Late Spring/Early Summer Preview (of Shows Not By Yours Truly)

You'd think that having a bunch of shows going on would mean I'd have a ton of things to blog about. Well, oddly enough, not only have I been too busy to blog (with both the shows and the new day job, which has remarkably little-to-no downtime) but I don't have a lot to report, aside from the fact that Blood Brothers and Captain Moonbeam are in rehearsals and you should get your tickets for both.

In the meantime, I figured I'd take a break from plugging my own stuff to plug a few other shows of note from some buds and co-conspirators going on this summer. Believe me, I'm looking forward to making what little time I have to go see these.

Standards of Decency 3: 300 Vaginas Before Breakfast
Various writers and directors
The Blue Coyote Theater Company is doing a follow-up to their immensely popular—and potentially offensive—Standards of Decency series, where nine playwrights (including fellow homies Mac Rogers, Matthew Freeman and Adam Szymcowicz) create new short plays meditating on new media and pornography. (And if those Blue Coyote boys keep "meditating" like that they're going to go blind.)
Runs May 31 - June 18 at the Access Theater (380 Broadway). Click here for tickets.

Cut
by Crystal Skillman, directed by Meg Sturiano
And we here at Nosedive Central thought we were being prolific. In addition to her entry in the Blood Brothers show and her TWO entries in the Brick's Comic Book Theater Festival, The Management as residents of Horse Trade Theater Group just opened Crystal Crystal's latest play about three reality TV show writers—of course reality TV has writers—having to recut and essentially rewrite the season finale of their crap show. I'm seeing this on Friday. Join me?
Runs through June 4 at UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place). Click here for tickets.

Tulpa, or Anne & Me
by Shawn C. Harris, directed by Sarah Lyons.
A comic book author has the woman of her dreams, Oscar-nominated actress Anne Hathaway, climb into her apartment through her television set. If only Kate Winslet could do the same for me. But of course, there are some...problems...that develop along the way as their friendship develops. I saw a workshop production of this compelling show last year and am eager to see this again in a full production.
Runs June 2-19 at at the Robert Moss Theatre (440 Lafayette Street). Click here for tickets.

Ajax in War
by Ellen McLaughlin, directed by August Schulenburg
As a follow-up to their incredibly successful and brilliant Dog Act, Flux Theatre Ensemble continues their fourth season with a mash-up of Sophocles' Ajax and the modern war in Iraq. According to the promotional postcard I just received in the mail, the play follows the parallel narratives of the ancient Greek military hero Ajax and a female American soldier, both undone by the betrayal of a commanding officer. According to this company's past work, I'll sure as hell be there.
Runs June 3-25 at the Flamboyan Theater (107 Suffolk Street at Rivington). Click here for tickets.

Death Valley
by Adam Scott Mazer, directed by Dan Rogers
Wild West meets zombie apocalypse. Seriously. Oh hell's yes. I saw the serialzed version of this show when it went up at the Vampire Cowboys' last Saturday Night Saloon and enjoyed the hell out of each episode.
Runs June 23 - July 10 at the Bushwick Starr (207 Starr Street, Brooklyn). Click here for tickets.

Everything Else in The Brick's Comic Book Theater Festival and EndTimes' Vignettes for the Apocalypse V.
This isn't just a back-door plug (now there's an image) or a case of licking the hand that feeds you. There's a great deal of things in both festivals that I am quite pumped to see, from Derek Ahonen's The You Knows Know and Jerrod Bogard's The Madhouse in Vignettes to John Hoche's Galactic Girl In: ATTACK OF THE STARBARIANS! and Piper McKenzie's Bubble of Solace in the Comic Book Fest. I gotta say, I'm really pumped I get a discount to see these shows (right, respective festival curators?).
The Brick's Comic Book Theater Festival runs June 2 - July 1 at the Brick Theater (575 Metropolitan Avenue, Brooklyn). Click here for tickets.
Vignettes for the Apocalypse V runs June 9 - July 3 at the Kraine Theater (85 East 4th Street). Click here for tickets.

I'm sure I'm missing a bunch of other shows going up this summer, so screw it: let's open up the floodgates. If you have a show going up in the Greater NYC area this June and July, feel free to plug to your heart's content in the comments section!

