"2 try to walk out on Joe Paprzycki's INDOOR PICNIC

This was written by my friend Jumbo Schimpf who is featured in my play "Indoor Picnic" at SCTC for five more shows starting tonight at 8PM. I cried when I read this and I have tears in my eyes now.  "2 try to walk out on Joe Paprzycki's INDOOR PICNIC Last night was Neighborhood Night at South Camden Theatre Company's Waterfront South Theatre, which opened in 2010 and is the first and only professional playhouse in Camden, NJ. Anyone who lives in Waterfront South and wants to see a show can enjoy it, free of charge, on Neighborhood Nights throughout the season. The bill last night was Artistic Director Joe Paprzycki's own Indoor Picnic, a play set in Camden during the 1960s through the early 90s. It witnesses the city's decline and the rampant racism that tore neighbors apart. Seen through the eyes of four members of the Polish Club (Dan Hickey, Edward Monterosso, Eric J. Pederson and Jumbo Schimpf) and the black woman who is their hired help (Zuhairah), the hate, fear, ignorance, and hope of the once-proud city collide. At times, the mirror this play holds up is difficult to look into; the reflections can be disappointing, and show us imagines we shy away from in real life. But as the play offers a chance for redemption at a bus stop, it reminds us that sometimes healing is as simple as that - a smile and a hello - if we have the courage to go that far. During Friday night's performance, 2 patrons saw these reflections and tried to leave during the intermission. They were residents of Camden's Waterfront South neighborhood who had taken advantage of the free ticket offer. Paprzycki, stopped them at the door and asked why they were leaving. Their response was not what the average theatregoer might expect: "We thought it was over." When Paprzycki explained there was still another Act to come, the two neighbors, very embarrassed, apologized. They didn't know. They had never sat through an intermission. They had never been to a theatre before. They returned, happily, for Act II. Indoor Picnic runs through Sunday, November 11. Tickets can be purchased at www.southcamdentheatre.org

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Held in the Grasp of Ghosts

Flying to Boston this morning on a clear blue day, looking out of my aisle seat number 14 window out to my right…the blinding glare of the rising sun had just begun to pass over the top of us when I looked down…to see that the curving coastline of Cape Cod was unfurling out below me.  I craned my neck as the miles passed by tens and twenties over the my bemused window seat compatriot when as I jockeyed to look more ahead..I could finally see the hook and hook of the tip.  This is the part of the cape…the furthest from Boston…..that protects Provincetown.  And…as I looked down from 26,000 feet, watching the fist of Massachusetts protecting this former Portuguese fisherman’s village…I had my epiphany.  …the reason I return over and over again to this place…the reason for the quest….the reason I need to be here.  Because…I realized that not only was that fist protecting Provincetown but….it was also there to protect me.  Protect me and the countless writers and artists and poets who also…NEED…to be here.  Here…I have my protection.  Here…I can write what I need to write with the ghost of artist and writers past standing hand in hand on the rocks protecting me….and…all of the other current residents of this sphere who find this tiny town a respite… and…an Eden.  It finally hit me……26,000 feet in the clear blue fall sky….and all from aisle seat number 14. 

In the years ahead…I will be one of those hand in hand on those same rocks…holding hands with the writers and artists of the past as we protect the creators of the future….carrying this sacred place forward through time and space.

As O’Neill  [One of the writers on the rocks] said in his masterpiece “Long Day’s Journey Into Night”…”the moment of ecstatic freedom” . It is now something that I can call my own.  Call my own now…as I am speeding on a ferry from Boston……now only miles from my own personal Mecca.

 

I have found my place.

Art Imitates Life

Very sad news today as the final Polish Picnic in southern NJ scheduled for this Sunday was cancelled due to expenses and diminished crowds. My play "Indoor Picnic", opening on October 26th at SCTC tells such a similar tale.  A story of old traditions being left behind as our cities and neighborhoods change. A story of people, still living in the past grapple with the change all around them as their city becomes a different place with new people and problems.  A story filled with old world music and celebrations that are now disappearing as a new, more dangerous city rises, as seen through the eyes of a few residents.  Their story is told through laughter and tears; the essence of life itself.  The  Polish Picnic ending at this particular time is an eerie reminder to all of us that change is always around and, how we adapt or do not adapt to it, can be triumphant or tragic.  Please get your tickets for this three week run at www.southcamdentheatre.org.  Come grow with us at our home in Waterfront south.

