The San Francisco Olympians Festival has just posted a call for directors! If you want to get involved with this exciting festival, this is a great way to do it! If you do decide to throw your hat in the ring, you can see what each playwright is planning to write by visiting the San Francisco Olympians Festival website and clicking on the list of characters under the SF Olympians: The Trojan Requiem bar on the right hand side of the page.

Here are all the details from the San Francisco Olympians Festival facebook page:

The 2013 San Francisco Olympians Festival: Trojan Requiem is a festival featuring commissioned plays by Bay Area playwrights revolving around The Trojan War. The 12-show festival includes several full-length pieces, extended one-acts, and evenings of short plays based on a similar theme. For more information about the festival, visit http://www.sfolympians.com.

The SF Olympians Festival is accepting letters of interest from directors between April 1 and April 30, 2013. Please note that as a reading festival, SF Olympians is focused on the playwrights’ creation process and the development of new work. Ultimately, directors will be selected and contacted by the individual participating playwrights, not assigned by the Festival. To build our community of directors, we are offering potential directors two ways of engaging with our playwrights: submission of a letter of interest and an invitation to participate in our Directors/Playwrights Mixer on Wednesday, May 8th.

To be considered by the 2013 Olympians playwrights, please email the following information with the subject line “Olympians Director – YOUR NAME” to tracy@allterraintheater.org by midnight on April 30, 2013. Letters of interest will only be accepted by email.

Letter of Interest Guidelines:

1. Please provide your name, phone number, and email address.

2. What does new play development mean to you as a director?

3. Are there any topics in this year’s line-up that are particularly exciting to you? OR Why is Greek mythology exciting to you?

4. Have you ever participated in the Olympians Festival before? If yes, please list your involvement.

5. Availability for Important Dates (see below).

6. Your resume (optional).

Please do not exceed one page with elements 1-4, and please send all your information as one document (.doc or .pdf). Thank you!

In your email to Tracy, please include the line: “I understand that directing a reading in the festival is a volunteer project.”

Directors/Playwrights Mixer, Wed, May 8, 2013

This year, we are hosting a mixer to allow playwrights to meet potential directors and to give potential directors a chance to direct a one-page scene of some of our commissioned works in progress. We will provide actors and will distribute scripts at the event in Oakland. This will be a fun opportunity to get to know other members of the theater community. Participation in this event is not required

Important Dates

Tue, April 30 @ midnight – Final date to submit Letter of Interest

Wed, May 8 – Directors/Playwrights Mixer (Oakland)

Mon, June 3 @ 7pm – Directors Orientation/Meeting (SF)

Sun, Sept 22 @ 6pm – Writers/Directors Meeting (SF)

Sun, Sept 29 @ 2pm – Auditions (SF)

Mon, Sept 30 @ 7pm – Auditions (SF)

Fri, Nov 1 @ 8pm – Opening Night Party

Nov 6 – 23 – Festival

We hope to see you soon on Olympus!

Monday, May 20th is the date, mark your calendars! Audrey’s play Audrey Scare People Play will receive a staged reading during Theatre Pub’s PUB FROM ANOTHER WORLD! The evening will take place at Cafe Royale in San Francisco and will start at 8pm. Audrey’s play will be up first, so that she can come and watch it, so you’ll also have the opportunity to meet the playwright! She’s very excited about the whole thing, this is going to be good!

Here’s the full line up:

Audrey Scare People Play by Audrey Kessinger

Audrey tries to get Scare People out of her house.

Support Group for the Mortally Challenged by Bridgette Dutta Portman

Immortality isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

The Overnight Exchange by Kirk Shimano

What if you had someone sleep for you? Would you miss your dreams?

Days of Future Whatever by Sang Kim

Kevin time traveled. Kevin time travels. Kevin will time travel.

Mrs. Youngblood by Allison Page

One psychotic nanny. One terrified girl. Three knives.

Origin Stories by Sunil Patel

Two superheroes walk into a bar. Who walks out?

The Progress of Perception by Timothy Kay

A mad scientist enhances his sight and doesn’t like what he sees.

Horny by Marissa Skudlarek

Losing your virginity is an important decision for a young woman. Especially when you have a unicorn.

