Living room salon, September 2014
Playwright Alex Dremann
It’s that time again, when a young man’s fancy turns from a war-and-disease-plagued world toward a living room full of theater and booze. Sam Barrett opened her house for yet another evening of informal play reading. The target for our love and derision was Alex Dremann, who’s been my friend and colleague since way back in the Brick Playhouse days. He is a master of the ten-minute play, having his stuff performed all over the damn place, including the Humana Festival. Seriously. You can’t throw a dead ocelot without hitting one of his plays. If you don’t believe me, check out his website:
http://www.alexdremann.com/alex/Home.html
Darrin and Sam, showcasing a delicious frozen dessert
We spent the evening drinking all of Sam’s wine and vodka and reading a bunch of Alex’s short plays (I think, twelve in total). All the usual suspects were there, and particular standouts were Caitlin playing a troll (who dwells in a nightclub, in the 11-inch gap between the cigarette machine and the men’s room door, hunting good-looking men with low self-esteem) and Mark playing Santa Claus (who tries to convince a guy at an airport to knock off his wife for sleeping with a ballsy elf). Yes, it was one of those nights.
Tony (peeking over Alex’s shoulder), Alex, Sam, Gene’s back, Susan, and a very annoying light fixture
I’ve written at some length about my feelings for living room critiques (or “salons,” as Sam prefers to call them), and you can read about that on other posts (like this one). For now, I’d like to give a shout-out for some projects that my fellow salonists are doing:
Mark Knight is performing in Luna Theater’s production of Quills, opening at the end of October.
Sam Barrett is directing It’s a Wonderful Life for the Colonial Playhouse (which isn’t until November, but it doesn’t hurt to put it on your calendar).
That light fixture again, Aurora, Mark, Alex, Caitlin’s back, and Darrin
I’m not certain what Alex has in mind for this round of shorts, other than polishing them and submitting them all over the place. But if you like your theater short and pithy, he’s your guy, and if there’s a short-play showcase happening near you, there’s a good shot he’s in it.
Me, Alex, and Mark, aiming at intellectual and overshooting badly into pretentious
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