new podcast episode

A new episode of the COI podcast is ready for download -- we present “Pythias,” by Frederik Pohl.

As always, there are three ways to listen:

(1) Stream the episode below
(2) Visit our podcast page and listen online: conflicttheater.podOmatic.com
(3) iTunes users can click this link

peace, b*tches

Of course this got f*cked up out the door today. Because that's how the universe is.

new podcast episode

A new episode of the COI podcast is ready for download as we continue our series of live podcast recordings: Jessica McVea performs "Doll Baby," by C.H. Sherman.

As always, there are three ways to listen:

(1) Stream the episode below
(2) Visit our podcast page and listen online: conflicttheater.podOmatic.com
(3) iTunes users can click this link

Still On The Road -- additional screening

In you case you missed it at Lincoln Center, you have a second chance to catch a screening of COItc director Sara Wolkowitz's film Still on the Road:

Twelve actors bring classical theater to America in The Acting Company’s 37th season. A classical touring ensemble founded by John Houseman and Margot Harley, The Acting Company originated with select individuals from the first graduating class of Julliard’s drama division. Kevin Kline recalls Houseman declaring, “We couldn’t just let them go out and do garbage.” The actors spend seven months on a cramped bus, lose one of their leading men, play 71 roles, and learn to work in spaces that won’t hold their set, all while reconnecting with their passion for performing, receiving praise from the New York Times, and teaching students a new way to look at Shakespeare. Through conversations with Acting Company alums Kevin Kline, Rainn Wilson and Harriet Harris we come to learn that, with the exception of Xbox and Wi-Fi on the bus, not much has changed – and that is just as it should be.

Still on the Road, Sara Wolkowitz, dir. [Q&A to follow screening]
Fri, Jun 3, 2011 - 8:00pm Irvington Town Hall Theater | 85 Main Street | Irvington, New York 10533
General Admission $8.00

[Irvington Theater]

great and puzzling news...

The good news:

Thanks to a radical shift in thinking among independents and Democrats during the past year, for the first time in Gallup Poll tracking a clear majority of Americans now approves of gay marriage.

A new Gallup Poll released this morning finds that this month 53% of Americans say same-sex marriage should be recognized in law as equally valid with traditional male-female marriages.

It's always great to see the populace ahead of its leaders; but with the Strom Thurmonds of equal marriage rights John McCain and Rick Santorum still going strong, we'll probably get federal recognition for same-sex marriage in about thirty years. After all, we found out about Thurmond's mixed-race shame-child a few decades late. How long before we discover Messrs. S & M's secret rentboys?

And speaking of hypocrisy, here's the weird part of the study:

Support for gay marriage is higher among Catholics than Protestants, among the unmarried and among those who attend church less frequently.

Seriously, Catholics: is there anything your leaders say that that you actually follow? Or is the built-in guilt like an invitation to flout church doctrine? Not that there's anything wrong with that...

[ToTT]

Diary of a Chorus Girl -- new episode (finale!)

The season finale is live for the Sara Wolkowitz-directed and -edited web series Diary of a Chorus Girl. Watch below...



[the YouTubes]

Brooklyn Labyrinth in June

This is your weekly reminder that tickets are on sale for Brooklyn Labyrinth, our latest production in the 3rd Annual BoCoCa Arts Festival. More than in productions past, we're eager to get a good sense of our audience ahead of time, so pre-sales are of primary importance. Book 'em now!

[BL @ BPT]

All's Fair (Six Western) reading in June

It's official -- your first peek at our production of All's Fair (Six Western) will come in June 13, when we head back for the third Planet Connections Theatre Festivity.

Monday, June 13 at 2:00PM (90 mins)
The Robert Moss Theatre 440 Lafayette Street New York, NY 10003
440 Lafayette St. [betwn Astor Place / 4th St., across the street from The Public Theater]
Subway: N, R, W, and 6

Some things you can do:

1. 'Like' us on the Festivity Page 
2. Join us for the reading, of course 
3. Join the post-reading talk-back 
4. Donate to the af(sw) campaign for the fall full production

[af(sw) at the PCF]

[af(sw) campaign]

All’s Fair (Six Western) is made possible through the generous support of the Puffin Foundation, Centrum, Anonymous, Leonardo Giadone, Andrew Grosso, Becki Heller, Barbara Hohlt, Eunice Inquimboy, Aaron & Janet Isquith, M & M Kohlman, Steven Leshnower, Esq., Katie McKenna, Jackie Miller, Cristian Ossa, and Laura Rubin.



Conflict of Interest theater company (COItc) is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions in behalf of COItc may be made payable to Fractured Atlas. The value of various goods or services is variable depending on contribution level. Any contribution above amounts specified on the campaign page is tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

atlas judged

It's during moments such as this that I have trouble with what passes for mainstream libertarianism these days.

The newest announced Republican presidential candidate, Ron Paul, wasted no time inserting himself into the international scandal involving the arrest of the head of the International Monetary Fund on sexual assault charges. 

The 12-term Texas Republican representative is no friend of large financial institutions, be it the IMF or the Federal Reserve. Appearing on "Fox News Sunday" 48 hours after announcing his candidacy, Paul sought to paint the removal of Dominique Strauss-Kahn from a departing international flight and his arrest on suspicion of attempted rape of a Manhattan hotel maid as the kinds of high-handed things to be expected of such authorities.  

"These are the kinds of people who are running the IMF," Paul told Chris Wallace, "and we want to turn the world's finances and the control of the money supply [over] to them?"

