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Went over to Pittsburgh on Sunday to see Peter Roth’s play Ganglia. This is the second time that I’ve been over to Bricolage, the first was for Midnight Radio several years back, which is a really cool experience. Each time I’ve been to Bricolage I’ve been impressed by the quality of the productions they have, as well as the quality of the lobby experience. That’s right. The lobby experience. Each production I’ve been to has interactive “exhibits” in the lobby that engage the audience. This most recent was possibly the most fun I’ve ever had filling out a demographic survey: moving around interacting with various displays.

Peter received a very good reading of his play, which is a quasi-B movie scifi send up of brain-invading parasites, love, and relationships. It is, at base, an examination of human relationships (sexual, friendships), their failings, their triumphs, uncertainties seen through an attempt by aliens to understand and, to some extent, suppress them. Peter is a good playwright, though, and the consideration of these subjects is surprising, funny, and never simplistic or passe. Each character is unique, has a strong voice and purpose, and the play continues to leave me thinking about them.

Just finished my first :10 minute play for the project. I was given the prompt of Shmokee (two elephants smoking marijuana) by Joe Park. Playwrights receive their prompt in dramatic fashion like choosing lots and then raising the prompt high for all in attendance to view. In addition to the prompt, the play must have a tool used incorrectly, a character who finds something, and a character who curses something.

I’m working with Gregg Ashbrook II, and Lynda and Andrew Santa. In discussions with them I learned that Gregg likes characters with “rough edges”, Lynda wanted to play an “evil mastermind” and Andrew a “lazy, toady.” All this combined lead to rather surreal short play I named “Spare Room” involving a construction worker and a entranced/distracted serial murderer and her assistant. To see the short, come to the May 6 Manhattan Project event at Mahalls.