Reading of "Apple Season" at PlayFest Santa Barbara Event

Director (and PlayFest co-artistic director) Jeffrey Meek,
between our two "Apple Season" actors, Rebecca Staab and John Walcutt.

A big thank you to co-artistic director Michael Gross for including a reading of my play "Apple Season" in his kick-off event for PlayFest Santa Barbara.  This brand new festival is going to be an exciting celebration of new work, and I was delighted to be involved!  I wish I could have been there myself.

"Apple Season" is set in my home state of Oregon.  It's a ten-minute play that I'm now working to turn into a full-length two-hander.

Rebecca Staab and John Walcutt in "Apple Season" by EM Lewis,
at the PlayFest Santa Barbara Kick-Off Party.

"Apple Season" by EM Lewis.

"Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday" - some nice reviews!

My play "Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday" has just opened in its world premiere at HotCity Theater in St. Louis.  I'm very proud of the play and the production.

Reviews are always tough, especially with new work, but we've received some lovely press.  Here are a few of the responses:

"Four words: Go see this play!  'Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday' is the best play I have seen in a long time..." -Laura Hamlett, Playback: STL

"This is a comedy, and a good one...  a remarkable cast..."  -Andrea Braun, Village Voice

"...a funny and touching slice of life...  Director Bill Whitaker does nice work here, bringing this new play to life and gently guiding this exceptional cast.  The laughs and the tears are honest...  HotCity Theatre's production of 'Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday' is entertaining and moving theatre, and it continues through September 22, 2012 at the Kranzberg."  -Chris Gibson, Broadway World

"...the look and tenor of a domestic comedy layered on top of the emotional mysteries and unspoken threats of a Harold Pinter drama...  -Judith Newmark, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"...an examination of one woman's desperation filtered through the prism of her life as it is, the way it was, and the hope... of finding what's missing...  a comedy, and a good one... remarkable cast..."  -Chuck Lavazzi, KDHX

Eric White as Ray and Nicole Angeli as Lynn in "Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday"
by EM Lewis at HotCity Theater in St. Louis, MO.

The Wonderful Cast and Crew of "Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday"

Lynn Hallaby -- Nicole Angeli 
Kelly Hallaby - Charlie Barron 
Margie Hallaby -- Peggy Billo*
Hudson Hallaby -- Joe Hanrahan
Gary White - Rusty Gunther
Ray Arendt -- Eric White 

Director: Bill Whitaker
Stage Manager: MJ Probst
ASM: Erica Rogers
Set: Sean Savoie
Lights: Michael Sullivan
Costumes: Jane Sullivan
Props:Meg Brinkley
Sound: Zoe Sullivan

"Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday" premieres at HotCity!

I spent a wonderful weekend out in St. Louis, helping my director Bill Whitaker, my fantastic cast, and all the nice folks at HotCity Theater celebrate opening weekend of the world premiere of my play "Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday."

"Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday" is about a young woman named Lynn who decides to leave her whole life behind, to become a commercial fisher in Alaska -- and about her family, who decides that they'll do absolutely anything to keep her from leaving.  It was a finalist for HotCity's Greenhouse Festival last year, and the company selected it for full production.

The Hallaby family -- Margie and Lynn and Kelly and Hudson.

Lynn and Margie.

Lynn and Kelly.

Hair brush and duct tape.

"I hate Alaska."

"Don't leave."

"You want to fish?  We'll fish!"

Ray and Lynn.

The play is just receiving its debut... but it was actually the first real play I ever wrote.  Before "Infinite Black Suitcase," and "Heads," and "Song of Extinction."  Like those plays, it's personal.  (Is it possible to write a full-length play without including a slice or two of your soul?)  Watching it play out on the stage was like stepping back into a turning point in my own life.  It's not a true story or anything.  But... I might have entertained notions of flight at one point myself.  And Alaska is a beautiful place for people who are running away from everything to imagine themselves going.

"Going.  I'm going.  I love you.  But I'm going."

In the end, my character went one way; I went another.  I stayed; she goes.  It's hard to watch the play without wondering if everything might not have turned out differently if...

But I don't get to step back in time and change things.  Just peek in the window, remember, laugh a little, cry a little, and appreciate the talented people -- actors, designers, director, producers, stage manager -- who have worked so hard to bring this play to life.

