Looking at a blank page

Favorite of November

2012-01-16T13:06:00.000-08:00

When Barbara Spadaro was 40-years-old, she took an art class on a whim. She instantly knew the second half of her life would be devoted to painting. Philadelphia City Paper, Nov 3, 2011

Alice by Barbara Spadaro

Link to article

Favorite of October

2012-01-06T11:34:00.000-08:00

Ryan Gildersleeve, of the University of Texas at Arlington, points out that educating undocumented children does not affect local tax bases. METRO(national), Oct 23

Fantastic work! (from other people)

2011-09-16T11:02:00.000-07:00

This week fellow freelancer, Ada Kulesza, created this terrific piece for the Philadelphia Weekly on the terror of Pennsylvania's new fracking industry.

Favorite of the week

2011-09-13T10:31:00.000-07:00

The kids at Found Theater Company are -- like so many of us -- filled with anxiety over doomsday scenarios. But unlike most of us, they have something powerfully cathartic to share on that subject. [click image for larger] PHILADELPHIA METRO, SEP 7

Favorite of the week

2011-08-19T09:09:00.000-07:00

During the Bush presidency, Dr. Will Kaufman began lecturing on Woody Guthrie to restore his own sanity. [click image for larger] Philadelphia Metro, August 19

Favorite of the week

2011-08-12T11:46:00.000-07:00

While his band perished in the flames of reality TV faux conflict, Kuf Knotz came out of the experience with renewed vigor and a dedication to the local scene. [click for larger] Philadelphia Metro, August 12

Favorite of the week

2011-07-16T15:36:00.000-07:00

Cassavetes in Kensington:
After developing a West Coast-tested muscular, independent theater, John Rosenberg is prodding the conservatism of the Philly scene. PHILADELPHIA CITY PAPER, July 14

Photo provided by Hella Fresh Theatre

Link to article

Favorite of the week

2011-06-28T12:02:00.000-07:00

Brian Dwyer originally moved to Philadelphia to direct a documentary film on the Wing Bowl. But now, oddly, he wants to create Philly's best pizza parlor ever -- Pizza Brain! [click image for larger] PHILADELPHIA METRO, June 24

Favorite of the week

2011-06-24T14:31:00.000-07:00

J. Adam Russell was a cop in Pittsburgh, but he always wanted to be a writer. He had to move -- first to LA then to Philadelphia -- to make that happen. [click image for larger] PHILADELPHIA METRO, June 17

Favorite of the week

2011-06-10T09:44:00.000-07:00

While working in an art gallery during the day, Morgan Pinkstone listens to Joni Mitchell, Dolly Parton, Whiskytown and Wilco. By night she shares her own melodic musings with Philadelphia. [click image for larger] PHILADELPHIA METRO, June 10 2011

Ad comment: I can't decide what feels more shister-y: four exclamation points in a row or one little asterisk.

Favorite of the week

2011-06-04T12:04:00.000-07:00

When Katie Morrison answered a Craigslist ad seeking a guitar player, she had no idea that she would one day become a prolific songwriter. [click image for larger] PHILADELPHIA METRO, June 5

Ad comment: "Put the good dentures in tonight, Bessy! We're goin' to the Tritone for PBR and punk!"

Favorite of the week

2011-05-25T12:22:00.000-07:00

How many veterans are suffering with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder? At least 1 in 5, according to a 2008 Rand Corporation study. My guess is that's a conservative estimate -- no pun intended. NEW YORK METRO, May 23 [click image for larger]

Favorite of the week

2011-05-13T12:20:00.000-07:00

Philly's insane prank-rockers, the Armchairs, are playing their very last show this weekend. Will their fans ever believe it, or will conspiracy theorists take the day? PHILADELPHIA METRO, May 13

The Armchairs performing at Johnny Brenda's in Philadelphia. They each have no left pant leg for some reason. PHOTO BY NICK HATSIS

Pre-edit draft

Excerpts from the Paula Vogel workshop

2011-05-06T10:48:00.000-07:00

What a privilege to participate in this event. It is a little unnerving, perhaps, to have a 20-minute exercise published, but I'm honored to be included in a volume with Genne Murphy, Jaqueline Goldfinger, James Ijames, Ed Shockley, Michael Hollinger and Blanka Zizka.

I pasted one of my selections bellow. It spans over two pages. [CLICK IMAGES FOR LARGER]

Favorite of the week

2011-05-03T10:25:00.000-07:00

After 37 years, Harry Philibosian wanted out of the dry cleaning business. It's a good thing he had acting to fall back on. [Click image for larger] PHILADELPHIA METRO, April 29

Correction: Philibosian is 73-years-old. Not 76. Many, many apologies Harry!

Ad comment - Next week: Be Mylie Cyrus' Metro biaaaatch!

Favorite of the week

2011-04-28T14:46:00.000-07:00

When US Funk Team called it quits, Jason Trzaska thought his days as a catchy indie tune-maker were over. But then he discovered canned Casio drumbeats, and things really took off. [Click image for larger] PHILADELPHIA METRO, April 22

Ad comment: Classy, finally! Mia Farrow and Samuel L. Jackson. Huge Cow Pals fans.

Favorite of the week

2011-04-19T12:30:00.000-07:00

Scene from Curio Theatre Co.'s "The Odyssey." Photo by Kyle Cassidy.

The fledgling Curio Theatre Company was given a nearly rent-free space back in 2005. The only catch? It's a 114-year-old church, complete with non-removable 50-ft stained glass windows and a literal bat in the belfry. PHILADELPHIA CITY PAPER, April 14

Link to article

Favorite of the week

2011-04-11T12:04:00.000-07:00

Seth Rozin has been fascinated by Le Petomane -- the most famous flatuist of all time (yes, you read that correctly) -- ever since he read a book about him in college. 25 years later, Rozin's bio-musical on Petomane finally reaches the stage. [Click image for larger] PHILADELPHIA METRO, April 6.

Wow. There is no way they could fit more ads on this page.

Oh shit! They showed me. I totally forgot about the one inch above the page.

Favorite of the week

2011-03-31T15:07:00.000-07:00

photo by Michael Persico.

When Brian McManus moved to Philadelphia from Houston, he had no idea he could make a career out of drinking, listening to music and eating really good food. PHILADELPHIA METRO, running next week

Pre-edit draft

Favorite of the week

2011-03-25T15:59:00.000-07:00

Last year Meghann Williams read an article in the New York Times about the one-on-one theater trend in Europe and New York. In order to bring it to Philly, she took matters into her own hands. [Click image for larger] PHILADELPHIA METRO, March 25, 2011

Ad comment: the $ in$tead of S is alway$ a cla$$ic. $hit! Just remembered, I still gotta do my taxe$!

Favorite of the week

2011-03-21T11:17:00.000-07:00

Gerre Garrett calls The Waitstaff her "habit." She teaches acting and comedy at Drexel University in order to spend so much time developing the sketch comedy sextet. [Click image for larger] PHILADELPHIA METRO, March 14

Ad comment: Yes, I do want to lose weight. No, I don't care who the bachelor chooses.

Favorite of the week

2011-03-10T13:25:00.000-08:00

Photo provided by Canary Promotion.

Dave Johnson finds most interpretations of Puck to be a "giggling annoyance." Now the young actor finally gets to show us his take in Lantern Theater Co.'s Midsummer Night's Dream. He told me all about it in an empty rehearsal space, and later I watched him go to work on a crucial scene. PHILADELPHIA CITY PAPER, March 10.

Link to article.

Favorite of the week

2011-03-04T14:48:00.000-08:00

Shared a beer and a whiskey with Justin Hallman of Philly's instrumental anti-prog band, Do You Need the Service? He simply wants his shows to be fun -- both for his audience and himself. Why don't more indie bands make that a priority? [Click image for larger]

Judging by the ads on this page, I believe 50-percent of my readers are obviously hard of hearing and the other half must have difficulty navigating intersections. Hopefully, none struggle with both challenges. Stay safe out there, dear, dear, readers.

