Week One

So, we are at the end of week one.

The group of people that I keep finding myself hanging out with is either working on “Amazons” (our WW2 play) or “God Save Gertrude” (the punk rock hamlet) – so many of our conversations are either about Leni Riefenstahl or Patty Smith. That tickles me to no end. So far Jordan has rewritten about a 1/3 of the play, we’ve rearranged some scenes and others we totally tossed out – so it’s going to be a dash to the finish line to have it ready for our public reading. But what he has is AMAZING, and I’m super jazzed to be part of it.

On Friday night I helped to organize a dinner and drinks with the playwrights and directors (who knew directors would like to drink?)– it was great to be at the table with sooo many young (under 35 - that's young right? oh god.) and talented theater people, who had come to Minnesota to put their institutional worries aside for a few weeks and try to help to birth some new theater. As we were having dinner. Joy Meads kept sending me picture mail on my phone of the Shindig – people were so amazed and delighted that we were having a Bastille day party to bring in young people – the shindig is now legend around the theater.

It’s been good for me to be here. It’s helping me to remember what I love about theatre, what I’ve gotten away from, and what’s really important – that and it’s just great to meet some 10 other people who are working towards the same thing. That and the cost of living is SOOO low here, our Bay Area money is worth amazing amounts to these people – I keep picking up the tab because I’m so shocked that 6 drinks can be 18 dollars.

I’m off to try to find a kids baby pool – seriously – it’s for a birthday party on Tuesday for my new favorite playwright Deborah Stein – who needs a kiddie pool like no ones business.