It’s been 3 years since March 6, 2010 started it all for us…
Read Laura Shamas and Jennie Webb’s blog article about our beginnings and Laura’s article “Taking Stock“.
Here’s to this year being better than the last for women in theater!
Category Archives: LAFPI
Writing “Crazy”…
I have been working on writing “crazy”. There has to be a way to write it where it can be intense and alive off the page. Not the crazy way out there kind of crazy but the almost perfectly sane, breaking beneath the surface kind of crazy. I have been working internally on this for over a year now because I don’t really rewrite and know that if I haven’t solved it inside, it ain’t coming out any time soon. Yes, I said it. I am one of those. I am not completely averse to rewriting but I haven’t had a play to date that has warranted me rewriting it. I do tweak here and there. My plays live internally so long that by the time they come bursting out I am in need of some serious Kegel exercises to get myself back to the place where I can begin again – conceiving/growing another play… I have never seen a parent of a new born cutting limbs and shoving things in odd places on their newborn so I can’t see doing it to mine… The sheer exhaustion of pushing out a play is enough to make me feel “crazy” without reorganizing parts. Never apologize for how you get the words to your page. I am a firm believer that one of the things that makes Art – art, is how it is filtered through the artist…
I have heard Edward Albee say the following in person regarding rewrites:
Edward Albee: I don’t rewrite. Well, not much. I think I probably do all the rewriting that I’m going to do before I’m aware that I’m writing the play because obviously, the creativity resists — resides — in the unconscious, right? Probably resists the unconscious, too — resides in the unconscious. My plays, I think, are pretty much determined before I become aware of them. I think they formulated there, and then they move into the conscious mind, and then onto the page. By the time I’m willing to commit a play to paper, I pretty much know — or can trust — the characters to write the play for me. So, I don’t impose. I let them have their heads and say and do what they want, and it turns out to be a play.
You can read the rest of this interview at the Academy of Achievement website : http://achievement.org/autodoc/page/alb1int-4
I adore Edward Albee. He’s a big reason why I work so hard on my craft.
Back to writing “crazy” – I saw “Silver Linings Playbook” today (David O. Russell, screenplay; Matthew Quick, novel, also directed by Russell). What awesome writing! What a story… The different levels and forms of crazy that people can be…it was like being in a “how to” seminar. And, the actors were phenomenal – all of them. This film answered a lot of questions about how “crazy” can be realized through story fearlessly.
Regarding my story — the one I need to write crazy in — I was afraid to let Valpecula have her full say…afraid I would edit her before her words could find air — something I never want to find myself doing because then, I’d have to rewrite.
Here’s to “crazy” and writing it fearlessly…
The Suits
Whenever I need to refer to those on high with the money and power to make business decisions in a creative industry, they are THE SUITS.
I’m sure you can think of a few.
Last week for my monthly Bechdel Test Talk (which originated on this blog), we took the SAG Award nominees, the Independent Spirit Awards nominees for Best Picture, and the IAWTV (International Academy of Web TV) Winners to see how they stacked up against the Bechdel Test.
When I have more energy, I’ll update this with the score for the SAG Winners.
Normally, we don’t ‘score’ based on the Bechdel Test; we use it as a starting point for deeper discussions on how it affects our audiences and thus society.
For this Broadcast, however, scores seemed appropriate:
YES – MAYBE/DUBIOUS – NO
SCORE: 2-7-5
INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS (Best Picture Nominees only)
SCORE: 1-2-2
SCORE: # of shows 7-1-4
# of awards 12-2-6
See full lists below.
Shocker, as Co-Host Etta Devine stated. When there’s a lower barrier to entry (Whether The Suits, or the numerous people in -between, or society itself), Where most entertainment (web TV) is self-produced, The Bechdel Test flies high above the rest.
Methinks it’s time to show The Suits why creativity breeds quality.
There is far more diversity in the Web Series World as well, and not just in neat little boxes easily consumed by any audience. Some suggestions: My Gimpy Life, Out With Dad, The Unwritten Rules, Breaking Point and there are so many more but I can’t think of them past midnight. Follow Web Series Watch’s blog for news and recommendations (yes, that is my own web series and I’m too tired to disguise self-promotion either – besides, frick it. I’m proud of it.).
Watch our nifty 30-minute Broadcast to hear why some of the movies are dubious. Silver Lining Playbook, anyone? Full list and links we mention after the video.
Special special I love you forever thanks to Etta Devine & Caroline Sharp who join me on this adventure every month.
