I know what you’re thinking. “Other things? Surely not. Your blog is already such a definitive portrait of a 21st century polymath, what other mountains can possibly be left for you to conquer?” Well put down your pop-tarts and take a deep breath — I have other projects afoot!
The Carnival of Bastards
First up I’d like to do a little plug for the podcast my friend David Innes and I have started called The Carnival of Bastards. We’re both such die-hard fans of Doctor Who that our conversations about it are fevered, ferocious and damn fine entertainment. It came time when there was simply nothing else to do but start putting them online for the enjoyment and appreciation of fans everywhere. We’ve kicked off with an old fan favorite, The Five Doctors. This story was the Doctor Who 20th anniversary special and is a landmark in the show’s history. Which meant it was ripe for our claws. Come, listen and leave a little bit wiser.
Saintlike in Repose
Last weekend I was privileged enough to have my short play “Saintlike in Repose” produced by the Valley Repertory Company of Enfield, Connecticut. “Saintlike in Repose” is about a bickering family who arrive at their great-aunt’s funeral. With a sense of dread they begin to suspect they’re in the wrong place — it doesn’t even have any reviews on Yelp. They decide the only way to find out who’s really dead is to look inside the coffin, but how can they distract that nosey priest…?
The Valley Rep holds this competition every year where they stage six short dramas and six short comedies in the semi-final round. Selected plays then get shown again in the finals, where they pick a winner from each category. “Saintlike” made it all the way to the finals in the comedy category, but lost out to “Santa, the Half-Birthday Fairy, and the Breast Fairy” by Matt Hanf. “Santa” was breath-takingly funny and it was a victory well-deserved. The inimitable Mr Hanf was in the same competition with me last year with his play “The Thong Snipper” about a vigilante teacher who’s sick and tired of seeing the top of the underpants sticking out of her students’ trousers. His play was my favorite comedy in 2011 and his work hasn’t faltered a bit — congrats, Mr Hanf, it was a pleasure! I also owe thanks to the cast and crew at the Valley Rep — particularly Josh Guenter, Mark Vogel, Tara Kennedy, Andy Neild and Christopher Duzak — for bringing my work to life. Tara easily had the toughest job in the play (a hyperactive rendition of I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas) and Mark gave us a scandalously revealing portrait of the pharaoh Thutmose in one of the other comedies. Seriously now, that’s hard to out-class.
Although “Saintlike in Repose” has now made its première, I would love to see it produced again as either a stage play or a short film. If anyone is interested in an irreverent and blasphemous comedy, you must email me at once! I’m also busy with new work, both short-form and full-length, so keep your ears peeled and let me know if you’re interested in learning more.