2020 In Review
2019 In Review
2018 In Review
December 2018
On November 30, Benchmark Theatre presented the world premiere of my newest play, What You Will, in Denver. The play tells the story of Adam, a forty-something gay man living a quiet but seemingly contented life. He’s married to a man he truly loves and runs a stationery shop, where he expertly designs custom wedding invitations. However, when he simultaneously meets two different individuals — a rather seductive married man in a gym steam room and a joyful, yet frenetic bride in desperate need of assistance — he begins to realize that marriage may have clear boundaries, but it certainly does not have very clear rules. The play ran until December 22 to nearly sold out houses every night, earning generous praise from audiences and critics, including,
November 2018
Marginalia at Bite Size: An Evening of Micro Theatre at Bookbar
It's been so joyful to see this play brought to vivid life by such a consummate, thoughtful, generous, and talented production team. Emma Messenger and Regan Linton have been wowing audiences as they trade off in the roles of J and M in the play, which was skillfully directed by Mare Trevathan. In her Westword review, Juliet Wittman calls the evening a "theatrical feast," writing that my play "has captured some of the mystery and magic of used books. Marginalia," she writes, "communicates a sense of wonder about the connection between writer and reader, and between a current reader and those unknown souls from other times and places who perused the book before her." Kindred Spirits at the Exit Theater in San Francisco
BESTIES: They say some friends come and go like waves in the ocean, but best friends stick around like an octopus on your face. Let's face it, sometimes friendship can be sticky. (What is a brojob anyway?) Left Coast Theatre Company's newest collection of hilarious and heartfelt original shorts will have you reaching for the tissues and crying with laughter as they share six original tales of the unpredictability and wackiness of queer friendships in the modern age. The anthologized evening, includes my one-act play, Kindred Spirits, starring Nick Leonard and Eric Berglund, and directed by Christian Heppinstall.
Kindred Spirits was important for me to write, because I think there are so few portrayals of gay men of or past a certain age dealing with issues of love, intimacy, and sex. Gay relationships and queer identity are definitely finding representation in mainstream entertainment; but, how these issues play out as we age, as we get older, as we mature with our friends and our partners is a terrain that’s really yet to be fully explored in theater, movies, and TV. Kindred Spirits is my first, but probably not my last attempt at tackling … well, let’s just call it Senior Sexuality.
Additional Productions in November & December:
As if I couldn't be riding a higher wave of excitement given the premiere of What You Will and the concurrent productions of Marginalia and Kindred Spirits, there will also be other readings and productions of my work occurring between now and the end of the year, including Assisted Living at The New American Theatre in Los Angeles (11/4-11/180, On The Horns of a Dilemma by What's On Tom? Production in Kilkenny, Ireland (11/8- 11/17), On The Rocks at both Queens Theatre in New York (11/18-11/19) and Questionable Theatrics in Denver (11/26), as well as Dangling Participles at Metropolitan State University in Denver, beginning 12/6.
September 2018
Pen & Podium, Monday, September 24
I’ve been trying to pull together the right words to describe our spectacular evening with George Saunders, who was as smart as he was funny as he was genuine as he was generous. And, I can’t come up with them, the words, to convey the amount of kindness, magnanimity, humor, and intelligence he brought to our stage. So, I’ll let him speak for himself:“Fiction is a kind of compassion-generating machine that saves us from sloth. Is life kind or cruel? Yes, Literature answers. Are people good or bad? You bet, says Literature. But unlike other systems of knowing, Literature declines to eradicate one truth in favor of another; rather, it teaches us to abide with the fact that, in their own way, all things are true, and helps us, in the face of this terrifying knowledge, continually push ourselves in the direction of Open the Hell Up.”
You Opened us the Hell Up, George, and it was amazing, inspiring, and one helluva a good time! Thank you for an unforgettable lecture, one of the best that Pen & Podium has ever hosted.
Cast Announced for
Bite-Size: An Evening of Micro Theatre
Off-Center, the Denver Center’s most unconventional line of programming, announced casting for Bite-Size: An Evening of Micro Theatre. Bite-Size is an evening of original short plays and performance pieces by Colorado artists performed off-site at Denver’s BookBar and designed as a 360-degree experience, where audience members will journey through a variety of spaces in and around BookBar, located at 4280 Tennyson St., encountering each new play in an intimate group of just 10 other audience members.Bite-Size will run for 24 performances from October 23 through November 18. This event is conceived and led by Meridith C. Grundei, who performed in the DCPA Theatre Company’s Frankenstein and was featured as one of Westword’s 2017 100 Colorado Creatives.
I'm thrilled that my newest short play, Marginalia, will be one of the five feature pieces in Bite-Size. Marginalia, directed by Mare Trevathan, will star Emma Messenger and Regan Linton (pictured above), who will trade off in the roles of J and M nightly, so every performance of the run will truly be a different play-going experience.
Tickets for Bite-Size are available at https://www.denvercenter.org/tickets-events/bite-size/.
August 2018
Rough Draught in HowlRound
So proud of Leslie C. Lewis' killer article about Rough Draught Playwright's commitment to supporting, engaging, and strengthening our Colorado playwriting community. Leslie, one of RDP's co-creators, does a beautiful job painting a picture of the night and giving a sense of the joyful collaborations and exciting networking that occurs at our quarterly open mic events. I encourage you to take a look at the article, post a comment if you're moved to do so, and consider creating a similar event in your own community. Please click on the photo below to link to the full article.
June 2018
"Lost and Found" -- Denver, Colorado -- On Sunday, June 3, the good people at One Night Stand will present one of my monologues in their showcase "Around the World," a theatrical spin around the globe through performance, scenes, and stories. My contribution, "Lost and Found," details one woman's experience literally (and figuratively) losing her husband in the Musée d’Orsay. This is the first time that "Lost and Found," which was published by JAC Publishing in their collection InterJACtions: Monologues at the Heart of Human Nature, Volume 3, will be performed in Denver, so I hope you'll consider coming out to see and support it as well as the other featured writers in ONS' latest production.
May 2018
Marginalia -- Denver, Colorado -- I'm beside myself with joy to announce that my newest short play, "Marginalia" has been selected by Off-Center, the Denver Center for the Perfroming Arts' most unconventional line of programming, for Bite-Size, an evening of original short plays and performance pieces by Colorado artists — all with bookish twists — to be performed environmentally this fall at Book Bar, an independent book store and wine bar in the Tennyson Street Arts District in Denver. The play is being described as a "charming, intimate and sly play," in which "a reticent customer at a used bookstore is confronted by the shop’s manager when caught defacing some books." The play will be directed by Mare Trevathan (Associate Artistic Director of Local Theater Company, www.maretrevathan.com), an amazing Colorado-based actor and director, with whom I've been hoping to work. For more information about Bite-Size and and article about this exciting Micro-theater project, please click on the image above, which shows all of the featured artists selected by a blind submission process for this exciting endeavor.
Pen & Podium -- Maria Semple -- "Writers must write. If you are a writer and you don't write ... you WILL become a menace to society." ~ Maria Semple
In all the years I've been working with authors, I don't think I've ever had more fun than I did on Monday, May 13, when I had the great privilege to host Maria Semple. It started in the car ride over, when we met and instantly starting gushing over and SQUEEing with one another about our mutual love of musical theater. Then, she presented one of the most entertaining lectures we've had at Pen & Podium in recent years -- funny, heartfelt and wildly, unashamedly, unabashedly genuine. After the lecture and book signing, Maria and I headed to a hotel bar, where we spent hours drinking Moscow mules and talking about art, books, and theater in a haze of ginger-scented laughter. (She also introduced me to my new obsession, Broadway Backstory, a documentary-style podcast that explores Broadway musicals from conception to premiere. Check it out at https://www.todaytix.com/broadway-backstory!)
Again, HOW did I get so lucky? I'm incredibly grateful for books, authors, and readers and to be given a platform through Pen & Podium to have these three amazing forces come together in my life.
Multiple Short Works -- Laramie, Wyoming -- Three of my short plays (Award-Winning Entry, Date with Destiny, and On the Horns of a Dilemma) were selected by students at the University of Wyoming at Laramie to be performed as part of the Theatre Department's Senior Directing Workshop. It was a pleasure working with the students and to model effective and collaborative playwright/director relationships with and for them.
March 2018
Pen & Podium -- Tony Kushner -- On Monday, March 12, I had the incredibly ridiculous pleasure of hosting Tony Kushner onstage for a ninety minute interview at the Newman Center for the Performing Arts in Denver, Colorado. I don't know what to say or where to begin about Tony's grace, generosity, intelligence, and humor. I really don't. He was an absolute joy to host, and the 900+ member audience responded to his warmth with the most resounding applause, appreciation, and laughter.Over the course of our conversation, Tony spoke candidly (and brilliantly!) about the art of playwriting, the joys and challenges of collaboration, the relationship (or lack thereof) between artistry and activism, and the beautiful "treacherousness" of words, among other things. At one point, as we giggled and gushed about musical theater, Tony even provided us with some thoughts and insights about his new screenplay for the upcoming Spielberg reboot of West Side Story.
It's always such a joy to meet an author you respect; but it is a pleasure-beyond-words when an author you respect also turns out to be a lovely human being and and artist worthy of both heroism and esteem.
In addition to a spirited and engaging conversation with Tony, the night was also very exciting because we finally announced our 2018-19 Pen & Podium season, which will include:
Benchmark Theatre named "Best First Act" in Denver
March 31, 2018: In their annual "Best Of" issue, Denver's acclaimed alt weekly, Westword, names Benchmark Theatre the "Best First Act" for its bold and noteworthy first season. The citation reads, "As the first offering in its new and permanent space in Lakewood (first pioneered by Edge), Benchmark presented A Kid Like Jake, a thoughtful and well-executed play about a four-year-old who loves princesses and wants to dress as Snow White for Halloween, and the efforts of his worried parents to get him into a first-rate preschool. The rest of this inaugural season will introduce local audiences to interesting and critically acclaimed works that are still relatively unknown here, along with a new play by local author Jeffrey Neuman. And then there's the second annual Fever Dream Festival, a "celebration of science fiction, fantasy and horror featuring new and original works." Helmed by actors Haley Johnson and Rachel Rogers, Benchmark promises to bring an entirely new sensibility to town."
February 2018
Pen & Podium -- Katherine Boo -- "Hope is not a fiction."
I can't tell you how inspirited, inspired, and entranced I was by Katherine Boo's lecture at Pen & Podium on February 6. Rather than speak about her writing and her process, instead Kate told us about the lessons she's learned over the years by dedicating herself and her career to active listening, exercising empathy, and uncovering the stories that remain untold and the injustices that remain unchallenged. "Injustice anywhere," she reminded, "is a threat to justice everywhere."
On November 30, Benchmark Theatre presented the world premiere of my newest play, What You Will, in Denver. The play tells the story of Adam, a forty-something gay man living a quiet but seemingly contented life. He’s married to a man he truly loves and runs a stationery shop, where he expertly designs custom wedding invitations. However, when he simultaneously meets two different individuals — a rather seductive married man in a gym steam room and a joyful, yet frenetic bride in desperate need of assistance — he begins to realize that marriage may have clear boundaries, but it certainly does not have very clear rules. The play ran until December 22 to nearly sold out houses every night, earning generous praise from audiences and critics, including,
- "A witty, incisive and sometimes prurient reflection on loyalty, truth, marriage and relationships ..... “What You Will” gives a nod and a wink to “Twelfth Night,” but the genius of Neuman’s story – and it is stunning – lies in examining the fabrications large and small that we tell ourselves and those dearest to us.". ~ The Denver Post, Claire Martin
- "Literate and deeply felt .... You’re likely to find yourself holding your breath and then tearing up at the answers, because the truths Neuman uncovers strike deep." ~ Westword, Juliet Wittman
- "A powerful play with a powerful message." ~ Marlowe's Musings, David Marlowe
- "The dynamics between characters and the universal issues that are highlighted are reason enough to go see the show." ~ Addison Herron-Wheeler, Outfront Colorado
November 2018
Marginalia at Bite Size: An Evening of Micro Theatre at Bookbar
It's been so joyful to see this play brought to vivid life by such a consummate, thoughtful, generous, and talented production team. Emma Messenger and Regan Linton have been wowing audiences as they trade off in the roles of J and M in the play, which was skillfully directed by Mare Trevathan. In her Westword review, Juliet Wittman calls the evening a "theatrical feast," writing that my play "has captured some of the mystery and magic of used books. Marginalia," she writes, "communicates a sense of wonder about the connection between writer and reader, and between a current reader and those unknown souls from other times and places who perused the book before her." Kindred Spirits at the Exit Theater in San Francisco
BESTIES: They say some friends come and go like waves in the ocean, but best friends stick around like an octopus on your face. Let's face it, sometimes friendship can be sticky. (What is a brojob anyway?) Left Coast Theatre Company's newest collection of hilarious and heartfelt original shorts will have you reaching for the tissues and crying with laughter as they share six original tales of the unpredictability and wackiness of queer friendships in the modern age. The anthologized evening, includes my one-act play, Kindred Spirits, starring Nick Leonard and Eric Berglund, and directed by Christian Heppinstall.
Kindred Spirits was important for me to write, because I think there are so few portrayals of gay men of or past a certain age dealing with issues of love, intimacy, and sex. Gay relationships and queer identity are definitely finding representation in mainstream entertainment; but, how these issues play out as we age, as we get older, as we mature with our friends and our partners is a terrain that’s really yet to be fully explored in theater, movies, and TV. Kindred Spirits is my first, but probably not my last attempt at tackling … well, let’s just call it Senior Sexuality.
Additional Productions in November & December:
As if I couldn't be riding a higher wave of excitement given the premiere of What You Will and the concurrent productions of Marginalia and Kindred Spirits, there will also be other readings and productions of my work occurring between now and the end of the year, including Assisted Living at The New American Theatre in Los Angeles (11/4-11/180, On The Horns of a Dilemma by What's On Tom? Production in Kilkenny, Ireland (11/8- 11/17), On The Rocks at both Queens Theatre in New York (11/18-11/19) and Questionable Theatrics in Denver (11/26), as well as Dangling Participles at Metropolitan State University in Denver, beginning 12/6.
September 2018
Pen & Podium, Monday, September 24
I’ve been trying to pull together the right words to describe our spectacular evening with George Saunders, who was as smart as he was funny as he was genuine as he was generous. And, I can’t come up with them, the words, to convey the amount of kindness, magnanimity, humor, and intelligence he brought to our stage. So, I’ll let him speak for himself:“Fiction is a kind of compassion-generating machine that saves us from sloth. Is life kind or cruel? Yes, Literature answers. Are people good or bad? You bet, says Literature. But unlike other systems of knowing, Literature declines to eradicate one truth in favor of another; rather, it teaches us to abide with the fact that, in their own way, all things are true, and helps us, in the face of this terrifying knowledge, continually push ourselves in the direction of Open the Hell Up.”
You Opened us the Hell Up, George, and it was amazing, inspiring, and one helluva a good time! Thank you for an unforgettable lecture, one of the best that Pen & Podium has ever hosted.
Cast Announced for
Bite-Size: An Evening of Micro Theatre
Off-Center, the Denver Center’s most unconventional line of programming, announced casting for Bite-Size: An Evening of Micro Theatre. Bite-Size is an evening of original short plays and performance pieces by Colorado artists performed off-site at Denver’s BookBar and designed as a 360-degree experience, where audience members will journey through a variety of spaces in and around BookBar, located at 4280 Tennyson St., encountering each new play in an intimate group of just 10 other audience members.Bite-Size will run for 24 performances from October 23 through November 18. This event is conceived and led by Meridith C. Grundei, who performed in the DCPA Theatre Company’s Frankenstein and was featured as one of Westword’s 2017 100 Colorado Creatives.
I'm thrilled that my newest short play, Marginalia, will be one of the five feature pieces in Bite-Size. Marginalia, directed by Mare Trevathan, will star Emma Messenger and Regan Linton (pictured above), who will trade off in the roles of J and M nightly, so every performance of the run will truly be a different play-going experience.
Tickets for Bite-Size are available at https://www.denvercenter.org/tickets-events/bite-size/.
August 2018
Rough Draught in HowlRound
So proud of Leslie C. Lewis' killer article about Rough Draught Playwright's commitment to supporting, engaging, and strengthening our Colorado playwriting community. Leslie, one of RDP's co-creators, does a beautiful job painting a picture of the night and giving a sense of the joyful collaborations and exciting networking that occurs at our quarterly open mic events. I encourage you to take a look at the article, post a comment if you're moved to do so, and consider creating a similar event in your own community. Please click on the photo below to link to the full article.
June 2018
"Lost and Found" -- Denver, Colorado -- On Sunday, June 3, the good people at One Night Stand will present one of my monologues in their showcase "Around the World," a theatrical spin around the globe through performance, scenes, and stories. My contribution, "Lost and Found," details one woman's experience literally (and figuratively) losing her husband in the Musée d’Orsay. This is the first time that "Lost and Found," which was published by JAC Publishing in their collection InterJACtions: Monologues at the Heart of Human Nature, Volume 3, will be performed in Denver, so I hope you'll consider coming out to see and support it as well as the other featured writers in ONS' latest production.
May 2018
Marginalia -- Denver, Colorado -- I'm beside myself with joy to announce that my newest short play, "Marginalia" has been selected by Off-Center, the Denver Center for the Perfroming Arts' most unconventional line of programming, for Bite-Size, an evening of original short plays and performance pieces by Colorado artists — all with bookish twists — to be performed environmentally this fall at Book Bar, an independent book store and wine bar in the Tennyson Street Arts District in Denver. The play is being described as a "charming, intimate and sly play," in which "a reticent customer at a used bookstore is confronted by the shop’s manager when caught defacing some books." The play will be directed by Mare Trevathan (Associate Artistic Director of Local Theater Company, www.maretrevathan.com), an amazing Colorado-based actor and director, with whom I've been hoping to work. For more information about Bite-Size and and article about this exciting Micro-theater project, please click on the image above, which shows all of the featured artists selected by a blind submission process for this exciting endeavor.
Pen & Podium -- Maria Semple -- "Writers must write. If you are a writer and you don't write ... you WILL become a menace to society." ~ Maria Semple
In all the years I've been working with authors, I don't think I've ever had more fun than I did on Monday, May 13, when I had the great privilege to host Maria Semple. It started in the car ride over, when we met and instantly starting gushing over and SQUEEing with one another about our mutual love of musical theater. Then, she presented one of the most entertaining lectures we've had at Pen & Podium in recent years -- funny, heartfelt and wildly, unashamedly, unabashedly genuine. After the lecture and book signing, Maria and I headed to a hotel bar, where we spent hours drinking Moscow mules and talking about art, books, and theater in a haze of ginger-scented laughter. (She also introduced me to my new obsession, Broadway Backstory, a documentary-style podcast that explores Broadway musicals from conception to premiere. Check it out at https://www.todaytix.com/broadway-backstory!)
Again, HOW did I get so lucky? I'm incredibly grateful for books, authors, and readers and to be given a platform through Pen & Podium to have these three amazing forces come together in my life.
Multiple Short Works -- Laramie, Wyoming -- Three of my short plays (Award-Winning Entry, Date with Destiny, and On the Horns of a Dilemma) were selected by students at the University of Wyoming at Laramie to be performed as part of the Theatre Department's Senior Directing Workshop. It was a pleasure working with the students and to model effective and collaborative playwright/director relationships with and for them.
March 2018
Pen & Podium -- Tony Kushner -- On Monday, March 12, I had the incredibly ridiculous pleasure of hosting Tony Kushner onstage for a ninety minute interview at the Newman Center for the Performing Arts in Denver, Colorado. I don't know what to say or where to begin about Tony's grace, generosity, intelligence, and humor. I really don't. He was an absolute joy to host, and the 900+ member audience responded to his warmth with the most resounding applause, appreciation, and laughter.Over the course of our conversation, Tony spoke candidly (and brilliantly!) about the art of playwriting, the joys and challenges of collaboration, the relationship (or lack thereof) between artistry and activism, and the beautiful "treacherousness" of words, among other things. At one point, as we giggled and gushed about musical theater, Tony even provided us with some thoughts and insights about his new screenplay for the upcoming Spielberg reboot of West Side Story.
It's always such a joy to meet an author you respect; but it is a pleasure-beyond-words when an author you respect also turns out to be a lovely human being and and artist worthy of both heroism and esteem.
In addition to a spirited and engaging conversation with Tony, the night was also very exciting because we finally announced our 2018-19 Pen & Podium season, which will include:
- George Saunders,
- Amor Towles,
- Celeste Ng,
- Louise Penny, and
- David McCollough
Benchmark Theatre named "Best First Act" in Denver
March 31, 2018: In their annual "Best Of" issue, Denver's acclaimed alt weekly, Westword, names Benchmark Theatre the "Best First Act" for its bold and noteworthy first season. The citation reads, "As the first offering in its new and permanent space in Lakewood (first pioneered by Edge), Benchmark presented A Kid Like Jake, a thoughtful and well-executed play about a four-year-old who loves princesses and wants to dress as Snow White for Halloween, and the efforts of his worried parents to get him into a first-rate preschool. The rest of this inaugural season will introduce local audiences to interesting and critically acclaimed works that are still relatively unknown here, along with a new play by local author Jeffrey Neuman. And then there's the second annual Fever Dream Festival, a "celebration of science fiction, fantasy and horror featuring new and original works." Helmed by actors Haley Johnson and Rachel Rogers, Benchmark promises to bring an entirely new sensibility to town."
February 2018
Pen & Podium -- Katherine Boo -- "Hope is not a fiction."
I can't tell you how inspirited, inspired, and entranced I was by Katherine Boo's lecture at Pen & Podium on February 6. Rather than speak about her writing and her process, instead Kate told us about the lessons she's learned over the years by dedicating herself and her career to active listening, exercising empathy, and uncovering the stories that remain untold and the injustices that remain unchallenged. "Injustice anywhere," she reminded, "is a threat to justice everywhere."
2017 In Review
November 2017
Unwanted Advances -- Local Theater Company (Boulder, Colorado) -- I was truly honored to contribute a monologue to #MeToo: A Series of Unwanted Advances, a staged reading performed at the Dairy Arts Center in association with Local Theater Company's production of The Rape of the Sabine Women. The reading was an interweaving of stories from people who have been victimized by sexual assault. My contribution, "Babysat," was one of the hardest things I've ever penned, but also one of the most liberating actions I've ever undertaken.
Pen & Podium -- Richard Russo -- On November 13, I had the good fortune to, once again, have a “please-pinch-me-because-this-can’t-be-real” moment due to my work with the Denver Post’s Pen & Podium series. Before his thoughtful and beautifully articulated lecture, I got to spend the evening with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Russo, where we spoke about craft, character development, dialogue, and making that first big, inevitable mistake (pretty much) every time you set out to tell a story. Rick was, perhaps, one of the most generous and gentle of authors I’ve ever had the privilege to host and I love it so, so, so much when a masterful writer also turns out to be a wonderful human being.
September 2017
Pen & Podium -- Colson Whitehead -- During his September 25 Pen & Podium lecture, Colson Whitehead covered pretty much everything you could possibly think of, including Neanderthal existentialists, the apostrophe in "Diff'rent Strokes" and, of course, the Martian propensity for haiku. Funny, thoughtful and insightful, he had our audiences in rapt attention as he discussed life, writing, and the his artistic process as related to the development and realization of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Underground Railroad. He also had the audience singing (SINGING!) "MacArthur Park" in unison. A group sing-along was definitely an exciting first for our program, so (all in all) our kick-off for the 2017-18 season was a dynamic and memorable event with a truly spectacular artist.
What You Will (Denver, Colorado) -- I'm thrilled beyond belief to get the opportunity to share a story that means a lot to me with a community that means the world to me. My new play, What You Will, is going to be produced right in my hometown in December 2018! So, get ready for some anonymous sex, Shakespeare and wedding invitations, Colorado.
