My monologue, Stuffed, about a woman preserving her husband’s memory through taxidermy, will be featured in One Night Stand’s upcoming show Call Me Crazy on August 20th at 7:30.
TICKETS $10 - Purchase online at www.OneNightStandTheater.org or text/call 303.725.4959.
Come on out and have a fun evening with the weird and preposterous - hope to see you there!
MARK COLLINS & CHRISTINE KAHANE IN SEEING IS BELIEVING
Ashley Crockett & Michael Miller in Independence Day
AShley Crockett, michael miller and Christopher Keller in independence day
Paul Borillo in Shelter in Place
Jane Fromme in "Stuffed
Give yourself the gift of a good belly laugh during the holidays and come see Dirtyfish Theater’s cabaret production of A MERRY FASCIST CHRISTMAS at The Walnut Room Sundays Dec. 8th & 15th.
Excerpted from FASCISM, THE MUSICAL written by Sean Stone and William Missouri Downs, this is “send-up” done right - we guarantee you’ll Ho Ho Ho all the way home!
Click here or on the image for tickets and more information.
Looking forward to seeing you there!
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Dirtyfish Theater is a collaborative venture of seven mid-career playwrights who have banded together to effect change in the landscape of new play development in the Rocky Mountain region. The playwright collective is comprised of Tami Canaday, William Missouri Downs, Lisa Wagner Erickson, Ellen K. Graham, Leslie C. Lewis, Nina Alice Miller and Jeffrey Neuman.
Are you looking for a holiday show that’s a little different from the standard fare? Need some new-fashioned irreverence mixed with iconoclasm and a shot of humor?
Then don’t miss Dirtyfish Theater’s production of MERRY FASCIST CHRISTMAS, a fearless cabaret performance of selected songs from FASCISM: THE MUSICAL, written by Sean Stone and William Missouri Downs.
Come to one of our shows at The Walnut Room on Dec. 8th or Dec. 15th, and we’ll guarantee the political incorrectness of the content and the resulting lift in your spirits! Click here or on the image for tickets and more information.
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Dirtyfish Theater is a collaborative venture of seven mid-career playwrights who have banded together to effect change in the landscape of new play development in the Rocky Mountain region. The playwright collective is comprised of Tami Canaday, William Missouri Downs, Lisa Wagner Erickson, Ellen K. Graham, Leslie C. Lewis, Nina Alice Miller and Jeffrey Neuman.
While the return of spring always makes me feel like the future is possible, I am especially grateful for the news that my two most recent works, One Man’s Trash and Help - Not Just Anybody, will receive productions in near and far flung locations. In case you’re in the neighborhood, here are the details:
One Man’s Trash will be part of the Millibo Art Theatre’s Women’s Theatre Festival in Colorado Springs, CO, April 11 - 28. Get tickets here.
When volatile Cee, a white, upper-middle class divorcée visits an exhibit of discarded object art, she is confronted by an unexpected blast from her past and reacts with less than complete restraint. As Nate, an African American security guard, attempts to intervene, their verbal sparring over what separates and unites, and what it means to be trash, leads to unexpected consequences.
Help - Not Just Anybody, which recently received a staged reading as part of Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ Bite-Size: An Evening of Micro Theatre, will be performed at the Lakeshore Players Theatre 15th Annual 10-Minute Play Festival, in White Bear Lake, MN (Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area), May 30 - June 9. Find out more.
Interrupted in a questionable attempt to reclaim and restore a precious gift underhandedly taken from her daughter, Gail finds herself charmed, forgiven, and transformed by surprisingly welcome assistance from sales clerk Trey.
Enjoy the return of greenness, blossoms and bees, and hope to see you at the theatre!
I am happy to announce that my new short play, One Man’s Trash, will receive a staged reading on March 3rd as part of the “Shorts Before The Show” series at Theatre 29’s production of The Mrs. Wheatland Pageant.
Amazing actors Kelly Uhlenhopp and Randy Chalmers, aided by Darren Smith reading stage directions, will bring to life this vignette about Cee, a white, upper middle class divorcée, the chandelier from her past that shows up in an exhibit of discarded object art, and Nate, the African-American security guard who tries to intervene when Cee takes action.
The performance on March 3rd is sold out, but if you want to see some other great local playwrights’ short works and a rollicking comedy by Lisa Wagner Erickson, get tickets here for The Mrs. Wheatland Pageant. Use the promotion code WEEKDAY to get $14 tickets for Tues, Weds or Thurs performances.
Thanks for supporting the arts and go see some live theatre!
The Good News: I am thrilled to announce that my short play, Help - Not Just Anybody, will receive a staged reading on November 3rd as part of Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ “Bite-Size: An Evening of Micro Theatre” at BookBar on Tennyson Street. There are two parts to the Bite Size evening: five fully produced works, performed from 7:30 - 9:00 p.m.; and two staged readings (that’s where my play comes in), which begin at 9:00.
