience members: Their attendance -- and that's asking a helluva lot.  The cost, the hassle, the trust.  Their willingness to listen and discover. Wow.
  • Theatre Critics: Know some theatre history and respect the art.  I love it when you're the eyes and ears of theaverage, every day theatre goer.  You can say anything you want about a play/production -- but a knowledge of theatre history just gives you a deeper, richer understanding -- and allows me to have a deeper respect for your judgment. Give praise where praise is due. Don't be snarky. Criticize with respect for the process. Before you go public with your opinions, ask yourself the question that your mama and/or kindergarten teacher asked: "How would you feel if somebody wrote or said this about you?" 

JL: Pick a local, regional or national theatre company, study it's mission and a pitch play directly to them: 
CSJ: TBA!

JL: What's next for you as a playwright? Where can we follow your work?
CSJ: I'm in progress on a radio play, another ten minute play, a children's play, and a full length play for a college. Send me an e-mail or call me. I don't yet have a website (although I should), I don't post on Facebook and I don't tweet. Thank God for my husband and my friends who are slowly but surely dragging me into the 21st Century.


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JACQUELINE LAWTON: Would you consider writing under a male pseudonym if it guaranteed you a long, successful and sustainable career (ie. awards, critical acclaim and regular productions of your work at local, regional, and national theatres)? The hitch, you could only reveal your identity posthumously. Why or why not?
KRISTEN LEPINE: The use of a “nom de plume” has a lengthy literary history especially for women writers wishing to disguise their gender often at the behest of publishers who believed it would increase male readership.  And although I can think off the top of my head of many women who wrote/still write under male or gender neutral pseudonyms (George Sand, The Bronte sisters, Louisa Mae Alcott, DC Fontana, JK Rowling.), men have used female pseudonym too (Jane Martin and – okay, I can only think of Jane Martin, but surely there are more.) I have mixed feelings about writing under a pen name (Who cares about the gender of the writer? What matters is quality! Aren’t we beyond this? Would a woman really be more successful writing under a pseudonym than her own name? Oh wait, just how many female writers were produced in US theatres in the 2012-2013 season? Still, isn’t using a pen name to disguise gender only contributing to the problem? I fear I am over thinking this. Argh!).  At the end of the day, I want to write plays, plays that matter, plays that do not sit on my hard drive, plays that are produced. If having a different name helps, then it is worth consideration.
  
JL: Next, how do you define success? How has this definition evolved over the years?
KL: For me, success is the ability to actively pursue what I love to do, what makes me happy, at my own pace.  I don’t think my definition has changed, but I what has changed is that I am more secure with my definition. 
 
JL: As a playwright, what do you need from your theatre community:
KL: I am grateful for the relationships I have built in the theatre community.  It is because of these partnerships with supportive actors, directors, playwrights, artistic directors, and audience members that I have been able to continue to pursue my passion for playwriting.  What do I need? Continued support :~)

JL: Pick a local, regional or national theatre company, study its mission and a pitch play directly to them:
KL:
This was my New Year’s Resolution: to be more proactive in marketing my scripts.  This is admittedly my weakness.  I have been more proactive. Thank you for inspiring me further!
 
JL: What's next for you as a playwright? Where can we follow your work?
KL:
Currently, I am working on a major rewrite of my Greek inspired saga about working mothers titled Leto Legend. I am also in the midst of a new marketing campaign, so perhaps in a couple of months, I will have more news to share with you. Please visit me at kristenlepine.com.


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JACQUELINE LAWTON: Would you consider writing under a male pseudonym if it guaranteed you a long, successful and sustainable career (ie. awards, critical acclaim and regular productions of your work at local, regional, and national theatres)? The hitch, you could only reveal your identity posthumously. Why or why not?
LIZ MAESTRI: I actually considered doing this when I started playwriting, but quickly decided against it. It would feel deceptive, and I don’t like the idea of not being able to take credit for, promote, or openly talk about my work. (This would also mean having to stay off social media entirely. Hermitage!) My work is my work, and if I had to lie to be recognized or fit into someone’s bullsh** idea of what it means to be a professional writer, well then I guess I’ll be DIYing it for the rest of time. It’s sad that we even have to ask this question in 2013, and even sadder that an industry that fancies itself progressive has a problem with women. That said, I sometimes wish I had an androgynous first name, or used initials or something, because this is what we’re dealing with. All of my leading characters are women, and I know that these characters and their stories would be taken more seriously if it appeared that a man wrote them. Because it’s 1847.

JL: Next, how do you define success? How has this definition evolved over the years?
LM: This is tough. I continue to fight against my more superficial concepts of success, such as validation and recognition, because they place control of my own pride into the hands of others. This fight is hard to do in an industry that’s so heavily based on awards and contests, but for me, focusing on recognition is an unhealthy and joyless place. I hope to put these feelings to rest. Here is my real, prizelust-free vision of success: Success means having the opportunity to make good work year-round with people I respect, and being able to see clear improvements in my writing as time goes by.

JL: As a playwright, what do you need from your community of:
  • Actors: Guts. 
  • Directors: Insight.
  • Designers: MAD SCIENCE. 
  • Playwrights: Camaraderie.
  • Artistic Directors: A chance. 
  • Audience members: Ears, eyes.
  • Theatre Critics: An open mind.

JL: Pick a local, regional or national theatre company, study its mission and a pitch play directly to them:
LM: This pitch is for Jenny and Randy at Rorschach Theatre in DC. Their mission is in spot-on harmony with the kind of work I do, and I love that they aren’t afraid of out-there scripts and locations. The piece I’d ask Rorschach to consider is called In the Dark of the Sun, a Western about three tough women traveling through the American frontier. The women, Dame, Dean, and Edna, are missionaries for the leader of a strange religion back east. They set up camp on a trail from river to plains to the Rockies, and are fiercely committed to their quest--so much so that heaven help the man or woman who doesn’t heed their word. The women wreak havoc along the way, but when Dean has a run-in with a lone-wolf cowboy and a grieving American Indian that leaves one of her comrades dead, she struggles to decide where her loyalties lie and what her future holds on the other side of the mountains. This play would also help bridge DC’s theater and music scenes; I’m interested in working with a local musician and songwriter (ex-Northern Liberties, Ruffian Records) on a potentially live score.

