Psst...you''ll find the 2005 archives through here.

DECEMBER 29

NOT ROUNDING IT OUT ON A GREAT NOTE: All in all it's been a good year, production-wise. (I'll be finishing and posting my year-end retrospective this weekend, I hope.) But I learned the other day--contrary to my Dec. 13 post--that the theatre that was going to do Dinner for Several in the spring won't be, after all. And it looks like two short pieces sent during the last Binge got a no-thanks from MadLab in Columbus, OH. (Congrats to the several Bingers who got the nod!) But again, it's not like I can complain about my year. Onward, upward, as always.

DECEMBER 13

SO THEY SAID NO: This is a quick update to something that first came up oh so long ago. Playscripts, Inc., finally got around to a decision on publishing Dinner for Several, just as they did with "Owen & George" and "Waiting...". The subject line here is a clue as to the nature of said decision. I'll give you a moment to work it out... And I only mention this in the spirit of blog-ly disclosure. In the meantime, I shall continue to shop around this award-winning comedy, and await its upcoming April production!

DECEMBER 12

'07 IS LOOKING PRETTY GOOD, TOO: You know me. I don't like to jump the gun. But I have to say that the beginning of next year looks like it's going to kick off much like '06, with a fair number of productions. There's Acme, of course, which I would love to make an annual thing, and Theatre One. February has two other potential gigs in the works, but both are so vaporous right now that they're not worth discussing--and I'm not sure I can discuss one of them at this point. And then in March "Waiting for the End of the World" lets me put a little red pin in Delaware on my map of Theatrical World Conquest, thanks to Kristyn Robinson and the Wilmington Drama League. So what are we looking at here? Five productions in the first quarter of 2007 alone? Have I mentioned how much I love this silly thing I do?

NOVEMBER 28

BRUSHSTROKE GETS A YES: Got word today that "Brushstroke" will be part of Theatre One's Slice of Life festival in February 07. I had the pleasure of meeting the group's honcho, Peg Holzemer, earlier this year, and have been hoping to get a piece done there. So there ya go.

NOVEMBER 20

I'M A TWO-TIMER: Oh, it's okay. The wife knows. In fact, she's encouraging me. Who am I kidding? You know this is about theater. Stacey will be directing "Still Life With Elephant" for my second appearance at Acme Theater's New Works Winter Festival. We'll be using our own cast, so I still get to have control over the piece's premiere. (But let me say here that knowing the talent at Acme, I could just as easily place it in a number of people's hands there and know it was going to be done well.) Very excited to be part of this fest again. It's well run and they pick a good, diverse set of scripts.

NEW STUFF, TOO: If you come here even remotely often, you may have already heard me lament about how all I seem to be writing these days is short plays. And they're getting shorter. I don't kowtow to the whole 10-minute play thing--I write plays that are as long as they need to be in order to tell their story. If they happen to come to 10 minutes, then there's a whole world of little festivals open to them. But I want to get back to writing full-length plays. In the meantime, a recent Saturday breakfast out managed to force its way into my head and turn itself into a new short piece called "First Time for Everything." It's a comedy with a blackout ending. Don't know when I'll get around to doing anything with it, but it wrote itself during a slow afternoon, and first readers have commented favorably on it. So we'll see. Excerpt later.

ACTUALLY, SPEAKING OF EXCERPTS: I realize I'm woefully overdue on adding excerpts from the new stuff, most notably "Dance in Venice" and "That Thing," which is really just dreaful marketing on my part, really. I tried to PDF them about a week ago. I use a program called PrimoPDF, which is a very nice--which is to say, free--bit of software. Probably because I insist on running Windows 98 (now aka "Windows Flintstone") on my system, Primo doesn't feel like playing. My other option is to literally turn around to the other computer in the office and use the version of Primo there--is this even remotely interesting?--and, after e-mailing scripts to myself, PDF them on that box and upload them using that system's version of Dreamweaver. But I'm lazy. There are very short excerpts on the message board if you're all that interested. Or just e-mail me and ask to see them. I'll ask some picky questions about who you are and what theatre you're with, and then it's all lovely and good and you can read them.

OCTOBER 31

OR NOT: This has the potential to make me look silly, considering the post just below, but there's no real sense in deleting the other one and pretending no one saw it. These things happen. Circumstances have unfortunately dictated that we won't be able to pull together "If the Shorts Fit" for a December show. Just how it is. Life intrudes. Iffy timing. The upside, of course, is that the potential to do this show knocked two long-stalled pieces to completion and drove the creation of a third. Every road leads somewhere, you see? We'll likely try to revive this after the turn of the year. My thanks again to the actors who at the very least gave me a chance to hear the new stuff out loud.

OCTOBER 16

AND WE'RE OFF: Assembled in my living room this evening were five actors, the director-wife, and me. Work has begun on "If the Shorts Fit," a night of six of my short plays to benefit Curtain Call Theater. The handpicked cast includes Ed Benjamin, III, Richard Carey, Lorna McKenzie and John and Martha Sawyer. Three of the six plays I have never so much as heard read before--I wrote them and there they sat, waiting. For the record, the playwright is pleased with what he heard tonight. At first glance, all the plays appear to work. "Dance in Venice" plays out quite nicely in the hands of Mr. Benjamin and Ms. McKenzie, and the Sawyers do lovely things with "That Thing." And then there's "Still Life with Elephant," wherein Mr. Carey rips into the role of Elephant with insanely gleeful malice like it was written with him in mind--which, to be honest, it was, even when it was first being written more than two years ago. The show is slated for the first weekend in December in Braintree, MA, and if you are in my area, I urge you to come out and enjoy. Six shows, including three world premieres, and it won't take up more than an hour or so of your time. I'll post more info as it comes in.

OCTOBER 5

OBEYING, AS I MUST, THE LAWS OF SHANAHANIAN LITERARY PHYSICS: Which, to wit, can be expressed thus: The momentum carried by the completion of one play will impact upon another unfinished play, transferring said momentum into the second play, thereby causing its completion. Typically this only happens two plays at a time. And so the energy created by the completion of "Dance in Venice" slammed like a runaway freight train (ooh, how cliche!) into "That Thing," and in about an hour's time, I'd worked around the problem spot, found a fresh core, and charged along to a good new ending. One or two dust-up edits, and it should be ready for December. The director-wife has read it and given great suggestions. Now I have to block all this short play crap out of my working brain and find the story for the next full-length.

