Pictures from Heads in Chicago

Heads in the Alcyone Festival 2009, produced by Halcyon Theater, in Chicago, IL.

In "Heads," a British embassy worker, an American engineer, a newscaster and a photojournalist are taken hostage in Iraq. What they find out about each other and about themselves is the focus of the play, which was first produced in Los Angeles, CA at the Blank Theater (Best of 2007 -- LA Times), in Chicago, IL and this fall in Denver, CO.

Harold Wolfe takes off the tape. Caroline Conway figures out she's in the shit.

Photojournalist Jack Velazquez meets journalist Michael Apres,
from the Hartford evening news, who does not yet have dust
on his combat boots..

He likes Bob Dylan songs, she is a little bit in love with Elton John.

"What did they ask you? You have to tell me!"

"Are you cold?"

That didn't go so well.

"I want you to hold me tonight."

"I'm going to do something, Michael."

Endings.

HELP is gone.

Begin again?

**Photos by Adam Dodds.

Chicago!

I was in Chicago over the 4th of July weekend to see Halcyon Theater's production of "Heads" in the Alcyone Festival 2009. It was a lovely visit. I'd never been to Chicago before, so it was great to check out the city -- from ferris wheel rides and Garrett's "Chicago mix" popcorn on Navy Pier to crazy (crazy!) illegal fireworks in the park to the Art Institute of Chicago. I needed more days to explore!

Attending the festival was great fun. I met Artistic Director Tony Adams and his wife, my director, Jess Hutchinson, and my actors. The festival was held over six weeks, in a theater in the basement of a church. Not only did I get to see my play, but also "Fucking Parasites," by Swedish playwright Ninna Tersman. I loved it! A wonderful two-hander about two teenagers in limbo in an immigrant detention center. Great to meet all the passionate folks involved with making this festival happen -- productions of six plays on the subject of terrorism, all written by women. Thanks so much for including my little play in the mix, Tony!

"Leonard's Voice" in the Car Plays at Moving Arts

My short play "Leonard's Voice" premiered at Moving Arts "The Car Plays" 2009 event this last weekend. What a great event! Twenty plays in twenty cars -- each performed fifteen times during the course of the evening, to an audience of two people at a time.

This unique site specific theater event was originally created by Paul Nicholai Stein, Moving Arts' former artistic director. It was performed this year at Woodbury University, up in Burbank -- a great location, quiet and spacious, just off I-5. I'm hoping it's going to be a yearly signature event for our company. It's just too much fun not to do it again! Plus I can't stop writing them...


Gearing up! Julie Briggs -- Moving Arts co-founder, actress and LA Stage Alliance staff person -- kindly loaned us her wonderful Oldsmobile to be featured in "Leonard's Voice." Other cars this year included a dilapidated rock band's old black van, a crash test dummy car, a clown car and a car that was "under water." The cars were carefully arranged in rows of five. Audience members bought a ticket for one row -- which was five plays, or approximately an hour's worth of theater.

My director, Darin Anthony, talks to our actors on Wednesday night's dress rehearsal. From left to right: director Darin Anthony, Michael Lorre (Leonard), Helen Slayton Hughes (Leonard's mother) and Stephanie Erb (Leonard's voice). Not pictured, but a wonderful help to this production was our sound designer, Dave Mickey. He rigged up a sound system so the audience could hear the voices in Leonard's head (played by Stephanie Erb, who was talking back and forth with him from a hidden car nearby).



Leonard's head hurts. His mother is con- cerned...








"Have to is have to, Leonard."







My wonderful actors! Michael Lorre, Stephanie Erb and Helen Slayton Hughes.

The Young Playwrights Festival

I feel lucky to have been asked again this year to be a mentor for the Blank Theater Company's Young Playwrights Festival. On Friday night, I schlepped over to the Stella Adler Theater in Hollywood to meet my playwright, Gabe Neustadt, and see the show. Despite the whole area being surreal (located one block over from Michael Jackson's star on the day after he died -- a madhouse!), I was so glad to be there!

