GMG Classical Music Forum

The Music Room => Composing and Performing => Topic started by: (poco) Sforzando on May 06, 2016, 12:32:24 PM

Title: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on May 06, 2016, 12:32:24 PM
Two staged readings of my full-length play on classical music have been tentatively scheduled at a small theater about 45 minutes (by train) east of New York City, on June 17 and 24. The subject is a classical radio station that is under new management, and is expected to restructure its format in order to become more profitable. If anyone in the area is interested in attending, please let me know, either by private message or on the board. Thanks.
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: Mirror Image on May 06, 2016, 04:01:31 PM
Congratulations are in order. Hope the turnout is huge and the play's success beyond your wildest dreams.
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on May 07, 2016, 07:32:19 AM
Quote from: Mirror Image on May 06, 2016, 04:01:31 PM
Congratulations are in order. Hope the turnout is huge and the play's success beyond your wildest dreams.

Thank you for your kind thoughts. It's a very small theater so by definition a "huge" turnout is unlikely, but hopefully they will advertise effectively enough to fill the house (or I can invite all my friends).
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: Karl Henning on May 07, 2016, 09:22:14 AM
Splendid!
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: Mirror Image on May 07, 2016, 04:52:18 PM
Quote from: (poco) Sforzando on May 07, 2016, 07:32:19 AM
Thank you for your kind thoughts. It's a very small theater so by definition a "huge" turnout is unlikely, but hopefully they will advertise effectively enough to fill the house (or I can invite all my friends).

You're welcome. Keep us all updated.
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on June 13, 2016, 08:31:59 AM
Not that anybody's holding their breath (except me), but the dates for my reading have been postponed until July.

But meanwhile this past weekend at Brooklyn College, NY, I had a very short play performed as part of a group of 25 1-minute plays for actors between ages 10-16. What better topic than Chopin's "Minute Waltz," and in my play, a young pianist quarrels with his friend over the tempo of that piece until the pianist's little sister sets them both straight.

That took more time to write than the play takes to perform, but I'm told all the plays will be uploaded to YouTube and I'll post the link when it's ready.
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: North Star on June 13, 2016, 08:40:11 AM
Quote from: (poco) Sforzando on June 13, 2016, 08:31:59 AM
That took more time to write than the play takes to perform
Surely true of the Chopin, too.
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: Karl Henning on June 13, 2016, 09:50:35 AM
Well, and you don't want people to say "You probably took less time to write that, than it takes to perform the play."

Quote from: (poco) Sforzando on June 13, 2016, 08:31:59 AM
. . . but I'm told all the plays will be uploaded to YouTube and I'll post the link when it's ready.

Do, thank you.
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on June 13, 2016, 10:28:25 AM
Quote from: karlhenning on June 13, 2016, 09:50:35 AM
Well, and you don't want people to say "You probably took less time to write that, than it takes to perform the play."

No, actually the play took about an hour to write and 4-5 drafts all told (mainly cutting, since it could not exceed 1 minute in playing time). Not counting the music clips which took another two.
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: Karl Henning on June 13, 2016, 10:30:11 AM
Kind of a fun project, to have to cut something to such brevity.

Even for my 20 15-second piano pieces project, it was all building up . . . I designed short.
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on June 13, 2016, 10:36:15 AM
Quote from: karlhenning on June 13, 2016, 10:30:11 AM
Kind of a fun project, to have to cut something to such brevity.

Even for my 20 15-second piano pieces project, it was all building up . . . I designed short.

And you're a much better composer than the person I believe you were alluding to.
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: Karl Henning on June 13, 2016, 10:39:42 AM
;)
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on July 15, 2016, 12:54:22 PM
For those in the New York City area, this reading will now take place on Sunday, July 31, at 2:30 PM. I was originally expecting two performances, but for now it looks like just one. The theater is close to the Wantagh station on the Long Island Railroad, about a 45-minute train ride from Penn Station in New York. I don't know how many of you can make it (it seems like the people most interested are dispersed all over the country and even the world), but if anyone would like to come, tickets are just $15 - cheap!
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: Karl Henning on July 16, 2016, 04:58:15 AM
Splendid, good luck!  We have an event here in Boston the 30th, so I expect recuperation the following day.  Look forward to your report!
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on July 16, 2016, 08:08:20 AM
Quote from: karlhenning on July 16, 2016, 04:58:15 AM
Splendid, good luck!  We have an event here in Boston the 30th, so I expect recuperation the following day.  Look forward to your report!

That's quite all right. NY to Boston doesn't sound bad at 200 miles distance, but with traffic it can turn into a 5-6 hour one-way trip and last year it took me 4 hours just to drive home from a play in New Haven. I took the round trip once about 10 years ago, and that was 10 hours on the road. Now that I have been authoritatively identified as "geriatric," I am even less likely to head up to Beantown unless I'm staying for a few days!

Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: Sergeant Rock on July 16, 2016, 08:36:48 AM
Quote from: (poco) Sforzando on July 16, 2016, 08:08:20 AMNow that I have been authoritatively identified as "geriatric,"

Time to start chugging the Geritol.  ;D

Sarge
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: Cato on July 17, 2016, 04:20:43 PM
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on July 16, 2016, 08:36:48 AM
Time to start chugging the Geritol.  ;D

Sarge

Do they still make that?  They used to have commercials showing frumpy grumpy post-menopausal women who turned into cougars after a few swigs of Geritol!

e.g.

https://www.youtube.com/v/pni9ZePXR-w
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on July 17, 2016, 05:38:47 PM
Quote from: Cato on July 17, 2016, 04:20:43 PM
Do they still make that?  They used to have commercials showing frumpy grumpy post-menopausal women who turned into cougars after a few swigs of Geritol!

Talk about a digression . . . .

Well, at any rate, met today with the director and started discussing casting and other issues. Two rehearsals next week, a last run-through, and on with the show July 31. Now I just have to hope the director likes the play, as well as the cast, and then the audience.
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on July 31, 2016, 12:55:19 PM
Well, for the one or two people who might be interested: the worst outcome has happened, and sometimes I wonder why I even bother. Some of you already know some of this. Last winter I pitched (as they say) my play to the artistic director at a local theater where I thought it would fit in. He read the script, told me he loved it, and offered me one or more staged readings sometime during the summer. Fast forward past some of the details, and a couple of weeks ago I was finally given a single date, today, July 31, which I was told was the only free date left this calendar year. Met with the director on the 17th to discuss casting, publicity via a FaceBook page, videotaping, etc., and we came up with a rehearsal schedule. On the date of the first rehearsal last Sunday morning, I arrived at the theater to find it locked, and checked my landline to find the director had left a voice mail saying some of his actors had conflicts that day and he'd try to schedule first rehearsal on Tuesday or Wednesday instead. Wednesday comes and goes, nothing has happened, so on Thursday I sent an email asking what was going on, and I've had no response. On top of that, another play scheduled for a staged reading yesterday has gotten its FaceBook page and was presented as expected.

In other words, they cancelled my reading, without notice, explanation, or discussion. I admit my play is intellectually demanding; it's all about the state of classical music in our society and makes references to all kinds of composers everyone here knows but might not be known on the outside. And I don't know of any other play that has done this; the few plays on classical music I know invariably deal with composers or performers; mine tries to deal with broader issues and several people on this forum have read it and seem to think it has some merit. What's more, this theater has done some similarly demanding things like Alan Bennett's The History Boys and Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern; I approached this place because I thought it would respond to more challenging work, and as I say, the artistic director claimed he loved it and we have been negotiating for the past 4-5 months with every expectation that the reading would take place.

If they had rejected the play from the start I would have been disappointed, but rejection is the name of the game in theater. But they did accept it, I have a trail of emails to prove as much, they did set a date, and I had reasonable expectation they would take the necessary steps to cast, rehearse, and promote the event. What's far worse than initial rejection is getting something accepted and then having the plug pulled at the last minute for unspecified reasons. My one faint hope is that maybe a date will open in the future and they'll try again, but it's unlikely. I have sent a letter of polite but firm letter to the theater owner, not getting emotional but simply pointing out all the facts, and basically how I was led on for months before the whole thing fell apart just last week. It's not as if I have anything to lose, and under the circumstances I have every right to complain.

I do have a couple of other faint leads for this play, but I'm basically ready to throw in the towel as a failed effort on my part. Or I could keep trying; Margaret Edson's play W;t was rejected by 60 theaters, and then everyone wanted to do it (all we like sheep) because it won the Pulitzer Prize. Of course it's easy to argue that the reason they rejected my play was because it was good; but that's Saul Dz. thinking and I'm not Saul Dz. It could well be that it's not a good play. But the reading at least would have helped me see if that was the case, and now I won't have that opportunity.

A lousy week all told.
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: Karl Henning on July 31, 2016, 12:56:31 PM
That bites. Sorry for you, friend.
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on July 31, 2016, 02:16:27 PM
Quote from: karlhenning on July 31, 2016, 12:56:31 PM
That bites. Sorry for you, friend.

Thanks, but it doesn't matter.
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: Mirror Image on July 31, 2016, 04:27:29 PM
Sorry to hear about this, Sforzando.
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: Brian on July 31, 2016, 04:35:22 PM
Even reading the first two sentences, I was upset, but the rest - no playwright and no play, strike that no living and working artist at all, should have to endure this kind of treatment and rudeness. Even were your play without merit and unstageable, the back-door treachery and cowardice of the theatre would be hard to forgive. As it happens, I've of course read it, and I know that it has merit, is bracingly intelligent, and speaks to your experience in and knowledge of the theatre and effective stagecraft.

