Blog for Dean Poynor

PARADISE KEY in New York

2010-03-01T10:54:00.000-05:00

UPDATE: I was in NY last week, despite the snow, to work with Fred DeFeis and the cast on the final rehearsals of PARADISE KEY which opened recently at Arena Players Rep on Long Island. It was good to see the show on its feet, and the performances were brave and inspiring. It's a two-hander so both the roles are huge, and it was humbling to watch the actors give them so much life and meaning. I'm looking forward to going back this weekend to watch some of the run.

Here's an article from the Long Island Pulse on the selection of the show.

PARADISE KEY Opens on Long Island

2010-02-23T08:38:00.002-05:00

My new play PARADISE KEY will open this week at Arena Players Repertory Theatre on Long Island (NY), as part of their 59th season. The Artistic Director of APRTC, Fred DeFeis, will direct.

Set in 1951, this play explores the historical roots of interrogation in America. We follow a young Counter-Intelligence agent named David as he interviews a German medical doctor. Over the course of one night, David must find what the doctor has been hiding - a vaccine for Polio - or risk an American disaster.

WHEN: February 26 - March 21
WHERE: Arena Players Repertory Theatre - Google Map
MORE: 516-293-0674
TICKETS: Available on TheatreMania.com

BELLHAMMER Opens at CMU

2010-02-03T16:21:00.000-05:00

I'm thrilled to announce that my new play, BELLHAMMER, will be presented in workshop production at Carnegie Mellon University directed by MFA director Katherine Brook. This play represents my MFA thesis, and should be a rocking time.

BELLHAMMER is an epic tale of glory, fame, and the temptations of Television. Set in the world of Christian Professional Wrestling, we follow Sampson Bellhammer, champion wrestler and man of faith, as he does battle against the forces of darkness all around him. Will Sampson fulfill his calling from God to victory over evil, or will the entire universe slip away into utter destruction? When he is tempted by fame and fortune, will he give in, or will he fight? Yup. He's gonna fight. And it's gonna get ugly.

WHEN:
Wednesday, February 10 @ 8:00 PM
Friday, February 12 @ 4:00 PM
Saturday, February 13 @ 8:00 PM

WHERE:
The John Wells Studio Theatre
Purnell Center for the Arts
CMU School of Drama
4908 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213

MORE:
Tickets are limited. Contact the Box Office at (412) 268-2407.

Upcoming Reading of Homo apocalyptus

2010-01-25T14:37:00.002-05:00

I'm pleased to announce a reading of my Zombie pscyho-thriller play Homo apocalyptus in San Franscisco later this spring. I was contacted by a hip young director Kirk Johnson who proposed this collaboration as part of their New Play series. He works with The Garage Theatre and it promises to be an exciting night.

Reading of BELLHAMMER

2009-12-13T11:48:00.006-05:00

My new play BELLHAMMER will have a reading at Trustus Theatre in Columbia, SC on Tuesday evening, December 15.
BELLHAMMER is the story of a Christian Professional Wrestler named Sampson Bellhammer who stumbles upon the ultimate secrets of the universe. When he is tempted by fame and fortune, will he give in, or will he fight? Yup. He's gonna fight. And it's gonna get ugly.

BELLHAMMER is the thesis play for my MFA at Carnegie Mellon, and will have a workshop production in Pittsburgh in February, 2010. Check back soon for more details.

ORGANUM Selected for KCACTF Region II Reading

2009-12-11T08:52:00.003-05:00

I learned this week that my new ten-minute play, Organum, was selected for a reading at the 2010 Kennedy Center / American College Theatre Festival Region II Conference. Organum is the story of a travelling monk in medieval France who brings a beautiful and dangerous gift to a rich young lady: he teaches her the secrets of musical harmony, despite the Pope's official decree against it. The word "organum" comes from Latin (as in organs of the body) and describes this type of early music. It also carries with it the meaning that all the parts must work together to achieve the full potential of the whole.

This short play was developed specifically for the excellent Theatre Lab at Carnegie Mellon, and I am really proud that other CMU writers were also selected for this event.

SALK Screenplay wins Sloan Award

2009-09-25T21:34:00.004-04:00

I'm extremely grateful to announce that my screenplay SALK has been selected as the winner of the 2009 Student Screenplay Competition sponsored by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. As the winning entry from Carnegie Mellon University, this award comes with a $25,000 prize. SALK is the true story of the life of Jonas Salk and his quest to find a Polio vaccine.

Salk lived and worked here in Pittsburgh, and I immediately felt a kinship with him. I became fascinated with Polio and mid-Century vaccination sciences, and that sparked a separate project that went in a totally different direction. It eventually became my award winning play PARADISE KEY, which suggests an alternate history of the discovery of the vaccine.

UPDATE: Check out the web site Science and Film, sponsored by the Museum of the Moving Image, for more information about the Sloan awards and the Sloan community. They also have a synopsis for SALK listed under the Student Film Awards section.

