 The Embryos staged reading on May 16, 2012 Hello out there, Fresh Ink fans. I’m delighted to meet you, and so thrilled that my play, The Embryos, is getting the Fresh Ink treatment.
Embryos are getting a lot of attention these days. Despite their microscopic size, they find themselves at the center of a hugely intense, politically charged, emotional debate over the question of their personhood, and I have decided to jump on that bandwagon. My play not only asks the question, “Are embryos people?” but also “If embryos are people, what’s their favorite thing to order take-out?” And also, “Can they use the Internet?” And furthermore, “What would happen if they went on an epic crime spree?” You can see how my mind went there.
So that is how Leggo and Eggo -- the eponymous embryos -- were conceived by me, the playwright, as a profound metaphor for something or other. In the play, they are conceived by Mommy and Daddy, a devout and determined couple seeking to fulfill their parental longings through in vitro fertilization. (I wish to note that in real life, infertility is a painful and heartbreaking experience. And that it’s not the only deadly serious topic I have rendered into absurdism.) When their attempts fail, Mommy and Daddy cannot surrender their deep attachment to their embryos. They decide to take Leggo and Eggo home and raise them as children. All hail the magic of theater as undifferentiated blastocysts waddle out on stage, consume huge quantities of food, and learn to manipulate social media.
 Ginger Lazarus, Dawn Simmons, and the cast of The Embryos staged reading. That last thing is going to be especially fun. The best part about being a playwright is coming up with outrageous ideas and, when people ask you how that will actually look onstage, shrugging and saying, “I dunno. Ask the designers.” In all seriousness, I really look forward to collaborating with the creative folks at FIT and picking their talented design brain, and also drawing on the Viewpoints savvy of director Dawn Simmons. The Embryos and the embryos present unique staging and design challenges for us all to figure out together. On a personal note, I have a deep sentimental attachment to The Embryos because it’s the last of a series of plays I wrote about reproduction, reflecting all my anxiety and ambivalence about becoming a parent. I had my first child soon after completing an early draft of Embryos, and have not touched the subject since. Possibly because I’m too tired. My former embryos are now ages four and two. They are amazing, articulate, independent little people. Their favorite take-out is pizza and they like to play with my iPhone. Watch out, world. Ginger Lazarus, playwright
Q: What made you want to be a writer? How did you get started in the business?
When I was in college I knew I wanted to write because it seemed like a good thing to tell girls and I was bad at math, but I didn’t really know what or how. I took a poetry class and wrote some really bad poems. I took some fiction classes and that wasn’t much better. But then I took a playwriting class with a great teacher and found I really loved writing dialogue and the process of developing the story with actors. And then staging it in front of an audience was a really special experience for me. My play was still awful but I had found something. I ended up getting an MFA in playwriting and having a lot of time to focus on writing for 3 years, which was really important to have. And from there I got into writing screenplays as well.
Q: You’re a playwright and a screenwriter -- is your process very different depending on what medium of storytelling you’re working on? Is one more challenging than the other?
Not really, and if anything I think one helps the other. Writing screenplays has made me think more visually and structurally as a writer, while writing plays really makes me focus on dialogue and character.
Q: The true story behind Trog and Clay is totally wild -- how did you get the idea to turn it into a play?  William Kemmler's Execution I randomly came across a book about the Current Wars between Edison and Westinghouse, which I knew nothing about. While I was flipping through it I came across a passage describing how Edison’s lab would pay children to bring in stray dogs off the streets so the scientists could experiment on them with electricity. It’s such a great image because you think of children proudly catching dogs for a quarter not knowing they’re involved in something totally sinister. As soon as I read that I thought of two poor fools trying to catch a dog to sell to Edison, not knowing what would happen to it. So that was the start and from there I did a lot of research and found the history of the electric chair to be a really fascinating, odd, and deeply sad bit of history. But I always wanted it to be from the perspective of two foolish characters who get swept up in the plot. Set against these big personalities and evil plots for personal gain, I thought there could be something of the everyman in them.
Q: Trog and Clay has a combination of true events and fictional characters -- how did you decide what truthful elements to keep in the play, and what to leave out?
