Arcadia Conrad

Laurel Brittan reads Arcadia Conrad

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One of the reasons we encourage writers to participate in Play On Words is to hear what it sounds like to have an actor interpret their work aloud. Even if the writer is a practiced and comfortable reader–or even a fellow actor, such as the inimitable Arcadia Conrad–there is such value to be had in hearing someone else meditate on one’s work. We were lucky enough to have the amazing Laurel Brittan perform Arcadia’s thought-provoking piece, “308 on 308,” at our Activists Unite show on January 17:

“308 on 308” is just one of the 28 pieces we have included in Activate, our forthcoming chapbook produced in conjunction with Flash Fiction Forum. We’re thrilled to have a few copies of this book in hand tonight at DeAnza’s Euphrat Museum, where a number of #powsj and Flash Fiction Forum readers will be reading their own work at 5 pm. Hope to see you there!

Arcadia Conrad reads Lyra Halprin

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Thank you to everyone who came out on January 17 for our Activists Unite show at Cafe Stritch! In case you missed it, we will be sharing highlights from the show on our blog over the next few weeks.

Today we are proud to share Arcadia Conrad performing Lyra Halprin‘s “Dressed For Success.”

Inspired? Stay tuned to learn about our forthcoming chapbook, Activate, which will be available for sale soon.

We are currently accepting work for our April 11th show at Cafe Stritch. Email works of fiction, nonfiction, theatre and poetry under 1500 words to playonwordssj@gmail.com by March 1.

Arcadia Conrad Sees “Red”

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Have you ever wondered what’s going on in Lady Macbeth’s head? Melinda Marks lets us into Lady Macbeth’s imaginings in her monologue, aptly titled “Red.” Here is the lovely Arcadia Conrad reading “Red” June 3 at Cafe Stritch:

Interested in Shakespearean adaptations? Check out our series on annotation this past spring.

And for all you writers out there: you’ve got less than a week to submit to our July show! You know what to do.

Drumroll Please…Tomorrow’s Lineup!

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It’s nearly time to take flight. We had our rehearsal on Saturday night and we are pumped to perform tomorrow at Cafe Stritch. Our playbills will be printed tomorrow–and in one last effort to spread the word, we’re sharing the full lineup for Play On Words: Take Flight here:

ACT ONE

  1. “Pink Suitcase,” by Tania Martin, read by Gray Performs
  2. “Van Tribe: The River” and “Dudley and Lisa,” by Rick Alpers, read by Michael Weiland
  3. “Bees,” by Betsy Miller, read by Adam Magill
  4. “Van Tribe: Pumpkin,” by Rick Alpers, read by Tiffany Edwards
  5. “Bride,” by Lita Kurth, read by Melinda Marks
  6. “Van Tribe: Miracle Ticket,” by Rick Alpers, read by Michael Weiland
  7. “Sirs Parchment” and “I Ride on the Bus Out to the Suburbs in the Searing Heat,” by Gary Singh, read by Ryan Alpers
  8. “Stage Kiss,” by Mara Sherman, read by Laurel Brittan, Gray Performs, and Ryan Alpers

    ACT TWO

  9. “Suburban Fantasy,” by Renée Schell, read by Adam Magill
  10. “Hot Turkish Man For You,” by Valerie Fioravanti, read by Melinda Marks
  11. “Red,” by Melinda Marks, read by Arcadia Conrad
  12. “Swimming Lessons,” by Pratibha Kelapure, read by Laurel Brittan
  13. “Scars,” by Andrew Christian, read by Ryan Alpers
  14. “Cardio Tai Chi,” by Sarah Lyn Rogers, read by Tiffany Edwards
  15. “Audition,” by Brian Van Winkle, read by Michael Weiland, Melinda Marks, Brian Van Winkle, Adam Magill, and Julia Halprin Jackson

As we gear up for the big show, we’d also like to extend our gratitude, once again, to The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the San Jose Downtown Association, as well as Steve and Max Borkenhagen of Cafe Stritch, whose support and guidance helped make this show possible.

San Jose Downtown Association
San Jose Downtown Association