"Express Tracks" The writing and journey of a new play

Writing a play is a complicated thing.  It is a combination of inspiration, timing, voices, story and character that all come together in the writer's mind and then, on the page to..hopefully..come to life on a stage.  My new play "Express Tracks", will have it's first open to the public staged reading on Monday, July 30th is the combination of all of those elements.  This is a play that was inspired by a trip on a train...one from Camden to Trenton ..as I travelled last winter.  On the train I saw people and heard voices that lent themselves to this story and...inspired me to seek answers to other questions of my own.  Questions of faith and feeling trapped and isolated in a world with open windows and sunlight.  These characters allowed me to dig deeper into their backgrounds and motivations and in doing that..ultimately...my own.  This world is complex and....this ride let me question my own world by exploring the world of strangers...people we see every day and pass by..or ..interact with. I wrote this play in the predawn hours of five mornings in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.  As I wrote lightning lit up the cove below me and the constant heat and humidity of June on the Mexican coast surrounded me.  These elements have now become a part of this work.  I invite you to the reading..to be a part of its first breath of life and to offer feedback...should you feel inspired. Director Dan Student has brought together an amazing, stellar cast on this particular Monday evening and we will be witness to their talent as "Express Tracks" comes to life in its earliest form.  SCTC wants to bring you into the process of creating theatre as well as being an audience member.  As we enter our eighth season we want to engage you even more into the process..and ..give you a theatrical home of your own.  Please come.   We begin at 7PM and it's free. 

A tree grows in Provincetown

Sitting on my deck...staring out onto O'Neill's tides and working on a rewrite for this coming season I stopped to take a break and...for a second...looked away from the harbor to see a tree..a very old one..on the lot next to me.  I say old because the top of the tree and all of it's branches were a snowy grey/white...but..below it the tree is as green and vibrant as...I can imagine....decades ago when it first sprung to like not far from the shadow of the Pilgrim's Monument.  I kept watching this tree and...saw the parallel to my own self..and my own life.  The grey on top of this tree did nothing to affect the life going on inside.  The green, heavily leafed branches were swaying in the cool breeze of an early afternoon in July.  The tree still felt the breeze...breathed in the sea air and was growing..just as it was since it's birth on a small hill in this historic cape town.  I thought it was an eerie parallel as I continue to work at my writing..constantly inspired by Tennessee's moon and O'Neill's lighthouse...the same this tree has bore witness to over the generations.  I found myself jealous....though...as this tree is rooted in the place I have grown to love the most in the world..a place where it will only leave by disease or by a tree surgeons saw.  The trees roots are here...and mine are 350 miles away.  So.....the need to lay new roots has become more and more clear to me...even as the gray/silver of my own becomes more visible and has now begun to overpower my hair's former hue.  We both feel the breeze and feel the sun here. We both have seen sunny days and many storms...but...for now...only one of us has permanent roots here.  The tide is changing below me...I see the water rising higher and higher to it's fmailiar spot convering our second deck step.  The tides are changing.

En Avant!

We end as we began...with the genius of Tennessee Williams onstage at SCTC.  I am extremely torn at this moment.  I am elated to end with a sold out house and having over 600 people see our "Night of the Iguana" at the end our our entire season honoring him but also sad that this season of his work has ended.  At our closing party I was presented with my signed, framed poster from the cast [my favorite moment as producer] but this frame also had a rose taped to it. A rose that our Stage Manager, Ashley Chambers, secretly had onstage hidden during each show of the season. A rose to let us all never forget Tenn's beloved sister Rose...to whom so much of his work and life were dedicated.  I almost cried on the spot. And..if that wasn't enough..thanks to my friend and our "Nonno" Tom Juarez...the cast presented me with an autographed, hardcover copy of his book "Memoirs".  When I thanked Tom for his incredible generosity, he said that I "needed" to have it. The emotion that is welling up inside of me is rich and deep...and I have an incredible cast and crew of SCTC family to thank.  I titled this entry into my blog "En Avant!"...the term Tenn ended his correspondence with...roughly..."to the future"..and I now need to end with it.  Because Tennessee Williams is eternal...and his gift to all of us is the characters and plays he left us with.  So...as we began...we now end this season.  But...we will always celebrate the true gift we were given the day Thomas Lanier Williams was born. En Avant!

Final 3 of 7 of Tenn

 3 final shows of "Night of the Iguana"this weekend as our 7th season, "Tenn xTen", brings our season to a close. This season has been a fantastic run as we pay tribute to one of America's greatest writers, Tennessee Williams.  You have ONLY three more chances to experince Tennessee's poetry and full, rich characters up close and personally in our intimate 96 seat theatre.  Please don't wait to get your tickets as Sunday is already getting very full.  go to http://www.southcamdentheatre.org/ now to order.  As Tennessee ended all of his correspondence "En avant!"