No time for going to Splish-Splash this summer,

James "Bathing Suit Area" Comtois

Cranking 'Em Out

I've always admired those creative types that consistently turn out new work at a rapid rate. Folks like Woody Allen, Steven Soderbergh, Stephen King, Louis CK, Dave Sim. People like these—and several others—who produce new works in their respective field at least once or twice a year (or in Sim's case, once a month). Prolificacy is something I've always looked up to. Hell, even with creative types whose work I hate, I've still been impressed with their productivity.

Some of it's motivated by compulsion. No matter how many times he's announced his "retirement," King clearly just can't stop—or slow down—writing. Woody Allen has said in interviews he makes a movie every year because it takes his mind off his life and feels restless when on vacation for too long (he also comes from a background in television, where you don't have the luxury of waiting for inspiration to strike before creating—you have to produce content week in, week out, no matter what). Some of it's dictated by the rules of the field. Monthly comics, like television, have to produce on a fixed schedule. And some of it's motivated by good old-fashioned work ethic. Louis CK announced that he's going to start from scratch with material every year, and come up with an hour's worth of new material annually. (Even amongst other professional stand-ups, this is unheard of.)

Whatever the reasons—and look, I don't know these people personally, so I'm not interested in engaging in too much mind-reading armchair psychology—there are creative types that are known for being unusually prolific in their medium, and it's something I've found incredibly inspiring and compelling.

This is not to say that the output of these people is always gold (there are many films by Woody Allen that I've found seriously rushed and underdeveloped), or that I don't appreciate, admire or enjoy the work of those artists who meticulously take their time with seemingly forever to complete their projects (the Kubricks, the Malicks, the Flauberts, the Brian Wilsons and Lauryn Hills). It's just that when contemplating my own work, I've always wanted to be in the former camp in terms of creative output.

I'd rather write and stage 20 plays or more in 10 years that are hit-or-miss than two in the same timeframe that are considered (by either myself, the audience, critics, or some combination of all three) masterworks.

Although I'd like to consider myself prolific in the playwriting field, it really seems I'm just on par with the scene (my buds and colleagues Qui Nguyen, Derek Ahonen, Joshua Conkel, and Jeff Lewonczyk among many, many others, are all staging one new play a year or more). I guess for folks like us, it's inconceivable to do less. I mean, we love doing this, we can do this, and we're fortunately in a position where we can get our work staged the way we want it staged. So what's the alternative? Just not write?

Lately, however, I've wondered about the advantages of taking considerably more time to work on a new script or project. Now that Nosedive is over 11 years old, we no longer have Something To Prove (we've done over 20 shows in 10 years and have two new shows lined up for the summer; I think we can be seen as an actual theatre company at this point). We can afford to take time between productions.

Also, at this stage of the game, I don't want to just be producing solely for the sake of producing: writing a play simply because we've got an open slot in the upcoming season that needs filling.

In other words, I don't want to just be marking time.

And again, hey: I'm still a huge fan of Stanley Kubrick. Maybe there's something to taking a substantial amount of time in creating something. So maybe, after 11 years of writing and producing theatre at a steady clip, it'd be worth looking into being more meticulous with the next project.

Besides, wouldn't it be fun to spend over a decade producing two to three new works a year, then go into hiding for a year or two (or three), then unveil some new long-in-the-works secret project?

(This isn't to say that I'm against revising or rewriting, but just that the revision process is still part of the fast turnaround—a month writing the rough, a month putting it away and working on something else, then a month revising.)

Well, it doesn't seem to be sticking. I've quickly found that "taking my time" rapidly devolves into "procrastinating writing," which in turn rapidly devolves into "not writing at all."

It's not that I've run out of or am having a tough time coming up with ideas. Quite the contrary. I've currently got a number of ideas I'm contemplating. But I'm really only doing just that: contemplating. I've been procrastinating, dragging my feet, waiting for one of these ideas to grow on its own before making a decision to cultivate (translate: write) one.

Yeah, clearly this method of creating just isn't for me. In some ways, at this stage in the game, I wish it were. But I don't think I have it in me.

So, although this season—Blood Brothers, Captain Moonbeam & Lynchpin, and possibly Infectious Opportunity—has already been written (not counting if we're invited back to the Vampire Cowboys' Saturday Night Saloon), there's currently nothing yet written for 2012. Which means that needs to change. And soon.