LA Times Story: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/moviesnow/la-et-mn-sundance-2013-women-lag-men-even-in-independent-film-study-finds-20130120,0,712589.story
Ted Hope’s Blog: http://hopeforfilm.com/?p=8838
SCORE: 2-7-5
yes:
The Paperboy
Les Miserables
dubious:
Flight
Argo
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Zero Dark Thirty
Skyfall
trouble seeing film:
Rust and Bone
The Impossible
no:
Lincoln
Hitchcock
Silver Linings Playbook
The Master
The Sessions
SCORE: 1-2-2
yes
Moonrise Kingdom
dubious
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Keep the Lights On
no
Bernie
Silver Linings Playbook
SCORE: # of shows 7-1-4
# of awards 12-2-6
yes
Best Comedy Series – Squaresville
Best Ensemble Performance – Squaresville
Best Drama Series – Leap Year
Best Writing (Comedy) – Squaresville – Matt Enlow
Best Costume Design – The League of S.T.E.A.M. – The League of S.T.E.A.M.
Best Makeup/Special Effects – The League of S.T.E.A.M. – The League of S.T.E.A.M.
Best Design (Art Direction/Production) – Continuum – Eric Whitney – computer voice
Best Editing – Continuum – Blake Calhoun
Best Directing (Comedy) – My Gimpy Life – Sean Becker
Best Female Performance (Comedy) – My Gimpy Life – Teal Sherer Teal
Best Directing (Drama) – Anyone But Me – Tina Cesa Ward (but it’s complicated in a good way)
Best Interactive/Social Media Experience – The Lizzie Bennet Diaries
maybe
Best Original Music – Cost of Capital – Rob Gokee
Best Male Performance (Comedy) – The Jeff Lewis 5-Minute Comedy Hour – Jeff Lewis – Poker Episode ?
Best Visual Effects (Digital) – H+ The Digital Series – Faction Creative and The Sequence Group: VFX Supervisor Ian Kirby; Digital Effects Supervisor Chris van Dyck; VFX Producer Caleb Bouchard
no
Best Animated Series – Red vs. Blue
Best Cinematography – H+ The Digital Series – Brett Pawlak – up to Episode 12. silent conversation probably about work between two women in Episode 13.
Best Female Performance (Drama) – Blue – Julia Stiles – Blue
Best Male Performance (Drama) – The Booth at the End, Season 2 – Xander Berkeley – Lead
Best Writing (Drama) – The Booth at the End, Season 2 – Christopher Kubasik
Best Supplemental Content – Red vs. Blue
The Gathering
This blog is not about the latest ad campaign from the Irish Tourism Board.
Hello LAFPI, I’m back blogging. This is my 13th week blogging for LAFPI, and thirteen is a good number for me. No, not superstitious at all. Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Also Happy Inauguration Day.
Back on January 12th, I went to the LAFPI gathering at Samuel French in West Hollywood, and it made me all perky and happy. Maybe it was the abundance of sweets on the food table. Maybe it was all the books. I like to think it was all the great people I met. We all got to introduce ourselves. Some of us read work, but the whole proceeding had a nice casual feel to it. I also got to meet the Bitch Pack, and they’re really nice. They’re not Bitches at all. Also, the Vagrancy Theatre was there too, and it’s okay, they do have homes.
Ideas were exchanged along with cards (gotta get some of those) and fliers. What’s cool is that so many writers from so many places can come together and drink wine and eat brownies and exchange ideas. Meanwhile, on one of the bookshelves, Judi Dench looked out from the paperback cover of her memoir and smiled.
Special thanks to Jennie Webb and Laura Shamas, Bitch Pack’s Thuc Nguyen and LA FPI/The Vagrancy’s Sabina Ptasznik for organizing the gathering (or could we call it a salon, does that sound too pretentious?).
There is talk of another gathering in March for Swan (Support Women Artists Now, not the bird) Day or maybe in April for the third anniversary of LAFPI.
As for me, my plan is to blog everyday Monday through Friday this week, so check back for more fun stuff. I plan to talk about my latest conspiracy theory, minimalism, actors, and other wacky playwriting stuff.
“The Bitch Pack & LAFPI Hollywood New Year Event: To Bring Focus to Women Writers”
by Laura Shamas
What happens when two groups who promote female entertainment writers in Los Angeles get together to start the New Year? On Saturday, January 12, 2013, 2 – 5 p.m. at Samuel French Bookshop in Hollywood, the Bitch Pack and the Los Angeles Female Playwrights Initiative are co-sponsoring a networking mixer for women writers who work in film, television and stage. The event is free and open to all.