My problem is quite simple: if you believe that the intervention of the state leads to a subjugation of the capable by the ineffectual, then morality has no place in your world-view. In short, it shouldn't matter whether Dominique Strauss-Kahn is a sexual predator or not, because the institution he heads distorts and usurps the natural order of things.

But if there is a better candidate to run the IMF, then you're not in favor of its abolition -- you're favor of its reform.

You can't say the state is the source of all evil, except in cases where you like the rules or the individuals who happen to be in charge. Libertarianism is an all-or-nothing proposition.

[ToTT]

should have sent a poet

There are no words. No words at all.



This is just outstanding stuff, and there's so much to parse here -- although we know that within the week, Gingrich will give us more -- but a couple things stick out. I'm just not sure what is most striking about two minutes in the abyss.

• Maybe it's the fact that his hair doesn't move, 
• Or that he smiles -- grimaces, really -- at completely inappropriate moments, 
• Or that a 1.4 percent decrease in unemployment -- a statistical margin of error -- is supposed to be significant when he wants it to be, 
• Or that he can claim ownership of economic bona fides while Speaker of the House, and then turn around an claim that "No One Man" can turn everything around, 
• Or that a serial adulterer asserted the need for honest, straightforward talk, 
• Or that there were some nasty veiled threats towards the enemies of whatever he's actually proposing. 

But actually it's none of those things. Nope, not a one. The most striking thing about that video? Definitely the fact that he just uttered a two-minute-long paragraph that consisted of a single sentence. Fantastic.

[Newt.org <-- This is a real thing now.]

new podcast episode

A new episode of the COI podcast is ready for download as we continue our series of live podcast recordings: Jason Andrew Updike performs "The Sausage," a short work by Friedrich Durrenmatt.

As always, there are three ways to listen:

(1) Stream the episode below
(2) Visit our podcast page and listen online: conflicttheater.podOmatic.com
(3) iTunes users can click this link

Diary of a Chorus Girl -- new episode

It's time for the penultimate episode of "Diary of a Chorus Girl," directed and edited by COItc's very own Sara Wolkowitz.

You can watch below:



[the YouTube]

announcing our next production -- Brooklyn Labyrinth

(c) 2011 Eunice Inquimboy

Whatcha doing in June?

Just so you know, we'll be returning to the BoCoCa Arts Festival with three new plays. So ... plan accordingly.

Brooklyn Labyrinth 
These three interwoven narratives, retelling the Minotaur myth with a contemporary voice, show us that monsters are rarely who we expect—and that safety might not be outside the maze looking in, but the other way around...

DUMBO by Kate Kertez
A powerful family uses unusual means to protect their reputation after one of their own does the unspeakable.

Bensonhurst by Isaac Rathbone
Unable to escape the choices from their past, a working class family must survive amidst their own chaos and dysfunction.

Daedalus at the Navy Yards by Sergei Burbank
With salty contemporary language, this reworking of the Minotaur myth is told through the prism of Daedalus’ point of view, and reveals that much of what is received as the truth of the story has, in fact, been distorted over time.

FOUR SHOWS ONLY
Friday, June 17@9:00pm
Sunday, June 19@6:00pm
Monday, June 20@7:00pm
Thursday, June 23@9:00pm
Ceol Irish Pub, 191 Smith Street, Brooklyn
Tickets are $15 in advance, $18 at the door

This is exciting. Brooklyn Labyrinth is a full co-production between COItc and Oracle Theatre Inc. We're also very happy to be back for a third time with the fine folks at the BoCoCa Arts Festival and all the exciting Brooklyn-centric arts work they do. But this year, it's essential this year that you buy your tickets in advance. We need a strong box office showing before we hit the ground to make this show a success. Won't you help?

[Brooklyn Labyrinth Tickets]

Diary of a Chorus Girl -- new episode

Sara Wolkowitz's series, "Diary of a Chorus Girl," continues. Outtakes this episode. Watch below:

[the YouTube]

[af(sw)] Dear potential sponsor:

Hey, temporary Advertising Firm Intern:

Yeah, you. I see you sniffling over your desk there, inconsolable. You came to the big city with big dreams the summer before your senior year in college, and you were going to make your mark. "Watch out, World," you said (to the World), "here I come. TO MARK YOU."

You arrived for your first day at the ad agency of That Guy Who Your Dad Knows at the Country Club, and he brought you back into the cubicle farm, introduced you around. "This is The Intern," TGWYDKatCC said, "show him the ropes this summer."

You realized it should have been a bad sign that he had forgotten you were coming. You should have taken note that he needed some prodding before recalling your father's name correctly.

In your youthful exuberance, you thought it didn't matter, because you were making it happen.


And so now, here you are, sniffling over your thirteen-dollar-lettuce salad, wondering how you're going to eat for the rest of the weak, while front and center in your mind, the minions of the cubicle farms had looked you over, Fresh Meat, and decided the only thing to be done with you was to shove the most disgusting, unappealing, low-paying and impossible account squarely into your lap.

"Only way to learn is by throwing the babe into the deep end of the pool," Tormentor Number 1 (of who knows how many) had said, before clapping your a bit too hard on the shoulder and stalking off, hopefully never to be seen or heard from again.

But here you are, trying to decide how on the Lord's Good Green Earth you're going to sell Dr. Stinkfoot's Rectal Cream and Herpetic Powder.