LOSING SLEEP Opens Off-Off Broadway

2009-08-23T10:20:00.010-04:00

If you're in New York City this week, come check out my award-winning play LOSING SLEEP which is opening Off-Off Broadway, produced by the American Theatre of Actors. I've enjoyed working with the theatre and the director Michael Bordwell, and I'm excited to see the results. Swing on over to the Facebook Group for photos, cast info, and more.

Show opens Wednesday, August 26, 2009 at ATA's Sargent Theatre - 314 West 54th Street (between 8th and 9th Aves).

For tickets, please call (212) 581-3044.

Reading of PARADISE KEY

2009-08-15T11:54:00.003-04:00

I'm very glad to announce that my play PARADISE KEY will have a reading today in Columbia, SC, at the amazing Trustus Theatre. PARADISE KEY was selected as the winner of the 2010 Trustus Playwrights Festival, a nation-wide competition that receives hundreds of entries each year. Some notable past winners of this contest include David Lindsay-Abaire, Stephen Belber, Sarah Hammond, and John Tuttle. This reading is the first step in a year-long development process that will culminate in a full production next August as part of the theatre's 25th anniversary season.

Staged Reading of Homo apocalyptus

2009-08-05T15:50:00.012-04:00

I'm thrilled to finally be presenting a staged reading of my new-play-in-development, Homo apocalyptus, here in Key West, FL. The reading will take place on Thursday, August 6, 2009, at 7:00 PM, at the old Key West Armory, the home of The Studios of Key West, which has been our generous host for a development residency this summer. This reading is the result of a tremendous amount of effort during this residency, but it also means that summer is drawing to a close, and my days in Key West are soon to end. (Hopefully I'll make it out, before the Zombies arrive...)

UPDATE: Here's an interview I had with Eric Holowacz, the gracious and hospitable Director of TSKW.

No Such Thing as Bad Press

2009-07-27T18:11:00.004-04:00

The South Carolina weekly Columbia City Paper did an article about me in their most recent issue. We talked about writing and stuff, but I have to say I don't remember it happening exactly that...

Also, here's an article by the Southern arts aficionado Jeffrey Day on his blog Carolina Culture. He was interested in our Key West residency for my new play in development Homo apocalyptus, and kindly sandwiched us in between other local arts events.

Finally, here's the official news item from The Studios of Key West with more details about Homo apocalyptus and the reading coming up August 6.

LOSING SLEEP in New York

2009-07-16T19:13:00.005-04:00

I'm very pleased to announce that my play LOSING SLEEP will be produced in New York by the American Theatre of Actors next month as part of their Summer Directors Series. I'm looking forward to this production, and working with director Michael Bordwell.

Show opens August 26, 2009 at ATA - 314 W. 54th Street. For tickets, call (212) 581-3044.

PARADISE KEY Wins Playwriting Award!

2009-07-01T12:45:00.007-04:00

OK, I'm really excited to announce that my full length play PARADISE KEY has been named the winner of the 2010 Trustus Theatre Playwrights Festival. This is a national competition for full length plays, that receives hundreds of entries each year. I knew I was a finalist a few weeks ago, and now I've been told I won! That means they will have a reading of the play this fall (August 15, 2009), I believe, and then a full production next fall.

Check back for dates, times, more info, and more jubilation!

New-Born Epic by Master Writer Suzan-Lori Parks

2009-06-20T11:29:00.005-04:00

The Public Theatre presented a new work-in-progress last night by the amazing Suzan-Lori Parks as part of their Lab series. The piece, titled Father Comes Home from the Wars (Parts 1 and 8) was the start of a nine-part epic retelling of the Iliad and Odyssey from the perspective of a newly freed slave living in South Texas, 1865. Although we only saw part of the story, I'm assuming that we will see the slave, Homer, journey to freedom, and then return to his love, Penny, as suggested by the archetype. There were hints at other time periods, and multi-media elements, but the core we followed was the immortal tension between the hope of freedom, and the agony of experience.

And it was a beautifully crafted piece, full of intricate language and astounding performances. The subtle musical accompaniment and rhythmic movement (direction by Jo Bonney) counterpointed the text without distraction. And the generous asides and humor (including a wonderfully loyal dog) brought us in to the mix easily and naturally. The audience sat as the lights came up, clearly wanting more, (the ushers had to tell us it was over � please go home now) and I couldn't help feeling like I was a part of a unique moment. I can hardly wait to see this whole thing come to completion, and I'll be proud to say "I was there when..."

Key West Development Residency

2009-06-05T11:25:00.006-04:00

I'm getting excited about the opportunity to workshop a new play this summer during a residency at The Studios of Key West in Florida. TSKW is a unique place offering residencies and facilities to artists for project development. I'll be down there from late July through mid August, working with some of my favorite collaborators of all time on a brand new piece.

The play is a campfire tale about life after the Zombie apocalypse; it offers a meditation on survival, family, and cost of being human. After a few months on other projects, I'm finally turning my focus back to this one, and I think it's going to be fun.

Pleasure Writing

2009-06-01T13:20:00.004-04:00

Now that school is finally done (for a few months, at least) I can focus on some other projects that have been simmering away in the back of my mind. One of these, a yet-to-be-titled psychological thriller, will have some further development in Florida during July and August (more details to follow). All I can say is it's good to write things that excite you.