What we have here is a failure to honor good (?) word - and I'm very sorry to be reading of it.

And, as an aside, one thing distinguishing you from Saul D. is that you would greatly appreciate a reading of your play to assess its merits and refine it, while Saul D. needs hear no performance of his music whatsoever to convince himself utterly of its greatness.
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on July 31, 2016, 05:19:28 PM
Thanks to all of you, and especially Brian.
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: kishnevi on July 31, 2016, 07:48:24 PM
Sorry to hear this, but remember that while putzes abound everywhere, not every theatre group is run by putzes. So don't sour on everything just because of this.
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: Jo498 on July 31, 2016, 11:27:14 PM
Sorry to hear about that!
Just a somewhat random thought: Do you think your play might work as a radio play with some changes? Nowadays something like that could be produced with two or three actors, maybe as a webcast even. And it might even reach a larger audience than a staged version.
I don't know about the US but in Germany there is still an amazingly strong tradition for radio plays (Hoerspiele). Although one could have expected the form to become obsolete with widespread television in the 1960s/70s, it didn't go away.
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on August 01, 2016, 03:47:36 AM
Quote from: Jo498 on July 31, 2016, 11:27:14 PM
Sorry to hear about that!
Just a somewhat random thought: Do you think your play might work as a radio play with some changes? Nowadays something like that could be produced with two or three actors, maybe as a webcast even. And it might even reach a larger audience than a staged version.
I don't know about the US but in Germany there is still an amazingly strong tradition for radio plays (Hoerspiele). Although one could have expected the form to become obsolete with widespread television in the 1960s/70s, it didn't go away.

The play needs seven distinct actors, and numerous passages are conceived visually. In any case, radio plays are uncommon in the US, and even if they were, where would it be broadcast? I'm thinking (and have been thinking) of a different approach: line up a group of actors, pay them a small honorarium out of pocket if necessary, and do a production in a private home that could be recorded using a webcam and uploaded to YouTube. A form of self-publication, if you will. It wouldn't have the imprimatur of acceptance by an established theater company and might be laughed at if I put it on my résumé, but so what? Just as blogging has become a well-known vehicle for authors to get their names out there, there should be no reason not to think outside the box, and to take advantage of new technology to do the same with theater.
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: SimonNZ on August 01, 2016, 03:56:49 AM
Quote from: Brian on July 31, 2016, 04:35:22 PM
As it happens, I've of course read it,

Its available to be read? Where? I'd be very interested.

Sorry to read of the setbacks.
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on August 01, 2016, 04:12:44 AM
Quote from: SimonNZ on August 01, 2016, 03:56:49 AM
Its available to be read? Where? I'd be very interested.

Sorry to read of the setbacks.

Please PM if interested.
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on August 01, 2016, 04:16:29 AM
Quote from: (poco) Sforzando on June 13, 2016, 08:31:59 AM
Not that anybody's holding their breath (except me), but the dates for my reading have been postponed until July.

But meanwhile this past weekend at Brooklyn College, NY, I had a very short play performed as part of a group of 25 1-minute plays for actors between ages 10-16. What better topic than Chopin's "Minute Waltz," and in my play, a young pianist quarrels with his friend over the tempo of that piece until the pianist's little sister sets them both straight.

That took more time to write than the play takes to perform, but I'm told all the plays will be uploaded to YouTube and I'll post the link when it's ready.

According to my contact at Brooklyn College, BTW, this upload to YouTube is still in the works but not there yet.
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: Gurn Blanston on August 01, 2016, 04:46:05 AM
Quote from: (poco) Sforzando on August 01, 2016, 03:47:36 AM
The play needs seven distinct actors, and numerous passages are conceived visually. In any case, radio plays are uncommon in the US, and even if they were, where would it be broadcast? I'm thinking (and have been thinking) of a different approach: line up a group of actors, pay them a small honorarium out of pocket if necessary, and do a production in a private home that could be recorded using a webcam and uploaded to YouTube. A form of self-publication, if you will. It wouldn't have the imprimatur of acceptance by an established theater company and might be laughed at if I put it on my résumé, but so what? Just as blogging has become a well-known vehicle for authors to get their names out there, there should be no reason not to think outside the box, and to take advantage of new technology to do the same with theater.

Sorry to hear of your initial setback, you never know the integrity of those you are dealing with until it comes to the nut-cuttin'. So now you know. :-\

That said this self-publication idea has a very good sound to it. If your actors can project some credibility, then at the least it would be available as a calling card for future efforts. And gives you something to work on while pursuing future projects or alternative presentations of this one.

8)
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: Florestan on August 01, 2016, 04:53:17 AM
Drat!

Quote from: Brian on July 31, 2016, 04:35:22 PM
Even reading the first two sentences, I was upset, but the rest - no playwright and no play, strike that no living and working artist at all, should have to endure this kind of treatment and rudeness. Even were your play without merit and unstageable, the back-door treachery and cowardice of the theatre would be hard to forgive. As it happens, I've of course read it, and I know that it has merit, is bracingly intelligent, and speaks to your experience in and knowledge of the theatre and effective stagecraft.

What we have here is a failure to honor good (?) word - and I'm very sorry to be reading of it.


+ 1 to all of the above.

But hey, all the disgrace and dishonor is on them, not on you.

Quote from: (poco) Sforzando on August 01, 2016, 03:47:36 AM
I'm thinking (and have been thinking) of a different approach: line up a group of actors, pay them a small honorarium out of pocket if necessary, and do a production in a private home that could be recorded using a webcam and uploaded to YouTube. A form of self-publication, if you will. It wouldn't have the imprimatur of acceptance by an established theater company and might be laughed at if I put it on my résumé, but so what? Just as blogging has become a well-known vehicle for authors to get their names out there, there should be no reason not to think outside the box, and to take advantage of new technology to do the same with theater.

Excellent idea. Screw the established theater companies, set up your own independent one. Might work far beyond your wildest dreams.

And anyway, cheer up: the play is very good and original.

Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on August 01, 2016, 08:37:32 AM
This is the letter I sent to the theater's owner. No doubt I am still licking my wounds at this point, but I have every right to do so. I expect nothing to result from this, since bad actors (pun) always find excuses to justify and rationalize their bad behavior. But within the limits of my ability, I want at least to tell these people what I think of them.

QuoteI am writing to express my great displeasure and disappointment with the treatment I have received from [E] Productions concerning the proposed staged reading of my play Capriccio Radio, and in particular the behavior of your artistic director [D].

As I'm sure you'll recall, I first mentioned the possibility of your presenting my play at last fall's Gala in [C]. At the time [D] appeared receptive to the project, and early in 2016 I gave him a script, asking merely for a private reading where I could get a group of actors to let me hear the script. After reading, however, [D] told me he "loved" my play and offered 2-3 public staged readings sometime in the summer, followed by Q+A sessions. Naturally I was very pleased by this and delighted to accept.

As time went by, however, the offer was reduced to two readings tentatively set for June 17 and 24, and later still it was reduced to a single firm date, July 31, which according to [M] (who was assigned to direct) would be the last possible date you could schedule this year. I was told by [M] orally and via email to expect two rehearsals and a final run-through; and on July 17 we spent a half-hour discussing casting, publicity (which would include notices on FaceBook, DebsWeb, and Newsday), and other issues.

I arrived for the first scheduled rehearsal on Sunday, July 24, only to find the theater locked. On calling into my landline I found a voice mail from [M] cancelling the rehearsal at an hour's notice, allegedly because three of the seven cast members had conflicts, but also offering to reschedule for Tuesday or Wednesday, July 26 or 27. Even this was not a major concern as sometimes productions pull themselves together on short notice.

My first inkling that something was seriously wrong occurred on Monday, July 25, when I saw a FaceBook page for the staged reading of [A]'s play today, but nothing about my own. Tuesday and Wednesday went by with no further word from [E], and by Thursday I sent an e-mail to [D] and [M] asking for an explanation. As I write at 1:00 PM on Saturday, there has been no response.

In other words, [E] has apparently cancelled my reading, without notice, explanation, or discussion. If [D] didn't like the play, he did not have to offer the readings. But he said he "loved" the play, he did offer the readings, and [E] had at least four months to work out casting, rehearsals, production dates, and publicity. As it is, I invited a dozen people for tomorrow and now have the embarrassment of telling them all not to come.

Those are the facts which I have stated as objectively as possible, and I have attached texts of all relevant e-mails and voice mails. From the start, [E] has failed to make good on every assurance it has given me, and instead of the hoped-for positive outcome there has been a total breakdown of trust and good will.

I would hope that if in future you work with original plays and new playwrights, you will make a greater effort to conduct yourselves with integrity and professionalism.
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: Karl Henning on August 01, 2016, 09:14:16 AM
You were admirably civil, and really, your communication is not merely a complaint, but an encouragement to them to be more professional in their activities.
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on August 04, 2016, 09:14:04 AM
Not surprisingly, I haven't yet received a reply to my letter to the theater owner. No doubt they simply want me to go away so they can forget about their bad behavior and pat themselves on the back for having gotten rid of a pest who simply wanted them to live up to their word. Or at least have the decency to offer an explanation. An apology, I'm sure, would be too much to expect.