Excerpts from Paula Vogel workshop

2011-01-17T13:53:00.000-08:00

Playwright Paula Vogel changed my life this weekend. I was fortunate enough to be invited to her Playwright's Boot Camp.

Here was my answer to one of her koan assignments. I believe that I failed, but that is the point I think.

ASSIGNMENT (15 mins allowed)
Write a short play that cannot be produced.

Life story of a Philadelphia Theater Critic
a short play, by Bruce Walsh

Woman giving birth:

35-year-old theater critic appears, naked, small penis, looks at mother

THEATER CRITIC

Yeah, pretty much what I expected.

SHIFT: Arkansas

THEATER CRITIC

Pretty much what I expected.

SHIFT: Moscow

THEATER CRITIC

Pretty much what I expected.

SHIFT: The moon.

THEATER CRITIC

I saw this on TV.

SHIFT: Having sex with a woman

THEATER CRITIC

Could you move your hips, please?

SHIFT: Standing before God

THEATER CRITIC

I have a movie idea I want to pitch you.

THE END

VICTORY!

2011-01-13T10:38:00.000-08:00

Wanted to thank Juma for being so open with his process; Gabi, for being a fun interview as always; Makoto, for giving me 26 minutes, when he was already late to rehearsal; Neal Santos, for a totally fun visual; and every dancer that has ever allowed me into their rehearsal room. A dancer is a being connected to generosity in a way few of us can approach. Just try to find a dancer that tips less than 20%.

Go hold a paper copy in your hands (they're free)! Here's a link for out-of-towners and lazy Philadelphians.

The Cover!

2010-11-11T11:37:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I'm four months behind in updating this thing.

In the meantime, just wanted to make sure to mark the cover of the City Paper this week.

Spending a week obsessed with this artist's life and work was quite an unexpected gift.

[Link to article]

The deadlines of June 2010

2010-09-20T14:44:00.000-07:00

[Above: One of Rebecca Jacoby's many cellular sketches. Jacoby says she is borderline obsessive about circular movements of the pen.]

Due June 4: Accessing "Cost and Access" after two years
In 2007 congress passed a bill to create income based repayment of student loans for public sector and charity employees. But who is actually eligible under the insane rules? Not many. METRO US
PRE-EDIT DRAFT

Due June 7: No pencil sketches of Jerry Garcia permitted at Art For the Cash Poor
Abstract painter, Rebecca Jacoby, hates the "art fair" market, but she's willing to give AFCP a try. PHILADELPHIA METRO [Left: drawing by Rebecca Jacoby.] PRE-EDIT DRAFT

Due June 9: Mental health care at college
The data suggests that more students need more help and colleges are often working with less. METRO US
PRE-EDIT DRAFT

Due June 11: DO NOT F--K UP YOUR SPELLING! Philly's quizzo Badass
When John moved to Philly from Belfast, he had no idea he could make a career out of being sirly. PHILADELPHIA METRO
[CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER]

Due June 14: Summer performance picks
Some assignments are more like information management than reporting. I try to stay away from them, but my IRS collections officer (Matt) recommends that I take as much work as I can. Matt's a pretty nice guy, actually. You'd be surprised. PHILADELPHIA METRO

Due June 18: Kensington's humanist filmmaker
Jamie Moffett nearly bankrupted his film company making "Return To El Salvador." But this was a story he couldn't refuse. PHILADELPHIA METRO [CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER]

Did not write a word between the 19th and 28th: beautiful hiking trip, without notebooks, the only way to go.

Due June 28: Working class hero
New York photographer Michael Dalton works a grinding 40-hour week smashing buildings. He and his camera are on a philosophical journey into creation and destruction. PHILADELPHIA METRO [Left: Dalton in his self portrait.]
PRE-EDIT DRAFT

Due June 30: "WTF? College," the new book by Jodi Miller and Gregory Bergman
Wish I could interview stand up comedians every day. Felt like Craig Ferguson. METRO US

Momento: "William Weathersby" at Theatre Exile

2010-09-20T12:47:00.000-07:00

The following was handed out at the public reading of "William Weathersby" at Theatre Exile.

April 3, 2010

Dear X-hibition series attendee:

Let’s hug. Seriously. Even polished theatre isn’t easy entertainment, and you have willingly signed up for something much more rough-hewn. Thanks for lending an ear, and welcome to the discussion.

The director [Brenna Geffers] and I have been going back and forth about this piece for a few months now. I asked her to send me some simple questions to share with the audience. I tried to answer these with a swift hand – free and easy. If I pondered them too long, I think I would just confuse the hell out of everybody. Including me.

Hug line starts after the talkback.

Yours,

Bruce

What was the inspiration to write this the first time?

My parents were 30 or so when they had me. They’re baby boomers. I think my generation is in a strange spot historically: the children of the most idealistic American generation. Plus, we’ve been marketed to – lied to – more than any other generation in history (until this latest one). I wanted to know how that double edged dagger weighs on our hearts. I had a vague notion of the death of my tribe – the American middle class – both spiritually and in tangible numbers. Like, if I had kids one day, I would have to explain the strange customs of our ancestors, over bowls of stone soup. I guess I was working on a kind of elegy for my tribe. If I recall correctly, I wanted all the characters to be in advertising in the first act, and in the service industry by the second. Which is kind of weird since it was 2004. The bubble hadn’t burst yet, but that’s sort of where I saw things. I was quite cynical. (Hmm.) The brush strokes of all of that are still in this play but, thankfully, I discovered something more interesting and personal as I worked on it. More hopeful too.

How has the play changed over the years?

I completed a draft of something called “Landscape With Woman and Noose” (cheery!) in 2004 for a workshop at Philadelphia Theatre Company. That’s sort of the early fossil record of this piece. That script was size of a freakin’ telephone book. It was all over the place really. But I loved the relationships the actors made with the characters and the director [Dan Kutner] made to the play. Some of them were children of baby boomers too, and I think something connected. It inspired me. I had to move on quickly though. I was scheduled to write a site-specific piece for the Live Arts Festival. I think back then I did better work when I was writing site-specific stuff, because the rules and craft are so limited by what you can practically do in the environment. When I had an empty stage, I wound up with telephone books, not plays. I did another Live Arts show the following year. But I kept tinkering with the “Landscape” play when I could. 1812 Productions scheduled a workshop of the piece in 2006, and I got to work more seriously on it. (Workshops are great for that: the real and present threat of public humiliation.) The play was called “Old Bill” at that point. Unlike the phonebook, it was, at the very least, a play. It got itself over and done with in 100 pages. But I felt it was missing something. A big something. The play was flat, and I wasn’t sure why. But, again, I had to move on quickly. I started working on what became “Whisky Neat,” which closed last May. But when you [Brenna] contacted me about “Weathersby,” I saw what was flat in the piece. It was sitting up and smacking me in the face. Old Bill was the same guy throughout. He didn’t change, because I didn’t understand him. I get Bill now. I love Bill. I’ve loved and lost a lot more since 2004–06. That’s basically Bill’s story – love and loss.

What genre would you consider this piece?

I don’t think a writer can use that kind of shorthand. Perhaps it’s a useful thing for audiences, if the piece is lucky enough to find an audience. But that’s for someone else to decide. In one of our discussions, I think you [Brenna] mentioned Noah Haidle's assertion that a good play teaches the audience how to watch it in the first eight pages. I think that’s true. “Weathersby” lives in dream, and in a backyard at the same time. It also lives in a physicalization of a legacy the characters share. The rules for all of that are implied early on. The play can shift from the backyard to a daydream with certain triggers. Just like in life. You can be involved in a certain conversation and something will send you daydreaming. (The story of my life.) That isn’t something I set out to do in the play. It just evolved that way over many, many hours of work. It's the old story: listen to where the play wants to go. Let's call it a “William Weathersby” genre, like if Cheech and Chong wrote “Long Days Journey Into Night.” Just like that.

