Tuesday May 22, 2012
According to Contemporary Authors Online, playwright David Mamet worked in "a canning plant, a truck factory, at a real estate agency, and as a window washer, office cleaner, and taxi driver." Such life experiences no doubt influenced Mamet's impeccable skill at realistic dialogue that is vulgar yet vibrant. And the play that embodies his visceral style the most is his 1984 Pulitzer Prize winning drama, Glengarry Glen Ross.
This two act play by David Mamet depicts the seldom seen life of high-pressure real estate salesmen. We witness the men hustle others (and fool themselves) as they try to make an honest living using every deceitful tactics they can muster.
If you haven't met these intense characters from Glengarry Glen Ross, please, allow me to introduce you. You'll thank me for it later. I promise.
Monday May 21, 2012
A lonely woman named Jean is innocently sitting at a cafe when a man's cell phone rings. And rings. And keeps on ringing. The man doesn't answer because, as the title suggests, he's dead. Jean, however, does pick up, and when she discovers that the cell phone owner has quietly died in the cafe, she not only dials 911, she keeps his phone in order to keep him alive in a strange yet significant way. She takes messages from the dead man's business associates, friends, family members, even his mistress.
This is the basic premise of Sarah Ruhl offbeat comedy, Dead Man's Cell Phone, a send-up of film noir plots complete with social commentary about our failed attempts to become fulfilled by the promises of technology and social media.
Learn more about this thoughtful, fascinating play, Dead Man's Cell Phone.
Sunday May 20, 2012
If you have a flair for impromptu Elizabethan dialogue and you don't mind wearing corsets or codpieces, a job at a local Renaissance Fair might be the perfect part time job -- especially if you've got the extrovert gene.
Renaissance Faire employees do their best to stay in character. Even the maidens selling "steak-on-a-stick" enthusiastically engage in Elizabethan dialogue. Guests are encouraged to interact with the performers. In fact, many "regulars" purchase a "Faire Pass" that allows them to attend every day of the Renaissance Faire. Then, they spend their entire weekends embracing their 16th century persona. If you would like to try "getting into character" at the Faire, you'll want to know the lingo.
Learn more about acting jobs and audience participation at Renaissance Fairs.
Thursday May 17, 2012
To say that Harold Pinter's plays are unhappy is a gross understatement. Most critics have labeled his characters "sinister" and "malevolent." The actions within his plays are bleak, dire, and purposely without purpose. The audience leaves bewildered with a queasy feeling - an uneasy sensation, as though you were supposed to do something terribly important, but you can't remember what it was. You leave the theater a bit disturbed, a bit excited, and more than bit unbalanced. And that's just the way Harold Pinter wanted you to feel.
Find out the five most powerful (and most menacing) plays written by Harold Pinter.