Just Published: IN THE NEXT ROOM by Sarah Ruhl

Acting Edition
Full-length Play: Comedy.
Cast: 3 male, 4 female. Setting: Interior

In the Next Room or the vibrator play is a comedy about marriage, intimacy, and electricity.

Set in the 1880s at the dawn of the age of electricity and based on the bizarre historical fact that doctors used vibrators to treat 'hysterical' women (and some men), the play centers on a doctor and his wife and how his new therapy affects their entire household.

In a seemingly perfect, well-to-do Victorian home, proper gentleman and scientist Dr. Givings has innocently invented an extraordinary new device for treating "hysteria" in women (and occasionally men): the vibrator. Adjacent to the doctor’s laboratory, his young and energetic wife tries to tend to their newborn daughter--and wonders exactly what is going on in the next room. When a new "hysterical" patient and her husband bring a wet nurse and their own complicated relationship into the doctor's home, Dr. and Mrs. Givings must examine the nature of their own marriage, and what it truly means to love someone.

This laugh-out-loud, provocative and touching play premiered at Berkely Rep and subsequently marked Sarah Ruhl’s Broadway debut opening at the Lyceum Theatre on November 19th, 2009. A finalist for the 2010 Pulitzer Prize, Tony Best Play nomination and winner: 2010 Will Glickman Award for Best New Play to Premiere in the Bay Area.

 

PRAISE FOR IN THE NEXT ROOM

"Insightful, fresh and funny, the play is as rich in thought as it is in feeling...one of the most gifted and adventurous American playwrights to emerge in recent years...In the Next Room is a true novelty: a sex comedy designed not for sniggering teenage boys -- or grown men who wish they were still sniggering teenage boys -- but for adults with open hearts and minds." --New York Times

"A play that's smart, delicate and very, very funny!" --New York Post

"If Henrik Ibsen and Oscar Wilde had decided to collaborate on a post-modern drawing-room comedy, the hotsy-totsy twosome surely would have turned out something very much like Sarah Ruhl's genuinely hysterical new work" --Theatremania

"Sarah Ruhl, whose previous work I execrated, has written a smart, charming, iridescently funny-serious jewel...As Ruhl traces it with wit and insight, and without the slightest prurience, the birth of this new era gives rise to colorful events, astute psychological revelations and endearingly apt dialogue." --Bloomberg

"The playwright mines her subject for suitably bawdy humor without resorting to vulgarity. But what really gives the work its distinction is its sensitive exploration of the physical and emotional repression suffered by the women of the era, which has yet to disappear entirely.... The play beautifully balances its humor and pathos." --Hollywood Reporter

 

In the Next Room or the vibrator play
by Sarah Ruhl
Acting Edition: $10.00

Mon, Aug 2 @ 5:00 P.M: I GOT IN! The Ultimate College Audition Guide for Acting and Musical Theatre by Mary Anna Dennard at The Drama Book Shop

Book signing & reception with the author, and former student Hunter Herdlicka, Now on Broadway in a in A Little Night Music. FREE

"...a valuable book for students navigating the mysterious COLLEGE AUDITION process" --Barbara Mackenzie-Wood, Carnegie Mellon University

Mary Anna was trained at The American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco and began working as a casting director and acting coach in Los Angeles in 1980. Her fifteen years of casting credits have garnered Clios, Emmys, Academy Awards and a Peabody Award.

Since 2000, she has been a college audition coach for programs in acting and musical theatre and has been dubbed "The Princeton Review For Theatre Auditions" As a nationally recognized expert in her field, Mary Anna has coached hundreds of students from all over the country who have been accepted into the most prestigious college training programs in the US and Europe. Her former students have gone on to have successful careers after college in the recording industry, on television, in motion pictures and on Broadway. Visit her website, www.collegeauditioncoach.com

With the popularity of Glee, American Idol and our fascination with Youtube: finally a book has been written for teens and parents on how to prepare for the highly competitive college audition process and achieve winning results.

