EXTRA CRITICUM

Dan Sullivan Keeps Knocking Them Out of the Park

Admirers of director Dan Sullivan should catch his appearance from several weeks back (Dec. 21) on Charlie Rose.  I think this was Dan’s first appearance on Charlie Rose; sitting at that round table seems like some kind of career threshold for New York artists. Rose’s program was about Dan’s production of the Public’s "The Merchant of Venice" which was a hit in the Park last summer and reopened on Broadway Oct. 19.

Two "Theatre" Novels - Mediocre & Excellent

This past month I read two novels whose world is “the theatre”: “The Garrick Year” by Margaret Drabble (1964) and “The Lake Shore Limited” by Sue Miller (2010).

Taking Music Suggestions

Hey Kids. So, I'm working on a new project and am needing to immerse myself in some serious mid-1960s funk music. Also, interested in digging into the best of the late-60s anti-war folk stuff. Please throw out any suggestions of tracks or albums or artists you feel I should listen to in order to get an aural picture of that time. Thanks in advance!

Clockmakers: The Good, the Bad, the Maybe Not So Good

A liability of my writing process is that I love research, even (or especially) when it takes me down obscure paths. Some paths do turn out to be useful for the plot or characters I’m struggling with but just as often I find myself lost in a backwater and all I’ve accomplished is satisfying my curiosity or horror! – wandering even further afield. In the meantime I’ve cleverly avoided the hard work of writing the next scene. Does anyone hear procrastination?

Every "No" bringing you that much closer to a "Yes"

This great post by Adrienne Crezo on the Mental Floss blog to cheer up any writer feeling overwhelmed by rejection this Holiday Season:

For writers, getting rejected can seem like a pastime. But don’t take my word for it, even though I’ve gotten my share of no-thank-yous. These best-selling authors were rejected, too, and some not very kindly. Editors, publishers and agents have made big errors in judgment, as evidenced by the list of unkind (and sometimes needlessly rude) rejections received by these famous writers. Full post here.

Black Swan, And The View from Behind First Place

In Darren Aronofsky's latest tour-de-force Black Swan - a film which resides somewhere between The Red Shoes and All About Eve - a heralded but aging Swan Queen is haunted by and ultimately replaced by a new Virgin Swan. The New Swan struggles to inhabit both roles of the White Swan - delicate, fragile, precise - and the Black Swan - manipulative, seductive, loose and free - and is therefore haunted by her own understudy, who is the effortless, living manifestation of the Black Swan.

Why is work in the non-profit sector always such a trial?

There's a dirty little secret many of us think but rarely acknowledge openly. It's simply this: Working for a non-profit corporation as opposed to a commercial entity is often more emotionally draining, frustrating and ultimately soul-killing. Of course, this is counter-intuitive. One might expect that working in a cubicle for, say, The American Cancer Society would fill you with a deep and abiding sense of purpose, whereas working for, say, Monsanto might not. And yet, my own informal mental inventory of friends and associates suggests that just the opposite to be true. The folks working in the for-profit realm are, by and large, much happier with their jobs.

So today, I'm wondering, why that might be. Here are a few possibilities.

Street Theatre: Granny Peace Brigade Stops Traffic

Here's a pic taken yesterday everning around 5:30PM when members of the Granny Peace Brigade stood across Broadway at 44th Street and, in less than 10 min. accomplished what Mayor Bloomberg has been trying to do for months -- they stopped traffic!

Some protesters also lay down on Broadway, which gives new meaning to the term "sacrifice." Hope they had their shots. Seriously though, is it true that the over-65 set have coopted bravery? Are twenty-somethings ready to take this lying down? (pun intended). Step up, kids! There's a war on. And we should be sick to death of it by now.

The Genius of Toy Story

Earlier this week I was giving a bath to my son, Henry. Henry is an enthusiastic bather, always looking for new games. He found his policeman action figure and stood him on the rim of the tub. Thrusting his right arm thrust skyward, in his most “grown up” voice, Henry declared, “To Infinity and Beyond!”

The policeman fell over. Pause.

The Vanity Files

I admit it. I'm vain.

But I'm not only a writer and a music industry executive - both of which are somewhat "behind the scenes." I'm also a performer.

And performers must, by trade, be vain.

Pulled from the Archives: In Memoriam

Every few weeks or so, the editors at E.C. take a stroll through our archives and pull a group of interesting posts that are loosely related in theme to offer up to our readership for a second read. If you have a favorite post you'd like us to "pull from the archives," just email us and we'll try to locate it for you.

The following posts are all tributes to those we've lost and miss.

 

To write for theater or not to write for theatre

To write for Theatre or not to write for Theater THAT is the question

So I wrote this one act play over 10 years ago where I let myself 'at it' no holds barred. Brought it to my writing group. They all loved it and thought it was 'typical Yvonne' but probably would never get produced being so edgy, 'out there', adult only humor, as I thought as well.

Blow by blow of last night's Brevity Fest III

OK, folks. Forgive me if I gush just a bit, but last night's Brevity Fest was such a blast. I'm just so filled with gratitude for all the talent and generosity of spirit that filled El Cid (to the rafters!) last night. As Fred Nelson pointed out when it was all over, we really must do this in New York. And soon!

Whatcha thinkin', Linkin'? v.3

Every once in a blue moon, Andrew and Roland will post a 3 min. informal podcast consisting of random thoughts, questions and debates on issues of both great and not-so-great significance. We hope you enjoy listening from time to time and welcome your comments, suggestions or requests. Here's installment 3:
[TOPICS COVERED: Why is it so hard to find a place to sit, eat, and listen to good live music in NYC?]

Hungarian Theatre Community Under Seige

This just in from our friends at New York Theatre Workshop. Scary stuff, indeed:

Dear Friends:

Attached is a letter from the Hungarian Theater Critics Association pleading with the rest of the world to pay attention to the deteriorating political situation in Hungary.