I wasn’t going to write about my fourth viewing of “Octopus” at the Phoenix Theatre, but then “Debby” (I know her full name but she does not review frequently so I am not sure she wants her full name to be public) wrote about her first viewing of it on Indiana Auditions, and I couldn’t help writing back, especially since I have the day off from my day job today. Below are both of our posts to the full thread on IA:
Yes! Remember how I said a few days ago that I had some other playwright news that I was waiting to confirm before I shared it with you?
I have been too busy even to make a phone call, but today I happened to receive confirmation of one those bits via a press release that I received from Jason Loewith, Executive Director of the National New Play Network c/o Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company.
Steven Yockey, author of “Octopus,” which is currently having its Midwestern premiere here in Indianapolis at the Phoenix Theatre, has been selected for one of three Emerging Playwright Residencies sponsored by the National New Play Network. Steve’s residency will take place at the Marin Theatre Company in Mill Valley, California.
Congratulations both to Steve and to the Marin Theatre Company! Yay, Mill Valley, too!
Jason’s press release also informed me that our own Phoenix Theatre has received an award from the National New Play Network’s Continued Life of New Plays Fund to participate in a three-way rolling world premiere of a new play called “Sunlight,” by Sharr White.
Congratulations, Phoenix! Yay, Indianapolis, too! I don’t know anything about “Sunlight” yet, but I don’t really need to know anything about it in order to look forward to it. When Phoenix Artistic Director Bryan Fonseca and his team select a play, I know it is worth seeing.
Below is the full press release with all kinds of exciting National New Play Network news. As you know, here at Indy Theatre Habit we love reading the whole thing. Speaking of the Phoenix, I am heading there now to see “Octopus” for the fourth time. This Wednesday night performance is a Cheap Seats Night. There will be no performance this Saturday, July 4, 2009.
Yay! Today Gabe Gloden, Managing Director for The Bloomington Playwrights Project, emailed me (amarylliswriter at gmail dot com) a press release with info about their upcoming season. I love it when theatres do this! So far, BPP is the only theatre in Indiana to do so this year. Thanks very much, Gabe and BPP! You can be sure I will be road-tripping south for as many of your shows as I can from now on.
Even if I weren’t trying to reward behavior that makes me feel taken seriously as a theatre reviews blogger, I would be planning trips to Bloomington based on the shows themselves. Doesn’t this line-up look interesting:
If you have been reading my blog from the beginning you know that I love to interview theatre artists when I can. I am especially interested in playwrights because a) I think of myself as a writer, too, and excellence in other writers of all kinds inspires me, and b) the unique, multi-faceted magic of most theatre art begins with the playwrights.
Conducting and writing up interviews is very time-consuming, especially on top of reviewing, so I don’t get to do it as often as I would like. I feel privileged to have had detailed, one-on-one conversations with playwrights Jacob Appel, T. J. Dawe, Scott Haan, Emily Schwartz, James Still, and Steven Yockey. I also feel privileged to have had the opportunity to chat very informally with Deborah Zoe Laufer after seeing multiple world premiere performances of “End Days,” and to sit in on part of Lou Harry’s development process for “Midwestern Hemisphere.”
Whenever I hear of further success for any of “my” playwrights, I want to congratulate them publicly. I mean, why have a blog if you can’t use it to say, “Hurray!” and “Yay, you!” and “Oh, that is so great!”?
I actually have three bits of joyful playwright news but two are unconfirmed gossip at this stage, so I’ll have to get back to you on those. However, one is in the form of an official press release. As you know, I love reading press releases “straight up” so I share them with you that way, too. I was delighted to read this one about the Indiana Repertory Theatre’s playwright-in-residence, James Still:
My goodness, there is a lot going on this next weekend! “Annie” is still running at Beef and Boards, for example, and “Octopus” continues at the Phoenix…but before I tell you about the new stuff that caught my eye in my email box this week, let me invite you to take a virtual tour of my friends’ beautiful house. Here is the link:
http://tours.tourfactory.com/tours/tour.asp?t=517638&home=agent-41556.pages.tourfactory.com
What does this have to do with live theatre in the Indianapolis area, you ask?
Last Friday night I went to ComedySportz in downtown Indianapolis to see the “FaceTweet Finale” show by Three Dollar Bill Comedy Company. This was a “best of” show. 3$B has been performing their original sketch comedy pieces based on current events during the late night slot at ComedySportz every Friday for six months now.
I have been several times. 3$B’s odd, often dark and wacky sense of humor appeals to me, even when it makes me groan instead of laugh. I also admire the company’s commitment to developing at least one new story per week.
So this morning I ran into my friend and theatre buddy, David. I said, “I’m going to see ‘Octopus’ at the Phoenix Theatre tonight. I won’t have media passes because I already saw it once, but would you like to go Dutch with me? Tickets on Thursday nights are $15.”
Last Thursday night I met my friend, Chris, and his partner, Doug (who is also becoming my friend, I hope!) at the Phoenix Theatre in downtown Indianapolis to see the opening night performance of the Midwest premiere of “Octopus,” by Steven Yockey. Bryan Fonseca directed it, assisted by Brandon Gelvin.
It is an intense show, full of satisfying surprises both in terms of the story and the staging of it. After a lot of post-show discussion, Doug pronounced it “poignant.” Chris pronounced it “genius.” I loved it, too, but for maybe different reasons than they did.
I heard that playwright Steven Yockey (www.redkingdreaming.com) was in Indianapolis for the opening of his new play, “Octopus,” at the Phoenix Theatre. On a whim, I asked if I could interview him on the day before the show opened. He said yes!
So then I scrambled to read more about his work and to prepare questions beyond “Where do you get your ideas?” It was interesting to read about his career on the Internet, so when we met at Henry’s on East coffee shop Wednesday afternoon, I had several questions.
He graciously answered all of them, even the ones that were really just for me rather than for my blog readers. Steve listens like a playwright, or at least the way I imagine all good playwrights listen: intently, compassionately, and with no nonsense but a lot of humor.
Our conversation was a great blessing to me.
Guess what? I heard today from a little bird who heard from a little bird who heard from a little bird who is related to a certain young actor that he has been cast to play the “givee” in the Indiana Repertory Theatre’s production of “The Giver” next season.
I don’t think I have seen this actor in a show before, and I am not sure, exactly, how to spell his name (does “Garrett” have two “t”s, for example? and does “McKenna” have two “n”’s?), so I am not going to baldly name names here. However, my source says that this young actor is very dedicated and his talent very promising, so I am even more excited, now, about seeing Lois Lowry’s thought-provoking novel for young people brought to life on the stage.
Speaking of young people’s novels, I would like one of those necklaces that Hermione had in the 5th (or was it 6th?) Harry Potter book. If I could be multiple places at once this coming weekend, I would, in addition to taking care of a lot of personal stuff and seeing the Encore shows that I need to see, attend the following:
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