tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25649364678585508242024-03-14T03:52:12.366-04:00Miller White ScriptsLaura Esti Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13721546757739091756noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564936467858550824.post-57254309619947231932011-06-16T00:41:00.001-04:002011-07-26T10:38:36.323-04:00Regarding cassandra<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JkY7EcpuOSI/TfmIa8OBeCI/AAAAAAAAACE/IG3Hb6r5SuE/s1600/cassandra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JkY7EcpuOSI/TfmIa8OBeCI/AAAAAAAAACE/IG3Hb6r5SuE/s320/cassandra.jpg" width="235" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="color: #999999;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">image: Max Klinger 1857-1920: Kassandra Photo (c) </span><a href="http://www.maicar.com/GML/" target="_blank">http://www.maicar.com/GML/</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I am re-posting much of an entry from <a href="http://www.inkwelltheater.org/blog/">Inkwell Theatre's blog</a>. This post was co-written with the inimitable Lee Liebeskind and Jenn Book Haselswerdt and gives insight into playmaking from a dramaturgical perspective. There's more where this came from, so if you're interested, check out the <a href="http://www.inkwelltheatre.org/">Inkwell</a> site and blog!<br />
<br />
----<br />
The
dramaturg's role in American Theatre has changed over the years and can
be really different depending on the theater you work for. We could
probably spend a whole blog talking about this, but I digress. For
The Inkwell, the dramaturg is a key voice in championing the
playwright. <br />
<div>
<br />
For The Inkwell, the dramaturg serves chiefly as a
champion for the playwright. While the director is thinking about the
structure of the play, the actors are thinking about their characters,
and the stage manager is just trying to keep the rehearsal running
smoothly, the dramaturg keeps everyone focused on what the playwright
needs and wants to learn from this experience. They keep the
conversations on track and they help the playwright sieve through the
mountain of information and feedback they are receiving.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Below you will find Laura Esti Miller's thoughts not only on the process, but how she views the plays we worked on in March.</div>
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_______________________________</div>
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Jenn Book Haselswerdt and I (Laura Esti Miller) had the opportunity to dramaturg
the three 20-minute excerpts presented at The Inkwell's Blood 'n Guts showcase reading this past March. Jenn dramaturged <i>The Body</i> and <i>Twigs
and Bone</i> while I dramaturged <i>cassandra</i>.<br />
<br />
<br />
Included here are reflections on my work during the process:<br />
<br />
Since I came to the Inkwell during the open call for
submissions this past year, I've had the chance to be part of the development
process from an early stage, which has been an incredible joy. Watching and
interacting with other artists as we make progress on our own artistic journeys
will never cease to inspire me and I am thrilled that, as an Inkwell dramaturg,
I get to be a part of so many fascinating adventures.
<br />
<br />
One part of the process I find especially illuminating and
helpful is a phone call between the playwrights, director, dramaturgs, and an
Inkwell staff member -- in this case, the remarkable Anne McCaw. Not only is it
a way to introduce ourselves before spending a few hours together in a
rehearsal room; it is a way to make sure the team members are working towards
the same goals during the rehearsal and reading. <br />
<br />
Anne encourages the
playwrights to discuss what they are currently working on within the plays,
what they might be stuck on, what areas they might want to focus on for the
reading. This call gives each playwright the chance to speak candidly about
their work, and it gives the team the opportunity to focus on a manageable
chunk of the play for the 20-minute excerpt. <br />
Dramaturgs also get an unusual opportunity when working on these
showcase readings for The Inkwell. We get to introduce each play to the
audience and gush about what we love about them.<br />
<br />
Below are the notes I shared with the audience on March 5th about <i></i><i>cassandra</i> by Katharine Sherman.<br />
<br />
--------------------------------------------------------------<br />
<br />
Katharine Sherman's <i>cassandra </i>is<b><i> </i></b>a retelling of the
ancient Greek myth from Cassandra's perspective. As a young, beautiful princess
of Troy, Cassandra caught the eye of the god Apollo. They make an arrangement
-- Apollo grants Cassandra the blessing of foresight in exchange for sex. When
Cassandra breaks her promise, Apollo retaliates by poisoning the gift he has already
bestowed upon her. She will be able to see the future, but no one will believe
her prophecies.<br />
<br />
Inkwell readers loved this fresh take on the story through Katharine's
eyes. We were fascinated by the way that others in the play relate to
Cassandra and her perceived madness and mesmerized by just how far into the
future Cassandra can see. Cassandra has the unique ability to see her own
current events and future tragic events in one moment, and though she knows the
inevitable outcome, she still fights for even the tiniest difference -- she
holds out for hope. <br />
<br />
In this excerpt, we focus on key moments when things "get twisted,"
