Oh, Boston, What A Character

Here's another video I made for the Huntington's upcoming production of Good People by David Lindsay-Abaire (previews start this Friday!). [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2X_Yk1t_Q7Q]Following its successful premiere on Broadway last year, Good People is one of the most produced plays in the country in the coming theatrical season -- but we're the only theatre producing this Boston-centric play in the city of Boston itself. I spoke with the director (an Acton native) and members of the cast (one of whom is from Southie, another from Watertown) about the pressures and rewards of doing this popular new play in the city in which its based.  The general consensus seems to be that the city of Boston is in fact the central character of the play, a little bit of universal anthropomorphizing that I can totally get behind (and also feels very noir to me, considering the role that LA plays in the work of Raymond Chandler, hrmmmm....)

(Also, the playwright himself gave his public approval of the piece on twitter. And he's got a Pulitzer. Eat that, Alyssa Milano!)

"It's never as bad as it seems. You're much stronger than you think you are."

Three years ago, I lost my oldest friend to suicide. It's something I still live with every day, even if he doesn't. I just wanted to take a moment In recognition of World Suicide Prevention Week to share an important truth spoken by one of our greatest heroes, to remind us all of the truth in the face of overwhelming emotional adversity:

Never forget that.

Greatest Time Signature EVER!

My newest piece is now live  on Five By Five Hundred, a playful little poem about my favorite musical time signature. All you math and music nerds out there should have some fun seeking out all the little patterns that are hidden in this one, just like a good song...

"I Wish I Lived In 5/4 Time" at FiveByFiveHundred.com

Also also...

....we just bought a condo. So, uh, so that's pretty cool. And keeping us pretty busy. But it's awesome! So goodbye, Westerly Street Brewing Company, and hello...uh, I guess I'll have to figure out a neat little name for this place once we finish decorating and unpacking everything....speaking of, I should probably get back to doing that....

Thommy on the MBTA

The first show in our upcoming season at the Huntington is the Broadway hit Good People by South Boston native David Lindsay-Abaire. The show tells the story of a struggling middle-aged single mom in Southie who loses her job and looks up an old flame (who got out of the Southie projects and is now a doctor living in Chestnut Hill) to help her out. It's a powerful, Boston-centric play that focuses on class issues in America in ways that are remarkably relevant to the country right now, and that frankly, aren't actually addressed that much in American theatre. But enough of that. Here's a little teaser trailer I put together for the show, chronicling the physical journey from South Boston (Corner of F and Tudor, to be precise) to Chestnut Hill on the MBTA, mimicking Margie Walsh's own journey in the second act of the play. Hear you me: it was a long ride.

(also, don't ever call me Thommy)

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oh03l2Ds2jU&w=480&h=270]

Good People plays September 14 - October 14 at the Avenue of the Arts / BU Theatre. AND, if you're under 35 (which I suspect most of you reading my website are...) tickets are only $25, and we've got a sweet party coming up on September 14, where your ticket also includes a live band and  free drinks after the show.

Five By Five Hundred: Back In Action

After a brief summer hiatus for some professional and mental recuperation, Five By Five Hundred is now officially back in action! For those of you who somehow managed to find your way here and yet still have no idea what I'm talking about, Five By Five Hundred is a website started by back in April of 2009 by me and my good friend Brian McGackin (of Broetry fame), inspired by an idea from the Internet Jesus Warren Ellis. The website originally featured 5 writers, each of whom composed poetry/prose/whatever consisting of no more than 500 words on his/her assigned day of the week (hence, 5 writers x 5 days a week x 500 words = 5x500 = totally bad pun on Faith Lehane's catchphrase). The website has gone through a number of writers, with Brian and I remaining consistent since the beginning, and has now expanded to include new posts on Saturdays and Sundays as well (which, with 7 writers, technically screws up the whole 5x500 pattern thingie, but oh well). Anyway, now that you're all caught up, you can go check out my latest post over there, an oldie but a goodie titled Dad's Diaries (and you can listen to it here, too!)