The Bitch Pack is a group of active female and male entertainment writers who have joined forces in order to foster more work that passes the Bechdel Test, and to ensure that diverse women’s voices are represented in television and film. Their goal: “Changing Women’s Representation on Screen, Starting with the Written Page.” They look for screenplays that pass the Bechdel Test, and feature these on “The Bitch List,” which stands for “Brilliant, Intriguing, Creative, Tenacious Heroines.” One of their ongoing projects includes an Award they give at Shriekfest for a horror screenplay that passes the Bechdel Test. Their mentors include: Carole Dean, Bob Engels, Ari Posner, Dan Vining, Terry George and Susan Cartsonis. They are also affiliated with Pop Change.
The Los Angeles Female Playwrights Initiative is comprised of female and male theatre writers working toward fair representation of women playwrights on stage. LA FPI projects include a 2011 study of women playwrights produced in the SoCal area, which concluded that only about 20% of plays produced locally are female-authored and “Tactical Reads,” a partnership with The Vagrancy to present readings of female-authored plays, directed by female directors. The next Tactical Reads presentation is January 27, 2013.
Screenwriter Thuc Nguyen, founder of The Bitch Pack, says that the newest 2013 “Bitch List” will be ready for distribution by January 12, so there will be a lot to discuss at the Samuel French/Hollywood event. “We need this event to bring to light the fact that this town/our industries still don’t pay enough attention to women’s dialogue and women’s representation on stage or film. Our afternoon will have writers mingling together and hopefully new connections to bring our goals and missions to fruition!”
Lynne Moses, a founding partner of Appleseed Entertainment who writes, directs and produces for the screen and stage, feels the event is a vital one. Moses, the Communication Director for LA FPI, explains: “Women’s historic exclusion from theatre deprived the world of female voices for centuries. Now that women are free to write for the stage and screen, there’s a lot of catching up to do! The January 12th Hollywood event is a great opportunity to highlight the extraordinary work of women on L.A.’s stages and screens.”
Playwright Jennie Webb, a co-Founder of LA FPI, and Editor of the group’s website, feels the synergy between the two groups is a natural fit. “One of the things that we told ourselves when we started LA FPI is ‘Let’s not say no.’ We wanted to focus on the positive and the possibilities while staying true to our goals: helping put women’s voices onstage. So when we heard a cry in the wilderness from the Bitch Pack, of course we jumped at the chance to help one another by joining forces whenever possible. Playwrights work in film and TV, and vice versa: screenwriters want to play in theaters. Hopefully, by corralling our energies, there’ll be more women working in both fields, and more collective energy feeding us all as we move forward. Here’s a big ‘YES’ to connecting like-minded women in the new year.”
A future collaboration between the Bitch Pack and LA FPI may include a 2013 livestreamed reading event to feature L.A. women writers who work on stage and screen. Other possibilities: Finding new collaborators, exploring new creative ventures…and finding innovative ways to change the representation of women on stage and screen, by encouraging more women’s voices in the mix.
Bitch Pack & LA FPI Hollywood Event: Saturday, January 12, 2:00 – 5:00 p.m., Samuel French Bookshop, 7623 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood. Free. Open to all. For more details about the event: [email protected].
Alpha Beta
I just read this article, through a tweet from Etta Devine. It is truly not to be believed.
“I don’t want to publish reviews of films where women are alpha and men are beta.
where women are heroes and villains and men are just lesser versions or shadows of females.
i believe in manliness.”
Read in full:
Video interview w/ Jen Bloom: Dramatizing the Complexities of an Abusive Relationship
Talk with Santa Monica Rep’s Director & Actor
“Love Story, Tragedy or Epic Tale of Survival?:
Dramatizing the Complexities of an Abusive Relationship
Mid-run of How I Learned to Drive, there will be a post show talk back with Gail Myers, MFT, a therapist panel and director Jen Bloom
Should this story be onstage? In 1997, Paula Vogel’s play How I Learned to Drive showed us how empathy and pedophilia can exist in the same conversation, and that storytelling as a form of reclaiming memories can be a tool towards self-empowerment. Ms. Vogel stated that she didn’t want her audiences to know before coming to the theater what the story was about, that she wanted them to “take a ride they didn’t know they were taking.” This Saturday, Santa Monica Rep will host an all female panel of three child and family therapists who work with sexual abuse trauma cases to facilitate an audience talk-back after the play. Join a discussion around the actual facts and gray areas of child sexual abuse and PTSD. Weigh in on whether or not you think this kind of story should be on stage and why or why not, and what are the responsibilities of the audience and the theater maker about supporting, producing or attending this type of potentially dangerous traumatic content. This should be a fascinating and provocative evening of theater and discussion. The conversations around the show have already been illuminating; audiences have stayed in the theater and spoken in small informal groups about their reactions and artistic/therapeutic concerns every night for almost an hour. Read more about the panel discussion after the performance on Nov 17 at 8pm.