One of the many reasons I'm excited about this endeavor is because it will give me the chance to work closely with Benchmark Theatre to create a path to production for new plays in Colorado, a path that is not contest-based nor festival-based, but rather a play-centric development process that culminates in a full professional production.
I'm also wildly ecstatic because this project will allow me to, once again, partner with Kate Folkins, who is one of the most talented, intuitive and generous directors with whom I have ever had the chance to work. I'm also tickled to no end to be able to share a season with the amazingly talented Jackie Goldfinger (The Arsonists), who I met and became friends with during my retreat to Italy (LaMaMa Umbria) in 2015, when both of our scripts were brand spanking new and in development.
Exit Strategies (NYC) -- I'm beside myself with excitement to announce that Exit Strategies, my Henry Award-nominated/Marlowe Award-winning play, is going to NEW YORK! In mid-September, Exit Strategies will have the unique and rare opportunity to be performed in front of a roomful of producers and investors who can, hopefully, bring the play to its next level -- a professional New York production. The reading is being directed by Kate Folkins and will star James O'Hagan-Murphy, Tracy Shaffer, Laura Jo Trexler and Julie Kaye Wolf.
This endeavor, being produced by Susan Lyles and Exit Strategies Theatrical LLC, features an all-Colorado creative team and is self-funded, so we sure could use your help. Any financial support you can provide would be incredibly welcomed to help us fully realize our hopes for the play and its future. We are looking to raise $5,000 to cover all travel, accommodations and overhead for the reading. Tax deductible donations can be made through Fractured Atlas, a fundraising platform that empowers artists, arts organizations, and other cultural sector stakeholders by eliminating practical barriers to artistic expression.
Thank you for your generosity and thank you for helping this little band of players bring some Colorado theater to the Great White Way.
July 2017
Rough Draught (Denver, Colorado) -- On Tuesday, July 11, Rough Draught Playwrights celebrated its 5th BIRTHDAY at a sold-out Summer Playground! Yup, RDP officially turned 5 YEARS OLD! It's hard to believe, but over those five short years we've showcased new and developing work from SIXTY DIFFERENT Colorado playwrights, with many of those works going on to win awards, festival participation, and full productions all over the world. This July's birthday/playground featured an evening of new work as well as a performance by NEA award-winning playwright Idris Goodwin.
Benchmark Theatre (Denver, Colorado) -- On July 10, I had the great (and nerve-wracking) privilege to share my newest work-in-progress, What You Will, with a small audience at a studio in the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. I'm so grateful for the immeasurable talents of director Kate Folkins, dramaturg Sarah Johnson and the cast, Steven J. Burge, Luke Sorge, Kevin Kantor and Maggy Stacy, who helped me to identify some really key areas of development for this very promising script. I'm also incredibly thankful to Benchmark Theatre for providing the resources for this development workshop and Dirtyfish Theatre Collective for the invaluable feedback. I've got my work cut out for me on this one, but I'm truly thrilled and excited by where it is and where it can potentially go.
June 2017
Fever Dream Festival (Denver, Colorado) -- I know, quite well, how hard it is to get a play produced. It wasn't until I started curating the 300+ scripts we received for Benchmark Theatre's first ever FEVER DREAM FESTIVAL, however, that I realized how much harder it is for genre playwrights to get their works staged. Despite the fact that science fiction, fantasy and horror dominate pop culture, it still hasn't found its place into theater; the playwrights who submitted to the festival mentioned, time and again in their cover letters, how often they have felt discriminated against, disparaged and dismissed for the stories they told and the medium in which they write. That's one of the many reasons I was so thrilled to have served as one of the festival coordinators of FEVER DREAM, a celebration of genre playwriting in all shapes and sizes -- full-lengths, one-acts and shorts. This year's Fever Dream honorees, included:
An Invitation Out, by Shualee Cook
Blood Pact, by Brenda Foley
Blue Lagoon, by Thomas Pierce
Blueberries Weep, by David Williams
For The Living, by Chie-Hoon Lee
Hibiscus Towel, by Kevin Scott Chess
Howard, by Mark Harvey Levine
Maniac Lake, by Jeff Carey
Mercury's in Retrograde, and You Suck, by Rich Orloff
Removed, by John J. Caswell, Jr.
Saucer City, by Laura Shamas
Transgression, by Thomas C. Dunn
The Burning of Kenneth Carrion, by Joshua Fardon
Looking forward to seeing these plays in performance and to (hopefully) develop long-lasting and generative relationships with the talented playwrights who have been selected.
April & May 2017
Pen & Podium -- Julia Alvarez -- "Storytelling is the act of loving an uncreated thing into being." Every now and then we get the chance to hear a speaker whose words are as inspiring as they are beautiful. May 8 provided one of those chances for all of us at Pen & Podium. Julia Alvarez's message was so powerful, so generous and so inspiriting. "Stories fuel dreams," she said. "Stories fuel the movement toward freedom. Change is made by storytellers and, therefore, activism and storytelling are deeply connected. They are, in fact, one and the same."
As a playwright and storyteller, I was so grateful to Ms. Alvarez for reminding me of the power and importance of storytelling and that the movements that change the world start with small changes in the heart.
Rough Draught Playwrights -- On April 18, RDP hosted its Spring Open Mic Theatrical Playground. The event was, quite simply, spectacular and it was a pure joy to host. Seven intrepid playwrights shared pieces from their works-in-progress in front of a robust crowd at Denver's Walnut Room. It was not only an amazing testament to the quality of Front Range dramaturgy, but also a shining example of our community's generosity and support of new voices in playwriting.
March 2017
Pen & Podium -- Mary Karr -- How can you not fall in love with someone who describes reading as "socially sanctioned disassociation" and memoir-writing as the "act of knocking yourself out with your own fist?" Mary Karr was pure joy to host -- genuine, thoughtful, smart and laugh out loud hysterical. If you've read any of her beautiful and almost shockingly honest memoirs, she comes across in person exactly as she does on the page. If you haven't read any of her beautiful and almost shockingly honest memoirs ... what are you waiting for?
At Mary's spectacular event, we also announced next year's Pen & Podium series. I'm thrilled to announce that for 2017-18, we will be hosting,
January & February 2017
Pen & Podium -- Anthony Doerr -- It's slightly ridiculous that I actually have a JOB where I get to hang out with some of the most high-profile authors in the world. I've had the amazing opportunity to rub shoulders and spend time with dozens of Pulitzer Prize-winning novelists, Academy Award-winning screenwriters and National Book Award Finalists and nominees. I can't say enough about Anthony Doerr, who I hosted on February 6. Tony was as generous and warm as he was funny and articulate. His Pen & Podium lecture managed to touch on everything from "literary liposuction" to videos of lemurs eating strawberries. But it was his message about "The Importance of Artistic Failure" that inspirited and resonated with everyone. Basically, he reminded us that there's only one failure in artistic pursuit and that is, quite simply, to NOT pursue it. If you are a writer, write. If you are a painter, paint. He urged us to not worry about legacy and success, but rather to say what is in our heart, to take action, to create and to play. That above all else: we should never forget to play. A truly wonderful and memorable evening and Tony received a well-deserved standing ovation.
Kindred Spirits -- Newtown, Connecticut -- In early February, it was announced that my short play Kindred Spirits was named as a Semi-Finalist for Stray Kats Theatre Company's Still Crazy (After All These Years) Play Festival, which produces new works for and about senior citizens. I'm really happy that my play is under consideration because I think it addresses an area that's focused on very peripherally -- sex and friendship (not particularly in that order) between aging gay men. Stray Cats received over 500 submissions, from which they will be selecting several plays for full production in New Haven, Connecticut for May 2017.
Dangling Participles -- Denver, Colorado -- My short play about grammar and sex had yet another showing, this time with the good folks at One Night Stand Theater. Though I wasn't able to be there in person to see the show, I heard that it went over incredibly well. Actor Chelsea Frye generously wrote to tell me, "Every time I see your work I am blown away by your wit, exquisite words and your ability to tell a story that is so grounded in truth." Incredibly high praise from an actor I truly respect and admire.
Unwanted Advances -- Local Theater Company (Boulder, Colorado) -- I was truly honored to contribute a monologue to #MeToo: A Series of Unwanted Advances, a staged reading performed at the Dairy Arts Center in association with Local Theater Company's production of The Rape of the Sabine Women. The reading was an interweaving of stories from people who have been victimized by sexual assault. My contribution, "Babysat," was one of the hardest things I've ever penned, but also one of the most liberating actions I've ever undertaken.
Pen & Podium -- Richard Russo -- On November 13, I had the good fortune to, once again, have a “please-pinch-me-because-this-can’t-be-real” moment due to my work with the Denver Post’s Pen & Podium series. Before his thoughtful and beautifully articulated lecture, I got to spend the evening with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Russo, where we spoke about craft, character development, dialogue, and making that first big, inevitable mistake (pretty much) every time you set out to tell a story. Rick was, perhaps, one of the most generous and gentle of authors I’ve ever had the privilege to host and I love it so, so, so much when a masterful writer also turns out to be a wonderful human being.
September 2017
Pen & Podium -- Colson Whitehead -- During his September 25 Pen & Podium lecture, Colson Whitehead covered pretty much everything you could possibly think of, including Neanderthal existentialists, the apostrophe in "Diff'rent Strokes" and, of course, the Martian propensity for haiku. Funny, thoughtful and insightful, he had our audiences in rapt attention as he discussed life, writing, and the his artistic process as related to the development and realization of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Underground Railroad. He also had the audience singing (SINGING!) "MacArthur Park" in unison. A group sing-along was definitely an exciting first for our program, so (all in all) our kick-off for the 2017-18 season was a dynamic and memorable event with a truly spectacular artist.
What You Will (Denver, Colorado) -- I'm thrilled beyond belief to get the opportunity to share a story that means a lot to me with a community that means the world to me. My new play, What You Will, is going to be produced right in my hometown in December 2018! So, get ready for some anonymous sex, Shakespeare and wedding invitations, Colorado.
One of the many reasons I'm excited about this endeavor is because it will give me the chance to work closely with Benchmark Theatre to create a path to production for new plays in Colorado, a path that is not contest-based nor festival-based, but rather a play-centric development process that culminates in a full professional production.
I'm also wildly ecstatic because this project will allow me to, once again, partner with Kate Folkins, who is one of the most talented, intuitive and generous directors with whom I have ever had the chance to work. I'm also tickled to no end to be able to share a season with the amazingly talented Jackie Goldfinger (The Arsonists), who I met and became friends with during my retreat to Italy (LaMaMa Umbria) in 2015, when both of our scripts were brand spanking new and in development.
Exit Strategies (NYC) -- I'm beside myself with excitement to announce that Exit Strategies, my Henry Award-nominated/Marlowe Award-winning play, is going to NEW YORK! In mid-September, Exit Strategies will have the unique and rare opportunity to be performed in front of a roomful of producers and investors who can, hopefully, bring the play to its next level -- a professional New York production. The reading is being directed by Kate Folkins and will star James O'Hagan-Murphy, Tracy Shaffer, Laura Jo Trexler and Julie Kaye Wolf.
This endeavor, being produced by Susan Lyles and Exit Strategies Theatrical LLC, features an all-Colorado creative team and is self-funded, so we sure could use your help. Any financial support you can provide would be incredibly welcomed to help us fully realize our hopes for the play and its future. We are looking to raise $5,000 to cover all travel, accommodations and overhead for the reading. Tax deductible donations can be made through Fractured Atlas, a fundraising platform that empowers artists, arts organizations, and other cultural sector stakeholders by eliminating practical barriers to artistic expression.
Thank you for your generosity and thank you for helping this little band of players bring some Colorado theater to the Great White Way.
July 2017
Rough Draught (Denver, Colorado) -- On Tuesday, July 11, Rough Draught Playwrights celebrated its 5th BIRTHDAY at a sold-out Summer Playground! Yup, RDP officially turned 5 YEARS OLD! It's hard to believe, but over those five short years we've showcased new and developing work from SIXTY DIFFERENT Colorado playwrights, with many of those works going on to win awards, festival participation, and full productions all over the world. This July's birthday/playground featured an evening of new work as well as a performance by NEA award-winning playwright Idris Goodwin.
Benchmark Theatre (Denver, Colorado) -- On July 10, I had the great (and nerve-wracking) privilege to share my newest work-in-progress, What You Will, with a small audience at a studio in the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. I'm so grateful for the immeasurable talents of director Kate Folkins, dramaturg Sarah Johnson and the cast, Steven J. Burge, Luke Sorge, Kevin Kantor and Maggy Stacy, who helped me to identify some really key areas of development for this very promising script. I'm also incredibly thankful to Benchmark Theatre for providing the resources for this development workshop and Dirtyfish Theatre Collective for the invaluable feedback. I've got my work cut out for me on this one, but I'm truly thrilled and excited by where it is and where it can potentially go.
June 2017
Fever Dream Festival (Denver, Colorado) -- I know, quite well, how hard it is to get a play produced. It wasn't until I started curating the 300+ scripts we received for Benchmark Theatre's first ever FEVER DREAM FESTIVAL, however, that I realized how much harder it is for genre playwrights to get their works staged. Despite the fact that science fiction, fantasy and horror dominate pop culture, it still hasn't found its place into theater; the playwrights who submitted to the festival mentioned, time and again in their cover letters, how often they have felt discriminated against, disparaged and dismissed for the stories they told and the medium in which they write. That's one of the many reasons I was so thrilled to have served as one of the festival coordinators of FEVER DREAM, a celebration of genre playwriting in all shapes and sizes -- full-lengths, one-acts and shorts. This year's Fever Dream honorees, included:
An Invitation Out, by Shualee Cook
Blood Pact, by Brenda Foley
Blue Lagoon, by Thomas Pierce
Blueberries Weep, by David Williams
For The Living, by Chie-Hoon Lee
Hibiscus Towel, by Kevin Scott Chess
Howard, by Mark Harvey Levine
Maniac Lake, by Jeff Carey
Mercury's in Retrograde, and You Suck, by Rich Orloff
Removed, by John J. Caswell, Jr.
Saucer City, by Laura Shamas
Transgression, by Thomas C. Dunn
The Burning of Kenneth Carrion, by Joshua Fardon
Looking forward to seeing these plays in performance and to (hopefully) develop long-lasting and generative relationships with the talented playwrights who have been selected.
April & May 2017
Pen & Podium -- Julia Alvarez -- "Storytelling is the act of loving an uncreated thing into being." Every now and then we get the chance to hear a speaker whose words are as inspiring as they are beautiful. May 8 provided one of those chances for all of us at Pen & Podium. Julia Alvarez's message was so powerful, so generous and so inspiriting. "Stories fuel dreams," she said. "Stories fuel the movement toward freedom. Change is made by storytellers and, therefore, activism and storytelling are deeply connected. They are, in fact, one and the same."
As a playwright and storyteller, I was so grateful to Ms. Alvarez for reminding me of the power and importance of storytelling and that the movements that change the world start with small changes in the heart.
Rough Draught Playwrights -- On April 18, RDP hosted its Spring Open Mic Theatrical Playground. The event was, quite simply, spectacular and it was a pure joy to host. Seven intrepid playwrights shared pieces from their works-in-progress in front of a robust crowd at Denver's Walnut Room. It was not only an amazing testament to the quality of Front Range dramaturgy, but also a shining example of our community's generosity and support of new voices in playwriting.
March 2017
Pen & Podium -- Mary Karr -- How can you not fall in love with someone who describes reading as "socially sanctioned disassociation" and memoir-writing as the "act of knocking yourself out with your own fist?" Mary Karr was pure joy to host -- genuine, thoughtful, smart and laugh out loud hysterical. If you've read any of her beautiful and almost shockingly honest memoirs, she comes across in person exactly as she does on the page. If you haven't read any of her beautiful and almost shockingly honest memoirs ... what are you waiting for?
At Mary's spectacular event, we also announced next year's Pen & Podium series. I'm thrilled to announce that for 2017-18, we will be hosting,
- Colson Whitehead
- Richard Russo
- Katherine Boo
- Maria Semple, and
- Tony Kushner
January & February 2017
Pen & Podium -- Anthony Doerr -- It's slightly ridiculous that I actually have a JOB where I get to hang out with some of the most high-profile authors in the world. I've had the amazing opportunity to rub shoulders and spend time with dozens of Pulitzer Prize-winning novelists, Academy Award-winning screenwriters and National Book Award Finalists and nominees. I can't say enough about Anthony Doerr, who I hosted on February 6. Tony was as generous and warm as he was funny and articulate. His Pen & Podium lecture managed to touch on everything from "literary liposuction" to videos of lemurs eating strawberries. But it was his message about "The Importance of Artistic Failure" that inspirited and resonated with everyone. Basically, he reminded us that there's only one failure in artistic pursuit and that is, quite simply, to NOT pursue it. If you are a writer, write. If you are a painter, paint. He urged us to not worry about legacy and success, but rather to say what is in our heart, to take action, to create and to play. That above all else: we should never forget to play. A truly wonderful and memorable evening and Tony received a well-deserved standing ovation.
Kindred Spirits -- Newtown, Connecticut -- In early February, it was announced that my short play Kindred Spirits was named as a Semi-Finalist for Stray Kats Theatre Company's Still Crazy (After All These Years) Play Festival, which produces new works for and about senior citizens. I'm really happy that my play is under consideration because I think it addresses an area that's focused on very peripherally -- sex and friendship (not particularly in that order) between aging gay men. Stray Cats received over 500 submissions, from which they will be selecting several plays for full production in New Haven, Connecticut for May 2017.
Dangling Participles -- Denver, Colorado -- My short play about grammar and sex had yet another showing, this time with the good folks at One Night Stand Theater. Though I wasn't able to be there in person to see the show, I heard that it went over incredibly well. Actor Chelsea Frye generously wrote to tell me, "Every time I see your work I am blown away by your wit, exquisite words and your ability to tell a story that is so grounded in truth." Incredibly high praise from an actor I truly respect and admire.
2016 In Review
December 2016
Proud to be Putting the "Co" in Colorado ~ TRue West Award
Remember how I was thrilled to announce AFTER ORLANDO's True West Award citation, published on December 3? Well, imagine my incredible surprise when, on December 21, my phone exploded with texts telling me to get online to see a True West award for my own contributions to the Colorado theater landscape!
I was beyond grateful and humbled to receive this award, which I got based on nominations from four strong, vital, amazing women who work and create art in Denver ~ Emma Messenger, Susan Lyles, Haley Johnson and Leslie C. Lewis. Emma, my dear friend (and one of my favorite actors), nominated me because she feels that I'm "an instigator of other people's talents." And, Leslie Lewis, one of my Rough Draught cohorts, very generously nominated me for "[doing] more than anyone to activate, elevate and bring cohesion to the Denver theatre community, all while creating some of our region's best new work himself." (For the full article and award citation, please click on the photo to the right.)
The reason this award means so much to me (above and beyond the kind and lovely words from those who nominated me) is because I decided that 2016 was going to be my year for community building, and I'm so happy that my efforts lead to partnerships, programs, productions and initiatives that embraced and modeled togetherness and collaboration. In the award citation, John Moore states that the word "co-founder" appears quite often on my resume. When I saw that statement I was filled with such pride, because being "co" (co-founder, co-creator, co-llaborator!) is what theater should be about and it is what I want my career as a playwright to stand for.
In 2017, I'm going to turn my attention back to writing and submitting. My goal, though, is to find a balance between writing and continued community building, so I hope you'll all stay with me on this ride, because we have a lot of art to create and we have audiences to build TOGETHER.
I was beyond grateful and humbled to receive this award, which I got based on nominations from four strong, vital, amazing women who work and create art in Denver ~ Emma Messenger, Susan Lyles, Haley Johnson and Leslie C. Lewis. Emma, my dear friend (and one of my favorite actors), nominated me because she feels that I'm "an instigator of other people's talents." And, Leslie Lewis, one of my Rough Draught cohorts, very generously nominated me for "[doing] more than anyone to activate, elevate and bring cohesion to the Denver theatre community, all while creating some of our region's best new work himself." (For the full article and award citation, please click on the photo to the right.)
The reason this award means so much to me (above and beyond the kind and lovely words from those who nominated me) is because I decided that 2016 was going to be my year for community building, and I'm so happy that my efforts lead to partnerships, programs, productions and initiatives that embraced and modeled togetherness and collaboration. In the award citation, John Moore states that the word "co-founder" appears quite often on my resume. When I saw that statement I was filled with such pride, because being "co" (co-founder, co-creator, co-llaborator!) is what theater should be about and it is what I want my career as a playwright to stand for.
In 2017, I'm going to turn my attention back to writing and submitting. My goal, though, is to find a balance between writing and continued community building, so I hope you'll all stay with me on this ride, because we have a lot of art to create and we have audiences to build TOGETHER.
Benchmark Theatre's After Orlando WINS a True West Award!
I'm so excited to announce that our curated theater action, which took place on November 14 & 15, has been recognized with a True West Award. The True West Awards, now in their 16th year, began as the Denver Post Ovation Awards in 2001. DCPA Senior Arts Journalist John Moore — along with additional voices from around the state — celebrate the entire local theatre community by recognizing 30 achievements from 2016 over 30 days, without categories or nominations. To read the entire award citation, please click on the image.
I'd also like to give a special thank you to Kate Folkins, who was, as always, an amazing collaborator and partner. For me, 2016 has been the Year of Kate. Last December Kate directed the world premiere of my play EXIT STRATEGIES at the Edge Theatre. It seems so fitting and meaningful that twelve months later we share this award, because during the pre-, mid- and post-production of EXIT we discovered that we share a passion for community-building; moreover, we both long for a new model of theatrical collaboration, one that TRULY embodies and embraces CO-laboration -- working together in a synergistic fashion to create something special, something meaningful, and something that is much greater than the sums of its parts. I'm a much better playwright, a much better theater practitioner and a much better human being because of the light, love, and inspiration that Kate has brought into my artistic (and personal) life.
I'm so excited to announce that our curated theater action, which took place on November 14 & 15, has been recognized with a True West Award. The True West Awards, now in their 16th year, began as the Denver Post Ovation Awards in 2001. DCPA Senior Arts Journalist John Moore — along with additional voices from around the state — celebrate the entire local theatre community by recognizing 30 achievements from 2016 over 30 days, without categories or nominations. To read the entire award citation, please click on the image.
I'd also like to give a special thank you to Kate Folkins, who was, as always, an amazing collaborator and partner. For me, 2016 has been the Year of Kate. Last December Kate directed the world premiere of my play EXIT STRATEGIES at the Edge Theatre. It seems so fitting and meaningful that twelve months later we share this award, because during the pre-, mid- and post-production of EXIT we discovered that we share a passion for community-building; moreover, we both long for a new model of theatrical collaboration, one that TRULY embodies and embraces CO-laboration -- working together in a synergistic fashion to create something special, something meaningful, and something that is much greater than the sums of its parts. I'm a much better playwright, a much better theater practitioner and a much better human being because of the light, love, and inspiration that Kate has brought into my artistic (and personal) life.
November 2017
Pen & Podium -- Lauren Groff -- On November 14, I had the immense pleasure of hosting Lauren Groff (Monster of Templeton, Arcadia, Fates & Furies) for our second Pen & Podium lecture of the 16-17 season. In the wake of a very contentious presidential election, Lauren presented a powerful, thoughtful and timely lecture about the importance of artistic expression. When she simply stated that "art can keep you from despair," you could feel the ripple effect of her words with each of the 900+ people in attendance. Lauren was as funny and sweet as she was smart and eloquent. Quite frankly, it should be a little criminal how quickly we bonded, how much we giggled and how often we hugged.