"Dad's Diaries" at FiveByFiveHundred.com

Good People Design Presentation

Over at the Huntington, we're gearing up for the start of our 2012-2013 Season, and the first show in the lineup is David Lindsay-Abaire's Broadway hit Good People, which tells the story of a single mom struggling to get by in South Boston who looks an old flame now living in Chestnut Hill. Here's a little video I put together of the design presentation at the first rehearsal, featuring director Kate Whoriskey and scenic designer Alexander Dodge. They've got a pretty exciting approach to bringing the streets of Southie to the stage (plus, Alexander's set models are meticulously detailed at such a small scale). Check it out: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=videoseries?list=UUHKZbbNa2IRgasTR7D92ApA&hl=en_US]

Good People plays September 14 - October 14, 2012 at the Huntington's Avenue of the Arts / BU Theatre.

True Believers Closing and More Reviews

Before I run away to Florida and sleep for 2 weeks straight because I need it, here's a final roundup of more reviews for the world premiere of True Believers:

"Dunn's script is smart and sharply written. He creates memorable and believable characters set in this world who many of us can either relate to, or just be familiar with.  The comedic moments are great and chock full of fantastic one liners. He also is able to create strong and powerful dramatic moments that help balance the comedy.  It doesn't become a parody, but a snap shot of what this world could very well be like. What else can be said about this show except only more praise?"  - MuffinEatsDragon.com

"I was impressed with this show for many reasons, but the foremost was the interesting, thoughtful story that they told extremely well. The second is that it spoke authentically to the nerd fringe community. I know, ‘nerd culture’ is the hip thing right now with comic book movies dominating the box office, but I agree with the sentiment that this newfound cash cow does not represent the community in a real way. Though it does help to normalizesome nerd culture. True Believers by Thom Dunn feels like a play that intimately knows what conventions are like. Their lights are clever, their sound is full of hilarious nerdy references, the script is clever, the characters are interesting, and the actors are brilliant. I could not recommend this show more."  - My Entertainment World

And to top it off, we were the Pick Of The Week in RadioBoston! All in all, I'd say that's not so bad for a nerdy little play about a comic book convention.

Now without any further ado, I'm going to retreat and recuperate for a few years. You'll hear from me eventually...

First review of True Believers is a rave!

From EdgeBoston:

Heroes and villains clash in Thom Dunn’s True Believers; it’s not the fate of the cosmos that hangs in the balance, but rather the personal worlds of everyone involved. This salute to comic-con is fraught with sharp writing and impeccable performances. Comic books are wildly colorful exaggerations of life, a form of contemporary myth, and Dunn understands this. Dunn’s energetic script takes on the general form of a farce, albeit one in which aimless young men dress in crude cardboard approximations of cyborg armor. The play’s particulars may be specific to a certain social subset, but its themes and motivations are universal. The characterizations are well wrought and the jokes are smart, sometimes downright wicked sharp.

Yeah, alright, I'll take that! You can read the full review online as well. We have just 5 more performances this week (Wed - Sat) before the show closes, so make sure you catch it will you can!

True Believers Production Photos

Here's a little peek at True Believers, for those of still waiting / unable to see it (or for those of you who want to relive the experience). All photos by Paul Cantillon / LIDEC Photo.[slideshow]

True Believers Updates, Part I

Okay. Breathe. We just made it through opening weekend of True Believers, which saw mostly packed houses and very responsive audiences (and only a few technical malfunctions that hopefully no one noticed but me). All in all, I'd say it's going well so far! We'll just have to wait and see what the critics have to say about it. In the meantime, here's a little interview I did with Jacqui Bryant, a local Boston entertainment blogger, about the show. Full disclosure: I thought she was writing an article, not posting the full interview transcription, so some of my answers, uh, well, they go on for quite a while (I wanted to give her a lot of information to pull from!)

