New Play 11.11.11 - 7 PM

FALLING OUT with Gregarian Tunks a new short play by Derek Lee McPhatter

Directed by Christopher Burris

Starring Ty Baumann Lori Parquet Perri Yaniv

and

Paul Perroni as Candidate Tunks

Does Nuclear Radiation + Media Spin Job + Adultery Scandal + Hostile Instant Messaging + Conspiracy Theory + Profanity-in-the-campaign-speech +Whatever Else Happens = A Successful Bid for President? Join Candidate Gregarian F. Tunks and what’s left of his staff on 11/11/11 at 7 PM and let’s find out…

Barbara Matovu, Assistant Director

Nicole Judd, Stage Manager

Craig Lenti, Sound

JuLondre K. Brown, Intern

Part of STICKY: An Evening of Music and Short Plays

Friday, November 11, 2011 - 7 PM

The Bowery Poetry Club

308 Bowery b/w Houston and Bleeker

$10 at the door

New Play 11.11.11 - 7 PM

FALLING OUT with Gregarian Tunks a new short play by Derek Lee McPhatter

Directed by Christopher Burris

Starring Ty Baumann Lori Parquet Perri Yaniv

and

Paul Perroni as Candidate Tunks

Does Nuclear Radiation + Media Spin Job + Adultery Scandal + Hostile Instant Messaging + Conspiracy Theory + Profanity-in-the-campaign-speech +Whatever Else Happens = A Successful Bid for President? Join Candidate Gregarian F. Tunks and what’s left of his staff on 11/11/11 at 7 PM and let’s find out…

Barbara Matovu, Assistant Director

Nicole Judd, Stage Manager

Craig Lenti, Sound

JuLondre K. Brown, Intern

Part of STICKY: An Evening of Music and Short Plays

Friday, November 11, 2011 - 7 PM

The Bowery Poetry Club

308 Bowery b/w Houston and Bleeker

$10 at the door

Two One-Night-Only Events Coming Right Up!!

Two one-night-only projects coming up:

Through the Ages II: Our Journey Through Music

Sunday, October 16, 2011 – 7 PM

The Kraine Theater (85 East 4^th Street, NYC)

I continue to serve as a co-producer of The Fire This Time Festival at Horse Trade Theater Group. On Friday, October 16^th, we are holding our second annual concert event fundraiser – Through the Ages with proceeds to support our third season.

Playwright/Composer/Producer Germono Toussaint arranged some amazing music when we did this project last year. For those of you who were with us last year, come hear your favorite pieces and a few new surprises! If you missed last year’s benefit, this is one night you’ll want to keep your calendar clear and join us!

Ticket Info on Smarttix (Through the Ages II).

***

Falling Out with Gregarian Tunks

A new short play by Derek Lee McPhatter (yours truly)

Friday November 11, 2011- 7 PM

Bowery Poetry Club (308 Bowery, NYC)

I am collaborating with director Christopher Burris on a short play following a long-shot presidential candidate’s scheme to expose a massive government conspiracy (to be presented as part of Bowery Poetry Club’s “Sticky”). More info on this one very soon, but please Save the Date!

HARLEM 9 THIS WEEKEND

HARLEM 9 presents...

48 HOURS IN HARLEM

Sunday, August 14, 2011• 7pm

Harlem School of the Arts • 645 St. Nicholas Avenue• New York, NY 10030

6 Playwrights. 6 Directors. 18 Actors

...giving raw impressions of 6 provocative black plays

~ a twist on the traditional 24- hour play festival. This event marks the inaugural collaboration of Harlem9, bringing together 6 playwrights, 6 directors, and 18 actors to re-conceive classic plays from the African Diaspora over the course of one weekend in Harlem ~

Playwrights: Ayanna Maia, Dominique Morisseau, Keith Josef Adkins,

Derek Lee McPhatter, Mfoniso Udofia, and Harrison David Rivers

Directors: Christopher Burris, Tamilla Woodard, Melissa Maxwell,

Russell G. Jones, Nicole A. Watson and LA Williams

Actors: Bruce Lemon, Laura Johnston, Axel Avin Jr., Chanel Carroll, Heather Simms,Crystal Dickinson, Gillian Glasco, Jamie Lincoln Smith, Jocelyn Bioh, Elain Graham, Samuel T. Gaines, Willie Teacher, Tamela Aldridge, Marcus Naylor, Alano Miller, Gerard Joseph, Ayo Cummings, Charles Browning

The 6 plays that will be re-conceived include:

Dutchman by Amiri Baraka, Zooman and the Sign by Charles Fuller, Funnyhouse of a Negro by Adrienne Kennedy, Day of Absence by Douglass Turner Ward, Black Terror by Richard Wesley, and The Colored Museum by George C. Wolfe

Tickets
$15 online - www.brownpapertickets.com/event/186991
$20 at the door - CASH ONLY

Funded in part by Harlem Arts Alliance
Sponsored by Nectar Wine Bar

Harlem9 is an arts organization comprised of 9 producing entities that have come together in Harlem to explore the past, present and future of black culture and celebrate the rich history of storytelling within the African diaspora. Blackboard Reading Series (Garlia Cornelia Jones), Earthseed Visions (Bryan E. Glover), E. Michael Lockley, goodfilm (Deborah Goodwin), Jonathan McCrory, Liberation Theatre Company (Sandra Daley and Spencer Barros), Soul Productions (Erin Washington), and With a Cherry on Top Productions (Erin Cherry), are the producers that comprise Harlem9.

