Welcome
John William Tuohy lives in Washington DC
Greetings NYCPlaywrights
Greetings NYCPlaywrights
*** FREE THEATER IN NYC ***
Dramatic Performance by Patrick Boucheron
Patrick Boucheron explains why he likes to combine history with theater and the
other arts: “To be a proper historian, you should not content yourself with
simply being one. That is why I try to make history inviting to all that
extends beyond it—literature, cinema, painting, and theater—as I look for new
forms of writing that are simultaneously conceptually demanding and narratively
stimulating… I try to make history relate to our lives. I try to make people
realize that they do not have to choose between knowledge-teaching and
emotion-sharing.”
Patrick Boucheron is a Professor and Chair of the History of Powers in Western
Europe from the 7th to the 16th at Collège de France. He specializes in the
Middle Ages, particularly in Italy. His work also concerns the writing of
history and changes in the discipline. It was in this spirit that he wrote
Histoire mondiale de la France (Seuil, 2017). Since 2017, he has partnered with
the Théatre National de Bretagne (TNB) headed by actor and stage director
Arthur Nauzyciel. For each program, he invites associates, academics, and
artists to imagine and create with him a monthly gathering, “Rencontrer
l’Histoire” (“A Rendez-vous with History”), based on the program’s themes or
current affairs.
February 8, 2023
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM EST
Columbia University
Maison Française
515 West 116th Street
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dramatic-performance-by-patrick-boucheron-tickets-489689373097?aff=ebdssbdestsearch
*** HUNTER COLLEGE MFA PLAYWRITING PROGRAM ***
The Hunter College MFA Playwriting Program is accepting applications through
January 15th! The program is a highly selective, rigorous, and affordable
two-year playwriting program located in the heart of NYC. We seek writers eager
to develop their craft and challenge assumptions about what theater is and will
become.
Students study with award-winning writers, working theatre professionals, and
esteemed guest artists. The program offers workshop opportunities and fosters a
collaborative, close-knit artistic community. Teaching Assistantships and
tuition waivers are available.
Current and recent faculty include: David Adjmi, Clare Barron, Mia Chung, Lisa
D'Amour, Maria Striar, and Lloyd Suh. Visiting artists for 2021-2022 include:
Eboni Booth, Sharon Bridgforth, Sheila Callaghan, Morgan Gould, and Daniel
Alexander Jones.
For more information, visit: https://www.huntertheatre.net/mfa
*** OPPORTUNITIES FOR PLAYWRIGHTS ***
Anacostia Playhouse is seeking new and non-produced 10-minute and one-act plays
for the 2022-2023 New Voices, New Works Festival: Love: Make Ya Do Right / Make
Ya Do Wrong. Selected playwrights will have the opportunity to work with a
professional director and actors to prepare for a final staged reading
performance.
***
“Premiere the Play” is a podcast featuring audio performances of new stage
plays. The podcast can be found on all major podcast platforms.
· Our goal is to fill our season with diversity, so all topics, time periods,
cultures, etc. are welcome.
· English, however, must be the primary language.
· The play must be an unproduced STAGE play (not radio play, screen play, or
zoom play).
· The play should run no less than 30 mins and no more than 2 hours.
· Maximum cast size of 6.
· No musicals... yet...
***
Onstage/Offstage is looking for several 10-12 minute plays to produce and air
on its podcast.
This year there are TWO OPPORTUNITIES:
1 - Our annual themed opportunity (see below); and,
2 - Inspired by Halloween, an opportunity for A SCARY PLAY THAT INCLUDES A
GHOST.
The 2023 opportunity theme is “EXPLORATION.” Three characters maximum. Plays
must include a journey, and the protagonist must end up somewhere different
than where they started and changed irrevocably. Spiritual/emotional growth
could very well be a factor. Comedies and dramas welcome. **No monologues.**
*** FOR MORE INFORMATION about these and other opportunities see the web site
at https://www.nycplaywrights.org
***
*** RULES OF COMEDY ***
Sometimes called trebling, the Rule of Three is a pattern used in stories and
jokes, where part of the story is told three times, with minor variations. The
first two instances build tension, and the third releases it by incorporating a
twist.
Three is the smallest number required to create a pattern, so it's especially
common in storytelling.The third of three siblings succeeds after their older
siblings each failed. The protagonist is given three tests and receives the
prize after the third. It's fairly unusual to find a folktale that does not
incorporate the Rule of Three in some form.
More...