After Orlando: A Benefit for the Human Rights Campaign -- Denver -- On November 14 &15, Benchmark Theatre, in association with Missing Bolts Productions Inc. and NoPassport Theatre Alliance and Press, presented AFTER ORLANDO, an evening of short plays in response to the shooting that occurred at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida earlier this year. The reading featured performances by ten of Colorado’s preeminent theater companies including Athena Project Festival, Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company, Benchmark Theatre, Buntport Theater, Curious Theatre Company, Funky Little Theatre Company, Local Theatre Company, PHAMALY Theatre Company, and Vintage Theatre Productions with a special guest appearance by the Denver Gay Men’s Chorus. All proceeds from this unprecedented, collaborative, two-night effort benefitted the Human Rights Campaign and I was honored, humbled and delighted to have been a part of this event, not as a writer but rather as a producer and as curator of the scripts.
Dangling Participles -- San Diego, California -- My short play about grammar and sex had another showing, this time at the Fourteenth Annual North Park Playwright Festival. It's lovely to see continued accolades and productions of this play, which holds a very special place in my heart.
September 2016
Pen & Podium -- John Irving -- People may not know this, but I have an almost debilitating case of stage fright and fear of public speaking. This may seem strange considering some of the decisions I've made in life: marketing, training & development, playwriting, event facilitation. On Monday, September 26, I was given the opportunity to do something that absolutely terrified me on several levels: I was not only asked to be onstage for 1 1/2 hours, but also to share that stage with one of my personal heroes and to interview him one-on-one. I said "yes" very reluctantly to this proposal at the beginning of the year and, quite frankly, I have been living in anticipation, anxiety and outright dread for the past couple of months as we got closer to the event proper. Now that the night has passed, all I can say is ... I am so happy I embraced something I feared rather than succumbing to it.
Meeting, hosting and interviewing John Irving will probably be one of the most memorable nights of my life. He was immensely entertaining, wildly intelligent and breathtakingly genuine. Warm, generous, jovial, kind, thoughtful, sweet and funny, he not only shared the stage with me as if we were peers, but also as if we'd been friends for many, many years. We talked about his career, the art of storytelling, the relationship between comedy and tragedy and, to my surprise, playwriting, which John told the audience was a a medium he could never work in, because "it's simply too hard. To tell a story solely through dialogue and action is, in my opinion, a difficult and almost insurmountable task."
After the event (which sped by much, much too quickly), he wrapped me in a big bear hug -- pun sort of intended, Irving lovers -- and said, "exceptional job, Jeffrey. What a wonderful night and what an absolute pleasure to meet you."
Meeting a personal hero can always be a dangerous and precarious crapshoot; finding out that a personal hero is deserving of your admiration and esteem, however, is a wonderful and fulfilling feeling that makes the risk all worthwhile.
August 2106
Benchmark Theatre -- What do you say to two theater artists you greatly admire when they ask you to come on board as a founding member for a brand new theater company they are creating? You say ... HELL YES!
I am very, very excited to announce that I have just agreed to serve as Manager of Literary Development for Benchmark Theatre, a new, professional theater company in Denver dedicated to unique productions of uncompromising quality. I'm honored to be a company member of Benchmark and really excited about what our company can and will do for the Colorado theater landscape. Our inaugural season will launch in March 2017 with a title that will soon be announced. To find out more information about Benchmark as well as our Fever Dream Festival, a festival of new genre (sci-fi, horror and fantasy) plays, please visit http://www.benchmarktheatre.com.
JULY 2016
EXIT STRATEGIES NOMINATED FOR TWO HENRY AWARDS!
I am OVER THE MOON with joy and gratitude that The Edge Theater Company's recent production of Exit Strategies has been nominated for two Henry Awards -- Outstanding New Play and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Play. Established in 2006, the Henry Awards honor outstanding achievements during the past season and serves as the Colorado Theatre Guild's annual fundraising event. The awards are named for longtime local theatre producer Henry Lowenstein. Nominations are determined through a judging process conducted by more than 45 statewide theatre reporters, educators and assigned judges.
This year's nominees for Outstanding New Play or Musical, include:
The Colorado Theatre Guild's 11th Annual Henry Awards will take place Monday, July 18, 2016 at the PACE Center, 20000 Pikes Peak Avenue in Parker, Colorado. The evening begins at 6 p.m. with cocktails and the awards ceremony will begin at 7 p.m., followed by an after-party. Tickets are $23 for CTG members (limit 2 per person online with the code Henry2016), $30 non-members or $50 VIP. Tickets go on sale June 20 through the PACE Center website, parkerarts.org, or by calling the box office at 303-805-6800.
May 2016
On The Horns of a Dilemma -- Albuquerque, New Mexico -- Though I didn't make it to festival this go-around, I'm thrilled to announce that my short play On The Horns of a Dilemma has been selected as a finalist for FUSION Theater Company's esteemed national play festival, "The Seven." This year, FUSION had submissions from 40 different states and 9 countries. I'm really proud of the fact that this is the FOURTH time I've placed in this competitive festival, having made it to full production twice (Paradise Lost, 2013 and Dangling Participles, voted audience favorite, 2015).
Pen & Podium -- TC Boyle -- Hosting TC was kind of a dream come true for me. I've been a long-time reader and fan of Boyle's work, which has the amazing hallmark of melding gorgeous prose with an undercurrent of violence and unpredictability. TC did not disappoint! His lecture was thoughtful and thought-provoking, the reading he did for the crowd was absolutely riveting and he was a hell of a nice guy. My favorite quotation from the evening came when he spoke about craft. "Everyone tells you to write what you know," he stated. "Don't! Why would you?! Write about what you don't know and learn about it."
Wish You Were Here -- Denver, Colorado -- My newest full-length play Wish You Were Here (former working title Last Resort [a title I may recycle because I like it so damned much]) had its first outing this month at a table read with some of my favorite Colorado actors. The play definitely needs a lot of work, but I was thrilled by the excitement in the room and its general first-round reception. The play is not a traditional full-length, but rather a series of interrelated stories that explores the ephemera of experience despite the constancy of setting. I've got my work cut out for me with this one, but I'm really excited to tackle that workload and, hopefully, have a full production of the play within the next year and a half.
April 2016
InSex -- Edinboro, Pennsylvania -- Claire and Brad are at it again! This time, my post-coital mantodea are making the rounds on college campuses, beginning with an April production in Laugh/Riot Performing Arts Company's Fourth Annual New Works Festival. Laugh/Riot has served as the resident theatre at Edinboro University of PA, and they are committed to providing alternative theatre productions that focus on the interaction between actor and audience. The festival takes place April 22 through May 1.
Rough Draught Playwrights -- Denver, Colorado -- Rough Draught Playwrights, the community organization I co-founded four years ago, will be hosting its Spring Theatrical Playground on Tuesday, April 12. The Playground is a wonderful, fun-filled way for playwrights to share works-in-progress in a supportive, relaxed environment. If you're in Denver next week, I urge you to put this event on your calendar. It's not only a fantastic way to support local dramaturgy, but if you're a Front Range theater practitioner, it is an amazing way to meet other members of your community!
March 2016
BEST OF DENVER -- Westword Magazine -- I'm absolutely ecstatic that Westword, Denver's alt weekly, has highlighted two very personal items for me amongst their annual BEST OF DENVER issue.
My dear friend, EMMA MESSENGER, was awarded "Best Season for an Actress." Along with amazing turns in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf and The Normal Heart, Emma was praised for her portrayal of the "strangely secretive and defensive mother" in my play Exit Strategies.
Additionally, DIRTYFISH Theater, the playwriting collective I helped to form, was acknowledged as "BEST MOVE BY LOCAL PLAYWRIGHTS" for our bold attempts to create a self-production culture in Denver. Click on the image to the right to see the BEST OF citation!
Dangling Participles -- Waxhaw, North Carolina -- Grammar continues to be my good luck charm as "Dangling Participles" wins placement in the Storefront Theatre 2016 Playwriting Competition, "We Like Short Shorts." The play, along with the other winners, was presented in concert style March 5 and 6. Many thanks to Storefront for the generous honor and for supporting new voices in playwriting.
Pen & Podium -- Bill Bryson -- Dad Puns, Being Grumpy at McDonalds, Prepping for Bear Attacks and Filling Out Inappropriate Answers on Questionnaires were just some of the things that Bill Bryson touched upon in his delightfully funny lecture March 8 at the most recent Pen & Podium lecture. Bill was a warm, sweet, lovely man and an absolute joy to host.
One of the highlights of the evening, though, was that we got to announce the 2016-17 line-up, which is a truly spectacular season, including Mary Karr, Anthony Doerr, Julia Alvarez and Lauren Groff. I have to admit that the event I'm beside myself with excitement about is the season kick-off. In September, I will be moderating an on-stage conversation with my favorite novelist of all time, John Irving!
February 2016
DIRTYFISH Theater -- Denver, Colorado -- About a year ago, I began to engage in a conversation with six other Front Range playwrights about the look and landscape of Colorado dramaturgy. All of us felt somewhat thwarted by the lack of production opportunities for Colorado playwrights and frustrated with the trend of endless staged readings that all too often fail to lead to full production. Rather than just sit and bemoan the situation, though, we decided we wanted to take a solutions-based approach to the situation, to explore the possibilities in self-production (a movement that really hasn't found its way to Denver as yet) and to build a network of support and resources for one another. The result: DIRTYFISH Theater.
“Please don’t look up the words “dirty fish” in the Urban Dictionary unless you want to be totally grossed out,” warns co-founding member William Missouri Downs. “So why did we take the name? Because in today’s theatre playwrights are too often nothing more than unwanted leftovers, the dirty fish of the theatre. Will this collective last? We don’t know. Will it succeed? We don’t care. Will every play be brilliant? No. But for one brief moment the bottom dwellers of the theatre will stage the plays they want to stage without getting permission from the usual chaperones of the theatre world.”
DIRTYFISH will proudly launch with a fully produced evening of new short works by the collective’s members. Called Wedding Cake Vodka, the event promises to be “an unusual evening of uninhibited, un-chaperoned, unlike-anything-you’ve-seen-before theatre.”
Wedding Cake Vodka, directed by Heidi Schmidt and featuring some of Denver’s most beloved actors, will run Thursday, March 3 at 7pm, Saturday, March 5 at 2pm and 8 pm, and Sunday, March 6 at 2pm and 7pm at The Three Leaches Theatre, 985 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, Colorado 80204.
For more information about DIRTYFISH Theater, DIRTYFISH’s mission or the upcoming production of Wedding Cake Vodka, please email dirtyfishtheater@gmail.com or visit www.dirtyfishtheater.com.
Pen & Podium -- Meg Wolitzer -- I had the great privilege of hosting Meg Wolitzer, one of my favorite authors, on Monday, February 8 at the first Pen & Podium lecture of 2016. It was a thrilling night and Meg was an absolute delight -- smart, thought-provoking and wildly funny. From the "bullion cube reading" she did of the first chapter of The Interestings to her frank and thoughtful conversation about craft, there were so many high points of the evening. I will say, though, the statement that stayed with me most was when Meg spoke about writing: "They always tell us that we should write what we know. I don't think that's the case, though. I think we should write what we obsess about."
Colorado New Play Summit -- Denver, Colorado -- It's time, once again, for the Colorado new Play Summit, one of the country's premier showcases and celebrations of new plays. The Summit kicked off on Saturday, February 13 with a panel called "Regional New-Play Development." I was thrilled to be asked to sit on the panel, where we discussed, among other things, the state of local dramaturgy and the important relationship between directors and playwrights, especially as it relates to new play development. Hosted Matthew Lopez ('The Legend of Georgia McBride'), the panel was composed of Candy Brown (Broadway actor and Denver School of the Arts Theatre Faculty), Josh Hartwell (first-ever Colorado Regional Rep for the The Dramatists Guild of America), Dee Covington (Curious Theatre Company's Curious New Voices) and myself.
JANUARY 2016
Exit Strategies -- Denver, Colorado -- Still riding high from the amazing experience of The Edge Theater Company's production of Exit Strategies, which was superbly acted, beautifully designed and exquisitely directed. The play was warmly received by audiences, selling to sold out houses for many nights of the run. The play also resonated with Colorado critics, who described the play as "original, funny, often mesmerizing" (Westword), "funny, emotionally raw and tragic" (Denver Post) and "caustic, funny, meaningful" (North Denver Tribune).
Pen & Podium -- Lauren Groff -- On November 14, I had the immense pleasure of hosting Lauren Groff (Monster of Templeton, Arcadia, Fates & Furies) for our second Pen & Podium lecture of the 16-17 season. In the wake of a very contentious presidential election, Lauren presented a powerful, thoughtful and timely lecture about the importance of artistic expression. When she simply stated that "art can keep you from despair," you could feel the ripple effect of her words with each of the 900+ people in attendance. Lauren was as funny and sweet as she was smart and eloquent. Quite frankly, it should be a little criminal how quickly we bonded, how much we giggled and how often we hugged.
After Orlando: A Benefit for the Human Rights Campaign -- Denver -- On November 14 &15, Benchmark Theatre, in association with Missing Bolts Productions Inc. and NoPassport Theatre Alliance and Press, presented AFTER ORLANDO, an evening of short plays in response to the shooting that occurred at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida earlier this year. The reading featured performances by ten of Colorado’s preeminent theater companies including Athena Project Festival, Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company, Benchmark Theatre, Buntport Theater, Curious Theatre Company, Funky Little Theatre Company, Local Theatre Company, PHAMALY Theatre Company, and Vintage Theatre Productions with a special guest appearance by the Denver Gay Men’s Chorus. All proceeds from this unprecedented, collaborative, two-night effort benefitted the Human Rights Campaign and I was honored, humbled and delighted to have been a part of this event, not as a writer but rather as a producer and as curator of the scripts.
Dangling Participles -- San Diego, California -- My short play about grammar and sex had another showing, this time at the Fourteenth Annual North Park Playwright Festival. It's lovely to see continued accolades and productions of this play, which holds a very special place in my heart.
September 2016
Pen & Podium -- John Irving -- People may not know this, but I have an almost debilitating case of stage fright and fear of public speaking. This may seem strange considering some of the decisions I've made in life: marketing, training & development, playwriting, event facilitation. On Monday, September 26, I was given the opportunity to do something that absolutely terrified me on several levels: I was not only asked to be onstage for 1 1/2 hours, but also to share that stage with one of my personal heroes and to interview him one-on-one. I said "yes" very reluctantly to this proposal at the beginning of the year and, quite frankly, I have been living in anticipation, anxiety and outright dread for the past couple of months as we got closer to the event proper. Now that the night has passed, all I can say is ... I am so happy I embraced something I feared rather than succumbing to it.
Meeting, hosting and interviewing John Irving will probably be one of the most memorable nights of my life. He was immensely entertaining, wildly intelligent and breathtakingly genuine. Warm, generous, jovial, kind, thoughtful, sweet and funny, he not only shared the stage with me as if we were peers, but also as if we'd been friends for many, many years. We talked about his career, the art of storytelling, the relationship between comedy and tragedy and, to my surprise, playwriting, which John told the audience was a a medium he could never work in, because "it's simply too hard. To tell a story solely through dialogue and action is, in my opinion, a difficult and almost insurmountable task."
After the event (which sped by much, much too quickly), he wrapped me in a big bear hug -- pun sort of intended, Irving lovers -- and said, "exceptional job, Jeffrey. What a wonderful night and what an absolute pleasure to meet you."
Meeting a personal hero can always be a dangerous and precarious crapshoot; finding out that a personal hero is deserving of your admiration and esteem, however, is a wonderful and fulfilling feeling that makes the risk all worthwhile.
August 2106
Benchmark Theatre -- What do you say to two theater artists you greatly admire when they ask you to come on board as a founding member for a brand new theater company they are creating? You say ... HELL YES!
I am very, very excited to announce that I have just agreed to serve as Manager of Literary Development for Benchmark Theatre, a new, professional theater company in Denver dedicated to unique productions of uncompromising quality. I'm honored to be a company member of Benchmark and really excited about what our company can and will do for the Colorado theater landscape. Our inaugural season will launch in March 2017 with a title that will soon be announced. To find out more information about Benchmark as well as our Fever Dream Festival, a festival of new genre (sci-fi, horror and fantasy) plays, please visit http://www.benchmarktheatre.com.
JULY 2016
EXIT STRATEGIES NOMINATED FOR TWO HENRY AWARDS!
I am OVER THE MOON with joy and gratitude that The Edge Theater Company's recent production of Exit Strategies has been nominated for two Henry Awards -- Outstanding New Play and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Play. Established in 2006, the Henry Awards honor outstanding achievements during the past season and serves as the Colorado Theatre Guild's annual fundraising event. The awards are named for longtime local theatre producer Henry Lowenstein. Nominations are determined through a judging process conducted by more than 45 statewide theatre reporters, educators and assigned judges.
This year's nominees for Outstanding New Play or Musical, include:
- "Fade" by Tanya Saracho, Directed by Jerry Ruiz; Produced by DCPA Theatre Company
- "Exit Strategies" by Jeff Neuman, Directed by Kate Marie Folkins; Produced by The Edge Theater Company
- "The Nest" by Theresa Rebeck, Directed by Adrienne Campbell-Holt; Produced by DCPA Theatre Company
- "The Rembrandt Room" by Buntport Theater, Directed and Produced by Buntport Theater
- "Reunion '85" by Susan Draus, David Larsen, and Cody Jamison Strand, Directed by David Larsen, Musical Direction by Chris Sargent; Produced by Lone Tree Arts Center
- "Uncle Jed's Barbershop" by Kenneth Grimes and David Wohl, Directed by Susan Einhorn, Musical Direction by Michael Williams; Produced by DreaMaker Productions
- "Voddville" by Robert Dubac and Dave Shirley, Directed by Dave Shirley; Produced by Avenue Theater
The Colorado Theatre Guild's 11th Annual Henry Awards will take place Monday, July 18, 2016 at the PACE Center, 20000 Pikes Peak Avenue in Parker, Colorado. The evening begins at 6 p.m. with cocktails and the awards ceremony will begin at 7 p.m., followed by an after-party. Tickets are $23 for CTG members (limit 2 per person online with the code Henry2016), $30 non-members or $50 VIP. Tickets go on sale June 20 through the PACE Center website, parkerarts.org, or by calling the box office at 303-805-6800.
May 2016
On The Horns of a Dilemma -- Albuquerque, New Mexico -- Though I didn't make it to festival this go-around, I'm thrilled to announce that my short play On The Horns of a Dilemma has been selected as a finalist for FUSION Theater Company's esteemed national play festival, "The Seven." This year, FUSION had submissions from 40 different states and 9 countries. I'm really proud of the fact that this is the FOURTH time I've placed in this competitive festival, having made it to full production twice (Paradise Lost, 2013 and Dangling Participles, voted audience favorite, 2015).
Pen & Podium -- TC Boyle -- Hosting TC was kind of a dream come true for me. I've been a long-time reader and fan of Boyle's work, which has the amazing hallmark of melding gorgeous prose with an undercurrent of violence and unpredictability. TC did not disappoint! His lecture was thoughtful and thought-provoking, the reading he did for the crowd was absolutely riveting and he was a hell of a nice guy. My favorite quotation from the evening came when he spoke about craft. "Everyone tells you to write what you know," he stated. "Don't! Why would you?! Write about what you don't know and learn about it."
Wish You Were Here -- Denver, Colorado -- My newest full-length play Wish You Were Here (former working title Last Resort [a title I may recycle because I like it so damned much]) had its first outing this month at a table read with some of my favorite Colorado actors. The play definitely needs a lot of work, but I was thrilled by the excitement in the room and its general first-round reception. The play is not a traditional full-length, but rather a series of interrelated stories that explores the ephemera of experience despite the constancy of setting. I've got my work cut out for me with this one, but I'm really excited to tackle that workload and, hopefully, have a full production of the play within the next year and a half.
April 2016
InSex -- Edinboro, Pennsylvania -- Claire and Brad are at it again! This time, my post-coital mantodea are making the rounds on college campuses, beginning with an April production in Laugh/Riot Performing Arts Company's Fourth Annual New Works Festival. Laugh/Riot has served as the resident theatre at Edinboro University of PA, and they are committed to providing alternative theatre productions that focus on the interaction between actor and audience. The festival takes place April 22 through May 1.
Rough Draught Playwrights -- Denver, Colorado -- Rough Draught Playwrights, the community organization I co-founded four years ago, will be hosting its Spring Theatrical Playground on Tuesday, April 12. The Playground is a wonderful, fun-filled way for playwrights to share works-in-progress in a supportive, relaxed environment. If you're in Denver next week, I urge you to put this event on your calendar. It's not only a fantastic way to support local dramaturgy, but if you're a Front Range theater practitioner, it is an amazing way to meet other members of your community!
March 2016
BEST OF DENVER -- Westword Magazine -- I'm absolutely ecstatic that Westword, Denver's alt weekly, has highlighted two very personal items for me amongst their annual BEST OF DENVER issue.
My dear friend, EMMA MESSENGER, was awarded "Best Season for an Actress." Along with amazing turns in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf and The Normal Heart, Emma was praised for her portrayal of the "strangely secretive and defensive mother" in my play Exit Strategies.
Additionally, DIRTYFISH Theater, the playwriting collective I helped to form, was acknowledged as "BEST MOVE BY LOCAL PLAYWRIGHTS" for our bold attempts to create a self-production culture in Denver. Click on the image to the right to see the BEST OF citation!
Dangling Participles -- Waxhaw, North Carolina -- Grammar continues to be my good luck charm as "Dangling Participles" wins placement in the Storefront Theatre 2016 Playwriting Competition, "We Like Short Shorts." The play, along with the other winners, was presented in concert style March 5 and 6. Many thanks to Storefront for the generous honor and for supporting new voices in playwriting.
Pen & Podium -- Bill Bryson -- Dad Puns, Being Grumpy at McDonalds, Prepping for Bear Attacks and Filling Out Inappropriate Answers on Questionnaires were just some of the things that Bill Bryson touched upon in his delightfully funny lecture March 8 at the most recent Pen & Podium lecture. Bill was a warm, sweet, lovely man and an absolute joy to host.
One of the highlights of the evening, though, was that we got to announce the 2016-17 line-up, which is a truly spectacular season, including Mary Karr, Anthony Doerr, Julia Alvarez and Lauren Groff. I have to admit that the event I'm beside myself with excitement about is the season kick-off. In September, I will be moderating an on-stage conversation with my favorite novelist of all time, John Irving!
February 2016
DIRTYFISH Theater -- Denver, Colorado -- About a year ago, I began to engage in a conversation with six other Front Range playwrights about the look and landscape of Colorado dramaturgy. All of us felt somewhat thwarted by the lack of production opportunities for Colorado playwrights and frustrated with the trend of endless staged readings that all too often fail to lead to full production. Rather than just sit and bemoan the situation, though, we decided we wanted to take a solutions-based approach to the situation, to explore the possibilities in self-production (a movement that really hasn't found its way to Denver as yet) and to build a network of support and resources for one another. The result: DIRTYFISH Theater.
“Please don’t look up the words “dirty fish” in the Urban Dictionary unless you want to be totally grossed out,” warns co-founding member William Missouri Downs. “So why did we take the name? Because in today’s theatre playwrights are too often nothing more than unwanted leftovers, the dirty fish of the theatre. Will this collective last? We don’t know. Will it succeed? We don’t care. Will every play be brilliant? No. But for one brief moment the bottom dwellers of the theatre will stage the plays they want to stage without getting permission from the usual chaperones of the theatre world.”
DIRTYFISH will proudly launch with a fully produced evening of new short works by the collective’s members. Called Wedding Cake Vodka, the event promises to be “an unusual evening of uninhibited, un-chaperoned, unlike-anything-you’ve-seen-before theatre.”