Fear not, brave soul (and open the salad dressing, it had valuable calories, you'll need those)! Even though you think no one would want to come within fifty yards of that execrable product, you're wrong -- oh, how you're wrong, child!

We do. All's Fair (Six Western) would happily embrace Dr. Stinkfoot's balm and the $7.16 that comes with our endorsement! For another $0.75, the playwright will even work in some product placement.

That sound? Oh, that's the current cast storming out the door, but don't you worry. That was before they heard about the lifetime supply of the stuff you'll offer. They'll be back.

[af(sw)]

questions answered

I started to watch this video, but realized that if the answer wasn't microbial gremlins or extraterrestrial life, I was likely to be disappointed by the answer.

[the Today show. yeah, I know.]

Diary of a Chorus Girl -- new episode

It's two-for-one this week, because we've been remiss in keeping you updated. "Diary of a Chorus Girl," the documentary series directed and edited by COItc's Sara Wolkowitz, continues with episode seven. You can watch below...



[the You Tube]

real estate Rorschach

I try keep this blog well-insulated from my all-abiding interest in baseball -- and compulsive obsession with the Los Angeles (nee Brooklyn) Dodgers -- but sometimes things are too good to keep to myself. Dave Zirin's Edge of Sports blog had an excellent take on MLB's repossession of the LA Dodgers last week that I devoured when it was written, and am only now getting around to sharing:

Two years ago, Michigan's then-Gov. Jennifer Granholm described automakers as "a healthcare provider that happened to make cars." For a generation now, baseball has been a highly leveraged real estate urban development plan in which men happen to play a game.

The unravelling of the Dodgers is equal parts delightful (as they deserve every misery they encounter west of the Rockies) and heartbreaking (if I had couple billion dollars, I'd spent it all on bringing them home).

But Zirin's insight is relevant to the theater industry, because it challenges our perspective on what, exactly, baseball is. One assumes that the incentive for owners is to sell as many tickets and official merchandise as possible -- but in the age of television advertising revenue, this isn't necessarily so. For theater practitioners, it's good to remember that the empty space we need to practice our art can look quite different if you flip the picture on its head -- and we must make sure to make a partnership with those who control space as appealing to them as possible. It's harder than ever to find affordable performance/rehearsal space, and that's a situation that's likely to get worse before it gets better.

The whole thing is worth a read.

 [Edge of Sports]

Diary of a Chorus Girl -- new episode

"Diary of a Chorus Girl," the documentary series directed and edited by COItc's Sara Wolkowitz, continues with episode six. You can watch below...



[the You Tube]

new podcast episode

A new episode of the COI podcast is ready for download as we continue our series of live podcast recordings: James Bentley performs "The Question" by Stanley Ellin.

As always, there are three ways to listen:

(1) Stream the episode below
(2) Visit our podcast page and listen online: conflicttheater.podOmatic.com
(3) iTunes users can click this link

sexy satyagraha (with apologies to MKG)

The only protest better than a nonviolent sit-in? A kiss-in. Oh, yes.

The pub which shut its doors in response to a gay kiss-in storm last week has closed again today in response to a planned second anti-homophobia protest. The John Snow, in Soho, central London, provoked headlines when staff allegedly ejected two men who were kissing. One of the men, Jonathan Williams, tweeted about the incident, leading to a flurry of media attention and a Facebook-organised "kiss-in" at the pub last Friday. It closed on the day – although the event went ahead as planned, attracting around 300 people. A second kiss-in had been planned for tonight, with over 1,100 saying they would attend, but the pub closed again this afternoon.

How can we make mass displays of public affection the default form of protest by activists? That would be awesome.

[The Guardian]

New Episode of "Diary of a Chorus Girl" is live online

"Diary of a Chorus Girl," the documentary series directed and edited by COItc's Sara Wolkowitz, continues with episode five. You can watch below...



[the You Tube]

new podcast episode

A new episode of the COI podcast is ready for download as we continue our series of live podcast recordings: James Shapiro performs "The Nine Billion Names of God" by Arthur C. Clarke.

As always, there are three ways to listen:

(1) Stream the episode below
(2) Visit our podcast page and listen online: conflicttheater.podOmatic.com
(3) iTunes users can click this link

documentary work from A2K Productions

Another dispatch from COItc's creative team:

COItc Artistic Director Adam Karsten's production company (A2K Productions) has teamed up with PJ Benjamin (the Wizard in the Broadway production of Wicked) to form the driving force behind a new pilot series Living Treasures. Their newly formed production company (PJLou Productions) will create the pilot for a 12-episode series featuring the last living survivor and witness to the Hindenburg disaster.

John Iannacone was a member of the navy and on the field when the Hindenburg burst into flames. In addition, they will be creating a documentary film for the Hindenburg Museum in New Jersey that will be screened for the first time this May 6, 2011 (the anniversary of the disaster).

[image via Cruise Line History]

COItc @ Tunxis Writers' Conference -- TONIGHT

In case you were passing through Farmington, CT today -- there's plenty to see at Tunxis.

Sergei Burbank is one of five published authors that will share their work at the 8th Annual Writers Festival on April 13 from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. in Founders Hall. The Writers Festival brings nationally recognized writers of fiction and nonfiction to Tunxis to speak about their works and the writing process.

So there's that.

[Tunxis]

"Diary of a Chorus Girl" -- new episode online

"Diary of a Chorus Girl," the documentary series directed and edited by COItc's Sara Wolkowitz, continues with episode four. You can watch below...



