Thirst Continues. Every Monday @ 7:30 until Dec. 19 with writers like Joe Scrimshaw, Melanie Marnich, Elisa Mautner, Tom Poole, Trista Baldwin, and myself. And more. And actors like Richard Iglewski, Charlie Bethel, Steve Hendrickson, Nathan Christopher, Maggie Chestovich, Kris Nelson, Randy Reyes and, of course, Chris Carlson and Tracey Maloney.
Chris is performing a monologue I wrote especially for him. It's got voices and levels and craziness. I don't know whether its good but I know he makes it worth watching.
Call 612-904-1163 for reservations. Come quick. Bring friends.
The Production Company in New York will open the full-length version of Goats on January 26, 2006. Someone besides me will be playing me. This should be fun to watch.
Gremlin Theatre in St. Paul will be producing a brand, spankin' new play that they commissioned me to write for them. As the days go by, I feel better and better about it. They are very easy to work with. The show opens February 24, 2006.
That's the news. Thank you. Send me an email at thirst@alanberks.com and say hello.
Sunday, November 27, 2005
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
podcasts
Thirst Theater podcasts its successful series of bar experiences created by award-winning writers and professional actors. From anywhere in the world, audiences can download the creative spirit of a good evening out, and take it with them to their favorite hang-out.
Go to www.fringefestival.org and click on Fringe in Your Ear. Right click (or CTRL-click on an iBook) the free sample to save it to your computer. Follow the instructions for the other shows. It's simple and secure.
Eavesdrop. Experience. Enjoy. Come back for more.
Thirst -casts are made possible through a first-of-its-kind Experimental Internet agreement with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA)
Visit www.fringefestival.org/thirst for more information on everything Thirst-y.
Go to www.fringefestival.org and click on Fringe in Your Ear. Right click (or CTRL-click on an iBook) the free sample to save it to your computer. Follow the instructions for the other shows. It's simple and secure.
Eavesdrop. Experience. Enjoy. Come back for more.
Thirst -casts are made possible through a first-of-its-kind Experimental Internet agreement with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA)
Visit www.fringefestival.org/thirst for more information on everything Thirst-y.
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
AN ADDITIONAL 70 SEATS
Because our Fringe show will be on the rooftop patio at Joe's Garage in good weather and inside in bad weather, only 62 reservations are available. In good weather, however, AN ADDITIONAL 70 SEATS ARE AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR ON THE EVENING OF THE PERFORMANCE.
So come on down. You'll get in.
So come on down. You'll get in.
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Thirst Theater @ the Minnesota Fringe
Thirst Theater @ the Minnesota Fringe presents 6 new short plays by local, award-winning writers performed by professional Equity actors — and, this time, woven together — on an outdoor rooftop patio bar around you. A twist on the popular Monday night event.
Thirst: Where curtain call meets last call
Joe’s Garage, 1610 Harmon Place
Friday, August 5
Monday, August 8
Wednesday, August 10
Thursday, August 11
Friday, August 12
Saturday, August 13
(All shows at 10 p.m.)
For reservations: Uptown Tix @ 651-209-6799 or www.uptowntix.com. (Seating is limited.)
On an average August day, numerous blackouts hit the city suddenly. Electronic equipment behaves in odd and startling ways. For some time, downtown goes dark.
The cause and full effects of the blackouts are not known.
Six Thirst-y writers — Trista Baldwin, Alan Berks, Bill Corbett, Cory Hinkle, Dominic Orlando, and Rosanna Staffa — use their unique styles to create scenes in the same bar on the same evening around these mysterious occurences.
In addition, twelve Thirst-y actors — Phil Callen, Chris Carlson, Casey Greig, Terry Hempleman, Michelle Hutchison, Catherine Johnson, Ann Kim, Tracey Maloney, Amy McDonald, Ron Menzel, Kris Nelson, Randy Reyes — were assigned at random to each writer BEFORE they wrote their scripts.
Like past Thirst performances, the scenes will be self-contained and can be enjoyed separately. The rehearsal will still be minimal so the style remains as spontaneous and fun as ever, and the environment will still have the loose, informal feeling of a bar during a live concert.