ONE LAST, ONCE MORE: The director-wife has a smile that I must confess I am nearly powerless against. After seeing Lori Jean as Charlie in "One Last Thing," she had been talking about how a friend of ours--a woman--would make a great Charlie.I resisted the idea because now and then I'd like to see my plays done as I actually wrote them. So tonight she's sitting on the floor and we're talking about the order of the (now) five plays. Asking how long each is. I say, I know, now that I've finished "Thing," we've got a longer night on our hands than we originally planned. She says, "I want you to consider adding One Last Thing. That way we do three, we break, and we do three more." I tell her I know it's just that she wants to use our friend as Charlie. My strongest objection, by the way, is that it's too much like "Writer's Block." And then she rolls out the Secret Weapon. The Smile. And she tells me that with Martha as Charlie, it'll just be different enough. And she's Smiling.

So yeah, it looks like we're doing "One Last Thing" as well. I'm a sucker for that smile. Hi, honey.

OCTOBER 3

A LITTLE HELP FROM JULIA, A LITTLE HELP FROM JILL: It may not be entirely advisable to publicly admit that now and then I work on plays while I'm at my day job, but when the muse assails, I surrender. It's been a nice arrangement over the last few years--with the muse, I mean. And it doesn't hurt that when there is downtime at my job, it's not a venal sin to do some personal work. All of which is prelude to saying that today, in my traditional dam-burst of inspiration--and pushed along, as is also unfortunately habit with me, by the fact that production work starts in less than two weeks--I put the finish on "Dance in Venice," an 8-pager inspired over a year ago by a lyric from the Julia Fordham song "Italy." This will be part of "If the Shorts Fit" at Curtain Call Theater in December. At the bottom of the page, you'll note that I claimed the play "That Thing" was the one I was trying to finish. Well, I was and I am, but suddenly "Venice" found the legs it had lacked for so long, fleshed itself out, became lots of fun to write and tortoise-and-hared its way to the front. I may still be able to knock out "Thing" in time, though I hate to rush any work. To quote Miracle Max in Princess Bride: "You know what happens if you rush a miracle? You get lousy miracles."

Expect the traditional excerpt here on the site within a week or so. And, if you're in the Boston area, watch here for more details on "If the Shorts Fit." It's going to be fun.

SEPTEMBER 27

THESE ARE THE AFOREMENTIONED ROCKING CHICKS: The one decent photo we managed to take at the Chester Horn Fest:

From left to right: director Michelle Goltzman, your host the playwright, Lori Jean Ramsay and Joanne Maurno.

SEPTEMBER 23

THOSE CHICKS ROCKED: I will admit that I went to the Chester Horn Short Play Fest in NYC on Saturday with a touch of trepidation. (A familiar refrain from me, I know.) There I was, headed off to see an all-female version of "One Last Thing." The fact that I had agreed to such a thing did not mean it was going to be good. But let's not be coy here--as you can tell by the entry title, it was excellent. I admit that in the first minute, where we got a "rewind" sound in addition to the suggested light change (oh, go read the excerpt), as well as a Charlie (not Charles) who addressed the audience, I worried a bit. But within moments after that, I was sold--completely. Director Michelle Goltzman turned out a great version and was herself wonderful as Alex. Joanne Maurno brought great chemistry to the relationship as Katie. And then there was Charlie...Lori Jean Ramsay. One word: magnificent. She created a Charlie that was equal parts pixie and British nanny. Flighty and endearing and with a soft, cherubic loveliness, Lori Jean owned the show from her entrance--wispy dress, striped socks, sneakers and all. It's this kind of interpretation, ripe with the magic of a director and actors who "get it," that makes me long for the next one. My sincerest thanks to Michelle, Joanne and Lori, and to Michael Ruby of TheatreRats for putting on such a great fest.

SO HOW GOOD WAS IT?: I was literally in the middle of writing the previous entry when I checked my hotmail. And there I discovered that by audience vote over the course of the Horn fest, I was honored as Outstanding Author of my track (there were two). In addition, Lori Jean Ramsay was named Outstanding Actress. So I think we did okay!

THE OTHER STUFF: Outside of seeing my own work done, the fun of fests is the exposure to other playwrights' stuff. The best bit in the track I saw, to be honest, was the insanely funny "Dead Cat" by Ry Herman. The best I can offer by way of description is that it's like a Spaulding Gray monologue if the late Mr. Gray was off his meds and backed with a small ensemble cast. It's genius, pure and simple. It's a play I wish I wrote. Justin Warner's "Page Turner" needs to be made into a short film to really capture how very funny it is. (In case Mr. Warner ever stumbles across this page, I just about peed myself laughing at the line, "Gum. G.U. M.") Director-wife Stacey was very taken with Mary Steelsmith's engaging "Miraculous Day Quartet." (Despite issues with how it ends.) Overall, the folks at the Chester Horn fest put together a very nice lineup of plays. I wish I'd been able to see the other track as well.

SEPTEMBER 21

BOB'S TRAVEL PLANS CANCELED: "Bob's Date" has trouble finding its way to New York City. It got lost once and ended up, quite pleasantly, upstate in Geneva, but it can't get to the Apple. This time around I had it packed and ready to board a train, but in the long run Young Mirror Rep said they enjoyed it immensely but it wasn't chosen as a finalist. And so it goes. I appreciate that out of all the entries they received, the show was at least good enough to make the top 20.

THE NET WORKS AGAIN: I like when my shows pick up productions in odd ways. "Waiting for the End of the World" picked up a February job in Delaware today courtesy of the Playwrightbinge group. Playwright and director Kristyn Robinson, who hangs out with the Wilmington Drama League and who is a fellow Binger, was surfing other Bingers' sites out of curiosity when she came across mine. She read the excerpt of "Waiting" and asked to see the rest. I, of course, was happy to oblige. She read, she loved, she asked to produce. I, of course, was happy to oblige. So thank you, Kristyn and the WDL! Enjoy the show.

SEPTEMBER 9

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE MARKETING: Out on the front page, I've added full PDF versions of the first acts of my two full-length plays. I've done so because I want to see if offering that as opposed to 10 pages or so makes any difference in people asking to read the whole thing. As I said on 8/18, getting anyone to look at DfS has been a real trick, prize-winning play or no. So maybe this helps, or maybe it's just more artistic masturbation and blind optimism. We shall see. (And if you haven't had a chance to see these shows or even read more than the short excerpts I've had up, please go read--and remember that I like comments!)

COMING UP: We're moving forward, the missus and I, on my/our next theater project. It looks like we'll be presenting an evening tentatively titled "If the Shorts Fit: A Brief Evening of Theater" in early December. This will be a "dessert theater" presentation with "Worst Possible Time for Writer's Block", "Brushstroke", and the premieres of "Still Life with Elephant" and, if I can find its core and finish it in the next month or so, "That Thing." We've handpicked our players--more on that soon--and we'll be getting underway with rehearsals next month.

