Thursday, June 30, 2005

 

Aristotle #6

My limited photography skills failed to capture the spectacle of the Valdez environs, but others came closer.


click here for a larger view

Photo courtesy of playwright, duelist and all-around mensch Meron Langsner.

posted by Dan 11:46 AM
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Wednesday, June 29, 2005

 

May I Introduce You?

If the tuxedo I'm wearing is too formal, I do have an aquamarine suit in my garment bag. But this lends a touch of class, don't you think? It will make my introduction of you that much more splendid.

Consider a job interview. Instead of stumbling into your potential employer's office, shoes full of sand and mouth dribbling, imagine that I enter the room. I dim the lights, I step up to the microphone (I also provide my own microphone, unlike other introducers). I softly intone, "Ladies and Gentlemen, we are proud to present today's star attraction, recently returned from his/her tour of the oversight department at State Farm Insurance, won't you please give a warm welcome to the vice-president of Oberlin College's Economic Diversity Forum and co-founder of the Improv Comedy Troupe 'Instant Coffee'...Miss Sarah Puloni."

But let us go to the heart of the matter, which is your unfortunate love life. Rather than leaning cross-eyed into the young lady at the bar and saying, "My wife doesn't know I'm here," I might begin with a strobe-laser-fireworks display before shouting "SEX FANS! GET READY for your NUMBER ONE GUY WHO HAS AN UNDERSTANDING WITH THE LITTLE WOMAN! Let's make some NOISE for the BULK RATE OF THE SUPER EIGHT! For ONE NIGHT ONLY, JOOOOOOOOE HARRISON!"

Or when you go to borrow money from your mother: "Attention pathetic maternal Earthling. Disengage questions about drug use, or you will be disintegrated. You have ten of your Earth-seconds to comply."

Perhaps you need a lead-in to your eulogy: "BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP WHOO WHOO WHOO WHOO JOOOOOOOOP JOOOOOOOOP ENH ENH ENH booo-DEEEEE boooo-DEEEEE WEEEOU WEEEEOU WEEEOU" (in this case, the deceased is a car alarm).

I have so much to offer by way of the art introduction. Won't you let me work for you? I also design web pages.

posted by Dan 1:11 PM
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Tuesday, June 28, 2005

 

Two Glasses

George Hunka gets spleen juice all over his site while discussing the other theatre conference that happened this week. TCG held its tribal gathering in Seattle, and called it, "Creating the Future: Theatre in a Polarized World." A journalist-friend of mine recently commented that the political Left generally takes an anthropological approach to what's sounding on the Right: collect data and evidence, study the behavior, hold a symposium...TCG seems to be engaging in a bit of that.

UPDATE: A different opinion on the TCG conference here.

Meanwhile, Frank at His Wild Lunch has more to say about the departed play labs at Center Theatre Group. I'm interested to see what comes of this, for what my small opinion is worth. Will the development program again offer the tantalizing mirage of production from the participating theatre companies? Or will it be more of a marketplace where plays can show their plumage to potential producers? The latter possibility, while not perfect, is certainly less hazardous, in my opinion.

posted by Dan 1:23 PM
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Monday, June 27, 2005

 

Caught in the Twin Cities

She came up to me and said, "I'm not giving you any pictures, because you're going to post them." She'd discovered my dirty little not-so-secret. "You're one of those bloggers. It's disturbing." Perhaps she was afraid I'd put her name in here, along with scandalous details, a la W. Okay, I won't.

Jason doesn't seem half as grouchy as he does in his entries, but maybe I caught him when his blood sugar was up. I should add that his piece was really good, a version of an Arabian Nights tale mixed with a classic modern film. One of the few pieces I saw that had all of its major ducks marching single file, just a few feathers to smooth down.

But I am being coy, I guess. My piece went very well. The actors came up big. The room was live. The path of the rewrite is clear.

Right now I'm stuck in the Minneapolis airport, awaiting my delayed plane. My daughter is sick! Don't these people understand I need to go NOW?! I shall pitch a Cinnabon if I do not board this aerobus!

posted by Dan 11:10 AM
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