What character's journey do you identify with as a writer?

Can’t choose.

Clara: She worked at UPS. I worked at UPS. She works on medical marketing films and so did I (my private shame). She’s balancing having to make money and the pure joy of music. Me too (writing). [Aimee Kelly (above) played Clara in the workshop.]

Jacob: There’s a big part of me that just wants to give up too. Every once in a while I hide under my covers in the morning. [Sean Lally (above) played Jacob in the Workshop.]

Photo from Temple University Theaters website.

Pete: I have a chip on shoulder too. I want to fight and scrap for my own shard of divinity in the world.

[Robert Daponte (left) played Pete in the workshop.]

Stace: I’m ambitious, too, and, like her, I have hurt people because of that. Also, I’m still coddled, like her. Recently, it was a huge shock when some people didn’t like my play. How dare they! Everything I do is precious and beautiful. Just ask my dad. [Sara Howard (above) played Stace in the Theatre Exile Workshop.]

Old Bill: Bill wants people to be happy and things to be comfortable. But you can’t accomplish that by wanting just that. I’ve tried that too. In act two he’s been flattened so many times he can’t remember why or how he ever got up off the mat. I went there last year. I got up. So does he. [Joe Canuso (left) played Old Bill in the Theatre Exile workshop.]

Photo from Theatre Exile website.

What is the “moral” of this story?

Love God. Love each other. What else is there? I think each of us has a divinity within, though obscured. And I think we’re unconsciously aware of this – this glowing center of truth and love. And in some ways the story of our lives is the degree to which we’re willing to share it, and the ways in which we protect and fight for it. I think, too, we’re apprehensive to share that center – acknowledge it even – because to love is to give someone the power to flatten you. Squash. And they usually do. It’s not just people. Writing is like that for me. I got flattened 14 times just working on this play. God has the power to squash you too. There’s a relationship there, for me, between God and what we love.

What is the overlying metaphor for the piece?

Let’s find that together tonight. It’ll be more fun. I’ll tell you if you buy me a beer later. Kenzinger please.

Why Halloween?

My friends will laugh, because they know I hate dressing up for Halloween. We fight about it every year. I love making other people dress up though (not in a weird sex way). There is this element of the characters playing each other in dreams (the physicalization of a legacy). There’s a big part of Old Bill’s story in Jacob’s story and vice-versa. I thought Halloween provided some possibilities for that to stretch into their waking lives too. Incidentally, I think I could have done a better job of incorporating the vibe and meaning of Halloween into the piece. I’ll be looking closely at that element tonight.

Why is it important to have the piece stretch over five years?

The play is about love, passion, and relationships being eroded over time. But that erosion also gets to the core of something. Something bigger and better. It takes about five years to see erosion occurring, geologically speaking. I think it’s that way for humans too.

The deadlines, deadlines, deadlines... of May 2010

2010-06-08T16:26:00.000-07:00

[Above: "Franklin Town" (1982) by Jacqueline Cotter. It was a privilege to meet Cotter in her apartment on N. 20th St this month. Her home is like a curated museum of late 20th century Philadelphia artists. This one is amazing to look at in person.]

DUE MAY 28: The collaborative theater experiments of Adrienne Mackey -- Phila. Metro
Director Adrienne Mackey's latest, "SURVIVE!," is a choose-your-own-adventure, delving into the mysteries of math, science and experimental theater. She's a busy lady. She ordered a Wawa hoagie during the phone interview, and apologized profusely for it. But don't we all do our best thinking while waiting on a hoagie?
PRE-EDIT DRAFT
[Image: Bradley Wren in "SURVIVE!" Photo by Adrienne Mackey.]

DUE MAY 26: If you only read four books... an unscientific poll of professors -- Metro Newspapers
A lot of responses on this one, and a fun list to put together. But, as it turns out, you get weird, uneven results if you do a list like this strictly by counting votes. Check it out:
1. "Origin Of Species" (Yeah, should have seen that coming.)
2. "In Cold Blood" (Big with the criminal justice types.)
3. "Heart Breaking Work of Staggering Genius" (Don't get this one on an "only four books" list.)
4. "The Grapes of Wrath" (Okay, I get this one.)

DUE MAY 25: Kensington teenagers create theater. Life, death, addiction, violence, love and joy are all on the table -- Phila. Metro
I hear these kids were poaching as many copies as they could from the courtesy boxes. Go for it! Now link arms and sit in the Metro/Inquirer's offices until they start writing about child poverty on a daily basis.
CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER

DUE MAY 20: Smart phones in the classroom -- Metro Newspapers
Surprised to find that some profs are all for it -- a method of instant collaborative research. But other profs take a full grade off for just one ring in the classroom. If only that were the case in live theater.

DUE MAY 17: The DIY bawdy spirit of Cecilia Corrigan's theater -- Phila. Metro
So cruel to ask a playwright to discuss her work just minutes after the VERY FIRST SHOWING. Her parents were longing for hugs, but a features writer has a heart of ice in those moments. There is much joy to be discovered in the angelic goofiness inherent in live theater, far apart from the clever sheen of professionalism. Cecilia revels in that fact. But don't be fooled. There's a delicate, measured voice developing under all of this brash fun.
PRE-EDIT DRAFT
[Photo by Lily Benson]

DUE MAY 12: Summer learning loss -- Metro Newspapers
Studies show that kids forget stuff.

DUE MAY 7: Playwright Katherine Clark Gray and the psychology of cheating -- Phila. Metro
The child of two Syracuse University professors, Katie never even considered that someone might hire a professional to write a term paper. When she met a pro paper-writer while living in New York, she knew what her next play would be about.
PRE-EDIT DRAFT
[Photo by Jason Bachman]

DUE MAY 6: The life and work of abstract expressionist painter, Jacqueline Cotter -- Philadelphia City Paper
At 89 Jacqueline is still chasing the carrot of a perfectly actualized painting -- the flawless fusion of color, composition and the woman holding the brush. Her cat had an upset stomach during the interview and made some abstract expressionism all over the carpet. But that didn't stop me from getting my questions answered!
LINK TO ARTICLE
[Image: "Spreading the Blues" by Jacqueline Cotter, provided by the Rosenfeld Gallery.]

DUE MAY 5: Brian Dwyer and his pizza art spectacular -- Phila. Metro

It started as a joke -- an all pizza themed gallery art show. But talk to Brian Dwyer for two minutes and you discover just how serious he is about jokes.
PRE-EDIT DRAFT
[Image: Pizza art by Brian Dwyer]

DUE MAY 5: 15 minute study breaks... RELAX! -- Metro Newspapers
Science seems to suggest that sitting quietly for 15 minutes a day can do you a world of good. Well, duh.

DUE MAY 2: Letter to the audience, "William Weathersby" -- Theatre Exile
I'm trying to do a better job of being accountable to what I write in a play. I asked director Brenna Geffers to fire off any question she pleased at me, and I answered them as best I could in a letter to the audience. Go ahead: blindfold and a last cigarette please. I'm ready to answer for what I have written.

DUE MAY 1: Final "William Weathersby" workshop draft -- Theatre Exile
Not so final. I cut like six pages in the rehearsal.

The deadlines, deadlines, deadlines... of April 2010

2010-05-24T00:12:00.000-07:00

[Section of "Bifurcation, Hysteresis, Catastrophe" by Jebney Lewis and K.R. Wood, an installation piece utilizing found plastic bags and pallet wood. I had the opportunity to write about these artists in April for City Paper.]

