Dear
Friends,
Happy New Year! It’s the perfect time to make some resolutions, even if we don’t exactly want everyone knowing about them. After extensive detective work, I managed to squeeze out the deep, dark, secret resolutions of some of our willing Writers’ Pool members:
“In 2008, I resolve to call her up a thousand times a day, and ask her ... oops, that's Sting, not me. This year, I swear I'm going to finish crocheting that turquoise pair of hip-huggers and send them to Madonna for her birthday!” – Scott McMorrow
“To look into yoga. It's easy to keep, because all I pledge to do is to look into it, not actually do it.” – Garret Jon Groenveld
“Two resolutions: 1. Empty my email in-basket. 2. Improve my attitude when not picked.” – Cass Brayton
Read on to find out why PlayGround’s 2007 ended with a bang, all about the next Monday Night PlayGround, and everything we have in store to start off the New Year!
- PlayGround Commission Makes Critics’ TOP TEN OF 2007!
- Join Us for the Next MONDAY NIGHT PLAYGROUND!
- February 4 INTENSIVE with Larry Eilenberg!
- Fifth PlayGround-KQED PODCAST Released!
- It’s Not Too Late! SUBSCRIBE NOW!
- SHARE PlayGround with a Friend!
Photo: Tom Hauck. Gabriel Marin in Tim Bauer's I'll Be Home for Christmas from The Best of PlayGround Festival 11 (May 2007).
PlayGround Commission Makes Critics' TOP TEN OF 2007!
Do you remember PlayGround’s first co-production, the world premiere of Aaron Loeb's First Person Shooter, which ran for an extended seven-week run at SF Playhouse last May? Well, not only did Robert Hurwitt of the San Francisco Chronicle give it his highest honors with the little man jumping out of his chair at the time of his original review in May, but he also recently included it in his Top 10 Theatre Events of 2007! Hurwitt praises: “A solid ensemble in director Jon Tracy's SF Playhouse-PlayGround staging made for a sharp, energetic and riveting world premiere.”
Hurwitt isn’t alone in praising the production — Chad Jones of the Oakland Tribune and Richard Connema of Talkin’ Broadway also include the production in their Top 10s. Jones states, “This original play by local writer Aaron Loeb brought some powerhouse drama to its examination of violent video games and school violence.”
Loeb, a member of the PlayGround Writers Pool, originally had First Person Shooter commissioned and developed by PlayGround as part of the 2006 Best of PlayGround Festival. Congratulations to all!
Chronicle
2007 Theatre Top Ten
Oakland Tribune
2007 Theatre Top Ten
For more on PlayGround's commissioning program, click here.
Join Us for the Next MONDAY NIGHT PLAYGROUND!
Come join us for the next Monday Night PlayGround on January 21st at 8pm at Berkeley Rep’s Thrust Stage. Individual tickets are just $15 for the six-play program ($10 for students). And don't forget, every month we offer a free pre-performance talk in the 2nd floor Roda lobby on the state of the art, an inside look at the writer's process, and more!
SPECIAL OFFER: Purchase tickets online by Friday, January 18 and save 33%! All tickets just $10! Click here to get your $10 advance tickets to the January 21 Monday Night PlayGround. This offer may not be combined with other discounts.
February 4 INTENSIVE with Larry Eilenberg!
The next in our monthly two-hour playwriting Intensive will take place on Monday, February 4, featuring noted dramaturg, academic and former Magic Theatre Artistic Director Larry Eilenberg, in a special lecture on adaptation and new play development from his unique perspective. Registration: $35 ($40 at the door, subject to space availability). Click here to register.
And also just announced, the final 2007-08 Intensive will be Monday, March 3, with a return visit by PlayGround Artistic Director Jim Kleinmann, offering further insights into the PlayGround creative process, script selection, and answers to other burning questions. Registrants will help determine the curriculum for the class by submitting their own questions and subjects they wish to be addressed. Registration: $35 ($40 at the door, subject to space availability). Click here to register.
SPECIAL OFFER: Register for both classes together and save $10. Click here to register today.
Fifth PlayGround-KQED PODCAST Released!
PlayGround and KQED have just released the fifth podcast in their successful collaboration, featuring the audio performance of Brady Lea's Sewermonster Diaries. Originally premiered at the 10th annual Best of PlayGround Festival, this production features PlayGround regulars Danielle Levin, Mark Farrell and Company members Eric Fraisher Hayes and Cat Thompson, directed by PlayGround Artistic Director Jim Kleinmann, with sound design by Mike McCann. Previous podcasts distributed through KQED's The Writers' Block include: Aaron Loeb's Sever, Geetha Reddy's Honey, I'm Home, Tom Swift's The Beginning, and Garret Jon Groenveld's Ondine.
To listen to this podcast or check out the other releases, click here.
It's Not Too Late! SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Subscribe now to the remaining three events in the 2007-08 Monday Night PlayGround series and get four tickets for just $50! That's $12.50 per ticket or a 17% savings off general admission! Get a guaranteed ticket to each of the final three programs (January through March) and one additional ticket good for a friend! And with our new flexible exchange policy, you never lose the value of your subscription tickets, even when you miss a Monday night. Use two pair for two events, four tickets for one event... it's your call! It's all the flexibility of a flex pass with the savings and seating priority of a subscription! Subscribe today!
SHARE PlayGround with a Friend!
Notice that link below that says "Forward to a Friend"? With just a few clicks of the mouse, you can share this e-Newsletter and the magic of PlayGround with a friend. Or type your own email of introduction and add the following url: http://www.playground-sf.org/newsletter/080114.shtml. We don't recommend you hit the "forward" button on your email reader as this newsletter has your private account information (and it's really such a pain when your friends accidentally "unsubscribe" you from our list...).
Also, to make sure you receive the PlayGround information you want (and don't receive the information you don't want), please click on the "Manage Your Profile" link below. Here, you can check the areas you'd like information on, from playwriting classes, to information on contributing, subscribing, etc.
I hope to see you at the theatre!
Jim Kleinmann
Artistic Director
PlayGround
(415) 704-3177 (vm/fax)
jim@playground-sf.org