MyAdultLand

Shotz! Six plays. Five minutes each. Three themes. One night only. Called “A theatrical time bomb” by the New York Times. On the first Monday of every month( in New York) and the second Thursday of every month in San Francisco, aMios’ actors present spontaneous, hilarious and sometimes heart-warming plays. Written and rehearsed within a month, performed with high-energy fearlessness. aMios has been brewing fresh plays in NYC since 2009 and in San Francisco since 2012.

aMios (which stands for “…art and music in our souls.” – Oscar Wilde) was founded in 2009 by graduates of the National Theatre Conservatory. aMios is a process-driven company that relies on each artist involved by engaging them in a way that allows them to fully realize their work immediately. The writers are given themes and a specified time to write. The directors and actors are given a specified amount of time to stage the work. Then we produce their work. The end result is inspired, personal, organic and surprising. Every performance is different. Each show, a fresh start.

Since its October 2012 debut in San Francisco, I’ve been honored to be invited to contribute to all of the aMios ShotzSF performances. It’s a wonderful challenge, and it’s the most exciting theatre you’re going to find anywhere. One performance, and it’s over. It’s living in the moment. It’s theatre.

If you’d like to learn more about my aMios Shotz plays, “#@! You Very Much! Namaste.,” “Sex, Elves, and Videotape,” or “…Best Friend,” I’m happy to send a copy. Just email dianekaragienakos@gmail.com.

Poster Design: Tony Edelstein

San Francisco writers Diane Karagienakos and Christopher Barranti met in a writing group several years ago, helping each other with feedback on their work. Now the two are collaborating at the Exit Theatre April 13-29 with a three-week run of two short plays sharing one stage. The two works, both directed by Kathryn Wood and presented with a short intermission, complement and contrast each other with female/male perspectives on love, death, relationships and sexting.

“It Is What It Is” by Ms. Karagienakos is a multi-layered multimedia meditation on what it really means to connect in today’s hyper-connected world. Estranged siblings brought together around their father’s deathbed struggle with buried issues and simmering conflict. As their father’s condition worsens and spoken dialogue becomes explosive, the audience is given a more complete, and often hysterically funny, perspective thanks to their texts, IMs and emails.

In a classic San Francisco bar room set piece, “The Watch Tower” by Mr. Barranti focuses on the passing revelations and deep insights found among a group of strangers at the bottom of a shot glass on a rainy afternoon. Emotionally starved characters experience an unexpected awakening as their facades are swept under the bar mat. Absurdly humorous, combative and revealing, this new play will be instantly familiar to local audiences.

(Blake Weirs)

Tickets available at www.brownpapertickets.com.

PS: “LIKE” US ON FACEBOOK, PLEASE!

I recently had the honor and great privilege of being interviewed by the frightfully intelligent — and funny! — Paul Pearson: cynosure of all things interesting, musical, poltical, and entertaining. Check it out — check him out — here on his website. We discuss art, technology, communication and, of all things, feelings. All of which tie into the upcoming premier of my play, It Is What It Is.

Join me for the long, long  long-awaited premiere of the full-length production of “It Is What It Is.” No more chopping it down to fit festival time restrictions. This time we’re doing it the right way! But wait — it gets better! Right after, on the same stage will be the premiere of the short play “The Watch Tower,” by award-winning writer Chris Barranti. Both shows directed by Kathryn L. Wood.

It Is What It Is incorporates real-time multimedia (text, email, IM) to illustrate that among the simultaneous conversations we may have at any given time, the medium greatly affects the message.At its core, it is the story of three estranged siblings who reunite at their elderly father’s death bed. In doing so, it comes to light how childhood “memories” (or, are they?) helped define the adults they became. As they struggle through this crisis — and the other issues in their lives — they consciously or unconsciously are “shaping” these new experiences; thus curating future memories. It also explores the idea that what we choose to document (and how honestly we document it) helps impacts not only our memories, but also our perceptions of ourselves and the world around us.

The Watch Tower was born from reflections on Henry David Thoreau’s, “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go the grave with the song still in them.”  The action centers at San Francisco bar and grill during a combustible rainy afternoon. All share a unique emotional starvation and intersect at the very height of hunger. The results are combative, absurdly humorous and finally awakening.