JULY 24

"NEW" IS A RELATIVE TERM: I've decided to post in its entirety my "newest" short piece, "Still Life with Elephant." [edit: complete script has been removed. see homepage to request a copy] Right now this is the only finished piece I have that hasn't been produced. It's odd to consider it new, because I can actually track the origin of this piece to sitting at Castle Island in South Boston with my wife (not quite so at the time), with the two of us watching the water and not talking about the thing that needed talking about. That was about three years ago now, and "Elephant" is just making its public debut. So far it's only been seen by three people: the wife, the Golden Boy, and a playwright who also wrote an elephant-themed play and had very nice things to say about this one. A public reading is probably in order to test it out, but the thing's only 8 pages. Thus, here it is. So if you like, read the piece and leave any comments over in the message board.

JULY 21

THE APPLE, AT LAST: I am thrilled to announce that "One Last Thing" has been accepted by TheatreRats as part of its Chester Horn Short Play Festival, Sept. 21-24 at the Medicine Show Theatre in New York City. It's a short play and it will be mixed in with 13 other pieces, but the fact is: I'm about to have a show seen Off-Off Broadway.(Technically closer to the East River than Broadway, but still!) I am surprised that this got in, as I sent it along with "Writer's Block," which has been my Golden Child this year. But I think OLT is a very good play--it got a great response as part of Death & You--and it's great when yet another piece proves itself. Now to arrange a trip to Manhattan. Carnegie Deli, here I (possibly) come!

AND FRIENDS ARE COMING, TOO: Of the 14 plays on the TheatreRats bill, four were written by members of the Playwrightbinge group: Babs Lindsay, Steven Bergman, and the festival-ubiquitous Mark Harvey Levine will also be part of the festivities. Very good company to be in!

JULY 10

KIND WORDS: I worry, constantly, that posting comments people have made on one of my plays comes off as self-serving, like one massive, endless ego stroke. It's never intended as such. It's just that I get such joy out of knowing that what I do and what I've been given translates, through the media of directors and actors, into an experience for other people--something that affects and moves them. It's about four years since I started doing this, and three years since my first production, and I'm still consistently amazed when I hear things like this. So with that preamble firmly in place and you taking it or leaving it as you see fit, I wanted to pass along a note I received from Vincent Siders, who directed and acted in the 10-minute version of "Brushstroke" at the Boston Theatre Marathon in May: "I wanted to tell you how many painters came up to me expressing their appreciation that 'someone got it right.' [John's note: if that comment baffles you, take a moment to read the "Brushstroke" excerpt on the front page.] I wanted to tell you about the painter who was belly laughing and was wondering why he was the only one; about the woman from South America who said she liked our play the best; about the stagehand who said ours was the only piece that caught his interest." And there, once again, is the true payoff: something I wrote struck a chord in people. It mattered, if only for 10 minutes.

MO' STROKE: The full version of "Brushstroke," with a female cast, opens this Thursday night at Theatre@First in Somerville, MA. I'll be there. I hope that if you're local, you'll come spend the evening with us--or at least come out at some point during the run. There are also pieces by playwright acquaintances Christopher Lockheardt, who is funnier than most people have a legal right to be, and Aoise Stratford (a New Yorker, but an all right sort nonetheless). Come make a night of it.

JULY 5

THE BOARD IS BACK: I have never been shy about the fact that I ego-surf now and then. I have playwright friends who've discovered productions they didn't know about (which is bad) through the art of the ego-surf. And there are benefits. Like today, when I discovered that a message board I'd set up in early 2005 was still active. In the spirit of blind optimism (a spirit I invoke on a sadly regular basis), I'm going to fire it up again. So if you have questions or comments about my plays, you can post them on the message board. When I have time and urge, I'll add a link to it on the menu.

JUNE 26

BLOCKAGE: I wanted to share what Mary Locker, who directed "Writer's Block" at Heartlande this weekend, had to say about their production. (I admit, I wrote this morning to ask how it went.) I don't do this as a means of blowing my own horn. Rather, it's because I enjoy how (as I said below) different people view and perform the plays. Keep in mind as you read this that the first time I saw this show done, Minion was a heavy-set guy eating Ring Dings, and he started the show humming "Girl from Ipanema." Mary wrote: "It went beautifully. Chuck/Peter is such a sad sack type that everyone felt empathy for him, even while laughing at the situation. Dana/Minion was a health nut. (Death as a physical fitness buff . . . we had a great time with that.) He began the show by lying on the floor with his feet up on the couch, doing sit ups and grunting. No wonder the dying Peter was annoyed. He was on the other side of the room, doing stretches, when Peter accused him of 'hovering.' He was in the middle of push-ups when Peggy/Elaine noticed him after her entrance. Peggy took her time nicely with the final reactions to the letter, and half the crowd continued the laughter and half went, 'Awwwwww' when she finally tore it up. It was a ball, and I am so grateful for such rich material with which to work."

No, my dear Ms. Locker--thank you. And thank you to Heartlande for choosing my play.

JUNE 23

THOSE NICE-LOOKING OBF PEOPLE: Because they were just so fabulous--and because I just got this about a week ago and finally remembered and I'm spending part of the morning updating the site anyway, here's a nice shot of the cast of Curtain Call's One Before Forty. From left to right: Dan Walsh as Doug; Margaret Kelly as Jolene; Gordon Ellis as Kevin; Rachel Fisher-Parkman as Date Girl; and Bryan McNeany as Nivek. Thank you all again--you were wonderful.

BREAK LEGS IN MICHIGAN: Tomorrow night, "Writer's Block" goes up as part of Heartlande Theatre's Play by Play Fest. My best wishes to the cast--break a leg, have fun--and many thanks to director Mary Locker, who said just wonderful things about the play.(I quoted her out on the front page--quick, go read!)

JUNE 17

BOB'S BACK: I'm always thrilled when someone does a production of "Bob's Date." Obviously any production of any of my plays thrills me, but there's something about the way directors take this show and put their stamp on it that really hits me. Lately, it's largely been put on by high schools, so I'm pleased to say that the Hovey Players in Waltham, MA, has included "Bob's" as part of its Summer Shorts festival at the end of July. Hovey is a very respected group, and it's an honor to be chosen.

JUNE 9

WHEW: Not that I believe that people come here often to get exciting news on my playwriting activities, but when I don't update for a while I feel guilty. I recently moved--only the third time in three years--and right now the computer with all my files on it is in a soon-to-be-an-office, and the version of Dreamweaver on my laptop doesn't want to let me FTP my files. That will all straighten out soon with any luck.