APRIL 30: Preliminary workshop draft of "William Weathersby" - Theatre Exile
We sat at Dirty Franks with Millers and shots of... something -- a $2.50 special. Sitting across from a reader of your play is like sitting with a demon or god of some kind. They have access to parts of you that even you yourself are not privy to. They also have the power to bring definition to your limitations, just by opening their mouths. I sometimes wonder if success -- more readers -- would mean a house of horrors.

APRIL 24: Act one revision of "William Weathersby" -- Theatre Exile
Some days I see it like this: journalism is a best friend. But plays are lovers that make and break your heart on a whim.

APRIL 22: Jorge Cousineau and the experimental play, "Only Sleeping" -- Philadelphia Metro
Cousineau felt compelled to apologize for wading too far into the underlying ideas of this collaboration.
"I know it's just a little article," he kept saying.
"I'm not going anywhere. Take your time," I said. It's a simple little phrase, but I never thought to utter it during an interview. A breakthrough.

APRIL 19: The legendary low-fi of Strapping Fieldhands -- Philadelphia Metro
Bob Malloy moved from Ohio to Philadelphia intent on plugging into the literary scene, but found he couldn't live with his typewriter alone. When he discovered a four-track recorder in the early 90s, Strapping Fieldhands was born. Soon there was a five-piece band formed around his music and lyrics. A growing following took root, and today the Fieldhands are revered by many as one of Philly's unsung indie heroes. While Malloy may still be a touch disappointed that some members resisted taking the band national way back when, his enthusiasm for the ensemble has been reborn. Some old school fans in high places are trying to give them a bit of a push. Malloy was a fun interview. Didn't hold back, and was even willing to discuss Anton Chekhov. I'm a fan for life.
PRE-EDIT DRAFT
[Archive photo provided by Weathervane Music.]

APRIL 19: Massive student loan debt in U.S., education section -- Metro Newspapers
Robert Applebaum founded a group called Forgive Student Loan Debt To Stimulate the Economy. It's a beautiful thing.

APRIL 15: The ritz-y Phoenix condos go to auction, real estate section -- Metro Newspapers
Shouldn't have taken this one, and I sort of knew it when I accepted. Isn't that always the way?

APRIL 14: Career centers on campus, education section assignment -- Metro Newspapers
1. Studies show that students who don't use career centers don't get jobs when they graduate. 2. Studies show that students that do use career centers generally don't get jobs either -- put ever-so-slightly more often. 3. New article: studies show there are no jobs.

APRIL 13: Act one revision, "William Weathersby" -- Theatre Exile
This meeting was at Nick's in Old City. Director Brenna Geffers is a gifted reader, and for that reason I couldn't help but run up a tab.

APRIL 9: The retro swing-sass of Delco Nightingale -- Philadelphia Metro
Erin Berry and I enjoyed spray-gun cola while she worked the slow-and-early shift at Atlantis in Kensington. (Deadline before drinking.) Berry is fascinated by history of music and fashion. As a costume designer in New York, she constantly worked on period clothing. And Delco is all about the swing and sass of mid twentieth century Americana. For some reason Metro decided that readers would enjoy a delicious honey ham with this article. [Click on image to see larger]

APRIL 7: Grant money stays the same, cost of college goes bonkers, education section -- Metro Newspapers
Perhaps nowhere can you find more concise evidence of a deepening class system in the U.S. than in glancing at the many charts and graphs depicting student grants and loans. The lines for grants (quotient of free education) are almost uniformly flat over the last two decades, while cost lines look like mountain climbing diagrams.

APRIL 6: Actress Leah Walton and the comedy of "Nerve" -- Philadelphia Metro
Walton spoke to me at 10 p.m. from a rehearsal hall where she was marking through a few of the dance steps in "Nerve." Her dedication to precision is remarkable, but she was still generous with her time -- enough to listen to my venting about critics. She was recently in a rare Tennessee Williams play, "Gnadigies Fraulein." It's a searching allegory of cruelty, art, love and class. "Poo, I want Stella, or I'll make a little pouty face in print," said our local paper of record. [Click on image to see larger]

APRIL 1: Brent Zeller's vision for physical education, "Evolutionary Education" -- Metro Newspapers
Why world class gymnasts biff it at the Olympics. Fun interview.

APRIL 1: Another Jebney Lewis experiment at Nexus Gallery - City Paper
Jebney and K.R. were nice enough to give me a ride back to Kensington after the interview, with K.R. having to straddle the transmission. Jebney is constantly in a panic over getting himself too deep into a project. Overcommiting. We had beautiful discussions on the sheer madness of deadlines, none of which made it into the piece. LINK TO ARTICLE
[Photo by me with K.R. Wood's camera (thanks)]

This week in playwright-er-ing

2010-04-06T15:06:00.000-07:00

William Weathersby at Exile
My deadline is fast approaching for the workshop of "William Weathersby."

The free public reading will be:

Monday, May 3, 7 p.m.
Theatre Exile
1340 S. 13th St.
Philadelphia, PA
www.theatreexile.org

I'm currently working with director Breanna Geffers on further developing this script. Events like this create nessisary pressure on the writer (me), and help to force discoveries in the text. Along with the play, I'm also working on doing a better job of listening and fascilitating conversation about the text. So I'll be interested in the post conversation. In the past, I usually ran and hid at the corner bar.

Inspiration and Participation!

2010-04-03T15:58:00.000-07:00

[Photo by Jamie Moffett]

Was thrilled to take part in a Good Friday vigil yesterday outside of the Shooter Shop on Emerald and Allegheny in Kensington. I hope to write about North Philly's growing anti-gun movement someday.

Heeding God's Call, The Simple Way and many others partnered to create this event, in an attempt to pressure the Shooter Shop into signing a basic 10-point code of conduct. The Shooter Shop has thus far refused. It was an impressive, disciplined, non-violent event.

It is well documented that Pennsylvania has arguably the most lax gun laws in the Northeast, and this is a huge problem for the whole region. Hopefully, one day the law will be changed, but events like this are a proven, effective strategy to curb the amount of illegal guns flooding into Philly's neighborhoods. That saves lives, and gets the ball rolling in the right direction.

Recently, Shalom House and others used similar tactics with Colosimo's gun shop in Kensington. One of the effects it had was to pressure federal investigators to focus attention on that shop. Colosimo's is no longer selling guns.

More than 200 people died last year in our city due to gun violence. It is an epidemic, and I think every Philadelphian can agree that enough is enough. This movement is a clear-cut, tangible way to save lives and change the city for the better -- just by showing up. How often does that opportunity come along?

The next event:
An organizing assembly
April 18, 4 p.m.
Wayland Temple Baptist Church
25th and Cecil B. Moore

Victory is mine!

2010-02-25T17:20:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, a large package arrived in my apartment lobby with my name on it. After digging through layers of bubble wrap and styrofoam peanuts, I discovered the very painting that Nic Coviello is hanging above, with an inscription on the back: "Thank you Bruce for your direct, honest writing." What a victory. I celebrated that night at the corner bar.

Nic was featured last year in the dearly departed Metro arts and culture section. For almost two years I collaborated on these artist profiles with photographer, Chris Gabello. Looking at Nic's painting in my hands, it became a little clearer to me why I am so fulfilled by this work. So much of my creative writing is, by necessity, centered around my personal experiences. But what a joy it is to reorient myself and listen carefully to others -- to shed light on their life and work.

For me, writing is almost entirely an attempt to dignify human beings... nurses, plumbers, brain surgeons, abstract artists, they each have stories that need to be told. I think it is a rare and useful thing whenever a non-celebrity, non-powerbroker is actively listened to. For me, this is work of value.

