Stage Write

 Music and plot are so closely intertwined in Appoggiatura, that you can't mention one without the other. Even the title reflects this, it means: a grace note performed before a note of the melody and falling on the beat. The play, part of a trilogy written by playwright-in-residence James Still, follows three travelers on a sojourn through lovely Venice. On their journey they wander the canals finding pieces of their hearts as they go. The city feels like one of the main characters in the story. As one actor notes, "Venice is as old and broken as the rest of us.". Like most of Still's work, the show is not driven by plot, but instead it focuses on the characters' interaction and self-discovery. There's Helen (Susan Pellegrino) whose forced optimism hides the tender memories of her own honeymoon in Venice. Helen's granddaughter Sylvie (Andrea San Miguel), for whom the confusing maze of Venice reflects her current feelings about life and lov...

I just had to share this podcast on reaching arts journalists . It was done by Clay at Sold Out Run after asking arts journalists in Indianapolis for tips on the best ways to reach them. He does a great job explaining how you can reach out and get better coverage without overwhelming people.  It's unbelievable how many shows are happening in our city every week. It's a wonderful problem to have, but it also means that we, as arts journalists, can't make it to everything. By offering flexibility in review dates, sending your information or save the dates in advance, and being clear in your invitations and press releases, you'll definitely increase your chances at getting more coverage.  If you are with a local theatre I hope you'll take time to listen! Here's a link to the complete podcast . Please feel free to email me at stagewriteindy@gmail.com if you have any additional questions about the best way to reach me! Image from here .

American Idiot, based on the Green Day album of the same name, bursts onto the stage with a flurry of lights and blasting guitars. Sex, drugs and rock and roll, this show has all three in spades. If that trio is not your cup of tea then this one probably isn’t for you. The plot revolves around three friends who find their lives pulling them in very different directions. The musical, a flurry of angst and head-banging with no intermission, is packed with discontent 20-somethings pretending to be tougher than they are. The set is a dirty warehouse with movable scaffolding and a live band on the stage. The back wall is covered with three dozen television screens.   The females in the cast, especially Kennedy Caughell and Alyssa DiPalma, are incredibly talented and almost underutilized. They shine in numbers like “Dearly Beloved” and “21 Guns” and then fade to the background as we focus in on the guys’ issues.   The production is incredibly dependant upon gimmi...

This past weekend the Indiana Repertory Theatre hosted the world premier of playwright-in-residence James Still’s new production, The House That Jack Built. A family converges in a cozy home in Vermont for Thanksgiving dinner and as is to be expected with the holidays, emotions run high and past grievances and grief lay just beneath the tender surface. I’ve been a fan of James Still’s work for years, but this production truly rises above anything I’d yet seen. He has an incredible talent for writing characters that are completely unique, yet somehow also completely relatable. That contradictory principle makes the people in his plays unforgettable. Overbearing mothers or bickering spouses could become clichés, but in Still’s plays they never are. Their flaws and connections to each other always run deeper than that and this play in particular, is full of beautifully complicated characters.   Jack, the title character, is an enigma that we never meet, though he shaped t...