Things you need for a trip like this

Basically I'm out here doing a fact finding mission and to meet people- to throw myself out into the universe and see who catches me.

These are some of the things you need:

Friends...or friends of friends (so stay in touch)

Facebook (in order T0 stay in touch)

A smart phone-one that does texts, email, internet AND has a GPS (so you can stay in touch, and figure out where things are in relationship to you)

A car with a GPS (so you can get around, not get lost, and get to places on time)

A place to stay (that's where friends come in real handy)

A calender (so you can organize)

A willingness to be flexible (because things happen)

And a desire to just talk to strangers (because meeting new people is how things happen to you)

More later...

The end of a good day...

I'm doing something that isn't done in LA, something that might be considered...well of less import.

I'm seeing a play.

I don't know for certain which, a friend invited me, but it will be nice to see something where someone else does the talking.

It's been a great week, lots of chatting, coffee/tea. People have been extremely generous with their time and their stories.

More thoughts later...

How many days have I been here?

I think it's day three.

I'm on the second meeting o the day, with one more to go before I meet a friend for dinner.

It's 'like' a vacation, but not as I'm not doing anything but having meetings...

Weird.

Finally...he updates...

It's been a while I know. No excuses....welll good ones anyway.

I've been writing. I am now a Dramatists Guild Fellow, which means I get to develop a work with some fantastic playwrights.

And right now I'm in LA. I'm here to meet people (old friends, new friends, new contacts) and get my toe into the door.

At the airport the car rental place gave me a Mustang convertible...which is cool, and a GPS which is necessary. And it was hot...that doesn't seem right to me, not in november.

But I do have to say this, waking up to sunshine and perfect weather is awesome.

Off to breakfast, more later.

It's been awhile...

...and it might be an even longer while before I put up a substantial post.

I've been working on a few things lately and they've consumed my time, even making me wake up early!

Warner Brothers has a TV Writers Workshop that I'm applying for. I'm very excited by it. It's nuts and bolts, it's in LA, and...yep...I want to move into TV.

Jury Duty....#4

Below is the document that proves that I helped deliever Justice...well...at least that's what they said I did...




...now, when I read the last sentence...I felt a little guilty about getting out of the trial.

*sigh*

Jury Duty #3

Caught and released! Right after lunch...they dismissed me! I guess it pays to be thoughtful and and judgmental in your answers during jury selection.

I'm back in the pool.

We'll see what happens next.

It's funny one of the things I'm most worried about: my writing schedule. I'm doing a show that is going to go up shortly and so soon things were supposed to return to normal, work during the day and write in the morning and evening. But it's a pattern I'm used to.

Having to sit all day in a jury box would be a brand knew boredom. The lack of activity would drive me batty.

If I'm not working my survival job, I would rather be writing. If I have to sit and listen, I would keep thinking: this is time that I could be working.

Sure: it's my civic duty...but, as an artist, isn't it my duty to create work?

(Ok, that last sentence, that's just to make me feel better. I don't know if it's a greater duty than jury duty, or if it's even a duty to create art...that's a subject for a different blog.)

Jury Duty #2

Shit.

I might be on a case. ARGH.

It's a case against the city, some guy who worked for the city tripped over something, or...whatever...who knows yet...and now he's suing. Suing for, probably, a life time of money.

We got called up from a central room to a smaller room and they drew names. And then they started eliminating people. "Have you ever worked for the city?" A few raise their hands. Dismissed. "Anyone been involved in a case like this or maybe know someone that has?" Dismissed.

One woman said that she's unemployed and through a long trial she would only be thinking about not having a job. Dismissed.

Sonofabitch.

Why didn't I think of a great excuse?

I'm giving truthful answers...which maybe the problem...but I'm also being grumpy--again, truthful--and I'm sorta staring down the Attorney representing the plaintiff. I'm hoping he thinks, "This guy doesn't like me..." Which is rapidly becoming the truth. He's droning on and on.

We haven't even gotten questioned by the City's Attorney...we're on a lunch break now.

I have got to figure out a way to make him think I dislike him too...

Then, I bet I'll be off the case.

Jury Duty...part 1

**the below, and following posts, were written in real time--the court house blocked access to the blog site...jerks***

The civic duty of everyone...I suppose. But, now that I'm sitting here, having to get up early, trudge to a not particularly pretty part of Queens, after listening to a court officer at the end of his rope, and a Judge, who recounted his resume from 1948 on, who talked about each court in Queens, and the movies that are based on real court cases from Queens--riveting--and now we get to watch Mrs. Doubtfire as we await our name being called...I really question whether or not civilization is worth it.

I'm here from 9 to 5...no matter what, and I may have to come back on Monday.

And the best thing: it's civil court...so, it's going to be about dogs biting neighbors and car crashes.

This is karmic payback for my love of the People's Court.

More as it comes in...

Hey! Theatre People! Stop HURTING THEATER!

On Saturday my wife and I went to see a site specific piece about the environment. We went because my sister in law in the video installation had a short movie. Now, until we got there I didn't realize it was going to be one of those site specific pieces which drags the audience from site to site. Generally, I hate that kind of work. Rarely does it work, does moving the audience from place to place actually ADD to the story. I feel more like a child being ushered around a museum where I am talked down to by the guide.