The Fantastic Level and the Realistic Level are the two levels upon which we live.

"The Fantastic Level and the Realistic Level are the two levels upon which we live." Tennessee Williams, [through Shannon] plainly explains life as he sees it.  I am proud to say that we at SCTC can tie those two worlds together nicely.  The realistic world that surrounds us in Camden is a world that has gone through trying times.  Times of riots and abandonment, tears and crime.  However, through the art of theatre, the talent of our cast and crew and the generosity of many, this "realistic" level has managed to rise to the "fantastic" level. I can only invite you to come to Waterfront South to see these levels connect.  Come to SCTC and be transported to the Mexican coast in 1940 as Tennessee Williams' "Night of the Iguana" roars to life six more times starting tomorrow night.  Witness the connection of levels as art continues to save us and be the cure for the "realistic" problems we leave at the door at 4th and Jasper when we enter the "Fantastic" world of theatre.  This is an amazing play and Tenn could not have described SCTC's entire existence better.  See you there.

Personal Haven - Safe Harbor

Home from "Night of the Iguana" rehearsal watching actors pour themselves into the poetry of Tennessee Williams realizing it's been a few rough weeks for me, personally. After tonight's rehearsal I felt myself rise up like Shannon during his own storm...hearing God's angry voice in His thunder as my own soul quaked in its wake and...in its majesty..and...in the play...found my own self again. Art is as a basic need as water and sunlight. We need it to feel our hearts and souls. Trust me..don't miss SCTC's "Iguana" as Tennessee Williams' genius roars to life in Waterfront South. We open Friday. www.southcamdentheatre.org for tickets.

Personal

"Curtain" closes and a new "Night" begins

Thanks to the hundreds of people that made my play "Tennessee's Final Curtain" the success that it was at SCTC. You were a part of the birth of a new American play that, hopefully, will have only begun its long journey to other theatres around the country. I want to take a moment to pay you another compliment. One of the things I am proudest of at SCTC is the level of theatre savvy of our audience. You embraced this play as you have the other challenging, though provoking work we have brought to you. You take the time to listen and ponder, discuss and debate the work presented with the highest level of insight. I usually say how proud of OUR work we are [which is true] but today I want to say I proud and grateful we are to have YOU sitting in the seats of Waterfront South Theatre. With all of us pulling together this synergy will continue to bring Camden back to its full glory. As "Night" approaches I wanted to take a moment to thank you for your constant support. It is so appreciated.

Thanks Craig and cast of "Streetcar"

Thanks, Craig for last night's invitiation to talk to his cast of their upcoming "Streetcar" production about Tennessee Williams. It was fun for me to share my many years of study of the man and his work and I am so grateful the cast welcomed me with such enthusiasm. Haddonfield Plays and Players opens their productin tomorrow night and I wish them many "broken legs". Come see my own "Tennessee's Final Curtain" this weekend and then go see "Streetcar". I think you'll watch his work with a deeper understanding of the great writer and his moviations after opening his "Final Curtain" first. En avant!

"Curtain" will fall next Sunday..three shows left!

What a weekend this was. 3 more large audiences...huge ovations for an incredibly hard working cast...people leaving the theatre telling me they now NEED to read more of TW's writing and see more of his plays now that they have insight into his motivation and characters. Watching people "connect the dots" in the play they just saw as this play is something to "chew on"..a play not simplistic in is subject or story. After years and years of readings and workshops and thousands of miles up and down the NJ turnpike...TW..and the play are alive...onstage...directly in front of you at Waterfront South Theatre. It is hard to pinpoint one subject to write about with all of this happening at once. It is a true joy for me and, as TW says in my play..."a true perk of the profession".

Thank you to the hundreds who have already seen the play and I personally invite you to please join us while Tennessee is still with us onstage in Waterfront South.

Three more performances of "Tennessee's Final Curtain" this Friday, Saturday and Sunday only. Tickets have been selling briskly but there are still seats available for each show. Gett hem at www.southcamdentheatre.org. En avant!

