Write Club Rides Again!

Hello, friends!

Some of you may have noticed (I know you have, 'cause a bunch of you e-mailed me) that we've been off of teh intarwebs for some time now. Well, fear not. Write Club NYC has officially rejoined the 21st century. Huzzah!

I could take this opportunity to expound on all of the wonderful things that have been going on over the past year, but here at Write Club, we prefer to look ahead. So in that spirit, I'd like to pimp our next big offering. This August, we will be presenting two (you heard it - two) new shows at the fabulous 59E59 Theaters in Manhattan: Walter vs. the Water Authority by Ben Scott and On the Eighth Day ... by Geoffrey Scheer (aka - me).

Ben has been developing Walter for a couple of years now, and I've been priveleged enough to watch this play grow from a simple kitchen sink drama into something that I believe speaks to our current national mood. I can't wait to see what happens when this play finally gets the chance to come to life on the stage before a real audience. Will people be moved? Angered? Entertained? I'm kinda hoping for all of the above.

On the Eighth Day ... started as a ten-minute play that just didn't "click" for me. At first I thought the central idea didn't work, but I soon realized that this was not the case. The idea was sound, but I had more to say on the subject than I could express in ten minutes. So I decided to rewrite it as a full-length piece, which for me meant wrestling with all of the ideas I wanted to explore for several months, and then sitting down to bang out the first draft in a few days. It's a fairly agonizing way of working, but what can I say? You don't decide to go into the arts without a certain streak of masochism within you.

Anyway, it's great to be back online. We hope you'll stop by our site often (especially this here blog, which we're going to be updating much more frequently) and that you'll all come out this summer to lend us some support and see some great theater.

Cheers!

Write Club Dissects Itself (Part V)

Hello, friends!

We've been taking a little nap since offering up our first full-length production (a rousing success, in case you hadn't heard), but we're coming back with a vengeance. This month will mark the return of our 5x5 scene night, and our next full show should bow sometime this winter.

In the meantime, let's hear from the author of last April's Growing Pretty.

*************
Carey Crim
*************

Where are you from?
I was born in Louisville, Kentucky. Then, we moved to Philadelphia when I was five, Evanston, Illinois when I was six and Grosse Pointe, Michigan at age seven. So, mostly Michigan, though, I have some really wonderful memories of Pennsylvania and Evanston as well.

How do you think your upbringing shaped you artistically?
My mom passed away when I was in high school. I’ve never written about that, specifically, but realized, recently, that I’ve explored themes of emotionally absent mothers twice now. But I think I’m finished with that motif…for now. My life has always included a great deal of story telling and made up worlds. It’s just that now, I’m lucky enough to have really talented actors bring my imaginary friends to life.

Did you study theater/writing? Where?
I graduated from Northwestern University where I majored in Theater and Performance Studies. I also did a summer program at The Royal Court Theater in London and have studied here in New York as well.

What are you working on right now?
I’m almost done with my second play, Wake. I’m also messing around with some ideas for a third.

What playwrights inspire you?
These aren’t all playwrights but: Miller, Chekov, Lanford Wilson, Tom Stoppard, Tony Kushner, Paula Vogel, Wendy Wasserstein, Neil LaBute, Pinter, Caryl Churchill, David Lindsay-Abaire, Sarah Ruel, Timberlake Wertenbaker, Richard Greenberg, Mary Zimmerman, Jane Austen, Alan Ball, Joss Whedon, George Lucas, J K Rowling, Greek mythology, Shakespeare…

If you were stranded on a desert island with one book, one play, one magazine, and received one newspaper what would they be?
I really can’t answer this one. I haven’t a clue. I mean, I wouldn’t want to bring a favorite book because I’d probably hate the book after years and years of reading only that so…no idea. Maybe a blank notebook so I could document my slow decent into insanity that no one would ever read? As long as I had Wilson…But the paper would be USA Today. That’s probably all my mushy brain would be able to digest after years of baking in the sun and the seaweed diet. I’m over-thinking this one, aren’t I? What did Henry finally say in The Real Thing for Desert Island Discs? I’ll go with his answer.

Who are your favorite directors?
Joe Mantello, Mary Zimmerman, Mike Nichols, Mike Leigh, Leigh Silverman, Stephen Daldry, Guy Sanville, Scot Reese.

