Posts By catherineforever666

Post Article features the Playwrights Fest!

April 12, 2016
by catherineforever666
· Festival · News

The Post just wrote an article about Seabury Quinn and specifically Tyler Whidden’s play “Occupation:Dad.”

The Post writes, ”

“Seabury does two things,” Dolan said. “It allows professionals to give you feedback, but then you also have an audience in the room that is just as important.”

The way the audience reacts to the play will give Dolan an idea of its ability to engage an audience, he said.

The festival is not just an opportunity for those in the program, Whidden said.

“It is a great opportunity for students on campus to come and see some new work, which is a big deal,” Whidden said. “A lot of these plays go on and have lives after this. A lot of the writers go on and have lives after this.”

Read the full article here and check out Seabury Quinn starting this week!!

Cristina Luzarraga interviewed by us about Seabury Quinn!

April 12, 2016
by catherineforever666
· Current Students · Festival · News

Hi everyone! Welcome to our interview series with the current rockin MFA playwrights, leading up to Seabury Quinn! Cristina Luzarraga is a 1st year MFA playwright and the writer of “The Critical Distance of a Nose” which kicks off the reading series on the 21st. She is known in the Playwriting program for her dark dark sense of humor, her insane intellect and her devilish vibe! Check out the interview below and then see her reading this very month!! Also watch out for all 7 of the other interviews with our other writers

1.In your play “Critical Distance of the Nose” you explore ideas of outsider art and art criticism. Have you always been a big art person?

I’ve always been a big wannabe art person–does that count? Those who can’t make art, write plays about art.

2.Some people have called your work pretty dark since in madness you’ve covered such topics as faking pregnancies, virgin sacrifice and Adam and Eve and a rando dude hooking up. What draws you to darker material? Why not just write plays about bunnies flying and sunshine?

See, I thought those Madness pieces were funny, particularly the Adam and Eve one. I think I’m drawn more towards humor than darkness. It just so happens that my sense of humor is pretty dark and twisted. I’d write about flying bunnies and sunshine if said bunnies were to fly too close to the sun à la Icarus and meet some horrible flying-bunny-demise.

3.If your play took me to an art museum as a date ;), what would the date be like and why?

The date would entail a lot of standing around and trying to seem smart. And then finally, we’d be like: hey, let’s cut the crap and go to the museum café because I want an overpriced scone and Diet Coke.

what’s a fun fact about you?

I’m a quadruplet. (Please don’t fact check that.)

Now that you are obsessed with Cristina, come see her reading in the Seabury Quinn Fest!

Details:

CRITICAL DISTANCE OF A NOSE
Written by Cristina Luzarraga
1:00 pm, Thursday April 21st, Elizabeth Baker Theater, Kantner Hall
Inez is an art history graduate student at Columbia attempting to navigate the highfalutin waters of academia and write her dissertation on outsider art. But her scholarship is turned on its head when she encounters Felicia, a security guard at the Guggenheim who calls it like she sees it.

More about Cristina

Cristina Luzarraga was born and raised in Short Hills, New Jersey, save for a few teenage years spent in London, England. She graduated in 2011 from Princeton University with B.A. in Comparative Literature. Subsequently, she moved to Chicago where she studied sketch writing and improvisation at iO Theatre and The Second City Conservatory and performed stand-up comedy at Zanies and elsewhere. Her full-length play Due Unto Others was produced by Princeton’s Lewis Center for the Arts. Her short plays Hippo Woman and Baker’s Three were produced at Greenhouse Theater in Chicago.

Aaron James Johnson interviewed by us about Seabury Quinn!

April 11, 2016
by catherineforever666
· Current Students · Festival · News

Hi everyone! Welcome to our interview series with the current rockin MFA playwrights, leading up to Seabury Quinn! Aaron James Johnson is a 3rd year MFA playwright and is the Seabury Quinn producer and the writer of the excellent play, “The Birthday Kiss”. He is known for his rebellious work, his love of family dramas and his Midwest sensibility! Check out the interview below and then see his production this very month!! Also watch out for all 7 of the other interviews with our other writers!

If your play beat me up, how would he do it?

Well, first of all, it wouldn’t be a “he”, it would be a “she”. In my play, The Birthday Kiss, Brook holds a lot of the power. An early draft of my play even had Brook threatening the other characters with a gun. That’s since been cut but the way she still looms over the situation is present. So, I’d say, if my play is gonna beat you up, it would be with verbal abuse, manipulation, and light blackmail. And not all at once, just a little bit at a time. Wearing you down until all you can do is eat chocolate ice cream on the couch and binge watch Netflix.

