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mtorta
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Metro: San Francisco
Interests: Poetry, theatre, film, tango
Expertise:
Poetry
Recently published in Traverse, 26 (issue D), Pomona Valley Review, BorderSenses and Double Room.
Playwriting
American Triage :
(Work in Progress)
Play commissioned by Marin Theatre Company 2006. 2007 MTC Nu Werkz series; 2008 MTC workshop production.
Braided Sorrow :
2005 Bay Area Playwrights Festival; 2006 Ford Amphitheatre Latina/o Summer Play Reading Series; 2006 Chicano/Latino Literary Prize 1st Place winner, University of California Irvine; September 2008, 1st production, El Centro Su Teatro, Denver, Co.
Ghost Limb :
(Work in Progress)
Just Theatre 2007 Play Lab.
Woman on Fire :
(Work in Progress)
2006 Primer Pasos: A Festival de Latino Plays, Latino Playwrights Initiative; 2007 Bay Area Playwrights Festival BASH (Bay Area SHorts); 2008 In The Rough reading series, Playwrights Foundation.
Occupation: Playwright, Poet
Message: message meEmail: email me
Member Since:
6/9/2005
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| Love, Love, Loved Marcus' Play
Holy cow. I knew Marcus Gardley was talented, but wow, what an evening of theatre. And to think, this was just a staged reading. His play every tongue must confess was a wonderful tale, deftly woven with lyric poetry and humor.
The play weaves "four threads," the story of a white girl from Kentucky, her father in Alabama, a widowed Preacher named Mother-Sister, and a mythic character called the Blacksmith.
I can't do it justice. You have to see it. The play will be read again next weekend, Sunday at 4pm. Check out the Playwright Foundation's website for more information.
-M
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| Tonight: Marcus Gardley's every tongue must confess
Tonight the Playwrights Foundation's Bay Area Playwrights Festival kicks off with a reading of Marcus Gardley's every tongue must confess. I can't wait.
Here's the synopsis:
Christmas day, 1996: another Black church in
Boligee, Alabama has burned. In fact, this is #37 and the FBI doesn’t
have even one suspect. But P.I. Blacksmith Greene is all over it, and
what he discovers not only threatens to crumble the very foundations of
the church but the small, segregated town as well.
The reading starts at 8pm at the Magic Theatre in Fort Mason Building D and will be followed by a reception to celebrate the beginning of the festival.
And, I'll be attending the festival all weekend.
-M
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| Theatrical Reunion
So this evening I made my way to The Mission district to meet Tanya of Su Teatro and her friend Christine. They're in town for a conference for a few days and I had promised to meet up for at least dinner.
I met them at the 16th Street BART station and as we were walking towards Valencia street to have dinner I suddenly heard what sounded like my name being shouted. And there just a few feet behind us (and that means we walked past them) were some long lost friends: Chrystos and Alex, two members of El Teatro Jornalero!. I hadn't seen them in at least a year, maybe two. I've been so busy and had stopped participating in ETJ!. Chrystos, Alex, and their friends (Chrystos' boyfriend and Alex's brother) joined us for dinner at Mi Lindo Yucatan where our bilingual conversation went back and forth, catching up, and me telling them about my production in Denver. They were familiar with the play and were excited to hear about it's progress.
It was great to see them. And it makes me nostalgic for that first year when I was part of ETJ!, when we had rehearsals in the Woman's Building in The Mission on Friday evenings, followed by a family style dinner with all the actors.
Those were the days.
-M
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| No Time For Love, Dr. Jones
It's going to be a long day. Even longer since I went to bed late last night and am feeling the effects: sleepy...so sleepy.
Today I'll be in a retreat for my 9-5 all 9-5. And tonight is when I'm trying to meet up with Tanya from Su Teatro to have dinner. We're going to meet in the Mission and try to grab a late dinner sometime after 8pm.
Hopefully I'll get to hang out with her some more but that would require her to come to the playwrights festival or me to miss a reading (which I'm hoping not to do). Long day...longer weekend.
More later,
M
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| Getting Ready for a Weekend of Theatre
This weekend the Bay Area Playwrights Festival kicks off with a Friday evening performance of every tongue must confess by Marcus Gardley (Oakland native who now resides in NYC) at the Magic Theatre. I'll be there. In fact, I'll be at the festival all weekend...all...weekend. Why the marathon? Well, I'm headed back to Texas to visit family on July 31 and even though the festival will have repeat readings of all the plays next weekend, I won't be here. So if I want to see those readings, I have to go this weekend.
I'm excited though because Nakissa (my dramaturg for Woman on Fire) is participating in the festival and dramaturging Katori Hall's play The Mountaintop, and Nakissa told me all the plays in the festival are really strong.
My weekend of theatre will actually begin on Thursday when Tanya of Su Teatro arrives for a conference in San Francisco. We're going to meet up for a late dinner and hopefully she'll find time to maybe attend one of the plays in the festival.
More later,
M
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