What’s the story, friends? Tonight we are delighted to present Nostalgia-rama at Dragon Theatre in Redwood City. Five years in, we have an amazing cast of Play On Words regulars who are hungry to share the stage. We’re dedicating tonight’s show to our childhoods–to good writing, bad hair, terrible puns and overall awesomeness:
Wishbone “Flea-bitten Bargain”Written by Vincent Brown and Mo Rocca
Cheers “Fairy Tales Can Come True” (1984) created by Glen Charles and Les Charles written by James Burrows and Sam Simon
Tales From the Crypt “Top Billing” (1991) created by Steven Dodd screenplay by Myles Berkowitz based on comic by William M. Gaines
The Twilight Zone “Shadow Play” (1961) written by Charles Beaumont
We’re grateful to our amazing readers and to the Dragon for making tonight possible: Melinda Marks, Ronald Feichtmeir, Jeremy Ryan, Adam Weinstein, Erin Southard, Tonya Duncan, Nita Duarte Lambert and April Culver. Artist Clif Gold will also be live drawing the event tonight, and photographer Branden Frederick will be there to take photos.
Join us at 7:30 pm tonight in Redwood City for a wonderful evening. RSVP on Facebook for more details.
Big news, Playonwordsians! We’re returning to Redwood City’s Dragon Theatre on Monday, August 27, for Nostalgia-rama, an evening of comedy and drama performed by our stellar POW cast. If you’re as tired of the news as we are, and hungry for something fun, join us for staged readings of four of our favorite television shows: The Twilight Zone, Cheers, Tales From the Crypt and Wishbone.
Will it be funny? Yes. Will it be goofy? Most definitely. But most of all, will it be entertaining? You can count on it.
We’ll be rolling out more information about the show as the day draws nearer. In the meantime, RSVP on our Facebook page to stay in the loop. Hope to see you there!
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 happens when a young American girl in the Middle East encounters a friendly boy looking for a friend? One of two things happen, according to Marilyn Horn‘s story “The Boy in the Van.” The fabulous Arcadia Conrad performed this great piece on April 11 at our New Horizons show at Cafe Stritch:
Many thanks to Arcadia for loaning us her voice–and to Marilyn for sharing her story.
The next Play On Words show on the books is at Redwood City’s Dragon Theatre on August 29, though we are searching for a venue for a summer show before then. If you’re interested in participating in upcoming shows, shoot us an email at playonwordssj@gmail.com.
For the first time ever, Play On Words is performing in a theatre! We are kicking off our 2017-2018 season with a special reading at the Dragon Theatre in Redwood City on Monday, October 9. This show features work by Bay Area women writers who challenge–and occasionally mock–gender norms. Unlike our ensemble shows, Monday’s performance will showcase two short stories and one translated monologue. Look forward to work by:
Leah Griesmann
Leah Griesmann has received grants and residencies for her fiction from the MacDowell Colony, the Elizabeth George Foundation, the Key West Writers’ Workshops, Seoul Art Space Yeonhui, the Swatch Art Peace Hotel in Shanghai, the DAAD (Berlin), and the Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies. Her stories have appeared in Burrow Press Review, J Journal: New Writing on Justice, The Weekly Rumpus, Union Station, The Boiler, The Cortland Review, Boston University’s 236 Magazine, and PEN Center USA’s The Rattling Wall, and have been performed at Litquake San Francisco, The Center for Literary Arts, Sacramento Stories on Stage, the New Short Fiction Series in North Hollywood, and the Shanghai American Center.
Melinda Marks
Melinda Marks, Play On Words co-founder and casting director, has performed as an actor for more than 25 years. Melinda has an MFA in Shakespeare and Performance with a concentration in directing at Mary Baldwin University and an MA in Theatre Studies from San Jose State University.
Julia Halprin Jackson
Julia Halprin Jackson, Play On Words co-founder and publicity director, is a writer whose work has appeared in Oracle Fine Arts Review, West Branch Wired, California Northern, Fourteen Hills, as well as selected anthologies. She has an MA in creative writing from UC Davis and currently contributes to Washington Square, San Jose State University’s alumni magazine.
We are delighted and grateful to showcase performances by Melinda, as well as:
Ivette Deltoro is the casting assistant and patron experience manager at City Lights Theater in San Jose and artistic manager of the Mini Lights Emerging Artist Program at City Lights. She is also a local actress whose credits include City Lights Theater Company’s I and You and Silicon Valley Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.
April Culver
April Culver earned her BFA in Acting at Drake University. Some recent roles include Mrs. Givings (In the Next Room, Pear Theatre), Cordelia / The Fool (B8 Theatre), Catherine (A View From the Bridge, Pear Theatre), Gillian (Permanent Collection, Piedmont Players ), Constance (Three Musketeers, Silicon Valley Shakespeare), Calpurnia (Julius Caesar, Silicon Valley Shakespeare), Sonya (Uncle Vanya, Pear Theatre), and Olivia (Shakespeare in Hollywood, Silicon Valley Shakespeare).
RSVP for our show here. There is a $5 suggested donation for Monday’s show. Hope to see you there!