This also means I need to make sure this isn't just a case of me marking time: it means I need to follow Louis CK's philosophy of keep working, keep producing new material, but make sure every new work is better than the last.

We'll see how this goes.

Back to work.

Breaking for nobody,

James "Spaceball One" Comtois

Piper McKenzie's DAINTY CADAVER

Hey, gang. I wanted to give y'all the head's up that I'll be involved in this new project by Piper McKenzie, as actor for Team A (Friday) and writer for Team C (Sunday).

UPDATE: Here's my entry in Dainty Cadaver's Mad Libs-Style Blog Thing. (Yes, that's the official name for it.)

PIPER McKENZIE'S

DAINTY CADAVER

Piper McKenzie’s Dainty Cadaver is an Exquisite Corpse-style playmaking project in which multiple playwrights collaborate on a single work without knowing what the hell the others are doing. Each writer reads the previous scene, writes a new scene, and passes it on to the next writer – who doesn’t see any of what came earlier. Beautiful madness ensues.

For its inaugural edition, Piper McKenzie will present one-night-only performances of three new plays written in this unique collaborative style, with results ranging from inspired chaos to eerie synchronicity – all tied together by the unique voices of 18 hot playwrights, to be staged by three intrepid directors!

TEAM A: Fri 1/28, 8pm
Johnna Adams
(The Angel Eaters Trilogy)
Eric Bland
(Emancipatory Politics: A Romantic Tragedy)
Jeff Lewonczyk
(Theater of the Arcade)
Mac Rogers
(Viral)
Crystal Skillman
(The Vigil or the Guided Cradle)
Art Wallace
(The Plowman’s Lunch)

Directed by Jordana Williams
(Viral)

Starring
James Comtois, Rebecca Comtois, Erin Maya Darke, Virginia Hodgkins, David Ian Lee, Mac Rogers, Jennifer Gordon Thomas, Kristen Vaughan, Sean Williams


TEAM B: Sat 1/29, 8pm
Danny Bowes
(Q&A)
Matt Freeman
(The Brandywine Distillery Fire)
Qui Nguyen
(Alice in Slasherland)
Carolyn Raship
(Antarctica)
August Schulenberg
(The Lesser Seductions of History)
Alexis Sottile
(Small Dinner)

Directed by Hope Cartelli
(Bethlehem or Bust)

Starring
Gyda Arber, Steven Burns, Lex Friedman, Gavin Starr Kendall, Jeff Lewonczyk, Doug MacKrell, Megan McGowan, Timothy McCown Reynolds, Ben VandenBoom, Stephanie Willing, Morgan Anne Zipf


TEAM C: Sun 1/30, 3pm

Maggie Cino
(Ascending Bodily)
James Comtois
(The Little One)
John DeVore
(Tupperware Orgy)
Cara Francis
(The Soup Show)
Rich Lovejoy
(A Brief History of Murder)
Justin Maxwell
(Your Lithopedion)

Directed by John Hurley
(The Vigil or the Guided Cradle)

Starring
Ryan Andes, Stephanie Cox-Williams, Kitty Lindsay, Joe Mathers, Roger Nasser, C.L. Weatherstone

At the Brick Theater
575 Metropolitan Ave.
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
L to Lorimer, G to Metropolitan

Tickets are $10. Buy them here.

Infectious Opportunity Nominated for an IT Award

Well, the announcement's been made public, so I can blather about it here. Infectious Opportunity has been nominated for a 2010 New York Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Full-Length Script.

The rest of the nominees, which include Crystal Skillman's Vigil, Heather Cohn for directing Flux's The Lesser Seductions of History, Piper McKenzie's Craven Monkey and the Mountain of Fury, Vampire Cowboys' Alice in Slasherland, Paco Tolson for his acting work in The Brokenhearteds, and most of the cast for MilkMilkLemonade, can all be found here.

Congratulations to all my fellow nominees!

Just happy to be nominated,

James "Nom Nom Nom" Comtois

Hu-fucking-zzah!

I have to say, last night's 10th Anniversary Gala went about as well (and got about as nuts) as any of us in Nosedive Central could hope for it to be. I'm still actually reeling from it the following afternoon.

