Theatergoing 2010

This was the first year in which I kept a list of the plays I saw, in addition to my traditional list of the books I read. (2010 book list coming tomorrow!) It was also my busiest year of theatergoing ever, as I plunged head first into the marvels of the San Francisco theater scene.

Unlike with my book list, I will not offer comments on everything that I saw, but I will link to blog entries I may have written about these shows.

The list is in chronological order and divided into a few categories.

FULL PRODUCTIONS

1. Aurélia’s Oratorio, by Victoria Thierrée Chaplin, at Berkeley Rep
2. Phèdre, by Jean Racine, translated by Timberlake Wertenbaker, at ACT
3. Coming Home, by Athol Fugard, at Berkeley Rep
4. Oedipus El Rey, by Luis Alfaro, at Magic Theater
5. Bay One-Acts Program 1, by various local writers, produced by Three Wise Monkeys
6. Bay One-Acts Program 2, by various local writers, produced by Three Wise Monkeys
7. Valentine's Day Pageant, by various local writers, at San Francisco Theater Pub
8. Mirrors in Every Corner, by Chinaka Hodge, at Intersection for the Arts
9. The Caucasian Chalk Circle, by Bertolt Brecht, translated by Dominique Lozano, at ACT
10. Concerning Strange Devices from the Distant West, by Naomi Iizuka, at Berkeley Rep
11. O Lovely Glowworm, by Glen Berger, performed by ACT's MFA students
12. How to Ride a Bus in San Francisco, by various local writers, at San Francisco Theater Pub
13. …and Jesus Moonwalks the Mississippi, by Marcus Gardley, at Cutting Ball
14. Audience, by Vaclav Havel, at San Francisco Theater Pub
15. An Accident, by Lydia Stryk, at Magic Theatre
16. ShortLived 2, by various local writers, produced by PianoFight
17. Girlfriend, music and lyrics by Matthew Sweet, book by Todd Almond, at Berkeley Rep
18. ShortLived 3, by various local writers, produced by PianoFight
19. Terroristka, by Rebecca Bella, produced by Threshold Theater
20. SF Stories, by various local writers, produced by Wily West Productions
21. Giant Bones, by Stuart Bousel, adapted from stories by Peter S. Beagle, produced by No Nude Men
22. ShortLived 5, by various local writers, produced by PianoFight
23. Best of PlayGround, by various local writers, produced by PlayGround
24. 1001, by Jason Grote, produced by Just Theater
25. Forever Never Comes by Enrique Urueta, produced by Crowded Fire
26. ShortLived Championship, by various local writers, produced by PianoFight
27. The Tosca Project, by Carey Perloff and Val Caniparoli, at ACT
28. Krapp’s Last Tape, by Samuel Beckett, at Cutting Ball
29. Mrs. Warren’s Profession, by George Bernard Shaw, at California Shakespeare Theater
30. Agnes the Barbarian, by Jason Harding, produced by Thunderbird Theater
31. Vanguardia, short experimental plays by Latino playwrights, at Cutting Ball
32. Pint-Sized Plays, by various local writers (including me), at San Francisco Theater Pub
33. This World is Good by J. C. Lee, produced by Sleepwalkers Theater
34. In the Wound, by Jon Tracy, produced by Shotgun Players
35. Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare, at Marin Shakespeare
36. Alice in Wonderland, adapted by Brian Markley, at AtmosTheatre/Theater in the Woods
37. Wilde Card, short plays by Oscar Wilde, at San Francisco Theater Pub
    
38. Trouble in Mind, by Alice Childress, at Aurora Theater
39. The Brothers Size, by Tarell Alvin McCraney, at Magic Theater
40. In the Red and Brown Water, by Tarell Alvin McCraney, at Marin Theater Co.
41. Scapin, by Molière, adapted by Bill Irwin, at ACT
42. Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, music and lyrics by David Yazbek, book by Jeffrey Lane, produced by Lincoln Center Theater on Broadway
43. Habibi, by Sharif Abu-Hamdeh, at Intersection for the Arts
44. Or, by Liz Duffy Adams, at Magic Theater
45. The Tempest, by William Shakespeare, adapted by Rob Melrose, at Cutting Ball
46. Menage à Plot: A Surf ‘n’ Turf Adventure, by Kelly Anneken, Megan Cohen and Evan Winchester, produced by PianoFight
47. Marcus, or the Secret of Sweet, by Tarell Alvin McCraney, at ACT
48. Boys Together Clinging, adapted by Ryan Hayes from Walt Whitman's poetry, at San Francisco Theater Pub
49. Ruth and the Sea, by Morgan Ludlow, produced by Wily West Productions
50. Of the Earth, by Jon Tracy, produced by Shotgun Players
51. Coraline, book by David Greenspan, music and lyrics by Stephin Merritt, at SF Playhouse
52. Code Red, by various local writers (including myself), at San Francisco Theater Pub
53. The Arabian Nights, adapted by Mary Zimmerman, at Berkeley Rep

STAGED READINGS:

