fried chicken & gasoline

Theatre Bay Area Playwrights Showcase

2009-06-27T11:08:00.000-07:00

I'm stoked that my new play, Luna Negra, is part of the Theatre Bay Area Playwrights Showcase. The line-up of playwrights who will be a part of this wonderful event includes:

Conrad Bishop
and Elizabeth Fuller

Anna Budd

Adam Chanzit

Lisa Kang

Cassandra Lewis

Nirmala Nataraj

Ayodele Nzinga

Scott McMorrow

Wendy Morton

Ignacio Zulueta

The Showcase will take place at two venues this year:

July 21 as part of the
Bay Area Playwrights Festival
(Magic Theatre in San Francisco)

August 20 as part of
TheatreWorks New Works Festival
(Lucy Stern Theater in Palo Alto)

Hope to see you there!

It's A New Day!

2009-01-20T14:59:00.000-08:00

Text of President Barack Obama's inaugural address on Tuesday, as delivered.
OBAMA: My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we the people have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, and true to our founding documents.
So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land — a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.
For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.
For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sanh.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them — that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. Those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control — and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers ... our found fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all the other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort — even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment — a moment that will define a generation — it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence — the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent Mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world ... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet (it)."

America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.

Dramatists Guild Comes to San Francisco

2009-01-13T08:26:00.000-08:00

Dramatists Guild Comes to San Francisco

In the effort to extend the Guild into other parts of the country, and to unite our members from state to state, we are proud to announce an exciting two days of Guild programming hosted by some of San Francisco's prominent dramatists' supporters and theatres.

ALL EVENTS ARE FREE, and priority is given to members first, non-members second, but all on a first come-first served basis. To participate, you must reserve each event separately at the email or phone number listed below the event.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 29th
6:30 pm Dramatists Guild Town Hall Meeting to be hosted at Playwrights Foundation and Z-Space. Guild members and non-members are invited to attend an information session that will detail an overview of the Dramatists Guild, discuss plans for its future and then an open Q & A for members. With Gary Garrison (Executive Director of Creative Affairs), Roland Tec (Director of Membership) and Scott McMorrow, San Francisco Regional Rep. Space is limited to members of the Dramatists Guild.
Location: Playwrights Foundation/Z-Space, 131 10th Street, 3rd Floor (cross street is Mission) RSVP: lpontius@dramatistsguild.com ; mention the event you're RSVP'ing for.

8:00 pm: State of the Union: Bay Area Theatre. Representatives of small, medium and large-sized theatres and service organizations will discuss trends in theatre, playwriting, dramaturgy with Gary Garrison, moderator. As guests are finalized, a list will be shared with members via email. Space is limited first to members of the Guild, then the general public.
Location: Playwrights Foundation/Z-Space, 131 10th Street, 3rd Floor (cross street is Mission) RSVP: lpontius@dramatistsguild.com ; mention the event you're RSVP'ing for.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 30th
1:00 – 4:00: Master Class for Playwrights: Keeping the Drama in Your Work and Out of Your Life. Led by Guild Executive Director, Gary Garrison, this workshop/discussion will address issues every working artist struggles with in the day to day business of creating and promoting both our art and ourselves as artists such as inspiration, motivation, emotional support, identity as a writer and writer's block. Before joining the Guild in '07, Garrison taught full-time for twenty years in the playwriting program at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. 20 participants total.
Location: Playwrights Foundation/Z-Space, 131 10th Street, 3rd Floor (cross street is Mission) RSVP: lpontius@dramatistsguild.com ; mention the event you're RSVP'ing for.

6:30: The Author as a CEO. Art is bewildering. Worse yet, once the artist has broken through the bewilderment of developing a craft and producing a portfolio of works, he/she must then change perspectives from art to business. Business is bewildering. This short lecture by the Guild's Director of Business Affairs, David Faux, will review the main points of dealing with your portfolio as intellectual property assets. The lecture will be followed by a question and answer period.
Location: Playwrights Foundation/Z-Space, 131 10th Street, 3rd Floor (cross street is Mission) RSVP: lpontius@dramatistsguild.com ; mention the event you're RSVP'ing for.