The Bad News: There are no advance ticket sales to get in to see Help; you’ll have to line up outside BookBar while the 7:30 show is going on to get your spot for the readings (unless you already have tickets to the 7:30 show, which is sold out). When the 7:30 show is over and patrons have left (not all will leave; some will be staying to see the readings) you will be ushered into the building.
The Fun: Think of this like being in college and lining up to get concert tickets. You get to meet new people, complain about what a terrible policy this is, then go out afterwards to a neighborhood bar and hang out with your friends.
Arrive: 8:30 p.m., Nov. 3rd, BookBar, 4280 Tennyson St., Denver (seating is limited - please let me know if you’re planning to attend and do not already have tickets to the 7:30 show)
Procedure: Stand in line outside main door, gab, meet someone new
Reading Performances: 9:00 - 9:30
Hope to see you there!
Life's comedies and dramas in superbly crafted small theatrical snapshots - that's what you'll see at And Toto Too Theatre Company's annual fundraiser, the Play Crawl, set in stores, offices and other locations throughout Denver's historic Tennyson Arts District.
I'm thrilled to announce that my play Called will be situated at Ohana Yoga & Barre, and is one of eleven short works featured in this year's lineup. The terrific cast of Veronica Straight-Lingo and Julie Kaye Wolf, expertly directed by Kate Poling, is truly sublime.
I'd love to see you, so grab a ticket or three and come on out and have some fun supporting a unique and vital Denver performing arts organization.
Date: Wednesday, June 13th
Time: 5:30 p.m. (plays start at 7:00)
Location: Meet at Local 46 Bar & Biergarden
I'm thrilled to announce that my new monologue, Train Story, will be performed as part of One Night Stand's Trains & Planes show, Sunday April 9th, at Vintage Theatre in Aurora.
This will be a really fun evening of short plays, stories and songs all about voyages - literal and figurative. Hope you can come along for the ride!
New location for And Toto Too Theatre Company's presentation of Orchid Child:
Bar Max
2412 East Colfax, Denver
~Gourmet Bar menu featuring organic food and boutique spirits
DATE & TIME (the same): Wednesday, October 26, 6:30 p.m.
*Food not allowed in performance space (drinks, yes), so come early to enjoy a great meal!
RESERVATIONS REQUIRED: 720-583-3975; Seating is limited
Don't forget to make reservations to see my play, Orchid Child, presented as the final installment in And Toto Too Theatre Company's 2016 Reading Series! Our tremendously talented cast includes Emily Paton Davies, Stephen R. Kramer, Missy Moore, James O'Hagan-Murphy, Paul Page, Deborah Persoff, and Kate Poling, with Susan Lyles directing.
Violent and unpredictable, Ada is the child of your nightmares. Would she turn out differently if her teenage parents could give her away to the “right” family? Watch two possible futures unfold for Ada, and consider whether or not nurture can really overcome nature.
DETAILS:
Hope to see you there!
I had the honor of having my full-length drama, Orchid Child, included in the 2014 Playwrights Revolution at Sacramento's Capital Stage Theatre. Wonderful actors and an enthusiastic audience made the first public performance of Orchid Child outside Denver a resounding success.
I now have the added good fortune of Orchid Child being presented as part of And Toto Too Theatre Company's 2016 reading series.
It's an interesting experience to take something off of the shelf and revisit it a few years later. You so easily see the changes in your artistic vision, sensibilities, and knowledge as you react to the pages you wrote seemingly lifetimes ago. The version that will appear on stage later this month includes completely new scenes, reworked characters, and a slightly different story to tell than in the play's original incarnation. And it has been a wonderful process - embracing changes, letting go of "darlings" that don't work anymore, and venturing into new territory with old friends. A blossoming indeed.
Violent and unpredictable, Ada is the child of your nightmares. Would she turn out differently if her teenage parents could give her away to the “right” family? Watch two possible futures unfold for Ada, and consider whether or not nurture can really overcome nature.
Hope to see you there!
DETAILS:
My new short play, Streaming, is getting its first outing at Rough Draught Playwrights Theatrical Playground Tuesday, August 23rd! The latest installment in a suite of seven short works focusing on aging created jointly with fiber artist Vicky Kelly (my mom), this is a fun take on technology, generational differences, and relationships:
Maymay has fully embraced the technological age and infuses her daily life with on-line cooking lessons, texts, Facebook posts and tweets. Lucy, her twelve-year old granddaughter, isn't so sure about what this means for their relationship as she navigates the difficulties of friendship, love, and identity in this vignette about coming of age in a time of change.
Directed by Susan Lyles, two fabulous actors, Erica Borillo and Mary Higgins, will be bringing these characters to life...and that in itself is something to see.
Hope you can come out and play!
It's that time of year again, when one of the most interesting, fun, and adventurous nights of theater in Denver breaks down the barriers between place and performance and transforms the historic Tennyson Arts District into an immersive, entertainment wonderland.
I'm talking about And Toto Too Theatre Company's annual fundraiser, the Play Crawl. Featuring ten short new works written by some of Denver's fabulous women playwrights, the Play Crawl can't be beat for variety and surprise. You'll be led to shops, offices, and street corners, where patrons, benchwarmers, and clerks reveal the stories of their funny, sad, and sometimes absurd lives.