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RuleOfThree
***
Forrester shares an important television comedy writing tip for screenwriters
in his interview with BBC Writersroom.
"Don't start with premise. Start with character. Most hit shows are a
collection of good characters in a location. There are two kinds of locations,
generally, in the history of TV. Family, which has its location in the home...
or the office... workplace shows. Cheers, Taxi, The Office are all workplace
shows. They're both essentially collections of characters."
More...
https://screencraft.org/blog/5-rules-of-comedy-according-to-the-office-showrunner/
***
Comedy is often found in the gap between how a character perceives himself and
how we perceive him. For example, consider Valere in David Hirson’s La Bete. He
is a buffoon who believes himself to be an inspired playwright, much to the
chagrin of the acting troupe who’s stuck with him. He’s a close cousin to Corky
St. Clair in Christopher Guest’s Waiting for Guffman. Both of these men believe
they possess theatrical genius, but this is nonsense, and we know it.
More...
https://pwcenter.org/playwriting-toolkit/tips-writing-comedy-writers-who-don’t-write-comedy
***
An oft overlooked literary aspect of standup is its poetics. Indeed, Kevin
Cummings writes, “Humor and poetry often make use of the same literary
techniques, except that humor doesn’t know how to behave for company.” As
Cummings further points out in his article “Words That Sound Funny,” words with
hard consonants, especially the K-sound, are more likely to elicit laughs. This
“comedy K” has actually long been part of comedy lore, though comedians may
also haphazardly discover it on their own through trial and error at open mics.
Besides diction, poetic techniques like assonance, consonance, and even
rhyme—in the form of phrases like “itty-bitty” or “rinky-dink”—are all part of
the comedian’s toolkit.
Another
shared priority between poets and comics is word economy: a joke improves as
you “trim the fat,” making it concise and more to the point. As a poet myself,
it’s no wonder that my jokes often come in the pithiest form: one-liners. In
similar fashion, comedians pay close attention to rhythm and pauses, much as a
poet does with line breaks and syllable counting. In fact, Jerry Seinfeld
admitted that he counts syllables in his jokes. (For more info about his
scrupulous writing process, watch his 2012 New York Times interview here.) Like
a slam poet, comedians choreograph pauses into their routine, allowing the
audience to digest the words, visualize the scene, and feel the tension, before
a quickly-delivered surprise punchline. And then we pause for laughs, too.
TLDR: comedians are essentially poets.
More...
https://hothouselitjournal.com/2020/03/12/3568/
***
For non-Catholic readers, here they are again: Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth,
Anger, Envy and Pride. I keep a framed copy of the Seven Deadly Sins on my
desk.
A couple of them may need further explanation: Gluttony is either a sin of
over-indulgence, or of status, or withholding from the needy.
Greed, also known as Avarice and Covetousness, is about the pursuit of wealth
and power. (The church knows a thing or two about that). It would include
treachery, disloyalty or deliberate betrayal, all for personal gain.
Vanity and pomposity, essential qualities for characters in comedy, are
presumably sub-sections of the sin of Pride.
More...
https://www.chortle.co.uk/features/2011/09/06/13934/my_13_favourite_rules_of_comedy
***
The real difference is that comedy shows or segments that are legitimately
funny always punch up. Instead of wasting their time going after people who are
typically in the minority, they go after people with tangible power that’s
being abused. A basic tenet of humor — and I mean real basic, we’re talking
ancient Greece here — is that your best stuff will come from going after people
bigger than you. But Watters and Southern, and their respective networks, are
too dedicated to maintaining the status quo to be remotely entertaining.
More...
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/scaachikoul/why-punching-down-will-never-be-funny
***
Here are five great tips for writing a comedy scene:
Take a typical situation and exaggerate it
Let tension build
Use specificity
Embarrass someone
Finish with a bang
More...
https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/how-to-write-comedy/
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*** OPPORTUNITIES FOR PLAYWRIGHTS ***
This year the Theatre Southwest Readers' Theatre Matinee will happen on Sunday,
Jan. 22nd, 2023 at 3:00 P.M. and is accepting 5-10 minute scripts. Selected
plays will be read and voted on by the audience in attendance and the Audience
Favorite will receive a $100 cash prize!
***
Lifeline seeks submissions from writers of color outlining their intent to
develop a stage adaptation of a book or other literary work (e.g., short story,
article, memoir, tale, poem, etc.). Proposals can be for traditional
adaptations or “inspired by” approaches where the literature serves as a
jumping off point, but the source material should be in the public domain. Only
one proposal per writer will be accepted.
