My life is divided into semesters now. The academic calendar has been brilliantly conducive to my writing process, but it also means that I chart time through semesters.
This semester, I had a reading of Small Steps in Davis, Ca, through Bike City Theatre; the other Brothers, Sisters, Santos through UC Riverside’s Latinx Play Project. During the intermission of Small Steps, my mother texted me. She liked the play, even though there’s gobs of cursing. Small miracles.
Although these plays are still looking for homes, it’s a pretty special thing to know they’re being read in places I love.
I’ve also been part of the Hyde Park Theatre’s writer’s group, and finally workshopped Piper. This one is too early in its development to build a webpage.
The Apocalypse Project, which is this semester’s Play-for-Teens, continues to develop. Often, theatre-for-teens is viewed as ‘practice for the REAL THING that you do when you’re an adult.’ Schools and educational theatres across the country produce ‘Junior’ versions of standard commercial musicals, and there’s something truly obnoxious about that. Imbedded in this is that theatre-for-young-actors is lesser. Yes, I would love love love to see The Untitled Pirate Play or And Then, She Picks Up the Sword performed by adults, but I don’t see the work we do as pretend practice for the real thing. It is the thing. And one element that I love about The Apocalypse Project is necessarily for and about young actors.
Briandaniel Oglesby 