Production Dates Announced for LULLABY

Specific Gravity Ensemble has announced the production dates for my play, The Most Beautiful Lullaby You've Heard.

This scrappy, big-hearted Louisville theatre ensemble is doing great work on the play, and will be presenting the work in a really wonderful venue in downtown Louisville. As part of their mission to present work in creative/found spaces, Specific Gravity is producing the play in one of the gallery spaces of 21 c, a hot, contemporary art museum/hotel in the happenin' part of town.

21 c describes themselves as North America's first museum dedicated solely to collecting and exhibiting contemporary art of the 21st century.

Hot.

Big thanks again to Rand Harmon of Specific Gravity, and William Morrow, Director of 21 c Museum.

I think it will be legendary.

The show goes up:

September 21 at 8:00
September 22 at 8:00
September 23 at 5:00

September 27 at 8:00

September 28 at 8:00

September 29 at 4:00
September 29 at 8:00

September 30 at 5:00

October 1 at 8:00

If anyone is in Louisville and wants to meet up, I'll be there during the show's tech week and opening weekend.


rock on,

ROMERO

SHARPEN MY DICK Lives On

Written for Working Man's Clothes' spring production, FuckPlays, my ten-minute play, Sharpen My Dick, has found another life in another fucktastic production.

For the past 14 years, a scrappy theatre in Wilmington, Delaware has lived by these rules:

"City Theater Company is committed to ridding the planet of complacency, redundancy, indifference, and fear-- thereby clearing the way for fun, electricty, cool art and some major chutzpah. We seek out what makes us most afraid and then attack it with an odd, supernatural fury. We breathe in and out in time with our audience, and the resulting electrical charge produces theatrical shock waves that deman attention.

The folks here believe theatre should be filled with big energy, big ideas, big fun, and other big stuff we haven't even thought of yet. Meanwhile, we burn bridges and bite bullets. We pound the pavement, shoot the moon, damn the torpedos, and laugh 'til it hurts.

We do stuff that rocks, and we have one hell of a time."

Now THAT is a mission statement that I can stand behind and I'm happy as hell to be rockin' with them.

Our project together, Sex Plays, goes up (one night only!) on October 13th, 2007.


rock on,

ROMERO

Creative Team Announced for THE MILKY WAY CABARET

The rest of the creative team for The Milky Way Cabaret has been confirmed and lots of wonderful work is taking place. This has turned into a "big" show in terms of people-power (which I love), and that was evident in last night's rehearsal in which almost everyone was called.

The rehearsal room was full of talented, fun, energetic people and the buzz was buzzin'. I feel very lucky to have so many awesome people putting in such a great effort.

Under the leadership of mindy a. beers (Artistic Director) and Lindsay Krieg (Producing Director) of The Cardboard Box Collaborative, our full creative team now includes:

Director......................Andrew J. Merkel
Dramaturg...................Andrew H. Beal
Stage Manager..............Matthew Dell'Olio
ASM..........................Jen Weeks
Set Design...................Stephen Hungerford/Andrew J. Merkel
Lighting Design.............Stephen Hungerford/Andrew J. Merkel
Sound Design................Stephen Hungerford/Andrew J. Merkel
Costume Design.............Jamie Grace-Duff
Musical Composition........Kevin D. Chun and Adlai A. Waksman
Master Electrician...........Brian Smith


For the production's cast announcement, click HERE.

And for more details on the show, click HERE.


rock on,


ROMERO

Cast Announced for THE MILKY WAY CABARET

We are into our second week of rehearsals for The Milky Way Cabaret, and the actors are doing some really wonderful work. I am always encouraged when actors make brave choices and aren't afraid to show themselves, to be vulnerable, and to totally live in the moment (and to be precise about these things).

So far, this group has been pretty good at digging deep and trusting themselves, and each rehearsal has taken us a little bit deeper into the lives of these strange and heart-breaking characters.