Wedding Cake Vodka, directed by Heidi Schmidt and featuring some of Denver’s most beloved actors, will run Thursday, March 3 at 7pm, Saturday, March 5 at 2pm and 8 pm, and Sunday, March 6 at 2pm and 7pm at The Three Leaches Theatre, 985 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, Colorado 80204.
For more information about DIRTYFISH Theater, DIRTYFISH’s mission or the upcoming production of Wedding Cake Vodka, please email dirtyfishtheater@gmail.com or visit www.dirtyfishtheater.com.
Pen & Podium -- Meg Wolitzer -- I had the great privilege of hosting Meg Wolitzer, one of my favorite authors, on Monday, February 8 at the first Pen & Podium lecture of 2016. It was a thrilling night and Meg was an absolute delight -- smart, thought-provoking and wildly funny. From the "bullion cube reading" she did of the first chapter of The Interestings to her frank and thoughtful conversation about craft, there were so many high points of the evening. I will say, though, the statement that stayed with me most was when Meg spoke about writing: "They always tell us that we should write what we know. I don't think that's the case, though. I think we should write what we obsess about."
Colorado New Play Summit -- Denver, Colorado -- It's time, once again, for the Colorado new Play Summit, one of the country's premier showcases and celebrations of new plays. The Summit kicked off on Saturday, February 13 with a panel called "Regional New-Play Development." I was thrilled to be asked to sit on the panel, where we discussed, among other things, the state of local dramaturgy and the important relationship between directors and playwrights, especially as it relates to new play development. Hosted Matthew Lopez ('The Legend of Georgia McBride'), the panel was composed of Candy Brown (Broadway actor and Denver School of the Arts Theatre Faculty), Josh Hartwell (first-ever Colorado Regional Rep for the The Dramatists Guild of America), Dee Covington (Curious Theatre Company's Curious New Voices) and myself.
JANUARY 2016
Exit Strategies -- Denver, Colorado -- Still riding high from the amazing experience of The Edge Theater Company's production of Exit Strategies, which was superbly acted, beautifully designed and exquisitely directed. The play was warmly received by audiences, selling to sold out houses for many nights of the run. The play also resonated with Colorado critics, who described the play as "original, funny, often mesmerizing" (Westword), "funny, emotionally raw and tragic" (Denver Post) and "caustic, funny, meaningful" (North Denver Tribune).
2015 in Review
October 2015
On The Horns of a Dilemma -- Denver, Colorado -- About four years ago, I read a story in the paper about a strange little deception that took place in Gaza. In 2009, the Marah Land Zoo's only two zebras died of hunger when they were neglected during the Israel-Hamas war. The popular animals were too expensive to be replaced by the cash-strapped institution, so the keepers decided to fool the paying public by painting black and white stripes on a pair of common donkeys. The “donkey zebras” went undetected by the public and were a smashing success. I was fascinated by the story and wrote a short play about it, re-envisioning the narrative about an accidentally-killed rare, white baby rhino. With my Dad's penchant for puns, I titled this little play On the Horns of a Dilemma.
I never thought Horns would ever see the light of day, but One Night Stand Theater presented it as part of their October 4 staged reading, "Animal Kingdom," and it brought down the house. Just goes to show: you never know where an idea can take you and/or who will go along for the ride!
August 2015
LaMaMa International Playwright Retreat -- Umbria, Italy -- I had the amazing privilege to go to the LaMaMa International Playwright Retreat from August 9-18. There's surprisingly little information online about the retreat, so I went into it not knowing what to expect. Truth be told, though, nothing could have prepared me for the level of generosity and support that the LaMaMa family provided. They do EVERYTHING in their power to create a generative environment that honors the playwright and the playwright's process.
This year's retreat was facilitated by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (An Octoroon) , who did a consummate job providing guidance and support. We were given the space, time and freedom each morning to write autonomously, then encouraged to share our work, our process, our joys and our frustrations in a group setting each night. It was truly a challenging and rewarding experience, one that I wholeheartedly encourage playwrights to apply for if they are looking for a retreat opportunity.
June 2015
Dangling Participles – FUSION Theatre Company -- Albuquerque, New Mexico -- Dangling Participles had an absolutely fantastic run at FUSION Theatre Company's annual festival from June 4-14. Talkin' Broadway's review of THE SEVEN mentioned my play as one of its festival favorites, stating "Dangling Participles, written by Jeffrey Neuman ... is a sweet and clever morning-after mystery [with] great comic timing and unexpected depth." The Albuquerque Journal also gave us a really nice mention, stating, “The second act begins with a witty comedy, “Dangling Participles,” which was one of my favorites. The success of this short piece on romantic connection, adultery and grammar is largely predicated on the outstanding cast. Caitlin Aase is an excellent young actor. Her mobile face registered a wide range of subtle thoughts and emotions. She was mesmerizing, and competently matched by Miles Wartes as her romantic counterpart …. The playwright Jeffrey Neuman has crafted not only a witty piece about language, but also a lovely little play about sexual and intellectual compatibility."
The Denver Post -- Pen and Podium -- I'm beyond-excited to announce my continued involvement in the Denver Post's acclaimed Pen and Podium lecture series. Once again, I will serve as the Literary Events Coordinator for the program. And, what a season it is! For 2015-16, we will be hosting,
LaMama Umbria -- Last, but certainly not least, I'm thrilled to let you know that I have been accepted into LaMaMa Experimental Theatre Club's International Playwright Retreat. I will be joining 14 other playwrights and Master Playwright/workshop facilitator Branden Jacobs-Jenkins for a ten day retreat in August in Umbria, Italy. There, I will explore craft and have dedicated time to foster and develop my works-in-progress in a full-immersion environment. I'm so excited about this undertaking and can't wait to share my experiences with you upon my return to the states.
May 2015
Dangling Participles – FUSION Theatre Company -- Albuquerque, New Mexico -- My newest short play was selected to be part of THE SEVEN, one of the most premier short play festivals in the country! This year, FUSION received 852 submissions from 41 states and nine countries. I'’m thrilled to, once again, have a play on the FUSION stage, my third placement in the festival since 2011. Tickets on sale now and more information coming soon!
Neil Gaiman – Pen and Podium -- On Tuesday, May 19, Pen and Podium had the distinct pleasure of hosting Neil Gaiman. Neil was an amazing speaker, a consummate storyteller and, quite simply, a joy to host. He spoke about so many things over the course of the evening -- his career, writing, collaboration. My biggest take-away, though, was his answer to the question "What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?" He said, "Write. Write things. Finish the things you write .... and you're not an 'aspiring' writer. That's rubbish. If you write, you're a writer." Empowering words from an amazing author.
April 2015
Mary Roach – Pen and Podium -- On Monday, April 20, I had the pleasure of hosting the incomparable Mary Roach (Stiff, Bonk, Gulp) as part of Pen and Podium's 2014-15 season. Mary was a delight to host -- as funny in person as she is on paper. If you haven't read one of her books before, I urge you to pick one one up. She has an incredibly wry sense of humor and her books present a fascinating look at "process" with an almost giddy joy for research and details.
February 2015
Exit Strategies – Denver, Colorado – I am beyond excited to announce the cast of the premiere production of Exit Strategies, which will run at The Edge Theatre Company from December 4-31, 2015. The play will be directed by Kate Folkins and feature Emma Messenger, Missy Moore, Emily Paton Davies and Andrew Uhlenhopp.
InSex– London, England – The good folks at Bite-Size Plays are giving my praying mantis sex romp another outing at the St. James Theatre just in time for Valentine's Day. If you're in London February 9-13, please join them for a fresh early spring menu of four bite-size plays from their award winning collection, including:
· Hitched by Lindsay Williams
· Insex by Jeffrey Neuman
· The Interpreter by Jonathan Kaufman
· Pride and Prejudice by Tim Hehir
‘Bite-Size Plays’ have won 5 star press acclaim at Edinburgh, Brighton and in their touring productions in Australia. Winners of Latest Magazine Award for ‘Best Theatre Performance’ in Brighton Festival.
Sherman Alexie – Pen and Podium -- On February 9, I was thrilled to host Sherman Alexie (Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian) as part of Pen and Podium's 2014-15 season. "Every detail matters" was the theme and ultimate message of Mr. Alexie's amazingly thoughtful and downright hysterical lecture. One P&P attendee described it as the "edgiest and most hilarious" event we've ever had!
January 2015
Exit Strategies – Denver, Colorado – Matthew Lopez, author of The Whipping Man, one of the most widely produced new American plays of the last several years, will be conducting a Playwriting Workshop during the opening weekend at the Colorado New Play Summit. Matthew blindly selected three scenes by Colorado-based playwrights to workshop in a masterclass setting, and I'm thrilled to announce that a scene from Exit Strategies was chosen as one of the three. Details about the workshop are still emerging, but it will take place on Sunday, 2/15 at 5pm and involve Matthew and me on stage with actors workshopping and rewriting the scene in real-time using a new cutting edge program called Scriptopia. Entrance to the workshop is included with a full reading pass to the local weekend and can be purchased at http://denvercenter.org/events/colorado-new-play-summit#block3.
A Date With Destiny – Brockport, New York – Just booked a Date in upstate New York!
After reviewing nearly 600 submissions received from playwrights located around the globe, The College at Brockport’s Department of Theatre and Music Studies is producing its ninth biennial Festival of Ten. This program of ten 10-minute plays premieres on Friday, February 27, 2015 at 7:30 in the Tower Fine Arts Center Mainstage, 180 Holley Street, Brockport. I'm honored to tell you that Date with Destiny, my newest ten minute play has been selected as one of the ten plays for inclusion in the festival.
Colorao New Play Summit – Denver, Colorado– I am THRILLED to announce that Rough Draught Playwrights will be hosting the first ever Local Playwrights’ Slam during the 2015 Colorado New Play Summit at Denver Center for the Performing Arts. From the offices of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts:
DCPA Theatre Company Announces Inaugural Local Playwrights’ Slam Curated by Rough Draught Playwrights
DENVER – The Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) Theatre Company announced today that Colorado playwriting group Rough Draught Playwrights will curate the inaugural Local Playwrights’ Slam during the local weekend of the 2015 Colorado New Play Summit. The Slam will take place in the Jones Theatre at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 14 and is free with the purchase of any $10 Summit reading ticket.
Rough Draught Playwrights (RDP) promotes writer development and dramaturgy by connecting Colorado playwrights with peers, actors, directors, producers and theater enthusiasts through informal readings of their scripts. Produced by playwrights Leslie C. Lewis, Nina Alice Miller and Jeffrey Neuman, RDP hosts the quarterly Open Mic Theatrical Playground, where writers have the opportunity to hear their works-in-progress read before a live audience. RDP events, open to playwrights at any stage of development, provide a launchpad for new works that have gone on to productions, awards, and a notable National New Play Network rolling premiere.
“We are thrilled that the expansion of this year’s Summit will provide local playwrights with additional outlets to showcase their work,” said Kent Thompson, Producing Artistic Director for the Theatre Company. “The expanded weekends also provide Colorado artists and audiences with the unprecedented opportunity to learn from both Paul Vogel, the most respected playwriting teacher in the nation, and Denver favorite Matthew Lopez, undeniably one of the fastest rising playwrights in the country.”
The local weekend of the Summit will feature two workshops by Denver Center Playwriting Fellow Matthew Lopez (The Legend of Georgia McBride, The Whipping Man). Lopez will lead an acting master class on Saturday, February 14. This workshop will use scenes from four of Matthew’s own plays and allow writers, actors, and audiences alike to discover the relationship between a playwright, his text, and actors’ interpretations.
On Sunday, February 15, Lopez will workshop new scenes with three Colorado playwrights. This session will provide a behind-the-scenes look into the playwriting and development process, including a Q & A session with the audience.
During the Summit’s Industry weekend, Pulitzer Prize winner Paula Vogel (How I Learned To Drive), will lead two playwriting boot camps for theatre lovers of all types and abilities.
“This expansion further cements the Theatre Company’s commitment to Colorado storytelling,” said Thompson. “This season alone audiences have journeyed to Leadville in The Unsinkable Molly Brown and to the fictional town of Holt, Colorado in Benediction.”
On The Horns of a Dilemma -- Denver, Colorado -- About four years ago, I read a story in the paper about a strange little deception that took place in Gaza. In 2009, the Marah Land Zoo's only two zebras died of hunger when they were neglected during the Israel-Hamas war. The popular animals were too expensive to be replaced by the cash-strapped institution, so the keepers decided to fool the paying public by painting black and white stripes on a pair of common donkeys. The “donkey zebras” went undetected by the public and were a smashing success. I was fascinated by the story and wrote a short play about it, re-envisioning the narrative about an accidentally-killed rare, white baby rhino. With my Dad's penchant for puns, I titled this little play On the Horns of a Dilemma.
I never thought Horns would ever see the light of day, but One Night Stand Theater presented it as part of their October 4 staged reading, "Animal Kingdom," and it brought down the house. Just goes to show: you never know where an idea can take you and/or who will go along for the ride!
August 2015
LaMaMa International Playwright Retreat -- Umbria, Italy -- I had the amazing privilege to go to the LaMaMa International Playwright Retreat from August 9-18. There's surprisingly little information online about the retreat, so I went into it not knowing what to expect. Truth be told, though, nothing could have prepared me for the level of generosity and support that the LaMaMa family provided. They do EVERYTHING in their power to create a generative environment that honors the playwright and the playwright's process.
This year's retreat was facilitated by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (An Octoroon) , who did a consummate job providing guidance and support. We were given the space, time and freedom each morning to write autonomously, then encouraged to share our work, our process, our joys and our frustrations in a group setting each night. It was truly a challenging and rewarding experience, one that I wholeheartedly encourage playwrights to apply for if they are looking for a retreat opportunity.
June 2015
Dangling Participles – FUSION Theatre Company -- Albuquerque, New Mexico -- Dangling Participles had an absolutely fantastic run at FUSION Theatre Company's annual festival from June 4-14. Talkin' Broadway's review of THE SEVEN mentioned my play as one of its festival favorites, stating "Dangling Participles, written by Jeffrey Neuman ... is a sweet and clever morning-after mystery [with] great comic timing and unexpected depth." The Albuquerque Journal also gave us a really nice mention, stating, “The second act begins with a witty comedy, “Dangling Participles,” which was one of my favorites. The success of this short piece on romantic connection, adultery and grammar is largely predicated on the outstanding cast. Caitlin Aase is an excellent young actor. Her mobile face registered a wide range of subtle thoughts and emotions. She was mesmerizing, and competently matched by Miles Wartes as her romantic counterpart …. The playwright Jeffrey Neuman has crafted not only a witty piece about language, but also a lovely little play about sexual and intellectual compatibility."
The Denver Post -- Pen and Podium -- I'm beyond-excited to announce my continued involvement in the Denver Post's acclaimed Pen and Podium lecture series. Once again, I will serve as the Literary Events Coordinator for the program. And, what a season it is! For 2015-16, we will be hosting,
- Zadie Smith
- James McBride
- Meg Waltzer
- Bill Bryson
- TC Boyle
LaMama Umbria -- Last, but certainly not least, I'm thrilled to let you know that I have been accepted into LaMaMa Experimental Theatre Club's International Playwright Retreat. I will be joining 14 other playwrights and Master Playwright/workshop facilitator Branden Jacobs-Jenkins for a ten day retreat in August in Umbria, Italy. There, I will explore craft and have dedicated time to foster and develop my works-in-progress in a full-immersion environment. I'm so excited about this undertaking and can't wait to share my experiences with you upon my return to the states.
May 2015
Dangling Participles – FUSION Theatre Company -- Albuquerque, New Mexico -- My newest short play was selected to be part of THE SEVEN, one of the most premier short play festivals in the country! This year, FUSION received 852 submissions from 41 states and nine countries. I'’m thrilled to, once again, have a play on the FUSION stage, my third placement in the festival since 2011. Tickets on sale now and more information coming soon!
Neil Gaiman – Pen and Podium -- On Tuesday, May 19, Pen and Podium had the distinct pleasure of hosting Neil Gaiman. Neil was an amazing speaker, a consummate storyteller and, quite simply, a joy to host. He spoke about so many things over the course of the evening -- his career, writing, collaboration. My biggest take-away, though, was his answer to the question "What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?" He said, "Write. Write things. Finish the things you write .... and you're not an 'aspiring' writer. That's rubbish. If you write, you're a writer." Empowering words from an amazing author.
April 2015
Mary Roach – Pen and Podium -- On Monday, April 20, I had the pleasure of hosting the incomparable Mary Roach (Stiff, Bonk, Gulp) as part of Pen and Podium's 2014-15 season. Mary was a delight to host -- as funny in person as she is on paper. If you haven't read one of her books before, I urge you to pick one one up. She has an incredibly wry sense of humor and her books present a fascinating look at "process" with an almost giddy joy for research and details.
February 2015
Exit Strategies – Denver, Colorado – I am beyond excited to announce the cast of the premiere production of Exit Strategies, which will run at The Edge Theatre Company from December 4-31, 2015. The play will be directed by Kate Folkins and feature Emma Messenger, Missy Moore, Emily Paton Davies and Andrew Uhlenhopp.
InSex– London, England – The good folks at Bite-Size Plays are giving my praying mantis sex romp another outing at the St. James Theatre just in time for Valentine's Day. If you're in London February 9-13, please join them for a fresh early spring menu of four bite-size plays from their award winning collection, including:
· Hitched by Lindsay Williams
· Insex by Jeffrey Neuman
· The Interpreter by Jonathan Kaufman
· Pride and Prejudice by Tim Hehir
‘Bite-Size Plays’ have won 5 star press acclaim at Edinburgh, Brighton and in their touring productions in Australia. Winners of Latest Magazine Award for ‘Best Theatre Performance’ in Brighton Festival.
Sherman Alexie – Pen and Podium -- On February 9, I was thrilled to host Sherman Alexie (Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian) as part of Pen and Podium's 2014-15 season. "Every detail matters" was the theme and ultimate message of Mr. Alexie's amazingly thoughtful and downright hysterical lecture. One P&P attendee described it as the "edgiest and most hilarious" event we've ever had!
January 2015
Exit Strategies – Denver, Colorado – Matthew Lopez, author of The Whipping Man, one of the most widely produced new American plays of the last several years, will be conducting a Playwriting Workshop during the opening weekend at the Colorado New Play Summit. Matthew blindly selected three scenes by Colorado-based playwrights to workshop in a masterclass setting, and I'm thrilled to announce that a scene from Exit Strategies was chosen as one of the three. Details about the workshop are still emerging, but it will take place on Sunday, 2/15 at 5pm and involve Matthew and me on stage with actors workshopping and rewriting the scene in real-time using a new cutting edge program called Scriptopia. Entrance to the workshop is included with a full reading pass to the local weekend and can be purchased at http://denvercenter.org/events/colorado-new-play-summit#block3.
A Date With Destiny – Brockport, New York – Just booked a Date in upstate New York!
After reviewing nearly 600 submissions received from playwrights located around the globe, The College at Brockport’s Department of Theatre and Music Studies is producing its ninth biennial Festival of Ten. This program of ten 10-minute plays premieres on Friday, February 27, 2015 at 7:30 in the Tower Fine Arts Center Mainstage, 180 Holley Street, Brockport. I'm honored to tell you that Date with Destiny, my newest ten minute play has been selected as one of the ten plays for inclusion in the festival.
Colorao New Play Summit – Denver, Colorado– I am THRILLED to announce that Rough Draught Playwrights will be hosting the first ever Local Playwrights’ Slam during the 2015 Colorado New Play Summit at Denver Center for the Performing Arts. From the offices of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts:
DCPA Theatre Company Announces Inaugural Local Playwrights’ Slam Curated by Rough Draught Playwrights
DENVER – The Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) Theatre Company announced today that Colorado playwriting group Rough Draught Playwrights will curate the inaugural Local Playwrights’ Slam during the local weekend of the 2015 Colorado New Play Summit. The Slam will take place in the Jones Theatre at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 14 and is free with the purchase of any $10 Summit reading ticket.
Rough Draught Playwrights (RDP) promotes writer development and dramaturgy by connecting Colorado playwrights with peers, actors, directors, producers and theater enthusiasts through informal readings of their scripts. Produced by playwrights Leslie C. Lewis, Nina Alice Miller and Jeffrey Neuman, RDP hosts the quarterly Open Mic Theatrical Playground, where writers have the opportunity to hear their works-in-progress read before a live audience. RDP events, open to playwrights at any stage of development, provide a launchpad for new works that have gone on to productions, awards, and a notable National New Play Network rolling premiere.
“We are thrilled that the expansion of this year’s Summit will provide local playwrights with additional outlets to showcase their work,” said Kent Thompson, Producing Artistic Director for the Theatre Company. “The expanded weekends also provide Colorado artists and audiences with the unprecedented opportunity to learn from both Paul Vogel, the most respected playwriting teacher in the nation, and Denver favorite Matthew Lopez, undeniably one of the fastest rising playwrights in the country.”
The local weekend of the Summit will feature two workshops by Denver Center Playwriting Fellow Matthew Lopez (The Legend of Georgia McBride, The Whipping Man). Lopez will lead an acting master class on Saturday, February 14. This workshop will use scenes from four of Matthew’s own plays and allow writers, actors, and audiences alike to discover the relationship between a playwright, his text, and actors’ interpretations.
On Sunday, February 15, Lopez will workshop new scenes with three Colorado playwrights. This session will provide a behind-the-scenes look into the playwriting and development process, including a Q & A session with the audience.
During the Summit’s Industry weekend, Pulitzer Prize winner Paula Vogel (How I Learned To Drive), will lead two playwriting boot camps for theatre lovers of all types and abilities.
“This expansion further cements the Theatre Company’s commitment to Colorado storytelling,” said Thompson. “This season alone audiences have journeyed to Leadville in The Unsinkable Molly Brown and to the fictional town of Holt, Colorado in Benediction.”
2014 In Review
November 2014
A Date With Destiny – My newest short play got a double-dose of good fortune in November. The play, a wry smile at the idea of free will (one of my favorite subjects), received a full production as part of the Rocky Mountain Short Play Festival from November 6-22 in Lakewood, Colorado. It was also just selected for Diez Minutos, an international 10 minute play festival that takes place yearly in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
In the play, worlds literally collide as a couple explores the nature of their romantic relationship … when one of them doesn’t realize that they actually have a romantic relationship.
September 2014
Pen & Podium – Dennis Lehane – On September 30, we proudly kicked off Pen & Podium's 2014-15 season with bestselling author Dennis Lehane, author of Mystic River, Gone, Baby, Gone, Shutter Island and The Given Day, among many others. Dennis was an amazing lecturer and a wonderful storyteller. The audience loved every moment of his talk, particularly relishing his thoughts and observations about the art of narrative.
August 2014
Exit Strategies has won The Edge Theater Company's Festival of New Plays and will be given a full production in December 2015! So grateful to everyone who came out to see the play, the panel of judges who voted for it and the AMAZING level of support, love and friendship I was offered while writing (and rewriting!) this script.
July 2014
Exit Strategies – Denver, Colorado: The EDGE Theater Company's workshop production of Exit Strategies was a HUGE success, playing to sold out houses all nights of the three-performance run. Audience response was overwhelmingly positive and I received some wonderful, actionable feedback during each evening's facilitated talk-backs.
What happens now? The script will now be adjudicated by a panel of special judges. The "winner" of the festival will be offered a contract for a full production at the EDGE Theater in December 2015.
Exit Strategies – Greenville, South Carolina: As if my experience with the EDGE Theater Company wasn't rewarding enough, ES was also named as a Semi-Finalist in Centre Stage's national New Play Festival. My play was selected from nearly 500 submissions as one of nineteen semi-finalists, and has moved into the next round of evaluations for the festival.
