My work-in-progress comedy-fantasy Earthquake Weather will have an online staged reading on October 18, 2020, produced by Playwrights' Center of San Francisco, directed by Libby Vega and performed by Roberta Morris, Karen Offereins, Julie Sarabia, Ava Maag, and Cary Ann Rosko. San Francisco: Astronomical rents. San Andreas Fault. Elves. Shoe-making, home-wrecking elves. Four women – … Continue reading October 18 Reading: Earthquake Weather
Author: chasbelov
Not at War
Not declaring war on holidays or anything but I've been realizing when I look at someone I can't tell whether they celebrate any holidays around this time of year or not. For instance, Hindus, Muslims, and Buddhists do have holidays, but those are not necessarily around this time. And, just as I don't want to … Continue reading Not at War
It’s Not Just Pronouns
There's been a lot of talk in the last several years - longer than that, but it's been much more in the public eye lately - about gender pronouns. A polite person does their best to ensure that they refer to others using the correct pronoun, so that they are not referring to someone by … Continue reading It’s Not Just Pronouns
To stream or not to stream, that is the question
I stream music. Sometimes. Not at the moment. I've been on Apple Music on and off for the last couple of years. Every so often, I take a break from it. I'm on a break right now that started perhaps two months ago when I let an annual subscription expire. This is driven by a … Continue reading To stream or not to stream, that is the question
Representative Tlaib is redefining for us what Muslim Women can do – and we’re freaking out
(Updated Monday, Jan. 7, approx. 10 pm PDT) I am not a fan of public cursing. Not to say that I never do it, but I think it is often overused. I do use it in my plays where I believe it illuminates the world of my characters. Some of my plays have extensive cursing, … Continue reading Representative Tlaib is redefining for us what Muslim Women can do – and we’re freaking out
Recipe: Chas’s Microwaved Yam Strawberry Surprise
Made this on the fly this morning from some farmers' market items and stuff I had around, and it worked! Micromanaged instructions are aimed at me; please don't be insulted and feel free to adjust to your needs. Per serving: 1 large yam, about 1 pound (I suspect it's actually a sweet potato but the … Continue reading Recipe: Chas’s Microwaved Yam Strawberry Surprise
My Non-Gendered Pronoun Proposal
Chinese gets by just fine with no gendered pronouns; why can't English? And we can fill some holes in our pronoun system while we're at it. I've been thinking about this since I posted I am They as You are They and now I think I've got a workable solution. PersonSingularPlural not including listenerPlural including … Continue reading My Non-Gendered Pronoun Proposal
For the record, I loved Krista Knight’s (Un)hinged
Krista Knight is a young playwright well-known and well-loved in the new plays community. She’s well-loved both for her work (her plays have been produced all over the country) and for her personality, which is supportive, generous, and kind. If you scroll through her Instagram (@playtrixx), you’ll see her promoting the work of other […] via … Continue reading For the record, I loved Krista Knight’s (Un)hinged
Why I Write Plays About Race
“I don’t see color! WE ALL BLEED RED.” People of color, you have almost certainly had white people say this to you, or some version of it, numerous times. It’s a lie. But you already knew that. White people, of course we “see color.” We see that people are Black, or Asian, or Latinx. So … Continue reading Why I Write Plays About Race
Finger snaps in Logic Pro X
This post is short and sweet. For anyone looking for finger snaps in Logic Pro X, they can be found in the library under Percussion > Performance Patches > Claps and Snaps Performance. Claps run C2 through A2 by half-step. Snaps run C3 through D3 by half-step. There is also a stomp at F3. To … Continue reading Finger snaps in Logic Pro X
Recipe: Chas’s Microwaved Yam Surprise
Made this on the fly this morning from some farmers' market items and stuff I had around, and it worked! Micromanaged instructions are aimed at me; please don't be insulted and feel free to adjust to your needs. Per serving: 1 smallish yam (I suspect it's actually a sweet potato but the farmer calls it … Continue reading Recipe: Chas’s Microwaved Yam Surprise
I am They as You are They
My use of "they" over "he" or "she" has greatly increased over these last few years. I use "they" when I don't know the gender of the person or when the gender of the person is irrelevant. Further, by "know the gender," I used to mean my perception of a person's gender and now I … Continue reading I am They as You are They
