Went over to Pittsburgh on Sunday to see Peter Roth’s play Ganglia. This is the second time that I’ve been over to Bricolage, the first was for Midnight Radio several years back, which is a really cool experience. Each time I’ve been to Bricolage I’ve been impressed by the quality of the productions they have, as well as the quality of the lobby experience. That’s right. The lobby experience. Each production I’ve been to has interactive “exhibits” in the lobby that engage the audience. This most recent was possibly the most fun I’ve ever had filling out a demographic survey: moving around interacting with various displays.
Peter received a very good reading of his play, which is a quasi-B movie scifi send up of brain-invading parasites, love, and relationships. It is, at base, an examination of human relationships (sexual, friendships), their failings, their triumphs, uncertainties seen through an attempt by aliens to understand and, to some extent, suppress them. Peter is a good playwright, though, and the consideration of these subjects is surprising, funny, and never simplistic or passe. Each character is unique, has a strong voice and purpose, and the play continues to leave me thinking about them.
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Went and saw Grace and convergence on Friday night. It was a very emotional and thought provoking stab at religion, faith, and science, and I thought, successful. Especially scene five, which for convergence was the first scene after the intermission. In the scene Sam (John Busser) attempts to get rid of Sara (Laurel Hoffman) because Sam is falling for her. The attempt ends up doing quite the opposite, however, it is only after an discussion of faith and belief led by Sara. The discussion was very moving and honest. The play is somewhat ironic in that the other main character in the play Steve (Doug Kusak) is a born-again Jesus freak who at the end of the play loses all faith and commits a murder suicide, whilst the faithless Nasa IT person (Sam) ends up finding faith and a reason to embrace life.
I’ve also seen a number of other plays: The Hyacinth Macaw at convergence, which I felt was truly fantastic. Mac Wellman takes flights in language and thought that are comprehensible on a level that exceeds thought and almost touches intuition. I saw God of Carnage at Dobama, which was a funny play. Saw Peter Roth’s thesis in Pittsburgh, and a whole host of things I’m sure that I’m forgetting.
I am now squarely focused on creating. I have written two plays and one screen play since October 2011. I have another play that is about to get underway, which I hope to finish by October 1. I am busily sending out my plays to see if I can get them staged. As well, I am hitting Linoleum cuts again pretty hard and hope to pump out a children’s book for both of my kids by December. I’ve got a children’s book that I wrote a decade ago which I will start editing soon.
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Went over to Pittsburgh on Sunday to see Peter Roth’s play Ganglia. This is the second time that I’ve been over to Bricolage, the first was for Midnight Radio several years back, which is a really cool experience. Each time I’ve been to Bricolage I’ve been impressed by the quality of the productions they have, as well as the quality of the lobby experience. That’s right. The lobby experience. Each production I’ve been to has interactive “exhibits” in the lobby that engage the audience. This most recent was possibly the most fun I’ve ever had filling out a demographic survey: moving around interacting with various displays.
