One of my Plays is Currently Benefitting Animals in Arizona

My short play, The Race, is currently running in Prescott, Arizona, thanks to the good folks at The@trics Theatre.  As bonus, the event, Pet Plays, is a benefit to raise funds for the Yavapai Humane Society.

As someone who LOVES animals, this brings me great joy.

As the poster indicates, there are four performances, running from June 6th - 8th, all taking place at First Congregational Church.  I wish I could be there to see all these pets.

It also brings me great joy that this play, which steps inside of a dog's dreams, also honors two dear friends who I originally wrote the play for -- Ann Taylor and Timothy Verret -- over ten years ago while living in Austin, Texas.  I'm so happy that The Race lives on, and in such a purposeful way.

Big thank yous to The@trics Theatre and best of luck to them and to all the awesome animals receiving love from the Yavapai Humane Society.

much love,

ROMERO

PLASTIC THINGS, Victoria

Of Plastic Things and Butterfly Wings performs tonight in Victoria, British Columbia, thanks to the good folks at Kate Rubin Theatre and Drama Studio.

The studio's Youth Performance Company will present this Theater for Young Audiences work tonight, June 5th, 2013, at 8:00 pm at the Intrepid Theatre Club, and I enjoy thinking about this play (and its characters-- a Plastic Water Bottle, a Blue Crab, a Turtle, a Parrot, all the broken-down objects in The Gyres) being performed by young actors (which will be a first-- previous productions in Philadelphia and Phoenix were performed by adult actors).

Photo from Kate Rubin Studio's Teen Acting Intensive

This performance also marks the first time one of my plays has been produced in Canada, which is a really thrilling new threshold for me.  I'm so happy that my work is living outside of my own country.

This performance is also the first of my plays to ever be licensed through a publishing company, also  thrilling new territory for me, and for that I am grateful to the good folks at YouthPLAYS, Inc.

Big thank yous again to everyone who helped create this work, and to everyone who has made the continued sharing of this work possible.

much love,

ROMERO

P.S. To visit the publication page of Plastic Things, you can visit YouthPLAYS, Inc.

Space 55 Opens PLASTIC THINGS in Phoenix

It has been a good year already for my play Of Plastic Things and Butterfly Wings.  Published earlier this month by YouthPLAYS, this all-ages play opens today, January 26th, in Phoenix, Arizona.

Brought to life for its second production (the premiere by Little Fish Theatre continues to tour the Philadelphia/NJ-area), the good folks of Space 55 have put together an impressive group of artists who will present the work each Saturday and Sunday through February 10th, for nine performances total (2:00 pm and 7:00 pm shows on Saturday, 2:00 pm on Sunday).

This production, directed by the lovely and talented Michelle Kable, will include live music, puppetry (including a shadow-puppet version of "the Gyres"), and will feature a set made of recyclable materials, all in the intimate environment of Space 55's downtown Phoenix home.

For more information about the show, you can visit Space 55's website HERE.

I am grateful to Space 55 for taking on this work, and for continuing and expanding its life.  Big leg-breaking thank yous to director Michelle Kable, and performers Mack Duncan, Ron Foligno, Pina, and Dilcia Yanez.

much love,

ROMERO

PLASTIC THINGS Published by YouthPLAYS

I am completely excited to announce that my play, Of Plastic Things and Butterfly Wings, is now published by YouthPLAYS, Inc., a Los Angeles-based publisher and licensing house.

The Oldest Sea Turtle Who Ever Lived (Josh Totora), Reginald the Blue Crab (Kevin Chick), and Sam the Plastic Water Bottle, from the Little Fish Theatre production; Philadelphia, PA; September 2012.  Photo by Charlotte Leigh.

As my first attempt at writing a theater for young audiences play, this experience, from conception to presentation to publication, has been a thrilling, rewarding journey, introducing me to new collaborators and new audiences.  This project is one of the highlights of a very satisfying body of work.

It is my hope that, in addition to the productions already in progress, the publication of this play will give this work a continued and sustained life, playing out over and over again with audiences and imaginations of all ages.

It is my hope that Sam the Plastic Water Bottle, Reginald the Blue Crab, Billie the Parrot, and The Oldest Sea Turtle Who Ever Lived will get to play together for a very long time.

To visit the Of Plastic Things and Butterfly Wings' publishing page, visit YouthPLAYS here.

Sam's Father (Kevin Chick) and Sam's Mother (Maryruth Stine) caught in The Gyres.  Photo by Charlotte Leigh.

Big congratulations and thank yous to Little Fish Theatre for originally commissioning and trusting me to create this play, and for all of their support during the process.  Also, big congratulations and thank yous to the members of the 2012 Winter Studio at Drexel University, whose creativity and exploration inspired the first draft of Plastic Things.  Big thank yous also to Charlotte Leigh, who, by good fortune, happened to photograph one of our performances.  And huge thank yous to Jonathan Dorf and Ed Shockley of YouthPLAYS, Inc., for believing in this play, and for their generosity during the publishing process.

much love,

ROMERO

BABEL a Finalist for Source Festival

With much enthusiasm, I share news that THE BABEL PROJECT is one of 25 finalists selected for Source Festival, a new works festival in Washington DC.

The Babel ensemble from the 2012 WordBRIDGE Playwrights Lab.  Photo by Phoebe Troiani.

Source Festival, which began in 2008, is one of my favorite new works festivals, as it has a wonderful history of generosity and artistic experiment.  Featuring several different forms of live theatrical works, BABEL is under consideration for one of the three works to be selected in their "full-lengths plays" programming.

Big congratulations to my collaborator, electronic music composer Mike Vernusky, whose work on this piece is completely thrilling.

Congratulations as well to the entire roster of finalists, whose works and bios can be viewed here.

Mike and I both hope to continue working on this project, and to create and sustain a long, unpredictable life for this play and for our relationships with the people who collaborate with us.

Huge thank yous to Source Festival, to the 2012 WordBRIDGE Playwrights Laboratory (whose developmental process was truly excellent, and whose collaborating artists were even more truly excellent), and to the awesome student-ensemble at Drexel University (where we developed a very early version of this work).

much love,

ROMERO