(Last update Feb 9, 2004

WHAT YOU'VE MISSED


 


 

 

THE WEST COAST PREMIRE OF GARY CARDEN'S

THE RAINDROP WALTZ

June - July, 2002

The Raindrop Waltz is a Stolen Fire production presented in cooperation with the Pewter Plough Playhouse. I had to say that. You see, it is because of Stolen Fire (a production company dedicated to producing brand new plays) that this wonderful work is being produced here in Cambria; it's West Coast premiere actually. Gary Carden gave me permission to produce this work to help out Stolen Fire's finances, to act as seed money so that Stolen Fire may try to bring Gary Carden's Land's End to Los Angeles. (For more info see: "http://www.fix.net/~stolenfire/letters.html#let4")

(For those of you that may be unfamiliar with the Land's End trilogy, Nance Dude, which starred Pat Van Rhyn, is the central piece to those three wonderful monologues).

Anyway, I asked Jim Buckley about renting the Pewter Plough Playhouse as a venue for The Raindrop Waltz

For more information please call Dwain Edwards at (805) 927-1848

 




 

Looking at You, Kid, a new monologue by Mary Wilds.

Premiered at The Pewter Plough Playhouse in Cambria.

Performances were July - Aug 2000 featuring Rosann Balbontin.

Looking at You, Kid was a "comedy about stalking and domestic violence."

Looking at You, Kid shared billing with:

The return of Gary Carden's Nance Dude with Pat Van Rhyn reprising her role as Nance.

Sooner or later I'll find the reviews for these plays and post them then.

Needless to say, the plays were very, very well received.

 


 

 


 

Read about here!

 


 


A BENEFIT for Ratna Sarumpaet, under the auspices of the International Centre for Women's Playwrightsand The Excellent Center for Art and Culture

 

"MARSINAH"Sarumpaet's passionate response to the rape/murder/mutilation of the young female labor organizer, had performances banned in Indonesia earlier this year. It's notable large cast, filled with the talents of local actors, include: "X", a grieving angry activist, an establishment female judge, an allegorical Mother, several male politicians, female factoryworkers, security guards, and a chorus of the dead..

PERFORMANCE DATES: These "Readings for Ratna" events were free; but donations were gratefully accepted for the legal defense and special needs of Ratna and her colleagues -- especially necessary in this turbulent Indonesian economic & political crisis. May 29 and 30, at the Excellent Center for Art and Culture


Link to RatnaRatna Page



 

"SHOSHANNAH", An Original Drama, by Brad Chequer, closed on December 21. This lyrical, haunting, bitter-sweet love story about an emotionally neglected married woman who falls in love with a man who loves her for herself, was cast with: Jeanne Clark as SHOSHANNAH, Dwain Edwards as JON; Caroline Carr as CINDY; Bruce Carr as LARRY; Sean Martin as DANNY; Anne Steele as MOM; Suzy Thon as KATHY and Matthew Allen as CHRIS. It was Directed by Yvonne Duran.


"What's It All About, Albee?" closed October 4. It featured Luke Laurie as BEN; Yvonne Duran as ALMA, Mark Brunasso as BRUCE; Marjorie Yinger as McKISSLISS; Sean Corey Pelino as JAILER; John Pearson as TERMINATOR.

Wrote, Billy Houck in NEW TIMES: Author Gordon Osmond has crafted an original comic nightmare. WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT, ALBEE? is a straightforward, paranoid, Big Brother-is-going-to-take-away-our-individuality fantasy. Imagine George Orwell's 1984 if Winston Smith were gay. (It) is an avant-garde play that mocks avant-garde plays. The message...is to remind us that no matter how well intentioned every step away from complete personal liberty is a step toward slavery.

And writes Joan McCray of FOCUS: You feel as if you've witnessed something of the caliber you'd expect to see in New York, in a theater close to Broadway. The audience spends much of the evening laughing out loud at intelligent, witty word plays and outlandish scenes, even if, unfortunately, they aren't so outlandish when you get right down to it. This play is mind-enhancing...a memorable work.



"Land's End" closed on August 2nd. The Monologues featured Arron Morgan as Coy; Pat Van Rhyn as Nance Dude; and Jason Sumabat-McGreggor as Jessie Racer.

Said Judith Jett Jesness in Focus, "It is superbly cast and admirably directed. There is certainly music in his language. Stolen Fire delivers the goods."