[the You Tube]

Leah Bonvissuto leads the revolution -- TONIGHT

COItc Managing Director of Stage Leah Bonvissuto helms a celebration of the new collection BAsics, from the Talks and Writings of Bob Avakian, the Revolutionary Communist Party chairman, at the Harlem Stage Gatehouse tonight at 7pm. Featuring Ruby Dee, Cornel West, and others...

Harlem Stage Gatehouse, Mon 7pm. 150 Convent Ave (at 135th St)
(212) 691-3345 | revolutionbooksnyc.org
Subway: 1 to 137th St–City CollegeGet directions
$35, students and unemployed $15, premium $100

[TONY]

Charlie Sheen has taught us something after all:

Charisma is a lot easier to manufacture on film than it is on stage.

[EW, image via BBC News]

War Crimes @ Tunxis Community College -- TOMORROW

Don't forget:

Tunxis Community College presents a a revival of “War Crimes” April 8 & 9 at 7:30 p.m. in Founders Hall.

The cast includes Steven Mackenzie, Elizabeth Coffey, Lauren Austin, Alyssa Wasley, Bernard Sniadack III, Tommy Jackson, Tasya Abbot, Derek Guibert, Christian Torres and Johanna Yodkin.

For more information, call George Sebastian-Coleman at 860.255.3731 or e-mail gsebastian-coleman[at]txcc.commnet.edu.

Tunxis is located at the junction of Routes 6 and 177 in Farmington. For more on 40th anniversary events at Tunxis, visit tunxis.commnet.edu/40th.

your ad here [af(sw)]

If you have a product or service in need of exposure, have we got a deal for you. All's Fair (Six Western) has endorsement deals available for the following "Official..." categories:

• Energy Drink
• Tobacco Product
• Tax Preparer
• Financial Consultant
• Sportswear
• Bookseller
• Personal Hygiene Product
• Deodorant
• Alcoholic Drink
• Car Dealership
• Bail Bondsman
• Private Security Firm 
• Taxidermist

Have another niche category? Drop us a line!

(You can also give us fewer-strings-attached money here. We like that kind even more.)

[af(sw) Campaign Page]

War Crimes @ Tunxis Community College

To our Friends and Family in the Connecticut Capitol Region...

Tunxis Community College will present a theatrical production of Sergei Burbank’s “War Crimes” on campus April 8 & 9 at 7:30 p.m. in Founders Hall.

A description of the play states, “In a possible present, the former president of the United States has been arrested and is on trial at The Hague for the deaths of American Muslims held in a detainment camp. Narrating these events is a 17th-century Dutch merchant from New Amsterdam. Over the course of the play we realize it is as much Europe’s expectations for America as the ‘light upon the hill’ that are on trial as it is the American president. Responsibility for the excesses of dreams becomes the currency as all parties barter with fate.”

The show runs approximately 90 minutes and is suitable for teens and adults. Tickets cost $5 and can be purchased at the door or in advance at the Tunxis Information Desk.

The cast includes Steven Mackenzie, Elizabeth Coffey, Lauren Austin, Alyssa Wasley, Bernard Sniadack III, Tommy Jackson, Tasya Abbot, Derek Guibert, Christian Torres and Johanna Yodkin.

For more information, call George Sebastian-Coleman at 860.255.3731 or e-mail gsebastian-coleman[at]txcc.commnet.edu.

The production is one of a series of events at Tunxis Community College celebrating 40 years of education in the Farmington Valley and beyond. The College first opened for classes in October 1970 and currently offers almost 60 associate’s degrees and certificates, providing critical thinking and problem-solving skills that prepare students for transfer to bachelor’s degree programs and employment in areas with industry need. Tunxis is located at the junction of Routes 6 and 177 in Farmington. For more on 40th anniversary events at Tunxis, visit tunxis.commnet.edu/40th.

bleargh

I'm going to go out on a limb and hope that Christopher Shinn's piece on the Awl -- outlining the various ways that his friends displease him when they don't lie about loving everything he writes -- is a lighthearted take on the Oversensitive Playwright Cliche. Because if it's not -- jeez, get over yourself.

At the end of the day, we all know the truth. We know what it feels like and sounds like. It isn’t something that can be faked. If you didn’t like my play, I’ll know it. And you’ll know I know it. So why not just be a pal? At the end of the show, wrap your arms around me and congratulate me. I’ll know what you really felt. And I’ll be thankful that my friends like and respect me even when they don’t like my work.

It's precisely this type of naked emotional neediness that makes non-theater people hate theater people. It makes me hate them, too. Oversensitive playwrights need to get over themselves, or go into therapy, or something other than asking people to hand over their money and then demand validation on top of it. If you're not confident enough to defend your work, don't put it out there. Put it in your journal -- not your PUBLIC BLOG, but your super-secret-in-the-bedside-table-diary -- and leave your friends and everyone else alone. Because in the real world, you have to give and take, not just take.

(Unless Shinn is kidding, in which case this article is HILARIOUS.)

[The Awl]

"Diary of a Chorus Girl" -- episode three is live

"Diary of a Chorus Girl," the documentary series directed and edited by COItc's Sara Wolkowitz, continues with episode three. You can watch below...



[the You Tube]

new podcast episode

A new episode of the COI podcast is ready for download as we continue our series of live podcast recordings: Diane Havens presents original poetry.