as our playwright says. First, Apollo and Cassandra attempt a gift
exchange that goes sour. Cassandra then reveals, through perhaps the-not-so-familiar
tale of Cinderella just how overwhelming and devastating seeing the future can
be. Cassandra has another psychological test of wills with her would-be lover
Apollo, and finally, on the brink of tragedy, she is able to enjoy a few
moments of unlikely friendship with her sister-in-law, Helen, the only person
she knows who has been treated as badly by the gods as herself.Laura Esti Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13721546757739091756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564936467858550824.post-55991758819574211602011-06-06T21:51:00.000-04:002011-06-06T21:51:19.926-04:00Combining Bob and ChuckMy notes for Forum Theatre's production of <i>bobrauschenbergamerica</i> are up on <a href="http://forumtheatreblog.com/">Forum's blog</a>. I am reposting here:<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Bobrauschenbergamerica <em>Production Dramaturg Laura Esti
Miller’s note on the unique playwriting style of Charles L. Mee and
how it matches Robert Rauschenberg’s visual art:</em></strong><br />
<br />
In <em>bobrauschenbergamerica</em>, playwright <a href="http://www.panix.com/userdirs/meejr/html/charlesMee.html" target="_blank">Charles L. Mee</a> takes us on a road trip through a collaged landscape of found art and uniquely American experiences. Mee honors <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/robert-rauschenberg/about-the-artist/49/" target="_blank">Robert Rauschenberg</a>’s
work and influence with a piece that spotlights elements of the master
pop artist’s style – integrating aspects of painting and collage,
creating sculpture with found elements, and breathing life into everyday
objects.<br />
<br />
<div class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 255px;">
<img alt="" class=" " height="309" src="http://devorzongallery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/robert-rauschenberg.jpg" width="245" /><div class="wp-caption-text">
Robert Rauschenberg next to his piece, SOR AQUA (VENETIAN)</div>
<div class="wp-caption-text">
<br /></div>
</div>
In 1961, Rauschenberg was invited to deliver a piece for an
exhibition at the Galerie Iris Clert, for which artists were asked to
create portraits of owner Iris Clert. Before the exhibition,
Rauschenberg sent a telegram to the gallery that read, “This is a
portrait of Iris Clert if I say so.” Rauschenberg believed that art is
what you make of it, and abstraction is exactly what you are looking at.<br />
<br />
Mee refers to his own plays as assemblages and collages, so he is a
natural, corresponding match for undertaking a work about Rauschenberg’s
life and art. Mee delights in playwriting as a public form. He posts
his <a href="http://www.panix.com/userdirs/meejr/html/plays.html" target="_blank">scripts</a> online and as part of “<a href="http://www.panix.com/userdirs/meejr/indexf.html" target="_blank">the (re)making project,</a>” invites other playmakers to “pillage the plays” and create an “entirely new piece out of the ruins.” He says on <a href="http://www.panix.com/userdirs/meejr/html/about.html" target="_blank">his website</a>,
“There is no such thing as an original play. …sometimes some of us
write about our own innermost lives, believing that, then, we have
written something truly original and unique. But, of course, the culture
writes us first, and then we write our stories.”<br />
<br />
<div class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 220px;">
<a href="http://www.panix.com/userdirs/meejr/indexf.html"><img alt="" class=" " height="315" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_arts_john/121807chuckmee.jpg" width="210" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text">
Charles L. Mee</div>
<div class="wp-caption-text">
<br /></div>
</div>
Though Mee speaks of his own plays here, this is an apt description
of Rauschenberg’s work, as well. “[They are] jagged, filled with sharp
edges, filled with things that take sudden turns, careen into each
other, smash up, veer off in sickening turns. That feels good to me. It
feels like my life. It feels like the world.”<br />
<br />
Taking a cue from Mee, the following is a quote from <a href="http://www.panix.com/userdirs/meejr/html/bob.html" target="_blank">his own script</a>:<br />
<br />
Art is made in the freedom of the imagination<br />
with no rules<br />
it’s the only human activity like that<br />
where it can do no one any harm<br />
so it is possible to be completely free<br />
and see what it may be that people think and feel<br />
when they are completely free<br />
in a way, what it is to be human when a human being is free<br />
and so art lets us practice freedom<br />
and helps us know what it is to be free<br />
and so what it is to be humanLaura Esti Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13721546757739091756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564936467858550824.post-15085090692766806872011-06-01T00:40:00.003-04:002011-06-06T21:46:37.924-04:00Spinning Plates<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-APC8MYk8Vos/TeXIu0Kk20I/AAAAAAAAACA/a-1_kQdBTys/s1600/spinning-plates.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-APC8MYk8Vos/TeXIu0Kk20I/AAAAAAAAACA/a-1_kQdBTys/s320/spinning-plates.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: #999999;">image found </span><a href="http://dianesherlock.wordpress.com/category/uncategorized/" style="color: #999999;">here</a><span style="color: #999999;">, original source unknown</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The past few months have been full of working on productions, working on readings, writing, reading, season planning, project proposing, and diving headlong into the work. I have some posts in the wings at a few other sites, so I will be sure to link to them when they go live.<br />