Inside you will find:
Exclusive audition tips from top college auditors at Baldwin-Wallace, Carnegie Mellon, New York University, Ohio Northern, Otterbein, Pace, Penn State, SMU, Texas State, University of Michigan, University of Oklahoma, USC, Viterbo

I GOT IN! The Ultimate College Audition Guide for Acting and Musical Theatre
by Mary Anna Dennard
RJ Communications, 2010,
Paper, $15.00

(Please call 212 944-0595 to order)

POW! (Play Of the Week)

Polaroid Stories by Naomi Iizuka

I first picked up Polaroid Stories one afternoon last summer. I was searching for new monologues and remembered, from a production of the play I saw a while ago, that there were a lot of potentially good ones for me in the script. I started reading it. . . . and then I couldn’t stop. I hadn’t meant to spend a sunny summer afternoon curled up on my couch, reading. It just happened. The collage of beautifully written, visceral stories sucked me in completely; and it has since become one of my favorite plays.

In Polaroid Stories, Naomi Iizuka takes several well-known Greek myths (Orpheus and Eurydice, Ariande in the Labyrinth, and Prometheus, to name a few) and retells them through the eyes of street kids. She cuts between them, first telling a bit of one, and then a bit of another, weaving them together into a beautiful but haunting tapestry that hits you right in the gut. In the writing itself, she mixes poetry and the language of the street to create something spellbinding, scary, haunting, and absolutely beautiful.

Writing aside, Iizuka also uses sound and light to great effect in this play. She often underscores the scenes with music, breathing, and “the sounds of the street;” or punctuates moments with flashes of light or other specific effects which she stipulates in the script. These complete the story and add to the atmosphere even more.

And then, (most importantly,) this play offers amazing opportunities for actors. The characters Iizuka creates are tough as nails on the outside—but only to conceal a vulnerability and a need so great that it dwarfs everything else. Every once in a while their exteriors crack, but only for an instant—but it is always there, hidden just beneath the surface. Every one of these characters has something they are pursuing with their whole heart, or someone they are running from, just trying to stay alive. Her adaptation of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice I found especially powerful.

I ended up learning a Eurydice monologue last summer, and it is now one of my go-to pieces when I am asked to for “something else” at auditions. When I did it for my acting coach at the British American Drama Academy he told me, “You have picked a monologue where the world is your oyster. You can do anything with that monologue, and it would probably work.” The thing is, most of the play is like that. What more can an actor ask for?

Reviewed by Shawn Palmer

Polaroid Stories
by Naomi IIzuka
Acting Edition
$9.95

Hot Off The Press!

eLove, a Musical.com/edy
Book, Music & Lyrics by Wayland Pickard
Additional Lyrics by Sherry Netherland and Deborah Johnson

”…Catchy tunes…clever lyrics”--LA Weekly

”Witty lines, fine songs, heartfelt emotion”--Tolucan

”Fabulous…feel-good musical of the year!”--Florence Henderson

This funny and charming two-person musical is a contemporary love story based around the modern world of internet dating. A man and a woman search for that ‘special someone’ in cyberspace and find that romance is only a mouse click away, but discover more than they ever anticipated.

Two lonely singles at home on their laptop computers have signed up with an internet dating site called “eLove.com.” We hear their innermost thoughts about love and relationships as they correspond in a cyber chat room searching for their perfect soulmate. When one of them shares a unique personal moment that’s too coincidental, they discover they’ve been “perfectly matched” ...with their former lovers! The newly reunited couple rediscover their love as they start to clear the air of misunderstandings through the safe distance of cyberspace, finding true love where they least expected it...where they last left it!

This delightful and touching musical comedy is easy to produce needing only one set and a cast of two of any age. CD music background tracks are included. A modern I Do, I Do meets I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change. A delightful musical romp!