2.What artists do you look up to?

Oh, lots of artists. As far as theater goes, I’m pretty boring. The biggies like Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams were hugely influential on me as I went through middle and high school. Their ability to create these complex worlds full of detail on a single stage was amazing to me. I could vividly paint the world of the play in my mind. Sam Shepard, and his ability to create these weird, complex relationship between family, is something I’ve also admired and want to emulate. Also Charles Schulz. Without Peanuts I wouldn’t be the artist I am today.

3.Where do you get the inspiration for your full length plays?

My inspiration for my full lengths usually come from specific stage images I have in mind and can’t get out of my head. In my first year play, it was a man carrying a sawed off deer’s head and in my second year play it was a woman pouring gasoline all over herself. Morbid I know, but these situations get me thinking, “How did this come to happen? What does it mean?” Those questions keep spinning around in my head and I need to write about them and figure it out.

4. What’s a fun fact about you!

I think last year I said I could clap with one hand and I told people to ask me about it so I could show them. And no one did. So this year, same answer. I can clap with one hand. Come ask me about it. I’ll show you.

Now that you are obsessed with Aaron, come see his staged reading in the Seabury Quinn Fest!

Details:

Thursday April, 21st

The Birthday Kiss
by Aaron Johnson (thesis presentation)
8:00 pm (Free admission), Baker Theater, Kantner Hall

BLURB:Brook just wants to celebrate her son Billy’s birthday. There’s a problem though. Billy’s dead. But that’s not gonna stop her. She “enlists” the help of Finn, her young lover, and Billy’s long-time friend and neighbor Lucy, who is actually dating Finn and is going to have his baby. As Brook forces the two to participate in the birthday activities, it becomes clearer and clearer that Brook isn’t only trying to recreate Billy’s birthday, she’s trying to recreate Billy himself.

More about Aaron

Aaron Johnson hails from the land of cheese in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He received his Bachelor of the Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he majored in English with an Emphasis in Creative Writing and in Theatre and Drama. While not officially specializing in playwriting in his undergrad, Aaron took the only playwriting course offered twice and completed his creative writing thesis as a play instead of fiction or poetry writing which the school usually requires. During his time at UW-Madison, Aaron completed three full length plays, multiple One-Acts, and numerous short plays which were all workshopped and some eventually produced at the university in staged readings. In his Theatre and Drama major he specialized in props and was props master for a number of university shows including Ti-Jean and his Brothers and Eurydice. Working his summers during college as a technical writer, Aaron decided to take a year off from school and work full time but the call of academia was too much for him to resist though as he is currently pursuing his MFA in Playwriting from Ohio University. Aaron’s writing tends to take the complex and unnoticed topics of today’s culture and bring them to light by using them to create dramatic conflict and then ultimate understanding. Using these undiscovered topics and coupling them with a realistic style will grow people’s curiosity and actively induce them to gain knowledge about today’s world. Aaron feels immensely privileged and grateful to be working towards his MFA in Playwriting at OU with such great and inspiring mentors, colleagues, and friends.

Qui Nguyen wins Steinberg Critics Prize!

April 11, 2016
by catherineforever666
· alumni · News · Qui Nguyen

OU Alum Qui Nguyen just won the Steinberg Critics prize at the Humana Festival for his play “Vietgone”, which premiered at the Humana and then went to South Coast Rep!

Dc Theatre Scene writes, “Out of six finalists, Nguyen received the award for his play Vietgone, a comedy rooted in his family’s flight from Vietnam that slowly explores the dark corners of its characters. The judging panel, made up of members of the American Theatre Critics Association from across the United States, gave the award to Vietgone for its “vivid, specific voice” along with its “wonderful sense of humor and compelling stakes.”

The Steinberg/ATCA Award honors Nguyen and Vietgone by recognizing him as an outstanding playwright who premiered a play in regional theaters outside of New York City in 2015. But as significantly (and perhaps more so), the Steinberg/ATCA Award is a financial award, and the largest of its kind, granting its winner $25,000.”