However, this time, the writers and actors will collaborate on weaving their characters into the other scripts throughout the evening. Visit www.fringefestival.org/thirst for more information.
Joe will be serving a late night menu including appetizers, burgers, and their famous mashed potatoes. In case of rain, the show will go on inside Joe’s Garage.
###
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Thirst: Round 2
Thirst: Round 2 is extended thru April 4. Round 3 begins on April 11.
My Mondays are busy forever, from now on, I guess.
Also, I've finally figured out a way of describing the Republican governing philosophy that makes sense. They appear to want less government in all political arenas, like the economy and how we regulate corporations, etc. Meanwhile they appear to want more government in all personal areas, like whether or not an individual husband is qualified to express his vegatative wife's wishes.
I'm sorry. I try to be fair and moderate and see all sides -- and I'm sure that some intelligent people could make some impassioned arguments about morality and the like -- but fundamentally, put simply (as our current President likes to do), I think this is the way a bunch of assholes behave. They're the same assholes who forced us all to endure endless talk of President Clinton's sex life. Clinton may have been a philanderer, but -- on a scale -- it's far far better than being a self-righteous, insensitive, manipulative asshole.
My Mondays are busy forever, from now on, I guess.
Also, I've finally figured out a way of describing the Republican governing philosophy that makes sense. They appear to want less government in all political arenas, like the economy and how we regulate corporations, etc. Meanwhile they appear to want more government in all personal areas, like whether or not an individual husband is qualified to express his vegatative wife's wishes.
I'm sorry. I try to be fair and moderate and see all sides -- and I'm sure that some intelligent people could make some impassioned arguments about morality and the like -- but fundamentally, put simply (as our current President likes to do), I think this is the way a bunch of assholes behave. They're the same assholes who forced us all to endure endless talk of President Clinton's sex life. Clinton may have been a philanderer, but -- on a scale -- it's far far better than being a self-righteous, insensitive, manipulative asshole.
Friday, January 21, 2005
I've been biting my tongue
I've been biting my tongue for days, weeks, a few months now, as I listen to people talk about the political divide in this country. It's all the nonsense chatter that bothers me the most -- people talking and talking with nothing but a vague sense of a feeling to support their assertions -- so I figure I shouldn't add to it. Also, I don't think it matters much what I think on this particular subject.
Still, I have a few things I want to say, and so -- as I did with my little West Wing rant -- I've decided that this is the best place to say it. This might not be the best time to say it, however, as a new semester begins and my new students google my name. Who knows what they will think when they find this? Note to any new students reading this: Different rules apply to blogs than to other types of writing. In other words, lay off.
Anyway, we all might feel better if we stopped caring so much about what every impressionable individual everywhere might think about some words we might let slip from our mouth or typing fingers.
Here goes: People who voted for Bush are not stupid rednecks. It's ridiculous and counterproductive to lump 59 million people into the category of stupid and rednecks. Stop doing it. You sound like you're spinning your wheels in a dirty, rotten, slippery mound of snow and blaming the snow for being thoughtless to your concerns. While there may be some truth to it, it's not entirely accurate. In fact, I'd say the metaphor still works when I write "The snow is just being the snow."
People who voted for Bush voted for him because he's one of them. You may not like, or agree with, the way that he says and thinks that everything is simple, for example -- but they do. And, to them, life is simple. Or simpler. Or at least it appears and FEELS more simple.
Think about it. The majority of his support is in rural, or more sparsely populated areas. The concerns that develop in these areas are far different than the concerns that develop in cities, at least in part because in urban areas there are a zillion more choices for everything from what you have for breakfast to what you do on a Friday night. More choices, more diversity, more more more, makes things feel more more complicated. It's not that people who live in rural areas don't see reality. (Or can't handle complexity of a certain kind.) It's that they have a different reality. They actually agree with Bush. They think like him. It doesn't matter that he has more money then they will ever dream of; they still think like him. They may not think he's made the best choices all the time(and I've met Bush voters who've said that), but at least they recognize the world he describes is the one that they live in.
