tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49008395019826728052024-02-21T06:04:52.680-08:00PianoFightPianoFighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14042942251154069646noreply@blogger.comBlogger159125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900839501982672805.post-4496502000729829502011-02-10T02:29:00.000-08:002011-02-10T02:34:07.490-08:00Somewhere in Time: The Playwright Explains His Obsession For You
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Nina Haradahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07027292593787167412noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900839501982672805.post-42585424911289261612010-11-29T21:34:00.000-08:002010-11-29T21:34:12.970-08:00PF LA Sponsors Original New Comedy: Happy HolidaysThe LA chapter of ShortLived 3.0 featured two very different, but equally funny and witty writers James C. Ferguson and Thomas J. Misuraca. We chose a piece from each writer, having no idea that they were friends and writing partners who often collaborated on other theater pieces and even film.
Misuraca's piece, "Communication", about two friends who randomly run into each other, is just asNina Haradahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07027292593787167412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900839501982672805.post-47669212522551849132010-10-22T14:38:00.001-07:002010-10-22T16:08:18.001-07:00American Theatre Magazine / Readership HATES Technology and YouthThe following is a post which makes the case that American Theatre Magazine, and a good chunk of its readership, hates technology and youth. Exhibit A - AMT recently posted this status update on their Facebook page:"Has theatregoing etiquette seriously declined in recent years? And if so, what's the cause, and what might be a good solution?"Objection Your Honor, leading. Seriously this is the Carl Bensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01411747529339867393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900839501982672805.post-59595269632872842722010-08-12T12:04:00.000-07:002010-08-12T12:36:36.604-07:00Cool Ass Shit To Do This WeekendThursday, August 12:Opening Night of the San Francisco Improv Festival - 7:30pm at The Eureka Theater - TICKETSFeaturing Big City Improv, Awkward Face and the SF Comedy College All StarsPianoFight hosts a kick-ass local line-up of improv comedy groups with German minimalist surf rock house band Das Haus Band holdin' down the beats and leading Das Sockenhopfen after the show.Friday, August 13:DeadCarl Bensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01411747529339867393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900839501982672805.post-59643704347959498872010-07-29T23:21:00.000-07:002010-07-29T23:25:46.955-07:00Low Shoulders film - discussions of Sex n' ViolenceWe've updated the Low Shoulders blog, which chronicles the creation of PianoFight's first short film project. Check out the new post on sex and violence as it relates to our film, Low Shoulders, and others here.-EvanEWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16105434221823333011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900839501982672805.post-38401626356559149732010-07-28T16:53:00.001-07:002010-07-28T16:55:04.373-07:00Low Shoulders film - movie night fundraiser, the Toxic Avenger!We're having a fundraiser movie night to raise money for Low Shoulders, PianoFight's first short film project! Date is Saturday, August 7th, doors at 7pm.Check out more info about it, see the flier, scope some raffle prize potentials, at our blog, lowshoulders.wordpress.com.tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/121889If you wanna check out the post on the Toxic Avenger event EWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16105434221823333011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900839501982672805.post-8846248743536654752010-07-23T13:20:00.000-07:002010-07-23T13:39:49.841-07:00Devil Driver's 25 Part Behind the Scenes DVD SeriesPianoFight homie and occasional collaborator Dan Burke is putting together a 25 part behind the scenes video series on kick-ass metal gurus Devil Driver. Dan has been shooting video for Devil Driver since they got together in 2003 (his brother, Dave, has also been galavanting around the world with the band on tour as a guitar tech for a number of years now), so I've had the opportunity to see Carl Bensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01411747529339867393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900839501982672805.post-40263792031505383352010-07-23T09:58:00.000-07:002010-07-23T11:51:33.273-07:00Those Crazy Ancient Greeks Alive and Well in SFThe last paper I was tasked with writing in college was supposed to be on Ancient Greek Theatre, the topic of the class I had been loathing all semester long. Having dragged my feet for a month it came down to 24 hours before it was due, and I hadn't started. After thinking about the paper for, really, the first time, I quickly decided that instead of an essay I'd write a one act play, and that Carl Bensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01411747529339867393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900839501982672805.post-6016845589768037932010-07-21T16:24:00.000-07:002010-07-21T16:38:25.354-07:00ShortLived Short Going to FilmA piece called "Witness to a Murder," written by Evan Winchester, which competed in ShortLived 3.0, has now been renamed to "Low Shoulder" and is in pre-production for a short film. Elijah Wolfson (who has shot numerous excellent things for PianoFight) has signed on to direct and Gabrielle Patacsil (starred and produced many PF shows) is handling production.The whole process has been pretty Carl Bensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01411747529339867393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900839501982672805.post-11605056715476271072010-07-16T14:27:00.000-07:002010-07-16T15:16:47.251-07:00"It's the community, stupid."