This is Not a Pipe, 2017 Version
Apologies to René Magritte. And apologies to Randall Munroe if xkcd got here first with this joke. Of course, if Magritte were in charge of this, the correct action would be to click Skip. There are no images of pipes; there are only images of drawings of pipes. Nothing would happen, of course; this is an drawing of … Continue reading This is Not a Pipe, 2017 Version
Processing “Do Black Lives Matter at Your Theatre? In Your Films?” by Bitter Gertrude
Melissa Hillman's post came just in time for me to see Brownsville Song (B-Side for Tray) by Kimber Lee at Shotgun Players. It's great to know that at Shotgun, the answer is yes, both in front of and behind the stage. At Marin Theatre Company as well, where they regularly do more than one show … Continue reading Processing “Do Black Lives Matter at Your Theatre? In Your Films?” by Bitter Gertrude
Julius Caesar: Suddenly Controversial — Bitter Gertrude
*sigh* Will there be any airline left for me to fly with? The Public Theatre is staging Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar as part of its annual Shakespeare in the Park, and hauling out that most overdone of concepts: Julius Caesar is POTUS! They’re all in suits! It’s AMERICA! This is exactly why I never directed Julius … Continue reading Julius Caesar: Suddenly Controversial — Bitter Gertrude
Theatre Resistance Plan, 2017 – 2020
Theatre during the next four years – read this!
There is no more powerful tool for changing ideas, shifting cultural zeitgeist, and resisting authoritarianism than art. While theatre is not the biggest bat artists wield, our impact on the culture is not nil, especially if you include community theatre and school plays, and we must. Resistance to the Trump regime is the most crucial political battle of our lifetimes because this regime– and the zeitgesit behind it– stands to undo progress in every area of our society. Trump, Pence, McConnell, Ryan et al are actively seeking to impoverish you to enrich themselves, roll back every civil rights and workers’ rights gain of the past 100 years, eliminate every consumer protection, eliminate the social safety net, and pretend you begged them to do it. It’s telling that the very first appointee of the incoming administration was an amoral white nationalist, and the very first act of the new Congress was…
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In For a Penny: Bum-rush the Show!
Playwrights, we need audiences like this at our readings. Reblogged on WordPress.com Source: In For a Penny: Bum-rush the Show!
Academia, Love Me Back
Latina scholar gets called out for alleged plagiarism in front of class by prof for using the word “Hence”. Totally unprofessional behavior (even if the charge were true) gets magnified by years of microaggression.
Not that she needs my approval – she doesn’t – but her writing ability is clear from her blog post.
My name is Tiffany Martínez. As a McNair Fellow and student scholar, I’ve presented at national conferences in San Francisco, San Diego, and Miami. I have crafted a critical reflection piece that was published in a peer-reviewed journal managed by the Pell Institute for the Study of Higher Education and Council for Opportunity in Education. I have consistently juggled at least two jobs and maintained the status of a full-time student and Dean’s list recipient since my first year at Suffolk University. I have used this past summer to supervise a teen girls empower program and craft a thirty page intensive research project funded by the federal government. As a first generation college student, first generation U.S. citizen, and aspiring professor I have confronted a number of obstacles in order to earn every accomplishment and award I have accumulated. In the face of struggle, I have persevered and continuously produced…
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Skipping disliked songs in iTunes
I'm a big fan of iTunes, and am growing to love Apple Music. Two things I love about Apple Music is that I can follow my interest in popular music from around the world and can research different musicals to inform the one I'm writing (not to steal, but to learn what works for me … Continue reading Skipping disliked songs in iTunes
Birth of a Musical
I should have known this was coming. I've been writing songs and instrumentals since I was 4 (my first was a song about Tigger that I have the sheet music for around somewhere - my father transcribed it for me), but at some point became dissatisfied with my lyric-writing ability. My straight play Hemlock (it's … Continue reading Birth of a Musical