<br />
Below are my notes for David Myers' stunning work-in-progress, <i>Muzungu</i>. Working on this reading with Doorway Arts Ensemble was challenging in the best way. The play asks big questions and does not offer easy answers. David's writing is undeniably powerful, but he is able to interweave lightness and playfulness into the piece, as well. I can't wait to read the next draft of this play. Many thanks to all involved for allowing me to be a part of it!<br />
<br />
<i>Muzungu</i> by David Myers<br />
Dramaturg's Notes <br />
<br />
A young American travels to Rwanda, eager to offer the country his physical exertion and good intentions. When he develops a complicated relationship with a Rwandan masseuse, they discover intense emotional baggage that ties them together.<br />
<br />
Matthew visits Rwanda as a tourist -- a member of a mission team -- and is noticed everywhere he goes due to the color of his skin. He stands out as a muzungu -- a white person. Mattie is a survivor of the Rwandan genocide. She has worked as a masseuse for over a decade at the hotel where Matthew stays. Although Mattie may not seem as immediately identifiable as a displaced individual as Matthew, she too, is an outsider. The city is not where she was born and raised. It is not where she belongs.<br />
<br />
As observers, Matthew and Mattie look at Rwanda through different lenses. Matthew sees a land full of promise and potential, while Mattie sees the country's brokenness and detritus.<br />
<br />
In <i>Muzungu</i>, playwright David Myers traverses the complex landscape of motives of doing good, loyalty and betrayal, and what it means to be an outsider, whether as a tourist or in your own country.Laura Esti Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13721546757739091756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564936467858550824.post-66862223711626886812011-01-17T11:36:00.000-05:002011-01-17T11:36:34.731-05:00Symbolism and Metaphor<div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_MA__JtmtC20/TTRvOJFwMNI/AAAAAAAAAB0/MF_yYYZEW20/s1600/OneFlea_home.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_MA__JtmtC20/TTRvOJFwMNI/AAAAAAAAAB0/MF_yYYZEW20/s200/OneFlea_home.jpg" width="161" /></a>I am currently rehearsing for a production of Naomi Wallace’s <i>One Flea Spare</i> and preparing for a reading series comprised of a few of her other plays. Reading so much of her work has brought into focus Ms. Wallace’s mastery of the form. I am particularly in awe of her use of both symbol and metaphor. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In <i>One Flea Spare</i>, a character literally walks around in another’s shoes, and few scenes later, a character plunges his finger into an orange and evokes a raw sensuality that elicited gasps in the room even during a read-through. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">What are some of the strongest or most memorable symbols or metaphors from your favorite plays, books, films, or music? </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #999999;">image found </span><a href="http://www.forumtd.org/" style="color: #999999;">here</a></span> </div>Laura Esti Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13721546757739091756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564936467858550824.post-11417032342261354362011-01-08T00:29:00.001-05:002011-06-06T21:55:14.462-04:00Congratulations to Charles!Charles McNulty, theatre critic for the LA Times, my critical touchstone (I have an internal WWCMD? bracelet), and one of my favorite professors, was just awarded the George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism. Congratulations, Charlie! What a wonderful way to honor your immeasurable talent and contributions!<br />
<br />
For more information, click <a href="http://www.playbill.com/news/article/146445-Theatre-Critic-Charles-McNulty-Winner-of-George-Jean-Nathan-Award">here</a> and/or<a href="http://www.arts.cornell.edu/english/awards/nathan/index.html"> here. </a>Laura Esti Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13721546757739091756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564936467858550824.post-12618562836217043762010-12-03T00:51:00.000-05:002010-12-03T00:51:55.542-05:00Posting on Inkwell Theatre's siteHello again! Please take a look at my guest post over at Inkwell Theatre's site and see some of the work I've been up to since my last post. <a href="http://www.inkwelltheater.org/blog/archives/2010/12/endings-are-hard-thoughts-abou.html">Click here</a>! Enjoy, and feel free to comment here or on the Inkwell site.Laura Esti Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13721546757739091756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564936467858550824.post-64234000318529820342010-04-27T16:06:00.001-04:002010-04-27T16:07:49.829-04:00Revamping<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hi friends. I'm taking a break to revamp and redirect the blog. Stay tuned!