Dear Drama Observers, A columnist was being interviewed once about his years of writing. Early in his career, he asked a mentor how he’d be able to find a fresh topic to write about each week and was given this piece of sage advice (I’m paraphrasing): “Every week, something will annoy you. Write about that.” […]
Dear Drama Observers, I recently attended a two-day seminar for mental health professionals on trauma. I spent those days drinking from a gushing fire hydrant of information about all aspects of trauma which included: its detrimental impact on psychological well-being, its physiological effects on the brain, and what can be done in the present to […]
Dear Drama Observers, Character is who you are when no one’s watching. We’ve all heard that quote which has been attributed to the legendary UCLA basketball coach, John Wooden, among others. In people of character, there’s a congruence between their public and private lives. It’s a high compliment to say of someone: “He is who […]
Dear Drama Observers, I often find that something I posted a while back is more relevant today than when I first posted it. Below is one such post. *** Story #1 In the summer of 1997, I went downtown early one morning and a man with a mask knocked me out, slit my throat, and […]
Dear Drama Observers, I know, I know. You just got one of these letters 3 days ago. I always send out The Drama Review on Fridays but with this being Martin Luther King Day, I thought I’d send this week’s out on Monday instead of Friday. Martin Luther King is one of those figures who […]
Dear Drama Observers, In the stories we tell, there’s just about always a good guy and bad guy, a protagonist and an antagonist, a hero and a villain, a light force in opposition to a dark force. In fact, it’s the competition between these counterparts that makes for a compelling tale and, without such tensions, […]
Dear Drama Observers, In composing this weekly email, I’ve discovered I’m not a speedy writer. I’ll write something down, look at it, change it, think about it, rearrange it, scrap it, start over, etc., etc. (I’m convinced that God created word processing just for people such as me.) After a laborious and time-consuming process, something […]
Dear Drama Observers, “Every generation is invaded by barbarians,” wrote twentieth century philosopher Hannah Arendt. “We call them children.” If you’ve been reading The Drama Review for any length of time, you’re no doubt aware that I really like that quote. We start out in life as little bulls in china shops, knocking things down […]
Dear Drama Observers, I promise I’ll get back to writing new things soon but, this being Christmas week, I thought I’d share something posted during last year’s Christmas week. Here ‘tis (with some important updates): *** This time of year, my wife and I love to watch A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. As you’re […]
Dear Drama Observers, I was doing a seminar out on the road this week, and let’s just say that things didn’t go quite according to plan (weather cancellations, failed book deliveries, etc.). I got about 75% of my letter for this week written but was never able to finish it. So, rather than sending you […]