As always, there are three ways to listen:

(1) Stream the episode below
(2) Visit our podcast page and listen online: conflicttheater.podOmatic.com
(3) iTunes users can click this link

Noooooooooo

After I was handicapping the Republican primaries, someone said I sounded like I was talking about baseball. It's just as well baseball season opens today, because this is some depressing stuff, as far as I'm concerned:

In an unusual move, the coveted first debate of the 2012 presidential primary season is being rescheduled. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation announced that it is moving its "Reagan Centennial GOP Presidential Primary Candidates Debate" from May 2 to Sept. 14, 2011.

But where can I find a televised train wreck that is as excruciating as it is pleasurable to watch this Spring?

Oh, wait... never mind.

[CBS News and Meet the Mets, Meet the Mets...]

aww...but we like YOU

Did Radiohead totally dis North America back there? This went out this weekend to their subscriber list:

"all good record stores ... and the USA&Canada" -- what is this, 1770?

 (I know we deserve it, but what did Canada ever do to you?)

"Diary of a Chorus Girl" -- episode two is live

Episode Two of the Sara Wolkowoitz-directed and -edited series "Diary of a Chorus Girl" is now live. We couldn't be prouder of our Managing Director of Film. Take a look below:



[the YouTube]

your weekly af(sw) update

We've reached a major milestone this week, as we are now 1/8 of the way to our fundraising goal! Thanks to all of our donors for giving -- if you haven't yet, you should join the movement!

All’s Fair (Six Western) is made possible through the generous support of the Puffin Foundation, Centrum, Anonymous, Leonardo Giadone, Andrew Grosso, Becki Heller, Barbara Hohlt, Eunice Inquimboy, Aaron Isquith, Janet Isquith, Steven Leshnower, Esq., Katie McKenna, Jackie Miller, Cristian Ossa, and Laura Rubin.




Conflict of Interest theater company (COItc) is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions in behalf of COItc may be made payable to Fractured Atlas. The value of various goods or services is variable depending on contribution level. Any contribution above amounts specified on the campaign page is tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

the crown aiming at the heart of Lenin. Makes sense.

Decades after its official end, the Cold War continues to yield outstanding drama with high enough stakes (it could have incinerated the world after all) that ended with a damp squib.

Nearly a century ago, Britain was accused of masterminding a failed plot to kill Lenin and overthrow his fledgling Bolshevik regime. The British government dismissed the story as mere Soviet propaganda - but new evidence suggests it might be true.

[BBC News]

when appealing to people's better nature doesn't work...

appeal to their wallets.

Arizona established itself over the past year as the most aggressive state in cracking down on illegal immigrants, gaining so much momentum with its efforts that several other states vowed to follow suit. But now the harsh realities of economics appear to have intruded, and Arizona may be looking to shed the image of hard-line anti-immigration pioneer.

In an abrupt change of course, Arizona lawmakers rejected new anti-immigration measures on Thursday, in what was widely seen as capitulation to pressure from business executives and an admission that the state’s tough stance had resulted in a chilling of the normally robust tourism and convention industry.

Who said the business lobby only works for evil? Apparently, sometimes greed can spur wins for the ethical side as well.

[NYTimes]

Sara Wolkowitz directs

A note from our managing director of film:

I was recently hired to direct and edit a new webseries. "Diary Of A Chorus Girl" is about Alex Ellis making her broadway debut in "Catch Me if You Can" the new musical opening on broadway in April. There will be 9 more, one premiering every Wednesday.

What are you waiting for? Watch it right now!



[YouTube]

question

As a Western nation engaging in its third concurrent war in a Muslim country -- and clearly leery of any more open-ended engagements -- do we really want to call this "Odyssey"?

something about chickens and roosts

One wishes this was surprising. As it becomes clear that the wave of democratic movements sweeping the Middle East was little more than a narrow window of opportunity, it's equally clear that leaders in the West might be more than a little relieved:

The son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has alleged that his country helped finance Nicolas Sarkozy's 2007 presidential election campaign. "We funded it and we have all the details and are ready to reveal everything," Saif al-Islam said.

This makes the Economist's chronicle of European leaders' moral equivalency make all the more sense:

IMAGINE your awkward neighbours across the street. You befriended them, drew them into the neighbourhood-watch scheme and even made some nice trades. All of a sudden they are exposed as criminals, or maybe brutes with women enslaved in their basements. Would you feel guilt about your friendship? Remorse about having ignored the telltale signs? Or would you feign outrage, like Captain Renault’s in “Casablanca”: “I am shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!” Such are the emotions that Europe’s leaders feel as their friends across the Mediterranean are toppled by long-suffering subjects. True Europe has had little choice in its neighbours. Good relations were a necessity of life, particularly for countries with oil and gas, or those that guarded against terrorists and illegal migrants. Yet some European actions now seem craven indeed. Remember Gordon Brown’s dissimulation about the release of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the Libyan jailed for life in Scotland for his role in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing? Or the sight of Silvio Berlusconi kissing the hand of Muammar Qaddafi? In the grab for a share of Libya’s oil wealth, many others have been stained. Libyan petrodollars, moreover, have found their way into companies and institutions across Europe, from the Juventus football team to the London School of Economics.

Understandable, if still shamefully craven. And no wonder Sarko has been so eager to lead this operation -- beyond just trying to purge the nasty taste of Tunisia's collaborationism -- he's trying to clear his election debt!  [BBC, Economist]

Dancing at Lughnasa -- Next Week

Timothy Roselle in War Crimes

Friend of the company and brilliant lead in War Crimes Tim Roselle is appearing next week in a revival of Dancing at Lughnasa at the Amateur Comedy Club. Information is below; check it out!