8:00: T.I.C. Trenchcoat in Common, by Guild member, Peter Sinn Nachtrieb. Peter is the author of the highly-acclaimed, Hunter Gatherers. Join us this evening at a performance of his new play followed by a discussion with the playwright.
Location: Encore Theatre Company @ The Magic Theatre, Fort Mason Center The Magic Theatre is located on the third floor of Building D of Fort Mason Center at the intersection of Marina Blvd and Buchanan Street.
For tickets, ($10-$40) call 1-800-838-3006,  or, order on-line at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/48836
To attend the post show discussion, please respond to lpontius@dramatistsguild.com

Shakespeare Lands in Court

2009-01-06T08:33:00.000-08:00

This just in from The BBC.

Retrial for Shakespeare's Shylock

Seven senior lawyers convened in New York last month to reconsider the case against Shylock, Shakespeare's money lender in The Merchant of Venice.

One of those lawyers, Anthony Julius - best known for representing Princess Diana in her divorce from Prince Charles - explains why he voted to let merchant Antonio keep the money after all.

In the play, the young man Bassanio asks his friend Antonio to lend him money so he can woo the beautiful and wealthy heiress Portia. Antonio promises to cover a bond, so Bassanio turns to the moneylender Shylock and names Antonio as the loan's guarantor.

Shylock, who hates Antonio because he had insulted and spat on him for being a Jew the week before, proposes a condition: if Antonio is unable to repay the loan at the specified date, Shylock will be free to take a pound of Antonio's flesh. Antonio defaults on his loan, and Shylock's case against Antonio goes to court.

At first it looks like he will win, and will get his pound of flesh.

A disguised Portia tells the court that the bond is indeed enforceable. Shylock, it appears, is free to cut. But Portia pleads with him to be merciful and to take cash in substitution.

"No, the time for payment is past, I want the penalty instead," says Shylock.
It looks bad for Antonio. He braces himself for the knife, and then the situation takes a different turn.

Stages of argument

Portia comes up with her ingenious reading of the bond. "Take the flesh", she says, "but not the blood." The blood is not specified in the bond, so it cannot be taken.

This is the first stage of Shylock's defeat. He cannot take the flesh without the blood, so he is stymied. This, and the earlier point that favours Shylock, could be called Portia's "first stage argument". Portia then presses her advantage.

The bond amounts to an attempt on the life of a Venetian citizen and that is a capital offence (the "capital crime statute"). Not only does Shylock forfeit the bond, he also forfeits his life.

This could be called Portia's "second stage argument".

The court, showing mercy to Shylock that he had not shown to Antonio, commutes the sentence, though on somewhat humiliating terms.

Literary 'law'

Of the seven judges who heard Shylock's appeal in New York, five sided with him and therefore upheld the appeal. Only two were against him, and I was one of this dissenting minority.

The majority judges thought that Shylock should get something - at least repayment - for the loan default. They also thought he was not guilty of the capital offence.

I thought these decisions were sentimental and did not derive from any proper legal analysis of the issues. They had the best intentions. They thought that a persecuted Jew had come before them and they wanted to come to his aid. But this is what might be called a "category mistake". It assumes that Shylock is a person who has a life independent of the play, and that the logic of the play itself can be disregarded. It cannot be disregarded; not, at least, without violence to the play's texture.

It is in accordance with the logic of the play that Shylock is condemned. That means, among other things, it is in accordance with the "law" in the play.

Question of character

The case against Shylock's appeal works like this...

First, we have to disregard Portia's first stage argument.
It is pretty clear that both her points about enforceability are bad. She starts off by saying that the bond can be enforced, but she can only take this position by suppressing the existence of the capital crime statute.

No court would allow a contract that involves committing a criminal act to be enforced.

She then says that the bond can only be enforced if Shylock does not take blood, but she is wrong about this too. Any court would allow the blood to be taken as well as the flesh. Whatever is incidental to the performance of the bond would be allowed as part of its performance.

Then there is Portia's second stage argument which she should, of course, have advanced straight away. All she needed to say, as soon as she turned up in court, was "the capital crime statute forbids it!" That would have been the end of the case.

But that would also have meant no suspense or drama.

The majority judges needed to rewrite the play to find for Shylock. But to rewrite the play is to lose its Shylock. The judges extinguished him as a character by upholding "his" appeal... and that was not merciful.
 

Puppets in San Diego

2008-08-02T11:29:00.000-07:00

Puppet Therapy, a short comedy about a couple and their venture into marriage counseling, bondage, and threesomes, will be presented as part of the Best of The Blitz produced by Fritz Theatre.