A love note from Tennessee Williams

Frank Merlo was the love of Tennessee Williams' life. Frank and Tenn spent many years together and Frank's death in 1957 shook Tenn until the day of his own death at the Hotel Elysee in 1983. During their time together, Frank took care of everything in their home life to allow Tennessee to write...to create...to become a legend. As we move into our second weekend of "Tennessee's Final Curtain" at SCTC think about love in all forms and...the ghosts of true love that may have left us..and how it affects all of us in all it's senses. After reading my play, the great actor Jeremey Lawrence, who has played Tennessee Williams all over the world, wrote this to me.."we all need a Frank in our lives". Please join us at Waterfront South Theatre and feel the ghosts and regrets of one of our greatest writers. And..to you all...I wish you the love of a "Frank" in all of your lives.

Opening a Curtain

After over 12 years of readings, workshops and thousands of miles back and forth to NY my play "Tennessee's Final Curtain" opens tonight. To fully describe the process of birthing a new play is to list the many people and places that have aided in its development. To discuss the writing of a play is to take you into a far lonelier place...a place filled with visions and voices and inspirations that allow a playwright to bring a new play to the page. My writer friends have all shared in the solemnity of that moment. The moment you finish. Writing the words "The End" mean two much different things...the end of the solitary process of writing and the beginning of the new life a play takes and...the ultimate joy of watching your play stand on its own feet as "Curtain" will do tonight. I hope to see you over the next three weeks as Tennessee Williams grapples with his own ghost and demons, brought to you to help us all understand the loneliness of this incredible writer. After all of these years its funny to see my own ghosts interact with the ghosts of others....all happening as one of the greatest writers in the past 100 years rises again to life. I hope you'll join me on this journey. It's been quite a ride up to now.

Thank you, Brian Dennehy

Thank you to acting legend Brian Dennehy for coming to SCTC yesterday to raise money for SCTC and discuss O'Neill, Miller, his films and Lee Marvin! Thank you also to the over capacity house who got to meet this iconic actor "up close and personal" the way we do things at SCTC. Brian is off to Chicago to begin rehearsals for "The Iceman Cometh" with Nathan Lane and we are in the final stages of bringing my new play "Tennessee's Final Curtain" to you starting this Friday. An exciting February at SCTC has begun......

2 weeks ahead to 29 years ago....

My play "Tennessee's Final Curtain" opens 2 weeks from tonight. The rehearsals I have attended, led by the incredibly talented director Allen Radway have been deeply intense, as Allen has found in my play moments that I, as the writer, had not seen in prior readings over the past twelve years. I can't wait to get back to the theatre for tonight's full rehearsal. The actors are working so hard as they bring this, the last night of Tennessee's Williams life, back to life in front of you..allowing you into his guarded world of ghosts, secrets and inspirations. Tennessee died on a cold February night in 1983.. 29 years ago but his plays and poetry will live forever. Come into his world.... and memories...and emotions. We run three weeks. Please join us.

Future in the Past

Thanks to the 200 people who came out for this weekends 3 day Festival. We saw young actors make their professional debuts, an African American cast bring a "Menagerie" to stunning life, and were part of 3 lively and thought provoking discussions after led by Jack Shaw. A young student from Seton Hall Prep HS, in attendance Saturday night said it best. "I'm going back home and reading Tennessee Williams". Success. In less than 3 weeks "Tennessee's Final Curtain" takes the stage in it's world premiere. The set is already under construction and the actors have been working for weeks. After almost 14 years of readings and workshops you will have the opportunity to be in Tennessee's room the night he died and enter his world of ghost and visions. Only at SCTC. Only in Waterfront South. Tickets at www.southcamdentheatre.org. A new "Future" emerges.

3 Levels of Light in Camden

I wish you could have seen Waterfront South Theatre last night. From the street you could look up and see my play "Tennessee's Final Curtain" which opens February 10th rehearsing on the third floor, actors passing the brightly lit windows as they worked. More light from the second floor where the cast of "The Glass Menagerie" was preparing to go down to the stage to tech their show on the stage now being vacated by the actors in "The Case of the Crushed Petunias" who's rehearsal had just ended...the actors laughing as they left for the evening to prepare for tonight's dress rehearsal. Outside, they ran past SCTC's staff...the technicians and stage managers who help bring everything to life as they were sneaking a last smoke break on the steps...smoke rising in the cold, January air.. I took a step back as I left...watching all of this activity... all....under the 'little silver slipper of a moon" that Tennessee Williams obviously had a hand in hanging over our theatre as he watched his theatre festival emerge. Words can only paint so much of this picture. You need to come out this weekend and see for yourself. Please join us as we escort "Tennessee Williams Into the Future" opening tomorrow night for one weekend.