Gearing up for a new play: why reinvent the wheel?
All this week, I’m priming myself for the plunge into a new play. I’ve tried bribes and writers toys, given myself a soundtrack and some writing space. Now what?
Perhaps the best road map to success (which to me means typing “lights fade to black…”) is to see what my peers are writing. What can I learn from them? What can I steal?
Having read and seen a LOT of new work lately, it seems I can divide the new play world into some very broad categories:
– Familiar stories in a world we’ve never seen before
Steven Drukman’s The Prince of Atlantis is a pretty straightforward story about finding your father and brothers growing up. But it’s set in an Italian American suburb of Boston in the cut throat world of the fish market. Yussef El Guindi’s Pilgrims Musa and Sheri in the New World
is a simple boy meets girl, boy loses girl story. But the world is that of recent Muslim immigrants in America.
I could take a familiar story, a familiar plot, but the play would become new and interesting when I take my audience to a world they’ve never visited before.
– reach for the classics
Everybody’s getting in on the updated translation act. Michael Hollinger tackled Cyrano. David Ives took on The Liar. For heavens’ sake, even Moises Kaufman is taking on The Heiress!
Why don’t I find my favorite classic and reinvent it for a modern audience?
– you gotta have a gimic
Or not. But there’s sure a lot of them out there. Christopher Shinn’s Dying City has the lead actor playing his twin brother. Natsu Onoda Power’s Astro Boy and the God of Comics had actors drawing cartoons right before your eyes. James Still’s I Love to Eat had food writer James Beard making canapes for selected members of the audience.
Is there something unusually theatrical that I can incorporate into my play?
That’s a start. But now I’d welcome your list of “must have” items for the modern dramatist. What’s getting produced? Why? What do you want to see?
the Blues of It…
it’s a rhythm
slow, low and bluesy
seeping like vapors into a waking day
me in the middle of it
always caught by surprise
always caught
off guard/off kilter
by the soothing riffs
slur/sliding down the notes
trilling backward in time
to then
when…
even after checking the archival catalogues
i can never find any foreshadowing
it’s always the same interrupt/
same perpetual stop-loss/
same…
decades passing
has not changed the cadence
henderson born, kentucky rooted syncopation
dating way back to the 1800s
way back to when
my shawnee mothers hid out
near robards station
waiting through
the trip to containment
waiting through
the loss
it’s the blues of it
that keeps the song going
pizzicato
shimmer/slur
pluck
me in the middle
me on edge
traveling back to then
in the middle of a waking day
stop-loss now/ me caught
in the blues of it
My grandmother used to tell me stories…before she began to forget. I stored them somewhere in my subconscious. I remember them at the oddest of times, in the middle of dreams, while writing other things. When I was 26, I joined the army. The days before I left, I would bury my head in her breasts – like I did when I was a baby – to soak her up. I knew that was the last time I would see her alive and I needed to keep a piece… She’s in a lot of my plays in some way and when I am really tired, I slip into her southern way of speaking. Nora Lee Phillips Morris…could sing a whole church happy…right in the middle of the blues…
Being a storyteller means remembering and sharing even when you got the blues…
Totally Worth It!
I’ve been running around like a chicken with my head cut of for the past four months and I’ve felt the pinch in a number of areas – sleep(!), diet, patience, nerves, peace and balance – but the details of the “then” aren’t as important to the posting of the now… the great happy “Ahhhh” I’m reveling in tonight, as it all finally wrapped up.
I get to sleep in tomorrow and the only thing I HAVE to do after I drag myself from bed is add up receipts and get my oil changed.
Two things.
I only have to do two things tomorrow.
I can’t wait.
And I’m heading into this much-needed day of repose after a hugely successful final performance at the summer camp. These kids knocked it out of the park! Not only did they jump head first into Viewpoints, Suzuki, and the myriad other techniques and challenges we presented them with, but they also soaked up every moment with joy. They trusted each other, listened to one another, and they created a completely original theatre piece as an ensemble that was terrifically moving.
My partner and I were ecstatic, watching from the light booth, as proud as we could be, absolutely bursting at the seams with pride.
I feel good.
I feel so good.
I’m so grateful to the kids for invigorating me, for reminding me why I do what I do, and for showing me the magic that can happen when actors listen, trust, and explore together.
It was inspiring.
So after I catch up on sleep, eating, and yoga, I’m going to get right back to writing… the muse is awake and happy. Working with new artists has proven again just how much I love teaching, how important it is to share our passion with the future, and how wonderful we can be when we work together.