But as one door closes, another opens. I just sent off a comedy about a theater trying to cast Shakespeare's "Cleopatra and Antony" (yes, you got that right), and have an acceptance from an off-Broadway theater in NYC to produce it on Sept. 7-8. I'll have to bear the costs of rehearsal space myself (hope it's not too much), plus a small fee to the theater, but better that than no production at all.

In addition, I had some nice comments recently from an online workshop where I participate from time to time. Concerning a short play set in an old-age rehab center where a lonely man and a widow are recovering from serious injuries, one playwright wrote: "I absolutely loved your wonderful little play.  It was by turns funny and touching and thought-provoking, and I really enjoyed the contrast between the man and the woman. I have almost no critical comments - just want to say how entertaining it was to read, and how it seemed so fresh, without a single cliche in it.  So much humor in his retorts to her, and in her asides while she's rambling on.  This is EXCELLENT work and I suspect you will get numerous productions of it.  I wish I could offer help but you don't need any! Thanks for sharing such a good piece of work with me."

There was also a recent contest where playwrights were asked to come up with a short dramatic adaptation of a major literary work, intended for HS or college students. I picked the "Divine Comedy" (why do anything easy?) and spent four days writing a parody in which a HS girl (Donna) undergoes a parallel Dante-inspired journey of her own, accompanied by her Uncle Virgil, Aunt Bea, and two "cameo" characters playing all kinds of minor parts. My reviewer:

"This play written for high school and possibly college & Middle School is excellent in that regard. The play sets a tone of casual discovery which will permit students to explore this great work. To do that it doesn't skip the hard questions nor does it try to answer them. My thought is it would wet the student's appetite for these issues like God and the nature of sin, the presence of the devil and the after life.

I particularly like the voice in this work. It is mature yet fun loving, it is clear without being doctrinaire and it is respectful to Donna and young people in general. It actually reminds me of Boccaccio in its light and easy humanity."

Neither of those comments is equivalent to acceptance by a theater, but it's nice to know my efforts aren't totally hopeless.
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: Karl Henning on August 04, 2016, 09:52:57 AM
Splendid!
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on September 16, 2016, 12:54:45 PM
I have been away from this beloved space for a while, deeply involved in producing and directing the comedy I mentioned about a little theater trying to produce "Cleopatra and Antony." If you read the recently resurrected "Fidelio" thread, you'd find my little play is surprisingly relevant, as its main subject is gender-blind casting in Shakespeare, with some comments on the use of boy actors in Shakespeare's time.

This is by no means a retread of the movie "Shakespeare in Love." That delightful movie is a romantic comedy about a man in love with a woman; mine is a farce about a little theater trying to cast Shakespeare's most ambitious play and finding its choices for Cleopatra come down to a potty-mouthed boy of 10 (who was played in my production for Manhattan Repertory Theatre by a girl of 13), his brassy stage mother (who was a female, but could have been played by a big guy in drag), and an M-F Egyptian transgender of 18 (who could have been played by either a female or male, but who in our cast was a young African-American woman).

The whole thing was both a lot of work (from which I am still recovering) and a lot of fun. I initially had no end of trouble trying to find a director, until Manhattan Rep's artistic director told me just to do it myself. (Which I should have done with the other play I've been discussing, as I didn't feel the director assigned my play on classical music either understood it or had much interest in it.) There were also several initial hurdles in casting, with people unexpectedly bowing out or not being eligible because of Equity issues. Turns out that I lucked out on several of the six parts, and only one of the actors was to any degree temperamental. But with considerable input from this very good cast, the production went quite well and especially on the first night got a lot of laughs.

I was out a few hundred bucks, mostly for renting audition/rehearsal space and unavoidable travel. Next time I'll be upfront and ask if any of the cast will let me use their homes to rehearse. But fortunately the first night was the one I have preserved on video, and even though I might cut a minute or so later on, I think this is one of the better pieces I've yet written.
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: Spineur on September 16, 2016, 01:05:12 PM
Very nice writeup Poco.  I wish I could talk about my work as well as you do.  If you have some excerpt on video, I would love watching it.
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: kishnevi on September 16, 2016, 01:38:48 PM
(http://1000awesomethings.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/standing-ovation.jpg)
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on September 16, 2016, 03:54:31 PM
Well, thank you for that. But just bear in mind that this was a tiny little theater on Manhattan's West Side, the sort of hole-in-the-wall you find all over the city that seats just about 50 and puts on numerous 2-night productions of this type all year around. Those who eagerly search the NY Times looking for a rave review (or any review) from Ben Brantley will be sorely disappointed.
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: Gurn Blanston on September 16, 2016, 04:31:18 PM
This is excellent. Even a 50 seat off-off-off is better than sitting in a drawer. And they liked you, they really really liked you! Very pleased for you, Poco.   :)

8)
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: Florestan on September 16, 2016, 11:02:25 PM
Great news! Congrats!
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: Wanderer on September 17, 2016, 12:10:16 AM
These are the kind of news I like to read in the morning. Congratulations!
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: Karl Henning on September 17, 2016, 11:12:38 AM
Bravo!
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on September 23, 2016, 08:44:05 AM
Just when you thought it was safe to go out, the YouTube of my little play about Chopin's Minute Waltz has been finally posted to YouTube. Enjoy! The script is short enough to quote complete.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oysf2h-TGDg&feature=youtu.be

THE MINUTE WALTZ, a 1-minute play
Characters (1F, 2 either)
The pianist: About 15 or 16.
His (or her) friend: Same age.
The pianist's little sister: As young as possible.
Plus:   Someone to play the four audio clips.
   
Setting: The pianist's living room. An actual piano is not necessary, though a little toy keyboard and chair would be nice.
Time: Today.
The Music: Four audio files are supplied that can be played through the theater's sound system.
Production History: Produced as part of Gi60: The International One-Minute Play Festival, Brooklyn, NY, June 10-11, 2016.
The pianist: Steven Fazzolari
His friend:   Caroline Rosenblum
The pianist's little sister: Safira LaRosa

AT RISE: CLIP 1: The PIANIST is playing the opening of Chopin's Minute Waltz for the FRIEND, who interrupts after six or seven seconds.
FRIEND Stop!
PIANIST What "stop"?
FRIEND Too slow!
PIANIST What do you mean too slow? Perfect tempo.
FRIEND It's 140 bars, which means by my calculations if you're gonna play the whole Minute Waltz in one minute, you gotta play it twice as fast.
PIANIST That's ridiculous.
FRIEND Try again.
(CLIP 2: PIANIST plays somewhat faster.)
PIANIST Better?
FRIEND At that pace, still ninety seconds. Computer?
(CLIP 3: The computer plays twice as fast as PIANIST'S first tempo.)
PIANIST (Interrupting:) That's stupid! It's all wrong! Nobody can play it that fast!
FRIEND You could if you were a better pianist!
PIANIST I'm an excellent pianist!
FRIEND Not if you need two minutes to play the Minute Waltz!
LITTLE SISTER (Entering and immediately exiting:) You dummies! It's not a MINute Waltz, it's a MinUTE Waltz.
FRIEND Oh.
PIANIST Oh.
FRIEND Who knew?
PIANIST In that case:
(CLIP 4: PIANIST plays the ending at his original tempo.)
FRIEND Bravo, bravo, bravo!
(END OF PLAY)
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: Karl Henning on September 23, 2016, 09:27:56 AM
Cool!

http://www.youtube.com/v/oysf2h-TGDg
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: Parsifal on September 23, 2016, 10:01:13 AM
Best one minute of theater I can recall seeing!
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on September 23, 2016, 01:44:58 PM
Quote from: Scarpia on September 23, 2016, 10:01:13 AM
Best one minute of theater I can recall seeing!

Actually, it was 1:20. They took slow tempos.
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: Sergeant Rock on September 23, 2016, 02:01:52 PM
Excellent punchline. I laughed along with the audience.

Sarge
Title: Sforzando, playwright (topic renamed)
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on December 26, 2016, 01:24:26 PM
I haven't updated this thread for a long time. A fair amount of news, so I'll do it in a sequence of short posts.

First, a bit more news about the Staged Reading fiasco. (This post edited to include this as well, an email from me to the theater's AD and director - of course never answered:)

QuoteGentlemen:

I never expected to be writing anything like the following. Instead I was hoping to write an effusive letter of thanks to everyone at [Theater] for presenting last Sunday's staged reading of my play Capriccio Radio as we have been planning for the past six months.

This event did not take place, for reasons that have not been communicated to me. But whatever your reasons, if they had been presented tactfully I think I have the maturity to have accepted them with good grace.

It is no doubt pointless to go through all the details by now. But I chose to approach [Theater] because you seemed like a less bureaucratic organization, open to new ideas, dynamic, and willing to risk (as you put it) "putting rare productions center stage." And whatever the merits of my play, it is similar in type to other challenging work you have mounted like [some names here].

May I remind you also that my initial request to [DH] was for a private reading of my script where I could see how it plays at no risk to [Theater]. The idea for one or more public readings originated with [DH], who as late as July 14 notified me that "We are still moving forward!" And then after the July 24 rehearsal was cancelled, [MR] told me to expect "an update on where we stand with the show." That never happened; instead, the July 31 reading was cancelled without notice or explanation, and I had the embarrassment of telling everyone I invited not to come.

I am at a loss to understand your behavior after I have done all I could to support your theater, subscribe, and attend your shows — not to "get something" from you, but because the quality was often quite high — and this is the treatment I receive.