May & June 2014
Exit Strategies – Denver, Colorado – The cast has been announced for the Edge Theatre Company's workshop production of Exit Strategies. I am humbled and tickled by the caliber of talent that's been secured for this workshop. The cast includes Jessica Garrett as Kai, Emma Messenger as Sheryl, Maggy Stacy as Rachel and Andrew Uhlenhopp as Chance. For more information about the production and to reserve tickets, please call 303.232.0363 or visit www.theedgetheater.com. To all my friends and colleagues in Colorado, please save the date! Make a night of it! Bring friends! Remember, YOUR attendance will help to determine whether or not the play is selected for full production!
"Fully Formed, Fully Armored" – Denver, Colorado – On June 1, One Night Stand Theater will present an evening of short plays inspired by or based upon the Fortunate Fall and the Garden of Eden. I'm proud to announce that my monologue "Fully Formed, Fully Armored," which includes an interlude about the Greek version of the Fall of Man, will be performed in this theatrical anthology. For tickets and/or more information about One Night Stand In The Garden of Eden, please visit http://www.onenightstandtheater.org/.
Pen & Podium – Art Spiegelman – On May 5, I had the distinct pleasure of serving as host and author escort for Art Spiegelman, for Pen & Podium's final lecture of the 2013-14 season. Art redefined the idea of graphic storytelling with his breakthrough memoir Maus and his lecture "What the &*%# Happened To Comics" was a riveting multimedia presentation. Below, please catch a glimpse of Art "Backstage at Pen & Podium," just minutes before he took the lectern.
Pen & Podium will be resume its lecture events later this year with a stellar line-up:
April 2014
Exit Strategies has been chosen as a finalist for The Edge Theatre Company's New Play Festival! The play will be given a full weekend of script-in-hand workshop performances this July at The Edge Theatre in Denver. The festival includes three new works, each of which will be given 25 hours of rehearsal with a director, cast and dramaturg. One of the three plays will then be selected for full production in 2015. I'm thrilled by the announcement and I look forward to sharing this play with the Colorado theatre community.
Exit Strategies will open the festival July 18, 19, and 20, running with an as-yet-determined cast at The Edge Theatre (1560 Teller Street, Suite 200, Lakewood, Colorado). The play will be directed by Kate Folkins, the Associate Artistic Director of Curious Theatre Company, and dramaturged by Patrick Elkins-Zeglarksi. Season Pass holders can see each production and it's already included in the price of the pass. All others can see individual shows for $10 or all three for $25. If you see all three, your vote can help shape the 2015 season for The Edge Theater!
Call 303-232-0363 for more information or go towww.theedgetheater.com to purchase tickets.
March 2014
Exit Strategies – Valdez, Alaska – I’m proud to announce that my newest full-length play has been selected for inclusion in the 22nd Last Frontier Theatre Conference, which will be held June 8-14, 2014 in Valdez, Alaska. Continually held each year since 1993, the conference provides a series of workshops, symposia, theatrical productions, and panels at which participants have the opportunity to study with award-winning playwrights, directors, producers, and actors, some of the greatest luminaries in the American Theatre.
Grammar for Smart People – San Miguel de Allende, Mexico – Grammar was very well-received at Diez Minutos International Festival of Ten-Minute Plays, which ran for six performances in Santa Ana and sold out for the entire run. (Festival poster to the left)
Dramaturgy – ATHENA PROJECT – Denver, Colorado – I have had the distinct pleasure of serving as dramaturg for Paradise, a new play by Laura Maria Censabella, which has been selected as part of the Plays in Progress series for the Athena Project Festival. Laura is a gifted playwright and screenwriter, who has been awarded three grants from the New York Foundation for the Arts and is currently working as the Director of The Playwrights Unit of the Ensemble Studio Theatre. The workshop production and audience talkbacks of Paradise will be held on Saturday, March 29 and Sunday, March 30 at the Aurora Fox Theatre in Denver. For tickets and more information about Paradise and the Athena Project Festival, please visit http://athenaprojectfestival.org/.
Pen & Podium – Geraldine Brooks – On March 10, Pen and Podium hosted the incredibly talented Geraldine Brooks, who was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in fiction in 2006 for her novel March. Geraldine gave a fascinating lecture that enthralled our Pen & Podium subscribers. On a personal note, she was an absolute joy to host, too. Not only did she affectionately call me “boss” the whole night, but she also drew a picture of a praying mantis on the title page of my copy of Caleb’s Crossing in honor of InSex being performed in her native Australia. Please enjoy her P&P video interview below.
February 2014
"Lost and Found" – JAC Publishing and Promotions – The lovely team at JAC Publishing has accepted one of my new works for their upcoming monologue anthology interJACtions III. "Lost and Found," a solo piece for a female actor (30's-50's), is a story about hope, loss and self-discovery set in the halls of the Musée d’Orsay.
A Date with Destiny – Denver, Colorado – It seems as though I can't shake this compulsion to write plays that examine the idea of free will versus predetermination. In A Date with Destiny, a new ten-minute play which debuted at Rough Draught Playwrights' Open Mic Theatrical Playground on February 15, the idea of free will gets a whimsical treatment as two people explore the nature of their relationship ... when one of them doesn't realize they actually have a relationship. The reading was skillfully performed by Evan Duggan and Laura Adducci (pictured left), under the helpful and astute direction of Sheila Ivy Traister.
Pen & Podium – Isabel Wilkerson – On Monday, February 3, I had the great privilege of hosting Isabel Wilkerson for Pen & Podium's first 2014 event. Ms. Wilkerson, author of The Warmth of Other Suns, was a lovely, warm human being and an exceptional speaker. Attendees were riveted by Ms. Wilkerson's lecture, which enlarged upon the Great Migration and her fifteen year journey writing her epic, sweeping, gorgeously written and consummately researched book. Ms. Wilkerson was also the first author we interviewed for a new series of videos we are filming in conjunction with each of our upcoming lectures (see below).
January 2014
Grammar for Smart People – San Miguel de Allende, Mexico – My newest ten-minute play, Grammar for Smart People, has been selected for inclusion in Diez Minutos, San Miguel’s Second Annual 10-Minute Play Festival. The play was selected from over 100 entries and will be performed in March of 2014. Though I’ve never visited San Miguel, Mark and I spend a lot of time in Mexico, so this production opportunity means the world to me. Gracias, San Miguel, para mi primera producción mexicana!
InSex – Australian Tour – InSex kicks off with Bite-Size Comedies' A La Carte International Tour on January 24, playing World Fringe Perth through February 12. The tour will then move to the Adelaide Fringe Festival in February and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in March. For information about the tour and to buy tickets, please visit http://www.imaginationworkshop.com.au/tickets/index.html.
A Date With Destiny – My newest short play got a double-dose of good fortune in November. The play, a wry smile at the idea of free will (one of my favorite subjects), received a full production as part of the Rocky Mountain Short Play Festival from November 6-22 in Lakewood, Colorado. It was also just selected for Diez Minutos, an international 10 minute play festival that takes place yearly in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
In the play, worlds literally collide as a couple explores the nature of their romantic relationship … when one of them doesn’t realize that they actually have a romantic relationship.
September 2014
Pen & Podium – Dennis Lehane – On September 30, we proudly kicked off Pen & Podium's 2014-15 season with bestselling author Dennis Lehane, author of Mystic River, Gone, Baby, Gone, Shutter Island and The Given Day, among many others. Dennis was an amazing lecturer and a wonderful storyteller. The audience loved every moment of his talk, particularly relishing his thoughts and observations about the art of narrative.
August 2014
Exit Strategies has won The Edge Theater Company's Festival of New Plays and will be given a full production in December 2015! So grateful to everyone who came out to see the play, the panel of judges who voted for it and the AMAZING level of support, love and friendship I was offered while writing (and rewriting!) this script.
July 2014
Exit Strategies – Denver, Colorado: The EDGE Theater Company's workshop production of Exit Strategies was a HUGE success, playing to sold out houses all nights of the three-performance run. Audience response was overwhelmingly positive and I received some wonderful, actionable feedback during each evening's facilitated talk-backs.
What happens now? The script will now be adjudicated by a panel of special judges. The "winner" of the festival will be offered a contract for a full production at the EDGE Theater in December 2015.
Exit Strategies – Greenville, South Carolina: As if my experience with the EDGE Theater Company wasn't rewarding enough, ES was also named as a Semi-Finalist in Centre Stage's national New Play Festival. My play was selected from nearly 500 submissions as one of nineteen semi-finalists, and has moved into the next round of evaluations for the festival.
May & June 2014
Exit Strategies – Denver, Colorado – The cast has been announced for the Edge Theatre Company's workshop production of Exit Strategies. I am humbled and tickled by the caliber of talent that's been secured for this workshop. The cast includes Jessica Garrett as Kai, Emma Messenger as Sheryl, Maggy Stacy as Rachel and Andrew Uhlenhopp as Chance. For more information about the production and to reserve tickets, please call 303.232.0363 or visit www.theedgetheater.com. To all my friends and colleagues in Colorado, please save the date! Make a night of it! Bring friends! Remember, YOUR attendance will help to determine whether or not the play is selected for full production!
"Fully Formed, Fully Armored" – Denver, Colorado – On June 1, One Night Stand Theater will present an evening of short plays inspired by or based upon the Fortunate Fall and the Garden of Eden. I'm proud to announce that my monologue "Fully Formed, Fully Armored," which includes an interlude about the Greek version of the Fall of Man, will be performed in this theatrical anthology. For tickets and/or more information about One Night Stand In The Garden of Eden, please visit http://www.onenightstandtheater.org/.
Pen & Podium – Art Spiegelman – On May 5, I had the distinct pleasure of serving as host and author escort for Art Spiegelman, for Pen & Podium's final lecture of the 2013-14 season. Art redefined the idea of graphic storytelling with his breakthrough memoir Maus and his lecture "What the &*%# Happened To Comics" was a riveting multimedia presentation. Below, please catch a glimpse of Art "Backstage at Pen & Podium," just minutes before he took the lectern.
Pen & Podium will be resume its lecture events later this year with a stellar line-up:
- Dennis Lehane: Award-winning novelist and screenwriter, author of Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone
Tues, Sept. 30, 2014 - Jennifer Egan: Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Visit from the Goon Squad and The Invisible Circus
Mon., Nov. 10, 2014
- Sherman Alexie: Best-selling writer of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian and the film“Smoke Signals” Mon., Feb. 9, 2015
- Mary Roach: Best-selling author of Stiff, Spook, Gulp and Bonk, Mon.,Apr. 20, 2015
- Neil Gaiman: Acclaimed novelist and author of American Gods, The Sandman and The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Tues, May 19, 2015
April 2014
Exit Strategies has been chosen as a finalist for The Edge Theatre Company's New Play Festival! The play will be given a full weekend of script-in-hand workshop performances this July at The Edge Theatre in Denver. The festival includes three new works, each of which will be given 25 hours of rehearsal with a director, cast and dramaturg. One of the three plays will then be selected for full production in 2015. I'm thrilled by the announcement and I look forward to sharing this play with the Colorado theatre community.
Exit Strategies will open the festival July 18, 19, and 20, running with an as-yet-determined cast at The Edge Theatre (1560 Teller Street, Suite 200, Lakewood, Colorado). The play will be directed by Kate Folkins, the Associate Artistic Director of Curious Theatre Company, and dramaturged by Patrick Elkins-Zeglarksi. Season Pass holders can see each production and it's already included in the price of the pass. All others can see individual shows for $10 or all three for $25. If you see all three, your vote can help shape the 2015 season for The Edge Theater!
Call 303-232-0363 for more information or go towww.theedgetheater.com to purchase tickets.
March 2014
Exit Strategies – Valdez, Alaska – I’m proud to announce that my newest full-length play has been selected for inclusion in the 22nd Last Frontier Theatre Conference, which will be held June 8-14, 2014 in Valdez, Alaska. Continually held each year since 1993, the conference provides a series of workshops, symposia, theatrical productions, and panels at which participants have the opportunity to study with award-winning playwrights, directors, producers, and actors, some of the greatest luminaries in the American Theatre.
Grammar for Smart People – San Miguel de Allende, Mexico – Grammar was very well-received at Diez Minutos International Festival of Ten-Minute Plays, which ran for six performances in Santa Ana and sold out for the entire run. (Festival poster to the left)
Dramaturgy – ATHENA PROJECT – Denver, Colorado – I have had the distinct pleasure of serving as dramaturg for Paradise, a new play by Laura Maria Censabella, which has been selected as part of the Plays in Progress series for the Athena Project Festival. Laura is a gifted playwright and screenwriter, who has been awarded three grants from the New York Foundation for the Arts and is currently working as the Director of The Playwrights Unit of the Ensemble Studio Theatre. The workshop production and audience talkbacks of Paradise will be held on Saturday, March 29 and Sunday, March 30 at the Aurora Fox Theatre in Denver. For tickets and more information about Paradise and the Athena Project Festival, please visit http://athenaprojectfestival.org/.
Pen & Podium – Geraldine Brooks – On March 10, Pen and Podium hosted the incredibly talented Geraldine Brooks, who was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in fiction in 2006 for her novel March. Geraldine gave a fascinating lecture that enthralled our Pen & Podium subscribers. On a personal note, she was an absolute joy to host, too. Not only did she affectionately call me “boss” the whole night, but she also drew a picture of a praying mantis on the title page of my copy of Caleb’s Crossing in honor of InSex being performed in her native Australia. Please enjoy her P&P video interview below.
February 2014
"Lost and Found" – JAC Publishing and Promotions – The lovely team at JAC Publishing has accepted one of my new works for their upcoming monologue anthology interJACtions III. "Lost and Found," a solo piece for a female actor (30's-50's), is a story about hope, loss and self-discovery set in the halls of the Musée d’Orsay.
A Date with Destiny – Denver, Colorado – It seems as though I can't shake this compulsion to write plays that examine the idea of free will versus predetermination. In A Date with Destiny, a new ten-minute play which debuted at Rough Draught Playwrights' Open Mic Theatrical Playground on February 15, the idea of free will gets a whimsical treatment as two people explore the nature of their relationship ... when one of them doesn't realize they actually have a relationship. The reading was skillfully performed by Evan Duggan and Laura Adducci (pictured left), under the helpful and astute direction of Sheila Ivy Traister.
Pen & Podium – Isabel Wilkerson – On Monday, February 3, I had the great privilege of hosting Isabel Wilkerson for Pen & Podium's first 2014 event. Ms. Wilkerson, author of The Warmth of Other Suns, was a lovely, warm human being and an exceptional speaker. Attendees were riveted by Ms. Wilkerson's lecture, which enlarged upon the Great Migration and her fifteen year journey writing her epic, sweeping, gorgeously written and consummately researched book. Ms. Wilkerson was also the first author we interviewed for a new series of videos we are filming in conjunction with each of our upcoming lectures (see below).
January 2014
Grammar for Smart People – San Miguel de Allende, Mexico – My newest ten-minute play, Grammar for Smart People, has been selected for inclusion in Diez Minutos, San Miguel’s Second Annual 10-Minute Play Festival. The play was selected from over 100 entries and will be performed in March of 2014. Though I’ve never visited San Miguel, Mark and I spend a lot of time in Mexico, so this production opportunity means the world to me. Gracias, San Miguel, para mi primera producción mexicana!
InSex – Australian Tour – InSex kicks off with Bite-Size Comedies' A La Carte International Tour on January 24, playing World Fringe Perth through February 12. The tour will then move to the Adelaide Fringe Festival in February and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in March. For information about the tour and to buy tickets, please visit http://www.imaginationworkshop.com.au/tickets/index.html.
2013
DECEMBER 2013
"Fragile" – Denver, Colorado – On December 19, please join me at Paris on the Platte (1553 Platte St, Denver, CO 80202) for the next installment of Horse & Cart’s Live Anthologies. Live Anthologies is a new bi-monthly series featuring fine local actors bringing to life new theater pieces at one of Denver’s favorite watering holes. December’s anthology will revolve around twelve performance pieces based on the “Twelve Days of Christmas” (the most famous and useless 78 gifts ever given), and will feature a new monologue I wrote called “Fragile.” The monologue is my retelling of “Four Calling Birds.” For more information on this FREE event, please visit http://horseandcart.co/live-anthologies/.
Paradise Lost – Denver, Colorado – I’m also pleased to announce that my short allegorical play Paradise Lost will be included in the upcoming Bolderlife Festival, with performances at Denver’s Crossroads Theatre December 6 and 8. Tickets are available at the door or by visiting http://www.bolderlifefestival.com/2013-theater-program/. Please visit the "photo/video gallery" of my site for production stills from the play, and check out this wonderful blog about the piece and its production team: http://www.bolderlifefestival.com/2013/12/02/bolderlife-theater-paradise-lost/.
InSex – Thistle Brighton – Critically acclaimed, award winning Fringe Favorite “Bite-Size Plays” returns to Thistle Brighton with a show especially developed for their Australian tour: “Bite-Size Comedies - À La Carte”. This exciting new entertaining way of dining and socializing with friends is the joint brain-child of Australian based Interactive Theatre International (the people behind “Faulty Towers The Dining Experience” – ‘a fringe legend’ The Skinny, Edinburgh), and the award-winning ‘Bite-Size Plays’ team (presenters of “The Big Bite-Size Breakfast” – ‘a fringe institution’ Fringe Guru, Brighton). If you’re in Brighton, there are three shows 12/12, 12/15 & 12/18 at 7pm. And, remember, the audience gets to choose which plays will make up the evening’s “menu,” so make sure to vote InSex into the mix! Tickets and information available at http://interactivetheatre.simpletix.com/Event/17/BiteSize-Comedies/
NOVEMBER 2013
InSex – I'm so excited to let you know that InSex has been licensed for all of 2014, and will be featured in "Bite-Size Comedies: A la Carte International Tour!"
From Bite-Size Plays: "Following a hugely successful run at the 2013 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, we are thrilled to announce that we have teamed up with Imagination Workshop and Interactive Theatre International to produce “Bite-Size Comedies: À la Carte” – a brand new interactive dinner experience… Grab a drink, a bite to eat then make your selection from the feast of laugh-out-loud funny plays performed around you as you dine.
This new show will be kicking off in December 2013 with three preview shows in Brighton, UK before it embarks on its 2014 Australian tour, including appearances at Fringe World Perth (Jan-Feb), Adelaide Fringe Festival (Feb-Mar) and Melbourne International Comedy Festival (Mar-Apr).
PLAYLIST
LATEST TOUR DATES
Thistle Hotel, Brighton, UK
12th, 15th, 18th December – 7.30pm
Australian Tour Dates:
January – June 2014
For up-to-date tour information, please visit http://www.imaginationworkshop.com.au/available_to_tour/bite-size.html
OCTOBER 2013
InSex – London, England – Fresh from winning "Best Theatre Performance" at the 2013 Brighton Latest Festival Awards & sellout shows at Edinburgh Fringe 2013, Bite-Size Plays is bringing a unique program of plays to the Leicester Square Theatre. On November 15th, you are invited to The Bite-Size Feisty Cocktail Hour, a tantalising selection of ten minute plays, which includes my award-winning short InSex. For tickets, please click on the digital flyer below.
"Anything is possible when Bite-Size Show up" - Rocks Magazine
AUGUST 2013
InSex – Edinburgh, Scotland – Fresh from winning “Best Theatre Performance” at the 2013 Brighton Latest Festival Awards, Bite-Size Plays returns to the Edinburgh Fringe with a five-star rated (***** WhatsOnStage, Daily Record, FringeReview, Latest7) show, which includes my short play InSex. The show runs in rep from July 29 through August 26, and has been an audience favorite at the festival.
http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/the-big-bite-si-pleasance-dome-9126
The End of Innocence – Aurora, Colorado – My good friends at One Night Stand Theater have, once again, honored me by including one of my short plays in their program. This go-around, ONS is tackling folk stories and legends from around the world. My contribution is The End of Innocence, an absurd retelling of the final moments of Hansel and Gretel, in which H&G debate the moral implications of killing the witch in order to survive. Part Grimm, part Joe Orton Innocence is a silly little play that lambastes everything from religion to sibling rivalry, from fundamentalism to Freud. If you're in Denver on August 11, I invite you to join Hansel and Gretel for a One Night Stand! http://www.onenightstandtheater.org/index.html
InSex – Oxford, Oxfordshire – InSex will be making another appearance in the UK with an early August performance by Almost Random Theatre (ART), a new theatre started in Oxford in May 2012. As detailed on the theatre company's website, "ART receives no government funding at all and therefore relies on the generosity of its actors and others in the giving of their time .... In the unlikely event that any profit is made, the ART allocation will go to charity." I'm so thrilled that the company has asked to license and perform my play, because their commitment to fun, community, and collaboration is so closely aligned with my own theatrical mission.
Colorado Community Theatre Coalition Festival – Denver, Colorado – On August 8, I will be co-facilitating a workshop at the annual CCTC Festival entitled, "Dramaturgy and Critical Feedback in New Play Development." The workshop, which is being presented by Angela Astle (Executive Producer, Athena Project), is designed to introduce the dramaturg's role to community theatre practitioners. I will be speaking as both a playwright and a dramaturg as we engage the class in a critical conversation about one of my short plays in order to model effective dramaturgical feedback skills. The play is a new short piece entitled Grammar for Smart People. I'm really excited by this opportunity and so thankful for the attention that Angela and CCTC are giving to the important role dramaturgy plays in theatre.
JULY 2013
Exit Strategies – Denver, Colorado – Exit Strategies has been selected as one of six semifinalists for the EDGE Theatre's ON THE EDGE: Festival of New Plays. As a semifinalist, I have been awarded a series of three workshops, where I will be given the opportunity to work with a dramaturg, director and cast on staging and development of the play. I’m so excited about the production possibilities for Exit Strategies, and invite you to be a part of the play's development. Please join me for the workshop readings detailed below, where you can be an audience member at on-your-feet readings of key scenes from the play. I’m certain your presence, feedback, and insights will help me to more fully realize this promising new script. Workshop dates:
· Saturday, July 20 from 5-6pm
· Saturday, August 31 from 5-6pm
· Saturday, September 21 from 5-6pm
All workshops will take place at the Edge Theatre, 1560 Teller Street, Lakewood, Colorado.
JUNE 2013
Exit Strategies – Denver, Colorado – The staged reading of Exit Strategies was a tremendous success, and I got some invaluable feedback for the play's development. The cast did a superb job bringing the characters to life and, once again, director Nicolette Vajtay brought insight and sensitivity to the rehearsal and production process. I'm really excited about how the play is shaping up and I'm anxious to start rewrites.
Rough Draught Playwrights (RDP) – Denver, Colorado – Our third installment of Rough Draught Playwrights Open Mic Theatrical Playground took place on June 9 at Eden Bar and Cuisine. We had an enthusiastic crowd of over one hundred attendees, who showed up to support new works by local playwrights. It's been such a joy to watch this program grow, to have help in the creation of an organization that is helping to foster camaraderie and community in the thriving community of Colorado playwrights, actors, directors, producers and theater lovers. We're currently in negotiations for the next Playground, so be on the lookout for our Save The Date.
MAY 2013
Paradise Lost – Albuquerque, New Mexico – I am thrilled to announce that my newest short play, Paradise Lost, has been selected for FUSION Theatre Company's "The Seven." FUSION, New Mexico’s only Actors’ Equity theatre, received over 770 submissions from 43 states and 7 countries before choosing the final seven scripts for performance. THE SEVEN, one of the nation's premiere new works festivals, runs from June 6-16, 2013.
FUSION Theatre Company was recently profiled on Broadway.com as the website's "Regional Theatre of the Week." Here'a link to the article: http://albuquerque.broadwayworld.com/article/Regional-Theater-of-the-Week-Fusion-Theatre-Company-in-Albuquerque-NM-20130501.
InSex – Mankato, Minnesota – Brad and Claire are at it again! This time, my horny, little mantidea have been selected as semi-finalists for Minnesota Shorts: A Festival of Short Plays. Finalists will be selected in June for a September production.