We also got a nice shout out in the print & online version of DigBoston / The Weekly Dig:

Now, you might assume this unconventionally comedic play (penned by local playwright and Emerson College alum Thom Dunn, go Lions etc.) chronicling the interactions between conventional comic convention-types—aspiring artists, single-minded fanboys, haute couturecosplayers and so on—would be a tad nerdy. You would be right. Some World’s Greatest Detective stuff, that is. But just how nerdy are we talking? Try “Cyborg Head of Stan Lee” nerdy. Yes, that’s a kind of nerdy. The “most” kind.

Ha. Thanks, guys (I think...)

Opus Affair, a social group for young professional interested and involved in the arts in around the Boston area, also highlighted the show in their "On the Town" weekly roundup, praising it with favorable comparisons to both Closer and Magic Mike (both of which I assume were intended as compliments though I'm not entirely sure...)

Anyway, stay tuned, True Believers, for more updates, including production photos and...The Cyborg Head of Stan Lee!

Meanwhile, at my day job...

So when I'm not in rehearsals for / plowing through re-writes on TRUE BELIEVERS, I still, of course, have my day job to deal with (which has been incredibly supportive and helpful through this entire process, so hooray for gainful employment!). While our 30th anniversary season at the Huntington is now over (and what a successful season it was!), we're now busy gearing up for the fall and the start of our next season, which means lots of work (because it always does) but less immediate hard deadlines (which I guess is now...for now, until it's not). ANYWAY, here's a video I made of our Artistic Director, Peter DuBois, discussing the first show in our 2012-2013 Season, David Lindsay-Abaire's recent Broadway hit GOOD PEOPLE (conveniently set in good ol' South Boston). Check it out:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odPjupNifbM]

Top 5 Reasons Why THE AVENGERS Movie Totally Sucked And Also Was Stupid, Part II

After recovering from his earlier coughing fit, "rogue video blogger" Billy Horowitz continues with his Top 5 Reasons Why THE AVENGERS Movie Totally Sucked And Also Was Stupid. Tickets for the world premiere of TRUE BELIEVERS are going fast, with only 50 seats in the theatre, so make sure to get yours ahead of time while you still can! [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtR7kMEf5q4]

Billy Horowitz and the No Good Horrible Very Bad AVENGERS Movie

Here's a little sneak peek at the world premiere of my new play True Believers. Billy Horowitz is a self-proclaimed "rogue video blogger" (as well as a cyborg), and his passion for comic books tends to drive him into a destructive frenzy. His video blogs feature prominently into the play, projected on the stage, and here, Billy takes his shot at The Avengers movie. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cB6f0bb-n1Y]

Don't forgot to buy your tickets for the show, which only runs for 2 weeks. Performances start this Thursday!

Quite Possibly The Greatest Ever Thing Known To Man

My new post on Five By Five Hundred could very well be the greatest thing ever known to man. Check it out:

"When the toxic heat of summer irradiates the sky, violating our lewd and turgid flesh and turning each crevice into a squalid pit of filth and discomfort that lies desperately chafed along the airy edge of freedom, there can be but one respite to its endless cosmic pain:" on FiveByFiveHundred.com

Stay Tuned, True Believers!

Rehearsals for my new play True Believers are now well under way! I'm incredibly to be working with our talented and enthusiastic cast, featuring:

• Ryan Edlinger as Chad Mailer. "Comic book writer, creator of Night Shift. High aspirations; doesn’t get the attention he thinks he deserves. Seriously didn’t mean to make Wolverine gay."
• Michael Avellar as Ted Thompson. "Comic book editor, currently at DC Comics. Worked on Night Shift with Chad. Recently divorced. She took his entire Star Wars collection in the settlement. Yes, that includes his Han Solo in Carbonite coffee table. Not that he’s bitter or anything."
• Zach Winston as Billy Horowitz. "Amateur comic book journalist (read: video blogger) and Cyborg Rights Activist (he has a pacemaker). Avid cosplayer."
• Jeffrey Charles Marcus as Calvin Elder. "By day, a mild mannered aspiring comic book artist. By night, he dons the mantle of...Avenger! No, not 'The' Avenger. Just Avenger. You haven’t heard of him? Calvin didn’t make him up. He’s an original creation."
• James Remmes as Box. "Comic writer and professional druid magic user (or at least that’s what he says). Actually knows how to pronounce 'Cthulhu Ftagn.' His mom calls him Christopher."
• Caitlyn Conley as Kt Watts. "Artist on Night Shift (as Katie Tulle). Also wrote the final issue (as Kt Watts). Recently sold the movie rights to her slice-of-life graphic novel Robots Still Love You (Until Their Batteries Die). Her roller derby name is SnatchBox 20."
• Rachel Katharine Alexander as Chloe Long. "Small town girl from Kansas. Flying to the city for the first time in her life to finally meet her online boyfriend in person. She’s a little nervous."
• and Anne Colpitts & Steve Marois in the ensemble.

Tickets are on sale now. The show runs July 12 - 21 at the Piano Factory Theatre in Boston's South End. Check back soon for more updates!

Music & Scenes from Private Lives

Here's another video I put together for the Huntington's production of Private Lives by Noël Coward, which runs through June 24 at the Avenue of the Arts / BU Theatre. This one showcases some of the music and delightful physical comedy of the show, into one quick hilarious montage. If this doesn't make you want to see it, well, then there's no hope for you at all. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuKx6phlp30&w=450&h=253]

Boozin' & Writin'

Here's a new post I did for the fine folks at Quirk Books, about two of mankind's greatest creations: alcohol, and literature.

"How To Drink Like Your Favorite Writer: From Hemingway to Bukowski" at Quirk Books

Clothes Make the Fan

This has often been on my mind, but the specific inspiration for this piece goes back to the preview screening of THE AVENGERS that I attended. Naturally, there were a lot of people in the audience wearing comic book t-shirts. Because it was a preview screening for an epic comic book movie, and comic book fans (unsurprisingly) enjoy comic book movies (although I suppose "enjoy" can be argued...) and are also the type of people who would seek out passes for a preview screening and stand in line for 2 hours just for a chance to see the movie 3 days before its release. You know. People like me.

But in any large gathering of comic book fans (more than most other subcultures), I tend to notice a lot of awkward compliments. Kid in the Fantastic Four t-shirt sees kid in the Spider-Man t-shirt while we're all waiting in line to go to the bathroom, and of course, he has to go up to him and say "Hey. Cool shirt," as if he's somehow surprised to see that someone else here likes comic books (or that somehow, someone else besides him has heard of the Amazing Spider-Man!). I don't mean to be a miserable cynic — I'm glad that people can find those social connections, because it is both comforting, and important — I just find it odd. It's like going up to someone wearing a Red Sox t-shirt at a Red Sox game and saying "Oh hey man, you like Red Sox, too? I love the Red Sox!" Well yes of course you're at a fucking Red Sox game.

But I digress.

"Cool Shirt, Dude" on FiveByFiveHundred.com

An Interview with playwright Kirsten Greenidge

Kirsten Greenidge just won an Obie Award for playwriting for her play Milk Like Sugar. A Boston native, Kirsten's Boston-based play The Luck of the Irish just had its world premiere at the Huntington and was our highest grossing world premiere by a female playwright, ever. (which is pretty awesome) Here's a video interview I did with Kirsten, discussing her history and relationship with the Huntington. Not only was she a Huntington Playwriting Fellow, but she decided to become a playwright after seeing a student matinee performance at the Huntington when she was 12. And here we are, 16 years later! Not bad at all!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqEZUAvUPx4&w=400&h=225]