After leading me on for six months, there were any number of ways you could have handled this situation with greater diplomacy. You are both very talented and I hope you have great careers in the theater ahead. But part of being a director is to know how to treat people fairly, and in this case you have both fallen far short.

How you proceed at this point is up to you. You have my word I will not mention this subject again. But I would like to believe that when [DH] said back in February he "loved my play," at least then he was being sincere.

Yours truly,
[Me]

Then about a month ago, I finally ran into one of the theater's owners (JB), the one friendliest to me, who as it happens is leaving the theater himself because he doesn't like their policies. He assured me the theater liked the play, but had trouble casting it in time. (So why not allow more time? did they really think actors would be just waiting around with nothing else to do?) I was told that another of the owners (PR) was supposed to send me a letter (never happened), and JB agreed the theater's conduct was outrageous.

Last time I emailed JB on another matter, he told me the director (MR) assigned to my play "swore" he sent me an email. JB asked for a copy (and hadn't gotten one). I never got MR's email either. Whom do you believe?
Title: Re: Sforzando, playwright
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on December 26, 2016, 01:37:35 PM
When my Shakespeare play was being performed in September, I invited a budding playwright of my acquaintance to attend. A talented young man whom I won't identify by name, he has a lot of accomplishments for age 23 - medical researcher, artist, cyclist and triathlete, and founder of his college's literary magazine. And while from time to time we've had a few issues, at his best he is also one of the most charming, charismatic, and generous people I have ever met, as well as being a devout Modern Orthodox Jew.

Our meetings inspired me to write a long 1-act play about a devoutly Jewish college student (who otherwise has little in common with my high-spirited friend above) and his struggles to survive in the modern secular world. My student is a talented piano major, and he has conflicts with his roommate who can't understand his need to keep kosher or save himself for marriage, with his father who is divorcing his mother and leaving the faith to take up with an Episcopal girlfriend, and with the sexually alluring young woman with whom he has been paired to perform the Kreutzer Sonata. I submitted the play to Manhattan Repertory Theater and it was accepted immediately (sounds better than it is: it's a pay-per-play theater where it's easy to get in so long as you pay the entry fee) for performances on March 7 and 12. Good news is that my director of choice agreed to direct, and I hope some of you can come.
Title: Re: Sforzando, playwright
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on December 26, 2016, 01:46:36 PM
Next: I submitted a short farce I wrote three years ago (set in a Chinese restaurant) to a 1-act play festival in New York, where it was accepted immediately. (No entry fee, but I have to produce and cast the thing myself.) About 30+ plays in the festival, which has audience voting and the favorites go into a "finals" night with small cash prizes for the winners. The play gets five guaranteed performances (various dates between Jan 12-28), and no sooner was it accepted than it was also selected for a 1-act festival in New Jersey (of 8 plays) in the month following.

Took a while to find a director, but I eventually teamed up with a guy who really likes it. Also took some trouble to find a cast that could make all the dates both in NY and NJ. But one guy who couldn't do the NJ dates has a theater in NY of his own, and he suggested the possibility of doing the play this summer, possibly with some other pieces of mine.

Fingers crossed.
Title: Re: Sforzando, playwright
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on December 26, 2016, 02:11:46 PM
Last piece of news. A theater in NY runs a contest every year based on a theme, where last year was the President Plays. Six 10-minute plays are selected, and each gets two staged readings on the same day. Last year I was a finalist, with a little play about a naturalized citizen from Venezuela who is convinced he is eligible to run for President, even more eligible than Nixon or LBJ. A nice thing is that the theater supplies the director and cast, with no expenses for the playwright, and as it happens my director was the daughter of composer Lukas Foss, a wonderful woman who at 50 could pass for 30.

That is background. This year the theme was anything related to the month of January, and I immediately thought of adapting Chaucer's bawdy and ribald Merchant's Tale, where old man January and his lovely young wife May represent stages in a human life, and he is cuckolded by a hot young stud. It was going kind of flat until I saw a short play by my Jewish friend (above) all in verse, and I decided to write my own adaptation in verse. All of a sudden, it sparkled. I put more care and work into that adaptation than into half a dozen "original" things I've done, and I had high hopes. Well, I made the semifinals (top 10 out of 75+ entries), and who knows why I didn't get into the final six - maybe their committee didn't want adaptations, or my piece didn't mesh with the other plays selected. But even so, the curator for the contest said the theater might want to stage the play in the future. So not all bad news, and I've already sent the play elsewhere, including to a contest where the theme is (shhhh!) sex.
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: Karl Henning on December 28, 2016, 06:43:54 AM
How splendid that there is such abundance of news.  Carry on!
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on December 29, 2016, 06:18:22 PM
Had a nice 1-hour phone conversation with my director for "A Kreutzer Sonata" (that's the play about the Jewish student who is paired with the foxy chick to play the Beethoven Kreutzer), and the nicest news is that he really likes my play - calling it "dramatic, entertaining, and heart-warming." Who would have thunk it, "heart-warming" from an old curmudgeon like Sforzando.

Meanwhile, my artist-playwright friend from posts above is designing the logo for my production. In the words of my director: "I like the design, good use of contrast and gets the idea of the play across in a clear, colorful way." The design is under my friend's copyright, but I'll link to it once it's posted on the theater's website.
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: Karl Henning on December 29, 2016, 06:28:10 PM
Splendid.  Carry on!
Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on December 29, 2016, 06:55:04 PM
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on December 29, 2016, 06:28:10 PM
Splendid.  Carry on!

Thank you. BTW, does anyone know if I can globally rename the title (subject) of this thread?
Title: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: Karl Henning on December 29, 2016, 07:05:07 PM
My thought is, you can change the title in the OP, and that will govern fresh replies. Replies to existing posts with the prior thread title won't reflect the change, but it will cycle out eventually.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Title: Re: A staged reading of my play on classical music
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on December 30, 2016, 05:09:37 AM
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on December 29, 2016, 07:05:07 PM
My thought is, you can change the title in the OP, and that will govern fresh replies. Replies to existing posts with the prior thread title won't reflect the change, but it will cycle out eventually.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Tried that. Doesn't work.
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: Karl Henning on December 30, 2016, 05:23:53 AM
Doesn't it?
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on December 30, 2016, 06:02:29 AM
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on December 30, 2016, 05:23:53 AM
Doesn't it?

Now it does!  ;D
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on January 04, 2017, 02:49:22 PM
Quote from: (poco) Sforzando on December 29, 2016, 06:18:22 PM
Had a nice 1-hour phone conversation with my director for "A Kreutzer Sonata" (that's the play about the Jewish student who is paired with the foxy chick to play the Beethoven Kreutzer), and the nicest news is that he really likes my play - calling it "dramatic, entertaining, and heart-warming." Who would have thunk it, "heart-warming" from an old curmudgeon like Sforzando.

Meanwhile, my artist-playwright friend from posts above is designing the logo for my production. In the words of my director: "I like the design, good use of contrast and gets the idea of the play across in a clear, colorful way." The design is under my friend's copyright, but I'll link to it once it's posted on the theater's website.

Here's my friend's drawing (post of January 4), with some nice comments on my play. Well, now you know his name. No biggie.
http://www.yaakovbressler.com/artwork.html

Here you'll see an earlier state before he lightened the background:
http://www.yaakovbressler.com/whats-new

And here is a portrait of the artist as a young man:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BOkJQdPD9uF/?taken-by=boss_yaakov
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on January 19, 2017, 12:17:42 PM
I may be just speaking to myself at this point, but that's OK; I don't mind listening. Just a few updates on the playwriting front.

First, I'm more in production than creative mode now, with my farce set in a Chinese restaurant having had its first two out of eight projected performances (five in Queens, NY, and three in Maplewood, NJ), and a director and cast are set for my more serious play about the orthodox Jewish piano student.

The "festival" (though I have no idea what's particularly festive about it) in Queens is divided into four groups of 6-7 plays each, and each play gets five performances with the audience voting for its favorites and the top plays going into a finals night where a small grand cash prize is awarded for play, director, actor, and actress. We had a great first performance where my play was #2 in its group and #4 overall. And I'm competing against MFAs and people with huge resumes. Last night's performance frankly sucked, where the actors were thrown by a dead audience and by trying to finding an essential prop piece (a table) that wasn't where it was supposed to be and which held up the play for two minutes. Don't know my ratings now yet. But my director remains fiercely behind the piece.

We've just finished casting my other play about the piano student and an initial reading and first rehearsal should be starting soon. All the cast look strong, but I'm especially happy with the young man playing the lead. I had seen him before in a college production of Tony Kushner's Angels in America Part I, where he was excellent in the difficult lead role of Prior Walter, the AIDS victim turned Prophet.

More to come . . . .

Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on January 19, 2017, 12:18:39 PM
A new play has come to mind. I already have a detailed outline, but nothing more. I won't go through all of it, but it is loosely based on multiple people I know. One source is two identical twins, one of whom is studying medicine and the other who gave up his career as a medical researcher to pursue the arts, a decision that cause him to break with his parents. Another source is a friend of whom I learned he was studying musical composition over his father's opposition, so the father told the boy his teacher was no longer interested in working with him, and told the teacher the boy had lost all interest in composition. Years later both boy and teacher learned they had been lied to. Still a third source is my deplorable experience with that theater up-thread. Last, I take a hint from Hedda Gabler: after the boy is lied to, he destroys all his music, but his twin has secretly kept backups of all his brother's work, so it can be reconstructed, just like Eilert Lovborg's book can be reconstructed after Hedda burns it. So far the play looks very solid, and I am very interested in learning about the special relationships between twins.