APRIL 2013
I am THRILLED to announce that I've completed the first draft of my newest play, Exit Strategies. While the play is still in development and needs a lot of work, I'm really excited by the script and its potential. In conjunction with Colorado Artists for New Play Development, I will be holding a table read of the play on June 11 with a dream cast, including Emma Messenger, Andrew Hunter, Jessica Anguiano, and Emily Norman. The rehearsals and reading will be directed by one of my favorite Denver theater artists, Nicolette Vajtay. This developmental reading is not open to the public, but keep your fingers crossed for a full production within the next year!
FEBRUARY & MARCH 2013
InSex – Denver, Colorado – Jim O'Leary did a wonderful job directing Samara Bridwell and and Jake d'Armand in InSex. The Valentine's Day weekend production was hysterical from beginning to end and enthusiastically received by audiences. As always, I'm so grateful to Jim, Beth, Lorraine, and the entire One Night Stand Theater team for championing new voices in Colorado theater.
Assisted Living – Louisville, Kentucky – In March, Stage Door Productions, Inc. brought their production of Assisted Living to the Southeast Theatre Conference in Louisville. Please visit the Photo Gallery to see pictures from their award-winning and heart-winning production.
JANUARY 2013 InSex – Denver, Colorado – Brad and Claire, those horny little praying mantises, are up to it again! I'm thrilled to announce that InSex has been selected for inclusion in One Night Stand Theater's "HEARTS ON FIRE: TALES OF LOVE AND MARRIAGE"
Please join me the Sunday before Valentine's Day for One Night Stand's take on Love at First Sight and Long-Term Commitments. Sunday, Feb. 10, 7 p.m. Vintage Theatre - 1468 Dayton St, Aurora (1/2 block south of Colfax in Old Downtown Aurora) Admission: $8.00. Reply to this email for info and reservations, or call 303-670-3628.
For more information, please visit www.OneNightStandTheater.org
"Fragile" – Denver, Colorado – On December 19, please join me at Paris on the Platte (1553 Platte St, Denver, CO 80202) for the next installment of Horse & Cart’s Live Anthologies. Live Anthologies is a new bi-monthly series featuring fine local actors bringing to life new theater pieces at one of Denver’s favorite watering holes. December’s anthology will revolve around twelve performance pieces based on the “Twelve Days of Christmas” (the most famous and useless 78 gifts ever given), and will feature a new monologue I wrote called “Fragile.” The monologue is my retelling of “Four Calling Birds.” For more information on this FREE event, please visit http://horseandcart.co/live-anthologies/.
Paradise Lost – Denver, Colorado – I’m also pleased to announce that my short allegorical play Paradise Lost will be included in the upcoming Bolderlife Festival, with performances at Denver’s Crossroads Theatre December 6 and 8. Tickets are available at the door or by visiting http://www.bolderlifefestival.com/2013-theater-program/. Please visit the "photo/video gallery" of my site for production stills from the play, and check out this wonderful blog about the piece and its production team: http://www.bolderlifefestival.com/2013/12/02/bolderlife-theater-paradise-lost/.
InSex – Thistle Brighton – Critically acclaimed, award winning Fringe Favorite “Bite-Size Plays” returns to Thistle Brighton with a show especially developed for their Australian tour: “Bite-Size Comedies - À La Carte”. This exciting new entertaining way of dining and socializing with friends is the joint brain-child of Australian based Interactive Theatre International (the people behind “Faulty Towers The Dining Experience” – ‘a fringe legend’ The Skinny, Edinburgh), and the award-winning ‘Bite-Size Plays’ team (presenters of “The Big Bite-Size Breakfast” – ‘a fringe institution’ Fringe Guru, Brighton). If you’re in Brighton, there are three shows 12/12, 12/15 & 12/18 at 7pm. And, remember, the audience gets to choose which plays will make up the evening’s “menu,” so make sure to vote InSex into the mix! Tickets and information available at http://interactivetheatre.simpletix.com/Event/17/BiteSize-Comedies/
NOVEMBER 2013
InSex – I'm so excited to let you know that InSex has been licensed for all of 2014, and will be featured in "Bite-Size Comedies: A la Carte International Tour!"
From Bite-Size Plays: "Following a hugely successful run at the 2013 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, we are thrilled to announce that we have teamed up with Imagination Workshop and Interactive Theatre International to produce “Bite-Size Comedies: À la Carte” – a brand new interactive dinner experience… Grab a drink, a bite to eat then make your selection from the feast of laugh-out-loud funny plays performed around you as you dine.
This new show will be kicking off in December 2013 with three preview shows in Brighton, UK before it embarks on its 2014 Australian tour, including appearances at Fringe World Perth (Jan-Feb), Adelaide Fringe Festival (Feb-Mar) and Melbourne International Comedy Festival (Mar-Apr).
PLAYLIST
- ‘The Needle and the Damage Done’ by Angus Brown
- ‘Hitched’ by Lindsay Williams
- ‘Radio Foreplay’ by Lucy Kaufman
- ‘InSex’ by Jeffrey Neuman
- ‘VD’ by Pete Malicki
- ‘Transactions’ by Scott McAteer
- ‘The Interpreter’ by Jonathan Kaufman
- ‘Tell Someone Who Cares’ by Sara Browne
LATEST TOUR DATES
Thistle Hotel, Brighton, UK
12th, 15th, 18th December – 7.30pm
Australian Tour Dates:
January – June 2014
For up-to-date tour information, please visit http://www.imaginationworkshop.com.au/available_to_tour/bite-size.html
OCTOBER 2013
InSex – London, England – Fresh from winning "Best Theatre Performance" at the 2013 Brighton Latest Festival Awards & sellout shows at Edinburgh Fringe 2013, Bite-Size Plays is bringing a unique program of plays to the Leicester Square Theatre. On November 15th, you are invited to The Bite-Size Feisty Cocktail Hour, a tantalising selection of ten minute plays, which includes my award-winning short InSex. For tickets, please click on the digital flyer below.
"Anything is possible when Bite-Size Show up" - Rocks Magazine
AUGUST 2013
InSex – Edinburgh, Scotland – Fresh from winning “Best Theatre Performance” at the 2013 Brighton Latest Festival Awards, Bite-Size Plays returns to the Edinburgh Fringe with a five-star rated (***** WhatsOnStage, Daily Record, FringeReview, Latest7) show, which includes my short play InSex. The show runs in rep from July 29 through August 26, and has been an audience favorite at the festival.
http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/the-big-bite-si-pleasance-dome-9126
The End of Innocence – Aurora, Colorado – My good friends at One Night Stand Theater have, once again, honored me by including one of my short plays in their program. This go-around, ONS is tackling folk stories and legends from around the world. My contribution is The End of Innocence, an absurd retelling of the final moments of Hansel and Gretel, in which H&G debate the moral implications of killing the witch in order to survive. Part Grimm, part Joe Orton Innocence is a silly little play that lambastes everything from religion to sibling rivalry, from fundamentalism to Freud. If you're in Denver on August 11, I invite you to join Hansel and Gretel for a One Night Stand! http://www.onenightstandtheater.org/index.html
InSex – Oxford, Oxfordshire – InSex will be making another appearance in the UK with an early August performance by Almost Random Theatre (ART), a new theatre started in Oxford in May 2012. As detailed on the theatre company's website, "ART receives no government funding at all and therefore relies on the generosity of its actors and others in the giving of their time .... In the unlikely event that any profit is made, the ART allocation will go to charity." I'm so thrilled that the company has asked to license and perform my play, because their commitment to fun, community, and collaboration is so closely aligned with my own theatrical mission.
Colorado Community Theatre Coalition Festival – Denver, Colorado – On August 8, I will be co-facilitating a workshop at the annual CCTC Festival entitled, "Dramaturgy and Critical Feedback in New Play Development." The workshop, which is being presented by Angela Astle (Executive Producer, Athena Project), is designed to introduce the dramaturg's role to community theatre practitioners. I will be speaking as both a playwright and a dramaturg as we engage the class in a critical conversation about one of my short plays in order to model effective dramaturgical feedback skills. The play is a new short piece entitled Grammar for Smart People. I'm really excited by this opportunity and so thankful for the attention that Angela and CCTC are giving to the important role dramaturgy plays in theatre.
JULY 2013
Exit Strategies – Denver, Colorado – Exit Strategies has been selected as one of six semifinalists for the EDGE Theatre's ON THE EDGE: Festival of New Plays. As a semifinalist, I have been awarded a series of three workshops, where I will be given the opportunity to work with a dramaturg, director and cast on staging and development of the play. I’m so excited about the production possibilities for Exit Strategies, and invite you to be a part of the play's development. Please join me for the workshop readings detailed below, where you can be an audience member at on-your-feet readings of key scenes from the play. I’m certain your presence, feedback, and insights will help me to more fully realize this promising new script. Workshop dates:
· Saturday, July 20 from 5-6pm
· Saturday, August 31 from 5-6pm
· Saturday, September 21 from 5-6pm
All workshops will take place at the Edge Theatre, 1560 Teller Street, Lakewood, Colorado.
JUNE 2013
Exit Strategies – Denver, Colorado – The staged reading of Exit Strategies was a tremendous success, and I got some invaluable feedback for the play's development. The cast did a superb job bringing the characters to life and, once again, director Nicolette Vajtay brought insight and sensitivity to the rehearsal and production process. I'm really excited about how the play is shaping up and I'm anxious to start rewrites.
Rough Draught Playwrights (RDP) – Denver, Colorado – Our third installment of Rough Draught Playwrights Open Mic Theatrical Playground took place on June 9 at Eden Bar and Cuisine. We had an enthusiastic crowd of over one hundred attendees, who showed up to support new works by local playwrights. It's been such a joy to watch this program grow, to have help in the creation of an organization that is helping to foster camaraderie and community in the thriving community of Colorado playwrights, actors, directors, producers and theater lovers. We're currently in negotiations for the next Playground, so be on the lookout for our Save The Date.
MAY 2013
Paradise Lost – Albuquerque, New Mexico – I am thrilled to announce that my newest short play, Paradise Lost, has been selected for FUSION Theatre Company's "The Seven." FUSION, New Mexico’s only Actors’ Equity theatre, received over 770 submissions from 43 states and 7 countries before choosing the final seven scripts for performance. THE SEVEN, one of the nation's premiere new works festivals, runs from June 6-16, 2013.
FUSION Theatre Company was recently profiled on Broadway.com as the website's "Regional Theatre of the Week." Here'a link to the article: http://albuquerque.broadwayworld.com/article/Regional-Theater-of-the-Week-Fusion-Theatre-Company-in-Albuquerque-NM-20130501.
InSex – Mankato, Minnesota – Brad and Claire are at it again! This time, my horny, little mantidea have been selected as semi-finalists for Minnesota Shorts: A Festival of Short Plays. Finalists will be selected in June for a September production.
APRIL 2013
I am THRILLED to announce that I've completed the first draft of my newest play, Exit Strategies. While the play is still in development and needs a lot of work, I'm really excited by the script and its potential. In conjunction with Colorado Artists for New Play Development, I will be holding a table read of the play on June 11 with a dream cast, including Emma Messenger, Andrew Hunter, Jessica Anguiano, and Emily Norman. The rehearsals and reading will be directed by one of my favorite Denver theater artists, Nicolette Vajtay. This developmental reading is not open to the public, but keep your fingers crossed for a full production within the next year!
FEBRUARY & MARCH 2013
InSex – Denver, Colorado – Jim O'Leary did a wonderful job directing Samara Bridwell and and Jake d'Armand in InSex. The Valentine's Day weekend production was hysterical from beginning to end and enthusiastically received by audiences. As always, I'm so grateful to Jim, Beth, Lorraine, and the entire One Night Stand Theater team for championing new voices in Colorado theater.
Assisted Living – Louisville, Kentucky – In March, Stage Door Productions, Inc. brought their production of Assisted Living to the Southeast Theatre Conference in Louisville. Please visit the Photo Gallery to see pictures from their award-winning and heart-winning production.
JANUARY 2013 InSex – Denver, Colorado – Brad and Claire, those horny little praying mantises, are up to it again! I'm thrilled to announce that InSex has been selected for inclusion in One Night Stand Theater's "HEARTS ON FIRE: TALES OF LOVE AND MARRIAGE"
Please join me the Sunday before Valentine's Day for One Night Stand's take on Love at First Sight and Long-Term Commitments. Sunday, Feb. 10, 7 p.m. Vintage Theatre - 1468 Dayton St, Aurora (1/2 block south of Colfax in Old Downtown Aurora) Admission: $8.00. Reply to this email for info and reservations, or call 303-670-3628.
For more information, please visit www.OneNightStandTheater.org
2012 & 2011
NOVEMBER & DECEMBER 2012
Wow, it’s been an incredibly long time since I’ve had the opportunity to update this site. And, though I didn’t get a lot of time to write or work on my theater projects during the hectic holiday months, I kept incredibly busy with rewrites, event planning, and event coordination:
Pen & Podium – Denver, Colorado – For those of you who don’t know, I am the Book Club Coordinator and Author Escort for a wonderful literary series in Denver called Pen & Podium.
P&P is a five-part lecture series sponsored by the Denver Post and features some of the world’s most distinguished and thought-provoking writers. Each presentation includes an engaging lecture by a renowned author followed by a question and answer period during which audience members can address the speaker directly. In November we hosted the lovely, generous, and incredibly talented Terry Tempest Williams. Next month, I get to play host to one of my favorite authors – Jeffrey Eugenides.
In addition to meeting and spending time with amazing authors, I also develop book club content for the Denver Post’s Pen & Podium website (penandpdium.com) and I have the privilege of hosting a series of book clubs with an astoundingly well-read, engaging, and thought-provoking group of people. Check out penandpodium.com if you’re interested in attending one of our upcoming conversations. After Mr. Eugenides, we’ll be hosting Ann Patchett and Billy Collins. I've included a few pictures below from some recent events.
Exit Strategies – I’ve been working diligently on a new full-length play, tentatively titled Exit Strategies. My goal is to have a first draft finished within the next few weeks! Hopefully, I’ll begin submitting the play for development and production by May, after a table read in Denver.
Rough Draught Playwrights – Denver, Colorado – Our October event was a HUGE success, described by one attendee as “the coolest party in town.” It was fantastic seeing new works from eight aspiring Colorado playwrights. Given the overwhelmingly positive turnout and response, we’ll be hosting another “Open Mic Theatrical Playground” on March 9, 2013. I’m hoping to read the revised first scene of Exit Strategies at the event, if there’s room on the bill.
OCTOBER 2012
Assisted Living – Harrisonburg, Virginia – Stage Door Productions, Inc. included Assisted Living as part of their competition piece when they performed at the Virginia Theatre Association 2012 Community Theatre Festival. The production won a number of awards and will move on to the Southeast Conference in Louisville, Kentucky in March 2013.
Paradise Lost – Denver, Colorado – On October 7, One Night Stand Theater presented "DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY THEATER," an evening of tales from a warped family album. The program was made up of eight short plays and stories, both comic and dark, by local writers and playwrights. I was thrilled that my newest short play, a slightly absurdist retelling of Adam and Eve, received its debuted staged reading at the event. The reading was directed by Lorraine Scott and featured performances Randy Diamon and Ronda Belser.
InSex – Oakland, California – My little ode to sexual cannibalism had its west coast premiere at Pan Theater's Anything Can Happen in Ten Minutes Festival. The company did a great job with the production and the entire performance can be seen below or on this website's photo/video gallery.
interJACtions: Monologues at the Heart of Human Nature, Vol. II – JAC Publishing & Promotions – Monologues from three of my plays have been included in JAC's new monologue anthology. In their marketing for the collection, JAC writes, "Ever need that perfect character monologue for an audition or performance? A sampling of many wonderful playwrights nationwide, interJACtions contains selections for men, women or either, and all races— but all true characters unto themselves." interJACtions is available for purchase from JAC Publishing or at Amazon.
AUGUST 2012
Assisted Living – Silver Spring, Maryland – I can't tell you how fortunate I was to submit to Silver Spring Stage's annual One-Act Festival. They turned out to be a wonderful organization, a company that truly respects and champions new voices in playwriting.
Their production of Assisted Living, directed by Bob Scott and starring David Dieudonne, Bob Benn and Nancy Blum, was very warmly received by audiences, company members, and adjudicators. The producers of the festival asked a three-judge panel to independently evaluate the productions, and present awards for best overall production, best director and outstanding writing. I'm delighted to report that Assisted Living received top honors for Outstanding Writing of a One-Act Play!
Storytellers – Lakewood, Colorado – On August 5, the Edge Theater workshopped the opening scene from Storytellers (previously produced and staged under the title The Uses of Enchantment). In addition to the changed title, the play has undergone a complete transformation. The new script, which is still in development, is a semi-finalist in the ON THE EDGE Festival in Lakewood, Colorado and is being considered for further development and a possible 2013 production.
Three Monologues – JAC Publishing and Promotions (National) – I'm very excited to announce that JAC Publishing & Promotions will be including three of my monologues in their upcoming anthology, interJACtions: Monologues from the Heart of Human Nature, Volume II. Publication date TBD. Volume one, which includes four monologues from Zeus's Women, is still available through JAC and Amazon. The next installment of interJACtions will include monologues from Assisted Living, Award-Winning Entry, and Delivered.
JULY 2012
AWARD-WINNING ENTRY IS A HIT! The Salem Theatre Company's production of Award-Winning Entry has been a great success! North Shore Footlights raves that, "In this play within a play, within a play, within a play … the author, Jeff Neuman, explores the absurd imperial power playwrights possess over characters. Meanwhile, Neuman takes the audience on a frenzied, hilarious, jaunt through the history of theatre beginning with Greek tragedy and ending with snippets from modern stage productions."
MAY 2012
Award-Winning Entry – Salem, Massachusetts – The cast has been announced for the Salem Theatre Company's upcoming production of AWE. As introduced on STC's Facebook page, "Award Winning Entry by Jeff Neuman is a fresh take on short play festivals that we've chosen to produce for our short play festival. Gale Argentine, Dori Levitt and Dave Rich are featured under Mark Scalia's direction. MoP runs from July 11 - 15 at the STC Theater!" For more information about Salem Theatre Company and the upcoming production of Moments of Play, please visit www.salemtheatre.com.
Rough Draught Playwrights – Denver, Colorado – I want to thank everyone who came out to support the first ever Rough Draught Playwrights Open Mic Theatrical Playground. We had an amazing turnout of writers, actors, directors, theater support staff, friends and family. I was thrilled to perform a scene from my new work-in-progress, Exit Strategies, with the fabulous Nicolette Vajtay. Our second Open Mic event is tentatively slated for October 2012. More information to follow.
APRIL 2012
Assisted Living – Silver Spring, Maryland – The play-reading committee at Silver Springs Stage selected "Assisted Living" for inclusion in the company's 2012 Stage One-Act Festival. The exact dates of performance have not yet been set, but the weekends of the Festival include August 9-12; August 16-19; and August 23-26.
Award-Winning Entry – Salem, Massachusetts – Award-Winning Entry was selected for Salem Theatre Company's "Moments of Play" Ten-Minute Play Festival. The Festival received over 800 submissions this year and only ten were chosen for production. Moments of Play will take place July 11 through 15, with performances at 7:30 p.m. on July 11, 12 & 13 and at 5:00pm on July 14 & 15. For more information, please visit www.salemtheatre.com/index.htm.
At 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 14, there will be a panel discussion, with playwrights Kate Snodgrass (playwright and Artistic Director of Boston Playwrights Theatre), Richard Dresser (book and story writer for Johnny Baseball, Rounding Third) and Ronan Noone (The Atheist, The Blowin of Baile Gall). The Discussion includes the 10-minute play as a genre, as well as discussion of the plays presented.
Rough Draught Playwrights – Denver, Colorado – I am proud to announce a new project I helped to create alongside Colorado playwrights Leslie C. Lewis and Nina Miller–Rough Draught Playwrights' Open Mic Theatrical Playground. What is RDP's Open Mic Theatrical Playground? Think of it as theater meets open mic meets rock n'roll dive bar, as playwrights perform their latest Pulitzers-in-progress in front of a live, drinking audience (that means YOU)! Anything from drama and musicals to monologues and performance art might be on tap for the night, so I think it'll be loads of fun! While I may be too busy helping "run the show," I do hope to read a scene from my newest play, Exit Strategies.
Where: Bender's Tavern, 314 E. 13th Ave., Denver (Capitol Hill Neighborhood)
When: Saturday, June 9th
MARCH 2012
Assisted Living – Winona, Minnesota – In May 2011, Assisted Living was selected as one of the winners of Theatre du Mississippi’s One-Act Playwriting Competition. It has just been announced that the play will receive a staged reading by TdM in mid-April at the company's home, the Historic Masonic Theater.
Assisted Living – Minneapolis, Minnesota – Minnesota has been doubly kind to Assisted Living! The Eat Street Players announced the line-up for their Fresh Bites One Act Festival and AL was selected for production. The show will be performed between May 30th and June 11th at the Howard Conn Theater.
FEBRUARY 2012
The Uses of Enchantment – The Edge Theatre – Lakewood, Colorado: The Uses of Enchantment has been named a semi-finalist in the Edge Theatre's first annual Festival of New Plays. The play, which was presented as part of Paragon Theatre Ensemble's Trench series last year, is in the process of being developed and will, hopefully, become even stronger as I rewrite the piece in conjunction with the Edge Theatre's ON YOUR FEET development workshop. More information to follow!
NOVEMBER 2011
Delivered – The Edge Theatre – Lakewood, Colorado: On Saturday, November 19, The Edge Theatre's ON YOUR FEET series workshopped by newest ten-minute play, Delivered. In a bold and interesting exercise, the Edge had two different directors, Angela Astle and Sarah Roshan, present two different readings of the play in front of an audience. It was fascinating to see how movement, blocking, and actor interpretation can have such an impact on two different stagings of the same script. The play is still under development, and the workshop provided me with some actionable ideas on how to further improve upon the script.
InSex – Pint Sized Plays– Pembrokeshire, Wales: InSex enjoyed a month-long series of productions in pubs and other venues around Prembrokeshire as part of the Pint Sized Plays short play festival. Although the play did not win for best script like my last year's submission, Award-Winning Entry, it did provide a winning platform for its performers, Nick and Madeleine Wears. Nick and Madeleine did a great job bringing my post-coitus insects to live, as evidenced in the YouTube clip posted above.
OCTOBER 2011
Standards of Conduct – Colorado Theatre Guild – Denver, Colorado: On Tuesday, October 4, the Colorado Theatre Guild presented the premiere reading of Standards of Conduct as part of the New Venture Series, an ongoing program to showcase new works by Colorado playwrights. The standing room only event, which took place at the Aurora Fox Theatre, was a tremendous success! The audience provided insightful and enthusiastic feedback at the talkback, and the actors did a brilliant job embodying the characters and making the "reading" feel more like a full production.
Under the direction of Nicolette Vajtay, the cast included (in alphabetical order) Anthony Bianco (Marcus), Michael Catlin (Dave), Don Kraus (Al), Thadd Krueger (Jay) and Ethan Yazzie Mintz (Rick). Stage directions were read by Nyle Kenning. I’m so grateful to Nicolette and the cast for dedicating their time, energy, and talent to the development of this piece. I’m also so grateful to Gloria Shanstrom and the Colorado Theatre Guild for their commitment to the development of new plays and new playwrights.
AUGUST 2011
InSex – Actors Theatre of Louisville – Louisville, Kentucky: I am thrilled (ecstatic, actually!) to announce that from over 1,300 entries, InSex has been selected as one of the finalists for the 2012 Heideman Award! The Heideman will be announced by January 2012, so keep your fingers crossed. Between now and then, all finalist scripts will also be considered for inclusion in the Actors Theatre annual winter production of ten-minute plays with their Apprentice Company, as well as for the prestigious Humana Festival of New American Plays in March 2012. All finalists will also be considered for City Theatre’s Summer Shorts programming, produced by ATL’s administrative partners in Miami.