So, on the update forefront: First, my thanks and congrats to the cast and crew of Curtain Call's "One Before Forty" for their showing at the EMACT competition. Although they didn't come home with the prize for best production, they did nab Best Actor (Gordon Ellis), Best Supporting Actor (Dan Walsh) and Best Ensemble, along with nominations for Best Director (Stacey Shanahan), Best Actress (Margaret Kelly), Best Supporting Actress (Rachel Fisher-Parkman) and an additional nomination for Best Supporting Actor (Bryan McNeany). Do the math and you'll see that every cast member got recognition. And the crowd ate up Stacey's cutting of the show. (60 minutes to perform.) Lots of good comments from people at the fest.

The young thespos as Peabody Veteran's Memorial High revisited their "Bob's Date" glory recently, and did quite well. No word on how Reading High's version was received.

Got a no-thanks from NY Collective on "Brushstroke." Haven't submitted much lately, what with the move and all.

Right now I'm just kicking back, waiting for upcoming productions, and trying to figure out what idea is going to get finished next.

Maybe there wasn't so much to update after all!

Oh--Playscripts, Inc. said no thanks to the ever-so-palatable combination of "Owen & George" and "Waiting for the End of the World." But then, I didn't recall sending it to them in the first place, so....onward.

May 21

UNPREDICTABLE: This, I guess, is one of the things I enjoy about the playwriting experience: unpredictability. That is, the unpredictability of any given performance. I would never have guessed, for instance, that so much of "Brushstroke" would garner laughs. Between you and me, I didn't write it as a comedy. But the crowd at the Boston Theatre Marathon got quite a chuckle out of Vincent Siders and Jeff Gill's presentation. At the beginning, anway. When it got down to the real meat of the piece where Vincent, as Timothy Parsons, explains what has kept him from finishing his painting, they were quiet--caught up in it. And for sheer live theater joy, you can't beat the point in tonight's performance where Vincent angrily throws down the paintbrush...and it bounces off the stage and into the front row. A problem? Well, yes, because at the end of the play, he takes up his brush. Middle of the play, Vincent speaks the line,...the moment I pick up that brush..." And without breaking nary a stride, he looks out, breaks the fourth wall, and says to someone down front, "Can you pick that up for me?" And the theater-savvy crowd went wild. Great moment. Vincent also added an interesting physical moment to the end, a very nice choice that, while not in the script, delivered a great message.

So now that the BTM and TYG Productions have presented a cut-down-to-fit 10-minute version of the show, I look forward to July and Theatre@First's version. But major thank you's to Vincent and Jeff. It was a superb premiere, and I think the audience truly enjoyed the piece.

MAY 9

STROKIN': Learned today that "Brushstroke" has found its second venue.The good folks at Theatre@First in Somerville, MA, have included it as part of their 3rd Annual Night of One Acts in July.

MORE BOB: The cast of the Peabody Veteran's Memorial High version of "Bob's Date" is regrouping for a benefit show at the school on June 2. Some of the students are looking to get a small theater company going once they graduate, and this show is part of that plan. I'm happy to help. Their version remains one of my personal favorites.

MAY 8

NEW MONTH, NEW SHOWS, NO NEW WORK: And so we roll into May coasting on the momentum built up over the past few months. This past weekend I spent a few hours with Vincent Siders of TYG Productions and local actor Jeff Gill to discuss their premiere production of "Brushstroke" at the Boston Theatre Marathon on May 21. It's always interesting, if a bit daunting and worrisome, to listen to people give their "take" on your work. I very much like what Vincent and Jeff are doing with the characters of Timothy and Gavin, respectively, and their overall view of what the play is about makes me reasonably comfortable with the upcoming premiere. People always ask me if I'm nervous when a play goes up. Nervous, no. Never. Honestly. Apprehensive? Yeah. Let us remember (those who have read this journal a while) that one of my first encounters with someone else's interpretation of my work was the infamous Death in Blue Slacks. But listening to Vincent and Jeff toss ideas back and forth, I don't get that sense from this. The odd thing is fielding questions about the characters and their lines that, quite honestly, I'd never thought about. There's a point where Gavin asks Timothy if he'd like to talk about what's wrong. Timothy says, "Probably. And I probably should. But I don't know what I'd say." And when they asked me about that line, I realized it was what I call a holdover. It was a line that existed in a very early version where I really didn't know what Timothy's problem was going to be. I never seem to go back and smooth those spots over. Had them in Dinner for Several, had them in One Before Forty. It's because I write organically. (Doesn't that sound hoity-toity? I'm an ahhhhtist!) Without comparing myself to Albee, I would say that I understand wholly Albee's quote "I write plays to find out why I'm writing them." I just get going, and the play sort of follows along. And so I get holdovers.

Long paragraph. Let me break it here. I've found myself lately comparing playwriting and fiction writing. Contrasting, really. My point has been that once you finish a fiction piece and it gets published, that's it. That's the only way it will ever be seen. No one can read it "differently" or bring their own vision to your words. They're in stone. Plays don't have that luxury. I was just today reading about an upcoming version of Love's Labour Lost where a boy band is going to seek advice from a guru. (Beatles and the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, anyone?) What would Billy think? Even now, my wife's production of One Before Forty--which looks great, don't get me wrong (hi, honey!)--departs in certain ways from my own. And that's the nature of the beast. Theatre is fluid. But I guess that as long as I work to have a more solid input into the first appearance of a piece, I'll feel better about it. Which is what was so great about meeting with Vincent and Jeff. An appearance at the Marathon is a very good bit of exposure. It could literally be one of my biggest audiences yet, and I've only got 10 minutes. Might as well help to make it look as good as possible.

So a long, rambling post to start this month off. Between Death & You, One Before Forty, the birth of Thalia, "Brushstroke" and getting ready to move, I haven't had a chance to get to work on much new (well, except for "Elephant"). But you know, at the moment--and it will be brief, friends--I'm content to throw the gearshift in neutral and coast for just a little while on what I've already done this year.

Check with me in June. Maybe we'll have something to talk about.

GO GET 'EM, KIDS: Break-a-leg shoutout to the kids at Reading High School who'll be doing "Bob's Date" as part of an evening of one-acts this weekend, May 12. Enjoy!

ONE MORE BREAK 'EM: Equal well-wishes to the cast of Curtain Call's One Before Forty. The show opens May 12. Be there!