More . . . .
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on January 19, 2017, 12:27:43 PM
Finally, my verse adaptation of Chaucer's Merchant's Tale, which made the semifinals in that competition for 10-minute plays about January. I went to the finals performance, where the top six plays were performed. Of them, one was really good, a few were OK, and just one put me in "what the f*** were you thinking?" mode. Afterwards, the curator for the event told me my play was "lovely," but because it was in verse it didn't lend itself to a staged reading. I have no idea why this should be so, especially since I thought the verse was the strongest element.

But I'll keep sending it around in hopes of a production. If I can cast it with a gorgeous girl and a well-built young hunk in a Speedo, it's bound to get applause.

Thanks for listening, if anyone is . . . .
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: Karl Henning on January 19, 2017, 05:42:19 PM
Quote from: (poco) Sforzando on January 19, 2017, 12:17:42 PM
I may be just speaking to myself at this point, but that's OK; I don't mind listening. Just a few updates on the playwriting front.

First, I'm more in production than creative mode now, with my farce set in a Chinese restaurant having had its first two out of eight projected performances (five in Queens, NY, and three in Maplewood, NJ), and a director and cast are set for my more serious play about the orthodox Jewish piano student.

The "festival" (though I have no idea what's particularly festive about it) in Queens is divided into four groups of 6-7 plays each, and each play gets five performances with the audience voting for its favorites and the top plays going into a finals night where a small grand cash prize is awarded for play, director, actor, and actress. We had a great first performance where my play was #2 in its group and #4 overall. And I'm competing against MFAs and people with huge resumes. Last night's performance frankly sucked, where the actors were thrown by a dead audience and by trying to finding an essential prop piece (a table) that wasn't where it was supposed to be and which held up the play for two minutes. Don't know my ratings now yet. But my director remains fiercely behind the piece.

We've just finished casting my other play about the piano student and an initial reading and first rehearsal should be starting soon. All the cast look strong, but I'm especially happy with the young man playing the lead. I had seen him before in a college production of Tony Kushner's Angels in America Part I, where he was excellent in the difficult lead role of Prior Walter, the AIDS victim turned Prophet.

More to come . . . .



Not to yourself alone.  Good to read all this; carry on.
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: kishnevi on January 19, 2017, 05:53:44 PM
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on January 19, 2017, 05:42:19 PM
Not to yourself alone.  Good to read all this; carry on.
So say I as well.

Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on January 20, 2017, 07:56:35 AM
Thank you both for your interest. And Karl, I'll really have to start paying much more attention to your own thread, but at 324 pages it's a bit overwhelming.

Meanwhile, since my new play is not yet written (if it ever will be) and a lot could change, here is a detailed synopsis for anyone who cares to comment:

The Smartest, Handsomest, Most Talented Boy in the World (Except His Twin)

Characters (3M, 2F): Twin1, Twin2, Mother, Mentor/Father, Twin2's Wife

The title comes from a phrase that a mother speaks to her son, and therefore it may be either totally ironic or have some basis. Two twins, both intensely competitive and intensely devoted to each other, are driven to succeed academically, romantically, and above all creatively. But Twin2, a composer, appears to have the stronger talent than Twin1, an artist.

Artistic ambitions run in the family, but Mother (who has had a modestly successful career singing opera), has concealed from the twins the fact that their father killed himself when they were very young, after a promised major exhibition was cancelled without explanation or notice. Concerned that the twins may not be able to support themselves, and fearing that a strain of depression may run in the family, she condones their artistic interests only if they also study for financially remunerative careers when in college. Meanwhile, Mother has created a family environment that is sometimes supportive, other times severely critical, and both boys suffer from their mother's emotional extremes.

During their college years both boys major in practical things: accounting for Twin1, and biology/pre-med for Twin2; at the same time they study with capable artistic teachers. But while Twin1's teacher expects little of him and sees him as a respectable plodder, Twin2's mentor puts him through grueling if exciting paces that only stimulate his decision following sophomore year to make music his life.

Alarmed, Mother refuses to pay any further for Twin2's education. Seeing this has no effect, Mother confronts Mentor to tell him that Twin2 has lost interest in composing. At the same time she tells Twin2 that Mentor has decided he is insufficiently talented for him to retain as a student. Twin2 is devastated, transfers to another school to avoid any further contact with Mentor, and deletes all his music files and shreds all printouts, causing a temporary rift with Twin1 who feels his brother is being foolish in destroying his work and bending to their mother's will.

But concerned for his financial security and about to marry the girl he loves, Twin2 decides to pursue the career in medicine his mother advises. Twin1 on the other hand, unwilling to give up on his artistic ambitions, severs all ties with his mother and declares an art studio major himself. The rift between the twins is mended after graduation when Twin2 finds Twin1 living in near squalor with five roommates in a barely heated apartment that also serves as his studio. Unwilling to bear seeing his brother suffer, Twin2 takes him into his home. Meanwhile, Twin2 maintains a distant and guarded relationship with his mother, who complains endlessly about Twin1's failure.

(Intermission about here, if at all)
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on January 20, 2017, 07:59:10 AM
The Smartest, Handsomest, Most Talented Boy in the World (Except His Twin) - part 2

As the years go on, Twin1 struggles financially and always needs Twin2's help, despite feeling guilty and inadequate about depending on monetary assistance from his brother, who is now a successful pediatrician. Still, Twin1 makes progress as a painter, and achieves sporadic recognition for his art and a few sales which create fleeting periods of elation. This modest success, along with emotional support from Twin2 and his wife when Twin1 succumbs to agonizing periods of self-doubt, has helped Twin1 maintain a fragile equilibrium that prevents him from succumbing to the alcoholism and extreme depression that led their father to suicide. Not that Twin1 in his more self-pitying moods is always easy for his brother to deal with, and on his side Twin1 (despite any number of one-night stands and short-term relationships) struggles with but ultimately refrains from acting on his intense sexual feelings for Twin2's wife.

Years later when Mother dies, Twin2 encounters Mentor at her funeral and learns she lied to both of them, the reality being that Twin2 was one of Mentor's favorite students. But it is too late. Twin2 has lost all creative drive, and refuses to speak of his former artistic endeavors. But following Twin2's encounter with Mentor, Twin1 reveals he has secretly kept backups of everything Twin2 has composed (Twin2's weakness having been in using Twin1's name as his password), and even though the data is in an obsolete format, it is recoverable. Twin2 breaks down at this revelation, including the sight of pages from compositions he had thought were lost forever.

A letter sealed with Mother's will finally explains to the men at age 40 the true cause of their father's death. Both twins now realize that Mother's actions, however cruel they seemed at the time, were misguided attempts at protecting her children, and the men acknowledge their complementary strengths and weaknesses: Twin2 may have had the greater talent but chose the safer path, while Twin1 was perhaps less gifted but more courageous. The play ends with the Twins reaffirming their unwavering devotion towards one another.

Notes: The same twin actors will play the boys at varying ages from 5 to 40. A parallel female-centered version of the play may also be created, called The Smartest, Prettiest, and Most Talented Girl in the World (Except Her Twin), 4F/1M.
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: Parsifal on January 20, 2017, 08:02:13 AM
Wow, sounds like you're having a fun second career!
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: Karl Henning on January 20, 2017, 08:20:20 AM
The Smartest, Handsomest, Most Talented Boy in the World (Except His Twin)

This is cracking!  Cuts close to the odd bone, and that is part of why it is so cracking.
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on January 20, 2017, 08:44:39 AM
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on January 20, 2017, 08:20:20 AM
The Smartest, Handsomest, Most Talented Boy in the World (Except His Twin)

This is cracking!  Cuts close to the odd bone, and that is part of why it is so cracking.

Are you a twin, Karl? I would very much like to talk to some twins as part of my process. My artist-playwright friend upthread is also a twin, and it's so interesting to see him interact with his brother.
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: Karl Henning on January 20, 2017, 08:53:26 AM
Nay, I am no twin.
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on January 20, 2017, 09:02:40 AM
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on January 20, 2017, 08:53:26 AM
Nay, I am no twin.

Moi non plus. But twinship is such an interesting phenomenon, and one which perhaps only twins can experience themselves. I want to write something in which twins are not treated as cute (such as The Parent Trap), but as something darker and more conflicted - though ultimately redemptive.
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on January 20, 2017, 09:15:15 AM
Quote from: Scarpia on January 20, 2017, 08:02:13 AM
Wow, sounds like you're having a fun second career!

I am. Fun, scary, challenging, frustrating all at once or in succession. There are times I'm writing like crazy and others when I can't do a thing. Periods of elation and deep depression. I was delighted for instance to see my Chinese restaurant play place #2 after round 1 in my group of seven and #4 overall, but now after round 2 (and what we all agreed was a really off performance), we are down to #5 in my group (though higher than all the plays in another group). Still, I agree that the best play in my group (other of course than mine) is in top place. But there are three rounds to go and I am hoping to see some of my friends there this weekend. I'd really just love to make the finals, because that means my play will be published.
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: Karl Henning on January 20, 2017, 10:54:41 AM
Cool.
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: Florestan on January 20, 2017, 11:19:46 AM
Way to go, Larry! Go for it!
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: Zeus on January 20, 2017, 02:39:18 PM
It's good reading all of the above. I also will be silently cheering for you.
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on January 20, 2017, 03:34:00 PM
Quote from: Judge Fish on January 20, 2017, 02:39:18 PM
It's good reading all of the above. I also will be silently cheering for you.