Character Descriptions:
CAROL – Any age from 30-60+. Recently single and searching for true love on the internet, she is charming but lonely and works as a restaurant hostess.
FRANK – Can be of any matching age range from 30-60+. (References to age can be altered in script according to cast.) Frank is also recently single and searching for true love on the internet. He is witty but self-deprecating and works as a bookkeeper.

Musical Comedy. 1m, 1f. Acting Edition. $9.95.

The Kids Left. The Dog Died. Now What?
Book, Music and Lyrics by Carole Caplan-Lonner

"Sometimes it is fun to just go to a theater and be entertained without having to worry whether you got the deeper meaning or the highly symbolic intentions of the author. Carole Caplan-Lonner's production entitled The Kids Left. The Dog Died. Now What? is just plain fun. Its target audience is clear and those of us who are empty nesters know exactly what she is talking about...Kids takes a look at several humorous topics that confront the"baby boomer" generation. The song "Who Says Progress is Good" sets the tone for this fun look at growing old. It is a clever perspective of the hazards of modern technology for those of us who struggle to program our VCR or understand all the complexities of our cell phone."--Stage Door Magazine, Philadelphia

As introduced on NBC’s “Today Show”, The Kids Left. The Dog Died. Now What? is a musical comedy that salutes those valiantly struggling with divorce on their hands, gravity on their bodies, grandchildren on their self-images and the dating scene on their egos. The risks and uncertainties of being alive come alive through song and scene. Aging gracefully is the final frontier!

This entertaining musical about those facing a host of midlife crisis first premiered at the New York Musical Theatre Festival in 2007. Boasting a four-person cast, the show takes a humorous and heartfelt look at the day-to-day concerns of the over-fifty “empty-nester” crowd including everything from retirement and AARP, dating to divorce, plastic surgery and grandparenting.

Musical Comedy. 2m, 2f. Acting Edition. $9.95

Nana's Naughty Knickers
by Katherine DiSavino

"Nana's Naughty Knickers is a slick comedy by a new playwright, Katy DiSavino…the dialog is crisp and funny, and the action fast-paced...[this] Senior Citizen’s sexy sideline will have you in stitches!"--Lancaster Journal

Bridget and her Grandmother are about to become roommates. However, what Bridget saw as a unique opportunity to stay with her favorite Nana in New York for the summer quickly turns into an experience she’ll never forget. It seems her sweet Grandma is running an illegal boutique from her apartment, selling hand-made naughty knickers to every senior citizen in the five borough area! Will Bridget be able to handle all the excitement? Will her Nana get arrested - or worse! - evicted?

Nana’s Naughty Knickers will have its world premiere at the Rainbow Dinner Theatre in Pennsylvania, spring 2010. A subsequent production is slated at The Barn Dinner Theatre, in North Carolina during the fall of 2010.

Character Descriptions:
SYLVIA CHARLES – In her early eighties, living like she’s in her early twenties. The mastermind behind Saucy Slips, Etc., and the proud tenant of a rent controlled apartment.
VERA WALTERS – Sylvia’s aged accomplice: equipped with two hearing aids and a collapsible walker.
BRIDGET CHARLES – Sylvia’s unsuspecting, 20-something, soon-to-be-law-student granddaughter.
TOM O’GRADY – The newest cop on the force, happily assigned the beat where Sylvia’s apartment is.
GIL SCHMIDT – The landlord, overly eager to rid himself of his aged tenants. 60s.
HEATHER VAN PREE – Employee of Saucy Lips, looking for better opportunities, a modeling career, or just her boxes.
CLAIR – The big client. Mid 60s.
VOICE – The man at the front desk. Slightly bored and always sarcastic. Can double as one of the UPS men.
UPS MAN – Cute and a little lonely.
OTHER UPS MAN – The strong and silent type. For doubling purposes, this could be the same actor that plays Heather, Clair or Mr. Schmidt, as long as the audience doesn’t recognize them as such.

Farce. Interior. 3m, 5f with doubling. Acting Edition. $9.95.