JL: What's next for you as a playwright? Where can we follow your work?
LM: In May, a reading of my new play House Beautiful at the Locally Grown Festival and a run of Condo Condo Condoland at the unstoppable EMP Collective in Baltimore. In July, DC’s Field Trip Theatre is doing a run of my play Fallbeil at Capital Fringe. You can also check in at www.lizmaestri.com to see what’s going on, and follow me on Twitter (@lizmaestri) if you are so inclined.


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JACQUELINE LAWTON: Would you consider writing under a male pseudonym if it guaranteed you a long, successful and sustainable career (ie. awards, critical acclaim and regular productions of your work at local, regional, and national theatres)? The hitch, you could only reveal your identity posthumously. Why or why not?
DANIELLE MOHLMAN: Never. I'm not ashamed of being a woman. 

JL: Next, how do you define success? How has this definition evolved over the years?
DM: I measure my own success by the creative work I'm doing. As long as I'm writing, developing, or working on a production of my plays, I know I'm doing something right. It's wonderful to be validated by a theatre and the recognition that comes from all that is incredibly flattering, but if I let others define my success, I would never be able to get out of my head. 

JL: As a playwright, what do you need from your theatre community:
DM:
I have been incredibly happy with all the smart and talented actors, directors, designers, and playwrights I've worked with here in DC. The audiences who've seen my work have been incredibly receptive and the critics have asked thought-provoking questions. However, I want the artistic directors here to be fearless. I'm sick and tired of seeing theatre companies importing talent from New York. If DC truly wants to live up to its status as the second-largest theatre town in the US, this town needs to embrace the diverse voices and talent here. 

JL: Pick a local, regional or national theatre company, study its mission and a pitch play directly to them:
DM: Let's go with Woolly Mammoth, since I have a massive theatre crush on them. Dust is a reverse-gender Vietnam-era adaptation of J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan. This piece has one foot firmly rooted in reality and another buried in the fantastic -- teetering between an untouched tribe of misfit women and the reality of the Vietnam War. 

JL: What's next for you as a playwright? Where can we follow your work?
DM: An open movement workshop of Dust  with Artists' Bloc on May 26 at the Forum space at Sidney Harman Hall and a staged reading of Nexus with Field Trip Theatre at The Wonderland Ballroom on June 9. And a couple more things I can't announce just yet. (I've always wanted to say something like that.)


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JAQUELINE LAWTON: Would you consider writing in a male pseudonym if it guaranteed you a long, successful and sustainable career (i.e. awards, critical acclaim and regular productions of your work at local, regional, and national theatres)? The hitch, you could only reveal your identity posthumously. Why or why not?
KRISTY SIMMONS: While I think it would be fun to dress in men’s clothing and have an inner wink going all the time at my male-won success, the drudgery of having to live this double life would be less comfortable than donning a pair of high heels. I’d prefer to be obscure and valued by my friends and colleagues. The joy I feel in my
writing is as valuable as gold compared to the daily removal of men’s clothing and identity.

JL: Next, how do you define success? How has this definition evolved over the years?
KS:
I define success as writing the plays I want to write, having them be valued as moving and thought-provoking, and earning a livable income from it. At first my definition of success was talent in overcoming the challenges set in my work, gaining awards and having productions. The only difference in its evolution is that now I expect to get paid for all my effort and years of work.

JL: As a playwright, what do you need from your community of: 
  • Actors: What they have always given, their honest portrayals of the characters and acting from this essence.
  • Directors: To place my play in context, heighten the spectacle, and harvest the most insights that can be gained from the play.
  • Designers: To bring the world of the play to life with light and sound, and to match the artistry of the play with the realm of the set.
  • Playwrights: Honest, incisive feedback that challenges me.
  • Artistic Directors: I’m craving new voices -- I just feel like so many of the same plays are done over and over -- and I’d much prefer to see new, distinct voices, from culturally diverse writers locally and from around the world. I want to be inspired by the conversation happening on the international level. I want AD’s to act as ambassadors for the freshest voices in the theatre world.
  • Audience Members: I’d like audiences to have more courage to suspend their comfort to hear a voice they may not be used to or understand right away.
  • Theatre Critics: I honestly like reading reviews of plays. Even though I may not always agree, I look for insights provided in the opinion provided by the reviewer. Of course, we all want a positive review, or at the very least a constructive understanding of what the reviewer thinks.

JL: Pick a local, regional or national theatre company, study its mission and pitch a play directly to them.
KS: I’d like to pitch a play to Theater J. As a fan of their productions I think the following theme would be something they might get excited about. I have a play outline in the works about a female screenwriter who was raised in a secular Jewish family. She receives a specialized grant to mentor an African-American student on a
screenplay collaboration. This young writer’s passion for his African-American history, his identity and his trying to understand her lackadaisical attitude about her Jewish ancestry awakens her Judaism. As the plot evolves a convergence of three different worlds collide –that of their daily life, that of the history of blacks and Jews, and then the imagined characters in their story. These ultimately converge on many levels, providing a surreal world for the investigation of Jewish identity in our modern world.

JL: What’s next for you as a playwright? Where can we follow your work?
KS: Right now I’m writing a play that’s a video-performance piece for a gallery called Doris-Mae. It follows three couples and two characters will be recorded and projected on a video screen behind four live actors. They will respond and talk to each other. The play is about the patterns we have in relationships, at the particular point where one person wants to see a specific change in the relationship. It explores how people try to change one another’s behavior. It will be performed in the gallery in June. You can follow my work on www.kristysimmonsart.com or friend me on Facebook to get
updates.


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JACQUELINE LAWTON: Would you consider writing under a male pseudonym if it guaranteed you a long, successful and sustainable career (ie. awards, critical acclaim and regular productions of your work at local, regional, and national theatres)? The hitch, you could only reveal your identity posthumously. Why or why not?