</span></span>Laura Esti Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13721546757739091756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564936467858550824.post-86537869784060221212010-04-20T10:35:00.007-04:002010-04-20T14:35:18.107-04:00Book Covers<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">CNN contributor Bob Greene suggests that book jackets are a dying art. In </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/04/16/greene.book.jacket/index.html?hpt=C2">this article</a><span style="font-family:verdana;">, he spotlights nine great covers. Which ones are your favorites?</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: verdana;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_MA__JtmtC20/S83DrZZzfcI/AAAAAAAAABQ/fO-jN7QX3Jc/s1600/oracle+night+cover.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_MA__JtmtC20/S83DrZZzfcI/AAAAAAAAABQ/fO-jN7QX3Jc/s200/oracle+night+cover.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462237073391189442" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">I am a sucker for great packaging. Although I try to never judge books by their cover, I admit that there have been a few I've picked up simply because the jacket caught my eye. Two recent attractions yielded drastically different results. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The woven blue notebook of Paul Auster's </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >Oracle Night</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"> lured me in much the same way that the possibly supernatural journal ensnares the protagonist. </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >Oracle Night</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"> was my first foray into Auster's work. I loved the mysteries and complexities on every page and now I can't get enough Auster. I scour the library and bookstore shelves for his books and since I discovered we are almost neighbors, keep my eyes peeled for him when I'm walking around Brooklyn.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I expected to read something fascinating or scientific after opening the cover of Galt Niederhoffer's </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >A Taxonomy of Barnacles</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">. I find this book polarizing. Some critics call it a contrived vanity project and others find its zaniness charming. I agree with with the former. I will steer clear of the author's future endeavors, but I must admit a desire to talk to her agent or editor about how structuring the novel more like the science project-like cover could have improved the writing and, ultimately, sales.<br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_MA__JtmtC20/S83EWUA_HxI/AAAAAAAAABY/r2LgQTkgXVg/s1600/taxonomy+cover.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 132px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_MA__JtmtC20/S83EWUA_HxI/AAAAAAAAABY/r2LgQTkgXVg/s200/taxonomy+cover.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462237810679291666" border="0" /></a><br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">images found </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/a/paul-auster/oracle-night.htm">here</a><span style="font-family:verdana;">, </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/n/galt-niederhoffer/taxonomy-of-barnacles.htm">here</a></span>Laura Esti Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13721546757739091756noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564936467858550824.post-55599748037246021932010-04-20T10:28:00.002-04:002010-04-20T10:35:40.416-04:00Daily Consumption 4-20-10<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Song of the day - </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waO8EUw5Ens">NYC, Interpol</a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Still reading unpublished work, so no passage of the day.</span></span>Laura Esti Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13721546757739091756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564936467858550824.post-34509472820607976182010-04-19T15:50:00.006-04:002010-04-19T16:00:13.184-04:00Literary inspiration<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_MA__JtmtC20/S8y2Q2V839I/AAAAAAAAABA/6nuaiUNyr3E/s1600/streetcar+shirt.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_MA__JtmtC20/S8y2Q2V839I/AAAAAAAAABA/6nuaiUNyr3E/s200/streetcar+shirt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461940848675315666" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Want to show off your favorite book? There are so many great t-shirts </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2010/04/literary-t-shirts.html">here</a><span style="font-family:verdana;">! In addition to the Streetcar shirt, I love the 1984 and Hester Prynne shirts.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);font-size:78%;" ><span style="font-family:verdana;">image found</span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.outofprintclothing.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=B-1013"> here</a></span>Laura Esti Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13721546757739091756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564936467858550824.post-34917269326051487062010-04-19T15:45:00.003-04:002010-04-19T15:49:00.207-04:00Daily Consumption 4-19-10<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Song of the day - </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmVAWKfJ4Go">Hurt, Johnny Cash</a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Just a song for now. I'm reading unpublished plays today.