Gabe is a 19-year old playwright from Florida who just graduated from high school, and is on his way to Harvard. A smart young man! And a good writer. His play is called "Who Is Morrie Rothline?" -- and it's an intriguing exploration of both madness and guilt. One of my favorite actors, Jeremy Gabriel, was in it. I worked with him in the original workshop production of "Infinite Black Suitcase" at Moving Arts, and in the Blank's production of "Heads." He's outstanding! So was Tom Lenk, who played the more than moderately unhinged titular character...

A great night of theater, and a great cause. Check it out next year! Support young playwrights!


Playwright Gabriel Neustadt (Who Is Morrie Rothline?) with actors Tom Lenk and Jeremy Gabriel at the Young Playwrights Festival 2009!

Heads in Chicago -- Pictures from the Alcyone Festival 2009

Pictures from the Chicago production of Heads -- in the Alcyone Festival 2009, produced by Halcyon Theater. This is Arch Harmon as Harold Wolfe and Kerry Cahill as Caroline Conway.








This is Patrick King as Michael Apres and Miguel Nunez as Jack Velazquez.

The Car Plays ZOOM into Los Angeles this weekend...

This is where I'm going to be this weekend. Hope to see you there, Los Angelenos! My play is called "Leonard's Voice." It's directed by Darin Anthony, and features Michael Lorre, Helen Slayton Hughes and Stephanie Erb.

If you don't know about The Car Plays... well, where have you been? (Just kidding!) The Car Plays are the most intimate of site specific theater -- short plays that are performed in cars, for an audience of two people at a time. You buy a ticket for one hour's worth of plays -- five all together -- and move from car to car to experience each one. There are multiple rows of cars, all with plays happening inside them. All the plays were written specifically for this event. It's pretty darn cool!

FROM THE PRESS RELEASE: The Car Plays, originally conceived by Paul Nicolai Stein, is a unique, theatrical event that puts both actors and audience INSIDE actual vehicles.

In Los Angeles, we constantly break up in cars, make up in cars, live, die and laugh in cars. Moving Arts explores these moments through a series of original ten-minute plays written by their Resident Artists and other local playwrights.

"This is the best thing that’s happened to cars since the invention of the wheel!” –Review Plays

MOVING ARTS PRESENTS THE CAR PLAYS 2009
Originally Conceived by Paul Nicolai Stein,
Event Producer Matt Scarpino
Artistic Producer Terence Anthony

THE CAR PLAYS is a unique, theatrical event where audiences see five 10-minute plays in five different cars. Choose between four different simultaneous series of plays (Ventura Blvd., Hollywood Blvd., Figueroa Ave., and Ocean Ave.) that run nightly at 7pm, 8pm, & 9pm. Tickets can be purchased for Individual Performances (One Hour, One Series) or Multiple Performance (Three Hours, Three Different Series.)

DATES: Friday, June 26th and Saturday, June 27th
TICKETS: $20
LOCATION: Woodbury University in Burbank, CA

Tickets can be purchased by phone at: 1-866-811-4111 or online: www.movingarts.org.

Thank you and see you at THE CAR PLAYS 2009!

DIRECTIONS TO WOODBURY UNIVERSITY: Coming from the North on the Golden State Freeway (5): Exit Hollywood Way north to Glenoaks and turn right. If you're coming from the South on the Golden State Freeway (5): Exit Buena Vista Street north to Glenoaks and turn left.

Hong Kong's Zhang Yimou remakes Coen brothers' "Blood Simple"

Zhang Yimou starts shooting Coen brothers remake

By MIN LEE

HONG KONG (AP) — "Zhang Yimou has started shooting a remake of the Coen brothers' debut "Blood Simple," the Chinese director's first film since designing the opening and closing ceremonies of last year's Beijing Olympics, a publicist said Tuesday.

Filming on the Chinese-language film "San Qiang Pai An Jing Qi" — which roughly translates as "The Stunning Case of the Three Gun Shots" — kicked off on June 9, Ping Xue, a publicist at Zhang's Beijing New Picture Film Co., told The Associated Press in a phone interview from Beijing."

I will definitely be seeing this one on the big screen. Check out the full story here. (Didn't know I liked Hong Kong flicks? What can I say. I'm eclectic...)