Cheering out loud is accepted too.
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: Pat B on January 23, 2017, 08:28:49 AM
Oh, I missed a lot of activity on this thread. Hope the remaining festival shows go well!
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on February 06, 2017, 08:46:52 AM
A bit of an update. My little Chinese restaurant farce has concluded its 5-performance run in Queens, NY, and will have another 3 performances at another competition "festival" this weekend in Maplewood, NJ. I hope those performances will go well, though it's also possible the cast has gotten past its initial excitement.

My play did not make it into the "finals" in Queens, but then again neither did any play from the group with which it was performed. The theater's scoring system is frankly ridiculous. There were about 25 plays grouped in four programs labelled A-D, and audience members rank the plays from 0-10. Well, I was in group C, and since obviously audiences won't go to all four groups, which groups are they going to assume are the "best"? Obviously A and B. But I in fact went to see all four groups, and I thought the best single play of the lot was one in group D with some of the lowest scores. It's all nothing but a numbers game: if 10 people see a play and give it all 10s, and 40 people see another play and give it all 3s, who wins? (The concept of weighted averaging is apparently beyond the theater owner.)

Still, I have a video of the play that I'll put in my Dropbox later today or tomorrow.

Tonight I'm off to NYC to hear a reading of my playwright/artist friend Yaakov's latest work, his second large play. I hope he does well. I thought his first play showed promise but also a number of structural deficiencies, and since he has no formal training in playwriting I hope he'll have made some progress on his own. But he also has the advantages of being young, ambitious, and optimistic, while I'm always fearful I'm past my creative prime.

Fact is, at age 68 I'm at the point in my playwriting career where I should have been 45 years ago. I can absorb all the rejections, but with who knows how many good years I have ahead of me, I doubt I'm likely to "break through" in any meaningful way. I'm certainly not going to spend thousands to enroll in an MFA program at this stage, and I'll just have to continue in the hopes of achieving some minor recognition.

We did have a first reading last week of my larger play about the Jewish piano student, and my director says he was "stoked." I think this is a good thing, no?
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: Karl Henning on February 06, 2017, 08:59:02 AM
Aye, as I understand it (in a limited way) "stoked" is the good thing.

Great that you've got a video document!

Brush off the disappointments, and keep at the work.
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on February 06, 2017, 09:13:44 AM
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on February 06, 2017, 08:59:02 AM
Aye, as I understand it (in a limited way) "stoked" is the good thing.

Great that you've got a video document!

Brush off the disappointments, and keep at the work.

QuoteUrban Dictionary: "stoked" - adjective - to be "stoked" is to be completely and intensely enthusiastic, exhilirated, or excited about something. those who are stoked all of the time know this; being stoked is the epitome of all being. when one is stoked, there is no limit to what one can do.

Still, when you have a personality like mine that is easily prone to depression, it's not always easy to "brush off" or start working again.
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: Mirror Image on February 06, 2017, 04:06:59 PM
Don't get discouraged, Sforzando. Continue pressing forward.
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on February 07, 2017, 07:26:33 AM
Quote from: Mirror Image on February 06, 2017, 04:06:59 PM
Don't get discouraged, Sforzando. Continue pressing forward.

Thank you for the kind thoughts, John and Karl.
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: Florestan on February 07, 2017, 07:34:55 AM
Carry on, Larry, carry on!
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on February 08, 2017, 07:11:33 AM
While others are sounding the trumpets, my little band of 3-4 followers can see my latest little play:

https://vimeo.com/201348872
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: Karl Henning on February 08, 2017, 07:35:59 AM
I see 13 peas.

It came out harsher than I wanted.


That was all good fun, thank you.  Glad I don't go to lunch with the guy in the middle   8)
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: Pat B on February 08, 2017, 05:04:25 PM
I hate Jade Dragon!
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: owlice on February 11, 2017, 11:32:54 AM
I love Jade Dragon; they have the best sauce!
Title: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: Karl Henning on February 11, 2017, 02:12:23 PM
Yoo-hoo, owlice!

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright) - Invitation to all New Yorkers
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on February 25, 2017, 02:12:40 PM
Haven't been frequenting these parts of late, but for everyone in the New York area, I would like to extend an invitation to my new play that will premiere at Manhattan Repertory Theatre (W. 45th St.) on March 7 and 12.

We are now deep in rehearsals and response from cast and crew has been highly gratifying. My playwright friend Yaakov Bressler, who also designed my logo, has written, "Aside from being an intellectually stimulating piece with complex characters, A KREUTZER SONATA is a relevant work questioning how all people and specifically Jews balance their beliefs with participating in the modern world." And my director Christopher Erlendson writes, "We don't have many full-length plays with these kinds of characters and this kind of spiritual meaning in NYC."

Last, my lead actor has said the following on his Facebook page: "On March 7th and 12th I'm starring in this lovely play at the Manhattan Repertory Theatre! It's been a wonderful experience in character, religion, and creating new works. I'd love to see some familiar faces come out to support me and Long Island playwright Larry Rinkel. Tickets available at http://manhattanrep.com/a-kreutzer-sonata"

I assure you I have not paid a dime to any of these fine folk for their reviews! But this has been a very personal play for me and I think it perhaps my best to date. And so I hope anyone on the forum who's interested in the problems of maintaining a religious life while living in the contemporary world can come and enjoy the play.
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: Karl Henning on February 26, 2017, 02:50:31 AM
This is terrific news! Mazel tov!
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on February 26, 2017, 04:25:58 AM
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on February 26, 2017, 02:50:31 AM
This is terrific news! Mazel tov!

Thank you! (But can you come?)
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: Karl Henning on February 26, 2017, 09:04:07 AM
Quote from: (poco) Sforzando on February 26, 2017, 04:25:58 AM
Thank you! (But can you come?)

Wish I might!  The greatest interference is the day-job, of course, so Tuesday is out (too little lead time for me to jockey for the days off).  If the Sunday performance is matinee-ish, it might be doable, save that the 12th won't be a Sunday which I can take off (we've scheduled the handbell choir for performance in the service).  I am sorry for it, as I should indeed like to be in the audience!
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on February 26, 2017, 03:07:54 PM
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on February 26, 2017, 09:04:07 AM
Wish I might!  The greatest interference is the day-job, of course, so Tuesday is out (too little lead time for me to jockey for the days off).  If the Sunday performance is matinee-ish, it might be doable, save that the 12th won't be a Sunday which I can take off (we've scheduled the handbell choir for performance in the service).  I am sorry for it, as I should indeed like to be in the audience!

If it helps, the Tuesday March 7 performance is at 6:30, and the Sunday March 12 date is 3:00 (also Purim Sunday)!

But if you know anyone interested, Karl, please point them my way. Perhaps you can cut and paste my last message and post it at
http://www.classicalmusicguide.com/, since I have been banned from that site by the charming moderator and surely there are many New Yorkers interested in Judaism still active there.
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: Karl Henning on February 26, 2017, 03:40:30 PM
Will be happy to share, Larry!
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on February 27, 2017, 01:56:51 PM
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on February 26, 2017, 03:40:30 PM
Will be happy to share, Larry!

Please do at your earliest convenience, Karl. Thanks!
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: Karl Henning on February 27, 2017, 02:29:26 PM
Done!
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: Karl Henning on March 06, 2017, 06:23:10 AM
Good luck Break a leg tomorrow!
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: Karl Henning on March 07, 2017, 01:40:42 AM
Tonight is the first performance, exciting!  Best wishes!
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on March 07, 2017, 05:13:13 AM
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on March 07, 2017, 01:40:42 AM
Tonight is the first performance, exciting!  Best wishes!

Thank you! Dress/tech last night, and I'm looking forward to a good house!
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: Karl Henning on March 07, 2017, 05:45:36 AM
Excellent!
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: Karl Henning on March 09, 2017, 10:46:05 AM
How was it received?
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: Brian on March 09, 2017, 12:29:44 PM
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on March 09, 2017, 10:46:05 AM
How was it received?
Yes, how was it?

(Sorry for my earlier silence, but I did relay your invitation & the details to my friend in NYC. She was working the late shift and has plans Sunday unfortunately.)

I may not be around to immediately read your reports on the performances (vacation 'til the 20th), but look forward keenly to reading them!
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: Karl Henning on March 13, 2017, 08:34:23 AM
Say, how was yesterday?
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on March 13, 2017, 11:38:02 AM
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on March 13, 2017, 08:34:23 AM
Say, how was yesterday?

Hi. I'll get back to you on this soon. In recovery mode.
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: Karl Henning on March 14, 2017, 05:53:45 AM
Of course!
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on March 15, 2017, 10:13:13 AM
I find there is always a let-down period after a production finishes when I don't want to do anything at all. This is one. A little chapter in my life has closed, and I don't feel the creative energy to begin a new one just yet.

We had two performances, March 7 and 12, and in our 40-seat theater we got 28 people one day and 20 the next. That's a decent turnout, but I expect I would have done better if I had not thoughtlessly scheduled the Sunday performance for Purim afternoon, the most festive day on the Jewish calendar.
No matter. On the whole I was very pleased with our cast, headed by a remarkably talented young actor named Tim Oriani, and our director Christopher Erlendson. No question we could have used some additional rehearsal time, as Chris had to step in almost at the last minute for an actor who had unavoidable work conflicts, and basically our opening night was our first full run-through. As a result he had no opportunity to see the whole show from the front, and I would have liked some tightening of the transitions between scenes. But we had both performances video-recorded, and perhaps I can edit the videos to improve the continuity.