"Listening with a pen." Perhaps that should be my blog's new title?

Deadlines in review

2010-02-04T20:14:00.000-08:00

[Dan Scholnick and Aimee Ando in their just-completed Kensington loft -- a rare opportunity to utilize photography in my work.]

the crimes that are mine
Maybe it's the early winter sunset. I've been undeniably blog-lazy of late. But that stops tonight! I'm back with a new Google Docs function. This month I'm linking select posts to pre-edited drafts. I have a few misgivings. Chief among them, the world will see the idiotic mistakes I make before my editor has a chance to catch them. However, more and more I find myself sharing the pre-edited material with subjects. To my surprise, I find that people often enjoy the director's cut. Plus, for artists, it provides an opportunity to experience more detailed writing about their craft. I have to expect that everything and anything I send to an editor will find its way into print. So what's wrong with posting it here? We'll see.

home schooling
Started work for a new section of the paper -- real estate. How does a lifelong renter get the real estate gig? Same as a perpetual freelancer for the careers section. Practice. Practice. Practice.

I couldn't have asked for two better subjects to kick this thing off. Dan and Aimee sat more-than-patiently for the camera until I finally settled on a usable image. And Chris Kleinberg and I philosophized over coffee for two hours after our interview. I think I finally met my argumentative match. Chris and his wife, Nikki, founded Cambria House four years ago. It's a beautiful, friendly, intentional community in North Philadelphia. The world needs more people who think and give as they do.
Cambria House ran Jan. 27

pre-edit draft

Dan Scholnick ran earlier in the month
pre-edit draft

Wig out
Wear Your Wig To Work Day was January 29th in Philadelphia. Dancer Gabrielle Revlock has been promoting this beautiful concept since 2002. We had a great chat at the Last Drop Cafe, where I received an official Wig Day button. I'm accused of wearing a wig everyday, so I just went as is.
Ran on Jan 27, Phila Metro

pre-edit draft

when you're not home
Really fell for Sean Taylor's paintings this month. He juxtaposes American power with our quaint perceptions so well. Great interview. Love it when artists can resist the temptation to self-sensor.
Ran at some point in January, I think

pre-edit draft

cooking and writing
A happy hour drink with Blood Feathers was among my favorite workday moments in last couple months. They're the first band to be signed by the new Philebrity label. I think we were able to bond around the day-in, day-out process of making time for writing. They're songwriters. But it's the same process, I think. Pretty much. [Photo by Matt King]
Almost sure this ran on Jan 15, Phila. Metro

pre-edit draft

"pause/record"
Jeff McNeil -- AKA Thee Phantom -- has his act together. When I initially contacted him, I thought I was dealing with an agent. He was just so professional.

I enjoyed his mash-up of the Beasties and Bethoven.
Ran at some in December, Phila. Metro
pre-edit draft

I'm not Prig-y
What fun to talk about Shakespeare on film with local film-crazy-encyclopedic-mind critic, Matt Prigge. His #1 all-time, Orson Welles' "Othello."
Ran in January, I hope. Phila Metro
pre-edit draft

straight drugs
Finally got to to do a piece on theater director, David O'Connor. I've been a fan since his production of "One Flea Spare" a few years ago. He was working on "Peter Pan" for the Arden.

"Peter Pan" is all about drugs. I'm convinced.
Ran at some point in December, Phia. Metro

Other recent arts and entertainment features include: jazz composer and tenor sax-man, Tim Warfeild; "The Threshing Floor," a solo-play by James Ijames about James Baldwin (say that three times fast); "Riffing On the President's House," a new dance/jazz piece with composer Bobby Zankel; yet another interview with local "Top Chef," Jennifer Carroll.

And I finally got to ask Bruce Warren why there's no local hip-hop on WXPN. "Because our listeners really don't like hip-hop." Take it or leave it. Anyone want to start a letter writing campaign?

sprockets
Also came to the end of the many, many trade-degree assignments. I had a blast talking shop with local mechanic, Nick Schummer. Great guy. Lousy quizzo etiquette. (I know him from the corner bar.) [Photo by Justin Geller]

Other education pieces in recent memory include: MSW in social work, paralegals, class-capture technology, and student-teacher relationships.
These pieces used to run on Mondays, but now I guess its Wednesdays, maybe.

gold of the Golden Nugget
Oh, and I wrote a travel piece on Las Vegas... AND I ACTUALLY GOT TO GO TO VEGAS. But more on that next time. It's way complicated. The photo I took here is one of the last things I remember. (Damn the movies for stealing my experiences.)

This week in playwright-er-ing

2009-11-24T13:48:00.000-08:00

Earlier this month, I learned that my play, WILLIAM WEATHERSBY, will be given a workshop/reading in Theatre Exile's new X-hibition Series. Brenna Geffers is scheduled to direct. The public reading will be May 3rd, 2010.

I actually completed the current daft of this one long before WHISKY NEAT. So it's a little strange to work on the rewrite. It's like being introduced to myself from five years ago. And, let me tell ya, what a confused little shit this kid is.

At the time, I worried that this play would have a short shelf life. Without being fully able to articulate it, I think I was attempting to tap into a notion that I was sensing in those around me -- a sort of subconscious grieving for the end of the American middle class. I felt that my generation was perhaps the final representatives of this particular tribe, and I wanted to sing a beautiful elegy for us all. Well, unfortunately, for obvious reasons, the play feels even more topical now than when it was written. One thing I'm going to try this time out: not being the cynical bastard I used to be. I'll be looking for possibilities of redemption, both in me and in the play. You have to look in both places to find it in either one.

[LEFT: the Theatre Exile staff. I hear they have impeccable taste in new plays.]
Just for kicks, my three favorite Theatre Exile productions:
1. VALPARAISO (2004)
2. RHINOCEROS (2000)
3. KILLER JOE (2006)

Theatre Exile
1340 S. 13th St.
Philadelphia, PA
www.theatreexile.org

Deadlines in review

2009-11-23T15:13:00.000-08:00

[Balloon sculpture by Jason Hackenwerth]

Last week I accepted an assignment to profile Jason Hackenwerth, a pretty well-known artist in the modern art world, for those of you that travel in those circles. I do not. And that's what makes it such a joy to write about. In a certain sense, I feel that every feature should be written from the perspective of the dumbest guy in the room. The writer is our conduit in this strange land, and we want him to ask the questions that we are too polite to utter: Is that thing right-side-up? You'd be surprised at the great quotes that can be launched from something as silly as that. The more sophisticated my questions, usually, the less I get in return. I don't remember that enough when I'm on the other side.

Primarily, Hackenwerth creates massive sculptures out of balloons -- you know, the long, skinny ones used for balloon animals. I've never seen anything like it.
Ran on November 6 in the Philadelphia Metro

The first year I worked for the Metro I wanted to cover street musicians. This was problematic, though, since they usually didn't have specific shows to promote. And without that, the story wasn't time sensitive for my editors. They sat on them forever, and I didn't get paid until it ran. I made sure all my pieces related to specific shows from then on.