And much to my surprise...I wasn't surprised. It was EXACTLY as I expected.

A piece about the environment where they dragged us around and told us how polluting is bad...

WOW. Shocked! Shocked I am. Polluting bad?! Really!? Holy CRAP, we should do something about that. Really. We should get on that, right now. With the polluting stuff...we should, like, you know...start recycling and using less...

It was bad theater. It talked down to the audience (it was a New York theater going audience, I have a feeling they know pollution is bad and recycling is a good idea), wasn't funny when it needed to be, and was awfully, awfully singular in it's dimension.

Why is it when we're doing outdoor theater we suddenly have to simplify? Why do we have to make it like a political rally organized by 8th graders? Why do we need the silly dance with garbage? Why do we need the conceit that an actor is "late" so the other actors have to "improvise?"

What about this? Let's talk about the real world challenges about moving from a nation that consumes a treMENDOUS amount of oil to one that uses less? If you're going to tell me to eat organic food because it's good for the environment, can we talk about how EXPENSIVE it is?

Let's stop preaching to our audience. Let's actually talk about how complicated things can be.

Oversimplifying and preaching to the choir isn't going to get us anywhere. We need theater to be dynamic, challenging in both substance and style. We need to defy the expectations of our audience, we need to excite their imaginations--not meet them.

Because if we don't...why do we need theater when we have so many other things that surprise us, engage us, and challenge us?

And, oh, and one final thing: can we ban the phrase "it's a complicated time" from our work? Like things weren't complicated previously... Yes, they were. It's a sort of temporal selfishness to assume NOW is more complicated than THEN... Get over it.

So.

The performance went well.

It would have been even better if the audience hadn't gotten slowly more and more impatient with the host all night.

She couldn't remember what was next, she interfered with the acts, and worst of all: she wasn't funny.

waiting...

as a part of the clown show i'm in, which be perfoming at a festival in booklyn, we're doing a cabaret...bits and pieces of the shows...

i'm waiting right now to go on...well the whole show is waiting...rain and fires down in the subway.

i'm suppose to come the audience...but I can't sit in the audience...I would be to nevous, but backsage or where the ticket booth is, I can at least move and stretch.

a wee nervous, let's see how it goes!

in a lunch line...

...at chipole...

how about that for a self indulgent blog post?

wurd.

now, I suppose, I should go back to work.

It's happening again...but isn't that a good thing in this economy?

It looks like I will be writing another Pakistani TV serial. I know you are all fans of my TV work in Pakistan and follow it closely...er, um, yeah.

I just met with someone yesterday and he wants me to do another one. 10 to 15 episodes and based on some English language novel. Something before copyright laws. Something that has romance, a good story, wholesome--did they write unwholesome stories in the 19th Century? Probably, but they don't teach those in English class.

I have to admit though, I'm a little nervous taking on such a project. I have a few other things that I'm working on AND a full time job. I have two spec scripts I'm working on, a show, and a play I'm hoping to return to.

That's the thing with the TV serial job...it's a LOT of work in a very short amount of time, basically 4 months to write a 700 page script by myself. And it's not just sitting down and going, it does require a wee bit of planning.

And it's hard to turn down the job...I would be paid to write. And that's a hell of a lot of fun. It's more fun when it's ALL that I'm doing, but I currently have a day job I like doing to, so I'm not willing to throw it over board yet.

The first thing to do: what story do we look at. And it's funny, the other day I was saying I wanted to read all of Charles Dickens...

...I shouldn't complain...and I AM going to take it...but holy crap I'm going to be busy...how am I going to find the time to watch TV?

Finally.

I have cracked the egg. well, proverbial egg.

I finaly figured out how to blog with my phone. This website isn't as compatable with my phone as I would like.

Now keep in mind...i'm doing this on my phone so typos WILL abound.

It's been a while, hasn't it? yep.

the show went we'll, but it certainly made me reaize how hard this business is. it is tremendously difficult. harder than one would think. and it's all so intangible...there's no clear path other than keep doing it. keep running into the wal over and over agin.

and while I'm not old, it gets harder to do this as I'm getting older.

But still, I'm not sure what else to do.

so what else? I got a new show coming up...a clown show! I'll be in it. two nights only!

more details to come!

now, i'm gonna go buy some pens.

Opening Night....

Just a friendly reminder:
It’s OPENING NIGHT for On the Night of Anthony’s 30^th Birthday Party…Again…and I hope you have tickets for tonight or some future date.

I wrote the first draft of this play two years ago. A particular moment in my life. And it’s curious and strange feeling to see this play coming to life, it’s a little bit like looking back on my own history—it’s like a diary entry from its moment of first creation.

And because it takes a time to bring a play to the stage (through the rewrites, the readings, the development, the rehearsals, etc.) that moment of first creation gets further and further away, until…I don’t know….well, it feels curious and strange to see a play that WAS you that maybe NO LONGER you.