The play is my attempt, as a non-believer of Jewish heritage, to get into the mind of a young person of unshakably devout Orthodox faith. The play tackles questions that every Jewish person encounters at some point in their life. Is true friendship possible between a Jew and a gentile? What do you do when an attractive person not of your faith comes on to you? Or when a family member leaves the faith entirely? Can the talented young music student David Lindenbaum survive in a secular society while remaining true to his faith as a Modern Orthodox Jew?

Presenting the play led me to see some weaknesses in the script, but I think the basic premise is sound. You can see a couple of trailers here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1746803358981396/permalink/1767898303538568/

Tim wrote as follows: "On March 7th and 12th I'm starring in this lovely play at the Manhattan Repertory Theatre! It's been a wonderful experience in character, religion, and creating new works." Chris wrote to the cast, "We don't have many full-length plays with these kinds of characters and this kind of spiritual meaning in NYC."

And here are some other comments I received:

"Last night, I was presented with a charming story in an intimate setting about many things, from the positive emotional power a religion can give oneself, misconceptions about cultures and ways of life around us, how they affect our connections, family, real world vs. the one you thought you were in, etc. It was lighthearted and provoked some thought in me."

"Hi Larry, I wanted to write to you and let you know how much I enjoyed the show last night. The play was absolutely incredible, thank you. As someone who has only recently started observing all of the mitzvot of Judaism, but who identifies as modern orthodox, I really identified with Dovid and the other characters. I think my favorite part was when Dovid was listing all of the positive, wonderful things about Judaism. Unfortunately these gems sometimes get buried under all of the negative commandments we must follow, and I think if we spent more time on the positive commandments, we would get much more out of Judaism."

"Saw A KREUTZER SONATA tonight at Manhattan Rep Theater. Amazing work! Striking, fast paced, and entertaining. Really delves into the subject of the American-Jewish experience."
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: Karl Henning on March 15, 2017, 10:29:01 AM
Congratulations!  All very good to hear.
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: kishnevi on March 15, 2017, 05:16:18 PM
Ovation!
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on March 30, 2017, 09:53:16 AM
Great news for all those who wanted to but didn't get to "A Kreutzer Sonata" this past March, or who want to see it again, or who want to invite all their friends and relations: "Kreutzer" has been accepted by another New York City theatre for a second round of performances this August.

Don't have all the details yet, and I'm going to keep the location secret until I know more. But response to the play from both company and audiences has been highly gratifying, and I hope for even more people to come see "Dovid Lindenbaum" and his friends in a few months!
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: Karl Henning on March 30, 2017, 10:16:36 AM
That is fabulous news, congratulations!  When you have dates, let a chap know.
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: Pat B on April 03, 2017, 09:41:03 AM
Quote from: (poco) Sforzando on March 30, 2017, 09:53:16 AM
Great news for all those who wanted to but didn't get to "A Kreutzer Sonata" this past March, or who want to see it again, or who want to invite all their friends and relations: "Kreutzer" has been accepted by another New York City theatre for a second round of performances this August.

Don't have all the details yet, and I'm going to keep the location secret until I know more. But response to the play from both company and audiences has been highly gratifying, and I hope for even more people to come see "Dovid Lindenbaum" and his friends in a few months!

Congratulations!

I know next-to-nothing about theater. Since you said: "Presenting the play led me to see some weaknesses in the script," I am curious: do you edit it for the second round?
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on April 03, 2017, 11:58:15 AM
Quote from: Pat B on April 03, 2017, 09:41:03 AM
Congratulations!

I know next-to-nothing about theater. Since you said: "Presenting the play led me to see some weaknesses in the script," I am curious: do you edit it for the second round?

I will be making some changes, yes.
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: Karl Henning on August 30, 2017, 06:05:08 AM
A Kreutzer Sonata has seen a bit of a run, congratulations!  Did the performances wax tighter over time?
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on August 31, 2017, 12:55:02 PM
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on August 30, 2017, 06:05:08 AM
A Kreutzer Sonata has seen a bit of a run, congratulations!  Did the performances wax tighter over time?

Run over. I see I haven't updated this thread for a long, long time. So let me start with a modified version of a post from June 8 on Facebook:

PLAYWRIGHT'S BLOG, Jan-Jun 2017
This has been so far a very good year for me in theater, and it's not half over. Back in January, my short farce "Peas in the Fried Rice" set in a Chinese restaurant was performed at The Secret Theatre, followed by three showings at another festival in Maplewood, NJ. In May Manhattan Repertory Theatre saw my romantic comedy "A Semicolon is a Double" for two high-school boys, and just recently this same play was voted audience and judges' favorite at a preliminary round of the Fresh Fruit Festival, which means it advances to the finals in July. (Actually a third theater expressed an interest as well, but passed because the play had been done twice in NY this spring. But I'll be writing something else for them.) [Update: the finals came and went, but there was no voting for a grand prize at the finals.]

My verse adaptation of Chaucer's "Merchant's Tale," entitled "The Fable of January and May," just wrapped up a short run at The Secret Theatre, and I'm working on a short article about the play for a scholarly Chaucer blog. [Update: Was not pleased that the scholar in charge there never got back to me.]

And last week my capsule dramatization of Dante's "Divine Comedy" was offered a slot this July at the Art of Adaptation Festival in Chicago, and I'm looking to find a director. I'm even getting requests from actors for me to write something for them. [Update: the play got two performances in late July, but did not win the first place award despite some nice comments.]

But perhaps most important to me was the premiere in March of my long one-act/short full-length "A Kreutzer Sonata," my play about the struggles of a Modern Orthodox college student to reconcile his Judaism with survival in the modern world. In this play I took a commonplace incident – a Jewish piano student paired with an Italian violinist to play Beethoven's Kreutzer Sonata – as the basis for an exploration of faith, doctrine, and the main character's relationships with family, friends, and the girl with whom he is infatuated.

I thought the two performances at Manhattan Repertory in March might be the last of this play, but it's now been accepted for five shows at the much larger Secret Theatre at their UNFringed Festival, August 9, 13, 19, 24, and 29. We're still working on casting, but some of our earlier cast will be back and our other roles will be filled anew. I am also revisiting the script based on suggestions from a number of viewers and readers.

Next post will be more specifically about "Kreutzer." So that's five productions of my work this year, and I'll have another very short play called "Two Portraits," a kind of parable about artistic creativity, that will be produced at Dixon Place in NY on September 23.
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on September 06, 2017, 08:12:51 PM
Given all the horrible things happening in the world today (Houston, Irma, DACA, N. Korea, the continued presidency of Donald Duck), it may seem superfluous even to mention something as small as one of my own plays. However, this one matters a lot to me personally, and the experience of putting it on, despite some problems, was on the whole a valuable one. But I'll be a bit more candid here in this smaller group than I would be on Facebook.

In my 90-minute play "A Kreutzer Sonata," a talented Jewish piano student enrolls on full scholarship at a major conservatory. In all kinds of ways he finds his faith and observances challenged by the outside world. His mother wants him to stay home and attend a Jewish university to study something practical. His more sophisticated father wants him to learn how to deal with the modern world. He is faced with a satirical roommate who finds his Jewish practices absurd, with a demanding piano professor who secretly admires his exceptional talent but never stops pushing him, and with an alluring lapsed Catholic violinist with whom he has been paired to play the Beethoven Kreutzer, and who plainly takes a sexual interest in him despite his unwillingness to date a girl outside his faith.

David (performed splendidly by Tim Oriani) faces a variety of challenges, and how he deals with them forms the action of the play. His mother wants him to find a Jewish roommate — and he refuses. His violinist tries (we do not learn how successfully) to seduce him — and while he first stops attending class and contemplates leaving music school, he comes to accept the responsibility of performing the Kreutzer with the same violinist. Faced with the revelation that his father has been cheating on his mother and is getting a divorce, he first reacts with anger, but then learns to accept his father's Episcopal girlfriend and to forgive his father too. He even takes his skeptical roommate to Shabbat services. In each case he falters at first, but his eventual decisions both show him engaging with the modern world, and being more truthful to what's most essential in Modern Orthodox Judaism.

Something of a shock, therefore, to read one of our reviews claiming that David doesn't change during the play (I can easily find a dozen major instances to the contrary), and another making the even wilder claim that the play itself is anti-Semitic! The argument seems to be that since the Jews in the play exhibit human frailties and shortcomings, their behavior is hypocritical, and therefore "this play lays the groundwork for explaining the existence of anti-Semitism, making it, in my opinion, an anti-Semitic play." Even if the reviewer's conclusion followed his premise, this is a defamatory charge and I fail to see how it can be legitimately argued based on the play I wrote.

It would be unprofessional and counter-productive for me to engage this reviewer directly. In fact I wonder if I should speak to a lawyer specializing in libel cases, since any one Googling my name and play will see this review, and not knowing the work, will assume the conclusion is justified. But in fact a variety of audience comments mostly from Jewish people speak to the contrary: "A beautiful little one act that tells the story of a college freshman trying to reconcile his orthodox Judaism with a secular world." "A charming and lighthearted story in an intimate setting about the positive emotional power a religion can give oneself." "A relevant work questioning how all people and specifically Jews balance their beliefs with participating in the modern world. A fantastic experience for me as an American Jew." "My favorite part was when David was listing all of the positive, wonderful things about Judaism." "I was extremely impressed by how powerful and inspiring it was. The acting was phenomenal and the story was touching." "The wonderful ending reminded me of my own identity issues." "A fantastic play that everyone can relate to. If you love music, coming of age stories, and the eternal struggle to keep a dream alive while still being true to your faith, then come see this play!"