</span></span>Laura Esti Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13721546757739091756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564936467858550824.post-33772917070938945562010-04-13T14:52:00.003-04:002010-04-15T09:48:33.558-04:00Daily Consumption 4-15-10<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Song of the day - </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-mxBDuRaZ8"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Lazy Eye, Silversun Pickups</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><br /><br />Passage of the day - Do you know the feeling when you start reading a new book before the membrane of the last one has had time to close behind you? You leave the previous book with ideas and themes--characters even--caught in the fibers of your clothes, and when you open the new book, they are still with you. - </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Thirteenth-Tale-Novel-Diane-Setterfield/dp/0743298020"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">The Thirteenth Tale, Diane Setterfield</span></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Sorry for the delay! It's been a busy week.</span>Laura Esti Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13721546757739091756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564936467858550824.post-27951909067241721802010-04-13T14:21:00.004-04:002010-04-13T14:50:50.215-04:00Pulitzer Prizes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://blog.nj.com/entertainment_impact_arts/2008/02/large_normal.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 453px; height: 301px;" src="http://blog.nj.com/entertainment_impact_arts/2008/02/large_normal.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ><br />The Pulitzer Prizes were announced at Columbia University yesterday. Congratulations to all of the winners and finalists!<br /><br />The press release for the prize in Drama is as follows (from the <a href="http://www.pulitzer.org/press_releases">Pulitzer Prize site</a>): Awarded to “Next to Normal,” music by Tom Kitt, book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey, a powerful rock musical that grapples with mental illness in a suburban family and expands the scope of subject matter for musicals. (Moved into contention by the Board within the Drama category.)<br /><br />Nominated as finalists in this category were: “The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity,” by Kristoffer Diaz, a play invoking the exaggerated role-playing of professional wrestling to explore themes from globalization to ethnic stereotyping, as the audience becomes both intimate insider and ringside spectator; “Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo,” by Rajiv Joseph, a play about the chaotic Iraq war that uses a network of characters, including a caged tiger, to ponder violent, senseless death, blending social commentary with tragicomic mayhem, and “In the Next Room or the vibrator play,” by Sarah Ruhl, an inventive work that mixes comedy and drama as it examines the medical practice of a 19th century American doctor and confronts questions of female sexuality and emancipation.<br /><br /><br />The Prizes are never without controversy. According to Charles McNulty, member of the Pulitzer Prize drama jury, critic for the LA Times, and my former professor, the board disregarded the recommendation of the jury and awarded a visible and commercially viable piece of theatre rather than a riskier play by an emerging playwright. McNulty's insightful article can be found <a href="http://theenvelope.latimes.com/la-et-pulitzer-mcnulty-20100413,0,3224899.story">here</a>.<br /><br />I have questions about the awards process. How subjective are these awards? How much weight does the board give the jury? How long do they deliberate about the finalists before adding their sentimental favorites?</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);font-size:78%;" ><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">(image found </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://blog.nj.com/entertainment_impact_arts/2008/02/large_normal.jpg">here</a><span style="font-family:verdana;">)</span></span>Laura Esti Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13721546757739091756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564936467858550824.post-38800675533949259522010-04-08T20:39:00.003-04:002010-04-08T20:44:59.505-04:00Daily Consumption 4-8-10<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Song of the day - </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Wa7dFR09vU">Letters From the Sky, Civil Twilight</a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Passage of the day - When I walk into town, I see a shriveled, pasty man who, clearly, is dying. He has been propped in the doorway with the sun fully on him, his last chance for revival. He spreads out his fingers on his chest, warming everything he can. - </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.amazon.com/Under-Tuscan-Sun-Frances-Mayes/dp/0767900383">Under the Tuscan Sun, Frances Mayes</a></span>Laura Esti Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13721546757739091756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564936467858550824.post-73076476395392801732010-04-07T11:54:00.004-04:002010-04-07T12:05:38.593-04:00Daily Consumption 4-7-10<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Song of the day - </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPT1sjbGYNg">Anywhere I Lay My Head, Tom Waits</a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Passage of the day - Standing in the dim crypt