Last month when I heard all of Under The Gods’ Golden Cleats out loud for the first time something became very clear… I am bad at writing certain things. Throughout the play there is a cluster of cheerleaders that make up a cheerleading chorus and they have chants and cheers throughout the piece keeping the audience up to date, and to make you feel like you’re at a football game. This was part of my original idea, and I wanted to really utilize it because it also gave more lines in the play for women. At reading, I could barely hold back my laughter when the poor souls that I assigned to be the cheerleader chorus tried to read my overly-wordy and complicated cheers. For some reason, I remember being so excited when I realized zealots and helots rhyme (helots were Greek slaves), and it wasn’t until the reading that I saw how much that didn’t matter because neither word should EVER be crammed into a cheer… Ever.

Then there’s the lullaby… Achilles’ mom, Thetis tries to sooth her son with a lullaby after Patroclus is killed. Oy vey. I tried to set it to the rhythm of “hush little baby”… When I heard that out loud it became very clear that I had no idea how to do that. A friend told me, you’re putting the wrong emphasis on the syllables… It was like she was speaking a foreign language.

In case you were wondering what I’ve been doing lately, it’s this… Rewriting all my terrible versus…. And you know, for those of you keeping count… I think it’s taken me longer to write the 8 or so cheers and 1 lullaby than it took me to write the rest of the play. Yeah, that’s how hard it is for me.

In other things that I’m not good at, very exciting developments and plans are being made for The Fantasy Club production coming this summer, and I can’t tell you anything! Will announce as soon as I’m given the green light.

Big day today… Trying to take care of all of my snail mail submissions… Let’s see how I did….

The Chameleon Theatre Circle is looking for new full length, one act, and ten minute plays for their 14th Annual New Play Contest. You may submit up to two scripts, they must be mailed, and the deadline is April 31, 2013. I sent in two ten minute plays; Horny Like The Wolf and Mother Of The Year.

Lucky Penny Productions in Napa is seeking plays shorter than 15 minutes with a holiday theme. You must mail in your script, and there is a $15 fee. They will wave the fee if you object to reading fees, or it is a financial burden, be sure to mention this in your cover letter if that is the case. I sent my holiday comedy, Oy Oy Oy, Merry Christmas!

There’s this fun new project called Bookshop Workshops and they workshop new full length plays in bookshops around the country. If you’re interested in getting involved, they’d like you to email in a 15 page sample of a completed full length that has not be produced or published. I sent them a sample of My Sister’s Baby.

A podcast called You Heard It Hear First is looking for plays less than 30 minutes to be read on their monthly show. I sent them a ten minute back in February and they told me to send them more, if I had any more… Of corse I have more! So I sent in, My Body, The Birthday Blow Job Debacle, Her Special Day, and The Hole. You should email your scripts for this one.

In my sunny hometown of San Diego they have the annual North Park Playwright Festival. They’re looking for plays that are less than 15 pages, and you must mail in your script. Only one per playwright. I sent them Horny Like The Wolf.

Last but not least, I sent out my monologue Mr. Tangerine Man to a series called The Mirror Monologues. They’d like monologues for women, by women. The piece should be between one and three pages long, and you’ll need to mail it in.

I’ve got 24 submissions under my belt! I can almost taste the end of this binge! Now off to the post office….

It’s the 19th of March already! Oy, I am behind on my binge. I went away to Southern California last week, my older sister had a baby girl so I came down to help and cook for a few days. But I’m back now, and trying to catch up! Let’s see how far I can get…

I submitted Mother Of The Year, a ten minute play to SF Theatre Pub’s Pint Sized Play Fest. The want plays that take place within the amount of time it takes to drink a beer with a ten minute, and three character maximum. Also, all plays must take place in a bar. Deadline is April 15th, 2013.

I sent in an updated draft of my full length play My Sister’s Baby to Artemisia. They are seeking scripts for their Fall Staged Reading Series, and want those scripts to have at least one strong female character. Plays must be full length, and their deadline is April 1st, 2013.

Pegasus Theater Co. is looking for 10 minute plays for their summer short play festival, and I sent them Horny Like The Wolf, and Brothers That Lie Together. You can submit up to two plays, and the deadline is also April 1st, 2013.

