Playwriting
The party’s over; the guests have left, unreturnable. Meanwhile the outside world looks pretty hot, but not too beckoning. As the two hosts pack up the party favors, they banter about their post-Godot world.
Read MoreSo, how does Moulthrop get to PocketBear? Ah, New York, New York. The town so nice they had to name it twice.
Read MoreOne of the reasons I like the small canvas of a 10-Minute Play is the challenge of getting as much plot and character as possible into 10 or so pages. I’ve always loved dialogue. There’s something really thrilling to me about etching those double quote marks—when, old school writing by hand, you can really dig in with that ball point pen—then writing the words that will stream out of the mouth of a person who, at that particular moment, exists only inside my head. They speak, and, like that person sitting in the next booth in the coffee shop, or that impatient foot-tapper waiting for the light to change while either whispering or screaming into their cell phone, something about their character is revealed.
I’m happy to report that two of my 10-minute plays have recently found homes, here and abroad: The Santa Cruz County Actors Theatre 8 x 10 Festival (January 2020) will present my play Knots, in which Joseph and Michael are about to be married, but nerves and the past raise some serious (and funny) questions. This play was accepted and planned for production in Australia, in both the Sydney and Canberra Short+Sweet Fesitvals, but fate (or something) intervened, so Santa Cruz will be its first production. And Never Say Always— in which Josh and Sarah have been divorced for four years, so why does he want to meet now, in a restaurant— has been shortlisted for the Manilla Short+Sweet Festival.
Read MoreI hid behind a tiki hut to sketch Jane Burgoyne by Robert Moulthrop during its live performance on Sunday.
A staged reading. Sounds so simple. But it takes 17 hours over 4 days; 1 director, 3 actors, 1 reader of stage directions, 1 stage manager; 1 play development director. Not to mention an audience of around 120 people, a crew of ushers, the sound and lighting departments, and then there’s those providing PlayWrights Punch in the concession area. And, of course, the playwright. It was a wonderful week. It was exhilarating and exhausting.
The latest version of Jane Burgoyne, developed over the summer with the help of Cynthia White (Orlando Shakes director of new play development), made for a stronger play, and provided the director and the actors with moments that connected. Hats off and big thanks to director Tony Simotes, and actors Kate Young (Jane), Michelle Brightman (Katherine), and Megan Valle (Allison). And also Alli Gersbach (Stage Manager), and Melissa Landy (Stage Directions reader).
What’s next for Jane? I’ll keep you posted.
I had things I wanted to say about age and death in our society, and the play was finished in about a week. That was Version "A". Two years later, Version "W" has had some traction and several outings. And now, Version Y is almost finished.
Read More"Let's Keep Dancing," a play by John Purugganan, has received a developmental reading produced by The Public Theater in New York City. John is a creative writer, essayist, and life without parole prisoner in California.
Read MoreFollowing the successful reading at NNPN’s 20th anniversary benefit, two additional readings are now in the offing: Monday, August 27th, in the Monday Evening Salon Reading Series at the New Jersey Repertory Company, cast TBA; and as part of the Orlando (FL) Shakespeare Festival’s PlayFest 2018, in early November. Both theaters are NNPN partners, and I'm both excited and proud for "Jane Burgoyne" to be developed with these theaters. Find out more soon!
Read MoreDear Evan Hansen's Laura Dreyfuss and Tony-nominated actresses Kathleen Chalfant and Geneva Carr join National New Play Network (NNPN) for a 20th Anniversary benefit reading of a new play Jane Burgoyne by Robert Moulthrop, directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel, at Westside Theatre on April 30th at 7:00 pm. Hosted by Richard Winkler and Jane and JB Harrison, the reading will support NNPN as it continues to revolutionize the new play landscape through its nationally recognized programs and services for artists and organizations. Tickets for the reading can be purchased at TodayTix.
Read MoreSnow-hats, caps, and ear-muffs off to Northern Stage’s Producing Artistic Director, Carol Dunne, for a terrific three-day new works festival, New Works Now 5.0, the fifth in five years, with an involved and full-house audience.
Read MoreMy short play, 'Breaking Up Is Hard To Do' (read an excerpt here), received a performance with actors Griffin DuBois and Morgan Zipf-Meister, as part of the Boog City Fest in the East Village.
Read MoreMy short play, "Doug and Ava Say 'I Love You'" featured in the 20th Annual Black Box New Play Festival 2017 hosted by The Gallery Players.
Read MoreI recently collaborated on the script segment of BUFFER, an expansive performance art and dance piece by artist Xavier Cha. 'Buffer' is schedule to have its world premiere as a part of the 2017 Next Wave Festival at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Performance dates are Nov 1 – Nov 4 at 7:30pm.
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Back in the Sixties (yes, I was there), I had a dissertation to write to satisfy the requirements for my master’s degree in theatre from the Catholic University of America. Through a process of elimination (Eugene O’Neil’s scenic designer Robert Edmond Jones had been taken) I wound up writing about the then-burgeoning British playwright Harold Pinter.
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