Come Back, Come Back, Wherever You Are
by Arthur Laurents

“The prolific Laurents has given his play a crisp staging, cramming the 90-minute wake with enough heartbreak and ardor to fill a grand opera.”--Variety

Come Back, Come Back, Wherever You Are, a play by the widely-acclaimed, Tony Award-winning theatre legend Arthur Laurents, is an intimate, emotional drama about a cabaret singer coping with the devastating death of her husband, while trying to navigate her overbearing, controlling mother-in-law and the aggressive advances of a sexually persistent, handsome, new suitor.

Recently widowed Sara must comes to terms with her husband’s death but is haunted by visions of him. Her fixation on his posthumous messages dampens her historically lukewarm relationship with Marion, her therapist mother-in-law, who is disturbingly pragmatic about the passing of her son. Sara’s grief is also altered by Michelle, her under-appreciated sister-in-law, who is struggling both with her sexual identity and her relationship to her deceased brother. All is complicated by Dougal, a picture framer who is struck by the earnest Sara.

Come Back, Come Back, Wherever You Are is a gripping drama about grief and the ability of a family to cope with loss. But at its heart, it is a play about love. It was part of the 2009 season at the George Street Playhouse.

Drama. Simple Set. Simple Set. 2m, 3f. Acting Edition. $9.95.

Polyester - The Musical
Book by Phil Olson
Music by Wayland Pickard
Lyrics by Phil Olson & Wayland Pickard

“Be sure to check out this toe-tapping, hilarious journey back to your “Dancing Queen” days!...This show will take you back to the 70’s, and you’ll hardly be able to control your urge to get up on stage and do “The Funk Train!”--Actors Entertainment

“Audience members laughed uncontrollably throughout!…Energetically entertaining!…A rollicking good time!”--The Tolucan Times“I loved it!” – Fred Willard

“A fun and entertaining evening with the audience moving and grooving to the sounds of the 70’s style original music and contagious dancing in their seats. It’s fun, fun, fun all the way through!...You will have a ball! It’s the perfect show to pick up your spirits!”--NoHoArtsDistrict.com

It's "Mamma Mia" meets "Spinal Tap"

Featuring 16 original songs including "The Funk Train" and "Bump Your Booty Rump."

The story of The Synchronistics, an over-the-hill ABBA wannabe group that reunites after 20 years to perform at a public access TV telethon, put their differences aside, and try to save the station from going under.

The year was 1979 and The Synchronistics were big. Big enough to be on Johnny Carson. Their hit single, "Better Together" rose to number two on the Billboard Charts. Then something terrible happened that drove the group apart. And now, 20 years later, they're back together in Maple Valley, their home town, to perform at the 1999 WKLN public access TV Telethon.

Will they overcome their differences from 20 years ago, act professionally and help save WKLN from going under? Probably not. But you never know what to expect when this dysfunctional group gets together...one last time.

Character Descriptions:
LANCE - Hyper, overly enthusiastic fan of The Synchronistics and host of the WKLN TV telethon. The local weatherman.
CARL - Not the brightest bulb in the box. He’s had a little too much hippie lettuce in the past.
PEGGY - Wholesome, shy. Just slightly smarter than Carl. Performs in the shadow of Mindy.
BARRY - Mindy’s ex-husband. Cheated on her which led to the group’s break-up. Wrote most of their songs, including their most famous, “Better Together.” Not very self-aware.
MINDY - The Stevie Nicks figurehead of the group. Scorned and bitter from Barry’s affair.

Musical Comedy. 3m, 2f. Acting Edition. $9.95.