Play-Makers Spokane seeks plays 10-15 minutes in length, about any topic but must be family friendly. I sent them Garbage Disposal, which just might be my only family friendly play.

Over in Kentucky, Somerset Community College wants comedic plays between 5 and 15 minutes without any profanity or sexual content. I also sent Garbage Disposal their way.

And finally, I sent The Blue Slipper Theatre two ten minute plays; Horny Like The Wolf and Nap Time. The deadline for their 2nd Annual 10-Minute Play Festival is May 17th, 2013.

So that’s 14 plays submitted so far this month. Couple more power submitting days like today and I’ll be golden!

This amazing poster comes from the art director of the San Francisco Olympian Festival, Cody Rishell. The festival kicks of November 5th, and this poster makes me think November can’t come soon enough!

Under The Gods’ Golden Cleats, my full length play about Achilles will have a reading on November 9th, but keep in mind that there are THREE weeks of plays, and you should keep your schedule clear so you can make it to as many as possible. No big deal, just keep all of November free. I mean, look at that poster, I don’t think with an image like that you can afford to miss any of it!

Meow! Do you have a cat? Do you have pictures of this cat? Great! All Terrain Theater’s Woman In Solodarity, Cat Ladies need them! Please send us your pictures and our favorites will be displayed at the performances!

You can email your photos to me at rnbublitz@gmail.com. Thank you in advance!

There are SO many things happening all at once for me right now, here’s a recap of my weekend and things to look for coming soon….

The 31 Plays in 13 Days crew recorded 18 plays this weekend! Tracy Held Potter did a phenomenal job by organizing this epic event and getting all the talent together. And Chelsey Little kept everyone on task like a pro! I’m blessed to be creating with such amazing ladies. I also want to shout out to all those people who stepped up and helped up direct and act in the pieces, and I want to send out a big, heart warmed thank you everyone! THANK YOU!

Playwright’s Center of San Francisco has auditions TOMORROW night! My one act Terrible People will have a staged reading in July, and there are a lot of other great pieces being workshopped. Be sure to email Brady Brophy-Hilton your headshot and resume for a slot!

I’ve also been tweaking Under The Gods’ Golden Cleats, because I can’t stop myself from working on this play around the clock. I added some hilarious yet disgusting lines in which Paris describes exactly what goes on between and the bovine mascot Helen, that he kidnapped from the Greeks’. Hilarious yet disgusting might just be my thing… Hmmm…

Today was also another day of rehearsals for All Terrain Theater’s Woman In Solodarity. I am pleased to report to the world that I have remembered how to direct, and it’s not nearly as scary as I thought it would be. Cat Ladies is shaping up to be an incredible show. Be sure and secure your tickets soon, a show this good will sell out quick!

On a non-theatre related note, I set my clocks the wrong way which would have made me two hours late for everything… Luckily there are smart people in my house and I was corrected. Hope your time change was smoother!

There’s more, but it’s time for dinner. Have a good night everybody!

I’m gearing up for my first rehearsal for All Terrain Theater’s Woman In Solodarity this morning, and across town my partner in crime, Tracy Held Potter, will be recording the 31 Plays in 31 Days podcast. Big things are in happening here in Berkeley! Make sure you keep your eyes out for the podcast, and be sure to buy your tickets soon for Cat Ladies on brownpapertickets.com.

Okay, that’s all for now.

Last week Audrey, my soon to be 5 year-old daughter wrote a play called Audrey Scare People Play, and it blew up out the box. People all over the internet were singing it’s and her praises, and she loved every minute of it. But the best reaction by far to her play was said to me yesterday by her pre-school teacher. I told her about the play and how many people had read it, and that we’d submitted it for a possible staging and she replied, “Great, like your kid needs any more confidence.” Seriously. So maybe there are people who are just awesome and know what life is about from the get go, and don’t ever struggle with self doubt because they have confidence in abundance even at the young age of 4? I’m a little scared that I might be raising one of them if that is the case, but bring it on…. She also gloats when she beats the other (mostly older) kids during swim practice…

Will she write another play? I asked her just the other day… She said, “Yes. One will be about a Princess and a dragon, one about a unicorn, and one will be a Grinch-y play. Annnnnd, I want to write a play about um, about a dog and someone walking the dog.”

Enjoy your weekend!