Dancing at Lughnasa
by Brian Friel
March 21-27, 2011
Mo-Sa @ 8p
Sa-Su @ 2p
The Amateur Comedy Club
150 East 36th Street

Reservations:
212-414-5172
thesnarksltd@earthlink.net

why politics matter

Take the time to read this article. It explains in excruciating detail why the closing of Guantanamo Bay matters; why policy decisions taken on the highest level need to be considered for its minutest consequences; and why we thought we were voting for Barack Obama -- so that callous dismissals of stories like this as inevitable collateral damage ("stuff happens") was an inexcusable disregard for the sanctity of universal human rights.

Eight years ago, an [REDACTED] Afghan kid—some say he was [REDACTED] years old, others say he was 12—was grabbed in a Kabul marketplace after a grenade attack on two American soldiers. He was interrogated, [REDACTED], and then taken to Guantánamo. He spent his teenage years there, seven in all, confined in a [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] with the supposed "worst of the worst." But then, thanks ot the superhuman efforts of his defense team and one intense [REDACTED] military lawyer, the government's case against him disintegrated. Now he's back in Afghanistan, free as a badly damaged bird, in a [REDACTED] country he barely recognizes, wondering where you go when you grew up nowhere

[GQ]

your weekly af(sw) update

We kind of buried the lede in our last post, so the news gets its own entry: All's Fair (Six Western) will be offered up as a reading at the 2011 Planet Connections Theatre Festivity in June. Get excited...

[af(sw)]

COItc in CT

War Crimes hits the road.

Our offering at the 2010 Planet Connections Theatre Festivity will be revived at Tunxis Community College, Farmington, Connecticut, on April 8-9. In addition, the playwright will be participating in Tunxis' Eighth Annual Writers Festival on April 13. You can read more about the festival here.

[Tunxis]

Where is Equity?

As Keith Olbermann notes on FOK News Channel, when AFTRA -- "not the most belligerent nor plugged in of outfits" -- is stirred up, you know you've gone too far.

Welp, I've found someone yet milder, Mr. O.

In the Wisconsin conflagration, we have heard from every corner of the union movement in terms of news releases and messages to membership. I haven't heard much from my union, Actors' Equity, but I was able to dredge this up from their website, in the form of an open letter/monologue/diary entry from President Nick Wyman:

I can understand why Governor Walker and thousands of employers around the country would like to get rid of unions. They usually make employees more costly by negotiating salaries and benefits employees wouldn't be able to achieve on their own. They mandate work rules that not infrequently add to the costs of doing business. They limit flexibility by insisting on a say in or approval of changes in working conditions. We unions can be a pain in the butt.

Forgive me, however, if I shed no more than crocodile tears for the poor, put-upon employer. Unions exist to redress what is historically and consistently an imbalance of power between those who hire and those who do the work. We have moved beyond the most egregious abuses of the late 1800's - dehumanizing sweatshops with their if-you-don't-come-in-Sunday,-don't-come-in-Monday attitude - but the constant pressure to improve the bottom line leads to coal mining companies ignoring safety protocols and school districts putting sixty students in a class. The cards are still stacked in favor of management, and that disparity will only get worse as a result of the "Citizens United" ruling giving corporations the ability to give unlimited funds to candidates. Unions are the best and nearly the only

zzzzzzzzzzzz...hmm? Wuzzat?

Are you kidding me? We have the occupation by citizens of a public space for weeks on end, half a state legislature flees across state lines, phone stings where elected officials admit to totalitarian shenanigans, physical altercations between protesters and right-wing media, and the best my union president can do is come kind of mealy-mouthed history essay.

I have more vociferous debates WITH fellow union members ABOUT Equity. A clear existential crisis has galvanized the entire labor movement, and my union parks this shit on their homepage -- without even a red TAKE ACTION label, because, hey who cares about Wisconsin?

Disgraceful.

new podcast episode

A new episode of the COI podcast is ready for download as we continue our series of live podcast recordings: Wendy Merrick Burbank reads various original works.

As always, there are three ways to listen:

(1) Stream the episode below
(2) Visit our podcast page and listen online: conflicttheater.podOmatic.com
(3) iTunes users can click this link

speaking truth to power (from the seat of power)

Dear (Former) State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley: Fucking Good On You.

Debate over the controversial treatment of alleged WikiLeaks source Bradley Manning apparently has cost State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley his job.

[...]

Manning’s treatment since being arrested last May and charged with providing thousands of classified documents – many of them diplomatically embarrassing – has been the subject of considerable debate.

He’s being held in solitary confinement 23 hours a day in a windowless 6-by-12-foot cell, and for a time he was stripped naked at night – due to concerns about the possibility of suicide, according to defense officials.

If only someone with the government was willing to put morals above their career when it came to Guantanamo Bay.

[CS Monitor]

more about Clarence

Sharing because, clearly, we hate our readers:

Congratulations to Lillian McEwen, that woman who was finally able to overcome years of terrible embarrassment about having sex with Clarence Thomas to write a book about it. D.C. Unmasked & Undressed is the title of this newly released memoir, because the people who write tell-all memoirs are weirdly terrible at this part of marketing. Obviously this book should be entitled What Clarence Thomas’ Dick Looks Like and How He Uses It, as that’s the only reason why anyone would buy it.