Sun, July 25, 2010, from 7:00 to 9:30 P.M: Special Film Screening of THE SUBLET at The Drama Book Shop

Roger Hendricks Simon The SIMON STUDIO and The Drama Book Shop Cinema & Theatre Festival presents a special screening of the new award winning feature film, THE SUBLET

Written and directed by Georgiana Nestor & starring Roger Hendricks Simon, THE SUBLET is a new film and theatre work developed by THE SIMON STUDIO Professional Lab directed by Mr. Simon and Dan Simon

Praise for THE SUBLET:

"The performances are superb. Most impressive is Simon, whose expressive face evokes the weary life of a civil servant and longtime widower still haunted by the memory of his late wife....Hinting at an older Woody Allen, Simon creates a wholly sympathetic figure, a man breaking out of his self imposed shell despite his better judgement. - an utterly charming film." - BACKSTAGE

"Roger Hendricks Simon takes expansive glee in inventing imaginary subletting scenarios over the phone, and the unabashed eagerness with which he hovers over drop-in visitors affords some well timed comedy bits." - VARIETY

"Roger Hendricks Simon's performance balances just the right amount of pathos, charisma and great comic timing so you're always captivated whenever he's on screen. He often seems like a less neurotic version of Woody Allen....Heart warming, funny and wise. A refreshingly original, witty and crown pleasing gem." - NYC MOVIE GURU

Admission Free/Donations accepted for the studio's John Palmore Scholarship Fund. For reservations: 212-841-0204

For THE SUBLET production photos and further information please visit:
www.simonstudio.com
www.Youtube.com/RogerHendricksSimon
www.Nologikfilms.com

Mon July, 26, 2010 at 6:00 p.m: Neil LaBute Reading, Discussion and Book Signing "Filthy Talk for Troubled Times" at The Drama Book Shop

Neil LaBute burst onto the American theater scene in 1989 with his controversial debut work "Filthy Talk for Troubled Times." Set in a barroom in Anytown USA and populated by a series of everymen (and two beleaguered everywomen), this series of frank exchanges explores the innumerable varieties of American intolerance. A unique snapshot of the times,the play -- seldom allowed production by the author since -- provides a compelling look at the early thinking and evolution of one of our great theater artists.

---

Filthy Talk for Troubled Times: And Other Plays
By Neil LaBute
Paper. $13.95

Hot Off The Press!

Love Person
by Aditi Brennan Kapil

“Kapil’s Love Person is a fascinating brew of emotion, wit and intellect that challenges its audience to reassess how the form of communication shapes understanding.”--Lisa Brock, Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Startling and evocative!--Michael Opperman, Twin Cities Daily Planet

“Heart-pounding attraction, intense all-night conversations - Aditi Brennan Kapil’s Love Person captures the giddiness of new love affairs. But the play is even more eloquently realistic about the wear and tear that time wreaks on relationships.”--Nicole Estvanik, American Theatre Magazine, July 2008

Love Person is a four part love story in Sanskrit, ASL and English in which love transcends sexual orientation, physical attraction, and social structure and rests instead on the ways in which we communicate and how communication bonds or breaks us. The play is structured around four Sanskrit love poems that influence and reflect the journeys of the characters. Free, a Deaf woman in a relationship with Maggie, accidentally falls into a deceptive email correspondence with her sister Vic's love interest Ram, a Sanskrit professor. Free and Ram discover a connection, based largely on an affinity between their two languages. As a result of the deception, Vic and Ram also begin to fall in love. Meanwhile Free and Maggie's relationship struggles to survive.

Character Descriptions:
VIC – 30s, two divorces, drinks too much. Free’s sister. Some basic ASL skills, brash
FREE – 30s-40s, Deaf, Maggie’s lover, Vic’s older sister. Uses ASL exclusively, does not voice, restless
MAGGIE – 30s-40s, English Lit professor, Free’s lover. Fluent ASL, interpreting for Free is second nature. When they’re alone together they sign only, content
RAM (pronounced “Raahm”) – Sanskrit Professor from East Coast, Second generation, fully westernized. Here on a short visit, quiet and intelligent, lonely
Dramatic Comedy. 1m, 3f. Interior. Acting Edition. $9.95.