Puppet Therapy
By Scott McMorrow
Aug 14-17
Thur, Fri, Sat at 8 PM
Sun at 3 PM
The Lyceum Theater
76 Horton Plaza
San Diego, CA
Tix: 619-544-1000

Prime Numbers in NYC

2008-05-06T10:36:00.000-07:00

Got some great News! My play, Prime Numbers will be produced Off-Off Broadway by Love Creek Productions. Directed by Linda Loren, this short play explores the darker side of sibling relationships when a feuding brother and sister prepare to attend a Mardi Gras style funeral service for their mom.

Prime Numbers
by Scott McMorrow
May 18-21 at 8 PM
Beckmann Theatre
American Theatre of Actors
314 W 54th St
New York, NY 10019
Tix/Info: 212.581.3044

Longwood Play Fest

2008-02-29T13:27:00.001-08:00

Just found out that "Civil Twilight" will be produced as part of Longwood University’s 1st Annual Ten Minute Play Festival. This short play takes the audience on a surreal journey through the high desert as two women work together to uncover the source of one of their party’s madness.

Civil Twilight
by Scott McMorrow
March 28 at 8 PM
March 29 and 30 at 3:00 PM
Black Box Theatre
Longwood University
201 High Street
Farmville, VA
Box Office: 434-395-2474

Goin' Off-Off Broadway

2008-02-28T15:24:00.000-08:00

Just found out a short play of mine is going to be performed at the Wings Theatre this April. "(before) The Rubaiyyat of Omar Khayaam," will be directed by Tracy Francis Off-Off Broadway as part of the Noor Play Festival, an Equity Showcase of plays dealing with the Middle East.

"(before) The Rubaiyyat of Omar Khayaam" was developed as part of PlayGround, in residence at Berkeley Rep, and takes a comedic look at the moment just before Persian scholar Omar Khayaam decided to become a Sufi poet. During his heated conversation with a clay bowl, Omar realizes that it’s best to seek closeness with god while he’s still alive, instead of waiting until he reaches the afterlife.

Venue Information:

(before) The Rubaiyyat of Omar Khayaam
April 13 at 8 PM
April 14 & 15,at 7 PM & 9 PM

Wings Theatre
154 Christopher Street
New York, NY

Tix/info: 212.627.2961

Kennedy Center ACTF

2008-01-27T18:59:00.000-08:00

If any of you are in the Los Angeles Area Feb 13 & 14th, I’ll be leading two playwriting workshops at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival - Region VIII conference. Here are the details if you can make it:

Both workshops will be held as the CSULA campus:

What’s Next?: Giving Your Finished Play to the World
Wed., Feb 13th, 1:00-2:20
Room: Music 101

Ten-Minute Plays: The Haiku of American Theater
Thurs, Feb 14th, 3:00- 4:30 PM
Room: Music 256

California State University at Los Angeles
5151 State University Drive, Los Angeles
(323) 343-3000

Kicking off the New Year

2007-12-31T08:30:00.000-08:00

I'm excited to be a part of the Tapas Short Play Fest held in Monte Rio, CA. My play, Turtle Shopping, will be produced along with plays by Janice Eurgubian, Tom Kelly, Scott Kersnar, Lee Senior, Jacquelyn Wells, and Lauren D. Yee.

Details:

Tapas: A New Short Play Festival
Jan 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19 @ 8 PM
Jan 13, 20 @ 2 PM
Pegasus Theater Company
20347 Hwy 116 , Monte Rio, CA
$15 general/$12 for students
Tix/Info: (707) 522-9043

PlayGround

2007-10-10T08:52:00.000-07:00

Been having some great news of late. First off, I’ve been selected to be part of the writer’s pool for PlayGround in residence at Berkeley Rep. Here’s the full list of this year’s pool:

Vicki Anderson, Neela Banerjee, Crish Barth, Christopher Bernard, Andrew Black, Cass Brayton, Robyn Brooks, Kenyon Brown, Ron Campbell, Adam Chanzit, Dave Garrett, Garret Jon Groenveld, Leah Halper, Daniel Heath, Stacy Nathaniel Jackson, Brady Lea, Aaron Loeb, Lisa Ludden, Jonathan Luskin, Doug MacPherson, Richard McKern, Scott McMorrow, Ross Peter Nelson, Michelle Ortega, Evelyn Pine, Geetha Reddy, Molly Rhodes, Carolina Rojas, Diane Sampson, Martha Soukup, Tom Swift, Nicholas Turner, Maya Lis Tussing, Richard Weingart, Lauren Yee, Ignacio Zulueta

The other great news is I won the One Minute Play competition, and was flown to MN and feted on the red carpet at the Ivey Awards. Many thanks to Scott Mayer, Mitch Kelly and all the people at the Ivey Awards for making this happen, and big thanks to the Playwrights Center for their support, and many many thanks to The Mall of America for their very generous gift.