Want to know exactly how he uses it? Read on.

[Wonkette]

new podcast episode -- next week

Just in case you're Jonesin' for more, it's on its way. Watch this space -- or, more to the point, this space -- next week for the latest.

And if you haven't listened to the current episode -- Corinthians -- shame on you! Get on that right away...

[the coi podcast]

you say potato...

Representative Peter King wants to hold hearings about Un-American Activities Amongst the Mohammedans on these shores. Does the fact that he supported the IRA make him a hypocrite? Maybe

For Representative Peter T. King, as he seizes the national spotlight this week with a hearing on the radicalization of American Muslims, it is the most awkward of résumé entries. Long before he became an outspoken voice in Congress about the threat from terrorism, he was a fervent supporter of a terrorist group, the Irish Republican Army.

But more importantly, as we've pointed out before, the search for domestic enemies gets real messy, and real fanciful, real fast.

[NY Times]

your weekly af(sw) update

The waters keep rising.

Our friends and family keep coming through, helping us build a base of funds to continue our campaign into the fall. Of course, we need you to join up sooner rather than later.

There will be some chances for you to join us before the main event. We are an official selection as a staged reading in the 2011 Planet Connections Theater Festivity, and keep tuned to this space for more details on that and other opportunities for you to rub elbows with our spectacular cast and crew.

In the meantime, toss a couple nickels our way, wont you?

All’s Fair (Six Western) is made possible through the generous support of the Puffin Foundation, Centrum, Anonymous, Leonardo Giadone, Andrew Grosso, Barbara Hohlt, Eunice Inquimboy, Aaron Isquith, Janet Isquith, Steven Leshnower, Esq., Jackie Miller, Cristian Ossa, and Laura Rubin.



Conflict of Interest theater company (COItc) is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions in behalf of COItc may be made payable to Fractured Atlas. The value of various goods or services is variable depending on contribution level. Any contribution above amounts specified on the campaign page is tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

[af(sw) campaign]

TRUTH WILL OUT

As I am sometimes convinced that the powerful without scruples are completely shameless -- here's some heartening news. John Ensign apparently has a grain of shame left:

The decision to be announced in Nevada reverses Mr. Ensign’s stated determination to run again despite an ongoing ethics investigation into his admitted affair with the wife of a former staff member. Mr. Ensign’s parents eventually provided nearly $100,000 to the family of the aide, Doug Hampton, and Mr. Ensign also faced questions about helping with the lobbying career of his one-time chief of staff.

File under This is EXACTLY what it looks like

[NY Times]

your ad here

We're looking for a few good partners.

All's Fair (Six Western) is entering into long-term advertising partnerships for the duration, from now until our Fall 2011 premiere. If your business would like to raise its profile with vibrant, off-Broadway theater audience -- or if you know of a business that is -- drop us a line. We have slots available in our program, website, blog, podcast, as well as on-site academic and business residencies.

(We also do birthday parties.)

[af(sw)]

your weekly af(sw) update

Let's keep it going, everyone!

Slow but steady wins the race, and our campaign for all's fair (six western) is a tortoise -- which is why the status bar for our graphic is green. (Uh, no. But it sounded good.)

It's early days, so we understand that it's hard to get excited about a project with very little to see. We're working on that; some visual and aural goodies are coming your way. (For now, you can go here, though.)

Come join the party; it's not a party until you get there...

All’s Fair (Six Western) is made possible through the generous support of the Puffin Foundation, Centrum, Anonymous, Leonardo Giadone, Andrew Grosso, Barbara Hohlt, Eunice Inquimboy, Aaron Isquith, Janet Isquith, Steven Leshnower, Esq., Jackie Miller, and Laura Rubin.



Conflict of Interest theater company (COItc) is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions in behalf of COItc may be made payable to Fractured Atlas. The value of various goods or services is variable depending on contribution level. Any contribution above amounts specified on the campaign page is tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

[All's Fair (Six Western)]

your weekly dose of something awesome

I think it's pretty safe to say all our work as a theater company is only trying to replicate this brilliance:



NSFW if your co-workers have any imagination while looking at that monster.

[via Boing Boing]

new podcast episode

A new episode of the COI podcast is ready for download as we continue our series of live podcast recordings: Tatiana Gomberg performs Sam Schreiber's "Corinthians."

As always, there are three ways to listen:

(1) Stream the episode below
(2) Visit our podcast page and listen online: conflicttheater.podOmatic.com
(3) iTunes users can click this link

the reason why we shouldn't circle the racial wagons...

...is because if I felt some misplaced tribal loyalty to another person simply because they looked like me, I couldn't call Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas a democracy-undermining self-interested loathsome little toad. But since I'm free of such fetters, I can.

Duke Snyder, 1926-2011

Something that's not really all that germane to COItc's pursuits is my undying love for a long-dead baseball team, the Brooklyn Dodgers. So it's especially tragic as we lose the surviving members of that team, as their ranks are never to be replenished, and saying goodbye to each player means saying goodbye to the team all over again. This one's an especially painful one.

Although he made his home in California, Snider retained emotional ties to Brooklyn.

He made that clear on Sept. 12, 1963, when the Mets gave him a “night” at their home in the Polo Grounds, where the Brooklyn Dodgers had long been the hated foe. Snider’s former Brooklyn teammates were introduced — Robinson, Campanella, Erskine, Furillo, Don Newcombe and Ralph Branca. And then Snider moved to the microphone.