Congrats Qui on this awesome honor! Read an article about his big win here

More about Qui

Qui Nguyen is a playwright, TV writer, and Co-Founder of the OBIE Award-winning Vampire Cowboys Theatre Company of NYC. He and his work, known for its innovative use of pop-culture, stage violence, puppetry, and multimedia, has been called “Culturally Savvy Comedy” by The New York Times, “Tour de Force Theatre” by Time Out New York, and “Infectious Fun” by Variety.

Scripts include Vietgone (South Coast Rep, Oregon Shakespeare Company, Manhattan Theatre Club), She Kills Monsters (The Flea, Buzz22 Chicago/Steppenwolf, Company One); War is F**king Awesome (developed in the Sundance Theatre Lab); Krunk Fu Battle Battle (East West Players); Bike Wreck (Ensemble Studio Theatre); Trial By Water (Ma-Yi Theater); Aliens Versus Cheerleaders (Keen Teens); Soul Samurai; The Inexplicable Redemption of Agent G (Ma-Yi Theater & Vampire Cowboys); and the critically acclaimed Vampire Cowboys productions of Alice in Slasherland; Fight Girl Battle World; Men of Steel; and Living Dead in Denmark.

Tyler Whidden interviewed by us about Seabury Quinn

April 10, 2016
by catherineforever666
· Current Students · Festival · News

Hi everyone! Welcome to our interview series with the current rockin MFA playwrights, leading up to Seabury Quinn! Tyler Whidden is a 3rd year MFA playwright and his production “Occupation:Dad” is one of the two productions. He is known for his wisecracking sense of humor, his funny funny work and being friendly to all! Check out the interview below and then see his production this very month!! Also watch out for all 7 of the other interviews wirh our other writers!

1.So word on the street is this play is based on your own real life and experience being a father. What gave you the idea to write a play about this?

I’m always mining from my own life and being a father is definitely a major part of who I am, so I guess it comes from that. I’ve done a few Madness plays on the subject that seemed to work really well, so I just ran with it. And, it seems relevant when you consider the growing trend of stay-at-home fathers and the ever-present marketing to stay-at-home mothers – as if mothers don’t work or dads don’t know how to do the laundry.

2.What has it been like getting a production at OU? Have you enjoyed the rehearsal process?

The rehearsal process has been grand. The actors and Brian Evans (director) have been incredible and their voices really click with the play. From the very first reading we did in September to now, the talented actors in our Theater Division have been instrumental in helping me shape the play. And, Brian has been an incredible resource as well. His own experiences with being a stay-at-home father have really informed a lot of what is great in this production.

3.If your play and I got married and he took me on a honeymoon, what would the honeymoon be like? Would I like it?

What makes you think my play is a “he”?

So sexist.

4.what’s a fun fact about you?

The only fun thing about me is my wife.

More about Tyler’s play:

Occupation: Dad directed by Brian Evans

Blurb: Jason has a job, okay? He just works from home now. Things are tough nowadays what with the economy and all. So, stop looking at him like that. Lots of dads stay home with their babies. Right? It’s no big deal and it’s really not that tough. Except his kid won’t walk. And his mother won’t help. And his older brother’s a jerk-off. And his sister’s kids are already perfect and the playground moms are psychotic and everybody on Facebook hates him. But, other than all that, everything is just hunky-dory. Except his dad – you know what, forget his dad. It’s fine. Seriously. Everything is …

The play runs: 8:00 pm – April 14th, 15th 20th & 23rd; 2:00 pm – April 23rd, Forum Theater, RTV Building

Tickets for the Featured Productions are $5 general admission or FREE for OU Students (with valid student ID) through Arts for Ohio; available at the Templeton–Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium box office.

More about Tyler

Tyler Whidden was born and raised in Cleveland, OH where he grew up the least-talented son of a hockey-first family. After earning his BFA in Playwriting at Ohio University, he began a tragic career as a stand-up comic based out of Seattle, WA. After years of toiling on the road, he moved to Chicago where he returned to theater, studying and working with Victory Gardens and the Neo-Futurists theaters among many others. He received his MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College and worked as Director of Education with the great Ensemble Theater of Cleveland. His play Dancing With N.E.D. was produced in 2012 in Cleveland and his family-friendly farce, The Unofficial Almost True Campfire Tales of Put-in-Bay was commissioned by the Put-in-Bay Arts Council as part of their Bicentennial Celebration of the Battle of Lake Erie in the Summer of 2013. He’s excited to be back where it all started and he lives with his beautiful wife, Angie — way out of his league — and their beautiful boy, Booker — his intellectual equal. http://tylerjcwhidden.com/

Rachel Bykowski wins Trisolini Fellowship!