This was actually the biggest question for me when I was writing the play because I was dealing with well-known historical figures. But what it came down to was simply using what was beneficial for the play and leaving out or changing what wasn’t. There are very small details in the play that are completely true and some major things that are completely false. It was always more of a “What if…” place I was coming from – trying to be true to a feeling more than to history. So of course I’m not seriously suggesting Marguerite Westinghouse was a selfish seductress who tricked Kemmler, but asking in a fun way, “What if she was?” I also thought it would be a great thing if people left the theater totally confused about what was true and what wasn’t.
Q: Do you have a favorite crazy-but-true bit of information that you learned while writing the play?
There was a lot of information I came across that I couldn’t believe was true. The doctor on the stand actually attempted to use phrenology to prove Kemmler was guilty, Kemmler’s execution actually took over 8 minutes though everyone thought it would be short and painless, and Edison’s lab actually electrocuted an elephant in public as a PR stunt. But I think the craziest thing I learned is that Edison claimed to be against capital punishment through the whole thing.
 Q: What are you working on right now? What’s your next project?The main thing I’ve been working on is a screenplay for Fox called, The Three Misfortunes of Geppetto . It’s a sort of prequel to Pinocchio set in America during the Great Depression. Q: Finally, what’s your best piece of advice for a young playwright?When you tell your parents you’re going to be a playwright, first tell them you’re going to be a pimp, so that playwright will sound slightly better, though less lucrative, by comparison. You can visit the Trog and Clay Pinterest page for more images related to the production (including a photo of that elephant electrocution!). We'll also be having a Tootsie Pop Talkback after tonight’s May 4th performance -- stick around and say hello! We hope to see you at the show! Jessie, Dramaturg and Literary Director
 Concept sketch for Clay. Honest to God, one of the most exciting phrases ever uttered to me (from a costume designer’s perspective) is “period-ish.” While others might find the vagueness of this word frustrating, I find it quite liberating. The “ish” offers me a freedom of imagination that “period,” alone, does not. That suffix is perfectly suited to Trog & Clay: The Imagined History of the Electric Chair.
I knew from the title that I was going to enjoy working on this show. That freedom I mentioned is right there: Imagined History. I spent a lot of time with the following question: what visual cues can I give the audience that will constantly remind them of that monumental word?
 Close up detail on Clay's jacket. At the first production meeting, we coined the perfect phrase to describe this design aesthetic: Tesla-punk. (Taken from the idea of steampunk -- Victorian era clothes, with accessories and details inspired by steam engines.) Instead of steam engines, my inspiration for detailing is electricity. Hence, Tesla.
On Saturday, I brought all the costume pieces to the theater for our costume parade. It is thrilling to see everyone standing next to each other, in costume, for the first time. I have some little fixes, but the bulk of my work is done. However, I am adding the finishing Tesla-punk touches to all of the costumes. Beads, ribbon, wire, and a lot of patience await in the next 48 hours. Tuesday is our first dress rehearsal. I can’t wait to see these costumes move, for them to be given life by our talented group of actors. Without them, all I have is clothes.
Kaitee, Costumer for Trog and Clay
After months of planning and preparation, it is with great pleasure that we announce our selections for Fresh Ink Theatre's 2012-2013 Season!
Out of the 40 scripts that were submitted, we’ve chosen five incredibly diverse plays that excite and challenge us. Three of these scripts will receive a development cycle that culminates in a full production, and two will be staged as public readings.
Our upcoming season will showcase some familiar Boston names, a few up-and-comers, and even a former Fresh Ink actress. Their plays are full of creativity and wit, with rich characters and vibrant worlds that we can’t wait to explore. Keep a lookout for readings this spring to get an early glimpse of the season, and join in our excitement about these five fantastic plays!
Mommy and Daddy have tried desperately to have a baby. But where science fails, faith persists. When informed that Mommy's "degraded uterus" offers no chance of in vitro implantation, Mommy and Daddy have a life-affirming epiphany: rather than discard or donate their embryos, they take them home and raise them like children. All might be well, except that the embryos, Leggo and Eggo, have voracious appetites and uncanny abilities beyond their developmental stage. When they run amok, the poor would-be parents are faced with a choice: save their embryos from the world, or save the world from their embryos.