***
Now in its 35th year, NAMT’s Festival of New Musicals is the cornerstone of
NAMT’s mission to be a catalyst for nurturing musical theatre development and
production. Every year, we feature eight musicals in short presentations for an
audience of over 700 industry professionals. We look for new musicals at all
stages of development from the broadest possible range of voices.
*** FOR MORE INFORMATION about these and other opportunities see the web site
at https://www.nycplaywrights.org
***
*** SECRETS WILL BE REVEALED ***
This dazzling world premiere welcomes you into Jaja's bustling hair braiding
salon in Harlem where every day, a lively and eclectic group of West African
immigrant hair braiders are creating masterpieces on the heads of neighborhood
women. During one sweltering summer day, love will blossom, dreams will
flourish and secrets will be revealed.
More...
https://www.manhattantheatreclub.com/upcoming/
***
Holiday season is a time for celebration! Twas A Night of Improv Games is an
OPEN Short Form JAM! Games bring families together and strengthen friendships,
and most of the time no one gets hurt. Stories will be Told – Things will be
Made Up – Secrets will be Revealed.
More...
https://www.azactorsacademy.com/theatre-upstairs/
***
In order to keep up his spirits, his doctors have lied to him about his true
condition. His wife is in denial. Their Golden Boy son, Brick, has taken to
drink. Their eldest son, Gooper, is trying to take charge of affairs. The
daughters-in-law, Maggie and Mae, are squaring off to see who can secure the
biggest chunk of one of the largest estates in the Mississippi Delta for their
husbands. Long-standing rivalries and resentments along with some deeply
held secrets will be revealed...
More...
https://whatzup.com/cat-on-hot-tin-roof-first-presbyterian-stages-williams-pulitzer-prize-winner/
***
The prosperous Birling Family is gathered to celebrate their successes and the
engagement of their daughter Sheila to Gerald Croft when the sudden arrival of
the mysterious Inspector Goole brings the celebrations to a halt. Goole is
investigating the apparent suicide of a young woman. Are the Birlings
responsible? What deep, dark and complex secrets will be revealed?
More...
https://listings.intermissionmagazine.ca/theatre-productions/an-inspector-calls/
***
Megan and Kimmy are fourteen-years-old, best friends, and currently planning to
commit grand larceny against country music star Rick Montgomery at his concert
tonight. As they put their plan into play, songs will be sung, secrets will be
revealed...
More...
https://newcityplayers.org/littlemontgomery
***
Moe, drifting in and out of the dementia that accompanies his illness, also
has conversations with his altar ego, the glamorous and beautiful
torch-singing drag queen Lupe, the fabulous one that is the center of Moe’s
fantasies.
Now Moe is Latino, so that means before he goes he will be in a confessional
frame of mind. And more than skeletons will be coming out of the closet at this
particular get-together. Long-hidden secrets will be revealed...
More...
https://www.performingartslive.com/Events%5CDementia-415201084122
***
If you’re one of the 400 lucky followers of @newplayrobot, you’ve been treated
to some of the funniest theatrical criticism of the decade in the form of an
obscure novelty twitter account. @newplayrobot’s handle speaks for itself; it
is a robot that generates “play ideas of the moment,” the kind that artistic
directors “love.”
For anyone who has found themselves slogging through self-important drafts in a
playwriting class or through famous people’s manuscripts as part of a literary
internship, @newplayrobot’s mocking attitude towards the stubborn cliches of
American drama are incredibly cathartic.
Here
are a few:
“Home for Easter Susan spends weekend with alcoholic mother/estranged sister.
Secrets revealed. Speech featuring ‘but I stayed!’ Title: Her”
“Play: After being disbarred, Sue is forced to confront how she neglected her
family. Sitting and talking. Secrets revealed. Title: Side Bar”
“New play idea: Urban couple returns to country roots after inheriting family
home. House is character. Secrets revealed. Title: Good Bones.”
It should be noted that though @newplayrobot skewered several genres—it hasn’t
tweeted in about a year—every single tweet incorporated “secrets revealed” at
some point.
The
shared understanding and sense of collective exhaustion that makes
@newplayrobot so funny to me is at the heart of the problem many people have
with the genre of the “family play,” a term that—over the past several
years—has become more and more pejorative.
More...
https://www.pastemagazine.com/theatre/the-way-the-world-ends-on-10-years-of-august-osage/
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