I love the creativity that is clearly evident, dare I say infectious, within each and every one of PlayGround’s shows. Last night’s offering, while dense and mathematical, was certainly no exception to that rule. The evening was a co-production of sorts between PlayGround and the nearby Mathematical Sciences Research Institute. Six short plays, and one excerpt, were presented over the course of 90 minutes. I’ll consider this my 9th show for the year.

Some pieces seemed longer than others, as might be natural when I don’t have a timer and am watching something. I especially enjoyed the farcical Rapunzel’s Etymology of Zero, written by Katie May, and the biting finale of Margins for Error, by Sang Kim. The last play took on an especially biting twist when one character whom I expected to be silent turned out to be the exact opposite.

The evening was more heady than I generally associate PlayGround being (they focus on wordplay and characters) but I don’t see that as a deterrent. Frankly I am impressed that they continue to maintain their high standard of production, using mostly AEA actors, at a high quality theatre space, etc, at a time when others are cutting back. They seem to be moving forward with their momentum, as there are several co productions coming up in the near future all around this area.

A new month marks my “initial public offering” of this blog. Visitors and comments welcome. Theatre reviews and commentary will continue as they happen!

As a way of getting this blog more off the ground, and reflective, I’ve decided to embark on a “Best of 2010 blog challenge”. To do this, I googled the “best of 2009 blog challenge”, which I had seen on a friend’s blog last year, and will adjust the same prompts for this year’s entries. Interestingly, there does not seem to be a formal blog challenge for this year. Perhaps fellow writers are feeling over nostalgic. This should be a good way for me to take stock of this year, which hasn’t exactly been a cruising one, and set forth for holiday reflections and new possibilities.

First paragraph of a final paper, designed as a short story of psychological exploration at the famous Esalen Institute.

The sky opened up over the Pacific Ocean as the group sped down Highway One. Cloistered into the car were four friends who’d known each other for six years. In 2004, they began taking weekend courses on psychological studies through a counseling center in San Francisco. Now, in 2010, they had banded together to travel to the Esalen Institute, a mystical place of healing and opportunity they all knew, but had never actually visited Esalen. The group mood veered between anticipation and nervousness throughout the southbound drive. Evan took the role of navigator, pointing out highlights of Monterey and the dry irrigation of the Salinas Valley. Chloe stayed in her backseat position, preferring to remain in an introspective mood. Mike stayed in the driver’s seat and chimed in with some of Evan’s points. He also found himself taken with the vistas of the road, especially in the windswept communities of Seaside and Del Mar. Finally, in the passenger side rear, there was Jim, a man of action, who had been coerced into the Esalen excursion against his best wishes. Now that the group was nearing their destination, he began to relax and feel more open to possibilities on the trip.

So, let’s REALLY do this! I’ve been thinking frequently about the pros and cons of blogging again, but moreover, I actually WANT to blog again, so I will try.

Tomorrow marks three weeks in the new house. Things are settling into a routine as time goes on. I pass by the old apartment on the way home via the bus, and have the Charles River Park slogan in my mind: “If you lived here, you’d be home now!” – but I’m glad to be where I am now. It’s also testing my physical endurance in ways that my old place did not. I have to walk up a very steep hill to get home, which is almost a 45 degree angle in parts. It’s fun to walk down and a valiant effort to come back up. The first time I did it, I felt sore for three days afterward… but now that I’ve done it again, it doesn’t feel so bad. It’s also a plus to my gas mileage, which has suffered as a result of this steep hill, at least until I find the perfect way to drive down the hill with moderate usage of brakes. Right now I am trying a different tactic each time, and seeing what may work, and if there’s an ideal method.

School continues and feels refreshed. This semester we are exploring Family Therapies and Individual Therapies, while some explore Cross Cultural therapies and others explore the law and ethics of therapeutic work. I feel revived to be part of the community. At the same time I don’t hold too much attachment to the process and take pleasure in the different aspects of my Bay Area life. This also includes continuing work with The Theatre Company, which remains charmingly endearing, though not without challenges at times.