APRIL 28

OH WHAT A MONTH: Tomorrow officially closes out what has to be one of the finest months I can recall, and I'll end it by seeing Death & You on its final night. (A downside to the month: D&Y ought to have been the first of my shows to get any sort of substantiative review; however, slated reviewers found other things they needed to do. This, despite the show having merited mention in the Boston Globe "Sidekick." And so I remain the Amazing Unreviewable Man.) This evening, away in Jackson, Michigan, the drama students at Jackson Community College are presenting "Writer's Block" and "Waiting for the End of the World"--I'd forgotten to mention that one! Speaking of shows I forgot to mention, next month "Bob's Date" gets another high school production, this time in Reading, MA, and I get to wonder when they're going to lynch me for "letting" kids do this play. (This show also came up during this overly fine April, I believe.) So lift a glass and join me in toasting April '06--a month I'll remember for so many reasons for a long time to come.

APRIL 23

DARK: And so the official premiere of One Before Forty comes to a close. I was able to see it the last two nights. (Well, I saw it Friday night; last night I mostly listened to it while the wife watched and I tended to baby girl.) The audiences ate it up. Friday's audience was a bit quieter. Not to sound like a jerk, but I'd say it was an older crowd and some of the sex jokes just fell flat. Saturday's audience... well, apparently they were bigger pigs than the Friday folks. But the laughs were there and they were genuine and full and I received a lot of nice compliments on the show. My cast pleased me greatly, bringing strong life to each of their roles. To quote Kevin Gable, "I chose well." My thanks to the actors who endured a very rocky ride to production, to my stage manager Liana who held things together in my absence, and to my friend Mike Legge for creating a group that opens its doors to new work.

BIRTH: Just today, finished the first draft of a piece that's been sitting on my hard drive for...hmm... let's see...I know where I was when I started it, and I haven't been there for almost two years. Long time for something that's only six pages long, huh? (This is how I work, friends. Right now there are 15 plays of various potential lengths sitting on my hard drive in sundry stages of completion.) The new piece is called "Still Life with Elephant." Three actors--a man, a woman...and an elephant. Excerpt to come soon. Just need to tweak a bit. A bit of background: This play came up when my wife (then just my girlfriend) and I got back together after a brief breakup. There was something we needed to discuss if we were going to go forward, but we kept going around and around it. For weeks. You know that saying, "The white elephant in the living room"? There you go.

APRIL 21

ONE MORE MAYBE: E-mail arrived today from Theatre@First in Somerville, MA. "Brushstroke" has made the short list for their one-act festival later this spring. This was my first Binge submission this time around. I'm 2 for 5 with this one so far, with two submission still out.

SPEAKING OF THE BINGE: The spring Binge ended recently. I wasn't particularly good about sending out work but that's because a) I was a trifle preoccupied and b) so many fests are looking for unproduced work, which I'm out of. However, in the name of the Gods of Marketing, I did print up some flyers and sent those to about 10 theatres chosen from the AACT member book. I also re-worked said flyers to include my newest stuff and made a little note to attach to them advising folks to ask about Death & You. Those went all over, and I have a bunch more to send. Just have to get un-lazy.

APRIL 18

UPDATES ALL OVER THE PLACE: Been quite a week since I last updated the site. The Medway production of One Before Forty opened this past weekend to small but appreciative crowds. I wasn't there to see it as I was busy tending to my newborn daughter, Thalia, who made her debut the night I was supposed to run my final dress rehearsal. On the same eve as OBF, Death & You opened as well. I'm told the crowds were good and enjoyed the show. So I'm pleased. This weekend coming I'll get a chance to see my OBF, and I'll be at Death & You on closing night, the 29th. Then it gets eerily quiet on the theatre scene for me. After a month like this, I could use a break!

SPEAKING OF MEDWAY: We got ourselves some photos from a recent rehearsal right here!

MARATHON NEWS: Got word the other day that "Brushstroke" will be produced at the Boston Theatre Marathon by TYG Productions. The company is headed by Norton Award-winning actor and director Vincent Siders. I look forward to working with TYG on this premiere.

DEATH STUFF: AYTB has done a great job of promoting Death & You. On opening night, the show was featured on the front page of the Boston Globe's "Sidekick" supplement--a kind of funky "here's what you should do tonight if you're hip" thing. And the Weekly Dig--even hipper than hip--ran a great color promo photo and marked the listing with a "Dig This" recommendation. So thank you very much to Karen, Braden and crew for getting the word out so well! I'm told a review should be forthcoming after this week's shows, and I will post it here.

APRIL 6

DEATH LOOKS PRETTY GOOD RIGHT ABOUT NOW: How's that for a header designed to attract misguided hits? Your playwright friend is a pretty happy boy this evening. I had a chance to attend a work-through of AYTB's Death & You: A Beginner's Guide, and let me tell you, I liked what I saw. I'll be the first to admit that when you hand over a play to a director, it's a lot like handing an infant to a stranger. Sure, they have a nice car and lots of candy, but what are they really going to do with the kid when they're alone? (Again, here we're just yanking in those unwarranted hits. Welcome!) The scary-ish thing about theater is that when said stranger has the chance, odds are they're going to "make it their own." (Which brings to mind the great quote from guitarist Robert Fripp: "Whenever I hear a musician talk about self-expression, I know they're going to suck.") And it's one thing when they're taking a complete, single script on board and remaking it in their image; when you've got a project like this, with five different scripts that were never written with the intent of making a suite out of them and you're now trying to find or force cohesion on them, it's a whole different kind of scary--sort of hockey-mask-wearing-priest-with-a-chainsaw scary. But D & Y director Thomas Martin and his crew--actors Michael Avellar, Jenny Gutbezahl, and Greg Maraio--showed real understanding and respect for my work. (I hate how high falutin' that sounds. "My work." I apologize, but it is.) Tonight I watched those three have a ball with my words. They got it, they were getting into it, and I truly felt that every piece was in very good hands. This show opens on the 14th, and I expect it's going to be quite good. My thanks to Thomas, Mike, Jenny and Greg. Wonderful stuff. For ticket info, go to the AYTB Web site.

BREAK LEGS IN GENEVA: Working under the ill-conceived notion that folks involved in my shows actually wander in here to read, let me pass an early "break a leg" to the good folks at the Geneva Theatre Guild on their upcoming reading of "Bob's Date" this weekend. Enjoy!

HITTING FORTY: Things are rolling right along with my upcoming premiere of One Before Forty. I'll gladly publicly thank the cast here for the effort they're putting in. It's been fun to watch the characters develop. With just over a week to go, it's looking quite good. A reminder, in case you missed it out front, that this show runs April 14-15 and 21-22.