One-Minute Play Contest

2007-08-02T17:41:00.000-07:00

I’m stoked to be a finalist in the One-Minute Play Contest. There are some great short plays, and YOU GET TO PICK THE WINNER.

There are two categories, Youth and Adult, and readers vote for a winner in each of the categories by visiting: One Minute Plays

(As an added bonus, you can also play spot-the-typos with my play.)

The Playwrights’ Center, The Ivey Awards, and Mall of America have teamed up to create The One-Minute Play Contest. There’s a PDF, as well as an audio file, for each of these plays:

Finalists - Adult

"The Jewel of Adam" by Dan Dietz
"Calling Long Distance" by Scott McMorrow
"Learner's Permit" by Michelle Jane Wilson

Finalists – Youth

"Fifty-Nine Lines" by Daniel Burns
"Untitled" by Jon Fusco
"We Freaks" by Oriana Lada

Bay Area Playwrights Festival

2007-07-29T08:36:00.000-07:00

Just spent three days last week at the playwright’s pre-fest retreat for the Bay Area Playwrights Festival. Blown away is the only way to describe it. Playwrights read their plays in front everyone at the retreat, and it was awesome. This is a works-in-progress kind of thing, and Playwrights Foundation Artistic Director Amy Mueller has created an environment that allows writers to work on their plays and help them grow.

All of the plays and playwrights I saw rocked: Kevin Oakes, Annie Baker, Julie Hébert, Zakiyyah Alexander, Sam Hunter, Chris Chen, Aaron Loeb, Marisela Orta, Denize Springer.

Roll out and see these plays (complete schedule)
at the Magic, and if you can’t make it, definitely come see these playwrights when their plays come to your town.

Things to do in Denver

2007-07-17T12:24:00.000-07:00

I’m off to the Playwrights Showcase of the Western Region in Denver this week. A great time is sure to be had by all. Lots of really cool plays being presented, and the line-up of panelists is incredible: Richard Dresser, Christine Emmert, Dawson Moore, Anne Garcia-Romero, Aoise Stratford, Kent Thompson, Chip Walton, and Edith Weiss. I’m excited to a part of this by leading two workshops, “Self-Producing: Grande Idea or Great Folly,” and “Ten-Minute Plays: The Haiku of American Theater.”

prenatal sex determination

2007-07-14T08:02:00.000-07:00

For me, the underlying question is, why such a strong emphasis on male prenatal sex determination...

'Indian register' for pregnancies
By Sanjoy Majumder
BBC News, Delhi

An Indian minister has proposed that all pregnant women register with the government and seek its permission if they wish to undergo an abortion. Women and child development minister Renuka Chowdhury says the move is aimed at stopping the aborting of unwanted female foetuses.

Although prenatal sex determination and selective abortion are banned, far more boys than girls are born.
Critics warn that the new move could backfire and be misused. Ms Chowdhury also wants abortions to be permitted only in specific circumstances, although she did not spell out what these may be.

The minister says a register of pregnancies would allow the government to track them and crack down on the practice of foeticide which she says is widespread in parts of northern India.

Despite the ban on prenatal sex determination, the government has been unable to prevent the selective abortion of female foetuses and the practice of female infanticide.

According to the last national census, for every 1,000 boys, there are only 927 girls in India.

But critics say the new move is an infringement on personal freedom and could also be misused.

Is it porn?

2007-07-04T20:41:00.001-07:00

The EU recently launched its own YouTube Channel, and caused a stir with one of its debut clips...

Here's what the BBC reported:

Sexy clip lifts EU YouTube debut
By Stephen Mulvey
EU reporter, BBC News

When the EU opened its own channel on YouTube, no-one could have predicted it would get upwards of 20,000 hits a day.
But while videos on the CAP and road safety are barely getting touched, a clip of sex scenes from European cinema has become a runaway success.

Titled Film Lovers Will Love This!, it shows men and women having sex in different ways and places, and ends with the words, "Let's come together".

