News and Updates

Took a tour of the Juan Sebastian de Elcano , a training vessel for Midshipmen of the Spanish Naval Academy. This beauty, built in 1927, is about twice the size of the Javea in THE MORE BEYOND but holds about the same number of crew. For all that's changed in the last 300 years, sailing is still taught by the basics - navigation, duty, and the power of the wind.

This Monday evening, head over to Trustus Theatre for a reading of my new play THE MORE BEYOND . Set in 1622 and 1980, this play follows a doomed Spanish treasure galleon that wrecks off the coast of the Florida Keys, and a treasure hunter in modern-day Key West who must recover the lost silver and find his former glory. I'm very glad to have a host of my favorite actors and friends bringing this piece to life. WHERE: Trustus Theatre, 520 Lady St., Columbia, SC ( Google Map ) WHEN: 7:00 PM, Monday, April 16

This weekend one of my short plays, CORPORATIONS ARE PEOPLE, TOO, will be featured in a series of performances called Occupy the Empty Space . OtES seeks to raise awareness of housing issues in NYC, and foment activism through the purposeful use of theatre and educational outreach. My play takes a satirical look at the changing nature of the employer-employee relationship from the perspective of a girl who gets some very bad news. It will be directed by Barbara Harrison and performed by Leal Vona. WHEN: Sunday, March 18th from 2:30 – 7:30 WHERE: Judson Memorial Church, New York, NY 55 Washington Sq South (South side of Washington Square Park) West 4th St (A/B/C/D/E/F/M) or 8th St- NYU stop (N/R).

This month I'm making a journey to Rwanda for a few weeks of theatrical research. I'm studying a wedding dress rental business in the town of Kibungo, sponsored by the Anglican Church in Rwanda, in hopes of writing a new play about it. The shop rents used wedding dresses - most donated by American church-goers - and has become a hub in a new micro-economy that includes cleaners, tailors, and delivery people. All focused on the growing popularity of weddings in Rwanda these days. I want to find out more. Follow me online, here, or on Twitter: @Deanomiter .

I have a workshop of my new play THE MORE BEYOND coming up with one of New York's hottest young companies: Exit Pursued by a Bear . If you haven't heard of EPBB yet, don't worry - it's the ultimate secret house party theatre - but definitely sign-up for their email list. (And check out their Times article.) Artistic Director Ed Sylvanus Iskandar (MFA CMU, NYTW fellow, etc.) has created a unique atmosphere for doing theatre by literally opening up his home as a creative gymnasium for rehearsal, exploration, and production. Ed's hospitality is infectious, the atmosphere is electric, and his cooking is fantastic. I'm looking forward to work with Greg Van Horn and the EPBB team on my new play. Bonus: Look for Ed's direction in These Seven Sicknesses by Sean Graney at The Flea this winter.

Congratulations to Shanon Weaver, Tom Green, and Melissa Livingston of a chick and a dude productions for three nominations at the 2011 B. Iden Payne Awards for their amazing production of Paradise Key ! The B. Iden Payne Awards are awarded annually by the Greater Austin Creative Alliance to recognize outstanding contributions to the Austin theatre community. And Paradise Key was nominated for Best Drama, Best Director (Melissa Livingston), and Best Actor in a Drama (Tom Green as HALB).

This weekend I had the disembodied pleasure of spending some time in the Gershwyn Hotel on 27th Street to bear witness to The Amoralists' new pair of productions called Hotel Motel. These twin-bed shows both exemplify the essence of hotel - that displaced intimacy, that public space that houses private impulses - and the whole event leaves one aware of the great schism. The Amoralists excel at unrelenting acting and immersive interpretation; the shows probe and prod, at times uncomfortably and with the detachment of a physical exam. But we are in the hands of professionals. Derek Ahonen's "Pink Knees on Pale Skin" follows Innocence and Experience as they struggle to unite through sex therapy. And Adam Rapp's "Animal's and Plants" - a fever dream in a snow storm - is like whittling on a bone. Kudos to the teams and production for presenting this challenging work.