Zeus's Women – One Night Stand Theater – Denver, Colorado – Director Jim O’Leary brought two monologues from Zeus’s Women to life at Denver’s Vintage Theatre as part of his ongoing series, One Night Stand. Hannah Wenzel and Jacqueline Garcia performed Hera and Menomsyne’s monologues to great effect and the evening was, by all accounts, a wonderful success.
Delivered – Walking Fish Theatre – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Although not chosen for production, Delivered was selected by Walking Fish Theatre as a finalist in the company's annual short play festival.
The Uses of Enchantment – Denver, Colorado – I just wanted to take an opportunity to once again thank the ensemble members of Denver’s Paragon Theatre for the lovely reading of Uses of Enchantment presented on August 1. The reading, directed by Heidi Schmidt, was incredibly well-performed and incredibly well-received. It’s clear that I still have a lot of work to do on the script; however, the audience’s enthusiastic and heartfelt response was an encouraging step forward on the road toward development.
Standards of Conduct – Colorado Theatre Guild – Denver, Colorado: Casting is just about finalized for the premiere staged reading of my new play Standards of Conduct. The reading will be directed by the fabulous Nicolette Vajtay, who will also dramaturg the script during the month-long September rehearsal process. Standards, although a rather ugly little dark comedy, is my love letter to the book industry. It is bittersweet that the play will get its inaugural performance within weeks of the unfortunate closing and liquidation of Borders, a company that will always hold an esteemed place in my heart.
JUNE & JULY 2011
Modern Goddesses – JAC Publishing & Promotions – NOW AVAILABLE! My collection of mythology-inspired short plays is now available for purchase through Amazon and for sales/licensing through JAC Publishing & Promotions. Click on the picture above for a direct link to the JAC website.
State of the Company – Denver, Colorado – As part of the Playwrights Bootcamp of the Western Region, writers were given the opportunity to write a play based on a given theme. This year's theme, "Mission Impossible," gave rise to my newest short play. State of the Company: A Play in 5 Pages & 6 PowerPoint Slides will be produced at the Buntport Theatre on Saturday, July 16.
The Uses of Enchantment – Denver, Colorado – My first full-length play will be presented as a staged reading by the Paragon Theatre Ensemble on Monday, August 1 as part of their development series, The Trench. The play, which had an initial staging in southern Colorado by Stage Left Theatre Company, has been substantially rewritten and I'm so excited for the opportunity to further develop the piece with Paragon. The FREE reading, directed by Heidi Schmidt, will be presented at the Kim Robards Dance Theatre, 1387 South Santa Fe Dr, Denver, CO 80223. For more information & directions to the theater, please click on the Uses of Enchantment picture above.
InSex – Pembrokeshire, Wales – I'm thrilled to announce that InSex has been selected as a finalist for Pint Sized Plays, an international short play festival based out of Wales. Award-Winning Entry was honored by Pint Sized Plays last year, and I'm thrilled to once again be recognized by this wonderful organization. Fingers crossed that my short play about horny praying mantises wins big overseas!
MAY 2011
Assisted Living – New York, New York– THE SAMUEL FRENCH INC. OFF OFF BROADWAY SHORT PLAY FESTIVAL proudly announced the 40 semi-finalists for its 36th annual season on 23 May. Chosen from over one thousand submissions by playwriting workshops, university theatre programs, and professional companies both in the U.S. and abroad, 40 plays will be presented July 19th – 24th at the Lion Theatre in Theatre Row. Out of these plays, six finalists will be chosen by the Samuel French, Inc. editorial staff to receive publication and licensing contracts. I am so honored and humbled to announce that Assisted Living has been selected for inclusion, and that Emerging Artists Theatre will reprise their beautiful production for the festival. Click on the OOB logo (left) for access to information regarding my play and a full author interview.
Assisted Living – Winona, Minnesota – Winners were announced on 25 May for Theatre du Mississippi’s One-Act Playwriting Competition. Three independent judges read scripts received from sixteen states and Canada to determine the four winners. I’m thrilled to tell you that Assisted Living was selected as one of the four winning plays and may be produced by Theatre du Mississippi in their 2012-13 season.
Delivered – Albuquerque, New Mexico – In mid-May, FUSION Theatre Company, New Mexico's professional theatre company, announced the finalist scripts for their sixth annual new short works festival, The Seven: Tangled Webs. Although not selected for production, my newest play, Delivered, was named among the twenty-one finalists and is still under consideration for a FUSION/Digital Filmmaking Institute collaboration this coming September.
APRIL 2011
Emerging Artists Theatre – New York, NY– Emerging Artists Theatre did a lovely job presenting Assisted Living. The cast was truly superb and brought levels of nuance to the show that touched and surprised me. I would like to extend my deepest thanks and appreciation to Emerging Artists Theatre for their level of commitment to my play, and I urge everyone to support and attend EAT productions.
In related news, EAT's production of Assisted Living and all of its actors have been long-listed for New York Innovative Theatre Awards (NYITA). So, cross your fingers that we bring home some prizes this summer. Please visit the Photo Gallery page to see images from this production.
MARCH 2011
Emerging Artists Theatre – New York, NY– My award-winning short play Assisted Living will premiere at the TADA! Theatre in New York as part of Emerging Artists Theatre's spring playwriting festival, EATFest 2011. For those of you who have not seen or read the piece yet, it pays homage to my grandfather, who died several years ago after battling Alzheimer's disease. The play is about an old man who is literally imprisoned in his own body, rendered virtually mute by aphasia. I'm thrilled that the play is being realized by the wonderful cast and crew of EAT and hope you share my excitement by supporting the festival.
Assisted Living runs in Series B, which plays Tuesdays and Fridays at 7PM and Sundays at 4PM from March 7-20.
FEBRUARY 2011
Rocky Mountain Theatre Association – Cheyenne, Wyoming – The Rocky Mountain Theatre Association (RMTA) is a non-profit, 501c3 organization dedicated to fostering the growth and development of performing arts throughout the Rocky Mountain States of Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Utah. I'm excited to tell you that I had two plays under consideration for the Pamela Menscher Playwriting Contest at this year's annual RMTA Festival , which was held in Cheyenne from February 9-12. Assisted Living was honored as "Best One Act Play" in this year's competition and InSex was named "Best Short Play."
The End of Innocence – New York, New York – My satiric retelling of Hansel and Gretel was included in Snorks & Piñs' "By The Light of a Match" Festival. The play, directed by Jessica Jennings, was produced February 14-16, 2011 at Nicu's Spoon Theatre (38 W 38th St # 5, New York).
The Uses of Enchantment – Denver, Colorado – According to their mission statement, Denver's Paragon Theatre is a dedicated ensemble of artists seeking to illuminate the human experience with unflinching courage and truth. They exist to serve the story and the greater Denver community, tackling every project with passion, humility and diverse insight--an approach that results in a rare collaborative experience.
Each year, the Paragon chooses three to four plays for their Trench development series, a program designed to help local playwrights develop and realize his/her play through a staged reading and mediated talkback. I'm thrilled to announce that The Uses of Enchantment has been selected as part of the Trench's 2011 series and will be workshopped on August 1, 2011.
JANUARY 2011
Silent Night – Denver, Colorado – Under the skillful direction of Linda Orr and featuring a heart-wrenching performance by Ellie Fotaki, my Christmas-set, contemporary retelling of Medea made quite a splash at Denver's Vintage Theatre. Juliet Whitman from Westword, Denver’s alt weekly, called Silent Night the “creepiest offering [of the Festival] – and, in some ways, the most intriguing.” It’s also just been confirmed that JAC Publishing & Promotion will now be including Silent Night in their upcoming publication of Zeus’s Women. The two Greek-inspired plays are being packaged together as Modern Goddesses: Two One Act Plays by Jeffrey Neuman.
Assisted Living– New York, New York – Cast and crew have just been announced for Emerging Artists Theatre's premiere of Assisted Living. The play will be directed by Greg Redlawsk and feature performances by Paul Herbig as Young Man, Deb Armelino as Nurse, and Angus Hepburn (AEA, SAG) as Old Man. Production dates and ticket information are forthcoming.
The End of Innocence – New York, New York – My satiric retelling of Hansel and Gretel will be included in Snorks & Piñs' "By The Light of a Match" Festival. The play, to be directed by Jessica Jennings, will be produced February 14-16, 2011 at Nicu's Spoon Theatre (38 W 38th St # 5, New York).
Wow, it’s been an incredibly long time since I’ve had the opportunity to update this site. And, though I didn’t get a lot of time to write or work on my theater projects during the hectic holiday months, I kept incredibly busy with rewrites, event planning, and event coordination:
Pen & Podium – Denver, Colorado – For those of you who don’t know, I am the Book Club Coordinator and Author Escort for a wonderful literary series in Denver called Pen & Podium.
P&P is a five-part lecture series sponsored by the Denver Post and features some of the world’s most distinguished and thought-provoking writers. Each presentation includes an engaging lecture by a renowned author followed by a question and answer period during which audience members can address the speaker directly. In November we hosted the lovely, generous, and incredibly talented Terry Tempest Williams. Next month, I get to play host to one of my favorite authors – Jeffrey Eugenides.
In addition to meeting and spending time with amazing authors, I also develop book club content for the Denver Post’s Pen & Podium website (penandpdium.com) and I have the privilege of hosting a series of book clubs with an astoundingly well-read, engaging, and thought-provoking group of people. Check out penandpodium.com if you’re interested in attending one of our upcoming conversations. After Mr. Eugenides, we’ll be hosting Ann Patchett and Billy Collins. I've included a few pictures below from some recent events.
Exit Strategies – I’ve been working diligently on a new full-length play, tentatively titled Exit Strategies. My goal is to have a first draft finished within the next few weeks! Hopefully, I’ll begin submitting the play for development and production by May, after a table read in Denver.
Rough Draught Playwrights – Denver, Colorado – Our October event was a HUGE success, described by one attendee as “the coolest party in town.” It was fantastic seeing new works from eight aspiring Colorado playwrights. Given the overwhelmingly positive turnout and response, we’ll be hosting another “Open Mic Theatrical Playground” on March 9, 2013. I’m hoping to read the revised first scene of Exit Strategies at the event, if there’s room on the bill.
OCTOBER 2012
Assisted Living – Harrisonburg, Virginia – Stage Door Productions, Inc. included Assisted Living as part of their competition piece when they performed at the Virginia Theatre Association 2012 Community Theatre Festival. The production won a number of awards and will move on to the Southeast Conference in Louisville, Kentucky in March 2013.
Paradise Lost – Denver, Colorado – On October 7, One Night Stand Theater presented "DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY THEATER," an evening of tales from a warped family album. The program was made up of eight short plays and stories, both comic and dark, by local writers and playwrights. I was thrilled that my newest short play, a slightly absurdist retelling of Adam and Eve, received its debuted staged reading at the event. The reading was directed by Lorraine Scott and featured performances Randy Diamon and Ronda Belser.
InSex – Oakland, California – My little ode to sexual cannibalism had its west coast premiere at Pan Theater's Anything Can Happen in Ten Minutes Festival. The company did a great job with the production and the entire performance can be seen below or on this website's photo/video gallery.
interJACtions: Monologues at the Heart of Human Nature, Vol. II – JAC Publishing & Promotions – Monologues from three of my plays have been included in JAC's new monologue anthology. In their marketing for the collection, JAC writes, "Ever need that perfect character monologue for an audition or performance? A sampling of many wonderful playwrights nationwide, interJACtions contains selections for men, women or either, and all races— but all true characters unto themselves." interJACtions is available for purchase from JAC Publishing or at Amazon.
AUGUST 2012
Assisted Living – Silver Spring, Maryland – I can't tell you how fortunate I was to submit to Silver Spring Stage's annual One-Act Festival. They turned out to be a wonderful organization, a company that truly respects and champions new voices in playwriting.
Their production of Assisted Living, directed by Bob Scott and starring David Dieudonne, Bob Benn and Nancy Blum, was very warmly received by audiences, company members, and adjudicators. The producers of the festival asked a three-judge panel to independently evaluate the productions, and present awards for best overall production, best director and outstanding writing. I'm delighted to report that Assisted Living received top honors for Outstanding Writing of a One-Act Play!
Storytellers – Lakewood, Colorado – On August 5, the Edge Theater workshopped the opening scene from Storytellers (previously produced and staged under the title The Uses of Enchantment). In addition to the changed title, the play has undergone a complete transformation. The new script, which is still in development, is a semi-finalist in the ON THE EDGE Festival in Lakewood, Colorado and is being considered for further development and a possible 2013 production.
Three Monologues – JAC Publishing and Promotions (National) – I'm very excited to announce that JAC Publishing & Promotions will be including three of my monologues in their upcoming anthology, interJACtions: Monologues from the Heart of Human Nature, Volume II. Publication date TBD. Volume one, which includes four monologues from Zeus's Women, is still available through JAC and Amazon. The next installment of interJACtions will include monologues from Assisted Living, Award-Winning Entry, and Delivered.
JULY 2012
AWARD-WINNING ENTRY IS A HIT! The Salem Theatre Company's production of Award-Winning Entry has been a great success! North Shore Footlights raves that, "In this play within a play, within a play, within a play … the author, Jeff Neuman, explores the absurd imperial power playwrights possess over characters. Meanwhile, Neuman takes the audience on a frenzied, hilarious, jaunt through the history of theatre beginning with Greek tragedy and ending with snippets from modern stage productions."
MAY 2012
Award-Winning Entry – Salem, Massachusetts – The cast has been announced for the Salem Theatre Company's upcoming production of AWE. As introduced on STC's Facebook page, "Award Winning Entry by Jeff Neuman is a fresh take on short play festivals that we've chosen to produce for our short play festival. Gale Argentine, Dori Levitt and Dave Rich are featured under Mark Scalia's direction. MoP runs from July 11 - 15 at the STC Theater!" For more information about Salem Theatre Company and the upcoming production of Moments of Play, please visit www.salemtheatre.com.
Rough Draught Playwrights – Denver, Colorado – I want to thank everyone who came out to support the first ever Rough Draught Playwrights Open Mic Theatrical Playground. We had an amazing turnout of writers, actors, directors, theater support staff, friends and family. I was thrilled to perform a scene from my new work-in-progress, Exit Strategies, with the fabulous Nicolette Vajtay. Our second Open Mic event is tentatively slated for October 2012. More information to follow.
APRIL 2012
Assisted Living – Silver Spring, Maryland – The play-reading committee at Silver Springs Stage selected "Assisted Living" for inclusion in the company's 2012 Stage One-Act Festival. The exact dates of performance have not yet been set, but the weekends of the Festival include August 9-12; August 16-19; and August 23-26.
Award-Winning Entry – Salem, Massachusetts – Award-Winning Entry was selected for Salem Theatre Company's "Moments of Play" Ten-Minute Play Festival. The Festival received over 800 submissions this year and only ten were chosen for production. Moments of Play will take place July 11 through 15, with performances at 7:30 p.m. on July 11, 12 & 13 and at 5:00pm on July 14 & 15. For more information, please visit www.salemtheatre.com/index.htm.
At 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 14, there will be a panel discussion, with playwrights Kate Snodgrass (playwright and Artistic Director of Boston Playwrights Theatre), Richard Dresser (book and story writer for Johnny Baseball, Rounding Third) and Ronan Noone (The Atheist, The Blowin of Baile Gall). The Discussion includes the 10-minute play as a genre, as well as discussion of the plays presented.
Rough Draught Playwrights – Denver, Colorado – I am proud to announce a new project I helped to create alongside Colorado playwrights Leslie C. Lewis and Nina Miller–Rough Draught Playwrights' Open Mic Theatrical Playground. What is RDP's Open Mic Theatrical Playground? Think of it as theater meets open mic meets rock n'roll dive bar, as playwrights perform their latest Pulitzers-in-progress in front of a live, drinking audience (that means YOU)! Anything from drama and musicals to monologues and performance art might be on tap for the night, so I think it'll be loads of fun! While I may be too busy helping "run the show," I do hope to read a scene from my newest play, Exit Strategies.
Where: Bender's Tavern, 314 E. 13th Ave., Denver (Capitol Hill Neighborhood)
When: Saturday, June 9th
- 7:15 p.m. sign-up for reading/performance slots
- 7:45 p.m. doors open to the general theater-loving public
- 8:00 p.m. readings/performances begin (along with drinking, reveling, and lots o’fun!)
- 10:00 p.m. - close: After party!
MARCH 2012
Assisted Living – Winona, Minnesota – In May 2011, Assisted Living was selected as one of the winners of Theatre du Mississippi’s One-Act Playwriting Competition. It has just been announced that the play will receive a staged reading by TdM in mid-April at the company's home, the Historic Masonic Theater.
Assisted Living – Minneapolis, Minnesota – Minnesota has been doubly kind to Assisted Living! The Eat Street Players announced the line-up for their Fresh Bites One Act Festival and AL was selected for production. The show will be performed between May 30th and June 11th at the Howard Conn Theater.
FEBRUARY 2012
The Uses of Enchantment – The Edge Theatre – Lakewood, Colorado: The Uses of Enchantment has been named a semi-finalist in the Edge Theatre's first annual Festival of New Plays. The play, which was presented as part of Paragon Theatre Ensemble's Trench series last year, is in the process of being developed and will, hopefully, become even stronger as I rewrite the piece in conjunction with the Edge Theatre's ON YOUR FEET development workshop. More information to follow!
NOVEMBER 2011
Delivered – The Edge Theatre – Lakewood, Colorado: On Saturday, November 19, The Edge Theatre's ON YOUR FEET series workshopped by newest ten-minute play, Delivered. In a bold and interesting exercise, the Edge had two different directors, Angela Astle and Sarah Roshan, present two different readings of the play in front of an audience. It was fascinating to see how movement, blocking, and actor interpretation can have such an impact on two different stagings of the same script. The play is still under development, and the workshop provided me with some actionable ideas on how to further improve upon the script.
InSex – Pint Sized Plays– Pembrokeshire, Wales: InSex enjoyed a month-long series of productions in pubs and other venues around Prembrokeshire as part of the Pint Sized Plays short play festival. Although the play did not win for best script like my last year's submission, Award-Winning Entry, it did provide a winning platform for its performers, Nick and Madeleine Wears. Nick and Madeleine did a great job bringing my post-coitus insects to live, as evidenced in the YouTube clip posted above.
OCTOBER 2011
Standards of Conduct – Colorado Theatre Guild – Denver, Colorado: On Tuesday, October 4, the Colorado Theatre Guild presented the premiere reading of Standards of Conduct as part of the New Venture Series, an ongoing program to showcase new works by Colorado playwrights. The standing room only event, which took place at the Aurora Fox Theatre, was a tremendous success! The audience provided insightful and enthusiastic feedback at the talkback, and the actors did a brilliant job embodying the characters and making the "reading" feel more like a full production.
Under the direction of Nicolette Vajtay, the cast included (in alphabetical order) Anthony Bianco (Marcus), Michael Catlin (Dave), Don Kraus (Al), Thadd Krueger (Jay) and Ethan Yazzie Mintz (Rick). Stage directions were read by Nyle Kenning. I’m so grateful to Nicolette and the cast for dedicating their time, energy, and talent to the development of this piece. I’m also so grateful to Gloria Shanstrom and the Colorado Theatre Guild for their commitment to the development of new plays and new playwrights.
AUGUST 2011
InSex – Actors Theatre of Louisville – Louisville, Kentucky: I am thrilled (ecstatic, actually!) to announce that from over 1,300 entries, InSex has been selected as one of the finalists for the 2012 Heideman Award! The Heideman will be announced by January 2012, so keep your fingers crossed. Between now and then, all finalist scripts will also be considered for inclusion in the Actors Theatre annual winter production of ten-minute plays with their Apprentice Company, as well as for the prestigious Humana Festival of New American Plays in March 2012. All finalists will also be considered for City Theatre’s Summer Shorts programming, produced by ATL’s administrative partners in Miami.
Zeus's Women – One Night Stand Theater – Denver, Colorado – Director Jim O’Leary brought two monologues from Zeus’s Women to life at Denver’s Vintage Theatre as part of his ongoing series, One Night Stand. Hannah Wenzel and Jacqueline Garcia performed Hera and Menomsyne’s monologues to great effect and the evening was, by all accounts, a wonderful success.
Delivered – Walking Fish Theatre – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Although not chosen for production, Delivered was selected by Walking Fish Theatre as a finalist in the company's annual short play festival.
The Uses of Enchantment – Denver, Colorado – I just wanted to take an opportunity to once again thank the ensemble members of Denver’s Paragon Theatre for the lovely reading of Uses of Enchantment presented on August 1. The reading, directed by Heidi Schmidt, was incredibly well-performed and incredibly well-received. It’s clear that I still have a lot of work to do on the script; however, the audience’s enthusiastic and heartfelt response was an encouraging step forward on the road toward development.
Standards of Conduct – Colorado Theatre Guild – Denver, Colorado: Casting is just about finalized for the premiere staged reading of my new play Standards of Conduct. The reading will be directed by the fabulous Nicolette Vajtay, who will also dramaturg the script during the month-long September rehearsal process. Standards, although a rather ugly little dark comedy, is my love letter to the book industry. It is bittersweet that the play will get its inaugural performance within weeks of the unfortunate closing and liquidation of Borders, a company that will always hold an esteemed place in my heart.
JUNE & JULY 2011
Modern Goddesses – JAC Publishing & Promotions – NOW AVAILABLE! My collection of mythology-inspired short plays is now available for purchase through Amazon and for sales/licensing through JAC Publishing & Promotions. Click on the picture above for a direct link to the JAC website.
State of the Company – Denver, Colorado – As part of the Playwrights Bootcamp of the Western Region, writers were given the opportunity to write a play based on a given theme. This year's theme, "Mission Impossible," gave rise to my newest short play. State of the Company: A Play in 5 Pages & 6 PowerPoint Slides will be produced at the Buntport Theatre on Saturday, July 16.
The Uses of Enchantment – Denver, Colorado – My first full-length play will be presented as a staged reading by the Paragon Theatre Ensemble on Monday, August 1 as part of their development series, The Trench. The play, which had an initial staging in southern Colorado by Stage Left Theatre Company, has been substantially rewritten and I'm so excited for the opportunity to further develop the piece with Paragon. The FREE reading, directed by Heidi Schmidt, will be presented at the Kim Robards Dance Theatre, 1387 South Santa Fe Dr, Denver, CO 80223. For more information & directions to the theater, please click on the Uses of Enchantment picture above.
InSex – Pembrokeshire, Wales – I'm thrilled to announce that InSex has been selected as a finalist for Pint Sized Plays, an international short play festival based out of Wales. Award-Winning Entry was honored by Pint Sized Plays last year, and I'm thrilled to once again be recognized by this wonderful organization. Fingers crossed that my short play about horny praying mantises wins big overseas!
MAY 2011
Assisted Living – New York, New York– THE SAMUEL FRENCH INC. OFF OFF BROADWAY SHORT PLAY FESTIVAL proudly announced the 40 semi-finalists for its 36th annual season on 23 May. Chosen from over one thousand submissions by playwriting workshops, university theatre programs, and professional companies both in the U.S. and abroad, 40 plays will be presented July 19th – 24th at the Lion Theatre in Theatre Row. Out of these plays, six finalists will be chosen by the Samuel French, Inc. editorial staff to receive publication and licensing contracts. I am so honored and humbled to announce that Assisted Living has been selected for inclusion, and that Emerging Artists Theatre will reprise their beautiful production for the festival. Click on the OOB logo (left) for access to information regarding my play and a full author interview.
