In For a Penny: The Numbers Game

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Atlanta, Bay Area theatre, casual racism, casual sexism, catharsis, Charles Lewis III, CharlesandHisTypewriter, Donald Glover, egotistical, enemies list, everyday racism, everyday sexism, frustration, hostile work environment, In For a Penny, narcissism, Paul Conrad, personal boundaries, personal comfort, ratings system, Richard Nixon, San Francisco Theater Pub, scale of 1-10, sexual harassment, SF Theater Pub, theater, theatre, Top Ten

In which I put all the people who irk me into easy-to-remember categories.

San Francisco Theater Pub

Charles Lewis III, ranking it up.

We’ve all done it.

It should come as no surprise that as much as I detest reductive labelling in this business we call “play-acting”, I’m not above sharing in some backstage gossip during my off hours. I’m only human. I find it both a great bonding experience with theatre colleagues as well as an incredibly cathartic way for us to air all of our frustrations. And as we snipe and snark in private, away from the sensitive ears of those who’d recoil in terror if we said these things on the record, I also find it a way to learn more about Bay Area talent beyond what I’ve read off of resumes. I hear about rehearsal showmances fizzling out on opening night, actors with poor personal hygiene making backstage a biohazard, and I get to tell about the time I was kicked on stage…

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In For A Penny: Accepting New Membership

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#SFOlympians7, #SFOlympiansVII, Affirmative Action, Aida, Bay Area, Berkeley Black Repertory Theatre Group, Black actor, Black artists, Black theatre, Charles Lewis III, comfort zone, diversity, Francesca Zambello, gender parity, Guiseppe Verdi, homophobia, In For a Penny, inclusivity, Leah Crocetto, LGBTQ, NCTC New Conservatory Theatre Company, Not Another Teen Movie, opera, racism, RETNA, San Francisco Olympians Festival, San Francisco Theater Pub, SF Olympians, SF Opera San Francisco Opera, SF Theater Pub, supernumerary, Theatre Bay Area, Theatre Rhino, Theatre Rhinoceros, Theodore Roosevelt, tokenism, transgender, War Memorial Opera House

In which I encourage people on BOTH SIDES of the “diversity” debate to think beyond mere tokenism.

San Francisco Theater Pub

Charles Lewis III, on long term goals and short term contributions.

“What is true of creed is no less true of nationality. There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism.”
– Theodore Roosevelt, Address to the Knights of Columbus (1915)

Now that the cat’s outta the bag, I thought about following up Meg, Tonya, & Stuart’s recent entry with my own reminiscence about what the ‘Pub has meant to me and what I think will happen when it’s gone. I’m going to hold off on that for three specific reasons: 1 – with a few more months to go, it hasn’t actually ended yet; 2 – I wrote a good-bye piece the first time the ‘Pub “died”, and the new one I’m thinking of shouldn’t be repetitive (which it won’t – I’ve already started it and it’s a bit heartbreaking); and 3 – I’ve also been thinking…

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In For a Penny: Raise a Broken Glass

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artistic critique, asshole, Charles Lewis III, CharlesandHisTypewriter, constructive criticism, criticism, everyone’s a critic, Half Baked, hypocrisy, In For a Penny, Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Notes on Camp, Runaway, San Francisco Theater Pub, SF Theater Pub, so bad it's good, Susan Sontag

In which I take a moment to toast every bad show that has burned itself onto my soul.

San Francisco Theater Pub

Charles Lewis III, celebrating the mistakes and the mistaken.

“Let’s have a toast for the douchebags
Let’s have a toast for the assholes
Let’s have a toast for the scumbags
Every one of them that I know
Let’s have a toast for the jerk-offs
That’ll never take work off”
– Kanye West, “Runaway”

Recently I was watching a review wherein the critic commented on what a colleague had recently said to him, that something “good” can be measured by its lack of anything “bad”. The critic argued – and I’m inclined to agree – that “good” should be measured by “the presence of a defined positive, not the lack of a specific negative”. After all, how many times has each of us eaten a meal, taken a ride, or experienced a piece of art that was by no means bad, per se – there was nothing to make you swear…

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In For A Penny: Oh yeah, THAT thing

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#SFOlympians7, #SFOlympiansVII, Alfred E. Neuman, audition, auditioning, Baz Luhrmann, Charles Lewis III, Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen), In For a Penny, Lee Perry, monologues, San Francisco Olympians Festival, San Francisco Theater Pub, scheduling, SF Olympians, SF Theater Pub, SWF Saturday Write Fever

In which I suddenly remember I have an audition, but refuse to lose any sleep over it.

San Francisco Theater Pub

Charles Lewis III, getting his audition on. 

“Don’t worry about the future… or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum.”
– Baz Luhrmann & Lee Perry, “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)”

It always sneaks up on you. Between jotting down ideas for personal projects, prepping for this year’s Olympians, doing numerous on-camera jobs, jumping from one job interview to the next, and waiting for rehearsal schedules on a few major projects later in the year, it came as a bit of a surprise to remember I have an audition this Saturday.