My play, Not Just Anybody, with the wonderful cast of Christy Kurzick & Robert Scott, directed by the equally wonderful Libby Arnold, will be performed at the Bookbar, 4280 Tennyson Street. Come on down to eat, drink, spectate, and contribute to a terrific organization - I'd love to see you there!
Date: Wednesday, June 15th
Time: 6:00 p.m. (plays start at 7:00)
Location: Meet at the Oriental Theatre, 4335 W. 44th Street
Click here or call 720-583-3975 for more information and tickets.
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When we first gathered in a room together, the members of the Dirtyfish collective had no idea where we might journey together...or if we could journey together.
Turns out, we've done pretty well, all things considered, schooling ourselves (get it?) by doing, not just talking. Thank you Denver's Westword for so generously taking notice! Click here for Westword's Best Of article.
What happens when you start with a bottle of Wedding Cake Vodka (yes, there is such a flavor) and tell a bunch of writers to take it from there?
Find out by coming to see this hilarious, moving, and provocative first production of Dirtyfish Theater, a playwrights collective co-founded by me, Tami Canaday, William Missouri Down, Lisa Wagner Erickson, Ellen K. Graham, Nina Alice Miller and Jeffrey Neuman.
My contribution to the evening is a short work entitled Fuel:
It's Mariel's divorce day, and she's invited her old friends Jody and Bill to come over for moral support. When she learns that Bill was a Burning Man Black Rock Ranger the same year she was there, Mariel's creative juices fly as she brings the Playa home. Her fiery installation has a critical flaw, however, but Bill steps in to redeem the moment.
Reserve your tickets as soon as possible - seating is limited. Can't wait to see you there!
I admit it, I swim with bottom feeders (and love it). WELCOME to the new playwrights collective, Dirtyfish Theater, that I've co-founded with my peerless peers, Tami Canaday, William Missouri Down, Lisa Wagner Erickson, Ellen K. Graham, Nina Alice Miller and Jeffrey Neuman.
Our first production, Wedding Cake Vodka, runs from Thursday, March 3, 2016 through Sunday March 6. There's something for everyone in this fully produced evening of new short works written by each of DFT's members and directed by Heidi Schmidt. Destruction, construction, reconstruction, deconstruction, friends, enemies, lovers, animals, plants, minerals....in other words, "we put the stank on the stage!"
My contribution to the evening is Fuel:
It's Mariel's divorce day, and she's invited her old friends Jody and Bill to come over for moral support. When she learns that Bill was a Burning Man Black Rock Ranger the same year she was there, Mariel's creative juices fly as she brings the Playa home. Her fiery installation has a critical flaw, however, but Bill steps in to redeem the moment.
I'd love to see you there - seating is limited, so please reserve your tickets as soon as possible. I promise you'll have a great time!
Last year, as part of the Rough Draught Playwrights production team, I had the honor and pleasure of helping curate and emcee the inaugural Local Playwrights Slam at the Denver Center's Colorado New Play Summit.
This year, I've been asked by Local Slam curators Athena Project, to be one of the participating playwrights - what a cool 180! I'll be reading from my monologue, Stuffed, about a woman who taxidermies her husband. Hey, I did my research.
Please come out to hear me and five other fabulous female Colorado playwrights reading from our latest work. We'll be at the Jones Theatre on February 13th, at 5:00. Click here for tickets and information. I guarantee you'll have a great time, and you might learn something about those mounted heads you see over fireplaces.
On June 10th, And Toto Too Theatre Company will host its 5th annual Play Crawl in Denver's Tennyson Arts District, and I'm lucky enough to be one of the featured playwrights again!
What's a Play Crawl?
What's not to like? Think of it like Restaurant Week - little tastes of Denver's diverse and eclectic playwriting scene, à la femme. You'll find my play, Up, Up and Away, at Tenn Street Coffee, directed by Dana Hart Lubeck and featuring the fabulous Laura Adducci and Erica Sarzin-Borrillo.
Date: Wednesday, June 10th
Time: 6:00 p.m. (plays start at 7:00)
Location: Meet at the Oriental Theatre, 4335 W. 44th Street
Click here or call 720-583-3975 for more information; click here to buy tickets.
Looking forward to seeing you there!
The first-ever Local Playwrights Slam hosted by Rough Draught Playwrights at Denver Center's New Play Summit is just 2 days away! Colorado Public Radio came knocking for more info about the event, and we obliged - my interview with Chloe Veltman aired yesterday during Colorado Matters. Check out this link and listen to the audio: http://www.cpr.org/news/story/denver-playwrights-take-stage-new-play-summit
Leslie C. Lewis, Jeffrey Neuman, & Nina Miller - Rough Draught Playwright Producers
The Slam will take place at The Jones Theatre, 7:30 p.m., Feb. 14, doors open at 7:00. For ticket availability, go to the Local Weekend tab of the New Play Summit webpage and contact Emily.
Hope to see you there - it's going to be a blast!