LAURA ZAM: I can't imagine writing under a different name.  I write a lot of autobiographical pieces, so this is not really an option for me.  But aside from that, if the theater were not interested in my work, I would just work in another medium. I'd just keep going until I found an audience for my my art and for me as an artist -- just as I am!

JL: Next, how do you define success? How has this definition evolved over the years?
LZ: For the past few years I've been really interested in art and entrepreneurship.  However, I never studied business formally until two months ago when I enrolled in a business course at the DC Women's Business Center. It was amazing.  The class just finished last night, so I will answer your question still wearing my (well-earned -- that class was hard!) entrepreneur's hat. Success for me is profit. I know that's a naughty word in art spheres. But I see it like this: since I don't run a non-profit organization, my art activities -- by business -- is a for-profit enterprise.  Therefore, the health--and sustainability--of this enterprise depend on my ability to cover my expenses, pay myself a salary, and have something left over to reinvest in my career.  Since I don't have a day job, there's no other way for me to live as an artist.  Therefore, success, for me, is profit.  But this is just a more specific way of saying that success is truly making a living doing what I love.

JL: As a playwright, what do you need from your community of:
  • Actors -- a deep appreciation of gallows humor
  • Directors -- a deep understanding of the aesthetics of a one-person play
  • Designers -- experience with touring shows
  • Playwrights -- laughs, support, honesty
  • Artistic Directors-- an interest in the local art community
  • Audience members -- an open mind, a penchant for self-reflection
  • Theatre Critics -- generosity of spirit

JL: Pick a local, regional or national theatre company, study it's mission and a pitch play directly to them:
LZ:
Great idea. I'll do that.

JL: What's next for you as a playwright? Where can we follow your work?
LZ:
Right now I'm working on a memoir that's based on my play MARRIED SEX.  I'm also investigating ways of bringing my MARRIED SEX play to New York for a production, which I see extending into a national tour. Eventually I see the memoir and the play reinforcing each other, along with video content I'll be creating for this project (including interviews, performance footage, documentary footage, and monologues performed in character). My vision is to these elements work together with some synergy. I also intend to donate a portion of proceeds to organizations providing sex education.

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Women Playwrights of DC: Marni Penning

9/8/2012

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Carol's Christmas (Pinky Swear Productions) with Allyson Harkey and Karen Lange. Photos by Johnny Shryock.
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Carol's Christmas (Pinky Swear Productions) with Jack Powers, Allyson Harkey, and Christopher Herring. Photos by Johnny Shryock.
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Carol's Christmas (Pinky Swear Productions) with Robin Covington and Karen Lange. Photos by Johnny Shryock
Jacqueline Lawton: How long have you lived and worked as a playwright in DC? What brought you here? Why have you stayed?
Marni Penning Coleman:
I grew up in Arlington, and used to write little plays to put on in our living room or backyard. My sisters and I, and our friends, would invite the entire neighborhood, and make tickets; it was quite the production. I have always enjoyed writing, but didn't really start writing plays until 2003, and finished my first full-length in 2006. I've worked a lot in DC as an actor, butfrom 1994 to 2000 I lived in Cincinnati, and from 2000 to 2009 I was based in New York. So I've just relocated full-time back to DC in 2009 to marry my wonderful husband.

JL: Have you ever been a member of a DC area playwrights writing group? If so, did you find it useful? Would you recommend that other playwrights join them?
MPC:
I haven't; the only playwrights' group I've ever been a part of is the LA Writers Center; I've been a member since 2006. I would love to get involved with a group of playwrights here in DC - perhaps I'd actually finish the two other plays I'm working on right now! :)

JL: In DC, we have the Capital Fringe Festival, the Intersections Festival, the Source Theatre Festival, the Kennedy Center's Page-to-Stage Festival, the Black Theater Festival, and the Hip Hop Theatre Festival. We also have the Mead Lab at Flashpoint Theater Lab Program. Have you participated in any of these? If so, can you speak about your experience?
MPC: I've only been involved with the Fringe Festival as an actor last summer; I thought about producing Carol's Christmas at the Fringe, but Pinky Swear Productions snapped it up before I had a chance to do that, so I was very lucky. I'm hoping to get more involved with those festivals as I produce more work.

JL: What kind of work do you do to pay the bills? How do you balance this work with your writing?
MPC:
I started writing when I was on the road as an actor, so my "day job" was acting. I was lucky enough to make my living solely as an actor. When I was in "The Unmentionables" at Woolly Mammoth, I really came to admire Bruce Norris. He and I talked a lot about being an actor who writes plays, and how that helps our playwright's voice. He was huge inspiration to me.  Since I've moved back to DC, I do voiceovers, I've taught, I coach, and also have been working as the Sales Trainer at the Container Store in Clarendon. Full-time work has really hampered my writing, though. I kept copious notes in my iPhone for play ideas, but wasn't making the time to write them out. I'm hoping to do more now that I'm home with my one month old son (and have a good dictation program, since my hands are never free to type!)

JL: How many plays have you had produced in the DC area? Were any of these plays self-produced? If so, where and what did you learn from that experience?
MPC: My first full-length play, Carol's Christmas, was produced by Pinky Swear Productions last November and December. I have not self produced down here in DC. I loved working with the women of Pinky Swear. It was a fantastic experience as a playwright, and what I learned was to trust the actors and director and step back from the rehearsal process. I was too close to the words; I knew if I was there at every rehearsal, or even half the rehearsals, they wouldn't be able to find things I didn't realize were there. I had already had two readings of the show and DC and in LA, and I just needed a committed group to take the show and run with it - which they did, and I'm very proud of the results.

JL:If you could be produced at any theatre in DC, which would it be and why?
MPC:
I'm a huge fan of Woolly Mammoth. I've done three shows there, and I love the type of quirky, edgy, pushing-the-envelope material that they produce. If I could aspire to write a show that would be accepted anywhere, I would pick Woolly.

JL: DC audiences are ...
MPC:
Loyal. 

JL: DC actors, designers and directors are ...
MPC:
Some of the best I've worked with in the country.