They voted for the person who they wanted to vote for -- they weren't trick or hoodwinked or manipulated. (Unless you consider all attempts at persuasion to be manipulation.) They are ASSHOLES for refusing to take the opportunitty to look outside their own interests and listen to the cacophony of people who were shouting "I don't want to live like you!. . . I don't need to tell you how to live, but NOT EVERYONE WANTS TO LIVE LIKE YOU!" But they aren't stupid. And they're not necessarily rednecks. It's hard for all of us to step outside the understanding of reality that we know from our experience of life.
I've got more to say and write -- like that I don't think the answer is to try to adopt what we think is the "language of the heartland" and, in that sense, pretend to understand what we don't really understand -- but I feel like once I start typing entire sentences in ALL CAPS, I should take a break before I sprain a typing finger. Since the political discussions in the places I live continue endlessly, I'm sure I'll be back with more soon.
Blog as catharsis. How did I do this time?
Still, I have a few things I want to say, and so -- as I did with my little West Wing rant -- I've decided that this is the best place to say it. This might not be the best time to say it, however, as a new semester begins and my new students google my name. Who knows what they will think when they find this? Note to any new students reading this: Different rules apply to blogs than to other types of writing. In other words, lay off.
Anyway, we all might feel better if we stopped caring so much about what every impressionable individual everywhere might think about some words we might let slip from our mouth or typing fingers.
Here goes: People who voted for Bush are not stupid rednecks. It's ridiculous and counterproductive to lump 59 million people into the category of stupid and rednecks. Stop doing it. You sound like you're spinning your wheels in a dirty, rotten, slippery mound of snow and blaming the snow for being thoughtless to your concerns. While there may be some truth to it, it's not entirely accurate. In fact, I'd say the metaphor still works when I write "The snow is just being the snow."
People who voted for Bush voted for him because he's one of them. You may not like, or agree with, the way that he says and thinks that everything is simple, for example -- but they do. And, to them, life is simple. Or simpler. Or at least it appears and FEELS more simple.
Think about it. The majority of his support is in rural, or more sparsely populated areas. The concerns that develop in these areas are far different than the concerns that develop in cities, at least in part because in urban areas there are a zillion more choices for everything from what you have for breakfast to what you do on a Friday night. More choices, more diversity, more more more, makes things feel more more complicated. It's not that people who live in rural areas don't see reality. (Or can't handle complexity of a certain kind.) It's that they have a different reality. They actually agree with Bush. They think like him. It doesn't matter that he has more money then they will ever dream of; they still think like him. They may not think he's made the best choices all the time(and I've met Bush voters who've said that), but at least they recognize the world he describes is the one that they live in.
They voted for the person who they wanted to vote for -- they weren't trick or hoodwinked or manipulated. (Unless you consider all attempts at persuasion to be manipulation.) They are ASSHOLES for refusing to take the opportunitty to look outside their own interests and listen to the cacophony of people who were shouting "I don't want to live like you!. . . I don't need to tell you how to live, but NOT EVERYONE WANTS TO LIVE LIKE YOU!" But they aren't stupid. And they're not necessarily rednecks. It's hard for all of us to step outside the understanding of reality that we know from our experience of life.
I've got more to say and write -- like that I don't think the answer is to try to adopt what we think is the "language of the heartland" and, in that sense, pretend to understand what we don't really understand -- but I feel like once I start typing entire sentences in ALL CAPS, I should take a break before I sprain a typing finger. Since the political discussions in the places I live continue endlessly, I'm sure I'll be back with more soon.
Blog as catharsis. How did I do this time?
Saturday, January 15, 2005
Hello, Friends.
Hello, Friends. If you know anyone in Minnesota, sendthem to this. They will enjoy it -- whether they'veenjoyed theater in the past or not. Also, if you'regoing to be nearby, extend your trip to Tuesday so youcan visit this on Monday night. I'd love to see you.Be well. Happy New Year.
Equity Actors collaborating with award-winningplaywrights returns after a sold out run to createanother repertory of short plays in an intimate,inexpensive location.
Thirst Theater: Where curtain call meets last call.
@Joe’s Garage, 1610 Harmon PlaceEvery Monday, 7:30 p.m.January 17 through March 21$10 cover charge at the door (Multi-show discounts available)Call (612) 904-1163 for reservations.(Seating is very limited.)