April 4, 2016
by catherineforever666
· News

Second year playwright Rachel Bykowski has just won the prestigious Trisolini Fellowship to help with her thesis play “Voodoo Doll”! The Post writes, “The annual Anthony Trisolini Graduate Fellowship is one of OHIO’s five “Named Fellowships,” which recognize meritorious students and offer a stipend, plus a year of full tuition.” Here is the link to the fellowship site. Congrats Rachel!!

Here’s the abstract for her thesis play:

When people discuss sexual assault it is always after the act occurs. The “no means no” argument has been discussed to the point of exhaustion and waiting until after the act occurs is too late. My thesis play will demonstrate how the patriarchal system teaches men from a young age to view women as objects and reveals the violence that follows this conditioning.

The play follows two fraternity brothers helping their friend Darren recuperate from a break-up with his girlfriend Emily. The two friends concoct a makeshift Voodoo ritual using a blow-up doll. This doll allows Darren to take out all of his frustrations no matter how violent. In the end, it is revealed that Emily was raped the same night as the Voodoo ritual. By conditioning Darren to view Emily as doll and not a human, did this give Darren permission assault Emily? The Trisolini Fellowship will allow me to research how the objectification of women creates rape culture.

“DGAF” Madness coming this Friday!

April 4, 2016
by catherineforever666
· Madness · News

The final madness of the semester will be produced by third year playwright, Tyler Whidden! His prompt is “DGAF” Madness(meaning Don’t Give a F***)

Show is April 8th , 11pm, in the Hahne Black Box theater. Admission is free. We recommend you get there 45 to 60 minutes ahead of time to assure yourself a seat.

For more information about Madness the fall semester, check out our Madness page.

More info on Tyler:

“The Room Where it Happens” Madness coming this Friday!

March 28, 2016
by catherineforever666
· Madness · News

Third year MFA playwright, Ryan Patrick Dolan, shall be producing “The Room Where it Happens” Madness this week! That line is a quote from the hit musical “Hamilton” and Ryan wants us to explore issues of power, ambition and/or negotiation that take place both in and or/outside “The room where it happens”!

The Madness show is April 1st, 11pm, in the Hahne Black Box theater. Admission is free. We recommend you get there 45 to 60 minutes ahead of time to assure yourself a seat.

For more information about Madness this spring semester, check out our Madness page.

More about Ryan Patrick Dolan

Ryan Patrick Dolan writes dark, comedic plays that explore love and loss, passion and destruction. Stylistically influenced by his years of improvisation, acting, and the Chicago Storefront aesthetic, he challenges the American stereotypes of gender, race, and sexuality. He has a B.A. in playwriting from Columbia College Chicago, and is a graduate of the School at Steppenwolf acting conservatory. Dolan produced 10-4: THE TRUCK STOP PLAYS at CIC Theater in Chicago, which consisted of his one-act play, BURGER KING, and three other one-acts written by his fellow Ohio playwrights. He assisted director Tina Landau for Steppenwolf Theater’s production of Tarrell Alvin McCraney’s “The Brother/Sister Plays.” Ryan was the dramaturg at RedTwist theater for Kimberly Senior’s production of “The Pillowman,” and Keira Fromm’s production of “The Lobby Hero.” Both were nominated for Jeff Awards for “Best Play” and “Best Director.” Ryan is also a 11-year veteran of the Chicago improv scene. He has primarily performed at iO and Annoyance Theaters, but also has performed and taught workshops at numerous festivals and universities around the country with his groups Revolver and Pudding-Thank-You. Ryan also taught, and co-wrote and performed four Mainstage shows at Boston’s Improv Asylum. ryanpatrickdolan.com

Mark Chrisler’s play currently in Seattle!

March 26, 2016
by catherineforever666
· News

OU Alum Mark Chrisler’s thesis play “Worse Than Tigers” is currently playing in Seattle and is directed by an OU MFA director grad, Emily Penick. The play is a co-production with Red Stage and ACT in Seattle. It runs March 23rd through April 17th. Check it out if you’re in the area!

Here is a little it about the play:

Worse Than Tigers is a comedy … until it’s not. Channeling the rhythms of Harold Pinter and David Mamet, Chicago’s Mark Chrisler crafts a wild and absurdist comedy that takes you on a 90-minute thrill ride to discover what it takes to zap a failing marriage back to life.