JL: DC critics are ...
MPC:
Ah, how do I answer this one? Every artist has a love-hate relationship with critics. But most critics in DC seem to have a genuine love of the theater, and love getting the word out about work that they admire. It's like anywhere else, I guess. You need to have publicity to get the word out about your shows, but if the reviews have a negative bent (and some critics tend to lean that way more than others), everyone wishes the critics wouldn't be quite so "critical." Know what I mean? That said, we do have some very good advocates for the arts in our community. My take is, you can say anything you want, just spell our names right and put them in big letters with a great big photo. :)

JL: How do you feel the DC theatre community has addressed the issues of race and gender parity? How has this particular issue impacted you and your ability to get your work produced on the main stages?
MPC:
In DC we have such a diverse community, it feels like we're always celebrating our differences in a good way, whether it be nationality or race or gender. This isn't a town that only churns out plays by dead white males. I haven't been produced on the main stages, so I can't speak to that part of the question. But I don't feel that me being a woman would hinder my chances at all; it always seems that our arts centers are actively seeking out diversity.

JL: What advice do you have for an up and coming DC based playwright or a playwright who has just moved to D.C.?
MPC:
Go see plays at every theater you can. Introduce yourself to everyone and let them know you're new in town, or that you're a playwright if they don't know you yet. The arts world is so small, you're bound to have people in common. Get to know each arts organization and their strengths, and get in touch with artists whose work you admire. It's always flattering for actors to hear from playwrights who say they like their work. Build your network this way, then when you've got a piece that's ready, you already have a built-in base of people with whom you can share it. If it's not right for one person, they may know someone else for whom it might be a fit. Be open to anything!

JL: What's next for you as a playwright? Where can we keep up with your work?
MPC:
I was on hiatus from the theater while I was pregnant, and I'm slowly getting my feet back under me, but it's still early. I'm two thirds of the way through my next full-length, and I have another full-length play rattling around in my brain that I just need to get down on paper. You can follow what's happening with my work on my website - www.MarniPenning.com. Maybe now that I'm a mom, my writing will take a different bent. We'll have to see!
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Women Playwrights of DC: Liz Maestri

9/7/2012

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The Rain - EMP Collective
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Fallbeil Rehearsal - GPTC
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Owl Moon - Taffety Punk
JL: How long have you lived and worked as a playwright in DC? What brought you here? Why have you stayed?
LM:  I’ve worked as a playwright in DC for a little over two years now, but I’ve been back in town for four (I lived here after college, then moved away, then came back again). I’m here because DC is the place I call home: I’m from a small town about an hour away, went to U Maryland, and have a wonderful circle of loved ones here. The healthy amount of opportunities in town don’t hurt either! It’s a nice time to be an artist in DC. 

JL: Have you ever been a member of a DC area playwrights writing group? If so, did you find it useful? Would you recommend that other playwrights join them?
LM: Not yet, but I’m planning to start going to meetings at the Playwrights’ Gym. I visited a session as a reader after meeting DW Gregory, one of their founding members, and liked the group's no-nonsense approach. Also, I work closely with my friends a lot, so it’s refreshing for me to spend time with people who aren’t necessarily personal friends or even peers—shakes things up a bit. There’s a nice variety of styles and personalities in the group. Last time they provided really nice snacks, too, so I hope that happens again.

JL: In DC, we have the Capital Fringe Festival, the Intersections Festival, the Source Theatre Festival, the Kennedy Center's Page-to-Stage Festival, the Black Theater Festival, and the Hip Hop Theatre Festival. We also have the Mead Lab at Flashpoint Theater Lab Program. Have you participated in any of these? If so, can you speak about your experience?
LM: Yes, I’ve done Page-to-Stage twice, and participated in an Artistic Blind Date at the Source Festival. I highly recommend them both. Page-to-Stage is a great chance to have your work heard in a safe environment, but I do think you get out of it what you put in. You won't get much in the way of gusto from the Kennedy Center, so it’s best to go with a good, supportive team who will rally around your play along with you. As for the Source Festival ABD, it was quite a different animal than the workshops and productions I’m used to. It was very open-ended and self-directed, and was one of the longest project periods I’ve ever experienced. But it was well worth it. Source was a lot of work, but I came out of it a better and braver artist, and made two new, amazingly talented friends I never would have met otherwise. 

JL: What kind of work do you do to pay the bills? How do you balance this work with your writing?
LM: I have a nine-to-five job in public media. Obviously working all day makes writing a part-time gig, which is very hard to handle and stay positive about sometimes. On the other hand, though, I love my job and believe in public broadcasting and in the work that we do. And health insurance is great! Balance is something I’m still trying to figure out—but I’m realizing that perhaps that’s just the way life is and always will be. I write when I can. I also make sure to create deadlines for myself, particularly ones that involve other people, so I HAVE to do it, even when I'm tired. 

JL: How many plays have you had produced in the DC area? Were any of these plays self-produced? If so, where and what did you learn from that experience?
lM: One play. The nice folks at Taffety Punk Theatre Company produced my first play, Owl Moon, and I’m still kind of amazed they took a chance on me like that. When I think about that beautiful set, I still have to pinch myself! I’ve had a few readings out there too, both self-produced and not, but have yet to self-produce a show because just thinking about it immediately overwhelms my brain. If I could make it work, I’d gather a team and some funding to do Fringe and Mead Lab.   

JL: If you could be produced at any theatre in DC, which would it be and why?
lM: If we’re shooting for the moon here, I’m going with Woolly Mammoth and Contemporary American Theatre Company (ok, sort of near DC) because we’re interested in a lot of the same things. In a theatrical sea of old-ass productions, Woolly is actually producing theater made by living artists (how revolutionary!), and understands how design, style, and new ideas make theater exciting. CATF is where I started out, so it’s always been a dream of mine to return there. They love new plays and take risks on them, and their production process is so pure and out of the ordinary, I can’t really think of a better environment in which to make theater. Dreaming, dreaming is free.

JL: DC audiences are ...
LM: All over the place, as people tend to be. Sometimes they are filled with wonderful passion and smarts and enthusiasm, and sometimes they are rude nincompoops. If we’re going to make sweeping generalizations, I’d say that the scrappier and more broke the production, the more interesting the audiences get. I love audiences who want to be there. People who come to see my stuff, especially the people I don’t know, blow me away with their generosity.  

