Monday April 4

Today I read, and reread in some instances, play for class. I read five scripts in total. There wasn't a whole lot to explain... it was just reading, but it was pleasant. I read "Radio Free Emerson" by Paul Grellong, "Almost and Evening" by Ethan Coen, and "Gruesome Playground Injuries" by Rajiv Joseph. All were published in the last two to three years. This was the second time I've read "Radio Free Emerson" in the past couple weeks. I'll have to speak to my classmates about all of the texts, but I'm leading the discussion on Grellong's play. The scripts isn't bad. It's got a lot of dark humor to it. Reading often helps you become a better writer, as you analyze an author's techniques you can pick out what you like and what you'd like to showcase. "Almost and Evening" wasn't bad either. Once again, it was pretty satirical. It's composed of three short plays. The third was my favorite, especially the first act. You can tell Coen typically deals with film not theatre. His stage directions were insanely detailed, down to the very flick of a wrist. He had a very specific vision in mind. "Gruesome Playground Injuries" is a full length play bound with two others "Animals Out of Paper" and "Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo". I wasn't crazy about "Gruesome" it was well written, but not my type of story. "Animals" was great, and "Bengal Tiger" was absolutely superb. It is a poignant, existential examination of the Iraq war. The dialogue is beautiful. It's currently debuting on Broadway with Robin Williams as the tiger. I've read some bad reviews, but none of them were that convincing. It's a complex play dealing with current, unsettling conflicts. Tickets are over two hundred dollars... I'd love to see it myself but I don't think that'll happen anytime soon.