One of the first musicians I covered was 20-year-old Anna Christie (yes, real name ). At the time, she was playing her heart shaped melodies in Suburban Station on a regular basis. Well, now she really does have gigs, lots of them, and she's working on her second album with her band, Sisters 3. They grow up so fast! What fun to write about her for the second time. Someday I'm going to find the right venue for the street musician profiles -- would be a blast.
Ran on November 20 in the Philadelphia Metro

I always have a good time interviewing choreographers. They are the kindred spirits of playwrights, I think. Young dancer Scott Park recently created a dance especially for Halloween. It's based on "white lady stories" -- ghost stories involving betrayed women.
Ran on October 30 in the Philadelphia Metro

Wrote a piece on local playwright Seth Bauer last week. He has two plays running at once -- New York and Philly! "Don't wait around for something fancy [big budget production]. Work with whose in the room." Great advice for any playwright, I think.
Ran on November 13 in the Philadelphia Metro

Four more career pieces for Metro: bartenders, IT technicians, social workers and HVACR repair. I love to get into the nitty-gritty of other people's jobs. I don't know why. I've never been particularly good at the nine-to-five myself. I have a feeling I'm a better listener to HVACR repairmen than the wives of HVACR repairmen.
These pieces generally run Mondays in the Boston, New York and Philadelphia Metros

Week in review

2009-10-27T14:47:00.000-07:00

The Leonard Cohen show was moved to the Tower Theatre by Live Nation. Fascists. I was subsequently priced out of tickets. Tried to pull some strings, and discovered that I have no strings. I did, however, come up with a fun way to highlight the big Cohen show in the Metro. I asked local musicians to share their first Cohen experience. I know mine: my father put a cassette of "The Future" into our Pontiac Grand Am on the way to a soccer tournament in Boston. We were driving over the George Washington Bridge into New York City. The music was somehow a seamless match to the landscape. Ran last Wednesday in the Philadelphia Metro

Last week I discovered a little feature on the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program. They created a special bus tour for the deaf with a non-profit called Art-Reach. I had to hold back my own experience as a tour guide to write this one. Keep it positive.

Metro is now behind on my education series. Two weeks ago I gave them one on criminal justice degrees. Tough to write, since a number sources had strong feelings against the degree. Scheduled to run on Monday in Boston, NYC and Philly Metros

Finally, last week I did a piece on digital video production. Here's what I learned: you don't need a degree in digital video production to work in digital video production. Scheduled to run on Nov. 9 in Boston, NYC and Philly Metros

Week in review

2009-10-08T21:17:00.000-07:00

Began the week in a complete panic. My editor called first thing Monday: "Ahh... there's two women from Philadelphia Stories waiting for you in a Center City Starbucks." Add this to the pile of journalistic wisdom: On Sunday night, just before you tuck in, take a peak at your date book. You might have to interview somebody in a Center City Starbucks first thing Monday.

Deepest apologies to publisher/editors Christine Weiser and Carla Spataro, who were more than understanding. Philadelphia Stories is a free non-profit literary journal. Neither editor takes any salary from the publication. I couldn't believe it. It was fun to do a top five list of novels with them. I've got to read Middlesex. Showed up on both of their lists. Scheduled to run today in the Philadelphia Metro

Felt more comfortable with my education piece this week. Fun career to highlight: massage therapy. Philly masseuse, Matt Beck, offered some amazing quotes. Most of them totally unusable. According to the Board of Labor Statistics, massage therapists make 15 - 20% of their income in tips. My imagination is running wild. Scheduled to run Monday in the Boston, NYC and Philly Metros

Did another in the education series last week -- accountants. Well, they weren't as interesting as the massage therapists. Let me put it that way. Ran on Monday in the Boston, NYC and Philly Metros

Week in review

2009-09-25T13:54:00.000-07:00

["Anthropocene" by Clark Gibson.]

It was hard to see my teensy-weensy pieces in the paper this week. I'm struggling to work in Metro's new format. Every smudge of newsprint by a freelancer represents a long chain of efforts: contacting the subject, scheduling, interviewing, researching, getting images, fact checking, writing... it can be frustrating to see it all boiled down in this way. On the other hand, I do like creating little pull boxes of information. Plenty of opportunities for that. I'm trying to embrace it as best I can.

On Wednesday I had a great visit with abstract painter Clark Gibson. I needed that. It reminded me what I love about this work. Many days I get to delve into the lives of rare people -- artists that have paid a price for who they are. Often their work has fused with their life, creating a voice profoundly their own. It's never the same story. I was proud of the piece. I hope it runs mostly intact.
Scheduled to run in the Philadelphia Metro on 10/2

Started the week talking to Gina Renzi about the Rotunda's 10th birthday. She's the lone employee of the beautiful venue, which had a former life as a Christian Science church... Saw some great shows there over the years. Seeing the Rock-A-Teens with maybe a dozen people on a rainy night in 2000 sticks out for me.
Ran today in the Philadelphia Metro
Click here for article

Finished another in a series of education pieces. This week: How to become a plumber! I disobeyed a direct order to make a Joe-the-plumber reference -- hope they forgot about that idea. I'm praying I never have to do a piece like this on freelance writing. There are no answers.
Scheduled to run Monday in the Boston, NYC and Philly Metros
Click here for article

Week in review

2009-09-17T16:41:00.000-07:00

Had a fun phone interview with famed New York jazz singer Jane Monheit on Monday. She loves Howard Stern. Who knew?
This piece ran today in Metro's fall arts preview
Click here for article

Finally completed the second in a series of education pieces yesterday. This week it was medical assistants and technicians. Anybody need to know anything about becoming a CMA, CNA or EMT? I feel like an expert. I found myself inspired by Michael J. Reilly, a practicing and teaching EMT in NYC. He's made his life's work about helping people in the toughest of circumstances. His comments on the failures of our health care system -- and seeing it everyday in life and death situations -- are something I'm still thinking about... Hope they run your quotes and photo, Michael.
This piece is scheduled to run on Monday in the Boston, NYC and Philly Metro
Click here for article

Week in review/preview

2009-09-10T16:19:00.000-07:00

Had an interview bright and early today -- okay, 10:30 a.m. -- at the Arden Theatre Co. with local acting legend, Frank X. He's playing Hector in the Arden's upcoming production of Alan Bennett's "History Boys."

I saw X in "Ghosts" at the Lantern back when I was a freshman at Temple -- way back. It was one of my first weeks in the big city, and I had such a powerful reaction to the play -- both Ibsen and X. It's a production I remember like yesterday. This is the second time I've interviewed X. I was nervous both times.
This feature is scheduled to run in the Metro's Fall Arts Perview on Sep 17
Click here for article

Looking forward to tomorrow's interview with dancer/choreographer Jumatatu Poe. He wants to meet at 11 a.m. What's up with all of these early rising artists?

I love writing about dancers. I find myself so thoroughly cleansed of cynicism when I sit in a dance rehearsal. I have found no other place with such unabashed generosity.
This feature will run in Metro's Fall Arts Preview on Sep 17
Click here for article

Started the week working on a new series of pieces for Metro's Education Guide. Every week I'm set to profile a different trade degree. This week: Hotel/Restaurant Management. It was tough going at first, as it is with any new beat, but Heather Flemke and Kamila Piszczek from the Restaraunt School were kind enough to point me in the right direction.

I think this assignment may be part of my karma for being the worst waiter in Philadelphia history. (Seriously, ask anybody at Davio's.)

My assignment for next week: Medical/Nursing Asst, Nurse Aide/Tech.

First question: what is a medical/nursing asst, nurse aide/tech?
These pieces are set to run on Thursdays, I think

Inspiration!

2009-09-10T09:32:00.000-07:00

This is fast becoming one of my favorite books of all time. I hope one day to work for the Uncle John's Bathroom Reader team. They really know how to PUNCH! a sentence.

Through Uncle John Corp, I've finally realized the kind of baseball story I'd love to write. I don't want to write about the game or the pennant chase -- borrrrring. I feel drawn to more practical stuff, like a piece on how not to swallow your chewing tobacco during a headfirst slide. Hell, I could give ya 16,000 words on pine tar alone. Any editors out there? Tell me that doesn't sound like amazing copy.

My favorite novels if they were a baseball lineup:

1. Wildlife by Richard Ford, CF
2. The Crazy Hunter by Kay Boyle , SS
3. The Road, 3B
4. Moby Dick, RF
5. Lady Chatterley's Lover, 1B
6. Affliction by Russell Banks, C
7. Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Takes a Swing at Baseball, LF
8. Catcher in the Rye, 2B
9. Rubican Beach by Steve Erickson, P

No designated hitter in my lineup! The DH is a moral crime against humanity.