JL: DC actors, designers and directors are …
LM: Pretty darn good! I’ve met and seen the work of so many theatermakers who care so deeply about what they do and about doing it well, they make me want to work 10x harder. This is an industry of lionhearted, passionate workers, and it makes me proud every day to be part of it. I also need to plug the designers and performers of my alma mater, because they are absolutely incredible artists and craftspeople.

JL: DC critics are ...
LM:  All over the place, as journalists tend to be. Sometimes they are filled with wonderful passion and smarts and enthusiasm, and sometimes they are rude nincompoops. Ha, I kid. Kinda. There’s a wide spectrum of talent and theater knowledge among our city’s pro to pro-am critics, but I will say that overall, it makes me really happy that they are all so engaged and so plugged into the community. I look at The Washington Post every day for local theater news, and I know I’ll see news and commentary of interest, not just reviews. You won’t find such things in every city!

JL: How do you feel the DC theatre community has addressed the issues of race and gender parity ? How has this particular issue impacted you and your ability to get your work produced on the main stages?
LM: I don’t know. Some theaters, like Forum Theatre and Theater J, have taken real, active steps to make positive change in the world, but that’s all I know about concretely. I’m also not sure what to say about this because it’s a problem everywhere and in everything right now, and I don’t fully understand why it continues. But it does. White privilege and male privilege exist. When I started out, I thought about using a male alias in order to be taken more seriously because plays about women are “issue” plays, you see, as are plays by people of color. I wrote a short blog post about gender issues in 2011, if you want to take a look, but it really just scrapes the tip of a massive, massive, ugly iceberg. At the end of the day, I see myself as just a playwright, plain and simple. I can’t help how I look or what I find interesting, so for now the best I can do is to keep on chugging along and not let people’s personal crap and dumb attitudes bog me down.  

JL: What advice do you have for an up and coming DC based playwright or a playwright who has just moved to D.C.?
LM: Oh brother, I have no idea. I could use some advice myself! All I can share is what’s worked for me so far, and that is to find your true friends and kindred spirits in the industry. It’s a long, lonely haul without that. So far, “networking” has amounted to a hill of beans for me. Working with people who are real friends—that’s where it’s at. It’s a mean ol’ world out there. If you're new to DC, get to know the lay of the land because this is a remarkably accessible theater community.    

JL: What's next for you as a playwright? Where can we keep up with your work?
LM: Next up for me is work and more work. I’m writing a new script this fall and trying to keep up with my long list of revision tasks and nitpicky theater business stuff. You can follow me on Twitter (@lizmaestri) or visit my jankity but well-meaning website. I’d like to meet new people in town, so please feel free to get in touch! 

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Women Playwrights of DC: Carmen Wong

9/7/2012

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Into the Dollhouse
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A Tactile Taste of Helsinki
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Tactile Dinner at Big Bear
Jacqueline Lawton: How long have you lived and worked as a playwright in DC? What brought you here? Why have you stayed?
Carmen Wong:
I arrived 8 years ago almost to the day and founded banished? productions shortly after. It was after the summer I graduated: I got an internship in DC for the fall and it certainly helped that my best friend already lived here working as a fellow at ArenaStage. DC has grown with (not on) me. Just as soon as I was ready to flee (about 3 years in), a new wave of energy came through and made my job as play-maker (I shy from the term ‘playwright’ since I feel you lot do such a marvelously different job!) a lot more stimulating.

JL: Have you ever been a member of a DC area playwrights writing group? If so, did you find it useful? Would you recommend that other playwrights join them?
CW:
No, I've never been a part of a writing group.

JL: In DC, we have the Capital Fringe Festival, the Intersections Festival, the Source Theatre Festival, the Kennedy Center's Page-to-Stage Festival, the Black Theater Festival, and the Hip Hop Theatre Festival. We also have the Mead Lab at Flashpoint Theater Lab Program. Have you participated in any of these? If so, can you speak about your experience?
CW:
I directed a Page-2-Stage reading back in 2005, much of which details I have forgotten. Banished? has participated in the Fringe since its inception in 2006. I’ve written a blog post for HowlRound called, Figuring the Fringe, which gives you an idea of the experience.

I must say that as an artist, I never felt more supported than in my involvement with CulturalDC. Last year they accepted two of my works for their Mead Theatre Lab and Flashpoint Gallery programs (“Into the Dollhouse” and “Tactile Dinner Car” respectively) and that was a vindicating moment to have our work acknowledged as relevant and truly boundary-crossing. Both programs have a great mentorship element and work closely with artists to prep them for public speaking, something quite helpful for me since my nature is to stay behind the limelight. That same year I was asked to direct a 10-minute play by Juanita Rockwell as the Source Festival as well, and we’ve been happily collaborating since!

JL: What kind of work do you do to pay the bills? How do you balance this work with your writing?
CW:
I just started part-time work with a mediation and conflict resolution non-profit and I sometimes still work with the farmers’ market, which I’d been working with (as an EBT coordinator, interfacing with food stamp users at market) for the last 3 seasons. These jobs actually keep me sane, grounded, and nourished. They sometimes even provide content for some of the pieces I do, as well as urge me to talk about my work to a wide audience of people not from an arts or theatre background. Also, I’m the sort of person that needs many plates spinning in order to work well and effectively, so this helps with the balance.

JL: How many plays have you had produced in the DC area? Were any of these plays self-produced? If so, where and what did you learn from that experience?
CW:
Most all our dozen full works in DC have been self-produced, and many of our small projects are either commissioned or collaboratively created. The exceptions are the pieces with CulturalDC, which were co-produced in the fullest sense, and two or three were collaboratively created and produced with local theatre artists and companies (Happenstance Theatre for one).

In Helsinki (where I’m writing this now and currently working on a piece), I am working  with an amazing team of both professionals and semi-professionals that task-forces all the work. So I am able to create in a very singularly-focused manner. The projects created there usually only get a one-day showing (with multiple performances) but are really strong pieces that I learn so much from. My process has been strengthened, and my ideas have expanded in terms of project-conceptualization (which requires honing of instinct and intuition) and producing (in a way that can be very fun/creative, and less obsessive on my part).