THE OTHER FORTY: Things are also going well over at Curtain Call Theatre, where they're gearing up for their May production of OBF. Gordon Ellis re-enters the Shanahan ring as Kevin Gable (his one other foray saw him as Pestilence in "Waiting for the End of the World"). The lovely Margaret Kelly steps in as Jolene. Rachel Fisher-Parkman, who's done her Shanahanian turn as an award-winning Emotion from "Bob's Date," takes on Date Girl. Brian McNeany smarms along nicely as Nivek. And Dan Walsh picks up the Doug Mantle. I look forward to seeing this one, too!

DID I HAPPEN TO MENTION?: I'm really enjoying 2006 so far.

March 15

MARATHON MAN: I have to tell you, I'm really starting to like 2006. Got word this morning that my short play "Brushtroke" will be part of the Boston Theater Marathon on May 21. This is a 10-hour day of nothing but 10-minute plays--50 of them, as a matter of fact. This now brings me to a place where every play that I've finished so far, from 10 minutes to 40 minutes to 2 hours, has been produced somewhere. That's an amazing feeling, and a genuine blessing. And I will take this time to publicly thank the Creator for this gift and for the wonderful and supportive community it's made me part of. I continue to dedicate my work to the spirit of Art, and hope that it adds to the soul of the world. And now I need to start working on new stuff! (Or get my ass in gear on the many partial scripts littering my hard drive.)

March 11

MAYBE MEANS YES: In an endeavor so rife with "no thank you" as playwriting, I'd say it's fair to take the phrase "I would like to hang on to [them] for future consideration" as a conditional yes. That's the response I got today from Streetlight Productions in Forest Hills, NY, on "Grievance" and this year's favorite son, "Worst Possible Time for Writer's Block." These both went out as part of the September Binge. In fact, it may have been my second such submission. I hope they'll see the light of production soon.

March 5

GETTING BUSY: Gearing up for a very busy April, both in actual activity and in exposure. I have finalized my One Before Forty cast by virtue of having to move the dates back by a week. This let me bring in Steve LeBlanc as Doug. So we're all set. This show actually came very close to not happening at all, so I'm very pleased to be able to write to the contrary. So I'm in the midst of rehearsals for that, and auditions for the Curtain Call version come up in two weeks. (I'm going to sit in the first night just to observe, not to assist. I'm a whore, I admit it--I love hearing other people read my stuff.) I've been invited to go out to Geneva, NY (370 miles from here, mind you) for the staged reading of "Bob's Date" and to do an audience Q&A, which I love. That's the first weekend in April, however. I'm not sure I can afford to stray so far from home right then. AYTB has cast the three roles they were looking to fill for "Death & You: A Beginner's Guide," and I was quite to pleased to learn that my friend Ronnie White, whom I worked with on Boys Next Door last summer, is one of the two men in the show. I'm hoping I can make one of the three weekends of that show (April 14-30). The exposure rolls forward into late spring, with "Writer's Block" up in Michigan and CCT's OBF (so many acronyms!) in May and then on to the EMACT Festival in June. It's been a very good first quarter.

3...2...1....BINGE!: Patrick Gabridge, honcho of the Playwrightbinge Yahoo group, has announced that the next binge starts on the 15th. That's 30 play submissions in 30 days. I'm going to do a partial binge, I think, and focus more on getting publicity out to theatres rather than trying to squeeze my way into fests and competitions. I figure I can do one of two things: approach a theatre with one short play at a time, or with one sheet of paper covering both full-lengths and all six short plays. Give 'em choices! On top of that, more and more fests are looking for unproduced work--and without sounding like I'm patting myself on the back, I only have one finished piece that's unproduced, and that one's under consideration in two different places right now. (This does not mean, let me state for the record, that I am saying, "Look at me! Everything I've written has been produced! Ta-daaa!" Rather, I'm saying--mostly to myself--"I really need to turn out some new work, preferably full length.") We'll see how it goes.

February 24

THE BOB IS BACK: It's been awhile since "Bob's Date" hit the stage anywhere, so I'm pleased to say that the Geneva Theatre Guild in Geneva, NY, has chosen it as part of their Playwrights Playreading series in April. The Guild got 99 entries. Each was scored 0-10 by four judges. And "Bob's" brought home the highest score. I spoke with the head of the Guild; he said that at one point they had a 70-year-old man reading the part of Libido. Now there's one I hadn't thought of!

MOVING RIGHT ALONG...: I would love to be able to say that the rush of hits I saw to this web site after audition notices for One Before Forty landed translated into an amazing turnout. This, to be terribly and unashamedly honest, was not the case. If I had to pick a single word to sum it up, that word would be "disheartening." What is not disheartening, however, is the end result. I've cast four out of the five roles and I'll be working again with some of my favorite local actors. I have the pleasure of working for the first time with Anthony Huntington III, who accepted the daunting task of bringing Kevin Gable to the stage. Ed Benjamin III adds another Shanahan play to his resume, coming in as Nivek the alter-ego. (This also marks the first time I've worked a show with two "III"s in it.) Karen Gibson also ups the Shanahan count as Date Girl. (Ed and Karen were the original Pestilence and War in "Waiting for the End of the World.") And the lovely Diane Colburn brings just the right bit of natural Jolene-ness to Jolene. I'm very pleased with my cast, and expect to be even more pleased once I find someone to play Kevin's best friend, Doug. Now the work starts...

MARK THOSE CALENDARS: Let's pretend you're an actor who saw one of those OBF audition notices and you wanted to try out, but then you looked at a map and saw where Medway is. (Me, I have no issue with it because I know what a ball working with the Medway Players is!) So you're not up for the drive. But if Braintree's more within your reach, you'll want to make it to the Curtain Call Theatre's OBF auditions March 13 and 14.

February 15

HAVE A HEART(LANDE): Well, "The Worst Possible Time for Writer's Block" continues to prove itself. To its acceptances by Acme, Ritalin and AYTB, I can now add Heartlande Theatre Company, out somewhere near Detroit, which has accepted it as part of their Play By Play '06 fest in June. This is the second of my playwrightbinge submissions from last fall to get the nod. ("Owen & George," which I also sent them, didn't make it through.) Yeah, it's going to be a good year.

February 12

ONE LAST THING AT LAST: It's always good to be able to say that something new is done. ("Done," in playwriting parlance, means "I won't tweak it much more until I see it in production, and then I'm going to hack the script to pieces while crying.") Seriously, though, I just found the last segment of the new kid, "One Last Thing," and got it 100% done. Going a trifle more vague than I'd maybe originally planned turned out to be the way to go about it. I must thank my very lovely and patient wife for enduring my thinking out loud, which these days usually involves me droning away on my didgeridoo, and for giving me her always valuable two pennies' worth on my writing. A couple of her very valid points cleared the way for completion.

