Patrick Gabridge

I look forward to the Boston Theater Marathon all year.  For me, it’s like the theatrical version of the Patriots or the Red Sox in the playoffs.  I don’t like to miss a minute.  For a single day, a huge swath of the Boston and New England theatre community comes together to show off their stuff.  Last year, I dragged Kira (then 16) and fellow Rhombus playwright, Alexa Mavromatis (who didn’t actually require dragging), to the Marathon and we watched every one of the fifty plays.  We packed snacks, we stretched, we took notes, we chatted with friends between sets, and we soaked it all in.

We’ll be there again this year.  My play, Second Look, will be in the 6-7pm slot, directed by Steve Faria and produced by the Firehouse Center for the Arts in Newburyport.  I saw a rehearsal last week, and they’re doing a great job with it.  I can’t wait to see it on Sunday.

The minute the lights go down, there’s that flicker of electricity that comes at the start of any show.  But at the Marathon, you get a new jolt every hour, with each new set of plays.  Fifty scripts by fifty different writers (fifty-three this year, because fifty just wasn’t enough), directed by fifty different directors, produced by fifty different theatre companies.  It’s rare in any city to see companies of all different sizes putting their work on the same stage—but at the Marathon, they all play together, as peers.

But wait, there’s more.  You get to watch all these interesting new plays and fantastic New England actors, and it’s all for a good cause.  Yep, the money raised is for the Theatre Community Benevolent Fund (TCBF), which gives financial relief to members of the theatre community in crisis—people facing extreme illness, flood, fire, theft.  TCBF gives out thousands of dollars every year.  And the Theater Marathon helps make all that possible.

So you can go for fun, or to socialize, or to help theatre folk in need.  Or all three.  But whatever you do, don’t miss it.  Get your tickets HERE.

(A version of this post appeared on the StageSource blog, too.)

Matt Klane and Saluda Camp up in the tree.

On Friday, my newest short play, Newton's Call, was produced in the American Globe Theatre's 18th Annual New York Fifteen Minute Play Festival.  Samantha Tella did an excellent job directing this romantic comedy about a couple who climb a tree in hopes of shaking up their stalled relationship.  I was delighted with the cast of Saluda Camp, Ryan Homchik, Matt Klane and Jennifer Spragg, and judging from the laughter at the show, the audience was, too.  It was my first time seeing this particular play, and I was excited to see that a ladder does serve quite well as a tree.  I hope this is a play that will gain some traction and get productions in other cities soon.

Thanks so much to Samantha and the entire cast and staff of the festival for putting on a great show!

Ryan Homchick, me, Samantha Tella, Saluda Camp, Matt Klane, and Jennifer Spragg, after the show

Tonight I’ll get to see the film version of Measuring Matthew for the first time, at a screening for the cast and crew.  I haven’t seen any of the assembled edit yet, so I’m curious, nervous, and excited.

Anissa Lubbers in the Lakeshore Players production of Curse the Darkness

I just found out that my short stealth comedy, Curse the Darkness, will be part of the Blue Slipper 10-Minute Play Festival in Livingston, Montana, May 11-13 and 18-20.  The play will also be appearing on stage in Kalispell, Montana in the FVCC 10-Minute Play Festival, April 27-28, and May 4-5.  The two towns are more than 300 miles apart, so I think we don’t have to worry about overlapping audiences (though out West, people view distance a lot different from in the East).

I just wish that I could fly out there to see either show–I’ve been to Idaho, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and New Mexico, but never Montana.

I got some more good news:  my ten-minute play, Second Look, will be part of the Boston Theater Marathon XIV.  This marks my ninth time being part of this festival, which is my very favorite theatrical event.  Fifty different New England theatre companies produce fifty scripts by fifty different writers.  It’s a great way to see a cross section of Boston/New England theatre at its finest.  It does require some stamina–the show will run on Sunday, May 20, from noon until 10 pm, but that makes it even more fun.  Not only is it great, high energy, theatrical fun, but it’s also a fundraiser for the Theatre Community Benevolent Fund (of which I happen to be on the board).  TCBF provides funds to members of the greater Boston theatre community who are in crisis (illness, flood, fire, etc.).

In a couple weeks, I’ll find out which company is producing my play.  Can’t wait.  And I hope you can be at the show to check it out, or that you’ll help spread the word.

The production team has just finished the poster for the Measuring Matthew short film. Check it out!  (I love it.)

the film version of Measuring Matthew

I’m currently in the process of updating my web site, changing it to be a WordPress based site.  All the old info should be here soon, along with lots of new stuff about my work, lots more photos.  I’ll continue blogging on Writing Life x3, but I’ll also have a running list on this site, with entries about what’s going on with my own work.