JL: If you could be produced at any theatre in DC, which would it be and why?
CW:
I find this question intensely difficult as I have more my eye on spaces/sites than the production element of having my piece open to the public. I would say I have my eye on making a piece on the ArenaStage terrace, and another piece in random parts within the common areas of Woolly Mammoth.

JL: DC audiences are ...
CW:
The best challenge and resource I have.

JL: DC actors, designers and directors are ...
CW:
I have worked so much outside the zone (working with non-actors, dancers, and designers/artists) that I only have recently got to know the insider DC theatre scene a little better and as in any place, a little clique-ish but just lovely.

JL: DC critics are ...
CW:
Getting to know us and we, them

JL: How do you feel the DC theatre community has addressed the issues of race and gender parity ? How has this particular issue impacted you and your ability to get your work produced on the main stages?
CW:
This is a pretty loaded potato. Perhaps because banished? has just forged its own path, I can be quite blind to some of these issues and how/whether it has impacted me. I think there could be more inter-everything collaboration and I’m definitely interested in trying to work it out in some of the decisions I make for the company.

JL: What advice do you have for an up and coming DC based playwright or a playwright who has just moved to D.C.?
CW:
Keep working, keep your eyes open to possibilities and never be afraid to take risks. Go to lots of things, free museums, weird events, see it all.

JL: What's next for you as a playwright? Where can we keep up with your work?
CW:
I am currently producing a modest piece in Helsinki called “Dinner for the Forgotten”, it is about eating to remember the people we have left behind or to leave the past be.  That will open this Saturday, working with the same amazing team that co-created last year’s “Tactile Taste of Helsinki”.

Then its back to DC and hitting the ground running with the Dupont Circle version of  “The Circle” by Juanita Rockwell, which launches Wed, Sept 26 (with a Happy Hour event at Dolcezza gelato from 5:30pm to 8:30pm, please join us!) and has shows on: Sat 9/29, Sat 10/6 and Sun 10/7 at 6:00pm and 7:00pm each day.

Next up we have a piece with CulturalDC on installation at (e)merge art fair at the Skyline Hotel. The piece will be on view:
Thu 10/4 @7:00pm – 9:00pm
Fri 10/5 @12:00pm – 7:00pm
Sat 10/6 @12:00pm – 7:00pm
Sun 10/7 @12:00pm – 5:00pm

Then we will stage Into the Dollhouse at a secret location in November before Thanksgiving, so look out for that!

We also have a lot of little events and social gatherings where we celebrate the people who volunteer or work with us, and we’re planning a fundraising Holiday party with a twist (when do we not twist?). All are welcome! Get details from our FB page!

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Women Playwrights of DC: Danielle Mohlman

8/30/2012

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Eileen Haley, Travis Blumer, Megan Westman, Michael Litchfield, Caitlin Diana Doyle, and Jonathan W. Colby. Photo by Mimsi Janis.
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Caitlin Diana Doyle (May). Photo by Mimsi Janis.
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Jonathan W. Colby (David) and Michael Litchfield (Robert). Photo by Mimsi Janis.
JL: How long have you lived and worked as a playwright in DC? What brought you here? Why have you stayed?
DM:
I've lived and worked as a playwright in DC for just over a year.  I moved here to become the Company Manager/Production Management Apprentice at The Studio Theatre.  I had just graduated from Emerson College and was in a post-grad school "What now?"  I was hired by Studio just after July 4th and moved to DC two weeks later.  I had my DC playwriting debut in the 10th Annual Page-to-Stage Festival as part of the Playwrights' Slam.  And after my apprenticeship ended, I decided to stay despite the fact that I was (at the time) what one would call "underemployed."  I owe the DC-Area Playwrights a lot of the reason for staying.  The other reason was so that I could continue to build up my own theatre company -- Field Trip Theatre.  

JL: Have you ever been a member of a DC area playwrights writing group? If so, did you find it useful? Would you recommend that other playwrights join them?
DM:
I'm one of the co-moderators of the group now, so of course I would recommend that everyone join.  Gwydion Suilebhan is reason enough to lurk on the boards.  He's always asking the tough questions about the state of DC playwrights.  

JL: In DC, we have the Capital Fringe Festival, the Intersections Festival, the Source Festival, the Kennedy Center's Page-to-Stage Festival, the Black Theater Festival, and the Hip Hop Theatre Festival. We also have the Mead Lab at Flashpoint Theater Lab Program. Have you participated in any of these? If so, can you speak about your experience?
DM:
I've participated in the Kennedy Center's Page-to-Stage Festival -- I'm going on my second year now, actually -- and the Capital Fringe Festival.  Any reason to hear your work aloud -- whether that be in staged reading at Page-to-Stage or fully produced at the Capital Fringe Festival -- is time well spent.  I feel weird saying it because I'm a relatively young playwright, but it will help you grow as a writer and as an artist.  You'll throw yourself in writing seclusion and you'll write more than you ever have in your life and your friends will never see you, but you have to seize those opportunities.  They come along for us playwrights so seldom. 

JL: What kind of work do you do to pay the bills? How do you balance this work with your writing?
DM:
Until a few months ago I was an apprentice and Company Manager.  I learned a lot in that year, but it really hurt my writing.  I was always on call and my hours were all over the place.  I recently got a job working in HR at one of The District's regional theatres and that schedule suites me much better.  I'm still working in theatre, but I have a 9-to-5 schedule.  When I get off work, I'm able to turn off my phone and just write.  It's bliss. 

JL: How many plays have you had produced in the DC area? Were any of these plays self-produced? If so, where and what did you learn from that experience?
DM:
As of this weekend, seven.  Six of those productions were staged readings and one was the full production of Stopgap at the Capital Fringe Festival.  I work a lot with my own theatre company (Field Trip Theatre), but I've also worked with Artists' Bloc and Georgetown Theatre Company.  