in a country church where a handful of dust has been venerated for several hundred years, I see that even today, toward the end of the the century, the case is remembered with fresh carnations. I uncover my second realization: </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: verdana;">This is where they put their memories and wants</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">. Besides functioning as vast cultural repositories, these churches map intimate human needs. - </span></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Under-Tuscan-Sun-Frances-Mayes/dp/0767900383"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Under the Tuscan Sun, Frances Mayes</span></span><br /></a>Laura Esti Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13721546757739091756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564936467858550824.post-65847045758416019592010-04-06T14:30:00.003-04:002010-04-06T14:47:51.791-04:00Daily Consumption 4-6-10<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Song of the day - </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIIxlgcuQRU">Maps, Yeah Yeah Yeahs</a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Passage of the day - Means of life ... In certain times and places, we find it. We can run full out, if not fly. - </span></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Under-Tuscan-Sun-Frances-Mayes/dp/0767900383"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Under the Tuscan Sun, Frances Mayes</span></span><br /></a>Laura Esti Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13721546757739091756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564936467858550824.post-63302361429126211682010-04-05T11:54:00.001-04:002010-04-05T12:06:27.390-04:00Daily Consumption 4-5-10<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Song of the day - </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwJqUbd1vzs">To All of You, Syd Matters</a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Passage of the day - This three-story house rooted to the ground restores some levels in my waking and sleeping hours. Or is it the house? A glimmer: </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: verdana;">Choice</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> is restorative when it reaches toward an instinctive recognition of the earliest self. As Dante recognized at the beginning of </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: verdana;">The Inferno</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">: What must we do in order to grow? - </span></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Under-Tuscan-Sun-Frances-Mayes/dp/0767900383"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Under the Tuscan Sun, Frances </span>Mayes</span><br /></a>Laura Esti Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13721546757739091756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564936467858550824.post-87717559714535116352010-04-02T13:14:00.002-04:002010-04-02T13:20:38.919-04:00Daily Consumption 4-2-10<span style="font-family: verdana;font-size:85%;" >Song of the day - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkITsv3Nk6M">Phantom Limb, The Shins</a><br /><br />Passage of the day - Think: What if the sky doesn't fall? What if it's glorious? - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Under-Tuscan-Sun-Frances-Mayes/dp/0767900383">Under the Tuscan Sun, Frances Mayes</a></span>Laura Esti Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13721546757739091756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564936467858550824.post-5165441131014889572010-04-02T13:08:00.000-04:002010-04-02T13:08:56.151-04:00What is a dramaturg? - an ongoing discussion<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_MA__JtmtC20/S7Fhu75DirI/AAAAAAAAAA4/S_XGyuujWYc/s1600/Dramaturg+dog.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_MA__JtmtC20/S7Fhu75DirI/AAAAAAAAAA4/S_XGyuujWYc/s200/Dramaturg+dog.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454248082701257394" border="0" /></a><br /><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >When I meet new friends, one of the first things they ask me concerns my profession. Most people struggle even pronouncing the word <span style="font-style: italic;">dramaturg</span>*, much less understanding what the job entails. Most dramaturgs I know cultivate a quick "cocktail party" answer in addition to a longer explanation.<br /><br />My cocktail party answer changes according to what aspect of the work I'm focused on at the time and what projects are on the horizon. Right now, I like to call what I do "theatre anthropology." Sometimes I say that I work with playwrights to develop new work, other times I talk more about research, program notes, and lobby displays. It is difficult to narrow what a dramaturg does into a soundbite because the job changes due to the particular demands and challenges of the play, project, theatre, or organization.<br /><br />Defining what a dramaturg is and does is an ongoing project for many. Since the performing arts are alive and constantly changing, the role of the dramaturg will continue to grow and change along with its supporting institutions.