News and Updates

Over the next two weeks, I am thrilled to be developing my new treasure hunting play, THE MORE BEYOND at The Puzzle New Works Festival with Marble Collegiate Church here in NYC. Marble Church has a long history of supporting the arts, and this festival is a chance to dig into the script in rich detail. I'm excited about this play, fresh from my intensive workshop at The Playwrights' Center , and I'm glad to see it coming into focus. It's a large work, and thanks to the heavy lifting of the crew of the actors, director Aaron Vega, and dramaturg Brian Hansom, we are finally getting a glimpse of the whole scale. More to come!

This week I have the privilege of visiting the Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis, MN as one of their Core Member Apprentices for the 2010 / 2011 season. The Core Apprentice program, in association with the Kennedy Center / American College Theatre Festival, recognizes student playwrights and provides a year-long mentorship relationship (in my case with generous Mat Smart), as well as an intensive developmental workshop. I am bringing piping hot pages of my new underwater treasure hunting play, and with Mat as dramaturge, and Brian Balcom as director, we hope to see what's under there. Developmental residencies provide an opportunity to try new things and hear fresh perspectives on your work, and with this play, I hope to uncover something of lasting value.

This week a new, high-energy production of my play Paradise Key opened in Austin, TX at the Hyde Park Theatre . The production features Austin's own a chick and a dude productions and runs from March 31 through April 16. I'll fly down there next week for a post-show talk-back, and to enjoy the run. Actor / producer Shanon Weaver as David gets locked in the room with Tom Green as Halb, while Melissa Livingston directs. Dangerous fun. UPDATE: After a great opening weekend, the production received critical praise, and strong audiences responses. I was able to participate in a talk-back session after a show this past Friday, and every last audience member stayed in their seats to listen. Check out these reviews online: "Buckle your chin strap." "Excellent performances by both Tom Green and Shannon Weaver tell the uncomfortable story."   - NowPlayingAustin.com "Poynor has great strengths as a playwright." "Two characters, one room, and a...

I was honored to present some new pages this weekend at an event recognizing the late Milan Stitt for his contribution as a playwright, teacher and mentor. It was a small gathering at the Dramatists Guild of former students representing CMU and a few guests, and we chose to share work-in-progress in the spirit of continuous learning and growth. I offered a piece of my Treasure hunting play. I was glad to hear those Milan phrases again - write big plays, ending problems are page one problems, what is this play about , writing is the scab we use to cover wounds of the soul - and I was reminded to always sharpen all my pencils, and then write with a pen.

This week I had two amazing and unique theatrical experiences that represent the excitement happening on the squishy edges of the definition of theatre. I was glad to be able to snag a single ticket to see the consternating Rude Mechanicals performance of The Method Gun on a limited engagement tour in New York City at Dance Theatre Workshop . While to my mind this fell squarely in the "theatre" category, I sat there amazed as the ensemble dissected performance, the study of acting, the nature of mentors and gurus, and the twin dragons of Risk and Doubt. The show was a stunning meditation on the true danger of the stage, the power of art, and the debt we owe to those who went before. Plus, it had a tiger, and it left the whole audience gape-mouthed and weak-kneed. And then I got some Greeks. The very next day I got an email saying that a coveted seat had opened up for the super-select production by Exit, Pursued by a Bear , a hotbed of creative passion and talent. (If th...

The rise of mass media and broadcast television in the late 40's and early 50's fanned the flames of public outrage against Polio, and also galvanized the forces that found a cure. In the spirit of historical redux, check out the new promotional video for my play Paradise Key coming to the Hyde Park Theatre in Austin, TX produced by a chick and a dude productions . I have had a great time working with Shanon Weaver (at right) and director Melissa Livingston (not pictured), and I promise that if you "like" this on Facebook, nothing bad will happen to your computer. UPDATE: In an interesting public-health-related twist, there will be no smoking during this production because of Austin City ordinances. The artistic team is working to maintain the historical accuracy presented in the script, while trying not to break the law.

I am simultaneously humbled and jazzed-out-of-my-socks to hear that my MFA-thesis play Bellhammer , an allegorical meditation on the nature of goodness set in the world of Christian Professional Wrestling, has been named a Semi-Finalist for the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center's 2010 National Playwrights Conference . I am honored to be recognized by this amazingly prestigious group, and I'm gratified that this piece is being considered.