Construction, LA, etc....

It's been a few busy weeks. First, we should be pouring concrete at the new theatre in the first week of August. We FINALLY received the permit and Pepe Piperno is raring to go!!! Look for work to start this week at the site with the pouring of the foundation happening next week. If you did not receive our Summer Newsletter via email please email me at joep@southcamdentheatre.org to receive it!

I also had the honor of being in Los Angeles last weekend for weekend performances of Howard Zinn's "Marx In Soho". I hope you got a chance to see this great play when we produced it twice over the past two years. Bob Weick , as always, was fantastic and the play is a true gem. I was there to finally meet Howard Zinn face to face as I have converted his great play into a screenplay with his blessing and approval. We are hoping to have a film made over the next year. Please e mail if you want more details. Thanks to producer [and Camden born and bred] Michael McAteer for his great production and hospitality.

We open in October with Youth in America. See you then!

Call for plays

SCTC is now seeking one act plays for its “And Justice For All – four plays about social and political injustice” festival to be produced in the spring of 2009. We seek plays that are two to four character, single set pieces that show injustice in America in a unique and telling way.

For consideration please send script and SASE to:

South Camden Theatre Company, Inc.
c/o 318 Hudson Street Gloucester City, NJ 08030
Attn: Joseph M. Paprzycki, Artistic Director
Deadline for submissions December 1, 2008.
A stipend will be paid.

Meeting Martin Sheen

On Friday, June 13th, I was especially honored to be invited by Msgr. Michael Doyle to join him and a small group as he was visited by the incredible actor and humanitarian, Martin Sheen. Martin (as he told us to call him) toured the church, greenhouse and oven area and then honored us all by going into the hole in the ground that was the basement of my grandfather's bar, Walt's Café, and do an incredible performance of a poem that he cherishes. We then sang, prayed and had an incredible dinner together where he told us stories about his career and life. I told him about "the play that is rebuilding a corner" and he was kind enough to take my play "Last Rites" with him on the plane home.

On the following Thursday you can imagine how shocked I was when he called my cell phone and we had a long conversation about the play, Camden and the future of the theatre. He gave me two wonderful critiques which have pushed me back into a rewrite (after 12 years). This is an incredible man and his generosity and advice will never be forgotten. He said to me "you now have a RESPONSIBILITY to write and to work at my craft".

I will remember these words always and I will fall back on them as I work into the future. Thank you Martin Sheen and a huge thank you to Fr. Doyle for making is all happen!