<br /></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ><br />A couple of supporting institutions worth mentioning:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.centerstage.org/About-Us/Dramaturgy.aspx">CENTERSTAGE</a>: CENTERSTAGE in Baltimore received a $2 million challenge grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to establish the nation's first dramaturgy endowment. <a href="http://www.centerstage.org/About-Us/Dramaturgy.aspx"></a>CENTERSTAGE currently boasts one of the larger dramaturgy departments in the nation. They do incredible work. </span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ><a href="http://www.lmda.org/">LMDA</a>: A conversation about defining dramaturgy would be incomplete without mentioning Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas. When I initially discovered the existence of dramaturgy, my search led me to LMDA and their unbelievably selfless members. On their site, they list numerous "acts of dramaturgy." Scroll down!</span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ><br /></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ><br /><br /></span><div class="articleBody" style="font-family:verdana;"><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >What is Dramaturgy?<br />(a few possibilities)<br /><br />RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT<br />Help develop the mission<br />Help plan the season<br />Help look for scripts<br /><br />NEW PLAYS<br />Solicit scripts from writers and agents<br />Read and evaluate new scripts<br />Track and file those scripts<br />Write kindly letters to writers whose script<br />we won’t be producing<br />Negotiate with agents<br />Prepare adaptations and translations<br />Commission new work<br />Organize the in-house play reading program<br />Organize the new play reading program<br />for subscribers<br />Help bring new plays into full production<br />Support those writers whose vision captures our minds and hearts<br /><br />PRODUCTION DRAMATURGY<br />Locate drafts and versions<br />Collate, cut, track, edit, rewrite, construct,<br />and arrange<br />Secure permissions to use<br />copyrighted material<br />Find songs, pictures, stories, videos<br />Help the designer do the research<br />Help the director do casting<br />Help the marketeers and developers<br />Seek and present pathways into<br />the world of the play<br />Gather and arrange images, sounds, and ideas for rehearsal<br />Explore and present: the world of the play<br />the author of the play,<br />the script’s production history,<br />the relevant criticism<br />Conceive the forms of the script as a script<br />Conceive the forms of the play as it grows<br />Stay on course when all goes well<br />Maintain the calm when all goes ill<br />(as it will)<br />Create the lobby display<br />Love the work<br /><br />ARTS IN EDUCATION<br />Establish relationships with local educators<br />Help them use theatre to support their curricula<br />Prepare study guides<br />Develop production web sites<br />Write and edit program materials<br />Organize and lead pre- and post-show discussions<br />Plan and lead seminars and symposia<br /><br />ADVOCACY<br />Affirm the function,<br />Explore the practice, and<br />Promote the profession of<br />dramaturgy and literary management.<br />Nourish the arts wherever we find them:<br />in schools,<br />in communities,<br />and around the world.<br /><br />(all information can be found at <a href="http://www.lmda.org/">www.lmda.org</a>)<br /><br /><br />Any questions about dramaturgy so far? Please ask!<br /><br /><br />*Dramaturgy is pronounced with a soft g, like the g in the word <span style="font-style: italic;">gel</span>. Dramaturg has a hard g, like the word <span style="font-style: italic;">hamburger</span>. It is sometimes spelled with an <span style="font-style: italic;">e</span> on the end, but since <span style="font-style: italic;">dramaturge</span> means playwright in French, most U.S.-based dramaturgs try to discourage that spelling to avoid further confusion. </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);font-family:verdana;" >image found </span><a style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153); font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.cafepress.com/+bolshoi+dog_tees">here</a> </span>Laura Esti Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13721546757739091756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564936467858550824.post-63239535153213186942010-03-31T23:50:00.004-04:002010-04-01T00:13:46.226-04:00Daily Consumption 3-31-10<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Song of the day - </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.livevideo.com/video/866372BD5A9A45C49CC9CE38A7F56986/dice-finley-quaye.aspx">Dice, Finley Quaye & William Orbit</a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Passage of the day - ... I favor the judgment that Elizabeth and Darcy scarcely change, and learn rather that they complement each other's not wholly illegitimate pride. -<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Novelists-Literary-Criticism-Anniversary-Collection/dp/0791097277/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269373133&sr=1-2"> </a></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Novelists-Literary-Criticism-Anniversary-Collection/dp/0791097277/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269373133&sr=1-2"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Novels and Novelists, Bloom's Literary Criticism 20<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">th</span> Anniversary Collection, </span></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a style="font-family: verdana;">Harold Bloom on Jane Austen</a></span></span></span>Laura Esti Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13721546757739091756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564936467858550824.post-12578248756807778262010-03-30T18:41:00.003-04:002010-03-30T23:24:53.730-04:00Daily Consumption 3-30-10Song of the day - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qujfdzLJPyU">Lucky Man, The Verve</a><br /><br />Passage of the day - "In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. you must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you." - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Austens-Pride-Prejudice-Illustrated-Thomson/dp/1905921055/ref=sr_1_22?