PREPARE TO DIE: Notice for actors--auditions for Death & You are happening in Boston on February 20 and 21. AYTB is looking to cast two men and one woman. Auds are by appointment only: e-mail auditions@aytb.org or call 781-245-4659. Break a leg! For more info, click here.

February 7

DEATH, ANYONE?: So here's the news, finally. Tonight I got together with the good folks at AYTB Theatre Company to discuss and finalize the details of what will be Death & You: A Beginner's Guide. This will be an evening of five of my short death-themed plays: "The Worst Possible Time for Writer's Block," "Grievance," "Owen & George Play Chess," "Waiting for the End of the World," and the new kid, "One Last Thing." I've also written a pair of short monologues that tie into the theme. Thomas Martin, who helmed the production of "Writer's Block" at January's Ritalin Readings, will take the reins on this one. The show will go up April 14-30 at the Devanaughn Theatre in Boston. I'm very excited to be working with AYTB again, and also to be seen at the Devanaughn. It's a great little space that's rapidly gaining notice as a place to see quality new theater in Boston. More news as we go along.

February 4

NEW PREVIEW: Freud said we are all driven by two urges: eros and thanantos--sex and death. And I apparently can't write about much else. Not a bad thing, right? (Humor me!) So in the spirit of thanatos, I've added an excerpt from my lastest short work, "One Last Thing." This is a piece that was sitting around on the hard drive with its many unfinished cousins, until a recent offer came to light. That drove me to look at the stuff I had sitting midstream and see if any of them would fit with what was being considered. Lo and behold, there was OLT, and once I blew the dust off, I charged right into it. Then I went through a few days of the usual writerly angst, tweaking and being unsure and tweaking again, and now...here it is. Truth be told, it's not 100% finished yet. Like 98.25%. But soon--and anyway, we all know Johnny doesn't post whole scripts online. Please take the very brief time required to read it, and feel free to comment. And I promise to someday get back to writing full-length scripts.

February 1

LET US GET BUSY, SHALL WE?: Confession time! Starting to get a little edgy--in a good way, mind you--about One Before Forty auditions. Two weeks from tonight. I don't usually direct. Organization's not my strong suit. But by the same token, no one knows my work like me. Other directors have done great work in the past. But this one I want for my own. I look forward to see who comes out for it--old friends, new faces. I'm very pleased to say that the audition notices shot my web site hits from 53 to over 500 in under two weeks, and I've gotten several requests for scripts. I've chosen the scenes for the auditioners, I've made some final adjustments to the script...two weeks from tonight it all gets underway. Hoo!

REMINDER: If you're interested in the role of Kevin (and you've wandered in to this page, talk about optimism), be sure to have a monologue prepared (and not one from OBF!). No one gets to read for Kevin without a monologue!

NEWS CREEPS CLOSER: Next week I promise I'll have more to say about another upcoming project that I'm very excited about. Honest. Like Wednesday. Check back then.

OH, SPEAKING OF NEWS: Because it's been posted to the Jodom Pictures web site, I can talk about this one--I've been cast as nasty lawyer Jack Shanks in Jodom's next flick, "Going to Great Lengths." This script is drop-dead funny, and I'll get to work again with the very talented Dan Gorgone, Anthony VIlla, Mark Scalia, and Rachel Self--not to mention the Master of Indie Mayhem himself, Mr. Mike Amato. If you haven't been to the Jodom site yet, go. Mike's scripts are getting a lot of well-warranted attention. A talented guy who always springs for way too much pizza, bless his heart. This will be my third Jodom picture, and I'm pleased like crazy to be welcomed back into the fold. Shooting hopefully will begin this summer!

January 25

AND NO ONE EVER GIVES ME A MILLION DOLLARS, EITHER: In my last entry, I griped (that's the appropriate word) about being able to see the lack of traffic to my site. At the time, the counter read 53 hits for all of January. So I complained. Lo and behold, don't I log on the next day and the counter is suddenly reading 207. That's good enough news. Better news is when I found out that the audition notice for my premiere of One Before Forty had gone out--so I'd say it's safe and wonderful to assume that the jump in hits was directly related to the line in the audition notice that says you can get an excerpt here. Tomorrow the notice is supposed to post to netheater411.com, so we'll see where the numbers go from there. (For the record, I checked earlier, and it's at 216.)

NEWNESS: Inspiration's a beautiful thing. Based on the as-yet-undisclosed news mentioned below, I dusted off a long-stalled short piece called "One Last Thing" and powered it to damn-near-completion last night. Thematically in more ways than one it's a cousin to "Writer's Block"--which is to say, it's about death and features another of those apparently all-knowing otherworldly entities. (Hey, Neil Simon went a long way writing about Jewish kids in the Bronx. This is my version.) I will post an excerpt soon. And with luck, you can see it soon. Maybe like April or so. But I really do need to get back to writing full-length plays again...

BY THE WAY: If you do stop in, humor me. Take a moment to click the e-mail link under the menu and say howdy. Make a comment on a play or just say "Found your site." I'm curious.

January 21

NEWS, COMING SOON: I've come to realize that the downside of putting a hit counter on your web site is that it shatters any and all illusions of scores of traffic coming to view your brilliance. Even so, I'll post this in the spirit of wild optimism and for the few die-hards who roll in here now and then to find out what's going on.

I'm not going to go into full specifics here because things aren't entirely finalized, but it appears I'll have an even busier April than I'd previously thought. And I may actually finally get a review.

Just an aside here: With one exception--that being the Texas version of "Bob's Date," none of my productions has ever gotten a real review. There was a review of sorts of my first "Bob's Date," but the paper gave the reporter about 10 lines to work with, so it never got past saying good things about the actors. Medway never seems to get reviewed, and everything else has been readings and fests.

But anyway, April. Something in the works. Watch this space. And this summer, a possible new indie movie gig. Very good role, very funny script, much happiness.

