Working on a New Play
A feminist with three PhD’s puts herself, through a series of personal choices, in the role of “the other woman.” How do tropes about infidelity fare when examined with a feminist lens? What is the binary: madonna (wife) and whore (other woman)? Or can we dispense with the binary altogether? If both women have made choices based on the limited …
“Stonehenge” at City Lights Theatre
Coming up soon: a staged reading at City Lights Theatre in San Jose of my short play, “Stonehenge.” 8 pm Tuesday, April 8, 2014. The play will be directed by the talented Jacquelyn Montellato, featuring Blythe Murphy, Drew Jones, and Kristen Carder. When a relationship lies in ruins, is that a good thing? Emma, Jane and Avery aim to find …
Germinating Ideas
The major project I’m working on right now is called “Foreign and Domestic.” The play juxtaposes a story of domestic violence with a story of US secret intervention and violence in Somalia. “F & D” invites the audience to notice the similarities, and there are many: the most prominent being the presence of secrecy attached to violent dysfunction, and the …
The Truth about Actors
“Actors are so fortunate. They can choose whether they will appear in tragedy or in comedy, whether they will suffer or make merry, laugh or shed tears. But in real life it is different. Most men and women are forced to perform parts for which they have no qualifications. Our Guildensterns play Hamlet for us, and our Hamlets have to …
“Moments of Truth” reading
The 3Girls Theatre 2014 Salon Staged Reading Series opens in San Francisco with a concert reading January 12, 2014 at 2 pm, of MOMENTS OF TRUTH: a new musical about Truth, Art, and Love. MOMENTS OF TRUTH Music and lyrics by Caroline Altman. Book by Patricia Milton. Musical Direction: Brandon Adams. Directed by Caroline Altman. Cast: Caroline Altman*, Dyan McBride*, …
Upcoming
I am in the One Minute Play Festival December 14 and 15 at Thick House in San Francisco. Tickets will sell out! If you like a fast-paced, fun evening, where your mind and heart get twisted and turned for 90 minutes of non-stop theater, then you’ll enjoy the SF OMPF. The 4th Annual SF OMPF features brand new 90 one-minute …
The Big Three
October is sizzling! I had a wonderful 24-Hour Playfest — where my play, A NEW PERSPECTIVE, was well-received. I am launched into a month that will see readings of three of my plays. First off, DRIVEN, a Christmas comedy for four women, was read October 1 at City Lights Theatre in San Jose. My stellar cast included Anna Lee, Blythe Murphy, …
24-Hour Play Festival this Saturday
I will be one of seven playwrights participating in the Playwright Center of San Francisco’s 24-Hour Play Festival this Saturday, September 28. I’ll receive a cast and a topic to write about (or be inspired by) at 8 pm on Friday night, and I must turn in a short play by 6:30 am on Saturday. Then the actors and director …
What’s It Called?
I’m working on a new play: a four-hander about three sisters gathering to bury their mother. It’s a black comedy with satiric undertones. While I’ve written about one-third of the script, and have a loose outline for the rest, the title is not coming to me easily. Titling a play is tricky. Will it fit on the marquee? Does it …