masters

"Be obscure clearly."
– E.B. White

"Read, read, read. Read everything - trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You'll absorb it. Then write. If it's good, you'll find out. If it's not, throw it out of the window."
– William Faulkner

eating inside the Athenian

on a warm sunny day you must be in a hurry to do such a thing. the wait list had two groups ahead of us, so that's what we did. the women at the table next to us, mature, however, were eating inside, so the larger, white linened hippier looking of the three said, "we're going to go back to my place, sit on the porch, open a bottle of Pinot Grigio and enjoy this beautiful weather." there was an awkward silence. the woman with her back to me must have said something to the effect of "I can't drink," or "I can't drink tonight," to garner the response I heard from the hippie, "Well, I'm drinking a glass." the third, matriarch, who may not have heard any of this as she seemed to be spacing out looking at the non-drinker's hair, "I was just admiring your hair. It's beautiful." and the chatter continued, but I focused my attention on the beauty I had in my immediate company.

this was the site of our first date. we ordered the same and talked about what we could remember about the night for some time until we were both transfixed by the women's continued conversation. the third matriach had just returned to the table after a bathroom break. the ladies had ordered and when asked if they wanted Feta cheese on their salads, two had said no, while the third, the hippie, said yes, even though she didn't want any. She gave it to the other while the third was in the bathroom. Now, returned, with news, "Feta cheese is $2.50 extra," she is informed that her friend had already garnered the Feta from the hippie and didn't have to pay. feelings must have been hurt, but she did not let on.

feelings are alway hurt in relationships. time and love can be our only cure. there is no prescription for hurt feelings, but time and love. these women must have both for each other.

then the men, the older men, walked in and sat down, at the table next to the women. we had a perfect view of all. the men ordered their salads and when asked if they wanted Feta cheese on their salads there was a moment that seemed to last forever where the women had a chance to let them know that it was going to be $2.50 extra!

but they remained silent. maybe they have husbands at home. maybe they weren't attracted to these two older men, seemingly their same age. we wanted them to say something. they were so quiet. it must have been on the tips of their tongues. maybe you've got to be young to take a chance. I'm sure glad I did.

eating outside of the Athenian on a warm summer's day almost a year ago now there was no hurry. there was time. the price of Feta may have been different, but we weren't aware. all we knew was what was in the air.

$old!er by Joshua Aaron Weinstein

a new play is evolving. from the depths of Arkansas to the winds of Chicago. the play is called $old!er. you may think, hmmm...what a shitty title?!? well, when the play is read to be consumed by audiences and you come to check it out, you will remember your remark and return, what a great title!?! actually, the title may change, but the fact remains that we read this play last night and it was a resounding success. funny, poignant and exhilirating.

i began this play while working at the student union at the U of A. It was an assistantship paying for my MFA. I was Marketing Coordinator! my boss came in one day with a poster he wanted me to duplicate. another exciting task. the poster was a remake of the new Star Wars posters, but instead of the fictional characters, the Bush Administration heads were shewn. my boss was indeed thrilled by the presidential elections and our new war in Iraqi. I was attending the U of A when the US of A was attacked. proceeding the attack, we of course, went ballistic.

So, I started writing this play where a slew of new recruiting were signing up for the Army. it was war time, we needed fresh blood. the final recruit to come into the office was a 12 year old girl. the recruiting officer mistook the girl for a boy and believed her when she said she was seventeen. still young, but we need good men. she was also coming to the office after playing a video game, a violent war game. after she had beaten the game, a message appeared on the screen telling her to sign up.

i revised this play some while in Arkansas and presented it as a 10 minute play in a new play festival I produced down there. it was funny, but needed more. I went to work...

passing the script around to friends, they all came back with one thing to say, "this play needs to be done soon." it is timely, my friends were saying. I continued to work on it. no one ever came back with, "this is solid." idea and timeliness are one thing. a good play is another. so, I continued to work. I remembered one day that while producing my first full length at the U of A, I had been given some advice from a fellow playwright that the kid in my play, a young hellion, was the most interesting. he plays a video game in his father's presence and his father encourages very irrational behavior while displaying his own towards the NCAA tournament. my fellow says to me, "you should write a play about that kid. about the effect of violent video games on our youth." well, well, well... it seemed that this little soldier play I was working on fit that bill... I continued work...

LiveWire Chicago Theatre, the theatre company where I currently reside was looking for a new play to produced for their next season. Well, I say, "i've got a play." (I actually have a lot of plays.) this one in particular needs to be done. let's read it and see what we think. I set up the read, assembled actor friends and invited designers, etc. before the read, I said, why don't I give it a once over, I have worked on it a bunch, but it probably needs a bit of tweaking. well, tweaking became a grand revision. a new evolution. sharper and more pointed. deadly funny and serious at the same time. we recruit these individuals and send them off to the desert to fight a war so that we may colonize, claim new territory. we, the people, know what is so ridiculous about our situation, but are motionless to do anything about it. it's a season of change, my friends. come check the play out, then do something...anything. and if you don't think there is anything for you to do, ask a playwright. he or she will tell you.

peace. at all costs.

shell meat

"A writer ought to comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable."