Assisted Living – Winona, Minnesota – Winners were announced on 25 May for Theatre du Mississippi’s One-Act Playwriting Competition. Three independent judges read scripts received from sixteen states and Canada to determine the four winners. I’m thrilled to tell you that Assisted Living was selected as one of the four winning plays and may be produced by Theatre du Mississippi in their 2012-13 season.
Delivered – Albuquerque, New Mexico – In mid-May, FUSION Theatre Company, New Mexico's professional theatre company, announced the finalist scripts for their sixth annual new short works festival, The Seven: Tangled Webs. Although not selected for production, my newest play, Delivered, was named among the twenty-one finalists and is still under consideration for a FUSION/Digital Filmmaking Institute collaboration this coming September.
APRIL 2011
Emerging Artists Theatre – New York, NY– Emerging Artists Theatre did a lovely job presenting Assisted Living. The cast was truly superb and brought levels of nuance to the show that touched and surprised me. I would like to extend my deepest thanks and appreciation to Emerging Artists Theatre for their level of commitment to my play, and I urge everyone to support and attend EAT productions.
In related news, EAT's production of Assisted Living and all of its actors have been long-listed for New York Innovative Theatre Awards (NYITA). So, cross your fingers that we bring home some prizes this summer. Please visit the Photo Gallery page to see images from this production.
MARCH 2011
Emerging Artists Theatre – New York, NY– My award-winning short play Assisted Living will premiere at the TADA! Theatre in New York as part of Emerging Artists Theatre's spring playwriting festival, EATFest 2011. For those of you who have not seen or read the piece yet, it pays homage to my grandfather, who died several years ago after battling Alzheimer's disease. The play is about an old man who is literally imprisoned in his own body, rendered virtually mute by aphasia. I'm thrilled that the play is being realized by the wonderful cast and crew of EAT and hope you share my excitement by supporting the festival.
Assisted Living runs in Series B, which plays Tuesdays and Fridays at 7PM and Sundays at 4PM from March 7-20.
FEBRUARY 2011
Rocky Mountain Theatre Association – Cheyenne, Wyoming – The Rocky Mountain Theatre Association (RMTA) is a non-profit, 501c3 organization dedicated to fostering the growth and development of performing arts throughout the Rocky Mountain States of Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Utah. I'm excited to tell you that I had two plays under consideration for the Pamela Menscher Playwriting Contest at this year's annual RMTA Festival , which was held in Cheyenne from February 9-12. Assisted Living was honored as "Best One Act Play" in this year's competition and InSex was named "Best Short Play."
The End of Innocence – New York, New York – My satiric retelling of Hansel and Gretel was included in Snorks & Piñs' "By The Light of a Match" Festival. The play, directed by Jessica Jennings, was produced February 14-16, 2011 at Nicu's Spoon Theatre (38 W 38th St # 5, New York).
The Uses of Enchantment – Denver, Colorado – According to their mission statement, Denver's Paragon Theatre is a dedicated ensemble of artists seeking to illuminate the human experience with unflinching courage and truth. They exist to serve the story and the greater Denver community, tackling every project with passion, humility and diverse insight--an approach that results in a rare collaborative experience.
Each year, the Paragon chooses three to four plays for their Trench development series, a program designed to help local playwrights develop and realize his/her play through a staged reading and mediated talkback. I'm thrilled to announce that The Uses of Enchantment has been selected as part of the Trench's 2011 series and will be workshopped on August 1, 2011.
JANUARY 2011
Silent Night – Denver, Colorado – Under the skillful direction of Linda Orr and featuring a heart-wrenching performance by Ellie Fotaki, my Christmas-set, contemporary retelling of Medea made quite a splash at Denver's Vintage Theatre. Juliet Whitman from Westword, Denver’s alt weekly, called Silent Night the “creepiest offering [of the Festival] – and, in some ways, the most intriguing.” It’s also just been confirmed that JAC Publishing & Promotion will now be including Silent Night in their upcoming publication of Zeus’s Women. The two Greek-inspired plays are being packaged together as Modern Goddesses: Two One Act Plays by Jeffrey Neuman.
Assisted Living– New York, New York – Cast and crew have just been announced for Emerging Artists Theatre's premiere of Assisted Living. The play will be directed by Greg Redlawsk and feature performances by Paul Herbig as Young Man, Deb Armelino as Nurse, and Angus Hepburn (AEA, SAG) as Old Man. Production dates and ticket information are forthcoming.
The End of Innocence – New York, New York – My satiric retelling of Hansel and Gretel will be included in Snorks & Piñs' "By The Light of a Match" Festival. The play, to be directed by Jessica Jennings, will be produced February 14-16, 2011 at Nicu's Spoon Theatre (38 W 38th St # 5, New York).
2010
DECEMBER 2010
Vintage Theatre invites you to join their holiday playwright festival of original one-acts
One of my favorite short plays has been selected for inclusion in the Vintage's upcoming holiday festival, which runs from December 21-31, 2010. Silent Night is a dark play about one desperate and tormented woman on a lonely Christmas Eve. Based on one of the most notorious tales from antiquity, this is a horrifying story of motherhood, madness, and retribution. I know it doesn't sound like typical holiday fare (it TOTALLY isn't), but I hope you'll celebrate a "different" kind of Christmas with me and my first Denver production. The play will be directed by Linda Orr; click on the logo to the left for a link to buy tickets.
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2010
Prizes, Placings, & Premieres – Five Plays and Five Wonderful Weeks
The Uses of Enchantment – Salida, Colorado – Stage Left Theatre Company presented an inaugural production of my first full-length play, The Uses of Enchantment. The play is still in its initial stages of development, but Stage Left, under the wonderful direction of Jan Justis and Greg West, staged a beautiful and touching production. Pictures can be found below, featuring Courtney Shucker as Herman, Carter J. Cain as Etienne, Renee Morrison as Fable/Cecile, Devon Jencks as Fantasy, and Albert Lionelle as Saga.
Assisted Living – New York, New York – A revised version of Assisted Living will premiere in New York City in early 2011 as part of Emerging Artists Theatre’s spring one-act festival. The play, written as homage to my Grandfather, has undergone some significant changes through dramaturgical partnership with EAT’s Artistic Director Paul Adams. The play will continue to undergo polish and change once a director is assigned to the piece. Performance dates TBD.
InSex – Greenville, North Carolina – On November 7, the five finalists chosen for Magnolia Arts Center's 2010 Ten-Minute Play Contest were presented as staged readings, where the audience was encouraged to vote on the "Best Play." It was a slim margin, but InSex was named as the winner of this year's contest.
Award-Winning Entry – Pemrokeshire, Wales – All ten winning plays from the Pemrokeshire’s Pint Sized Play Competition were performed at the 2010 Script Slam staged at Theatr Gwaun, a 180 seat entertainment venue situated in Fishguard, Wales. At the end of the performance the audience voted for their “favourite script” and a Pint Trophy was presented to the winning play. Let’s hear it for self-fulfilling prophecies! My short play, Award-Winning Entry became the award-winning play of the festival! I’d like to thank Derek Webb and the staff of Pint-Sized Plays for such a warm reception. It was a fantastic experience and a great first foray onto the international stage.
Silent Night – Denver, Colorado – After more rejection letters than I care to remember, one of my favorite short plays has been chosen for production in my hometown. Silent Night, a contemporary, Christmas-set retelling of Medea, will premiere at Denver's Vintage Theatre as part of their upcoming production of "A Very Dark Holiday Festivus."
AUGUST 2010
A Month of Festivals, Awards, & Showcases:
InSex, Assisted Living, and Award-Winning Entry all score big wins in August!
InSex & Assisted Living – St. Paul/Minneapolis – Assisted Living and InSex have been chosen as winners in the One-Act and 10-Minute play categories in The Chameleon Theatre Circle’s 11th Annual New Play Contest. The plays, along with the other winners, will be read “concert-style” at the company’s New Play Festival on Saturday, September 11, 2010.
InSex – Sioux Falls, South Dakota – From over 540 submissions, InSex has been selected as the second place recipient of this year's 8 in 48 Festival, a festival founded in honor of the late Claire Donaldson that produces eight plays in a span of 48 hours. This festival is an opportunity for Augustana College and The Great Plains Dramatist Exchange to honor Claire while supporting the development of new short plays.
Assisted Living – Louisville, Colorado – After a spectacular staged reading, directed by Dan Schock, Assisted Living was named the winner of the Front Range Playwrights’ Showcase. The audience and adjudicator reception of the play was heartfelt, and the play will go on to a full production to be presented at the Colorado Community Theatre Coalition’s state festival in 2011.
Award-Winning Entry – Pemrokeshire, Wales – Now in its third great year, Pint-sized Plays 2010 writing competition attracted more entries than ever before, including a substantial number from the US and Australia! Out of approximately 250 entries, Award-Winning Entry lived up to its name and was chosen as one of 10 plays to be performed as part of the competition. The winning 10 entries will be performed in Pembrokeshire starting September 2010. All 10 winning entries will also be automatically entered into a Script Slam at Theatr Gwaun in Fishguard on Saturday October 9 and selected plays may also be recorded as audio plays and broadcast on internet radio! New for this year, all winning plays will be considered for performance at the 2011 Brighton Festival and Edinburgh Fringe.
Assisted Living– New York, NY – Approximately 350 one-act plays were submitted to the Drama Desk Award nominated Emerging Artists Theatre for EATfest 2011, a festival of character-driven plays up to 50 minutes in length. My newest play, Assisted Living, has just been named as one of the eleven finalists for this exciting playwriting competition.
JULY 2010
Assisted Living Chosen as Finalist for the 4th Annual Front Range Playwrights' Showcase
Coal Creek Community Theater (CCCT) will present their 4th Annual Front Range Playwrights' Showcase on Friday, August 20th at 7:00pm. The evening will include 4 staged readings of plays by local, Colorado playwrights and will be presented at the Louisville Center for the Arts (801 Grant Ave.). Each piece will be adjudicated by a panel of distinguished judges, and a winning play will be awarded at the end of the evening. Talk backs between the casts, playwrights, directors, audience and judges will also be featured.
Selected Plays:
Assisted Living by Jeffrey Neuman -- Denver
Bringer of Light by William C. Kovacsik -- Boulder
Power Play by Linda Berry -- Aurora
Strange Bedfellows by Carrie Printz -- Denver
About the Showcase:
Originally presented in 2007, The Front Range Playwrights' Showcase has become one of CCCT's most popular and enlightening events of the season. One-act and short play scripts are solicited each year from Colorado playwrights. Every script is read and reviewed by the CCCT Play Reading Committee, and 3-4 outstanding plays are chosen for the Showcase. The selected plays are then presented as staged readings and adjudicated by a panel of esteemed judges. After each play reading, the audience has a chance to engage in talk-backs with the playwrights, actors, directors and judges. Finally, the judges tally their scores and a winning play is chosen. The winner of the 1st Annual Front Range Playwrights' Showcase, The Organist's Daughter by William C. Kovacsik, won FIRST PLACE at the Colorado Community Theater Festival and competed at the American Association of Community Theatre's Regional Competition in 2009.
About CCCT:
Coal Creek Community Theater is a 501(c)3, non-profit organization based in Louisville, CO. It is an all-volunteer company that is now in its 21st Season. CCCT is sponsored, in part, by the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) and the City of Louisville.
www.ccctheater.org
JUNE 2010
Monologues from Zeus's Women Available in Newly Published Anthology
Four monologues from my award-winning one act play Zeus’s Women are now available in a new anthology from JAC Publishing & Promotions. interJACtions is available online at www.jacpub.com or via Amazon.com.
From JAC Publishing & Promotions: Ever need that perfect character monologue for an audition or performance? A sampling of many playwrights nationwide, interJACtions contains selections for men, women, or either, all races - all true characters unto themselves.
Compiled and edited by JulieAnn Charest Govang, this collection features contributions from some wonderfully talented writers including Bill Arnold, Steven Bergman, Andrew Biss, Leslie Bramm, Tearrance A. Chisholm, Mona Deutsch Miller, Rich Espey, Mike Folie, Chris Hare, Lynn-Steven Johanson, Arthur M. Jolly, Thomas M. Kelly, Janice Kennedy, Lauren Kettler, Steven Korbar, Mark Lambeck, Debbie Lamedman, Rhea MacCallum, Josh McIlvain, Rick Mitchell, Jeffrey Neuman, Dave Patterson, Martha Patterson, Andy Pederson, Robin Rice Lichtig, Laura Richardson, Dan Roth, Carol Anne Seflinger, John Small, Jennie Staniloff-Redling, Kim Stinson, Marti M. Stocker, Lucy Wang and Michael Weems.
APRIL 2010
Award-Winning Entry becomes Award-WINNER
The 8-MINUTE MADNESS FESTIVAL, 2010, New York, New York.
Award-Winning Entry just finished its run as part of Turtle Shell Production’s 8 Minute Madness Festival. Audience members had the opportunity to vote for "BEST PRODUCTION,” and attending industry members voted for the coveted “8 MINUTE MADNESS PLAYWRIGHT OF 2010.” I’m so excited to announce that Kathleen Swan’s production of my play earned the audience favorite award for best overall production, and the attending industry folks named me as "THE BEST PLAYWRIGHT OF 2010."
Below, please find pictures of Award-Winning Entry's award-winning production. Cast included Jim Fromewick as the Stage Manager, Isaac Buch as the Playwright, and Christie Booker as the Antagonist.
MARCH 2010
Award-Winning Entry to premiere in New York City
The 8-MINUTE MADNESS FESTIVAL, 2010, produced by Turtle Shell Productions, returns for its eighth season at the company's state-of-the-art theater in the heart of Times Square. The selected plays, presented in three groups of 9, will be directed by carefully selected directors, performed by TheTerrapin Troupe, Turtle Shell's talented in-house acting members, and mounted by a team of experienced set, lighting, sound, and costume designers.
As in the past, audience members will not only discover fresh new work offered by innovative writers but will have the opportunity to vote for "BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ARTIST" and "THE BEST PLAYWRIGHT OF 2010." At the end of the run, the recipients of the “Best Playwright” and “Best Performance” awards will receive the 8-Minute Madness Playwright Festival Trophies at the Artist Celebration Awards Ceremonies.
Ticket information and performance dates forthcoming. If you are in New York City for the April run, though, make your voice heard, and cast your audience vote for the New York premiere of Award-Winning Entry.
Vintage Theatre invites you to join their holiday playwright festival of original one-acts
One of my favorite short plays has been selected for inclusion in the Vintage's upcoming holiday festival, which runs from December 21-31, 2010. Silent Night is a dark play about one desperate and tormented woman on a lonely Christmas Eve. Based on one of the most notorious tales from antiquity, this is a horrifying story of motherhood, madness, and retribution. I know it doesn't sound like typical holiday fare (it TOTALLY isn't), but I hope you'll celebrate a "different" kind of Christmas with me and my first Denver production. The play will be directed by Linda Orr; click on the logo to the left for a link to buy tickets.
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2010
Prizes, Placings, & Premieres – Five Plays and Five Wonderful Weeks
The Uses of Enchantment – Salida, Colorado – Stage Left Theatre Company presented an inaugural production of my first full-length play, The Uses of Enchantment. The play is still in its initial stages of development, but Stage Left, under the wonderful direction of Jan Justis and Greg West, staged a beautiful and touching production. Pictures can be found below, featuring Courtney Shucker as Herman, Carter J. Cain as Etienne, Renee Morrison as Fable/Cecile, Devon Jencks as Fantasy, and Albert Lionelle as Saga.
Assisted Living – New York, New York – A revised version of Assisted Living will premiere in New York City in early 2011 as part of Emerging Artists Theatre’s spring one-act festival. The play, written as homage to my Grandfather, has undergone some significant changes through dramaturgical partnership with EAT’s Artistic Director Paul Adams. The play will continue to undergo polish and change once a director is assigned to the piece. Performance dates TBD.
InSex – Greenville, North Carolina – On November 7, the five finalists chosen for Magnolia Arts Center's 2010 Ten-Minute Play Contest were presented as staged readings, where the audience was encouraged to vote on the "Best Play." It was a slim margin, but InSex was named as the winner of this year's contest.
Award-Winning Entry – Pemrokeshire, Wales – All ten winning plays from the Pemrokeshire’s Pint Sized Play Competition were performed at the 2010 Script Slam staged at Theatr Gwaun, a 180 seat entertainment venue situated in Fishguard, Wales. At the end of the performance the audience voted for their “favourite script” and a Pint Trophy was presented to the winning play. Let’s hear it for self-fulfilling prophecies! My short play, Award-Winning Entry became the award-winning play of the festival! I’d like to thank Derek Webb and the staff of Pint-Sized Plays for such a warm reception. It was a fantastic experience and a great first foray onto the international stage.
Silent Night – Denver, Colorado – After more rejection letters than I care to remember, one of my favorite short plays has been chosen for production in my hometown. Silent Night, a contemporary, Christmas-set retelling of Medea, will premiere at Denver's Vintage Theatre as part of their upcoming production of "A Very Dark Holiday Festivus."
AUGUST 2010
A Month of Festivals, Awards, & Showcases:
InSex, Assisted Living, and Award-Winning Entry all score big wins in August!
InSex & Assisted Living – St. Paul/Minneapolis – Assisted Living and InSex have been chosen as winners in the One-Act and 10-Minute play categories in The Chameleon Theatre Circle’s 11th Annual New Play Contest. The plays, along with the other winners, will be read “concert-style” at the company’s New Play Festival on Saturday, September 11, 2010.
InSex – Sioux Falls, South Dakota – From over 540 submissions, InSex has been selected as the second place recipient of this year's 8 in 48 Festival, a festival founded in honor of the late Claire Donaldson that produces eight plays in a span of 48 hours. This festival is an opportunity for Augustana College and The Great Plains Dramatist Exchange to honor Claire while supporting the development of new short plays.
Assisted Living – Louisville, Colorado – After a spectacular staged reading, directed by Dan Schock, Assisted Living was named the winner of the Front Range Playwrights’ Showcase. The audience and adjudicator reception of the play was heartfelt, and the play will go on to a full production to be presented at the Colorado Community Theatre Coalition’s state festival in 2011.
Award-Winning Entry – Pemrokeshire, Wales – Now in its third great year, Pint-sized Plays 2010 writing competition attracted more entries than ever before, including a substantial number from the US and Australia! Out of approximately 250 entries, Award-Winning Entry lived up to its name and was chosen as one of 10 plays to be performed as part of the competition. The winning 10 entries will be performed in Pembrokeshire starting September 2010. All 10 winning entries will also be automatically entered into a Script Slam at Theatr Gwaun in Fishguard on Saturday October 9 and selected plays may also be recorded as audio plays and broadcast on internet radio! New for this year, all winning plays will be considered for performance at the 2011 Brighton Festival and Edinburgh Fringe.
Assisted Living– New York, NY – Approximately 350 one-act plays were submitted to the Drama Desk Award nominated Emerging Artists Theatre for EATfest 2011, a festival of character-driven plays up to 50 minutes in length. My newest play, Assisted Living, has just been named as one of the eleven finalists for this exciting playwriting competition.
JULY 2010
Assisted Living Chosen as Finalist for the 4th Annual Front Range Playwrights' Showcase
Coal Creek Community Theater (CCCT) will present their 4th Annual Front Range Playwrights' Showcase on Friday, August 20th at 7:00pm. The evening will include 4 staged readings of plays by local, Colorado playwrights and will be presented at the Louisville Center for the Arts (801 Grant Ave.). Each piece will be adjudicated by a panel of distinguished judges, and a winning play will be awarded at the end of the evening. Talk backs between the casts, playwrights, directors, audience and judges will also be featured.
Selected Plays:
Assisted Living by Jeffrey Neuman -- Denver
Bringer of Light by William C. Kovacsik -- Boulder
Power Play by Linda Berry -- Aurora
Strange Bedfellows by Carrie Printz -- Denver
About the Showcase:
Originally presented in 2007, The Front Range Playwrights' Showcase has become one of CCCT's most popular and enlightening events of the season. One-act and short play scripts are solicited each year from Colorado playwrights. Every script is read and reviewed by the CCCT Play Reading Committee, and 3-4 outstanding plays are chosen for the Showcase. The selected plays are then presented as staged readings and adjudicated by a panel of esteemed judges. After each play reading, the audience has a chance to engage in talk-backs with the playwrights, actors, directors and judges. Finally, the judges tally their scores and a winning play is chosen. The winner of the 1st Annual Front Range Playwrights' Showcase, The Organist's Daughter by William C. Kovacsik, won FIRST PLACE at the Colorado Community Theater Festival and competed at the American Association of Community Theatre's Regional Competition in 2009.
About CCCT:
Coal Creek Community Theater is a 501(c)3, non-profit organization based in Louisville, CO. It is an all-volunteer company that is now in its 21st Season. CCCT is sponsored, in part, by the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) and the City of Louisville.
www.ccctheater.org
JUNE 2010
Monologues from Zeus's Women Available in Newly Published Anthology
Four monologues from my award-winning one act play Zeus’s Women are now available in a new anthology from JAC Publishing & Promotions. interJACtions is available online at www.jacpub.com or via Amazon.com.
From JAC Publishing & Promotions: Ever need that perfect character monologue for an audition or performance? A sampling of many playwrights nationwide, interJACtions contains selections for men, women, or either, all races - all true characters unto themselves.
Compiled and edited by JulieAnn Charest Govang, this collection features contributions from some wonderfully talented writers including Bill Arnold, Steven Bergman, Andrew Biss, Leslie Bramm, Tearrance A. Chisholm, Mona Deutsch Miller, Rich Espey, Mike Folie, Chris Hare, Lynn-Steven Johanson, Arthur M. Jolly, Thomas M. Kelly, Janice Kennedy, Lauren Kettler, Steven Korbar, Mark Lambeck, Debbie Lamedman, Rhea MacCallum, Josh McIlvain, Rick Mitchell, Jeffrey Neuman, Dave Patterson, Martha Patterson, Andy Pederson, Robin Rice Lichtig, Laura Richardson, Dan Roth, Carol Anne Seflinger, John Small, Jennie Staniloff-Redling, Kim Stinson, Marti M. Stocker, Lucy Wang and Michael Weems.
APRIL 2010
Award-Winning Entry becomes Award-WINNER
The 8-MINUTE MADNESS FESTIVAL, 2010, New York, New York.
Award-Winning Entry just finished its run as part of Turtle Shell Production’s 8 Minute Madness Festival. Audience members had the opportunity to vote for "BEST PRODUCTION,” and attending industry members voted for the coveted “8 MINUTE MADNESS PLAYWRIGHT OF 2010.” I’m so excited to announce that Kathleen Swan’s production of my play earned the audience favorite award for best overall production, and the attending industry folks named me as "THE BEST PLAYWRIGHT OF 2010."
Below, please find pictures of Award-Winning Entry's award-winning production. Cast included Jim Fromewick as the Stage Manager, Isaac Buch as the Playwright, and Christie Booker as the Antagonist.
MARCH 2010
Award-Winning Entry to premiere in New York City
The 8-MINUTE MADNESS FESTIVAL, 2010, produced by Turtle Shell Productions, returns for its eighth season at the company's state-of-the-art theater in the heart of Times Square. The selected plays, presented in three groups of 9, will be directed by carefully selected directors, performed by TheTerrapin Troupe, Turtle Shell's talented in-house acting members, and mounted by a team of experienced set, lighting, sound, and costume designers.
As in the past, audience members will not only discover fresh new work offered by innovative writers but will have the opportunity to vote for "BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ARTIST" and "THE BEST PLAYWRIGHT OF 2010." At the end of the run, the recipients of the “Best Playwright” and “Best Performance” awards will receive the 8-Minute Madness Playwright Festival Trophies at the Artist Celebration Awards Ceremonies.
Ticket information and performance dates forthcoming. If you are in New York City for the April run, though, make your voice heard, and cast your audience vote for the New York premiere of Award-Winning Entry.