JL: If you could be produced at any theatre in DC, which would it be and why?
DM:
Woolly Mammoth.  No question.

JL: DC audiences are ...
DM:
Incredible.  So many strangers have come to see my plays and every time I look around and say, "You know we don't know each other, right?  You don't have to be here."

JL: DC actors, designers and directors are ...
DM:
So smart.  Or maybe I've just been lucky.

JL: DC critics are ...
DM: Well, I kind of love Peter Marks.  Anyone who compares me to Wendy Wasserstein is okay in my book. Check out his review of my play, Stopgap! 

JL: How do you feel the DC theatre community has addressed the issues of race and gender parity ? How has this particular issue impacted you and your ability to get your work produced on the main stages?
DM:
I don't think that theatres look at the title page and say "This is written by a woman.  That's ridiculous!"  But when you step back and look at the season at a whole, you'll notice that there's a pathetic number of women represented. And this isn't just in playwrights, but in directors and actors as well.  But this isn't just a DC problem.  This is a pattern across the entire country. 

JL: What advice do you have for an up and coming DC based playwright or a playwright who has just moved to D.C.?
DM:
Submit everywhere.  Talk to everyone.  Write everywhere.  And see as much theatre as you can.  Even the bad stuff.  

JL: What's next for you as a playwright? Where can we keep up with your work?
DM:
I have two plays in the Kennedy Center's Page-to-Stage Festival this weekend.  (Artists' Bloc presents The Crow on Saturday, September 1 at 7:30PM and Field Trip Theatre presents Jim and Paul Meet in Dreams on Monday, September 3 at 3:30PM.)  After that, I have a couple of projects lined up.  But I won't talk about them until I have a draft out that I'm happy with.  (All this and mysterious too.)  I tweet all the time (@daniellemohlman) and you can check out Field Trip Theatre at fieldtriptheatre.tumblr.com
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Women Playwrights of DC: Juanita Rockwell

8/30/2012

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JL: How long have you lived and worked as a playwright in DC? What brought you here? Why have you stayed?
JR:
I grew up just outside the DC line, left town at 17, and then lived in a variety of interesting places for 20 years. For six years, I was Artistic Director of Company One Theater, a professional theater in Hartford, CT, that produced premieres by folks like Suzan-Lori Parks, Paula Vogel, Deborah Brevoort, Oana-Maria Hock, Rachel Sheinkin, Erik Ehn, John C. Russell, Elizabeth Egloff, Bridget Carpenter, Lisa Jones, and Donna diNovelli. When Company One went under (a sad story for another day), I ended up accepting an offer to develop and direct a brand new MFA in experimental theater at Towson University. I was planning to spend three years getting it up and running and then get back to my work. Eighteen years later, I’m still teaching at Towson, although I have since stepped down as director and dropped to half-time, in order to leave more time for my writing and directing.

JL: Have you ever been a member of a DC area playwrights writing group? If so, did you find it useful? Would you recommend that other playwrights join them?
JR:
I’ve heard some great things about a number of writing groups in DC, and I think it’s fantastic that there are now so many! I’ve never belonged to a local writing group, per se. In addition to my teaching at Towson, I teach in a low residency MA/MFA creative writing program at Wilkes University, PA. Thirty-five writers show up twice a year to do readings at the residencies and talk about our work with each other, and some of us have gone away on writing retreats together, email work to each other, etc. And I have writer friends around the country, including dramaturg Mame Hunt, who have been very helpful in responding to my work - I hope I’ve been as helpful in responding to theirs! And of course my husband Chas Marsh, who is also my favorite composer, sound designer and video artist, is usually the first ear.

I do recommend finding the right people with whom you can share your work, and I know that many people find a writing group invaluable. I think the best structure for that sharing may look different for each of us, and we often need different kinds of input at different times in our process. Especially in the early stages of writing, I think it’s important to have responders who share (or at least appreciate) your aesthetic, so your work doesn’t get derailed before you even know what it wants to be.

JL: In DC, we have the Capital Fringe Festival, the Intersections Festival, the Source Festival, the Kennedy Center's Page-to-Stage Festival, the Black Theater Festival, and the Hip Hop Theatre Festival. We also have the Mead Lab at Flashpoint Theater Lab Program. Have you participated in any of these? If so, can you speak about your experience?
JR:
I’ve had my writing produced in the Source Festival three times, and just had a piece in the Cap Fringe this summer. Each time it was a very different kind of experience, but all basically good ones. Festivals have a certain frantic yet exhilarating energy, and they give artists a chance to try out different collaborations, which has certainly been useful and rewarding for me. I’ve met wonderful artists and incredibly hardworking and dedicated people in all aspects of the production process.

JL: What kind of work do you do to pay the bills? How do you balance this work with your writing?
JR:
I was founding director of Towson University’s MFA in Theatre Program in 1994 and directed it for a dozen years. I continue to teach playwriting and new works development there and also teach in Wilkes University’s Creative Writing MA/MFA since consulting on its development in 2004.

Teaching is my main money gig. I find it inspiring and satisfying, and I especially love the individual mentoring of the graduate school teaching experience, but universities seem to be learning all the wrong lessons from the business world. Let’s just say I find a contemplative practice essential to maintaining any semblance of a balance in university life.

I may sometimes complain about teaching taking away from my writing time, but I don’t think that trying to rely on income from art-making would work for me in our culture, especially when you consider the commitment to self-promotion it takes these days. I don’t see that the free market supports creativity in any real way because it encourages the repetition of commercial success over the risk of experimentation: I’m amazed by the extraordinary artists who manage to continue to do brilliant work under those conditions. I feel for my students, and am horrified by the absurd rising costs of higher education that are making it harder and harder to let an artist’s education be about inquiry and experimentation. I worry about this a lot, how commodification undermines art in our society, and so I deeply appreciate having a job that allows me to create my work without focusing on how much income each individual project is going to provide.

JL: How many plays have you had produced in the DC area? Were any of these plays self-produced? If so, where and what did you learn from that experience?
JR:
I’ve done much more of my work outside of DC than in it, both as a writer and as a director. Once I came back to the DC area, I was still trading more on my connections in other cities and didn’t really have time to build my DC connections back up when I was running the MFA at Towson.

