Ken weitzman

This for some reason never posted - but its from a week ago monday. May 19. My first day back from berkeley/sarasota.

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I went to a reading of FIRE IN THE GARDEN, ken's one man play at the Atlantic, directed by AAD christian parker. Essentially, its ken's rumination on the self-immolation of quaker norman morrison in front of the pentagon in 1965 and ken's own first year of fatherhood in the age of global climate change. Morrison committed suicide with his one year old daughter nearby.

Its good writing and very personal. Ken performed it himself. He told me about it at humana and I enjoyed reading it during my recent travels. I look forward to talking to him further about it.

Life pt 2

http://broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=28336

So - life in a marital institution opens at the end of the month - or rather, goes into preview.

I will start rehearsing with james shortly - and then, soon enough, it'll be tech.

I've a new lighting designer: lucrecia, who I am thrilled to be working with. She gets what I am going for, rather intuitively. I feel confident that adding her to the design team is a great choice.

We met with michael moore at the theater and discussed lighting an element to signify a change of place - not making james's face change, imposing an emotion on his face.

For james, the most important thing is making contact with the audience. If he can't see them, he's dead. So I feel assured that that's a priority for lucrecia.

Also discussed with michael moore the addition of some scenic element: blings? A red curtain? Something that will force james downstage, will be easy to light, and will not lead james into a void.

Soho playhouse seems like the right space.

Holy Cow, part two

Diane Paulus and I went to the New Actors Workshop here in NYC. You know this place, the one that advertises on the back of American THeater every month, with Paul Sills (Second City), Mike Nichols (um, the Graduate) and that other guy?

Well, Diane was in the first graduating class; i was in the second.

Some good news for Diane right here.

Holy Cow.

When I was re-emerging after my several years in the dotcom wilderness, Diane was the friend who I asked about getting back into theater. She offered three suggestions:
1) the fringe festival (which wasn't viable, since I really knew no one in NYC)
2) the Drama League (a fellowship, which I was later to participate in)
3) The Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab - which I applied to, got in, workshopped Delillo's Valparaiso, and I can pretty much say changed my life.

I can explain that in detail some other time...

So, thanks Diane, and Mazel Tov!

Annie Baker

Holy cow. This is cool.

I will be working with Annie this summer at Cape Cod Theater Project. And now she is a superstar.

Holy cow
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/25/theater/25mcge.html?_r=1&ref=theater&oref=slogin