A complete video now has been made and I'll provide a link for anyone who wishes to PM me. Afterwards, if you feel I have been maligned, perhaps you can write a comment on the reviewer's blog supporting me against the more defamatory of these reviews.
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: Karl Henning on September 07, 2017, 01:12:38 AM
Send me the link via email, please!
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on September 07, 2017, 03:39:46 AM
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on September 07, 2017, 01:12:38 AM
Send me the link via email, please!

Thanks! Not sure I have your email. Could you drop it to me in a PM?
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: Karl Henning on September 07, 2017, 03:45:09 AM
I've sent to your own e-mail address, sir.

Knuckleheaded critics be damned.
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on September 07, 2017, 09:11:21 AM
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on September 07, 2017, 03:45:09 AM
I've sent to your own e-mail address, sir.

Knuckleheaded critics be damned.

I brought the issue up on my Playwrights' Forum on FB and the consensus was that my best option was to laugh it off and do nothing. It's not by coincidence that "blogger" and "blowhard" have their initial three letters in common. Fortunately I also have some blog reviewers that understood the play as I intended it.
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: Archaic Torso of Apollo on September 07, 2017, 11:13:38 AM
Quote from: (poco) Sforzando on September 06, 2017, 08:12:51 PM
Something of a shock, therefore, to read one of our reviews claiming that David doesn't change during the play (I can easily find a dozen major instances to the contrary), and another making the even wilder claim that the play itself is anti-Semitic! The argument seems to be that since the Jews in the play exhibit human frailties and shortcomings, their behavior is hypocritical, and therefore "this play lays the groundwork for explaining the existence of anti-Semitism, making it, in my opinion, an anti-Semitic play." Even if the reviewer's conclusion followed his premise, this is a defamatory charge and I fail to see how it can be legitimately argued based on the play I wrote.

This is the sucky thing about being a writer. No matter now clear you try to make your intention, someone will misunderstand it. They may not be paying proper attention, or they may have an agenda, or just some bug up their @ss.

If "the Jews in the play exhibit human frailties and shortcomings," then by that criterion, we would have to declare most of Woody Allen's movies anti-Semitic, as well as the fiction of Saul Bellow and Philip Roth.

QuoteIt would be unprofessional and counter-productive for me to engage this reviewer directly. In fact I wonder if I should speak to a lawyer specializing in libel cases, since any one Googling my name and play will see this review, and not knowing the work, will assume the conclusion is justified.

As an interesting coincidence, I've done a lot of translations of German court cases in which Google is being sued by plaintiffs wishing to remove material they consider harmful from search results. In almost all these cases, the plaintiff loses, because the court rules that the information is a matter of public knowledge, and there is no way of proving malice aforethought.
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on September 07, 2017, 11:23:14 AM
Quote from: Archaic Torso of Apollo on September 07, 2017, 11:13:38 AM
This is the sucky thing about being a writer. No matter now clear you try to make your intention, someone will misunderstand it. They may not be paying proper attention, or they may have an agenda, or just some bug up their @ss.

Or a combination of all three? This reviewer also referred to a Passover celebration that takes place during the play. Only trouble is, there was a menorah and at least two dozen references to Chanukah.
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: Florestan on September 07, 2017, 11:28:11 AM
Quote from: Archaic Torso of Apollo on September 07, 2017, 11:13:38 AM
If "the Jews in the play exhibit human frailties and shortcomings," then by that criterion, we would have to declare most of Woody Allen's movies anti-Semitic, as well as the fiction of Saul Bellow and Philip Roth.

Of course. And: Carmen would be both anti-Spanish and anti-Gypsy, Cavalleria rusticana anti-Italian and Lulu anti-German

Quote
As an interesting coincidence, I've done a lot of translations of German court cases in which Google is being sued by plaintiffs wishing to remove material they consider harmful from search results. In almost all these cases, the plaintiff loses, because the court rules that the information is a matter of public knowledge, and there is no way of proving malice aforethought.

Plus, taking the reviewer to the court implies taking him much more seriously than deserved. Ignoring him altogether is the best and most elegant option. Never feed a troll, remember?

That being said, please, Larry, send me the link to the video.
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: Mahlerian on September 07, 2017, 01:47:40 PM
Quote from: Archaic Torso of Apollo on September 07, 2017, 11:13:38 AM
This is the sucky thing about being a writer. No matter now clear you try to make your intention, someone will misunderstand it. They may not be paying proper attention, or they may have an agenda, or just some bug up their @ss.

If "the Jews in the play exhibit human frailties and shortcomings," then by that criterion, we would have to declare most of Woody Allen's movies anti-Semitic, as well as the fiction of Saul Bellow and Philip Roth.

I agree, and think that the content of your play (as you've described it) sounds like it speaks for itself in a lack of anti-Semitism.  The best course of action would be to ignore it and let the view disappear, rather than challenge it and give it prominence.
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on September 07, 2017, 02:31:32 PM
Quote from: Mahlerian on September 07, 2017, 01:47:40 PM
I agree, and think that the content of your play (as you've described it) sounds like it speaks for itself in a lack of anti-Semitism.  The best course of action would be to ignore it and let the view disappear, rather than challenge it and give it prominence.

I intend to do nothing further, and if others from this board wish to write their own reviews after seeing my video, perhaps it's best they do so independently rather than as a response to the blogger's review. Thanks for your thoughts.
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on September 07, 2017, 02:42:11 PM
Quote from: Archaic Torso of Apollo on September 07, 2017, 11:13:38 AM
If "the Jews in the play exhibit human frailties and shortcomings," then by that criterion, we would have to declare most of Woody Allen's movies anti-Semitic, as well as the fiction of Saul Bellow and Philip Roth.

Built into the foundation of Judaism is the assumption that all Jews somehow fall short of the ideals commanded in the Torah. If that were not so, there would be no need for the holiest of holidays, Yom Kippur, where each Jew is expected to fast all day, abstain from sex and bathing, and spend the day in prayer atoning for one's sins.

I believe my main character tries very hard to follow the 613 mitzvoth expected of an orthodox Jew, and to simultaneously balance his observance with the need to engage within the world. This is the foundation of Modern Orthodox Judaism.
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: Pat B on September 09, 2017, 11:39:08 PM
I know how frustrating it can be to let that sort of thing stand without a rebuttal, but I will join the chorus: the last thing you want to do is draw attention to it. (IOW Don't Feed the Troll.)

PM sent.
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on September 10, 2017, 06:50:13 PM
At this point I have sent links to three people at their requests, along with links to each of my reviews. Hope to hear from all of you regarding the play when you can see fit.
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: Parsifal on September 11, 2017, 09:12:29 PM
I can imagine it's very frustrating. I think you may be dealing with an "Uncle Leo" situation.

"They don't just overcook a hamburger, Jerry!"
Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: (poco) Sforzando on November 29, 2019, 01:36:15 PM
Wow. It's been over two years since I last updated this thread. There's a lot I could talk about, and will! But I've mainly confined my theatrical history to Facebook of late.

Some of you may remember the play I described upthread about a Jewish freshman piano major, who is assigned to play the Kreutzer Sonata with a very volatile, anti-religious female partner. Well, the latest news is that this play is getting a new production in Lindenhurst, Long Island, NY, in just two weeks from now! Ably directed by Tim Oriani, who played the lead in my earlier productions, the play has been appreciably tightened and I think has reached final form.

For anyone in the New York City metro area who'd like to come support me, performances are Dec. 12, 14, and 15 at the BACCA Center, 149 North Wellwood Avenue in Lindenhurst. (Take the Long Island Railroad to Lindenhurst, about 70 minutes from Penn Station, then a short walk north of the station). We are deep in rehearsal now and I think it one of the best of my longer plays.

Tickets: Click Buy Tickets at https://modernclassicstheatre.com/


And for an interview about me: https://tinyurl.com/sw7ww9a

Title: Re: (poco) Sforzando, (playwright)
Post by: Karl Henning on November 29, 2019, 05:18:32 PM
Quote from: (poco) Sforzando on November 29, 2019, 01:36:15 PM
Wow. It's been over two years since I last updated this thread. There's a lot I could talk about, and will! But I've mainly confined my theatrical history to Facebook of late.

Some of you may remember the play I described upthread about a Jewish freshman piano major, who is assigned to play the Kreutzer Sonata with a very volatile, anti-religious female partner. Well, the latest news is that this play is getting a new production in Lindenhurst, Long Island, NY, in just two weeks from now! Ably directed by Tim Oriani, who played the lead in my earlier productions, the play has been appreciably tightened and I think has reached final form.

For anyone in the New York City metro area who'd like to come support me, performances are Dec. 12, 14, and 15 at the BACCA Center, 149 North Wellwood Avenue in Lindenhurst. (Take the Long Island Railroad to Lindenhurst, about 70 minutes from Penn Station, then a short walk north of the station). We are deep in rehearsal now and I think it one of the best of my longer plays.

Tickets: Click Buy Tickets at https://modernclassicstheatre.com/


And for an interview about me: https://tinyurl.com/sw7ww9a



Wonderful news! Break a leg!