What is the best play you have ever seen?
Street of Crocodiles in London and Angels in America (Both parts in one day). And Arabian Nights directed by Mary Zimmerman. Incredible. I was in my early twenties when I saw these productions and had no idea that theater could be like that, do that, move me like that. It changed everything for me. I’ve probably seen plays that were that good since then, but those are the ones I’ll never forget. Then, years later, I saw a production of The Tempest in a tiny little hole in the wall theater in Detroit with a woman named Gilian Eaton in the role of Prospero. I understood that play in a way I never had before.

How do you see American and International theater changing and growing in the 21st Century?
What I love most about theater is the part that doesn’t change. It can be a gorgeous million dollar, multi-media production, but really, all you need is a person, perhaps a chair, a stage and a story to tell.

Write Club Dissects Itself (Part IV)

In this installment, we'll hear from the founding father of Write Club NYC, Ben Scott.

****************
Benjamin T. Scott
****************

Where are you from?
I grew up in a small town in rural Pennsylvania called Bellwood.

How do you think your upbringing shaped you artistically?
My role models growing up were coal miners and factory workers. As I got older the local economy took a downturn and a lot of these hard working men and women lost their jobs.
As a result I often find myself drawn to stories about people who are trying to reconcile the American dream with harsh reality.

Did you study theater/writing? Where?
I was an English major at Penn State University and I later studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

What are you working on right now?
I’m trying to finish a full length play entitled Walter Vs. The Water Authority.

What playwrights inspire you?
That could be a very long list. But I would say the big three are Albee, Odets, & Bogosian. I draw a lot of inspiration from popular music as well. The lyrics of Bruce Springsteen, Eddie Vedder, Neil Young, and Johnny Cash have all helped shape me as a writer.

If you were stranded on a desert island with one book, one play, one magazine, and received one newspaper what would they be?
Well, Boat Building for Dummies would definitely be the book.

Who are your favorite directors?
There are a lot of great directors working right now. I enjoy Joe Mantello’s work. Jo Bonney is terrific. Moises Kaufman always impresses. I could go on and on.

What is the best play you have ever seen?
It was a production of Neil Simon's Brighton Beach Memoirs at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. I didn’t know it at the time, but the woman who will soon be my wife was playing one of the leads. It was the first time I saw her work.

How do you see American and International theater changing and growing in the 21st Century?
Hopefully for the better. With the tools and technology at our disposal today there’s no reason theater artists can’t find a way to reach previously untapped audiences.

Write Club Dissects Itself (Part III)

Here is an interview with the resident actor of our group, the lovely Carrie Yaeger.

***************
Carrie Yaeger
***************

Where are you from?
The suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio

How do you think your upbringing shaped you artistically?
I think growing up as an only child, and being raised by a single mom definitely contributed to my need for expression. Also, my mom started exposing me to dance, theater, and music at a very early age. ...both as an audience member, and as a student. It was what we did...and still do together.

Did you study theater/writing? Where?
I studied theater at John Carroll University. Acting: The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, The Actors Center, and Steppenwolf.

What are you working on right now?
I am excited to begin work on "In for the Duration" by fellow Write Club NYC member, Carey Crim.

What playwrights inspire you?
Shakespere, Greenberg, Chekhov, Pinter, Silver, and Forness to name a few.

If you were stranded on a desert island with one book, one play, one magazine, and received one newspaper what would they be?
Book..."How to survive being stranded on a desert island", Play.."Twelfth Night", Mag..."Traveler", Newspaper..."Sunday New York Times"...(it's big...good for fires)

Who are your favorite directors?
Joe Mantello, Tina Landau, James Lapine, Jeff Perry

What is the best play you have ever seen?
Take Me Out is definitely up there.

How do you see American and International theater changing and growing in the 21st Century?
I don't know how I see it changing...but I HOPE it allows more and more new artists into a bigger, riskier world than it is now...

Write Club Dissects Itself (Part II)

Part II of our series is an interview with Mr. Peter Macklin. Enjoy!

*************
Peter Macklin
*************

Where are you from?
Brooklyn, N.Y.

How do you think your upbringing shaped you artistically?
Growing up in New York City provided me with fantastic outlets to really concentrate on my passions from an early age. I also grew up in an artistic family whose love supported me in my artistic and personal endeavors.

Did you study theater/writing? Where?
I went to Performing Arts H.S., Carnegie Mellon University and Hunter College (where I studied playwriting with Tina Howe) for my BA, and The Alabama Shakespeare Festival for my MFA in Acting.

What are you working on right now?
I recently finished my new play, A Different Time, and am starting to write my next play. And as an actor the next thing up is the screening of a film I did called Horizon.