1. Cyclops by Euripides, translated by Bennett Fisher, at San Francisco Theater Pub
2. Medea, by Euripides, at Cutting Ball
3. Medea, by Seneca, at Cutting Ball
4. Women Beware Women, by Thomas Middleton, at Cutting Ball
5. Storm, by August Strindberg, translated by Paul Walsh, at Cutting Ball
6. The Phoenician Women, by Euripides, at San Francisco Theater Pub
7. The Antiquarian’s Family, by Carlo Goldoni, translated by Beatrice Basso, at Cutting Ball
8. Oedipus at Colonus, by Sophocles, at San Francisco Theater Pub
9. Seven Against Thebes, by Aeschylus, at San Francisco Theater Pub
10. Antigone, by Sophocles, at San Francisco Theater Pub
11. Dionysus Bromios, by Nathan Tucker, at the San Francisco Olympians Festival
12. Apollo’s Gift, by Garrett Groeneveld, at the San Francisco Olympians Festival
13. The Life Poseidon, by Dana Constance, Bryce Alleman, and Kathy Hicks, at the San Francisco Olympians Festival
14. Hermes (The Many Shifts), by Bennett Fisher, at the San Francisco Olympians Festival
15. Artemis, by M. R. Fall, at the San Francisco Olympians Festival
16. Zeus Story, by Helen Noakes, at the San Francisco Olympians Festival
17. Ubu Roi, by Alfred Jarry, translated by Bennett Fisher, at San Francisco Theater Pub
18. Demeter’s Daughter, by Claire Rice, at the San Francisco Olympians Festival
19. Aphrodite: A Romance in Infomercials, by Nirmala Nataraj, at the San Francisco Olympians Festival
20. Ares, by Sean Kelly, at the San Francisco Olympians Festival
21. Athena, by Ashley Cowan, at the San Francisco Olympians Festival
22. Hera: Juno en Victoria, by Stuart Bousel, at the San Francisco Olympians Festival
23. Hephaestus, by Evelyn Jean Pine, at the San Francisco Olympians Festival
24. Andromache, by Euripides, at Cutting Ball
25. The Shunned House, adapted by Kai Morrison from H. P. Lovecraft, at San Francisco Theater Pub
26. Lovecraft Shorts, adapted by Ignacio Zulueta, Nathan Tucker, and Nirmala Nataraj from H. P. Lovecraft, at San Francisco Theater Pub
27. Epicoene, by Ben Jonson, at Cutting Ball

SITTING IN A LIVING ROOM, READING A PLAY ALOUD:

1. Becket, by Jean Anouilh
2. Pericles, by William Shakespeare
3. The Dunwich Horror, adapted by Stuart Bousel from H. P. Lovecraft, and Lovecraft’s Follies, by James Schevill
4. Metamorphoses, by Mary Zimmerman
5. Sweeney Todd, by George Dibden Pitt
6. Cyrano de Bergerac, by Edmond Rostand (event hosted by moi)
   

That's 86 events -- and that's not even counting the occasional benefit evening, rehearsal, night of drinking with playwrights, impromptu bullshit session about the state of the American theater, or the time I spent working on my own writing. 86 plays in 365 days -- that means that on 23.5% of the days of the year, I was doing something theatrical. MY GOD. I have never before been confronted with such overwhelming evidence of my insanity. It's amazing that I got anything else accomplished.

And some awards/highlights/opinions:

Top 3 Full Productions, Unranked (listed chronologically):

Mirrors in Every Corner
The Brothers Size
The Tempest

The Next Five:

Oedipus El Rey
Giant Bones
Mrs. Warren's Profession
In the Wound
Trouble in Mind

Excellent in 2009, Excellent Again in 2010 (or, Rounding out the Top 10):

Krapp's Last Tape
The Arabian Nights

Favorite Musical:

Girlfriend

I Enjoyed It, Despite the Critics:

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
The Tempest

Favorite Short Plays:

Inner Dialogue, by Kirk Shimano (part of PianoFight's ShortLived)
The Philadelphian, by Sam Leichter (part of the Bay One-Acts)
Three Little Words, by Tim Bauer (part of the Bay One-Acts)

Favorite Olympians Festival Plays:

Hera
Demeter
Hermes

I Enjoyed Being Introduced to the Work of These Playwrights:

Tarell Alvin McCraney
Chinaka Hodge
Alice Childress
Marcus Gardley
Luis Alfaro
Sharif Abu-Hamdeh
and all of the Olympians writers

I could go on and on (I haven't even mentioned my favorite performers, or directors, or indelible little MOMENTS that I will cherish forever)... but maybe, instead, I should put 2010 behind me and take a bit of a breather! Indeed, I have a feeling that in 2011 I will be a slightly more judicious theatergoer. I'm not jaded or anything -- I enjoyed a lot of what I saw in 2010, and only saw a few real duds. However, I know that I can't keep this up forever. 2010 was my year to binge on San Francisco theater. 2011 just might be my year to retrench, see a bit less theater, work a bit more on my own stuff (so that my own plays can start appearing on these kinds of lists in 2012 or 2013...)