One-Acts by EM Lewis at high schools in Lansing, MI

Congratulations to Everett and Sexton High Schools in Lansing, Michigan, where director Jim Allen produced nine of my short plays with his student actors.

• The Incident Report
• Partners
• Drop-Off Day
• Apple Season
• $2,500 OBO
• The Edge of Ross Island
• Sing Me That Leonard Cohen Song Again
• Lend Me a Mentor
• Leonard's Voice

Hope you had fun with the plays!

"The Incident Report" in Jersey Voices

This summer is turning into the busiest time ever!  Up next is the five-character version of "The Incident Report" in Jersey Voices at Chatham Community Players.  I've been actively pursuing opportunities here in my new state of New Jersey, and am delighted to have had this short play picked up at an annual event that showcases Garden State playwrights.

Why the five-character version?  Well... an accident of the submitting process, actually!  "The Incident Report" is about an aviation safety investigator who is trying to determine what went wrong on a flight where things went very, very wrong -- and who's responsible.  It has gone through a variety of iterations, some that moved through time in various ways, some that had three characters and some that had five.  Ultimately, the version that was produced in an evening of my short plays at Moving Arts in Los Angeles, and subsequently made the finals of the Samuel French Off-Off-Broadway Short Play Festival in New York City, was the linear three character version.  When I submitted the play to Jersey Voices, though, through the magic of e-mail submission, I accidentally attached a different draft.

I gave the theater the other version when I realized my mistake, but they really liked the five character version, which brings the action that happened on the plane right up on stage in three bloody dimensions.  And I have to say, I"m excited!  How often do we have the chance to see different versions of the same play fully produced, to see what works best in each?  I'm looking forward to attending.  If you're in New Jersey, I hope you'll check it out!  More information and ticketing are available through the Chatham Community Players website.

"The Incident Report" is directed by Chris Messineo of New Providence, and features Brian Carroll, Jeff Maschi, Chip Prestera, Jim Clancy, and Jessica Phelan.

2010: The Year in Review -- Stuff I Did

This has been a very different year.  Big things have happened.  (Publications.  Productions.  A fellowship.  A big move!)  Risks have been taken.  Fun has been had.  All in all, I feel like I can confidently say that the day has been seized!

I always feel like I need to be doing more.  But I'd like to take a moment, now, to celebrate what I did accomplish in 2010 -- and to thank everyone who helped to make this such a wonderful year.  

Me and everything I own, in the back of a U-Haul Truck.

Changes in 2010

Quit day job at USC in the spring, where I had worked for nine years as a "Documentation Specialist" -- doing user support, teaching training classes and writing documentation for their Student Information System.  I miss all my friends there!

Gave myself a summer vacation, and spent that time back on the farm, in Oregon.  Nice to spend some time with my family!  And in close proximity to Dad's vegetable garden...

Moved across the country, into the cutest little cottage in Princeton, New Jersey in the fall -- accepting a year-long writing fellowship at Princeton University.

The cottage.

Accomplishments in 2010

Song of Extinction, by EM Lewis - published by Dramatics Magazine.

Winter

Began the year with a two-week long writing residency at Soapstone in Nehalem, Oregon.  What a beautiful place!  Set deep in the woods, overlooking a river.  A writing aerie, where I could work on my new play, "Magellanica: A New and Accurate Map of the World." 

Completed one last round of Lee Wochner's "Words That Speak" playwriting workshop, where I began a new full-length play called "Magellanica."  (Lee has been a wonderful mentor, teacher and friend to me.  Thank you, Lee!)  This was my workhorse of a workshop for... so many years that I'm having trouble calculating.  I met a bunch of my very favorite playwrights there.  You know who you are.

Took two day-long playwriting workshops from Los Angeles playwright Aaron Henne.  Great stuff!  I got a good bit done on a rather elliptical new full-length called "The Year I Don't Remember."

Attended an early meeting of the new organization LAFPI -- the Los Angeles Female Playwrights Initiative.  Check it out!

Publications!  A scene from "Heads" was published in Smith & Kraus' "Best Men's Monologues and Scenes 2009" anthology.  My short play "The Edge of Ross Island" was published in the literary magazine "Eleven Eleven."  And best of all, "Song of Extinction" was published in Dramatics Magazine, and then by Samuel French.   Yay!

Song of Extinction, by EM Lewis - published by Samuel French.