And, Billy Houck of New Times wrote: "Land's End is like an adventure to a strange land. The guide is Gary Carden, a playwright with a palpable feel for the rhythm and beauty of the spoken word. Don't miss it."



"The Fourth House" by Mary Wilds closed on March 15th, after a very successful run. Reviews of both the play and the production were very positive.

Said Billy Houck of New Times "The Fourth House is a tightly written script. Mary Wilds has managed to pen a believable play that deals with issues of dysfunctional alcoholism and co-dependence without slipping into movie-of-the-week sentimentality."

Said Joan McCray from Focus, the Art and Entertainment Magazine " This is not a get it off my chest so I can recover play suitable only for other codependents and alcoholics in training atmospheres. Instead it's a drama with memorable lines and dialogue that gives us insights into the plights of those problems while entertaining us like any type of good play would."


"Smoke and Mirrors," Closed on November 23, 1996 .

"Smoke and Mirrors" an original play by Eric Petersen, is a twentysomething, reality bites back, slice of life, comedy drama showcasing the talents of:

Marjorie Yinger as Elizabeth, Mark Anthony Diaz as Andrew, Jenny A. Martinez as Jessica, Robert W. Peterson as Tom, Yvonne Duran as Simone, and, Nick Eckhart as Gary



 

GOAT SONG AT A PUBLIC SCHOOL

an original radio play by Zachary Brewster-Geisz, premiered on

Excellent Radio, 88.9 FM

 

the foremost micro-powered radio station in the country. The radio play aired Oct 13 and Oct 20, 1996, between 10-12 am during the radio show program, hosted by Rick London and Oct 14, 1996, between 7-8 pm during the spoken word program, hosted by Margaret Lange. The drama delt with freedom of thought as two high school students discover the validity of each other's arguments, one for activism and one against, while also discovering their affection for each other.

 

Three Arroyo Grande High School actors, Marqui Konzem, Jeff Scaffini and Daniel Burns made up the cast of GOAT SONG AT A PUBLIC SCHOOL. Additional voices were supplied by more AGHS students: Jeni Pineau, Aaron Metchik, Laura Barnhart, Khristian Barnhart, Amber Fuson, Maraya Bumpus and Lia Metz. The music for GOAT SONG AT A PUBLIC SCHOOL was composed by Shannan Morris, while the sound design and recording engineer was Charlie Goodman. GOAT SONG AT A PUBLIC SCHOOL was directed by Trish Goodman and Dwain Edwards.



Deus ex Quanta, an original dark comedy by E.F. Doucette, ran through July 6th at The Excellent Center - was a must see - sorry if you missed it!

 

This comic drama dealt with quantum physics, chaos theory, homicide and the question of how one defines reality. Among other things! And it was FUNNY.

 

Wrote Dan Bailey of Focus Magazine: "This play by E.F. Doucette, for the most part is very interesting and well written." It had "...a large amount of clever and witty humor. Doucette's character delineation was was excellent throughout the script."

And, wrote Billy Houck of New Times: "Deus Ex Quanta is an intelligent well-written play that deserves a good audience. Mr. Doucette's passion for exploring new ideas drives the play to a hilarious and totally unexpected conclusion. His intelligence and quirky sense of humor are pervasive."

 

DEUS EX QUANTA was directed by John Bartelt and John Battalino.

 

Bartelt, who last appeared as Michel de Notre Dame in Stolen Fire's production of NOSTRA-DAMUS, played King Lear this summer for the Artimis/Central Coast Shakespeare Festival, and will be directing, LAST SUMMER AT BLUEFISH COVE for the SLO Little Theatre in February.

 

Battalino, who last appeared as Jean de Guise in NOSTRA-DAMUS, will be directing A DOLL HOUSE for the SLO Little Theater in April.

 

Three local actors made up the cast of DEUS EX QUANTA:

 

Daya Harris, who played the hardened, witty and humorous Detective White, Shannan Morris who played Detective Chapel, a religious, sensitive and focused young woman, and Dwaine Nelson as John Doe, a university professor, who is sometimes dead and sometimes alive and sometimes both.


Nostradamus - a rousing success!!

 

Playing February, 1996, NOSTRA-DAMAS, an original drama by local playwright Meredith Cofren, featured John Bartelt, John Battalino, Nicholas Eckhart, Krystal Goodman, and Sherry Wright.

 

Too bad if you missed this one!


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