Barnes & Noble In Our Own Voices

In Our Own Voices

Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights’ (ALAP) longest-running program returns on July 7 and 8!

In Our Own Voices, which began in 1994, gives members 10-minute slots to read from their work. The reading can be a 10-minute play or an excerpt from a longer piece, and writers may bring up to 4 actors to help. The two rules are (1) no piece can be longer than 10 minutes, and (2) the playwright must be one of the readers – hence the title In Our Own Voices.

The July 7 program is at Barnes & Noble Glendale, where the scheduled readers are Roy Battocchio, Dan Berkowitz, Thomas Cook, Charles Domokos, Julius Galacki, Henry Holden, Leigh Kennicott, Kres Mersky, and Lucy Wang. 

WHEN & WHERESaturday, July 7 @ 2:00 PM
Barnes & Noble, 210 Americana Way
Glendale 91210
2-hour validated free parking with purchase

ALAP's Book Fair at Barnes & Noble kicks off this Saturday, July 7, and continues through Thursday, July 12 -- almost everything you buy at any Barnes & Noble store, or at Barnes & Noble online, can benefit Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights!

Here's how it works:

Visit any B&N store from Saturday through next Thursday, and make your purchase. When you check out, tell the cashier you're part of Book Fair # 10785764, benefiting ALAP. If you prefer to shop online, enter the Book Fair ID number at checkout. A portion of all sales will be donated to ALAP at the end of the Book Fair!

There are exceptions to what's eligible -- gift cards, B&N memberships, magazine subscriptions, and a few more things. But almost everything else in the store or online works, and ALAP can really use the money -- so please do your shopping at B&N this coming week, and tell your friends to do the same (and give them the Book Fair number!) If you're afraid you'll copy the number incorrectly, click here to download the Book Fair flyer -- it's also available on the ALAP website -- which gives all the details. Print it out, stick it in your pocket or purse, and you're all set.

Save the Date! The Tao of Fruit

Hooray!  

Happy to report Pam Forrest is on board to direct.

THE TAO OF FRUIT.  You may have notice how often food is a metaphor.  Food and me, we're enablers.

THE TAO OF FRUIT is inspired by a full-length play of mine, NUMBER ONE SON, that placed as a finalist for the L. Arnold Weissberger competition.  My first play, really.  Received a lot of traction, but then was "upstaged" by Ang Lee's WEDDING BANQUET.  It's not quite the same, but Hollywood execs said the market cannot bear TWO Asian American gay male leads.  TWO!  That's "two" many!  

So I moved on.  I tried to sell a pilot about three unrelated unconventional couples.  In NUMBER ONE SON, Lyndon and his lover KEVIN adopt a girl MIRANDA from China.  Lyndon has only a father, CHARLIE -- his mother and sister died in a skiing accident.  This relationship, to me, represented the mandatory "Bachelor Society," enforced by immigrations laws.  Now we have MODERN FAMILY, so it took a while for me to find my way back to NUMBER ONE SON.

My recent research in how language affects/determines culture, attitudes to say, hey, I've been interested in this for quite a while.  I still find this interesting.  Therefore, I'm going to take another look at NUMBER ONE SON, and see what I can come up with.

THE TAO OF FRUIT.

You'll laugh.  And never look at a piece of fruit quite the same way.

The Judges have turned in their scores, and we're happy to announce the plays chosen for the 4th ALAP/ City of West Hollywood Gay Play Reading Festival!

The short plays, to receive rehearsed readings on Monday, June 18, at 7:30 PM, are:

The Skanky Ho and Her Half-Wit Brother by Dan Berkowitz

Flight by Joe Godfrey

Significant Others by Susan C. Hunter

Coffee and Paul by B. V. Marshall

Date’N’Switch by Felix Racelis

Moon Dancers by Mary Steelsmith

The Tao of Fruit by Lucy Wang

The full-length play, to be read on Saturday, June 23, at 11:00 AM is In the Name of the Son by Brian Raine.

Both programs will be held at the Celebration Theatre, and are free and open to the public. ALAP thanks the City of West Hollywood's Arts and Cultural Affairs Commission and Lesbian and Gay Advisory Board for their generosity in making the Festival possible.

Thanks and congratulations to all the playwrights who submitted to the Festival!