00053 CHOIR BOY
The first time I heard about Tarrell Alvin McCraney was for his play WIG OUT!, which I saw at the Royal Court Theatre in London. The show was an unforgettable theatrical experience so, naturally, when I was in NYC and …
Tag: #playwriting
00052-MEXODUS
A few days ago I attended the production of MEXODUS, a new hip-hop play by Brian Quijada. This new production took place at Berkeley Rep in Berkeley, CA. I was excited to see this production for two reasons, three really. …
00051: THE LEHMAN TRILOGY
Let me start this entry by saying that I have seen this show more times that I ever planned to see it. The first time I saw it was when it first opened at the National Theatre of London back …
00050: THE KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
Back in November 2023, my new play “CURSED: The House of Atreus” was produced at Contra Costa College under my direction. Yes, that is the institution I worked at. The play was entered to the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, Region …
00050: THE KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS Read more »
00049: MJ MUSICAL
I must start by saying I do not like jukebox musicals very much. I have many reasons why I don’t like them, but mainly because they seem to be created with little originality, following a simple, uncomplicated, and very predictable …
00047: UNWANTED AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
For several months now, actually more than a year, many of my fellow theatre artists, theatre colleagues and I have been discussing the, now very popular issue of the unwanted audience participation incidents. I’m sure you know what I’m talking …
00045: CURSED, THE HOUSE OF ATREUS
I did it! I finally was able to write a play based on Greek mythology: CURSED: The House of Atreus. It took me two years to write this play. One year to simmer the idea and write a first draft and one …
00044: ALICIA FROM THE REAL IN WONDERLAND
A while ago, during a work meeting, the dean mentioned that perhaps we needed to produce a play that would cater to young people. “Sure!” Everyone said with enthusiasm as they looked at me for a more concrete answer. “I …
00042: WE’RE BAAAAACK!
That’s right! After a six-month absence, the director and I are reuniting to make sure the production of INTRODUCING MODERNA SUSPIROS: A Fable Based on True Event… We Think takes place. Yes, it has been a long way coming and lots of …
00041: INJURIES!!!
Wear heels they said! You will look good in heels they said! It’s easy they said! And yes, it is fun to wear heels, but if you are a person who isn’t used to wearing heels and suddenly you have …
00039: FIRST WEEK OF REHEARSALS
Normally, rehearsals for a play take between four to six weeks, sometimes longer depending on the complexity of the production and the company’s budget. A one-person show usually rehearses for a minimum of four weeks. However, due to the busy schedules …
00038: REVISITING THE ONE-PERSON SHOW!
Before spending my sabbatical days in Italy learning about Commedia dell’arte, I was already working on a one-person show, also as part of my sabbatical. I spent six months writing a script and having dramaturgical meetings with a theatre director. …
00037: A COMMEDIA DELL’ARTE COURSE
One of the main objectives of my sabbatical research, is the creation of a new theatre course on Commedia dell’arte. Using the many resources I was able to find, the information I was able to collect, and the different theatre …
00033: ARRIVEDERCI ITALIA!
Welp, my trip to Italy has ended. I had the best of times; I have the worse of times. And regardless of the experiences, I am in fact, very thankful for the opportunity to spend so much time in a …
00026: ARLECCHINO A BERGAMO
While the City of Bergamo doesn’t show the same “enthusiasm” for Arlecchino as Napoli shows for Pulcinella, Bergamo still recognizes Arlecchino as part of their culture and their art. Within half a block from Bergamo Centrale train station, a statute …
00025: BERGAMO, LA CITTÀ DIVISO IN DUE
The city of Bergamo, in the region of Lombardy Italy, is located about 25 miles north of Milano and about 18 miles south of Switzerland. I mention its location because no other city is further north in Italy than Bergamo. …
00024: IL CAPITANO MATAMOROS
One of the most entertaining commedia dell’arte characters who is also less known to most people is Il Capitano (The Captain.) Like Pulcinella, Il Capitano was born in Naples, although Napoletani don’t pay homage to him the way they do …
00023: IL MUSEO DI PULCINELLA
Pulcinella has always been associated with Naples. And as I mentioned in my previous post, this commedia dell’arte character is a symbol of the city and it’s embedded in the cultural fabric of the Napoletani. It is logical then, that …
00017: IL TRIONFO DI ARLECCHINO
The commedia dell’arte festival during the Carnevale, was an international event that also included two different countries: France and Rumania. Because I arrived during the second week of the festival, I missed the theatre presentation from Rumania, which only participated …
00015: COMMEDIA INCOMPIUTA
COMMEDIA INCOMPIUTA translates to “Unfinished Comedy.” The title is a reference to the philosophy that a play isn’t complete until an audience sees it. And I, being a playwright myself, identify with such philosophy; I had written many plays that …
0004: THE STAGED READING
Because this was a staged reading, no set was needed. The director, however, decided that the image of the show should be present as a visual. He also added two music stands and a box that served as a “table” …
0003: THE PLAY DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
I’ve arrived in Wooster, OH as planned. In the next two days, I will be giving a workshop on “solo performance” and preparing for the staged reading. The artistic director of Teatro Travieso is also a full-time faculty at The …
0001: THE SABBATICAL EXPERIENCE
I am creating this blog series as a means to document my sabbatical work, which is divided into two parts: 1: A trip to Italy in relation to Commedia dell’arte and its characters and 2: the writing of a new …