1524. John Tewkesbury is a savvy trader and smuggler, smart enough to know William Tyndale's illegal translation of the Bible will be a hot commodity. But, to sell the good book, he must elude the spies of Sir Thomas More and escape the fires of the Catholic bishops. In this true story about the struggle between dangerous information and powerful knowledge, one man journeys from merchant to martyr.
Sam Pascutti's family is falling apart. When she discovers that her inept father is cheating on her mother she must do all she can to mend their fragile relationship. This is no small feat for Sam, who is just trying to get through the day without thoroughly embarrassing herself, which is basically impossible when you're sixteen and uncool and spend most of your free time in an elaborate fantasy world. Things start to spiral away from her when her father's mistress inserts herself into the family drama.
By Kevin MullinsStaged Reading Fall 2012 Set in an alternative version of the Wild West, Bandits tells the story of queer cowboys robbing a stage coach filled with gold, American Indians armed with laser guns fighting for their homeland, and robot US Marshall's' trying to keep the peace. Blending genre and social critique, Bandits shows that anything is truly possible in the west, so long as you keep your eyes on the horizon.
By Noah MeaseStaged Reading Fall 2012 Tanner, Maya, and Jared -- and Jared’s new friend Ross -- set off into the wilderness surrounding their nowhere town in search of a ghostly light that’s said to haunt the woods. If Brakeman's Light were a different story, it would be a teen slasher film, or the Blair Witch Project. It would be an after-school mystery adventure. It would be Are You Afraid Of The Dark or Scooby Doo, or one of the spookier episodes of Wishbone. Instead, it's the story of people who aren't really kids anymore and who aren't really still friends, alone in the dark and facing the things it's not really fun to be afraid of.
I expect you have noticed that Fresh Ink is in the process of putting up a play called Trog and Clay: An Imagined History of the Electric Chair. What you might not know is that the playwright, Michael Vukadinovich, is not local. Mike actually hails from sunny southern California. So why do his play when we’ve dedicated ourselves to local playwrights? Full disclosure everyone -- I am in love with this play. Truly. I have been in love with this play for over a year now, a deep, permanent, dream-about-it love that just won’t go away. Back when I was with 11:11 Theatre Company, I read this play for the first time and immediately tagged it as a potential production for the following year. It was quirky, strong, charming and straight up fun. We had a small reading at my apartment and decided that it would be one of the three works we would produce for a public reading. After the reading last spring, I was convinced I would be able to get it into 11:11’s 2011-2012 season. Then change happened. 11:11 disbanded, and I met with a group of friends to decide whether or not we wanted to run a new theatre company together. And as soon as we decided to create Fresh Ink, I knew we had to produce Trog and Clay. The play just had to be seen in Boston. And if Fresh Ink was going to focus on local playwrights, the first season would be the only option for Fresh Ink to produce this work. We see this decision as a way to be transparent -- half of us come from 11:11, so this first year as Fresh Ink will be a transition, one we are not afraid of or trying to hide. We also see it as a bit of an homage to our past, for without 11:11, we would never know this play. I am so excited to produce Trog and Clay. I’m pumped about the team we’ve assembled, and I’m thrilled that I get a first hand experience by acting in it. The love affair continues… Louise, Artistic Director
In less than 2 weeks, Expecting ( the play I first workshopped with the Fresh Ink team) will be opening at Boston Playwrights Theater, produced by Boston Actors Theater. I’ve had the pleasure of stepping outside the process for a bit. It’s kind of surreal to know that even when I’m not around, this play is living and breathing and being explored and investigated by such a talented group. On the days I’ve popped into rehearsal, I’ve been very pleased with what I’ve seen. Not only is every single member of the cast and crew ridiculously talented, they are also devoted to this piece. Something I spent 18 months working on in isolation suddenly means something to someone other than me. It’s exhilarating. Every single time I observe rehearsal, I’m flattered. This play is in a very good place. After being selected in November, I spent the next 3 months revising and workshopping and revising some more. At the Fresh Ink workshop, and again at the first reading with Boston Actors Theater, the ending was very troublesome. I’d painted my main character into something of a corner, and the way out wasn’t clear. We’re now on the fourth version of that final scene, and I’m excited to gauge audience response. For once, I think it works (the first few versions never felt true to me). The feedback and suggestions of the assembled team eventually helped