Theater Cafe

As I have mentioned here before, I have been a bit "out of the loop" for the last few months for some personal reasons. I am grateful for things like John Moore's column in the Post, Facebook, MySpace, and other internet resources without which I might be completely in the dark. I am also very grateful to my buddy Marc France for forwarding to me any and all pertinent e-mails that he gets. He recently sent me one from Mark Ogle that I think is a smashingly grand idea:

"Hello playwrights and all interested theater lovers,

Exciting news! The 1st Theater Cafe is now on the calendar! It will be held Tuesday, May 26th, from 6 - 9PM, at the Mercury Cafe, 2199 California St. We are hoping to establish a monthly event! The second Theater Cafe is scheduled for Tues, June 30th.

What is a Theater Cafe??? Well.....it is completely up to us!

At our last Playwrights' Coop meeting in Nov. 2008, we brainstormed this idea, and now the Mercury Cafe has agreed to host. The basic idea is to have an open forum for playwrights and theater artists to showcase material, similar to a open poetry night or an open music jam. It is also an opportunity to eat, drink, socialize, and network. There would be no submission policies or selection process. Basically anything goes, within reason. The only guideline that I would strongly recommend is that we limit everyone's time to 10 or 15 minutes. Here's some ideas of what could happen at the Theater Cafe!

1). Playwrights bring short scenes, etc. with actors, rehearsed.

2). Playwrights bring short plays, short segments of plays, scenes or monologues and recruit actors from crowd for cold readings.

3). Actors bring audition material to try out in live setting.

4). Short scenes, skits, or musical numbers from ongoing or upcoming theater productions are showcased for promotional and entertainment purposes.

5). Improvisational writing, acting, and theater games.

6). Theater people can continue to come later, after rehearsals around town, as a social gathering for the community, one night a month.
7). People new in town will have a monthly forum to meet people in the theater community.

So, I would like to encourage people to contribute to this collaborative creation. It is totally up to us whether this idea will take off and thrive, or not. What does everyone think??? Will you be coming on May 26th? What can you bring to contribute? Our small playwrights' group, Write Angle Productions, will be attending, and we will bring some short scenes to read from our most recent works in progress. Please spread the word to anyone who might be interested! Email suggestions to the Coop! RSVP and tell us what you are bringing to share!

mark.ogle@ymail.com

All the best,

Mark Ogle"

Sounds like a great idea, Mark et al! It's on my calendar.