Olivia and Humphry live in a state-of-the-art urban condominium. They have pretty knickkacks from top-of-the-line catalogs. They have very active Facebook accounts. They have a safe, enviable, and comfortable life. And it’s eating them alive. Lucky for them, there’s an escaped tiger salivating outside their door.

For more info and to buy tickets click here

More about Mark

Mark Chrisler’s plays have been produced in New York, Chicago, London, San Francisco, New Orleans, and throughout the U.S., as well as in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. He has been presented or developed at such places as The Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, The Stella Adler Studio, The San Francisco Playhouse, Ilkhom Theatre, Four Humours Theatre, The Side Project, Springboard Theatre, The New York International Fringe Festival, Curious Theatre Branch, and many more. He is the author of over ten full-length and solo plays in addition to nearly a hundred short plays. He received his M.F.A. in dramatic writing from Ohio University and his B.A. in theatre arts from Northern Illinois University. He is the recipient of many awards and honors, including a Newberry Library Fellowship, a special Orgie Award, a NAPAT New Play Award, and the Best Emerging Playwright of 2010 award from The Chicago Reader. He lives in Chicago with his wife, where he serves as a resident playwright for Found Objects Theatre Group, an Artistic Associate for Prop Thtr, and teaches playwriting for Silk Road Rising Theatre. – See more at: http://www.acttheatre.org/Tickets/OnStage/WorseThanTigers#AboutthePlaywright

Rachel Bykowski selected for Kennedy Center MFA Summer Workshop!

March 25, 2016
by catherineforever666
· Current Students · News

Rachel Bykowski’17 was selected as 1 of 6 playwrights to participate in the prestigious National New Play Network (NNPN) Annual MFA Playwrights Workshop at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.. Over the summer, she will workshop her play, TIGHT END(which was developed at OU) for a week at the Kennedy Center. She will be paired with an NNPN director and dramaturg as well as actors from the D.C. Theatre area.

Here is more about her play TIGHT END:

Ash (believe me, you do not want to call her “Ashley”) Miller’s dream is to catch the winning touchdown pass for the Westmont High Titans’ Homecoming game. Football is in her blood, but in order to make the team, Ash will have to prove she is one of the guys even if that means sacrificing her body for the love of the game.

Here is some info the NNPN website about the program:

Universities are asked to nominate current MFA candidates for the program, and those who are selected are paired with professional directors and dramaturgs from NNPN member theaters—recognized leaders with years of experience in the development of new work—and Washington, DC-based professional actors. The process gives young writers an education in professional play development, unparalleled mentorship in the creation of their work, and a valuable entrée to some of the country’s most vital new play theaters.

The Kennedy Center often invites other professional theaters or developmental centers to workshop a play during the same week, allowing the participating student playwrights’ and dramaturgs’ opportunities for interaction with potential future collaborators such the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, which joins the Workshop annually with its upcoming Kendeda Prize Winner. The Workshop now links to more than 70 MFA programs across the country, and scripts developed at the MFAPW have gone on to productions at NNPN member theaters well as nationally-recognized companies. To find out more about the program click here.

Congrats Rachel on this awesome honor!!

More about Rachel

Rachel Bykowski was born and raised in Chicago. She writes plays that examine the masks people wear to conceal their true identities to blend into society and explores the repercussions when the masks are ripped off. Her work often includes proactive female characters that raise awareness to issues surrounding women. Rachel received her BFA in Playwriting from The Theatre School of DePaul University. Her playwriting credits include her full length plays: Original Recipe produced by DePaul University; staged reading of Got to Kill Bitch presented by Cock and Bull Theatre in Chicago; and staged reading of Glory vs. The Wolves presented by 20% Theatre Company Chicago and hosted by Women and Children First Bookstore as part of an event to raise awareness about rape culture. Her one act plays include: The Best Three Minutes of My Life produced by Bradley University; Break-Up Court and Pay Phone produced by 20% Theatre Company Chicago; The Invisible Onesproduced by Fury Theatre in Chicago; and She Sings For You produced and published by Commedia Beauregard in Chicago. Rachel is also a proud company member of 20% Theatre Company Chicago. She is very excited to continue her writing career and pursuing her MFA in Playwriting under the tutelage of Ohio University.