Spring

Had a reading of my ten-minute play "The Manuscript" in "Shorts & Briefs" -- a festival of short plays produced by the Los Angeles Women's Theater Project.

Directed a reading of Part I of my play Magellanica in the Dramatists Guild's "Friday Night Footlights," and then again at [Inside] the Ford, as part of the Words That Speak workshop readings.  Had an outstanding cast!  It is so amazing to hear something out loud for the first time.

Got my first passport.  Just in case I get the chance to go someplace wonderful and far away.

Had a reading of "Song of Extinction" at TimeLine Theater in Chicago.

Had a production of "Song of Extinction" at Ion Theater in San Diego, California.

Song of Extinction at Ion Theater in San Diego, CA.

Matthew Alexander and Robin Christ in Song of Extinction. 

Celebrated my fellowship (and said goodbye) with parties at my work (USC) and my theater company (Moving Arts).  I appreciate all the love and support so much!

Was talked about in a lovely article by my mentor, teacher and friend Lee Wochner.  Thank you, Lee!  You are the best.

Summer

Spent the summer back in Oregon, on the farm.

The farm.

Hiking in Oregon.  On top of the world, on Table Rock.

Had a production of "Song of Extinction" in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland, produced by Rio Hondo College.

Wrote (and was paid for) an hour-long screenplay for a publishing company, creating a new story based on the work of one of their non-fiction writers.  It was an interesting challenge!

Was interviewed by Theresa May, University of Oregon theater professor and director of the Earth Matters on Stage Conference and Theater Festival.  ("Song of Extinction" was the winning play in the festival in 2008.)

Was interviewed by Theresa Dudeck, University of Oregon doctoral student and director of the workshop production of "Song of Extinction" in the Earth Matters on Stage Conference in 2008.

Me and Stephanie kayaking in Friday Harbor!

Took a trip up to Washington state and visited playwright pals Babs Lindsay (Seattle) and Stephanie Walker (San Juan Islands).  So much fun!

Actors Michael Shutt, Peter James Smith and Stephanie Erb, director Darin Anthony, and me -- having lots of fun with "The Incident Report" at the Samuel French Off-Off-Broadway Short Play Festival

Produced "The Incident Report" in the Samuel French Off-Off-Broadway Short Play Festival.  We made the finals!  I was very proud of our intrepid Los Angeles crew:  director Darin Anthony, and actors Peter James Smith, Michael Shutt and Stephanie Erb.

Fall

My new mascot -- the Princeton Tiger!

Began 2010-2011 Hodder Fellowship in Playwriting at Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey.

Did a reading with the other two Hodder Fellows -- Cynthia Cruz and ZZ Packer -- at Princeton University.  Actor Mark Nelson was kind enough to read with me, and we did two monologues (one from "Song of Extinction" and one from "Magellanica") and a scene from "Heads."

Had a reading of a scene from "Heads" in a fundraiser for friend Monica Bauer's upcoming production of "Balls:  The Testosterone Plays."

Sat in on a History of Science Seminar at Princeton University.

ANPF board president Fred Wright and me.

Acted as Host Playwright for the 2010 Ashland New Plays Festival in Ashland, Oregon -- welcoming the four winning playwrights, introducing the plays, conducting talk-backs and teaching a playwriting workshop.  It was a fabulous week!

Joined the Ashland New Plays Festival Advisory Board.

Had a reading of a new 10-minute play called "Apple Season" at Theatricum Botanicum in Topanga Canyon, California.  The theater asked a number of playwrights who had been lucky enough to have plays developed in their "Botanicum Seedlings" development program to write new short plays on the theme of "backyard fruit" that they could read on their lovely outdoor stage.

Participated in "Drunken Careening Writers" by reading short play "Seven Bottles of Heineken After the Silverado" with Aaron Simms.  Thanks for asking me to come out and play, Kathleen Warnock!

Joined a new playwriting workshop!

Had a reading of "Song of Extinction" at Briccolage Theater in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, followed by my first "Skyped" talk-back.  Technology, for the win!

Was asked to write an adaptation for Halcyon Theater's annual festival of plays by women playwrights in 2011, and began work on the project.  Keep an eye out for "Strong Voice" in Chicago this summer!

_________________________________

I'm very thankful for all the opportunities that have come my way this year -- and am looking forward to lots of work, fun and theater-going in 2011!

Coming soon! Ellen and/or her plays in NYC, Edinburgh, Princeton...

What's up next?  Adventures, here and abroad...