When I did recall, it was almost as if I’d been handed someone else’s schedule and I wanted to find them to let them know they have an important appointment coming up. But, sure enough, it’s my appointment and a subtle reminder that I’m not yet high enough…

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In For a Penny: Dead Men tell No Tales

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#SFOlympians7, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek, Axis: Bold as Love, Charles Lewis III, death, Death found an Author Writing His Life, E. Hull, Egyptian mythology, Greek mythology, If 6 was 9, In For a Penny, IndieGogo, Jimi Hendrix, mortality, Prince, Pyramids of Giza, San Francisco Olympians Festival, SF Olympians, Snoop Dogg, Tuck Everlasting

I’m writing a play about death, so guess what’s been on my mind lately?

ALSO, you’ve got two days to contribute to this year’s Olympians Fest:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/sf-olympians-festival-2016-harvest-of-mysteries

San Francisco Theater Pub

Charles Lewis contemplates the Great Beyond.

“Death Found an Author Writing His Life” (1827) by E. Hull

“I’ve got my own life to live
I’m the one that’s going to have to die
When it’s time for me to die
So let me live my life the way I want to”
– Jimi Hendrix, “If 6 was 9”, Axis: Bold as Love

Funny thing about writing a play about death: it makes you think a lot about dying. Who knew? And if you want to get technical, the play in question isn’t actually about death, but the lack thereof. Let me explain…

I’m writing the Opening Night Party play for this year’s SF Olympians Festival. You may or may not recall that last year I occasionally dedicated this column to exploring the development process of said festival. If so, you may also recall that my final entry, “A Pre-Post-Mortem”, attempted…

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In For a Penny: You Won’t be Namin’ no Buildings after Me

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2016 Presidential Election, adaptation, Alton Sterling, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Back to the Future, Barack Hussein Obama II, Bertolt Brecht, Bill Clinton, Birth of a Nation, Black Lives Matter, Cats, Charles Lewis III, democracy, electoral process, Erykah Badu, Founding Fathers, funding for the arts, Hamilton, Hillary Clinton, In For a Penny, Lin-Manuel Miranda, musical theatre, NEA National Endowment for the Arts, Philando Castile, Playbill, politics, President of The United States of America, progressive politics, racism, Ronald Reagan, San Francisco Olympians Festival, San Francisco Theater Pub, SF Olympians, SF Theater Pub, Three Kings, TS Eliot, Woodrow Wilson

In which I try to take a break from recent politics to ponder the relationship between US presidents and theatre.

San Francisco Theater Pub

Charles Lewis casts his vote from the front row.

US presidents don’t have the best history with theatre.

“To live means to finesse the processes to which one is subjugated.”
– Bertolt Brecht, On Politics and Society (1941)

I needed a distraction.

It wasn’t just my incessant hunt for a “real people” job, it wasn’t just my putting serious attention towards my Olympians script, it wasn’t just my anger over Alton Sterling and Philando Castile winding up the latest casualties of racist White cops when their only “crime” was being Black in public. It wasn’t just any of those things, it was all of that and more.

I needed something to clear my head yesterday, so my attempt to escape politics lead me to the Playbill site. Incidentally, my eye was caught by a quick mention of Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton attending her second performance of the now-Pulitzer-and-Tony-winning musical Hamilton

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In For a Penny: Playground Rules

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abuse of authority, abuse of power, Aimee Levitt, artistic collaboration, Bay Area theatre, Blasted, bullying, Charles Lewis III, Chicago IL, Chicago Illinois, Chicago Reader, Chicago theatre, Christopher Piatt, comfort levels, consent, creative collaboration, Darrell W. Cox, EverydayMisogyny, EverydaySexism, fight choreography, Friedrich Nietzsche, In For a Penny, independent theatre, indie theatre, intimidation, Joe Jahraus, NotAllMen, personal comfort, Profiles Theatre, research, San Francisco Theater Pub, San Francisco theatre, Sarah Kane, sexual harassment, SF Theater Pub, Social Media, Stella Adler, Untimely Meditations, verisimilitude, YesAllWomen

In light of a recent theatre exposé, I reflect on why consent and safety should never be regarded as merely “options”.

San Francisco Theater Pub

Charles Lewis III, a perspective on perspective.

“[W]hat is it that constrains the individual to fear his neighbor, to think and act like a member of a herd, and to have no joy in himself?”
– Friedrich Nietzsche, Untimely Meditations

I think it’s safe to say at this point that every theatre person I know took some time out last week to read the Chicago Reader’s exposé on Profiles Theatre. (In the days that followed, Profiles’ AD Darrell Cox released a response statement on the theatre’s official Facebook page, but as of this writing, all of the theatre’s social media channels are shut down. Their official site contains only a statement that the theatre has permanently closed its doors.) If you’re anything like me, the article probably got you thinking. Not just about the stories of the people mentioned in the article, but thinking about your own theatre history.