For more information, please visit www.harlem9.org

HARLEM 9 THIS WEEKEND

HARLEM 9 presents...

48 HOURS IN HARLEM

Sunday, August 14, 2011• 7pm

Harlem School of the Arts • 645 St. Nicholas Avenue• New York, NY 10030

6 Playwrights. 6 Directors. 18 Actors

...giving raw impressions of 6 provocative black plays

~ a twist on the traditional 24- hour play festival. This event marks the inaugural collaboration of Harlem9, bringing together 6 playwrights, 6 directors, and 18 actors to re-conceive classic plays from the African Diaspora over the course of one weekend in Harlem ~

Playwrights: Ayanna Maia, Dominique Morisseau, Keith Josef Adkins,

Derek Lee McPhatter, Mfoniso Udofia, and Harrison David Rivers

Directors: Christopher Burris, Tamilla Woodard, Melissa Maxwell,

Russell G. Jones, Nicole A. Watson and LA Williams

Actors: Bruce Lemon, Laura Johnston, Axel Avin Jr., Chanel Carroll, Heather Simms,Crystal Dickinson, Gillian Glasco, Jamie Lincoln Smith, Jocelyn Bioh, Elain Graham, Samuel T. Gaines, Willie Teacher, Tamela Aldridge, Marcus Naylor, Alano Miller, Gerard Joseph, Ayo Cummings, Charles Browning

The 6 plays that will be re-conceived include:

Dutchman by Amiri Baraka, Zooman and the Sign by Charles Fuller, Funnyhouse of a Negro by Adrienne Kennedy, Day of Absence by Douglass Turner Ward, Black Terror by Richard Wesley, and The Colored Museum by George C. Wolfe

Tickets
$15 online - www.brownpapertickets.com/event/186991
$20 at the door - CASH ONLY

Funded in part by Harlem Arts Alliance
Sponsored by Nectar Wine Bar

Harlem9 is an arts organization comprised of 9 producing entities that have come together in Harlem to explore the past, present and future of black culture and celebrate the rich history of storytelling within the African diaspora. Blackboard Reading Series (Garlia Cornelia Jones), Earthseed Visions (Bryan E. Glover), E. Michael Lockley, goodfilm (Deborah Goodwin), Jonathan McCrory, Liberation Theatre Company (Sandra Daley and Spencer Barros), Soul Productions (Erin Washington), and With a Cherry on Top Productions (Erin Cherry), are the producers that comprise Harlem9.

For more information, please visit www.harlem9.org

A Better Destiny for Bethany...New Short

Horse Trade Theater Group

presents

“A Better Destiny for Bethany”

A short play

by Derek Lee McPhatter

Directed by Nicole Gehring

Featuring Yesenia Tromp and Matthew Wise

About the Play

Bethany's the biggest fan for the best-est boy band you've never heard of. And tonight she's finally putting the publicity stunts, medications, restraining orders, hallucinations and whatever else behind her...we hope.

A Featured presentation of Horse Trade Theater Groups’ THE DRAFTS

The Drafts Fest is the collaborative effort of six playwrights, six directors, and eight multifaceted actors. Playwrights receive randomly compiled cast lists and create stories tailored to The Drafts based on this year’s theme: Accidental Discharge Impossible. The Production also features Aliza Einhorn, Danny Sharron, Penny Pollak, Gary Warchola, Quinn D. Eli, Shay Gines, Amanda Von Nostrand, Quinn Warren, Eric Kingrea, Nicole Watson, JB Rote, Evan Taylor Walker, Megan Hill, Axel Avin Jr., Matthew-Lee Erlbach, and Randi Rivera.

The Red Room

85 E 4th St

New York, New York 10003

Between 2nd and 3rd Ave

$18 ($15 Students)

May 5 – 7 PM

May 6 – 7 PM

May 7 – 7 PM

May 12 – 7 PM

May 13 – 7 PM

May 14 – 7 PM

2010 Writing Goals Review

Wow wow wow. It's 2011. January. This is the time when I reflect on my progress over the last 12 months as an up-and-coming writer. Here's what I was shooting for in 2009, and 2008.

So as I do every year, today I went to look at my 2010 goals and oops...I never blogged them! Sorry folks.

However, I did set some pretty concrete goals 12 months ago which I posted over on my fractured atlas artist fund site. In a nutshell, I set out to

1. get a workshop production of my play, The Lattice Crashes.

2. produce and develop The Fire This Time Festival. and

3. develop and produce The Seeing is Believing program with Under the Spell Productions.

All three of the goals above had to do with developing public performances/programs. And I'm happy to say I moved forward with all three over the past 12 months. The Lattice Crashes went up in December 2010. The Fire This Time Festival has built steady momentum and everyone is excited about its second season which starts next week. Finally, Under the Spell held a very thought-provoking forum to kick-off the Seeing is Believing Cycle in September. Naturally there is plenty of room for improvement on all of this, but I"m going to go ahead and give myself a pat on the back for what has been a whirlwind year.

Setting concrete program goals every year really helps keep me focused. Naturally other things come up which are great opportunities for my overall career and artistic development, and I have to be flexible. But I really like setting the goals. Now as I evaluate progress, I think the 2011 goals are going to be a bit different.

I have already got my hand in several performing arts projects that demand my attention, and I've also been collecting rejection letters (and a few award letters) that are pointing to some pretty clear areas of need in my artistic development. 2011 is poised to be a VERY exciting year, but I've got to think hard about how to make the most of it.

More to come!