All shows at the Exit Theatre, 156 Eddy St., San Francisco, CA 94102. Ticket information will be announced shortly. Performance dates / times (all in  April 2012):

13, 14 (8pm); 15 (3pm) / 19, 20, 21 (8pm) / 27, 28 (8pm); 29 (3pm)

21561 Eddy Street, San Francisco, CA 94102

If you missed its sold-out run in the San Francisco Fringe Festival, now’s your chance to see “The play for people who hate theatre” (me). It’s part of the 2010 San Francisco Theater Festival (www.sftheaterfestival.org), a one-day celebration of theater, theater, and theater in & around San Francisco’s beautiful Yerba Buena Gardens. There’s 1 performance only, and it’s Sunday, August 8, at 3:55pm. The location is the second floor of  SPUR (San Francisco Planning & Urban Research — they do some really cool stuff worth checking out) located at 654 Mission Street@ Third in San Francisco. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3qF34bP60M[/youtube]

We are once again blessed to have Kathryn Wood on board as our director, and Cara Newman as Stage Manager. Of the cast, Katarina Fabic, Robert Anthony Peters, & Duane Schirmer return to the roles they originated: Lena, Bink, & George (respectively). New to the team is the absurdly talented Todd Brotze (as Peter), one of the shining stars of Killing My Lobster.

I bet right now you’re thinking, “If this is ‘The play for people who hate theatre’, then what the hell is it about?” Well I’ll tell ya:

The stuff memories are made of...

What do you call that random moment of LOL levity that get us through a time of XXL gravity? Hey, It Is What It Is.

It Is What It Is (IIWII) incorporates multimedia (texting, emailing, IMing), onstage and in real time, to illustrate the many simultaneous lines of communication we conduct at any given time — and how the medium affects the message.

Grown siblings Peter, Lena, and their much younger brother Bink reunite at the deathbed of their elderly father, the curmudgeonly George. In doing so, it comes to light how childhood “memories” (both real and imagined) shaped the adults they became. The seeds of Peter’s need to control, Lena’s obsession with documenting events (while never looking closely at herself), and Bink’s inability to get anyone’s attention, are put under the microscope – and projected onto the stage wall, through their texts, emails, and instant messages; message that often contradict the actual words they speak.

Eventually the sleep deprivation takes its toll and the cocktails kick in: Peter, who has lived with and cared for George for the past 12 years, can no longer control his emotions — and admits why he’s so opposed to George being in a care center; Lena sobers up to the fact that her fabulous world is on the brink of implosion; and Bink discovers that being silenced gave him a power he never knew he had.

As George works his way through the “Grief Cycle,” with his dead wife Nancy as his confidant, his three children – both alone and together – work through this crisis and the other issues in their respective lives. And in doing so they consciously or unconsciously are “shaping” these new experiences — and thus curating future memories. And in the end, they discover that their dad is not the person they’d thought he was. And “family” is never what you expect it to be. But it is what it is.

Vulva Fervor: waitin' on the man. Or woman. Or...

This year marks the 10-year anniversary of Litquake. If that weren’t exciting enough, I am honored to be introducing the legendary International Secret Agent Vulva Fervor, in her first ever public appearance in San Francisco. Agent Fervor will be kicking off Litquake’s Litcrawl in Clarion Alley by reading an excerpt from her memoirs, The Adventures Of Vulva Fervor. The theme is “Dirty In The Alley: Literature From The Gutter Up”. Vulva is still uncertain why she was asked to read on such a theme, but honored and delighted nonetheless.

Impossibly stylish security detail will be provided by the Mrs. Robinson Society. Frankly I expect the whole event to go down without incident. But there is always the off-chance that Vulva’s stupid sister Viva may make an unexpected appearance. And should that happen, all bets are off as to what could happen.

All of this happens on Saturday, October 17, at 18:00 PST. on Clarion Alley in San Francisco’s Mission District.

A) Company

B) A second life as an installation in a touring museum exhibit!!!

That’s right, don’t be so quick to throw out those old mementos and relics that only serve to remind you of the broken heart you’ve suffered (or caused).

Come to think of it, Who is quick to throw this stuff out? A lot of people save this stuff: old photos, old gifts, old stuffed animals won at the state fair. Some save them for the happy or bittersweet memories they conjure. Some save them as a badge to remind themselves of the pain they’ve survived and learned from. And others never throw anything away and their homes look like the inside of a junk drawer.

I had one such of these relics. But of course, I love a good ceremony. So years ago I had my way with my memento.

It was a letter I wrote to a certain someone, about 15 years ago. I never sent it. I’m not sure I ever meant to send it. Sometimes I just write a letter to gather my thoughts, and then just keep it. It was a sort of “I love you this isn’t working why can’t we make it work blah blah blah” letter. Not a breakup. But not a lot of hope left in them there words either. But then… the guy beat me to the punch. And I didn’t protest. I knew it was the right thing to do. So we split and he moved to LA and I got my own flat (still here — GOD BLESS RENT CONTROL) but refused to give him my new address & phone numbers because though, on occasion, I may cave and dabble in martyrdom; ultimately, It Ain’t Me, Babe.