The week in review

2009-09-01T17:45:00.000-07:00

I started the week getting down to business with Philadelphia Live Arts Festival Producing Director, Nick Stuccio. I met him at the fest's new digs in Northern Liberties, and I was thankful that he was so candid about the not-so-pretty side of the non-profit arts world -- fund raising. Would he take money from Haliburton?...
As I was leaving, photographer extraordinaire, Chris Gabello, was setting up for a portrait, so the article will have a great photo at least. I found myself already pining for the days of Metro's recently axed Art's and Culture section, when Chris and I worked together on these pieces weekly.
This article is scheduled to be the cover of Philadelphia Metro's entertainment section on Thursday, Sep 3.
Click here for article.

Today I did a fun Q&A with actor/creator/performer Geoff Sobelle about his latest creation with Pig Iron Theatre Co.. Geoff is always a hilarious interview, and I hope he doesn't mind my including some of his sass-talk in the piece.
This is scheduled to run in Metro's entertainment section sometime next week, I think.
Click here for article

Upon my editor's request, tomorrow I have a phone interview with local "Top Chef" contestant, Jennifer Carroll -- a conference call with about eight lawyers, so she doesn't give away the show's ending. I hope they carry "Top Chef" on Hulu, never seen it.
I think this will run Wednesday, Sep 9, somewhere in the Metro -- news or entertainment.
Click here for article.

Final Week (this week)

2009-04-22T12:22:00.000-07:00

[Luigi Sottile and Elena Bossler in WHISKY NEAT]

I sat in a room tonight where seventy people sang together. All is not lost, dear reader. Thieves broke in and stole the amplifiers – in this building that I go to on Sunday nights. The musicians stood at the front, cried out as best they could, and eventually we joined them with our untrained voices to amplify the music. In a sort of selfish way, I suppose, I could not help but think of WHISKY NEAT, and its temporary home on 7th and Spring Garden Street.

As a younger man, I had a notion that I would feel a greater sense of wholeness at this moment, as my work is being presented with this level of professionalism and visibility. I did not, however, anticipate the pain in being so exposed – to have one’s heart lay in state before a gathering of curious onlookers six nights a week. But as I sit here now, it is my feeling that this heartache reveals a deeper reason to share the work with you, dear reader.

It is not easy for any of us to reveal ourselves -- to cry out as best we can, and in so doing further disclose our imperfections and weaknesses. Especially when there are brutal forces and people everywhere – yes, even in this, my beloved city of Philadelphia. We live in tough neighborhoods, all of us, even those of you that don’t. You put your hood up on the walk back from the el, look straight ahead and reveal no emotion, no weakness. Or you keep your little notebook hidden, as I do, from your workmates. Or maybe you keep secret that movie that made you cry, knowing that others will think less of you. Or maybe you simply mention it in a way that lets others know you are above it.

There is a part of me that doesn’t want you to come to this play in this final week – that wants to lock the doors, and keep my little vision to myself, perfect and untouched. But I am not choosing that tonight. I know you know these characters as well as I do. Who better to share it with? I know, like me, you have been on both sides of brutality. And because of brutality, like me, you feel a painful separation at times from those around you.

In this very imperfect play there are five very imperfect characters. They live in a heightened brutality, yes, but unfortunately it is not entirely alien to any of us. Each of them are victims and perpetrators in their own ways. As we all are. And yet, incredibly, they each hold out hope for a genuine intimacy – to one day look into the eyes of another without being above or below. That is my prayer for us too, dear reader. That prayer may seem almost completely drowned out by the staggering power of brutality, but we can amplify it. I have heard us sing together.

FINAL PERFORMANCES:
Wednesday, Apr. 22, 8 p.m.
Thursday, Apr. 23, 8 p.m.
Friday, Apr. 24, 8 p.m.
Saturday, Apr. 25, 2 p.m.

The Run

2009-04-18T14:10:00.000-07:00

Luigi Sottile (left) and Nathon Emmons in the opening scene of WHISKY NEAT.

I have been instructed by late night public television to write five things I am grateful for each day.

FIVE SMALL DETAILS THAT DELIGHT ME ABOUT THE RUN OF WHISKY NEAT

1. The way Luigi (as Handsome) and Elena (as Alex) share a laugh after Alex says, "You're full of shit."

2. That moment when the lights go down just before the show. For a moment a loose myself in a wonderful way: what will the lights come up on? "Guys and Dolls?" "Endgame?" What will be revealed by the coming light?

3. Being anonymous: Audiences who don't know I'm associated with the play in any way.

4. The conversation about the play and writing that I had after a visit to a lecture class at Temple U. The student had seen the play and related. It made her feel like more of who she was.

5. People who order whisky after the show (or whiskey).

Tech and Final Rehearsal

2009-04-01T19:10:00.000-07:00

THINGS I WROTE INTO THE SCRIPT THAT APPARENTLY MAKE LIFE DIFFICULT FOR DESIGNERS

1. Tuxedo
2. Kicking shit out of guy
3. Spitting on floor
4. Ceiling
5. Sex
6. Stabbing guy
7. Weird stuff
8. Red wine
9. Cowboy hat
10. Stabbing guy second time

Nearly completed installation set for WHISKY NEAT at the Latvian Society. Design by Simon Harding. Mar. 29, 2009

Left to right: Terry Smith (production manager), Paul Moffit (Lighting Designer) and Mikaal Sulaiman (Sound Design) at a technical rehearsal for WHISKY NEAT at the Latvian Society.

You know shit is getting intense when actors start stretching like this before runs. Actor Brian Cowden stretching before a rehearsal run of WHISKY NEAT at the Latvian Society.

Rehearsal # 11 & 12

2009-03-29T23:02:00.000-07:00

Goodbye to the 1812 rehearsal space! Later suckas. We're moving into the Latvian Society! And they do traditional Latvian dances and serve us rich coffee while they build our set. Pete: I'm sorry I locked the bathroom key in the bathroom. Okay? Happy now?

It's strange the lines that actors enjoy. They're never the ones you expect.

BEST LINES IN WHISKY NEAT ACCORDING TO CAST AND CREW:

Brian Cowden: "Smell it."
Elena Bossler: "I think Tommy and Terry might be machines."
Luigi Sottile: "Smell it."
Bruce Walsh: (A beat.)
Kevin Glaccum: "Dave."
Keith Conallen: "Smell it."
Nathan Emmons: "Chicken ass."
Lindsay Galbraith: undecided

Keith Conallen at a rehearsal on March 21. He drinks his coffee with a spoon to make the scene better. Love that guy.

Rehearsals # 8, 9 & 10

2009-03-26T22:34:00.000-07:00

I'm becoming less and less useful. My idea to use actual whisky fell on deaf ears. Bean counters. But I did get to change a few lines because they can't actually smoke in this "Latvian Society." And then I made a few script changes in which I just put "quotes" around a few "phrases" just to keep busy. When I gave the the pages to the actors, I said, say it like "this." They just stared at me blankly.

But I do find this "fight call" concept totally fascinating. Like: "let's practice beating the crap out of each other, so we don't actually beat the crap out of each other." I love it! And boy do I hope they're "acting," because if not Brian Cowden is sure getting his ass handed to him every night. And if that were the case, I would feel a new sense of guilt for having scripted a "ball grab."

Throw Down Part I: Brian Cowden gets socked one by Nathan Emmons during fight call... Don't worry. It's make believe. I think.

Throw Down Part II: Cowden begs Emmons to stop. Sometimes I want to scream at them to stop. Then the director reminds me that theater is pretend.