(NOTE: This is in response to a post on the Theatre Bay Area Facebook page titled "Theatre, Community and Mission." Also, very glad TBA posted this and is actively working to engage its members on this subject.)Ever hear that phrase, "It's about the work"? I certainly have. In classes mostly but also frequently in a professional context. "It's about the work." It bugs me just to type it. Because Carl Bensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01411747529339867393noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900839501982672805.post-41724427971085029352010-07-15T15:59:00.000-07:002010-07-15T16:20:12.287-07:00FoolProof Four @ Cafe du Nord this FridayFriend of PianoFight, Noah Grant, just so happens to be in one hell of a soulful trio called FoolProof Four and they're playing Friday, July 16th at Cafe du Nord at 8:30pm with Maria Taylor and Andy LeMaster and Morgan Nagler of The Whispertown 2000. Show should be domb diggidy! FoolProof Four has got a full length album in the works and will release their first single, "We're All For Sale," in PianoFighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14042942251154069646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900839501982672805.post-1355181644856945162010-06-21T23:31:00.000-07:002010-06-21T23:31:22.276-07:00My Inbox
With so few ways to really measure your successes and progress in this business, it’s important to celebrate all of the moments, big or small, which do in fact indicate that you are on your way… that you’re in the game… that you have a career.
I realized one of these moments today when I noticed that I had three emails in a row in my inbox that were from directors of different projects Nina Haradahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07027292593787167412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900839501982672805.post-53507785144278349222010-06-21T11:27:00.000-07:002010-06-21T11:43:36.068-07:00Monday Night ForePlays - Video SheezThe June show of PianoFight's Monday Night ForePlays, "SummHER Lovin'," has been racking up the love left and right. Last week, VidSF.com came by to get the lowdown on Monday nights at PianoFight:Then, on Wednesday of last week, PianoFight's female fueled "SHEketch" comedy took the stage at The Independent as part of WomenROCK. Special thanks to Bernadette and Ziva for putting together one hell Carl Bensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01411747529339867393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900839501982672805.post-43887559771590814802010-06-10T16:20:00.000-07:002010-06-10T16:20:10.742-07:00Even When You Make It, You Don't Make ItWe all know this business is tough. Yeah, and the sky is blue. Not asking for sympathy, just sayin’…
It’s hard enough to get an audition.
Then to give a GOOD audition.
Then to get a callback.
Then to give a GOOD audition, again.
Then to get the call that you got the part! (wahoo! but don’t get excited just yet…)
Then to hold on to that part. (They went a different direction, the funding Nina Haradahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07027292593787167412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900839501982672805.post-50309187663067835852010-05-27T14:45:00.001-07:002010-05-27T15:15:24.105-07:00PianoFight Invades SF Fine Arts FairThrough an odd set of circumstances, PianoFight managed to obtain all access passes to the recent SF Fine Arts Fair - a pretty massive event the likes of which haven't been seen in the Bay Area for seven years. On hand at the Fort Mason Center was about $300 million in art, by over 500 artists and about 80 internationally renowned galleries. There were also free sandwiches. Point is, it was a Carl Bensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01411747529339867393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900839501982672805.post-57848177678246246082010-05-14T10:47:00.000-07:002010-05-14T11:20:56.358-07:00Couldn't Happen To a More Professional JournalistIf you're relatively new to this blog, you may not know that I can't fucking stand ABC's Jake Tapper. And this past Sunday, his hosting stint on ABC's "This Week" garnered the show's lowest ratings since 2006. Good. This guy needs a swift kick in the ass. He is a TERRIBLE journalist. Examples:In this May 13th column, he actually pilfers a headline straight from the May 11th episode of The Daily Carl Bensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01411747529339867393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900839501982672805.post-11672600653368902542010-05-05T15:36:00.000-07:002010-05-05T15:48:26.963-07:00OMG! Kristin on The Hills Last Night!!!!!OMG guys! Did you peep Kristin Cavallari on the May 4th episode of The Hills?!?! It was TOTZ ridic and craze!! She wore fab new earrings from Emma Rose Designs which are for sures the fresh new pick of the season (aka, seas). Check it:Also, Kristin might be a drug addict.Back to the important part of the episode, the