Dreamlandia
by Octavio Solis

“In Teatro Vista’s provocative staging of Solis’s latest work, Márquez meets Beckett in a surreal, tragicomic telenovela. Here the U.S.-Mexico border isn’t so much a patrolled place as a state of mind."--Time Out Chicago

Inspired by Life is a Dream, the towering achievement of Spanish drama, Dreamlandia explores the terrain between illusion and reality. Set in the borderlands between Mexico and Texas, this haunting new play vibrates with the clash of cultures, NAFTA, narcotics, and illegal immigration. In an ever changing world, family, cultural and sexual identities collide.

Character Descriptions:
BLANCA (ALFONSO) – Young woman
LAZARO – Young man
PEPÍN – Blanca’s brother
CELESTINO – The Father
SONIA – His mistress
FRANK – Border Patrol Sector Chief
DOLORES – Dead, a ghost, Blanca’s mother
SETH – Border Patrolman
CARL – Border Patrolman
BUSTAMANTE – played by DOLORES
VIVIAN – CELESTINO’s wife, played by SONIA

Dramatic Comedy. 6m, 3f. Acting Edition. $9.95.

The Quality of Life
by Jane Anderson

“Set in the Berkeley hills after a major fire, Quality of Life introduces Jeannette, an earthy, high-spirited woman. Jeannette’s husband, Neil , is dying of cancer. When her cousin Dinah from Ohio comes for a visit with her husband, Bill, the two couples - one solidly on the left, the other resolute in their conservative Christian beliefs - are made to confront their huge dissimilarities—”--Edward Guthman, The San Francisco Chronicle.

”Playwright Jane Anderson explores a myriad of ethical, religious, and moral beliefs, as well as (some would say) personal rights issues concerning life and death in her remarkable and completely engrossing new play, The Quality of Life.--Terri Roberts, Theater Mania

From award-winning writer Jane Anderson (The Baby Dance, Looking for Normal) comes this “magnetic work of theater” (The San Francisco Chronicle) filled with compassion, honesty and humor.

Dinah and Bill, a devout, church-going couple from the Midwest are struggling to keep their lives intact after the loss of their daughter. Dinah is compelled to reconnect with her left-leaning cousins in Northern California who’re going through their own trials. Jeannette and Neil have lost their home to a wildfire and Neil has cancer. However they seem to have accepted their situation with astounding good humor, living in a yurt on their burn site and celebrating life with hits of pot and glasses of good red wine. Bill and Dinah are both moved and perplexed by their cousins’ remarkable equanimity. But their sympathy turns to rage when they find out that Jeannette is planning to take her own life to avoid a life of grief without her beloved Neil.

Winner! 2007 Ted Schmitt Award for the world premiere of an Outstanding New Play — Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle
Winner! 2008 Ovation Award for Best New Play

Dramatic Comedy. 2m, 2f. Acting Edition. $9.95.

...And Then There Was Nun
by Richard T. Witter and Bruce W. Gilray

…And Then There Was Nun was the winner of the 1990 “Robby” Award for “Best Comedy Production” and for “Best Actor”--Tif Rice as Sister Katharine.

“…a gas…over the top and as thick as the North Pasture. Needless to add, the audience loved every single second of it.”--Drama-Logue

“...the nun’s story to end all nun’s stories…leagues above most comedies and the laughs come nonstop…”--Frontiers

“...a captivating mystery…Bruce Gilray and Richard Witter … created a work that’s a joy for actors.”--The Press Telegram

“...what more could a movie buff desire? A killer evening of hilarity.”--The Daily Breeze

…And Then There Was Nun is written in the style of a classic 1940’s murder mystery; and is a blend of humor and who-dun-it as the actors emulate iconic movie stars of the past.

Take one foreboding mansion on a secluded island, throw in ten whacked-out members of The Holy Order of the Sisters of San Andreas, stir in their unseen and mysterious leader, add an assortment of the sharpest tongues this side of Hollywood and Vine; then infuse with a healthy dose of some of the most famous lines in cinema (slightly warped). Roast well in a preheated treasure trove of movie facts, trivia, legends and gossip for two acts, sit back and savor. …And Then There Was Nun is a treat for movie buffs and non-movie buffs alike.