What playwrights inspire you?
Without a doubt Shakespeare, I adore Arthur Miller, Tony Kushner, John Leguizamo, Martin McDonagh and Carey Crim. There are many more.

If you were stranded on a desert island with one book, one play, one magazine, and received one newspaper what would they be?
Ok, I'm going to cheat here, so sue me. The one book would be The Complete Works of Shakespeare. In the play category (because the first was a book!) I'll take Death of a Salesman. For newspaper and magazine I'll take The New York Times and the obvious choice would be American Theatre but I don't want to be THAT much of a theatre nerd so I'll take O ;-)

Who are your favorite directors?
Joe Mantello, Trevor Nunn, John Crowley, Leigh Silverman, Kent Thompson, Jane Page,etc.

What is the best play have ever seen?
Not About Nightingales at Circle in the Square in 1999.

How do you see American and International theater changing and growing in the 21st Century?
Well, with growing technologies and humanity getting more and more distant from themselves and each other my hope is that theater can bring people back to themselves and to realize the value of the other instead of demonizing anything different. What I see happening, at least in this early part of the 21st century, is that we as people tend to think we are very advanced but, I think in actuality, we are stuck in a cyclical pattern of moving ahead and then taking steps back. What I want theatre to do is to help us move on past the steps taken back due to fear and march on with open hearts into the future--because theater is, at its essence, a celebration of humanity.

Write Club Dissects Itself (Part I)

In keeping with the spirit of using this blog as a way for y'all to get to know us on a more personal level, founding member Jeffrey James Keyes has devised a little questionnaire for us company members. So to kick it off, why not hear from Jeffrey himself?

*****************************
Jeffrey James Keyes
*****************************

Where are you from?
I'm from Bay View, which is a southern neighborhood in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

How do you think your upbringing shaped you artistically?
Milwaukee is an extremely industrial town with a really interesting artistic community. My family is very artistic and supportive, but faced many hardships so I found a refuge in expressing myself creatively. I also had the fortune of really being surrounded by nature and wildlife as a child. We spent a lot of time camping and exploring forests and bodies of water. This really gave me a foundation to work from.

Did you study theater/writing? Where?
I studied theater at Fordham University College at the Lincoln Center under the guidance of the late Lawrence Sacharow. Larry took me to Italy with his Orvieto Institute and I started working with autobiographical theater as well as studying physical action and poor theater under Thomas Richards at the Work Center of Jerzy Grotowski. Since graduating I have studied at the Ensemble Studio Theater, the LAByrinth Theater, with Wynn Handeman at Carnegie Hall, and at Cherry Lane.

What are you working on right now?
I'm writing a new play called "Helen" and starting to compile research for a new piece on early 20th Century Balkan immigration focusing on Croatia, Yugoslavia, and Montenegro. I'm also writing a book and a compilation of short stories.

What playwrights inspire you?
Many. Jose Rivera, Moises Kaufman, Sarah Ruhl, Arthur Miller, Beckett, Euripides, Tony Kushner, Charles Mee, Jr., and Tennessee Williams are some of my favorites.

If you were stranded on a desert island with one book, one play, one magazine, and received one newspaper, what would they be?
The Great Gatsby, The Odyssey, Time Magazine, and the Daily News in that order.

Who are your favorite directors?
Anne Bogart, Peter and Edward Hall, Ivo von Hove, Daniel Fish, Will Pomerantz, Moises Kaufman, and Jo Bonney

What is the best play you have ever seen?
I saw Tantalus in Nottingham in 2001 and loved it. There was a British Fringe production of the Red Shoes some years ago that I was really moved by. I loved the Fifty of July at the Signature a few years ago, and was blown away by the Laramie Project.

How do you see American and International theater changing and growing in the 21st Century?

I see it changing and modifying to people's attention spans, shifting to be more cinematic. I hope to see more reinvented and deconstructed productions of classical and traditional plays that change and expand the way we think. I see daring artists like Anne Bogart, Ivo von Hove, and Moises Kaufman paving the way for a highly collaborative and dynamic period of theater.

Party!!!!!

Here's a big THANK YOU to everyone who came out to our first benefit this past week. It was a big success and we were able to raise a nice amount of money which we will put towards our first production. Special thanks to Peter Castellotti and everyone at John's Pizzeria for allowing us to have the benefit at their Times Square location. We all had a lot of fun and hope you did as well!

See you at the next 5x5 reading at MTC Studios!

Much love,

Ben, Geoff, Peter, Carrie, Carey, and Jeffrey James

Return to Write Club NYC homepage