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269544332&sr=1-22">Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen</a>Laura Esti Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13721546757739091756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564936467858550824.post-8044974481075066972010-03-29T17:16:00.003-04:002010-03-29T17:28:25.420-04:00Heroes of Children's Literature<span style="font-size:85%;"><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/gallery/2010/mar/12/booksforchildrenandteenagers?picture=360321842">The Guardian names ten of the best heroes of children's literature</a><span style="font-family: verdana;">. I miss Harry Potter, Scout and </span>Jem<span style="font-family: verdana;"> of </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061120081/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0446310786&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0QXWMKMWHF9KSFMRMQ10">To Kill a Mockingbird</a><span style="font-family: verdana;">, Fern and Charlotte of </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.amazon.com/Charlottes-Web-paper-over-board-E-White/dp/0061124958/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269897929&sr=1-1">Charlotte's Web</a><span style="font-family: verdana;">, and the many children in the </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.amazon.com/Chronicles-Narnia-Leatherbound-Classics/dp/B002LC76DE/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269897977&sr=1-6">Chronicles of Narnia</a><span style="font-family: verdana;">. Do you agree with this list? Who are your favorites?</span></span>Laura Esti Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13721546757739091756noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564936467858550824.post-91023331072956194892010-03-29T14:37:00.002-04:002010-03-29T14:45:15.288-04:00Daily Consumption 3-29-10<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Song of the day - </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://viddug.com/video.cfm/vid/2110995249/Tegan_and_Sara/Walking_with_a_Ghost/">Walking With a Ghost, Tegan & Sara<br /></a><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Passage of the day - The novel's long suit has always been emotional identification. ... Long suit, but not only suit. The novel has always proved itself capable of multiple uses, one of which is analysis or intellection. It can be a vehicle for sympathy or dread, but also for rational understanding. - </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Novels-Like-Professor/dp/0061340405">How to Read Novels Like a Professor, Thomas C. Foster</a></span>Laura Esti Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13721546757739091756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564936467858550824.post-66802838714552383312010-03-26T11:46:00.001-04:002010-03-26T15:48:44.440-04:00Daily Consumption 3-26-10<span style="font-family: verdana;font-size:85%;" >Song of the day - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzjERZU3wbY">Swim Until You Can't See Land, Frightened Rabbit</a><br /><br />Passage of the day - "...no one can be really esteemed accomplished who does not greatly surpass what is usually met with. A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word; and besides all this, she must posses a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be but half-deserved."<br /><br />"All this she must possess,"added Darcy, "and to all this she must yet add something moresubstantial, in the improvement of her mind by extensive reading."<br /><br />"I am no longer surprised at your knowing ONLY six accomplished women. I rather wonder now at your knowing ANY." - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Austens-Pride-Prejudice-Illustrated-Thomson/dp/1905921055/ref=sr_1_22?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269544332&sr=1-22">Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen</a></span>Laura Esti Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13721546757739091756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2564936467858550824.post-92130786406502498942010-03-25T15:08:00.004-04:002010-03-25T15:51:24.678-04:00Daily Consumption 3-25-10<span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >Song of the day - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DT-dxG4WWf4"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Mykonos</span>, Fleet Foxes</a><br /><br />Passage of the day - "When I am in the country," he replied, "I never wish to leave it; and when I am in town it is pretty much the same. They have each their advantages, and I can be equally happy in either." - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Austens-Pride-Prejudice-Illustrated-Thomson/dp/1905921055/ref=sr_1_22?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269544332&sr=1-22">Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen</a></span>Laura Esti Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13721546757739091756noreply@blogger.com0