That’s enough for now – another thing to note is how the internet promotes a short attention span, at least in my mind. The hill is having an intense windstorm tonight making it feel like we are right on a bluff.

I really want to blog again. I don’t know what is holding me back. Alright, maybe I do – the rise of microblogging and the amplification of instant updates on Facebook, Twitter and anything/everything else. And then when I actually start the blog, I wonder what to say.

Perhaps starting fresh will help the stagnation go away. I created this blog over a year ago with the intention of turning a new page, but it didn’t happen. Well, now I want it to happen again – and it will! I am challenging myself to write once per day in August. What will the focus be, though – reflective or exploratory? Let’s try a little of both.

It’s been a day of transitions today as I moved out of my apartment, and later said goodbye – for now – to two friends whom I originally knew in MA and are now returning there. Got me thinking about the nature of time, but how time is equally really just a construct.

My Five College Theatre training is appearing in the title of this entry. Have been thinking about my impressions of recent plays in light of the realization that of the 20+ plays I’ve seen in the Bay Area this year, the ones that stood out the most (thus far) were written by men, but produced in all other areas by women. I’m interested to contemplate if this is a coincidence or part of a larger thematic trend. Cases are outlined below. In both cases, I had a direct connection to at least one cast member.

Over the Mountain: “Set in an oddly familiar totalitarian state, this lyrical play explores a world where two sisters, faced with the severities of war, must make choices that threaten to sever them forever” said the press release. I heard about it through an email from a supporting player, whom I’d worked with last fall and co-starred as a close friend and fellow freedom fighter. In her words, this African American actress “didn’t want to look like a Black Panther” so she dyed her black/gray hair platinum blond just for the part.

The play felt like theatrical nirvana to me, from the grand theatre space originally used as a 1930’s cinema to the sparse set design that captured a cross between being stuck in the outside world and stuck in one’s home. Original music emphasized the lyricism of the dialogue and surroundings, and the composer was featured in a small ensemble part. The story felt immediate because it did not over-expositive itself. The totalitarian state was never named, which added to the urgency of the plot and acting. The sisters and protagonists didn’t know where they were going next, and the audience members were right there with them.

Collected Stories, seen last night in its opening performance at the charming Cinnabar Theatre in Petaluma, was a vastly different subject: the wars of academia and hidden issues of class and status within that profession. An older professor and younger devoted student are initially drawn together when the student becomes her personal assistant. As the years pass and they are drawn closer, it becomes apparent that each character has a hidden agenda. It is only through an act of betrayal (or is it?) that a resolution is achieved, and its not a happy one.

This production benefitted from extremely focused performances from its two leads, solid on-the-mark direction, and a beautiful set that included large cutouts of historical figures alongside three musty brown bookshelves in the professor’s apartment. The play stays in my mind because there are no easy answers, and although you may think that one side of the story is the right way to see it, a compelling reason exists to consider the other side as well. Both of the lead actresses have performed in the past with my current company, Porchlight, and the director was the resident directer for PTC from 2002-07.

I wonder if these plays would have been different if it was an all-male company performing it? Or if the genders were mixed of the teacher and student? It’s likely that the dramatic impact would not be the same, and the general theme is something worth considering as I continue to lead an active performing arts cultural life here.

For some time now, I’ve wanted to launch a theatre-centric drama criticism and news blog. I’ve begun to enjoy surfing various drama blogs while at work and at home, such as local powerhouse theaterdogs.net and my two TBA colleagues blogs’ “Editor’s Cut” and “The Mark Up”, among others.

So what to do with this blog…what is my objective?

I’d like to be informative, have some fun, feel comfortable floating opinions, share resources, offer critique and give a sense of the depth of the Bay Area theatre world. After all, it is #3 in the USA, behind only NYC and Chicago.

Let’s see where this goes.