Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “News & Stuff”
Have you ever had an idea for a play (or any fictional story) that seemed workable, with a lot of promise … but you just couldn’t keep it going past the first two-dozen pages? I have. But I don’t like to get stuck in that situation, losing days or weeks writing something that doesn’t pan out. I’ve learned that I …
My latest play, Bystanders, takes place in the aftermath of a horrific act of gun violence. It’s a two-hander exploring an intimate story dealing with guns in America. This is a tough topic that was not consciously on my radar. The play presented itself to me almost completely fully-formed, with a number of clear reversals inside its tight, 75-minute, real-time …
After a bunch of years, I’ve updated my playwriting website: the site you’re reading right now. I primarily redesigned to make the blog less central, especially on mobile devices. I don’t blog that much, and I wanted to feature my plays front and center. I also added review snippets to the front page, since I’ve gotten some good ones. Another …
I’ve been refining my Artistic Statement as I prepare to apply for residencies for Summer 2020. Here’s a draft: While the truth is often elusive and difficult to uncover, I have found the theatre to be an ideal place to explore truth’s various facets, layers, and its terrible implications. I have so many questions! I know that stories wield immense …
This year, I’ve been trying to make the move from being deadline-driven to being self-disciplined. My nature is to rely on external cues, like deadlines, for accountability. So my three-year play commission, which I believe I could have written in a year, is taking the entire three years. Why? The (outer, external) deadline hasn’t arrived. Here’s another example: I work …
On Memorial Day, Marilynn Fowler of KPOO Radio in San Francisco interviewed Chelsea Bearce and me about “The Victorian Ladies’ Detective Collective.” We had a lot of fun! Find out which of us worked in an office with a serial killer, and which of us has been doing theatre since she was eleven. Listen Here:
The reviews are in for “Victorian Ladies’ Detective Collective” at Central Works, and they are terrific! With this cast and creative team, I would be shocked if it went any other way. (Still, you never know.) Sold-out houses also are finding the play hilarious, relevant, and emotionally satisfying. A woman approached me last night to say, “I was very moved.” …
BroadwayWorld has announced the upcoming production of The Victorian Ladies’ Detective Collective at Central Works. Central Works season of new plays continues this spring with a “cheeky” thriller written by the local award-winning playwright Patricia Milton, The Victorian Ladies’ Detective Collective, opening May 4 running through June 2 (previews 5/2 & 3); world-premiere # 63, from the Central Works Writers …
For most of my plays, I create a dramaturgical resource site on Tumblr. The site contains links to resources, inspiration, and research that I used in writing the play. For “The Victorian Ladies’ Detective Collective,” I read a lot of books, so I am providing links to the books and quotes from them. Visit my tumblr site for more.
BAMBOOZLED, nominated for seven 2018 Theatre Bay Area awards, was awarded four: Outstanding Production, Outstanding Ensemble, and two Outstanding Lead Actor awards, for Chelsea Bearce and Stacy Ross. Not a bad haul for the evening! The New York Times and Pro Publica reported recently on the catastrophic climate effects of palm oil, the subject of my 2016 play, HEARTS OF …