“I look up into the stands and it looks like Ebbets Field,” he said. “The Mets are wonderful, but you can’t take the Dodger out of Brooklyn.”

[NYTimes]

money stuff

Hmm:

Any television executive knows that the big money is in reruns: Hit shows like “Seinfeld” and “Star Trek” keep raking it in long after the writers penned their last scripts. Now a group of theater producers is putting a twist on that business model, taking long-running Broadway hits and moving them Off Broadway to test if they can live on in rerun mode, where costs are lower and the profit potential is significant.

This is crap news in the big picture for performers. But given that Equity's all-or-nothing stance on any tier other than Broadway contracts, life below the elite level of contracts was crap, and they've done less than everything to give producers more options (cough -- showcase code -- cough). Now, the zero-sum game between producers and performers kicked into high gear, and there's no room for maneuver.

/end rant

[NYTimes]

kids, lawn, etc.

Goodness, I knew I was old, but if blogs like this one are becoming obsolete:

Blogs were once the outlet of choice for people who wanted to express themselves online. But with the rise of sites like Facebook and Twitter, they are losing their allure for many people — particularly the younger generation.

What does kind of dinosaur is our podcast?

[NYTimes]

JapJAP -- tomorrow

A new show to tell you about this week. Hope to see you there...

a Keep It Movin' Production of

JapJAP

written and performed by Una Aya Osato

directed by Moises Belizario

in the FRIGID NY Festival

Friday, February 25, 5:30PM
Saturday, February 26, 2:30PM
Tuesday, March 1, 10:30PM
Friday, March 4, 7:00PM
Sunday, March 6, 7:00PM

at The Kraine Theater
85 East 4th Street
(btwn. 2nd Ave & Bowery),
NY, NY, 10003

$15/$10 students/seniors/struggling artists
Buy your tickets now!
www.smarttix.com/show.aspx?EID=&showCode=JAP6&BundleCode=&GUID=

"JapJAP is trying to find out who she is, tearing down borders and
tearing off clothes. Her body is her only road map as she embarks on a
journey through identity, culture, and history. Join award-winning
team, performer/playwright Una Aya Osato and director Moises
Belizario, for the world premiere of Una's newest, freshest,
full-bodied one-woman show: JapJAP."

[Show Site]

great/horrible

You decide which.

all good things...

So there's apparently a clamor for more episodes of the COI podcast over at podomatic. Well, you're just going to gave to wait ... another week.

The next episode goes live on 1 March. It's coming, dear listeners! Succor is at hand.

(And thanks for listening.)

[the COI podcast]

your weekly af(sw) update

Steady as she goes.

Week by week, we're making progress. You can visit our campaign page over at Fractured Atlas and join the cause right now. There are all kinds of exciting announcements in the works about our 2011 showcase production of All's Fair (Six Western), but first we need your help.

There are gifts galore for your perusal, not to mention the immense satisfaction of funding good artists who love puppies.

All’s Fair (Six Western) Is made possible through the generous support of the Puffin Foundation, Centrum, Anonymous, Leonardo Giadone, Aaron Isquith, Janet Isquith, and Laura Rubin.



Conflict of Interest theater company (COItc) is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions in behalf of COItc may be made payable to Fractured Atlas. The value of various goods or services is variable depending on contribution level. Any contribution above amounts specified on the campaign page is tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

[AF(SW) Campaign Page]

your weekly dose of something awesome

[Gizmodo via GawkerTV]

first they came for the public sector unions...

The first gauntlet has been tossed in the pending labor war -- and no, I'm not talking about the NFL. The Governor of Wisconsin has proposed ripping up contracts with public sector unions and starting over with new rules that will ensure collective bargaining doesn't get in the way of balanced budgets.

Is this terrible? You bet it is. But let's keep in mind how we got there -- the hard-line mentality of unions going back more than 30 years that viewed management as nothing but an enemy to be battled, instead of a collaborator. Despite the fact that alternative models were available (looking at you, Germany).

So now, instead of presenting alternative models for businesses, they used an opt-in or opt-out model, and now that times are tough enough, the excuse is primed to scrap collective bargaining altogether.

Problem is, if this sticks, the abandonment of collective bargaining in the private sector is close behind. Hard models are brittle and break easily. Flexibility is the key to survival.

You listening, Equity?

[NYTimes]

if you're not going to donate to our fall production...

Felipe Ossa has some key insight as to where you can send that disposable income.

 (hint: it's all about the kitty.)

"you're not losing sales by having your stuff out there"

Neil Gaiman on why the understanding of the digital distribution of creative output needs to change -- and that change is clearly going to come through the creators themselves, not their publishers. Above is his quote. Also brilliant:

how many of you found your favorite authors by being lent a book?

[via Boing Boing]

your weekly af(sw) update

Our fundraising campaign continues over at Fractured Atlas. Help us get the fundraising over with, so that we can focus on the more important things. Like where the heck I'm going to get giant mutant flowers for Kina's production design, an example of which is above.

All’s Fair (Six Western) Is made possible through the generous support of the Puffin Foundation, Centrum, Anonymous, Leonardo Giadone, Aaron Isquith, and Janet Isquith.



Conflict of Interest theater company (COItc) is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions in behalf of COItc may be made payable to Fractured Atlas. The value of various goods or services is variable depending on contribution level. Any contribution above amounts specified on the campaign page is tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.