earrings, aren't they great? They were designed by Emma Rose Shelton, who is a Carl Bensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01411747529339867393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900839501982672805.post-65194416662168726352010-04-29T09:52:00.000-07:002010-04-29T10:00:30.848-07:00Hostelling InternationalPF homies Stuart Bousel, Rana Weber and Julia Heitner were involved in this short for Hostelling International (funny! watch now!):Stuart, who wrote the script for the above short, and Julia, who plays the woman from the exotic land of Los Angeles, are both involved with the theater company No Nude Men, and you can catch those cats competing in Round 3 of ShortLived 3.0 in SF, April 30, May 1, 7 Carl Bensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01411747529339867393noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900839501982672805.post-26221180411744144892010-04-27T13:52:00.001-07:002010-04-27T15:52:12.685-07:00Glickman AwardsThis past Sunday, I attended the ceremony for the Glickman Award, decided by five local critics and given to the best new play from the previous year. Armed with a small flask of Jameson, I met Jessica Holt (Threshold/Three Wise Monkeys) and Bennett Fisher (Theatre Pub) at Starbucks, spiked our respective caffeinated beverages (Jessica abstained from spiking), and moseyed over to the San Carl Bensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01411747529339867393noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900839501982672805.post-17097593509634891642010-04-23T08:21:00.000-07:002010-04-23T10:43:42.109-07:00Big Ass Music PostAs you may know, most PianoFight shows tend to include some type of musical act. They've ranged from folk-rock duo The 45 to the aptly named and relatively self explanatory Oakland Soft Rock Chior. And over the past few months, the bands coming on and off the stage of Studio 250 at Off-Market have been, to say the least, impressive.Here's some info on some of the most recent killer musical guestsCarl Bensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01411747529339867393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900839501982672805.post-47505438795928464582010-04-13T14:21:00.001-07:002010-04-13T14:30:08.730-07:00Arlen Hart's "New Peace" Drops Today!PF Music Director Arlen Hart, who is cold-heartedly moving to that awful place New York City in the coming months, drops his bad ass new album "New Peace" today on the iTunes.Arlen is one of the finest musicians I have ever come across - he wrote and performed original scores to FORKING! and A Merry FORKING! Christmas (which ultimately turned into A FORKING! Album, on sale at all PianoFight showsCarl Bensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01411747529339867393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900839501982672805.post-41350175597528100182010-04-09T09:39:00.001-07:002010-04-09T09:56:29.450-07:00Playwright's Career Takes Off After ShortLivedThe other day I sent a note to Allison Davis, a playwright whose piece "The Boyfriend Store," made it all the way to the finals in last year's ShortLived. She impressed the hell out of us, both with her writing and with her awesome human-ness, so we produced another one of her pieces in the world premiere of Monday Night ForePlays. Anyway, I sent her a note to see if she'd submit again to Carl Bensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01411747529339867393noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900839501982672805.post-38481029068579680712010-04-08T12:57:00.000-07:002010-04-16T11:00:39.796-07:00DevilDriver - "Fate Stepped In"UPDATE OF AWESOME: Here is video of the actual event I attended with S.H.I.T. Show crew ... you're welcome.WTF pro-wrestling w/Einstye concert, guts, sheep?roseman (kevin) | MySpace VideoSo I got invited to this event on Sunday which features semi-pro wrestlers, metal, and all the beer you can consume while rocking out and rooting for more steel chairs!! (I would give details but the email I got Carl Bensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01411747529339867393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900839501982672805.post-69505437287968488392010-04-05T10:16:00.000-07:002010-04-05T13:17:44.482-07:00NY Times on PianoFight: "Good for Theater"The New York Times' theater/culture/arts reporter in SF, Chloe Veltman, took the time to call up PianoFight the other day and get some info on ShortLived 3.0, the largest audience-judged playwriting competition in the country. Chloe's been keeping an eye on PianoFight ever since we ran Throw Rotten Veggies at the Actors Night last year, so after I sent her an obscenely long email pitching the Carl Bensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01411747529339867393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900839501982672805.post-19965023088412803242010-04-01T12:43:00.000-07:002010-04-07T10:52:32.220-07:00Info on SF Critics Circle + Thoughts on AwardsThe San Francisco Bay Area Critics Circle posted nominations for their annual awards a few weeks back which sparked some questions from local theater makers on the SFBATCC in particular and debate about awards/press coverage in general. This post is an attempt to shine some light on the working of the SFBATCC and kick around some thoughts on awards. (Full Disclosure: PianoFight and Original Sin'sCarl Bensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01411747529339867393noreply@blogger.com1