I knew when our incorrigible host, Bastard Keith, exposed his balls to the audience in the second half of the show, it was going to be That Kind of Evening.

At any rate, I had an absolute blast, and I hope everyone else in attendance had as much fun as I did.

I really want to thank everyone who worked on this, and to everyone who made it out last night. Seriously, folks, thank you so much. It means a great deal to me.

Also, thanks to everyone at the Brick Theater for letting us engage in such silliness in your home.

And to all you other fuckers in Nosedive Central, thanks for making this decade anniversary happen. Congratufuckinglations, guys. You assholes are awesome.

And if I may be so uncharacteristically sappy for just a moment, I'd like to briefly reflect on how lucky I consider myself to be by having such immensely talented and batshit insane friends and colleagues. I consider myself very, very lucky indeed to know all of you.

Okay. Enough sweetness. Time to go put on a fuckin' play.

Still giddy,

James "Keith! Put Your Balls Back!" Comtois

This Tuesday: Nosedive's 10th Anniversary Gala

That's right, folks. To celebrate 10 years of playmaking shenanigans, we're starting this 10th anniversary season with a bang. And by "bang," I mean, "evening of entertainment and imbibing mass quantities of alcohol" (that's what "bang" means, right?).

This Tuesday, March 9, Nosedive Productions is having its 10th Anniversary Gala at the Brick Theater.

The way it works is simple: you show up to the Brick on Tuesday night with $20, we entertain the hell out of you and get you all liquored up.

You have a blast. We have some startup money for our upcoming play, The Little One. Everyone wins.

Trust me, folks. It's a-gonna be crazy fun.

Getting all lathered up,

James "Scottish Spring" Comtois

Nosedive Productions Presents

Nosedive's 10th Anniversary Gala

A Fundraising Variety Show & Party a Decade in the Making

In addition to drinking heavily and waxing nostalgic, Nosedive has rounded up some of its crazy-talented pals over the years to offer an evening of socializing and variety acts, including:

New Short Works By
Jeff Lewonczyk
Qui Nguyen
Mac Rogers
Crystal Skillman

A Short Film By Bryan Enk

The Epic Poetry Stylings of Brian Silliman

Burlesque by the lovely and libido-inspiring Mme. Renee Rosebud

And (as the kids say) MORE!

Hosted by Bastard Keith

Tuesday, March 9th at 8 p.m.!

At the Brick Theater on 575 Metropolitan Ave. in Williamsburg, Brooklyn

(Between Lorimer Street and Union Ave.)
G L trains to Lorimer Street/Metropolitan Ave.

Doors at 7:30 p.m., Show at 8 p.m., Party thereafter

$20, All You Can Drink

www.nosediveproductions.com

What Would Jesus Do? See Plays? Please...

Well, yes. I turn the Christy age of 33 today. (As my friend and partner-in-many-crimes Abe Goldfarb pointed out, "That age is the only thing you and Jesus have in common." This is very difficult to argue against.)

At any rate, I’ve received a great deal of very sweet notes from friends and family members over the course of the day, as well as a couple free (and nice) meals out of the deal. So I’m pretty happy with how the day’s going, all things considering.

So seriously, folks. Thanks to everyone who's dropped me a line today wishing me a happy birthday. You guys are awesome.

At any rate, I'm working on getting the hang of my new day job (I’ve almost completed my first week on the job). Since they’ve yet to fire or yell at me, I'd say it's going as good as one can expect. I have found the coffee room, so at least there’s that.

In the non day job side of thing, we here at Nosedive Central are closing in on a "plan of attack" for our proposed next production of The Little One (a new vampire play written by Yours Truly to be directed by Pete Boisvert) and once we lock down a plan, I’ll be sure to let you know, dear readers.

In the meantime, I’ll offer a note of congratulations to the cast and crew of Glee Club for selling out its opening night show last night, and bring up how much I’m looking forward to seeing this (for the second time) tomorrow:

And this on Friday, March 19:

Can't. Freakin. Wait.

In between, I hope to see a great number of you at this on Tuesday.

Smearing chocolate cake all over his shirt,

James "Not-So-Impressive Co-Worker" Comtois