The author’s relation to material is always different than an audiences. An audience is experiencing it for the first time, but the author has experienced it so many times, in so many different ways.

Last year, I had a show called Umbrella produced. The piece is very critical about what urban life does to the human soul…not the comedy my mom was hoping for…and the piece was first started in a dark period of my life. An audience member came up to me and told me how much they were moved by the play, which was great, and I knew that intellectually, but, in a weird twist, I was surprised. I think it was because I had moved on. I wasn’t…invested…emotionally in this play anymore. I wanted it to succeed, I still do, I think it’s a good piece of work, as is On the Night of Anthony’s 30^th Birthday Party…Again (buy your tickets now: https://www.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/643085) but the work seems outside of me now—something I did, not something I’m doing.

What am I doing? I’m working on a new play: New Horizons Through the Interplanetary Medium. I just had a reading at Potluck Plays, thanks to Heidi Handelsman. And it was great to hear and to find myself in this spot now. Whatever spot that is...

The show run March 11^th through the 28^th, Wednesday to Saturday at 8 PM.

Tickets are $18

Manhattan Theatre Source

177 MacDougal Street

New York, NY 10011

www.Theatresource.org

www.whirledpeasproductions.org

For Reservations: 212-501-4751

For Tickets: https://www.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/643085

On The Night of Anthony's 30...in rehearsals!

My play On The Night of Anthony's 30^th Birthday Party…Again has gone into rehearsals, and I'm very excited.

Produced by Whirled Peas Productions at the Manhattan Theatre Source, directed by Megan Demarest, produced by Montserrat Mendez, On the Night…opens March 11^th

On the Night of Anthony's 30th Birthday Party, Again is a single door farce about that moment in your in your life where you need to make a choice about your future: do you embrace it or stay where you are? Ben faces a decision of a lifetime. He must choose between his fiance and the girl who got away while surrounded by his closest friends. Plans are created, mistakes are made, and everything happens after the cake in this bittersweet comedy.

Featuring:

Tom Everett Russell* as Charlie, was always a good listener and a nice guy, too.

Tyler Hollinger* as Ben, the coolest guy you knew.

Synge Maher as Kate, the coolest girl you knew and you always wanted to be around her.

Stephanie Lovell as Beth, that smart sarcastic girl who was loud and spoke her mind.

Kate Grande as Jenny, that girl who was quiet in class but knew the answers.

Brandon Potter as Max, that guy who knew everything but you never knew his name.

Carsey Walker Jr.* as Otis, that guy who was always a blast at parties.

Andrew Glaszek* as Anthony, that guy that was always together and always the center of attention.

* denotes members of Actors Equity Association

The show run March 11^th through the 28^th, Wednesday to Saturday at 8 PM.

Tickets are $18

Manhattan Theatre Source

177 MacDougal Street

New York, NY 10011

www.Theatresource.org

www.whirledpeasproductions.org

For Reservations: 212-501-4751

For Tickets: https://www.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/643085

I did it.

I did it. When I made the decision to do it, I was just fine with it. But then, about an hour later, I started questioning whether or not it was the right choice.

I walked out of a show. A friend of mine was in it. He was great, lovely...I had never had a chance to see him perform.

But.

I did not like the play. I was bored out of my mind. I just didn't want to sit there any more. If it had been on TV, I would have changed the channel. And I'm sure there were people who loved the play, great. And it looks like it is selling well, great. I just couldn't. Sit. There. Any. More.

But, it's always the great dilemma, right? I want to support theatre. I want to support my friends. But sometimes...

I don't think it makes me any less of a supporter of theatre...we shouldn't be blind supporters, right?

I used to live in Minneapolis and there was this independent coffee house I went to...it was close, it was independent, and I felt good. Until, I began to realize...I didn't really like the place...to much smoke, slightly over priced, and the greatest sin: the coffee wasn't all that good.

I don't like walking out. When I sit in a theatre, when I pay my money, I want the show to be great, good, whatever. I want to be in love with theatre. And it kills me when I just...when I just can't sit there anymore.

My Wife's Documentary Of Our New Year's Eve...

New Year Eve, Times Square, 2008-2009 from Deepti Gupta on Vimeo.

New Years Eve--Times Square...we survived...

So. I'm working at the Dramatists Guild of America, and the office overlooks Times Square, and so, Deepti and I were able to watch the New Year come in from the office.

On our way...



Deepti was video taping everything, so, I am photographing her videotaping...in the elevator...



Our view out the window, towards North...



And across the street...



And of the ball...



Which changes color....



See.



For all the 12 year old girls out there...The Jonas Brothers and Ryan Seacrest....



And at the one hour mark...we celebrate New Years in Nova Scotia...



Yep. Seriously.



And for the Baby Boomers...Dick Clark...



A cop doing his job...hanging out...



Deepti keeping it real...



At the 30 minute mark...already sending in the clean up crew...



And finally...













And then we wait a little bit for it to clear out...



And that was the night...back down into the subway, a taco from the taco wagon, and then a freezing walk back home.

Happy 2009, and let's hope it's a better one than 2008...