What it means to be a woman writer in America
With Dragon Production's opening of Sister Cities this Friday, in Palo Alto, I thought I'd reprint part of an interview I did with Dragon's Artist in Residence, Jeffrey Lo. Jeffrey: Hi Colette. Can you tell us briefly about your writing background? At what age do you...
A collection of favorite playwrights
I have a lot of favorite playwrights. Oftentimes, I’ll love some of their plays but not others. For example, I thought Tracy Letts’ August: Osage County was genius because of the way he wove a complex story with so many characters, all of whom were relevant, realized...
The 2011 Aids LifeCycle… a reflection… days five, six and seven (of seven)
Day Five...RED DRESS DAY. Everyone wore red. And most of the gay guys wore tight red dresses...sequins, pantyhose, wigs… the whole nine yards. And most of them, with their lithe, perfect, model-esque bodies looked much better than women in dresses. It was a short day...
The 2011 Aids LifeCycle…a reflection…days three and four (of seven)
Day Three... SUNNY DAY. A beautiful ride. Wasn’t nervous getting back on the bike. Knew it was important to do so. Biked through vineyards and felt like I was riding backwards in time through The Grapes of Wrath. One of the hills on day three was called Quadbuster,...
The 2011 Aids LifeCycle… a reflection… days one and two (of seven)
In honor of the first day of fall, I wanted to celebrate my favorite fall activity: biking. Three months ago, I completed the 7 day AIDS LIFECYCLE RIDE, 600 miles which challenged every physical and mental part of me. This is my story: It’s over. I did it. It was...
The world’s best challah
One of the smells which instantly returns me to my childhood is fresh baked challah. I salivate just thinking about the aroma in my home those cold winter mornings when mom would say, “Challah day”. It was a tradition. Every snow day, we’d clear out the kitchen and...
In search of the perfect play… what the digital age means for playwrights
Indie Theatre Now purports to be ‘The digital theatre library for the 21st century.’ And, it is…or at least one of them. Online play publishing is growing by leaps and bounds, diving headfirst into the digital revolution. When I first came to Los Angeles, I’d spend...
Pay attention to the man behind the curtain
Erin Morgenstern’s beautifully written book The Night Circus is a mesmerizing read which forces the audience to question... everything. Set against the backdrop of a magical circus with the major theme of illusion contorting through the plot and characters, it forces...
“Let it Go” Cowboy Mouth and The Sound of Music
One of my favorite little known songs is Cowboy Mouth’s “Jenny Says”. It repeats “let it go” over and over and over. And you know what they say about repetition... it’s a common literary device used to emphasize. Like a primitive religious chant, it reminds the...
A salute to Robert Harling, Mr. Steel Magnolias
I just saw Steel Magnolias at The Rubicon Theatre. I found the all star cast highly entertaining and the the beautifully crafted set a perfect vehicle to allow me to be a comfortable voyeur into the lives of these six women. However, the truth is, I spent most of...