I've given these actors the challenge of playing:

A woman who travels through black holes
An alcoholic with magic powers
Two assassins in clown clothes-- one of them just out of prison, the other without a heart
A former Homecoming Queen
A sadistic night-club owner
A seven year-old with magic powers

We see these guys travel through time and space while eating fruit, fail at magic tricks and drink elephant piss, put out cigarettes on each others' faces, hula-hoop like a dream, beat each other with dildos, and make necklaces appear out of thin air.

It's been a wild ride and it will only get better.

And for that, I love these guys:

TRAVLIN' ALICE...............Cherie A. Roberts

ARNIE...........................Daniel Higbee

BUZZ............................Steven Wright

CHARLOTTE....................Katy O'Leary

LORRAINE......................Brittany Brazill

MR. BOSS.......................Tom Wang

LITTLE ALICE..................Brenna the Magnificent

The rest of the awesome creative team will be announced soon.

In the meantime, you can go HERE for more information about the show (including tickets!)



Rock on,

ROMERO

My Brother is a Rock Star

My brother, Hunter Briley, is the lead vocalist for a Nashville-based rock band, NOVEMBER, that is poised for a big rockin' break out.

They've been playing NYC alot lately and the buzz around them is vibrating loud.

I think they have a great sound, and these guys are good dudes. I wish them nothing but the best, and I encourage people to check them out.

They've just completed a video for one of my favorite songs of theirs, "The Grind" (you can check it out below).

To learn more about them, feel free to check out their MySpace page.

The Grind

Call Me Teacher

This bit of good news shows up in the recent newsletter sent out by the University of the Arts in Philadelphia:

Greg Romero will be teaching Survey of Theatre, having recently located from Austin Texas. Greg has an MFA in Theatre (Playwriting); University of Texas-Austin. His play "The Most Beautiful Lullaby You've Ever Heard" recently closed Off-Off Broadway.

How 'bout that?

Later this month, I'll begin teaching at University of the Arts, landing a teaching gig with my very FIRST application (awesome!). I feel lucky and thrilled to be part of the program at University of the Arts. I've met a couple of their alumni (both are working actors in Philadelphia-- one of which is working with me on The Milky Way Cabaret) and have been impressed with their talent, professionalism and big hearts. From all accounts, U/Arts seems to be doing alot of things right, and I look forward to engaging with this institution as a participant of something I can believe in.

I'm very much looking forward to this teaching experience-- it will be a wonderful opportunity to continue to explore my own dynamics and questions as a teacher. It will be an opportunity to bring my energy to the academy while continuing to work as much as I can as a professional.

It is my hope that I will continue to find ways to engage with my students as much as possible-- to continue to find ways to make learning as enjoyable and as rewarding an experience as possible for those who take on my class.

In short-- it is my hope to continue to bring my passions into the classroom and to listen and learn from the passions of my students.

And lastly-- big big thank yous to Gene Terruso, Director of the School of Theatre Arts, for taking a risk hiring me.

Good times.


Rock on,

ROMERO

THE MILKY WAY CABARET Production Dates Announced

The full-length commission I've been working on, The Milky Way Cabaret, just announced its production dates.

As part of the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, this production will be performing on the third floor of Plays and Players Theater (1714 Delancey Street) at the following days and times:

September 6th, 10:00 pm
September 7th, 10:00 pm
September 8th, 10:00 pm
September 11th, 9:00 pm
September 12th, 9:00 pm
September 13th, 9:00 pm
September 14th, 8:00 pm
September 15th, 8:00 pm

I am REALLY excited about this show.




If the poster isn't enough motivation, this is what the play is about...

With an alocholic magician, clown-costumed assassins, and daughters who travel through black holes, we ask: Is humanity bigger than the Universe? Is a heart bigger than a planet? Set in a South Philly nightclub, The Milky Way Cabaret is a theatrical love letter to the city of Philadelphia.

It's gonna be awesome!

rock on,

ROMERO