I’m writing this as my son cries inside the Boba Wrap on my chest. He’s overtired and way past due for his nap. A few more minutes of struggle and he should be asleep. It’s hard to maintain focus when an infant wails about a foot away from your ear.
This is one of the many reasons I have not been updating my newsletter with regularity this season.
I slip him into his crib, he cries a little more. Then a few more pulls on his binki and he’s quiet again.
Missy pads into the room to see what all the commotion is about. She licks the big toe on my right foot which is still healing from when I dropped a ten pound e-bike battery directly on it two weeks ago before the Oasis concert. Then she turns and pads out of the room.
Alone, with the white noise machine and the coos from a baby finding his way towards his last nap of the day, I consider my summer.
It began with the IAMA Summer Intensive, and in the middle I taught the FTI section at the Art Of Acting Studio. Two of my students booked feature films with A-List actors— which has very little to do with me, but I feel a vicarious victory through them for their huge accomplishment. I took on a new writing client who makes me laugh with every draft. K and I visited my parents in Lake Tahoe for a couple weeks in August. And I finished out the season this week with remounting THE LAST BOHEMIAN, my immersive play, with IAMA at the La Playa Hotel in Carmel, California.
And along the way I wrote a new play (see more below).
I will have more to say about immersive theatre, and the strange way I found myself writing and working in what is now one of my favorite mediums. I have more to write about the value and rite of passage of summer theatre intensives and the way they create lasting community.
But for now I want this letter to give a brief update of a few very special events for this autumn. As the shadows grow longer, the soup heats on the stove, the breeze scatters fallen leaves, and the colors change hue in the Trader Joe’s aisle, let us look forward to the best season of the year.
SKYNIGHT - New Play Reading October 10th 8pm
I’ve written a new play that will get its first workshop reading at IAMA’s New Works Festival on October 10th at 8pm.
I’m very excited for this one. Katie Lowes graciously accepted the challenge to take on the lead role which is one of the most intimidating parts I’ve ever written (and I gave James Eckhouse a whale of a play once upon a time). It’s about grief, and parenthood, and the impact of digital words on young people. A mother becomes obsessed with her son’s favorite open world fantasy video game after he dies. She reinvents herself inside the fantasy world and discovers that he built his own elaborate worlds inside the video game. And in her grief, and in this strange world, she meets him for the first time.
Jessica Hanna is directing. She is a phenom I am thrilled to collaborate with. The rest of the dream cast includes Alex Alcheh, Cara Green Epstein, Izzy Feliciana, and Gavin Goudey.
Tickets are on sale now. I cannot wait to see you there.
Let’s Write Together This Autumn—
The fall classes at IAMA are just stacked with incredible offerings. I’ve worked with every one of these artists and they are all at the absolute top of their game. John Lavelle is one of the best actors and writers I know and he’s offering a scene study class that is a total steal. Kim Griffin and I went to the same grad school and both hail from the illustious Jan Gist school of voice and speech. Let me tell you that Kim will unlock something buried inside of you. And Courtney is one of my favorite actresses, and she’s been a yoga teacher for years. Catch me especially taking her course.
There’s also my class which is an upgraded version of the class I offered with IAMA last year. I listened to the feedback from previous students and we are expanding the course to include more time for workshopping our works in progress. Some of these will be in person, some on zoom. I love talking about writing and working with writers finding their drafts. If this is you, please reach out to us at IAMA and sign up.
And as always, you can join me in my weekly On Camera Acting class at Zak Barnett Studios. Thursdays 7pm.
I am also taking new writing clients for the fall. I only have room for one or two more, but if you’re interested in getting a draft off the ground or reworking a piece you love, please reach out to me and let’s write together.
What I’m Listening To
Cage The Elephant opened for Oasis on their tour. I knew I liked them, but they put on such an amazing show that they’ve made me a super fan. The Oasis show at the Rose Bowl was one of the best and biggest sing-a-longs I’ve ever experienced. And I got to see them up close with two of my best friends. We haven’t been to a concert all three of us since Radiohead played the Meadowlands in 2003.
What I’m Reading
Reading time is limited to early mornings and a few pages before I go to bed nowadays. I spent the Spring season on a horror kick. This summer I went back to fantasy. I particularly liked THE FIFTH SEASON. I appreciated how she challenged the reader with switching not only pov’s but also boldly flowed between second person and close third. I am now working through PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE and THE POPPY WAR.
A Blog I’m Following
This spring I fell down the AI rabbit hole and I was not okay. Everywhere I looked it felt like AI was coming for the entire world. I felt helpless and under threat until I found Ed Zitron’s blog which threw some much needed cold water not only on my doomscroll but on the AI hype in general.
If you have ever worried about AI, give his work a read. He’s sharp, thorough, researched and he writes feature length take downs of the AI industry as a whole. I found them totally refreshing.
October Baseball…
Is nearly here, and I am not looking forward to it one bit. The Dodgers have been in poor form since July, and they might not even win the west this year. Injuries have hobbled them and suddenly their team looks very old. Anything can happen, but I am hoping for an exit that is not too quick or clean. And if it can’t be an LA repeat, I’d love to see the Brewers and Tigers in the fall classic.
Kershaw throws his last home game regular season pitch tonight. I’ll be tuning in. Truly, the end of summer, and end of an era.
From Carmel Bohemia