me out of a tough spot. I was also blessed to have Jenny Reagan (the woman who would be playing Gabrielle) in the room for many of the workshops, to make sure the text worked in performance. By the end of the workshop process, we were clarifying and fleshing out little details. The principal romantic relationship didn’t quite have the plausibility I was going for, and with advice from the Boston Actors Theater folk, I was able to build that momentum in a much more dramatically compelling way. Gabrielle’s story has only grown more complicated and nuanced and interesting. Some of our final workshops were spent arguing fine points. The play was in good enough shape we had that luxury. Let me close by singing the praises of our wonderful director, Emilia Allen, who understands this play on a visceral level and wants to make sure it speaks to all of our audiences. I am also deeply indebted to the fantastic cast (Jenny Reagan, Patrick Massey, Jo D’Angelo, Kate Mock Elliott, Paul Ezzy) for making the words sing. I’ve shown up at plenty of rehearsals, pen in hand to make changes to plenty of spots. In the mouths and bodies of these actors, I’ve changed very little. They make less-than-ideal writing work and sound spontaneous and truthful. Who could ask for anything more? Thank you for following the gestation of this play from beginning to first production (I refuse to use the word end. There is more work to be done!). I hope you’ll join us for one of the performances, it promises to be a good one (Sorry if I sound a bit biased… I’m a proud father, what can I say?). Noah, playwright
Hello Fresh Ink Followers! I'm Lizette M. Morris and I have the utmost pleasure of working with FIT on the second production of their inaugural season, Trog & Clay: An Imagined History of the Electric Chair by Michael Vukadinovich. Since moving to Boston in 2007, I've been freelancing within the fringe theater scene as a stage manager or director and occasionally performing, but directing is really where it's at for me. When Louise first told me about the formation of Fresh Ink, I was overjoyed. I'd worked with Robyn, Louise, Noah and Sarah on other projects and had seen first hand how great they are at their jobs. Like most in the fringe world, they were donating their time, offering personal resources and sacrificing sleep for the sake of putting on a quality, kick ass show. Not only that -- they have excellent professional chemistry, which is a highly underrated quality when working at this level. Needless to say, when I was first approached to direct T & C, I was so compelled to work with these fine folks, I almost said yes without reading the script.... AND THEN I READ THE SCRIPT! And it's wonderful! (side note for any budding theater professionals reading this: do yourself a favor. ALWAYS. READ. THE. SCRIPT.)
Michael had me on board by the time I reached the end of the playwright's note. Full disclosure, I'm kind of murder/macabre/conspiracy/courtroom theatrics/high drama/vaudeville/history junky. So if you like ANY of those things, this is the show for you. Not only that, all of the characters are highly dramatic, completely engaging and connected to one another in beautifully complicated web of lies, love, promise and deception. (Are you ready to buy your ticket yet?)
So if you couldn't already tell, I'm real sweet on the script. I'm also real, real sweet on my cast. These are some of the best performers Boston has to offer. We had our first read through on Sunday and I'm absolutely itching to get in the room and start working. They're killing it. In a good way. And what's a show without designers/tech support but dark, bare, naked, uninformed, disorganized and quiet. So FIT lined me up with a production/design team that directors dream of, all of whom came to the table ready to work with ideas that key into my favorite aesthetics. Things like "Tesla-punk", "Sepia", "Puppets" and "lots of Edison bulbs" make me weak in the knees. In case you wanted to know. You probably didn't. Anyways, I'm super amped about this project and can't wait to get started. It's gonna be great. Hope to see you there! Settie, Director of Trog and Clay
We are a month in and still chugging along with submissions! Having such a unique submission process turned out some seriously interesting results and our little pool of scripts has given us a fascinating snapshot of the playwriting community around New England. We thought you might find this info interesting as well, not to mention I just really like making graphs, so here are a few quick submission stats for your perusal! We received all forty of our scripts in less than 72 hours! Most of our submissions came in on the very first day. We had 21 scripts submitted by female playwrights, and 19 scripts by male playwrights.
That’s an almost 50/50 split and we are thrilled about it! Most of our playwrights hail from Massachusetts, but we have at least one submission representing every New England state except Maine -- not too shabby! Our forty playwrights were affiliated with almost 30 different playwriting organizations, writing groups, theatres, and professional development programs. Many of them belong to more than one!
