What is going through a mother’s head when she is in labor? We loved Valerie Castro Singer‘s poignant, funny and lovely poem “Birthday,” performed wonderfully by Laurel Brittan at Cafe Stritch on April 11:
Thanks again to Valerie for sharing her words–and to Laurel for loaning us her voice.
Missing POW? We’re gearing up for our August 27 performance at Redwood City’s Dragon Theatre–stay tuned to learn more about the special show we have planned.
Ever wonder what it feels like to be inside an artist’s head? We loved Michael Weiland’s performance of “Journalissimo” by Griffin Lamachy on April 11 at Cafe Stritch:
As always, it’s a pleasure to hear Michael read. Big thanks to Griffin for sharing his words with us!
We fell in love with Charlene Logan Burnett’s mythic “The Fisherman and the Cloak” this year and were lucky enough to find the perfect person to perform it. Many thanks to the talented Ronald Feichtmeir, who made his Play On Words debut on April 11 at Cafe Stritch:
Many thanks to Ronald for capturing the tone and tenor of Charlene’s beautifully written story. To read more of her work, check out “Boardwalk ’62,” published this spring in Blackbird magazine.
Our next Play On Words show will be a one-of-a-kind theatrical experience taking place on August 29 at Redwood City’s Dragon Theatre. Stay tuned in the next few weeks to learn more!
What stories do our bodies tell? We really loved Laurel Brittan’s April 11th performance of “Bleeding Heart” by Christina Shon. Sometimes one’s journey to find love requires a detour in the OR:
Big thanks to the wonderful Laurel for loaning us her talent and to Christina for sharing her thoughtful, hilarious and poignant story.
Is small talk a superpower? How about small talk while speed dating? We loved Ivette Deltoro’s performance of “Your Superpower” by Ann Hillesland, read live at Cafe Stritch on April 11:
Big thanks to Ivette for loaning us her voice once more, and to the fabulous Ann and her husband for driving up from Southern California to join us for the New Horizons show.
What freedom–what mischief–can one young man find when he is in New York for the first time? We are grateful to the talented Adam Weinstein for performing “Construction” by Jon Ford on April 11th at Cafe Stritch:
Talk about new horizons. Big thanks to Adam for loaning us his voice and to Jon for trusting us with his story.
Rites of passage can occur at any age. Just ask the narrator of Tania Martin‘s “Rites of Passage,” who is learning to ride a motorcycle alongside a gang of young men. Here is the amazing Arcadia Conrad performing Tania’s story on April 11th at Cafe Stritch:
Big thanks to Arcadia to loaning us her voice, and to Tania, co-founder of San Jose’s Flash Fiction Forum for sharing this wonderful story with us. Fans of FFF should consider submitting for their next season, starting this fall.
What does it feel like to shave your face–on a train? Watch as the inimitable Laurel Brittan performs an excerpt of Allison Landa‘s YA novel, Bearded Lady:
Many thanks to Laurel for joining us at Cafe Stritch in April to perform Allison’s work., and to Ryan Alpers for capturing the video.
Given the current political climate, today seems like a good day to share Michael Weiland’s dynamite performance of “Pence” by Michelle Myers:
Big thanks to Michael for loaning us his voice on April 11 at our New Horizons show at Cafe Stritch. You can catch him in Los Altos Stage Company’s “Pippin” through June 24.
And while we’re at it, now is a good time to remind folks of all political persuasions to consider donating to Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES), an organization that is helping families being forcibly separated at the U.S./Mexico border. There is nothing humane about taking children from their families, regardless of nationality.
Stay tuned for more footage from our April show!
Play On Words 