I kept the letter. It got old. My life changed. I moved on. I moved. Moving means shedding belongings — at least when you live in the Tiny-Apartment-World that is San Francisco. I was also getting rid of a mirror. Say, there’s an idea.

I saw it. Didn’t know if it would work, but I saw it. Shards Of A Broken Loveletter. So I glued it to the back of the mirror… then shattered the motherfucker. Whipped out my X-acto knife to finish the job, put the shards of broken mirror/loveletter in this glass column, to sort-of give it that natural history “preserved specimen” presentation… And that was it. It’s lost all emotional impact for me. I just thought it looked cool, so I kept it.

So if you are going to hang  onto your badges of heartache, why not reinvent them? Got T-shirt with a logo on it (maybe from the first show he/she took you to)? Stretch it over a canvas and presto! A new dartboard! Seriously, go out and get some darts — that would be awesome if I ever saw that in someone’s home! Maybe you can even make them functional? Decopage your garbage can (or toilet seat)  with old pictures of or associated with him/her? I don’t know, get creative! Have fun!

But back to my object. When I saw that the Museum of Broken Relationships (based in Croatia) was on tour and stopping in San Francisco, I thought “why not?” It deserves a good home. I never dreamed they’d get back to me within 2 hours. But… hey, it was just hours after President Barack Hussein Obama (God, my four favorite words right now) was sworn into office. I just fell head over heels in love with 2009 on that day. And most fittingly, the museum makes its San Francisco debut on St. Valentines’s (reception from 7 – 10pm) day at Root Division, an arts & education non-profit organization that does some amazing work here in San Francisco.

Feel free to bring a date.

Isn’t that a catchy little logline? Thank you. I wrote it.

Sorry if I’m gloating. I’m just UBER EXCITED about the San Francisco premiere of the short film I produced 2 years ago (shot here in San Francisco), “Back Issues“.

And it’s finally making its San Francisco big-screen debut as part of SF Indie Fest, after touring the world on the festival circuit. Screening dates are February 8 & 15 at The Roxie Cinema. Visit the link above for more information. Okay, here’s the synopsis:

It’s Friday morning. A proposal has been made. The clock is ticking. A decision must be reached.

Do you put an expiration date on your dream? That is the question Peter, an aspiring comic book letterer, must face after his proposal to his girlfriend, Felicia, is met with an ultimatum: “Either give up comics and get a real job, or we’re through.” Come Monday, Peter must decide. And all on the day he decided to quit smoking.

As if Peter isn’t under enough pressure, there are still more surprises awaiting him at Al’s Comics, where he works. Al weighs in on Peter’s dilemma – and Al’s opinion is usually not what Peter wants to hear. There’s also Foggy, a regular who paints a picture of love too impossibly perfect (he met his wife at Comicon) to be true. And of course, the annoying customer who just. won’t. go. away. ever.

Things go from bad to worse when the world’s most inept thieves show up to rob the store. Luckily for Peter, he has an ally in Diana, a new customer (and fellow comic book artist) who is much more than she appears. It all leads to a moment of reckoning when Peter realizes that only one thing stands between him and his destiny:

Back Issues.

BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE! Also in February, Back Issues is screening in LA as part of the Show Off Your Shorts Festival! It’s also the first 2 weeks in February, and as soon as I have screening dates, I’ll put the word out. Word.

To learn more, please visit the official site at www.backissuesmovie.com. Or watch the trailer here at back_issues_teaser_mpeg_4_300kbps

What do you call that random moment of LOL levity that get you through a time of XXL gravity? Hey, It Is What It Is.

Oh, you wanted a real answer? Okay…

It Is What It Is (IIWII) incorporates multimedia (texting, emailing, IMing), onstage and in real time, to illustrate the many simultaneous lines of communication we conduct at any given time — and how the medium affects the message.

Siblings Peter, Lena, and their much younger brother Bink reunite at the deathbed of their elderly father, George. In doing so, it comes to light how childhood “memories” (or, are they?) shaped the adults they became. The seeds of Peter’s need to control, Lena’s obsession with documenting events, and Bink’s lack of attention from his father are put under the microscope – and projected onto the stage wall, through their text, email, and instant messages – message that often contradict the actual words they speak.

As they struggle through this crisis — and the other issues in their lives — they consciously or unconsciously are “shaping” these new experiences; thus curating future memories. And in the end, they come to understand the people that they call “family”.

Check out the reviews!

Download the 2008 SF Fringe Festival (abridged) version of the script here. iiwii_2009

CAST & CREW

Lena……………..Katarina Fabic

Bink………………Robert Anthony Peters

George………….Duane Schirmer

Peter………….Colin Stuart