Beyond any technological advances, the thing that Theatre might excel at in the future is doing the thing machines (computers, smartphones, A.I., the internet) cannot… asking better questions.
Plus, a brief update on the Summer of Four Plays project.
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Over the summer of 2022, between mid-May and Mid-September, I am attempting an ambitious challenge. I plan to create four distinct theatre projects completely from scratch. Due to the nature of my lifestyle (full time dad, other projects, travel, etc.) and practicality of the time available to me, this challenge is well outside my comfort zone. Updates to come on whether I succeed or not.
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I recently got a chance to see the 2021 movie Cyrano, a new cinematic adaptation of Edmond Rostand’s 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac. The movie features Peter Dinklage in the title role. It is directed by Joe Wright (Atonement, Pride and Prejudice, Hanna, etc.) and adapted by Dinklage’s wife Erika Schmidt (from her stage adaptation).
As a Cyrano super-fan, I try to see as many stage productions and movie versions as I can. well, I have some thoughts, both positive and negative about this latest musical treatment of the great play.
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Just a few thoughts on how I receive criticism, especially from professional reviewers and critics.
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Sir Antony Sher passed on December 2, 2021. I had the immense pleasure of seeing him perform the title role in an RSC production of Cyrano de Bergerac back in 1998. This little episode is a remembrance and celebration of Sher. The stage has lost a true titan.
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Just wanted to share this little concept I stumbled upon the other day… Pillow Message. Coined by literary agent Adam Chromy, a pillow message is a short, pithy statement one might broadcast on a t-shirt, a bumper sticker or have embroidered on a throw pillow. It tends to be a microscopic glimpse of a person’s life philosophy.
I thought it might be a neat tool for a playwright to draw upon when creating a character. Additionally, it could help shine a light on how a character’s perspective might tie in to a theme in the play.
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Listening to an episode of the Freakonomics podcast the other day, I was introduced to the concept of Goal Conflict. I have some thoughts on it.
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I have been thinking about the systems (or lack of systems) of productivity that I have used in the past. I am also considering where I am now and the process I currently use to produce creative projects. I can probably do better…
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For info on Paul Stein and to see when he has his next workshop visit: https://www.paulstein.net/
About to get my second vaccination and recent events have me thinking about how fragile our own sense of control is as well as how having some sense of control over what we can, gives us a bit of happiness. Or at least it does for me.
I sit down with Special Guest Jeff Hernandez to talk about the 2013 Coen Brothers’ film Inside Llewyn Davis. In particular how the titular character represents how the Coens see the role of the artist in society.
We discuss the cat as well as the implicit contrast between success and selling out. This is part 2 of a two-part conversation.
THE CULTIVATED PLAYWRIGHT 