– Mark Twain

are you a director?

the dramatist guild of america was in Chicago this weekend. taking charge that they do not only service New York playwrights, the Guild decided to hold conferences in cities around the united states. they landed in chicago on saturday and stayed through sunday.

on a personal note, my family was also in town this weekend. my cousin, an amazing drummer, had his senior recital at Northwestern on saturday and the family came in support. his concert blew me away. he has chops beyond chops and when he plays next, I will let you all know...

I mention this because there were some Guild events I was unable to attend. the first event I did get to see was the second part of Marsha Norman's conversation and what I caught was insightful and inspiring. she is truly and writers' writer and had encouraging words for all of us. Madeline was also with me for this event and was equally inspired. Norman spoke about her role in the upcoming musical, The Color Purple and how she got to work on a project she had been asking to work on for a long while. Norman wrote the book. she came on late in the process, but sat for two weeks with the cast and production staff, wrote scene by scene each day until completion. for two weeks no one questioned her. she was the writer and knew what she was doing. trust. it is the only thing we can hope for.

she also talked about how everyone in the play comes on stage in respect to the central character. it is her play. if they are not there for her, they should not be there. i have been mulling this over a great deal as I approach my next project. on one hand, it is convention. on the other hand, it is very conventional.

theatre. circus. magic. were the three words I wrote down that came out of Norman's mouth. they are three live events that do not translate in any other medium. "you had to be there." let's all be there, I say.

Rebecca Gilman was the next conversation and though I am reluctant to put her in the same category as Norman in terms of playwright greatnesss, she spoke a great deal that registered with me. her work on A Doll's House by Ibsen was much like my own work with Miss Julie by Strindberg. Approaching extent work wasn't something I strived to do, but when the opportunity came, I jumped. I broke the fucking play down to its core and realized the great art of Strindberg and in turn, the great art of playwriting.

Gilman was also asked about the alternate ending she gave House. In a surprising answer, she said that someone mentioned Ibsen's own alternative ending, where Nora comes back, so Gilman, who was struggling with her own ending, knew that was it. Nora comes back. People, of course, were in an uproar over her ended. People were in an uproar over Ibsen's ending as well, where Nora stays. In Julie, i wanted to have Julie kill John at the end. In the development process, I was unable to obtain support from key members of the cast and director, so i kept to the same ending as Strindberg. I felt the script lacked because of this concession. In my rewrite, she does in fact kill him and I hope to one day be able to present this production.

Gilman earned some of my respect in her conversation and I plan to read and/or see more of her work to see what she is really up to.

Before I talk about the final event I attended, I want to mention an event I did not attend; an event I could have attended. The event was a forum on New Play Development. I'm sure if I attended, my beef would have been unwarranted, but on the forum were Artistic Directors and Dramaturgs from the Chicago area. on the forum for New Play Development were Artistic Directors and Dramaturgs. No playwrights? of course, it was a Guild event, so the playwrights were in attendance. to listen to what the forum thought. playwrights listening to what Artistic Directors and Dramaturgs thought. from reputable companies, but non-the-less, there were no playwrights on the forum. what? the? fuck? i will have to write a letter...

Final event, Meet and Greet. Playwrights and Directors all in one room. Introductions, then mingle. "Are you a director?" "I'm a writer, are you a director?" "Are you a director?" "No? Oh, then get away from me." O.K., only one woman told me to get away from her and it was justified because we were being kicked out of the building and she wanted to pitch one more time to a director, not a playwright.

The playwrights definitely out numbered the directors, though and in a sea of other playwrights hoping beyond hope that a director would be found to take their script and help produce it on stage, I found myself content on the perimeter. I don't "need" a director. if one is interested, great! but I did not once "pitch" my script. I talked to people, don't get me wrong. I mingled, but it was mostly with fellow playrights telling them about my theatre company. you see, it is coming to pass that I will step up to be the Executive Director of LiveWire Chicago Theatre and while the role will give me much sway in our season selection, a sway that I can use to my advantage as a playwright, it is not this kind of sway that I want to utilize for the long term. Yes, I want to get a production done next season, but what about future seasons? I found myself at this event talking with fellow playwrights in search of something to spark my interest as a director, stage and Executive. "no, i'm not a director, but I work with a company that does new work." "oh, let me tell you about..." and I ended up getting pitches myself.

when I finally was approached by a director, I had already dismissed all intentions of pitching the script I came to the event with. I merely talked about my work and asked her talk about hers. there were a very awkward silences and multiple, "nice to meet yous." maybe I should have pitched the script, but talking about theatre seemed more appropriate. i'll contact her, send her some samples, but what will come of that? who knows?

fine! the event was cool and I'm glad I went. it was exactly what the Guild intended. they can't promise anything, they are not producers. did anybody get anything? i did. a few more contacts and a great new perspective.

am I a playwright? yes.

am I a director? yes.