The whole family.  Lynn and Ray, Gary and Kelly, Hudson and Margie.

Endings and beginnings.

"Lend Me a Mentor" heads to the Catskills

Last month, one of my most-produced ten-minute plays, "Lend Me a Mentor," was produced at the Open Eye Theater up in the Catskills as part of their "Summer Shortcuts" program.  The play is about a young writer who stalks her favorite curmudgeonly old novelist at a book signing, and tries to talk him into being her mentor.  It's been done in Los Angeles, featuring the delightful duo of America Young and Tom Boyle, directed by Julie Briggs.  It's been done in San Diego, and in China, and in a handful of other places.  Glad to add upstate New York to the list!

"Lend Me a Mentor" by EM Lewis at the Open Eye Theater.  Directed by Melissa Day.  Featuring Barbara Morrow and Mark Gunst.  Performances were August 9-19 at the Open Eye Theater, 960 Main Street, Margaretville, NY.

"Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday" - World Premiere at HotCity Theater in St. Louis!

Tonight was opening night of the world premiere of my play "Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday" at HotCity Theater in St. Louis.  My director, Bill Whitaker, did a beautiful job -- shepherding this little play of mine up onto it's very first stage, listening to the play, listening to me, figuring out how to make it all happen.  The cast is fantastic!  And all of this has been after a wonderful experience workshopping and developing the play in HotCity's Greenhouse Festival in the fall, where I had the chance to work with director Annamaria Pilleggi and dramaturg Liz Engleman.

A big thank you to artistic director Marty Stanberry, and everybody at HotCity, for producing my play. This little play means a lot to me, and I'm so glad to be here with you to see it come to life.  Congratulations on a beautiful opening night!

**Click here to read our first review!

More pictures from If I Did This at Flux in NYC

The beautiful choir balcony theater at Judson Memorial Chuch, where Flux Theater Ensemble produced a staged reading of my new play "If I Did This."  Here, the saints in the windows are overseeing tech, as director Pete Boisvert talks with the actors playing Miriam Lawrence and Hal Walker.  Photo by Alisha Spielmann.

I had a great time with Flux Theater Ensemble last week, working with them on a staged reading of my new play "If I Did This" at their Food:Soul event.  A potluck dinner, followed by a reading of a new play, followed by cake.  What could be better than that?

The evening was well-documented by two fantastic Flux photographers.  In a previous post, there were pictures by Ken Glickfeld that really told the story of the play.  I love this new batch by Alisha Spielmann, too!  They are very stylized -- which kind of matches the noirish feeling of the play.  They also make the beautiful location pop -- we were in the choir balcony at Judson Memorial Church, cradle of the off-off-Broadway theater movement.  Her photos capture the beautiful church windows and organ pipes, as well as the drama below.  Check them out here!

Detective Hayden Quinn. 

Editor Brett Martin and mystery writer Hal Walker discuss how his new ghostwriting job is going.

Hal Walker drinks a little.

Some pictures from (and news about) "If I Did This"

Donnie Lawrence lays down the law for ghostwriter Hal Walker.  Photo by Ken Glickfeld.

The reading of "If I Did This" at Judson Church, produced by Flux Theater Ensemble, went very well! What a warm and friendly thing they've created in their "Food:Soul" series -- a potluck, followed by a reading of a new play.  I haven't known the Flux folks for very long, but I felt welcomed into their theater family on Friday night.

For artistic director August Schulenberg's write-up of the evening's festivities, go here.

A thank you to Ken Glickfeld for the lovely pictures!  And a big thank you to my director and cast.  We had four rehearsals over two weeks, in which I was able to work with them closely, write new scenes and edit existing ones, and see what this new play is made of.  I'm so happy to be a playwright!  The work is such great fun.

Some happy news arrived in the mail today, regarding the play -- it is a semi-finalist for this year's Princess Grace Award!  And that was before the new edits...

Editor Brett Martin worries about her wayward writer.  Photo by Ken Glickfeld.

Detective Hayden Quinn has a few questions for Hal Walker.  Photo by Ken Glickfeld.

Hal and Miriam try to figure out what really happened.  Photo by Ken Glickfeld.

Hayden interrogates Donnie.  Photo by Ken Glickfeld.

Donnie comforts his daughter, Miriam.  Photo by Ken Glickfeld.

  Time shifts.  Photo by Ken Glickfeld.