Is “trannie” a “four-letter word”?
Don’t worry, I can count–yes, trannie is literally a seven-letter word. But is it also, more figuratively, a “four-letter” word, a word with the profanity-level of the “F-word” or the history and toxicity of the “N-word”? Since Christian Siriano’s repeated use of the word “trannie” on Project Runway and SNL’s subsequent parodies of him and … Read more
The Business (Cards) of Theatre (Artists)
As theatre artists, companies, and venues work increasingly harder these days to present and promote themselves online, what remains of old (old-fashioned now?) business practices? Do you and/or the company or venue you are associated with still use business cards? And if so, how much and what kind of information appears on these business cards? … Read more
On Colleagues, Contacts, and Coworkers; or What We Call People We (kind of) Know (With a side of vintage Paul Reubens)
As a writer, I am not unique in finding words fascinating … and funny and frustrating and fickle (ie. slippery, deceitful, dangerous, and unreliable). I’m equally interested in how our individual vocabularies change throughout our lifetime; there are endless examples of this, but I am thinking specifically of the acquisition of “grown-up” words. As we … Read more
Word to Your Drama
Word to Your Drama I’m currently reading New Playwriting Strategies (not quite so ‘new’ now; Routledge, 2001) by Paul C. Castagno, which attempts to flesh out one of the more recent aesthetic trends in American playwriting. Castagno identifies his case studies as ‘the language playwrights’: Len Jenkin, Eric Overmeyer, and Mac Wellman. More on this … Read more
Brevity is the Soul of Wits, Tweets and Twits
Brevity is the Soul of Wits, Tweets and Twits In Hamlet, it is Polonious who utters the famous and frequently quoted line, “Brevity is the soul of wit.” While in the play this remark evokes ironic humor because it is only one line of many that Polonius spews during a sprawling, cautionary speech to his … Read more
Dowd the Rogue Dramatist
Dowd the Rogue Dramatist On Sunday, July 12, the NYT featured yet another Op-ed by Maureen Dowd about…drum roll…SARAH PALIN. Shocking, I know. In this piece,entitled “Sweet Tweet Revenge,” Dowd has composed a faux Twitter dialogue between Sarah Palin and John McCain, both of whom do, indeed, tweet. Back in April, I wrote a post … Read more
Pericles, Day 4
Pericles, Day 4 It is not everyday that you get to see a live performance of a play that you are reading, so I am very excited that I will have the opportunity to attend a production of Pericles this summer. If you live in the Tampa Bay area, this coming August, Jobsite Theatre Company … Read more
Words in Full Bloom
Words in Full Bloom “Nicky, my breath smells like the last rose of summer,” announced Anniebell with a chuckle and a scrunching of her face. My Great Aunt Anniebell has made this announcement not once, but countless times through the years, and admittedly, I’m still not quite certain what the line means: Are roses noxious … Read more
Stop, or I’ll – - – - t!
“Stop, or I’ll – – – – t” Two five-letter words have surfaced frequently in the past week as the divisive debates over Twitter and gun violence have continued to mount: shoot and tweet. Eric Etheridge’s 4/29 NYT article “All Twittered Out?” surveys the mixed feelings that Twitter continues to evoke and suggests reasons why … Read more