Actors who take on the personas parodied in this play will be creatively challenged to mold their performances with the mannerisms and vocal styles of famous actors of the past, having an amazingly fun experience along the way.

Comedy with Music. 11 characters (m or f). Acting Edition. $9.95.

American Hwangap
by Lloyd Suh

“A delight to watch.”--The New York Times

“Touching family drama.”--Variety

“As refreshingly original in its point of view as in its quirky humor and affecting relationships.”--San Francisco Gate

Steeped in the difficulty of reunification and reconciliation, American Hwangap tells the story of Min Suk Chun, who some 15 years earlier left his family in a West Texas suburb to return to his native Korea. On the occasion of his 60th birthday (hwangap), a milestone signifying the completion of the Eastern Zodiac and a type of rebirth, he returns to his ex-wife and now adult children as they struggle to reconcile their broken past with the mercurial, verbose and often exasperating patriarch now back at the head of the table. Through a tense birthday weekend filled with humor, heartbreak and half-filled expectations, this American Hwangap and its aftermath bears a family not quite whole but still somehow transformed, and not quite happy but still somehow beautiful.

Character Descriptions:
MIN SUK CHUN - 59, a Korean immigrant to the US, returned to Korea and now back again. Probably either tall, large, or otherwise imposing. His English is actually quite good though rusty, it comes and goes, but he speaks quickly, often and confidently even when he doesn’t have the words.
MARY CHUN - 58, his ex-wife. Reinvented. A modern Asian-American woman. Speaks proficient English, though may be tinged with only a very slight accent.
RALPH CHUN - 29, their youngest son. Brilliant, damaged. Lives in his mother’s basement.
ESTHER CHUN - 31, their daughter. Twice divorced, a perpetual student. Unsettled.
DAVID CHUN - 34, their eldest son. An investment banker. Away.

Drama. 3m, 2f. Acting Edition. $9.95.

Sun, July 18th @ 2 P.M: How to Build and Maintain an Acting Career in NYC with Actress and Career Coach Annie Chadwick at The Drama Book Shop

Whether you are a seasoned professional, a wide-eyed beginner or lost in the actor maze, Annie Chadwick's motivational career building workshop will give you: the vision to create your own unique theatrical career; no nonsense business strategies; innovative self-promotional techniques and the most current industry trends.

• Have you just finished an acting training program and are ready to begin seeking work
• Have you recently moved to NYC and need a plan to introduce your talent to the Big Apple?
• Are you returning to acting or just starting after working in the business world?
• Has your career stalled and you need fresh innovative tools to move to the next level?

In this 2 hour workshop, Annie will meet with you briefly before the workshop to review your picture/resume and help you target an area of concentration for the next 6 months.  In the actual workshop you will get handouts with current marketing tools and a clear, step-by-step path to evolve your acting career in NYC.

The Workshop will cover:

Marketing Tools and Strategies
Are your marketing tools a current representation of your talent?
This is one of the most important parts of building a career and introducing your talent to the industry. Learn the most current trends in effective Pictures, Resumes, Cover Letters and Postcard content, Website, Reels, Email Submissions, Industry Mailings and Personal Appearance. Get specific letter writing skills and tips to make your cover letters, postcards, follow-ups and submissions more targeted. Are emails, faxing, website promotion the way of the future?

Self-Promotion
Learn the most effective ways to introduce yourself to the industry agents, personal managers, casting directors, showcases, seminars.
Film/TV and theatre opportunities are greater than ever in NYC. Learn how a talented actor can get auditions without representation and start developing a legit career. Get information on how to self-submit and get your own Film/TV auditions from Online Casting Opportunities and Trade publications. Learn what TV/Film projects are shooting in NYC and who is doing the casting. For theatre projects you will get specific tips on how to find out six months in advance what's being produced before casting notices go out; the best ways to get auditions, target and identify the roles you are most right for; and how to see the latest NYC Off-Broadway theatre for free.

