Stay in the Moment, Paz!
Auditions for one of my fall shows start tonight. That’s right… ONE of my fall shows. I think I have set myself up for a month of panic attacks by agreeing to direct/develop two pieces that open within two weeks of each other in October. Luckily one is a remount and one is a workshop, [...]
Dreams Come True…!
No lie. Just the other day (while I was off here) I wrote a poem called “List of Wishes.” I wrote it before I had any coffee, so mostly it is an incoherent ramble about all the things I wish for. Coffee tops the list and ends the list, but right in the middle I [...]
Whoa! Fa$hion Has a Plot!
A couple of months ago, the Artistic Director of Halcyon Theatre invited me to write a play for their Alcyone ’11 Festival: Remixed. The conversation went something like this: Tony: We’re doing this festival where we ask contemporary female playwrights to remix/adapt plays written by women before 1850. Playwrights can do anything they want as [...]
Podcast! Talking About Chicago, Theatre, History, and My Job
I haven’t been posting much because I’ve been busy with things like writing a new play, chasing my two year old, and actually working. At my actual J-O-B. We’re hosting a Symposium on Chicago Theatre History: Past, Present, and Future that starts this week. I’ll be honest. The whole thing has been kind of a… [...]
Cutest Lip Gloss EVER!!!
Today, I was walking from the Harold Washington Library (always awe-inspiring) back to my office (about 8 blocks) when it started to rain. And rain. And RAIN! Normally, I would not be grateful for a sudden downpour, especially because when my hair is left to its own devices it turns into a curly-on-one-side mess, but [...]
JCrew: Gender Warriors?
I just did something I almost never do – send a letter of SUPPORT to a company. I know… wow! In their recent catalogue, JCrew included an adorable picture of Jenna Lyons, their company president and creative director, painting her son’s toenails neon pink. And then the internets freaked out, writing about how she was [...]
Balm vs. Gloss: No Contest
I know this is a shocker for many of you, but I have a lot of lip gloss. A lot. Almost all of it the same colours. I mean, you have to know what works for your colouring, and I look great in Orange, Raspberry, and Gold. Nothing too pink (red hair) and nothing too [...]
Ahhh… Finally Got a Makeover!
Amores, if you’re one of the people who visited my website in the past couple of months… okay, who am I kidding… YEARS… you might have wondered why I was still sporting the same hairdo from 2006, why I never seemed to age, and why I hadn’t directed a show or held a job since [...]
Going Pro
Amores, for years my favourite lip gloss was MAC Lip Glass or MAC Lustreglass or MAC Dazzleglass – basically, MAC could do not wrong by me. If they made it, I’d buy it. And then, a few things happened. One, I realized that despite wishing and hoping, I’m not rich… And for the cost of [...]
On Kelley Williams-Bolar for Paper Machete
What do lip gloss, purple walls, and a woman convicted of “stealing an education” in the state of Ohio have in common? Not as much as you’d think, but I make a compelling case in this piece I wrote and performed for Paper Machete. And btw, Jon Burge sucks.
Raise Awareness. Yeah Yeah Yeah… So What?
I don’t have any love lost for FaceBook campaigns that ask you to change your status in support of This N’ That or Blah Blah Blah, so when people started changing their profile pictures to cartoon figures and posting statuses that said they were doing so in the name of raising awareness about child abuse, [...]
TOUR GUIDES!!!!
Oh Whoa! I have been so busy writing about Target I forgot to tell you about my show that opens on December 3rd!!!!!! I have a show that opens on December 3rd! TOUR GUIDES is an insider’s peek at Chicago, written by 10 poets from across the city and directed by The Lovely and Talented [...]
Target Is No Longer My Great Love. Just The One I Call When I Need A Little Somethin’-Somethin’
The rumours are true! I broke the Target boycott. I decided Target is a [bleepy] corporation, but a lot less [bleepy] than the stores I was taking my money to instead. Do I feel good about it? Nope. Here’s my 100% ambivalent letter to the company:
Sigh….
Amores, I’m STILL writing letters to Target and STILL waiting for a considered response. Here’s the latest. I hope you’re still with me. And if you are, don’t forget to send a letter of your own: gregg.steinhafel at target.com, denise.may at target.com, and guest.relations at target.com. Hola Target, I don’t know about you, but this [...]
The sound of a bubble bursting…
The news from Target this week is that talks with the HRC over donating money “broke down” when Target decided it needed more time to think about what political donations mean. I wish they’d started thinking about that BEFORE they donated money to MN Forward! (And anyway… I’m not a huge fan of the HRC.) [...]
Third Letter to Target
Still no answers from Target. I wish they loved me as much as I love them… Sigh… Anyway, here’s my third letter. Dear Esteemed Target Bigwigs, This is my 3rd letter to you. I don’t mean to seem like a deranged stalker or someone with too much time on my hands, but I really want [...]
Why, Target, Why?
Last week I posted my letter to Target, asking them to counter their support for anti-gay political candidates with actual dollars to LGBT friendly organizations. I got back a totally douche-y form letter that answered none of my concerns, so I wrote back. My letter is below, and I encourage you to send one of [...]
Letter Writing Campaign… Join In!
In response to the news that Target donated a boatload of money to some gay-haters, I’ve decided to boycott my very favourite store. This is hard for me, because I love, love, LOVE Target. But I also have, you know, some self-respect. A boycott is only effective if you communicate that you are boycotting, and [...]
The Americans
I started my new project today! The Americans is a piece about race and American identity during our current immigration crisis. I’m creating the piece based on interviews, community workshops, and archival documents (which includes newspapers, the Constitution, letters, etc). A big 20-30 minute chunk will be developed in collaboration with Halcyon Theatre* for the [...]
New Gig, Useful Resource
Well, amores, I have a new gig. I’m a weekly commentator on race, pop culture, and the media at Vocalo.org (89.5). I just recorded my second appearance, talking about things ranging from the controversy over a school mural in Prescott, Arizona to the victory of GOP gubernatorial hopeful Nikki Haley in the South Carolina primary. [...]
Ch-ch-changes…!
Oh My Gosh! THANK YOU to Keturah Davis for finally fixing my site so that I can update my blog/current events page! I have been stuck on June 2009 for almost a year (thanks a LOT, Blogger). For all four of my devoted fans I offer the following recap: – Directed a few shows, wrote [...]
In February 2009, Attorney General Eric Holder said this: Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards… By creating what will admittedly be, at first, artificial opportunities to engage one [...]
Talking about (shhh…) R-A-C-E
In February 2009, Attorney General Eric Holder said this: Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards… By creating what will admittedly be, at first, artificial opportunities to engage one [...]
Official!
I am now an Artistic Associate with Teatro Americano. I think I may be their first one? I’ll be directing/developing two projects with them over the coming year. The first is already in progress: Meet Juan(it0) Doe is a piece their youth ensemble has been creating under the direction of Ricardo Gamboa (who is also [...]