January 14

AND THE ENDING WORKS, TOO: I won't lie to you. I drove out to the Acme Theater New Works Winter Fest obsessed with the though that, damn it all, they had better do the ending of "Writer's Block" right. Didn't care as much who was in it, didn't care so much how the bulk of it went over--no, I cared about the ending. (New here? Read the entry from Jan. 8 first, then.) The good news is, the ending works. The lovely and talented Gail Bishop Nessman took her time with the bad poem. She read it. She reacted to it. She pondered. She made a face. And then she gingerly folded it--here, my heart skipped a beat or two--and deposited it rather gently...in the trash. Great laughs from the audience. The ending works. Amen! Overall, a good production. Ed Phaneuf, who was excellent last spring as Death in "Waiting for the End of the World," brought a good world-weariness to Peter. Gail's Elaine was very strong. And David Fisher, replete with black robes, brought a very intersting simple, honest goofiness to his Minion. Dave's a great facial actor, and he really made it work. My thanks again to director JulieAnn Govang for willingly re-entering Shanahanian play territory, and also to the whole Acme crew for choosing my work and putting on a great night of theater.

MORE OF THE OTHER STUFF: Philana Gnatowski's "Cold Feet" is an absolutely gorgeous, funny and honest piece for two actresses. It won the "Charlie Award" last night for favorite show as chosen by the audience. This is a piece that actresses could just tear into and devour. Everything about it is good. Have I praised it enough yet? And Gwydion Suilebhan's "Red Stuff" is delightfully lowbrow comedy. There's a stretch of about two minutes where one actor is on stage with no lines, all physical work, and Tom Berry as Buggy rode the silence and sold every moment. I wish I could tell you more, but the entry would get long--but let me just say...the moment when Buggy smells his fingers.....comedy gold. Great work from Suilebhan, who clearly understands that the stuff you imply is funnier by far than the stuff you come out and say.

January 8

YES, MOSTLY: Just back from the Ritalin readings, and I have to say: "Writer's Block" works. Thomas Martin and his crew turned in a very good script-in-hand version of the show. Spencer Christie was a fine Peter, slippers, boxer shorts and all; Janelle Mills was a solidly supportive Elaine; and the standout, as it should be with this show, was Josh Pritchard as Minion. Martin and Co. added some nice touches, especially to Minion--had him playing a video game to pass the time, eating Ring Dings, and clearly very at home in Peter's apartment. And the choice to have him whistling "Girl from Ipanema" as the show opens was very good. (My personal choice, though unwritten in the script for copyright reasons, is to have Minion whistling "Don't Worry, Be Happy.") Pritchard hit Minion's smart-ass lines with great timing. And the audience was eating the play up--lots of laughs, good solid pops. They were having fun. But now that I've said all the good things about it, I have to note on downside: the ending. The ending simply missed. It's hard to explain without having read the entire play, but quickly: Peter wants to write a poem before he dies. He does, but it stinks. Elaine is left alone on stage to read it. Her face should show--clearly--how bad it is. She should look the way he exited, make sure he's really gone, go back to reading it, make it clear that despite Pete's last wishes, no one should ever have to read this thing. She crumples it up and tosses it in the wastebasket. Literally, it should take as long as is just took you to read that, and it's all silent, facial comedy. Mills--again, who was very good for the whole piece--sped through the reaction too quikcly for my liking, relying mostly on a hand-to-the-mouth thing to send the message, then folded the poem and left it on the desk. This may seem very minor, but think about it--the difference between folding a piece of paper and wadding it up is actually pretty big, as is the difference between leaving it on a desk and throwing it away. I don't think I'm being a prima dona about this. I spoke to a playwright acquaintance who was there, and she said she didn't really get the ending. I told her Elaine was supposed to crumple it, and she just nodded and went, "Ohhhh..." Another person noted that folding the poem was "equivocal." I buy that.

All in all, though, I am genuinely pleased with "Block"s debut. The laughs were delicious, and they just kept coming. So despite my issues with the ending--and, as I've said in the past, it's something that I could have helped on if I'd been able to involve myself (the offer was there; I just couldn't fit it into the schedule). I have to be better about that with premieres in the future. Anyhoo, one more very big thank you to Thomas, Spencer, Janelle, and Josh for bringing this one to life.

OTHER GOOD STUFF: If you ever get the chance to see--or, if you're an actor, to do--George Sauer's "Horticultural Therapy," do, do, DO. I laughed myself silly over this fast-paced, intelligent comedy. It really was the other highlight of the show for me. Christopher Lockheardt's "What Happens in Vegas" is a strong piece that actors Marak and Jenn Soucy brought alive. (Very taken with Mark's physical and facial work.) And "Sarah and Samuel" by Lyralen Kaye is a solidly written and very touching short play. All in all, a good night of new theater.

January 7

OPENING NIGHTS: This evening, my first salvo of '06 launches. "The Worst Possible Time for Writer's Block" makes its two-pronged debut tonight. Thomas Martin directs it as part of the Ritalin Readings at Theatre Cooperative in Somerville, and JulieAnn Govang brings her version to the Acme Theater New Works Winter Festival in Maynard. I'll be in Somerville tonight, and I'm looking forward to it. There's an interesting bit of viewpoint for me: at Ritalin, the show opens the bill; at Acme, it closes. Makes a boy wonder in which slot it plays better, or if it doesn't really matter. To be seen. And if anyone involved in either production happens to stumble across the site today by pure coincidence, break a leg, and have fun.

LET THE GAME RE-BEGIN!: To appease the Gods of Marketing and as a mumbled prayer to the Deities of Helping Me Get to That Point Where I Don't Have to Actually Work for a Living, I have popped out the first submission of 2006: "brushstroke" has been sent to the Dragonfly Festival at the Devanaughn Theater in Boston. So here we go again.

AUDITION REMINDER: It's still a ways off, but better to get it in front of whoever comes here early: auditions for the premiere of my next full-length comedy, One Before Forty, are going on February 15 and 16 at the Medway Public Library. Mark the calendar, read the excerpt, come out for a part in the show. I'm directing.

January 1, 2006

BRAVE NEW LAYOUT: Welcome to the 2006 version of the web site, for better or worse. As I said in earlier posts (see "Archives"), I decided it was time to put the emphasis on the plays and not the playwright. They're fascinating; I'm just amusing to watch after a couple glasses of sauvignon blanc. On the off chance that someone Googles me or jumps to my web site from the link at the bottom of my e-mail, I'd rather have the first impression be, "Look, he's got produced plays" as opposed to, "Look, he enjoys talking about himself." Blogs abound; n'est ce pas un blog. It's a site about my plays. So it's not flashy. There are photos of the plays, there are script excerpts, there' s the tracker--which, I'm told, some people quite enjoy, don't ask me why--and there's this journal for posting news about productions, new work, etc. Oh, and links. So poke around, feel free to comment, and if you're here from a theater company, order yourself a perusal copy of a script or three. They're in PDF format, and I don't charge for them.

Welcome to Me, version 2006.