The down and dirty speed of putting work up in the Source and Cap Fringe Festivals was great in terms of helping me see what I need to rewrite – and several of those plays then got produced in their new forms, in other cities. I’m grateful to Maryland Ensemble Theatre in Frederick, who have offered to work on a new script I’m writing. If we’re counting Baltimore in the equation, I’ve had plays produced by Single Carrot, Iron Crow, The Acme Corporation, and The UnSaddest Factory. And I’ve directed productions at Everyman, Baltimore Theatre Project, Towson U and UMBC in Baltimore, and at Theatre of the First Amendment, Active Cultures (directing your lovely MAD BREED, Jackie!), Atlas, Source, and DCAC.

Since the first 20 years of my career were primarily as a director, I’ve done a lot of producing. Company One was an Equity company, so we basically followed the regional theatre model, although we did some odd things like a live-broadcast radio series, a lunchtime theatre series, a museum tea-time reading series, and an opera. I try not to be the lead producer on projects any more, but I think that playwrights generally have a responsibility now to think of themselves as part of the producing team. Every theatre can use all the help we can give them to get the word out and audiences in the door.

JL: If you could be produced at any theatre in DC, which would it be and why?
JR:
Other than the theatres I’ve known for decades, I try to visit a variety of theatres in DC, and I know better than to draw conclusions from having seen only a couple of plays at any given theatre. I must admit I don’t get down to DC nearly often enough to check out a full range over time of what’s being offered in so many of DC’s smaller theatres that often feature shorter runs.

It’s still not easy to find theatres interested in work that deeply challenges conventional narrative structure. These days, the term “experimental” often refers to the physical performance style, the use of media, a devised development process, or challenging content. Those are all good, and I do all those things in my work, too. However, my personal favorite playground for shaking up our point of view is formal experimentation in language and structure, and that is still what scares theatres the most.

These days, I’m especially interested in the DIY arts movement, both for its disregard of distinctions between disciplines and genres, and for its anti-consumerism. Baltimore has a lot going on in that scene, perhaps in part because there are a lot of young artists, filmmakers and musicians who stay in town after graduating from MICA, Towson, Hopkins or UMBC. They then start companies here with artists in the area or nearby cities, and tour work to NYC, Philly, DC or elsewhere: Wham City, Woof Nova, Missoula Oblongata, Kuumba Collective, EMP Collective, UnSaddest Factory, Single Carrot, Iron Crow, Nommo Theatre, Acme Corporation, Annex, Glass Mind, Copycat, In-Flight, DNA, White Flag; the Trans-Modern, Wordbridge and High Zero Festivals – now I’ll start getting in trouble for leaving out a lot of other good ones! Maybe we need an exchange program for playwrights, between the beltways: I encourage DC playwrights to look into the Baltimore scene, and I promise to head down 95 more often. 

JL: DC audiences are…
JR:
They seem to be getting more adventurous, I’m happy to say. And I love to see the different communities that get drawn to different theatres.

JL: DC actors, designers and directors are…
JR:
It’s amazing to see how this community of artists has grown in both quantity and quality since I first directed in DC, more than 20 years ago. I think DC is as good a community of theatre artists as any city in the country.

JL: DC critics…
JR:
The state of American theatre criticism, everywhere, is a big concern. I am still astonished to read so many reviews that talk about “the spine of the play,” “whose story is this?,” “what’s the central conflict?” and other semi-Aristotelian notions when a play is obviously exploring other approaches to narrative. Contemporary psychological theory is so much more interesting than the “character arcs” and pseudo-Freudian approaches of the 1950’s we still see some critics craving. It’s the critic’s job to help audiences see deeper into a play, not flatten it out. Sorry. Hot topic. DC is no worse than most places. Let’s move on, shall we?

JL: How do you feel the DC theatre community has addressed the issues of race and gender parity ? How has this particular issue impacted you and your ability to get your work produced on the main stages?
JR:
Congrats on doing your part by writing this blog, Jackie! It seems that concerted activist efforts may have started to move things a bit in some quarters, although tokenism is still rampant. At my theatre in Hartford, when I was reading dozens of new plays every week, I found that many plays challenging conventional narrative, character, and structure, were often written by women, LGBT artists, and people outside the western European tradition. I think this formal expression of otherness still stops some of our most exciting writers from getting produced outside New York City.

JL: What advice do you have for an up and coming DC based playwright or a playwright who has just moved to D.C.?
JR:
Take advantage of DC’s incredible wealth of resources, from festivals to writing groups to small theatres. But don’t get stuck in your own city limits: check out Baltimore and Philly and NYC - and Montreal and Moscow, for that matter. I notice that many cities (including my adopted home here in B’more) can get a little claustrophobic, artistically. We need to keep the communication open between the cities as well as in our own communities. And maybe most important: take care of yourself. Find time to get a little nature on you, meditate, step away from the keyboard. Don’t focus on your career in art, focus on your life in art.

JL: What's next for you as a playwright? Where can we keep up with your work?
JR:
My script for THE CIRCLE, Banished? Production’s site-specific audio play that Carmen Wong just directed for the Cap Fringe, is being remounted at Dupont Circle 9/26 to 10/7: www.banishedproductions.org

I’m directing Jordan Harrison’s ACT A LADY at Iron Crow, Baltimore Theatre Project, May 2013, which should be a blast: www.ironcrowtheatre.com

I’m working with Cincinnati composer Douglas Knehans, writing a libretto for BACKWARDS FROM WINTER: an opera for soprano, electric cello and video that we should be getting into the recording studio by early 2013.

I'm writing the libretto and directing an opera for soprano and electric cello with composer Douglas Knehans (2013).

And in the category of how to keep sane and creative, I taught a workshop on meditation and playwriting this summer at the KO Festival of Performance, and look forward to continuing this exploration of the connection between contemplative practice and artistic process: http://kofest.com/playwriting_workshop/

I announce projects through my facebook page, so friend me for updates, and my website is www.juanitarockwell.com
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