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In For a Penny: Mid-Year Intermission

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A Song of Fire and Ice, Alice in Wonderland, Alyssa Rosenberg, American Psycho, Bennet Fisher, blue humour, Calum Worthy, Charles Lewis III, comped tickets, complimentary tickets, Craig Stickland, Don't Be Evil, Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-Long Blog, Duncan Sheik, ex-pats, Game of Thrones, George RR Martin, go90, Goldstar, Hamilton, In For a Penny, independent theatre, indie theatre, Joss Whedon, Kyle Jarrow, Lewis Carroll, Live-streaming, livestreaming, Meerkat app, Melissa O’Neil, midyear, mobile app, musical, musical theatre, New Form Digital, offensive material, Periscope app, PianoFight Productions, Playbill, political correctness, Pulse, San Francisco Olympians Festival, San Francisco Theater Pub, self-censorship, SF Olympians, SF Theater Pub, shock value, ShortLived, Spring Awakening, The Aristocrats, Tourettes Without Regrets, Tweet Seats, Verizon, Washington Post, web series, webcast

In which I use the mid-year month to ponder getting comped for shows, self-censorship, and bringing shows to those who can’t be in the audience.

San Francisco Theater Pub

Charles Lewis III, keeping it together and taking stock.

“Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”
– Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

So far this isn’t necessarily my favorite year, but it’s been busy nonetheless. Between a full-length show in which my character had the most dialogue, a stint in ShortLived, acting in two Theater Pub shows, and lots of on-camera work I can’t even remember, I should be relaxing. Instead I’m thinking about this evening’s rehearsal for a show that opens in just over a week. Besides, my way of decompressing at the start of summer is to just let my mind run in a million different directions at once. Like so:

Free Lunch

Over the weekend I took advantage of having some time off to see a great show before it closed. It was a last-minute decision and thankfully there were a few…

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In For A Penny: Vices I Admire

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4/20, artistic influence, artistic process, Bay Area theatre, Beer Theatre, Bill Cosby, cannabis, Carl Sagan, Charles Lewis III, cocaine, Colin "CoJo" Johnson, creativity, drug use, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Golden Gate Park, In For a Penny, independent theatre, indie theatre, inspiration, intoxication, Jean "Mœbius" Giraud, Lord Byron, marijuana, Martin Scorsese, Mary Shelley, Percy Shelley, PianoFight Productions, Salvador Dalí, San Francisco Theater Pub, San Francisco theatre, SF Theater Pub, Sticky Icky, under the influence, weed, William Shakespeare, Zelda Fitzgerald

In which I ponder whether mind-altering substances truly inspire creativity.

San Francisco Theater Pub

Charles Lewis III, on why vice can be nice.

Yes, I own this shirt.

“The cannabis experience has greatly improved my appreciation for art, a subject which I had never much appreciated before. The understanding of the intent of the artist which I can achieve when high sometimes carries over to when I’m down. This is one of many human frontiers which cannabis has helped me traverse. There also have been some art-related insights — I don’t know whether they are true or false, but they were fun to formulate.”
– Carl Sagan, Mr. X (1969)

I never smoked weed until I did theatre. For that matter, I never ate sushi until I did theatre. Yes, I was one of those boring teens who never drank, smoked, or went to parties. (Well, I did try smoking cigarettes several times, but it never caught on.) Part of that was due to…

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In For a Penny: Of the People, By the People, For the People

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activism, activism through art, Alex Nieto, Black Lives Matter, BlackLivesMatter, Charles Lewis III, dot-com boom, Edwin Lindo, Everett Middle School, Frisco 5, gentrification, Hunger for Justice SF, hunger strike, I Can’t Breathe, ICantBreathe, Ike Pinkston, Ilych "Equipto" Sato, In For a Penny, independent theatre, indie theatre, latino art, latino theatre, Latinx, latinx art, latinx theatre, Luis Gongora, Maria Cristina Gutierrez, Mario Woods, Mayor Edwin "Ed" Lee, Mission District, Mission High School, on-site theatre, Paul S. Flores, peaceful protest, people of color, police brutality, Police Chief Greg Suhr, police shooting, protest, racism, San Francisco Police Department, San Francisco theatre, Say Her Name, SayHerName, Sellassie Blackwell, SFPD, Silicon Valley, social commentary, social justice, student activism, tech boom, Theater MadCap, You're Gonna Cry

In which I attend a special performance for the #Frisco5 protestors and ponder the intersection of art and activism.

San Francisco Theater Pub

Charles Lewis III, giving us another look at Paul Flores.

Paul Flores in character, in public.

“There will be no pictures of pigs shooting down Brothas on the Instant Replay”
– Gil Scott-Heron, The Revolution Will Not be Televised

On-site theatre is a risky proposition, both for the performers as well as the audience. One the one hand, you’ve freed yourself from the rigid constraints of a typical performance space; on the other hand, you’re subject to the elements and limited as to what you can openly display in public. I’ve done Shakespeare in the woods, Sarah Kane’s Blasted in an actual hotel room, and – as the name of this website may have told you – pub-set plays in actual pubs. I can’t recall any one of those being preceded by the advisory that the show could be “shut down by the police at any moment.”

Such was the…

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