Supporters say it celebrates European cinema, but others term it "soft porn".

British Conservative MEP Chris Heaton-Harris told BBC News the European Commission was wasting taxpayers' money.

"They do have an image problem but I think cobbling together 44 seconds of soft porn on the internet is not a brilliant way of solving it," he added.

Creativity

Godfrey Bloom, a UK Independence Party MEP, described the video as tawdry and tacky, adding: "It is like watching an elderly relative trying to be cool, very embarrassing."

A Polish MEP from the conservative League of Polish Families has accused the commission of using "immoral methods" to promote itself.

European Commission spokesman Martin Selmayr said there had been a flood of complaints from Poland about an intimate scene between two men - but refused to accept there was anything controversial about the film.

Fuming at what he called "quasi-religious bashing of the very important cultural diversity we have in the European Union", he said the lovemaking clips were excerpts from award-winning films, and that the commission was proud of the EU's rich cinematic heritage.

"The European Union is not a bible belt, we believe in freedom of expression and artistic creativity," he added.

The sex-scene video is one of four made for screening in European cinemas to advertise an EU fund that helps distributes successful films made in one EU state to others.

'Slap and tickle'

All four have been available on the European Commission's website and YouTube since February, and until Friday one of the other films, with much less sex in it, was the most popular.

It is only since the launch of the EU's own YouTube channel, EUtube, that the Let's Come Together video has outshone the others.

Labour MEP Gary Titley said: "European films are about more than a quick slap and a tickle. It is bonkers that this clip gets so much attention."

At the launch of the channel on Friday, Commission Vice-President Margot Wallstrom said: "It is very important for the Commission to use all the means at its disposal when it comes to communicating with European citizens."

None of the e-mailers to the EUtube site has objected about sexual content.

The main complaint has been that few of the films are yet available in languages other than English, but the orgasmic cries of Film Lovers Will Love This! need no translation.

Ashland New Plays Fest

2007-06-21T10:00:00.000-07:00

Got some great news today. My play, TURTLE SHOPPING, has been selected for the Ashland New Plays Festival held July 7-9th in Ashland, OR.

Details:

Turtle Shopping by Scott McMorrow
July 7 & 9 @ 8:00 PM
July 8 @ 2 PM
Ashland New Plays Festival
Stevenson Union
Southern Oregon University
Ashland, OR

Admission: $10
tix info: 541.482.4357

Spendin' Time in Rehab

2007-06-07T12:24:00.001-07:00

this makes me feel not so bad about all my various vices...

The Tap Is Back!

2007-06-06T07:39:00.000-07:00

Let’s crank this puppy to eleven!!

News from the front...

2007-05-28T11:28:00.000-07:00

Been having some good news lately...

I'll ll be leading playwriting workshops at The Playwrights Showcase of the Western Region this July.

My play Future Sex will be part of the 2007 Bay Area Playwrights Festival (BASH) in San Francisco this August.

Prime Numbers will be produced by Theatre Limina this Summer.

Turtle Shopping was recently published in AUDIENCE magazine.

Did a poetry reading the other night in support of OAKLAND OUT LOUD, an anthology of PEN writers that I'm in.

Who Says Poetry is Dead?

2007-05-19T10:43:00.001-07:00

Muslim voices: Women's views

2007-04-24T00:19:00.000-07:00

What role do women play in Muslim communities - and does wider society focus on the negative stereotypes, rather than the real people?

For the Muslim Voices week, the BBC brought together two women who had never met, a playwright and a business woman, and
asked them to share their views…

The Religious Wrong Strikes Again

2007-04-21T07:37:00.000-07:00

I lifted this from Adam’s Blog… stuff like this freaks me out and pisses me off… tales of intolerance from the Religious Wrong need to be told and retold...

Last night's performance of INVINCIBLE SUMMER was disrupted when eighty seven members of a Christian group walked out of the show en masse, and chose to physically attack my work by pouring water on and destroying the original of the show outline.

For the full story, visit mikedaisey.com

Tom Stoppard

2007-04-18T20:41:00.001-07:00

Okay, I'm spending way too much time on YouTube, mainly surfing for nonexistent monkey porn and weird rap videos made by troops in Iraq. It wasn't a total waste of six and a half hours. I still have plenty of time to finish that script before first rehearsal, and I did come across this...

My Kingdom for a Podcast

2007-04-17T09:48:00.000-07:00

Bill Goes Digital...