So those are some of the numbers that jumped out for us. What do you think? Anything surprising? We’ll be making our selections very soon and will have even more to say about our first open submission process later on. Until then, I have to get back to reading!
Jessie, Literary Director
Happy Valentine's Day everyone! To celebrate the special day, we thought we would share a few of our favorite resources for playwrights. We think they’re better than a box of chocolates! __________________________________________ StageSource: This organization is the gem of New England. A pretty affordable membership comes with a bunch of fantastic benefits for any theatre artist: audition and submission postings, info on local classes and workshops, and lots of discounted or free tickets. You’ll also get discounts to StageSource sponsored events, like the “If I Knew Then…” series and the Boston Theatre Conference. Small Theatre Alliance of Boston: Hooray for small and local! The weekly STAB newsletter has listings of all the upcoming fringe shows and readings -- it’s a great way to connect and get involved with our vibrant small theatre community. Playwrights' Commons: As a playwright development organization, Playwrights’ Commons supports New England writers in all stages of their career. They sponsor a Playwright Night Out every few months and host an active Facebook group for local writers to connect and share news. They also offer script consultation and a few other unique programs, like the Freedom Art Retreat for emerging local artists. HowlRound and #newplay: HowlRound is an online journal that’s new work centered and totally awesome. There are tons of compelling articles and blog posts from theatre artists all over the country and at every stage in their career, and these articles often turn into larger conversations among the new play community. The #newplay hashtag on Twitter is a fantastic way to follow and join in on these conversations in a casual and accessible way. In my opinion, it’s reason enough to sign up for a Twitter account if you don’t have one already. Every Tuesday at 3pm, HowlRound hosts a “Weekly Howl” on Twitter that brings theatre artists together for a lively dialogue about big picture ideas in our field. You can sit back and watch the conversation or jump right in, but either way, you’re sure to get a few new ideas.
Dramatists Guild: If you’re serious about playwriting, you really should be a member of the Guild. They are a strong advocate for playwrights and offer excellent resources for writers at any stage in their career, including educational seminars and fellowship opportunities. They also have model contracts available to help you negotiate with companies producing your work and a playwright's Bill of Rights. New Play Map: Are you on the New Play Map? You should be! It’s a crowd sourced way to track new work across the country and is free for anyone to use. You can search by play, company, playwright, or region and see where new work is taking place and who’s doing it, as well as add productions you’re involved with so people can follow your work. The more visible new work is, the more it will thrive, so get on the map! (And while you're there, you can check out Fresh Ink's profile!) The Playwright Center: This organization is based in Minneapolis, but you don’t have to be a Twin Cities resident to enjoy the benefits of a super affordable PWC membership. They have fantastic submission listings and offer a bunch of cool perks, like access to one-on-one dramaturgical support, staged reading opportunities, and even discounts on FinalDraft software. Message Boards: There are lots of listservs and websites out there that post submission opportunities, but a few of our favorites are The Loop, En Avant, and The Playwright's Forum. These sites are great one-stop sources for info about submissions and contests all over the country. __________________________________________ Hopefully you found something new to love from our list. Now we'd love to hear what your favorite playwriting resources are -- let us know in the comments or on Twitter and Facebook! Happy writing!Jessie, Literary Director
Life is full of unexpected surprises! After a rough few months in my theater world, I was on the search for a group of like-minded young artists who were doing the kind of work that gets me fired up. I thanked the heavens when I met Louise Hamill back in the fall of 2011. We were working on a show together with the fabulous Dawn M. Simmons of NXR and hit it off right away. I mentioned to Louise that I was really looking for a leadership position with a theatre company and she told me that Fresh Ink was seeking a Managing Director. Long story short, after many hours of dressing room chats, a coffee date at Francesca’s, and a stellar performance of Priscilla Dreams the Answer, I met the team and accepted the offer. I am so excited that I work with such a fabulous group of young artists -- thanks to everyone for the awesomely warm welcome! My first few weeks on the job have been very, very busy as we prepare for our second season. So many exciting productions, readings, workshops, and soirees are in store, so be sure to stay tuned! See you all in April! Peace, Lyndsay, Managing Director
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