Twelve new short plays exploring the drama andcommunity of bars and restaurants, written in thedaring, spontaneous and fun spirit of a good eveningout. Award-winning playwrights Trista Baldwin, Alan Berks,Bill Corbett, and Dominic Orlando return with newscripts. Rosanna Staffa, David Mann, Victoria Stewart,Doug Collins, Roy Close, and Tom Poole join in.Performed in repertory style by Equity actorsincluding Phil Callen, Chris Carlson, NathanChristopher, Annelise Christ Gould, Bob Davis, JPFitzgibbons, Charles Fraser, Cathy Fuller, Nat Fuller,Brian Goranson, Casey Greig, Shawn Hamilton, TerryHempleman, Alayne Hopkins, Michelle Hutchison, MelindaKordich, Tracey Maloney, Amy McDonald, Ron Menzel,Kris Nelson, Sonja Parks, Randy Reyes, Michael Tezla,and Steven B. Young.
Every Monday the program changes. The audience will experience five new plays over buffalo wings and abeer and enjoy a rare opportunity to see Actor’sEquity members perform at the table next them. (Dinner reservations are available between 6 – 7 p.m.Appetizers and drinks are available from 7 until 9.)
Thirst’s first round of playlets, presented fromSeptember 17- November 9, 2004, provided a uniquechance for professional actors and writers tocollaborate, without mediation, and to take their workdirectly to new audiences. Overflow crowds wereturned away from the final four performances, and moreof the Twin Cities’ finest professional actors andwriters have signed on for this experiment withaccessible, professional theater. The second roundincludes a return of Dominic Orlando’s popular Corkyand Dean characters, plus a variety of surprises we’veconcocted to keep the evening raw and daring.
Go to www.fringefestival.org/thirst or emailthirst@mn.rr.com for more information. Thirst isanother site-specific production co-sponsored by theMinnesota Fringe Festival, the largest fringe festivalin the United States.
Equity Actors collaborating with award-winningplaywrights returns after a sold out run to createanother repertory of short plays in an intimate,inexpensive location.
Thirst Theater: Where curtain call meets last call.
@Joe’s Garage, 1610 Harmon PlaceEvery Monday, 7:30 p.m.January 17 through March 21$10 cover charge at the door (Multi-show discounts available)Call (612) 904-1163 for reservations.(Seating is very limited.)
Twelve new short plays exploring the drama andcommunity of bars and restaurants, written in thedaring, spontaneous and fun spirit of a good eveningout. Award-winning playwrights Trista Baldwin, Alan Berks,Bill Corbett, and Dominic Orlando return with newscripts. Rosanna Staffa, David Mann, Victoria Stewart,Doug Collins, Roy Close, and Tom Poole join in.Performed in repertory style by Equity actorsincluding Phil Callen, Chris Carlson, NathanChristopher, Annelise Christ Gould, Bob Davis, JPFitzgibbons, Charles Fraser, Cathy Fuller, Nat Fuller,Brian Goranson, Casey Greig, Shawn Hamilton, TerryHempleman, Alayne Hopkins, Michelle Hutchison, MelindaKordich, Tracey Maloney, Amy McDonald, Ron Menzel,Kris Nelson, Sonja Parks, Randy Reyes, Michael Tezla,and Steven B. Young.
Every Monday the program changes. The audience will experience five new plays over buffalo wings and abeer and enjoy a rare opportunity to see Actor’sEquity members perform at the table next them. (Dinner reservations are available between 6 – 7 p.m.Appetizers and drinks are available from 7 until 9.)
Thirst’s first round of playlets, presented fromSeptember 17- November 9, 2004, provided a uniquechance for professional actors and writers tocollaborate, without mediation, and to take their workdirectly to new audiences. Overflow crowds wereturned away from the final four performances, and moreof the Twin Cities’ finest professional actors andwriters have signed on for this experiment withaccessible, professional theater. The second roundincludes a return of Dominic Orlando’s popular Corkyand Dean characters, plus a variety of surprises we’veconcocted to keep the evening raw and daring.
Go to www.fringefestival.org/thirst or emailthirst@mn.rr.com for more information. Thirst isanother site-specific production co-sponsored by theMinnesota Fringe Festival, the largest fringe festivalin the United States.
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