Classes, Coaches, and Resources
Training for artists never ends. Get recommendation of on-going classes and coaches that will help you get noticed in the very competitive NYC market. We'll also go on a tour of the Drama Book Shop with a list of resources that are essential to keeping-up with the latest projects and acting techniques.

For more information on Up-to-Date Theatricals and Annie Chadwick, visit:
www.utdtheatricalservices.com
www.anniechadwick.com

The cost of this workshop is $50, payable on the day of the workshop. For reservations call 212-265-0260, or the Drama Book Shop at (212) 944-0595 (option 3) during regular business hours.

Annie just worked with director P.J. Hogan on the new Jerry Bruckheimer film, CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC, playing John Lithgow's wife, Mrs. Edgar West.

Workshop Reviews
"I came to Annie's workshop hoping to at least get some decent info for $50. What I came away with was not only worth the price, but much more than I had hoped for. Annie is genuine, goes out of her way to not only make you feel special, but to really give you that extra individualized attention, which is completely unexpected but absolutely appreciated. Her workshop was not only chalked full of relevant and useful information, but she added something that I did not expect to find there...hope and inspiration. What a truly fabulous workshop! I highly recommend it to anyone who is beginning their career or feeling like they are at a stalemate here in New York!"--Krista, NYC actress/singer/musician

"I took your career-building workshop yesterday. I wanted to drop you a line to say how thankful I was for your advice, attention, and for all the wonderful information you gave us. It was so awesome! I was so energized and excited after the meeting that I felt hopeful I could indeed pursue this career on a professional level. I feel like I have a clear-cut focus for how to approach the next six months and I feel awash in relief! Where to put your time, money and energy in your acting career feels so overwhelming, so it was nice to get some solid, practical advice. Thank you again."--Jennifer, NYC actress

Drama Book Shop Will Be Open on Monday, July 5th, 2010.

POW! (Play Of The Week)

Gingerbread House
by Mark Schultz

You and your wife are a little stressed. What with money and career concerns and the added responsibilities of rearing two children, you have neither time nor energy for each other. And let’s face it! Your son Curtis is slow -- maybe he’s dyslexic; and your sweet little Maggie is a failure in kindergarten.

You’re both lying in bed, once again without sex, and you are half watching the television accompanied by canned laughter from the set. With eyes partly glazed, your thoughts are nowhere in particular except remembering that once you were happy in each other’s presence and you both had dreams. Is all this part of the typical thirtysomething woes?

Brian, you resent the fact that the younger men in your office are advancing and getting the promotions while you have the “family albatross” around your neck. Your wife Stacey, when she’s not at her tedious travel-agency job, spends her time schlepping the kids from place to place. Besides, she hates Little League games. Life for both of you has become stagnant with canned laughter underneath.

BRIAN. [I] Got an idea.
STACEY. What.
BRIAN. Hear me out. Don’t laugh. [I] Put some thought into this and. Um. I think. (Beat) I think that we should sell the kids.

ENTER MARCO. Your smooth-talking coworker has the perfect plan. If all he says is true, he has the connections; and his unconventional logic is flawless. Besides, “people do it all the time.” It’s an all-around win/win situation. And it yours, Brian ... yours and Stacey’s ... for merely mentioning your selling price. However much you want, it’s yours. Sold!

So it is that Brian and Stacey sell their children to a wealthy Albanian couple; and thus, begins Mark Schultz’s hellishly funny and painful yarn.

They get their selling price, and their lives are never the same again. They taste the fruits of the good life but then must reexamine their obsessions and consciences driving them to do the unthinkable.

THE GINGERBREAD HOUSE is a series of 13 hilarious and sometimes chilling scenes over-time that explore the demise of the American idealized-family structure.

The cast requires 3 men & 2 women (20’s and 30’s) plus 1 young boy & 1 young girl. There are fast-paced and brittle scenes along with poignant and inventive monologues! This contemporary morality play is, indeed, a “comedy of horror” for today.

A must-read! A must-perform!

Reviewed by W. Martin