WHISKY NEAT: Interview Part II

2009-03-22T16:11:00.000-07:00

My friend Brendan Huffman was nice enough to take my picture in front of the SEPTA add for my play. He told me I had to smile or he would sock me one.

THE SECOND QUESTION FROM A CURIOUS TEMPLE U. STUDENT
(I went back and added some stuff to my answers. I always think of just the thing to say afterwords.)

2. What inspired you to write this play? Did you change DASEIN's
story line at all for WHISKY NEAT?

I'm not sure I know what inspiration is -- at least not as far as writing is concerned. My plays are just these very powerful daydreams. Not sure how to explain... There are times I become aware that I am daydreaming of something very specific: a world that seems as real -- more real even -- than this one. It's more of a choice to further explore that world or try to shut it out. I've never had much success at shutting it out completely. There are some I have the courage or misfortune or obsessiveness or luck or stupidity to follow. And some I don't for some reason. I've never figured out why. These dreams, of course, contain many elements from my everyday life, just as any normal dream tends to have these elements. For instance, I worked as a parking valet at maybe half-a-dozen restaurants around Philly, so that is a central element to the play. For some reason the dream that began as DASEIN never left me. I don't know why. Perhaps because it was pretty much my first experiment with real narrative. My plays before that point -- before I was 24 or so -- were these sort of strange experiments with rhythmic language. Almost every line of WHISKY NEAT is completely different than DASEIN, and it's more than double in length. It's the same characters though. The through line is the same in the sense that the same big dramatic event occurs. (I don't want to give anything away by mentioning what that is.) But DASEIN was closer to a short story in structure. It really just had one dramatic movement: a big bang happens and we watch how the characters deal with that. In a full-length drama there needs to be -- for me at least -- a kind of ricochet effect. There are a chain of events -- an arch rather than a snapshot.

Elena Bossler didn't truly get started with us until March 14, the day this little clip was taken. Notice that on her first day of rehearsal she sort of casually throws the script on the table, and continues word perfect. In this little moment her character, Alex, is talking to Handsome (Luigi Sottile) about her BMW. I was actually attempting to take a still photo, but had the wrong setting on the camera.

INTERVIEW Part I

2009-03-20T00:05:00.000-07:00

The other day I got this really cool message from a Temple student. I think she was writing an article for the school paper. She asked me questions about my play, and I had a great time answering them, though now I think I may have freaked her out with my insane theater-nuts passion or something because she never got back to me. Anyway, here's the first question. It took me back to college days, and I wound up digging out some artifacts from 2002!

Hi Mr. Walsh,
Thank you so much for getting back to me. If you could answer these questions by this Thursday or Friday that would be fantastic. You can just send them to this same e-mail.
Thanks again!

1. I see that Whisky Neat originally premiered as Das Ein at the 2002 Philadelphia Fringe Festival. What can you tell me about its reception by the audiences?

Actually, the play was titled "Dasein" -- one of Martin Heidegger's philosophy terms. I have no idea why I titled it that. Azuka spelled it "Das Ein" in their marketing materials. I have no idea why they spelled it that way. It's all very mysterious to me. The Fringe show wasn't much of a premiere. It was a 40-min one-act with 3 performances. At that time, I hadn't figured out how to write anything without the pressure of a physical performance planned for a specific date. I asked my friend from college (Dan Kutner, a Temple guy now in New York) if he would direct a play by me. I told him I was working on it, but I really didn't start until after I asked him. I knew the guys that ran the space from a previous show, so they agreed to deduct their money from the tickets. I think I paid the actors -- also my college friends -- $80 a piece for the whole thing. We had no set. We used the door to the theater as an entrance in the play. It was all very ridiculous actually, because there was supposed to be a television in the play, but we had no way of cueing something like that, so people just sort of mysteriously pointed the remote toward stage right. I guess it went over well enough. Fringe audiences -- God bless em -- tend to put up with a lot. The language and the actors had a certain energy that can be entertaining in a small space. Dan did a great job keeping it moving, so you didn't really have a lot of time to start wondering what the hell was going on. I nearly puked the first night -- the first and last night I actually sat with an audience at one of my plays. It was the first time the actors had done the piece in front of people. The lights didn't work. My dad was there. The toilet broke in the men's room. It was horrific. But by the third one, I think people were genuinely laughing and having a good time with it. But "Dasein," for me, was really just the seed of an idea for "Whisky Neat."

Director Daniel Kutner (seen here living it up as a professional director in New York City) believed in my one-act, even though I hadn't written anything yet. He also didn't read into the fact that I had to take an incomplete in Theater 110 our freshman year. I owe you one, Dan.

All this talk about 2002 got me digging through my filing cabinet. I never did find an explanation as to the play's title. But I did discover the original listing in the Fringe guide.

Rehearsal #7

2009-03-18T20:09:00.000-07:00

Alright, so I wasn't actually at "Rehearsal #7." But I did do a fair amount of fretting about the play while at work. That's pretty much all I do at rehearsal anyway, so I figure everybody's happy. So here, then, is a top ten I thought up at work, while waiting on images from the Museum of Art. (The Cezanne thing looks cool. You should totally go.)

REASONS WHY PLAYWRITING IS A LONELY BUSINESS

1. Typing works fingers not abs
2. People always approaching you with “totally awesome” ideas for plays
3. Talk backs
4. Audiences always ask for more “sass-walk” at talk backs
5. Theater industry peaked in 1895... in Russia
6. Kinko's customer service has gone down hill
7. Sometimes co-workers refer to you as “Playwright-er”
8. People hate theater
9. Lavish lifestyle can isolate one from peers
10.No event category for plays on Myspace

This is me fretting at a rehearsal on March 14. It looks pretty much the same at work.

Rehearsals # 3, 4 & 5

2009-03-17T01:12:00.000-07:00

Please forgive me for a bit of self-pitying. There is a moment when you realize your play is in the hands of another. And I've been with this babe (I call the play babe sometimes) for over two years. So these days after rehearsal, I put on Tom Waits and cry in my Makers: "My baby's gone!" There really isn't a lot of reason for me to be at rehearsal to tell you the truth. There just isn't much left for me to do.

But I like the guy she's with now. He has a generous laugh and he responds to her finicky moods with sensitivity. He yells at actors when they are rough with her music.

Here he is:

Director Kevin Glaccum reluctantly allows me to take his picture at a rehearsal for WHISKY NEAT on March 16.

Rehearsal #2

2009-03-13T00:00:00.001-07:00

REASONS WHY I THINK LUIGI SOTTILE IS A GREAT ACTOR:

1. Doesn't need real scotch to wince like he's drinking scotch
2. Brings his own pen
3. Willing to take off pants on second day of rehearsal
4. Not drunk
5. Doesn't need real mirror to look in mirror
6. Chose this play over HAMLET
7. Can recite entire "Abe Froman" scene from FERRIS BEULLER'S DAY OFF
8. Good hair
9. Sass-walk
10. Doesn't ask to use bathroom often during rehearsal

Sottile, left, seen here gracefully receiving direction from Kevin Glaccum during a rehearsal on March 12.

Rehearsal #1

2009-03-11T22:07:00.000-07:00

First rehearsal, 3/10/09.
Left to right:
Bossler: Alex
Conallen: Terry
Walsh: Sick crazy happy writer
Sottile: Handsome
Cowden: Tim
Emmons: Not pictured [late (traffic)]
Glaccum: Not pictured (too cool)
Galbraith: Not pictured (calling Emmons)

Things I notice that make Equity theater different from Fringe:
1. Coffee is provided
2. It's not anybody's living room
3. There are lots of pens and markers provided
4. Copies of script are free
5. Director's pants are nice
6. Script has ending
7. Director asks me what stuff means
8. Music stands
9. Sound designer is not me
10. None of the actors deal weed "on the side"