July 17, 2010 -- "The Incident Report" in the Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival 

If you're in New York City this summer, I hope you'll check out "The Incident Report" at the Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival. I'm pleased to be working with director Darin Anthony (who also directed my play "Heads" at the Blank Theater and "Leonard's Voice" in Moving Arts' Car Plays) and some of my favorite actors -- Michael Shutt, Peter James Smith and Stephanie Erb. We're taking our Los Angeles production to the Big Apple, and looking forward to it!

Six nights, forty plays, 180 years of publishing. Be a part of history! Come see new and exciting work from some of the freshest playwrights in the country! From over 880 initial submissions, 40 plays were selected to perform in the festival, from which six will be chosen for representation and published in a collection by Samuel French, Inc. Join us for some exciting summer nights of ground breaking theatre!

The Incident Report
Written by EM Lewis

Directed by Darin Anthony


Featuring: Stephanie Erb, Michael Shutt and Peter James Smith

In a small interview room, in a large airport, Aviation Safety Investigator Connor attempts to find out what went wrong on Flight 238.

Performance and Ticket Information:
35th Annual Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival
Presented by Samuel French, Inc.
Performance Dates: July 13, 2010 - July 18, 2010
"The Incident Report" performs on Saturday Afternoon during the first session, at 3:00 pm.

The Lion @ Theatre Row
410 West 42nd Street
(between 9th & 10th Avenues)
New York, NY 10036

For tickets call (212) 279-4200 or visit www.ticketcentral.com. Ticket Prices: $18.00. 

August 2010 -- "Song of Extinction" goes to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 

Bill Korf, of the California Repertory Company at Rio Hondo College, will be producing the U.K.  Premiere of “Song of Extinction” at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this summer.  Directed by Heidi Helen Davis and featuring award-winning actor Darrell Kunitomi as biology teacher Khim Phan.  Presented at “Venue 13.” Preview August 6th, performances August 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 13, all at 7:30 p.m. 


CAST: 

 Lily                  Debra DeLiso
 Ellery               Dan Smith
 Max                 Daniel Meneses
 Gil                   Richard Hoffman
 Joshua             Sebastian Velmont
 Khim               Darrell Kunitomi

 Khim's mother    Alex Deliso Smith
 Khim's father      Troy Whiteley
 Khim's sister       Amanda Gomez

Venue 13

Lochend Close,
Canongate

Edinburgh, EH8 8BL

Box office: 07074 201313

Phone: 07050 161320

Website: www.venue13.com

September 2010 - May 2011 -- Hodder Fellowship at Princeton University

I am delighted to have been chosen as one of three Hodder Fellows at Princeton University for the 2010-2011 school year. In September, I'll join fiction writer ZZ Packer and poet Cynthia Cruz as each of us spends a year working on independent projects. I'll be attempting to complete a draft of my new full-length play "Magellanica: A New and Accurate Map of the World."

The Hodder Fellowship was created for artists in the early stages of their careers. In keeping with the bequest of Mary MacKall Gwinn Hodder, it is awarded to individuals during that crucial period when they have demonstrated exceptional promise but have not yet received widespread recognition. Typically, Hodder Fellows are poets, playwrights, novelists, creative nonfiction writers and translators who have published one highly acclaimed book and are undertaking significant new work that might not be possible without the “studious leisure” afforded by this fellowship. Hodder Fellows spend an academic year at Princeton pursuing independent projects.

FLIGHT opens Wednesday night...

On Wednesday, October 14th, FLIGHT opens -- an evening of six of my short plays, directed and acted by a bunch of my favorite directors and actors. We've been having a lot of fun putting this together, led by top-notch producer Kim Glann. I hope Los Angeles folks can come check it out!

• Leonard's Voice, directed by Darin Anthony
• This Isn't About Love, directed by Michael Shutt
• Sing Me That Leonard Cohen Song Again, directed by Emilie Beck
• Reveille, directed by Julie Briggs
• The Incident Report (a world premiere), directed by Lee Wochner
• Six Bottles of Heineken After the Silverado, directed by Melissa Thomas/Julie Briggs

Putting together an evening of short plays by a single playwright is an interesting business. One hopes that there will be enough different styles and types of story and sorts of characters to make it a fun night for the audience... It's odd to see what crops up more than once -- love and violence, guilt and responsibility, fear and desire...

Info and tickets can be found at www.movingarts.org. Three nights only!! Come on out and see what we're up to.