Play Reading at CMU

2009-04-15T17:45:00.004-04:00

I'm excited to announce a reading of my new full length play, PARADISE KEY, coming up in exactly two weeks. It will be at the CMU School of Drama, on the third floor in the Brown Studio, on Wednesday, April 29th at 6:30 PM. No tickets are required, but you can contact me to learn more.

South Carolina in April

2009-04-07T18:24:00.003-04:00

This past weekend I was in beautiful, blooming South Carolina for a few fun events. I was able to see the stage version of BRICK, based on the original film written and directed by Rian Johnson, at J.L. Mann High School in Greenville. It was adapted by my buddy Chris White, a phenomenal actor / teacher / director / writer / collaborator, and I heard that Rian's response to the piece was equal in excitement to mine. Well done, Chris!

I was also able to hear a reading of a new play of mine that's still in development. It's about Zombies, and I'm working with some of my favorite all-time partners at Trustus Theatre in Columbia. This project has been simmering for a while, and will come to full boil with a guest artist / residency planned for later this summer in at The Studios of Key West, in Key West, Florida. We're taking the script through a development process down there, and hope to put on some readings / staged performances of it, and see what we've got. I'll post more about this opportunity later - this is just the sneak preview!

CAFE UNDEAD at WQED

2009-03-25T18:06:00.006-04:00

A short tele-play that I wrote called CAFE UNDEAD will be shot tomorrow at the Pittsburgh Public TV affiliate WQED. This piece follows two survivors who find themselves trapped in a dead end situation. Things go from bad to worse when company arrives.

UPDATE: Here are some great photos on Flickr from the shoot.

Reading of JOY OF COOKING

2009-03-23T16:18:00.008-04:00

My 10-minute play, JOY OF COOKING, had a staged reading this week as part of the Actors Theatre of Santa Cruz "Best of the Rest" short play competition. JOY OF COOKING is the story of a woman who must learn to cook in one night, or risk losing her marriage and maybe her sanity.

Word of the Day - Holotype

2009-03-21T10:56:00.002-04:00

holotype: (n) the original specimen which is used to describe a new species

I was visiting my dinosaurs at the Carnegie Museum last week, and I ran across this great word. The museum has the original skeletons that defined the species Diplodocus carnageii, as well as the infamous Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Their particular T-Rex was discovered in 1902 by Barnum Brown in the Hell Creek Formation in Montana, and it toured the country, ending up at the Carnegie in the 1950's. Fossil hunting was a messy, wild-west business back in the day, full of shady dealers, each spinning out their own argument for why this skeleton was better than another. By chance (and perhaps more human intervention than we care to admit), a new species was created on those dry Montana plans.

We forget that man names the animals. That "species" is just one more concept slapped on to the world in order to make sense of it. We love to label and taxonomize; and sometimes we come up with descriptions like "Tyrant Lizard King" that seem to stick. Also, it's amazing to think that there is one T-Rex (who lives in Pittsburgh), just like there still is one Dodo (who lives in London).

The Need to Write

2009-03-13T18:47:00.018-04:00

“

We always write the play we need to write, right now. There is always a reason for this play, and it's always because of something we are dealing with in our lives. Once you figure out what the play is dealing with, then make everything about that one thing.

”

- Milan Stitt (1941 - 2009)

Emerging Voices of MORAL SUPPORT

2009-02-28T15:52:00.004-05:00

If you�re in the D.C. area in early March, you should come check out my short play MORAL SUPPORT at the historic Lincoln Theatre. They are presenting 5 works in their first annual �Emerging Voices Playwriting Competition,� and MORAL SUPPORT was selected to receive a staged reading by a professional cast. The event takes place on Thursday, March 5, 2009 at 7:00 PM, and you can reserve tickets by email: rsvp@thelincolntheatre.org .

New York Sights

2009-02-21T15:53:00.004-05:00

So while I was in New York this weekend, I got to check out some new shows, and see some old friends. I was thrilled to catch up with super-star-rising playwright Sarah Hammond (an old Trustus Theatre alum) and enjoy some lox-on-bagel at Eisenstein's on 6th. We jawed about the joys and sorrows of the craft, and encouraged each other that at least one person on earth would be interested in hearing that crazy idea... Also while I was there, I was picked up by a Culturista web site for my boisterous behavior. Plus I saw Jane Fonda.

Reading of New Play at CMU

2008-11-21T15:58:00.003-05:00

I'm looking forward to a reading of a new play I'm working on coming up in the next few weeks. The play is tentatively called DEVIL'S KEY, and it will be read at Carnegie Mellon University on Wednesday, December 3, 2008 at 8:00 PM, somewhere in Purnell Hall. This piece has deviated sharply from its original trajectory, so I'm excited to hear how it sounds.

The play takes place in 1951, in the sweaty back room of a U.S. Army safe house on one of the Florida keys. It only has two actors, a younger American investigator, and an older Doctor, who must both solve the mysteries of their pasts, in order to leave the room alive.