October 19, 2010

a brief encounter - a true story

SCENE: Lobby of the Public Theater. Night.

ME: I came just to see you.
HER: Oh that's so sweet.
ME: Please don't be mad. I wrote a play about you.
HER: You wrote a play about me!?!?!?!
ME: Pleasedon'tbemad. There' some stuffinitthat'suhsensitivebecauseit'spersonalandum. About race and you say some things but I don't think you're a racist bigot or anything.
HER: I'm a racist bigot?
ME: Nonono. I'm not saying that at all! (Showing her the program).
HER: Waitaminute! I think a friend of mine was in this.
ME: Huh what who? Did she do set design or -
HER: No, no. She was an actor. Her name was Meredith or Elizabeth or -
ME: That doesn't sound - You already knew? Um. Sorry. Really nervous. Uh. Here. (giving her sheet)
HER: Oh, sure. Is this to RVCBard [not the name I used]? (Writing carefully)
ME: Yeah it's me. Uh here I almost forgot. For you. (giving her my letter and an invitation) Uh. Thanks. Bye. (skipping away with hearts and stars and unicorns floating around my head)

I swear, I am not a racist bigot - and I have no idea what "I" say in this play but RVCBard [not the name I used]seems sweet and lovely.<3
Anne Hathaway

October 13, 2010

mark your calendar for FRIDAY, NOV 12!

Do pass this along. It won't work if nobody shows up. :P

WHO: (aka me)
WHAT: Staged reading for Tulpa, or Anne&Me combined with birthday party for Anne Hathaway (aka The Great Pumpkin). There will be cake. There will be balloons. There may be party hats.
WHEN: Friday, November 12 at 8pm
WHERE: WOW Cafe Theatre, 59 E. 4th Street, New York, NY
WHY: Fundraising for Crossroads Theatre Project and WOW Cafe Theatre.
HOW: RSVP by clicking on the Fractured Atlas button below to send a donation to Crossroads Theatre Project. Suggested donation $10 per person.

Donate now!

ABOUT TULPA, OR ANNE&ME
When Anne Hathaway crawls out of your television, what do you do?

Tulpa, or Anne&Me tells the story of a Black lesbian with an overactive imagination who forges an unlikely bond with Anne Hathaway. Guided by two guardian angels of Blackness (or are they voices in her head?), she struggles to connect with Anne across the thorny barrier between Black and White women. Through a series of visitations merging memory, reality and fantasy, Tulpa, or Anne&Me wrestles with the racial tensions that haunt even our most intimate relationships.

Raw, intimate, and unapologetic,
Tulpa, or Anne&Me blends pop culture, Tibetan mysticism and womanism to begin the conversation about race that Black women and White women have never been allowed to have. Until now.

Read what some people are saying about
Tulpa, or Anne&Me at:
ABOUT CROSSROADS THEATRE PROJECT
Crossroads Theatre Project is a collaboration of new Black playwrights whose works explore how race intersects with other identities and challenge mainstream ideas about Black theatre.

The crossroads are rooted in African folklore, Vodou, and Delta blues as a place where strange and unexpected things happen. Anything can happen on the crossroads. You can speak with the dead, meet the spirits of your ancestors, or even sell your soul to the Devil.

Crossroads Theatre Project is the anti-Chitlin Circuit created to break barriers and undermine stereotypes by presenting thoughtful new stories by and about African Americans today. In the simplest terms, this means: no maids; no crackheads; no Tyler Perry.

The vision of Crossroads Theatre Project is nearly identical to 13P. The idea is to use our shared passion for theater and our status as Othered to empower us when it comes to gathering resources and reaching out to potential audiences and creative partners. We're committed to giving people theatre by and about us that challenges what people assume we stand for and/or are interested in. The goal of Crossroads Theatre Project is to incubate the works of new Black playwrights from first draft through full production.

Read more about Crossroads Theatre Project here.

October 8, 2010

Julie Taymor does "The Tempest"

Magic. Helen Mirren. Fairies. Chris Cooper. Magic. Wizards. Spells.

*faints*

I think I'm going to have Julie Taymor's baby. Like, right now.



Labor pains never felt so good.

October 6, 2010

on ticket pricing (now with ninjas)

With the back and forth between 2amt and Parabasis going on, I suppose the discussion about ticket pricing is now officially an Important Topic, so I did some reading and now feel comfortable enough to jump in.

People had a lot of thoughtful commentary about pricing models and artistic vision and blah blah blah. But none of them mentioned the most essential element of ticket pricing.

Ninjas.

I know what you're thinking. What the fuck kind of non-sequitur is this, RVCBard? C'mon, we're discussing Something Really Serious And Important, and all you can say is fucking ninjas?

Let me ask you something. When was the last time you saw a ninja at your show? Exactly! You're not supposed to see them because they're doing what ninjas do best - remain invisible.

Guys, you're missing out on a tremendous opportunity here. Do you know how many ninjas can fit inside a 30-seat black box theatre? Lots. Especially under the seats and on the ceiling. I know because they sent me secret messages telling me so. You know what else they tell me? That they've been watching you very closely. And when you do something they don't like, they use the deadly art of ninjutsu to kill audience members to prevent them from seeing your show. So that's where the shuriken and dead bodies are coming from.

So, theatre blogosphere: WHERE ARE YOUR NINJAS?

October 2, 2010

"sorry about the irreparable damage"

See if this sounds familiar.

  1. US scientists do medical experiments on brown people without their consent.
  2. Said medical experiments deny treatment to said brown people.
  3. Brown people get worse. Or fucking die.
  4. Decades after irreparable damage has been done, US government apologizes.

The question I have for you is: Would you accept that shit?

Consider the recent (well, recent to straight people) anti-gay bullying leading to death (btw, you have to check out The We Got Your Back Project). Would the families, friends and communities affected by the shitstorm leading to the deaths of several young people these past few weeks be obligated to accept a post-mortem "my bad" 50 or 60 years later?

Get this through your head, America: Sometimes "sorry" ain't good enough. Once you fuck up people's lives and livelihoods, "I'm sorry" isn't gonna cut it.