Jamespeak

Here's to 2012!

2012-01-03T15:40:00.004-05:00

Happy 2012, everybody! I hope everyone's holiday was joyous, restful and/or festive, and that your fledgling New Year is so far treating you okay.

And heck. We're not three days into this new year and already shit, as the kids say, is going down.

As you know, Molotov's Fat Men in Skirts opens in two days at UNDER St. Mark's Theatre. Since it's only running a scant three performances, you should buy your tickets now.

In other news, I've just purchased my ticket for Gideon Productions' ADVANCE MAN by Mr. Mac Rogers. In other other news, I have an erection.

Are these events connected? None of your God damned business, you invasive bastards.

Giving you the pieces but leaving it up to you to put them together,

James "Hand-Holding Boner-Wielding Benefactor" Comtois

Merry Christmas, Everybody!

2011-12-20T08:49:00.002-05:00

Well, folks. Today is my last day of work for the year, so I am off into the wild gray yonder.

For reasons we've already gone into on this site, this has been an incredibly stressful year for me (and for other folks I know, for reasons we've not gone into on this site - and won't). This means that I'm very ready to check out of 2011 earlier than planned. So, I'll soon be going up to New Hampshire to both do a lot of personal writing and a lot of nothing.

Well, okay, not entirely nothing. I plan to watch a great deal of media and read a few books. But these activities will most likely be done while my feet are in a reclined position. And okay, okay, I'll also be going to a wedding. But I don't have to "do" anything there - except stay standing up.

At any rate, I hope everyone enjoys this holiday season and has a happy new year. I for one am curious - if not eager - to see what 2012 has in store for us.

And oh, yeah. I'll admit it. I'm very excited about seeing this. And being part of this. So right out of the gate, January 2012 has got some fun stuff in store for us. And by "us," I mean, "theatre folk in the greater-NYC area."

So again: Merry Christmas & Happy Chanukah, everyone! And here's to a better and brighter New Year!

Full of holiday cheer for some reason,

James "Ambivalent Santa" Comtois

Little Bucky Comtois: Someone to Know

2011-12-16T10:38:00.005-05:00

Over at his Visible Soul blog, Zack Calhoon explains to his readers why Kid Sister Becky Comtois is a Person You Should Know. Having known her literally her entire life, I am inclined to agree with him.

As an added bonus, she talks a bit about Mac Roger's upcoming ADVANCE MAN, the first play in his Honeycomb Trilogy. It is on. Oh, yes. It is on.

All about the nepotism,

James "Lil Theatrical Caesar" Comtois

Nosedive Brings Molotov's FAT MEN to NYC

2011-12-08T09:47:00.004-05:00

Nosedive Productions Brings Molotov Theatre Group to New York
for Fat Men in Skirts Run in January

“Surprisingly Sweet Show about Rape and Cannibalism”
Is the First Traveling Show from Washington DC’s
Notorious Grand Guignol Horror Theatre Company

Washington, DC (December 8, 2011) — Nosedive Productions, New York City’s “Theatre for Sick Little Monkeys,” will host DC-based Molotov Theatre Group, America’s second-oldest Grand Guignol theatre of horror, for a three-show run of Molotov’s critically acclaimed Fat Men in Skirts, January 5, 6 and 7, 2012.

Molotov’s Fat Men in Skirts will be performed at 8 PM each day, at the UNDER St. Marks Theatre, 94 Saint Marks Place, in New York’s East Village. Tickets are $15, and can be purchased in advance online here.

Advance purchase for this extremely limited run is strongly recommended, although tickets may also be purchased at the door on a space-available basis.

The run time of Molotov’s Fat Men in Skirts is approximately 95 minutes with no intermission. Please pee before entering.

Nosedive Productions Co-Founding Co-Artistic Director James Comtois said, "The folks at Molotov make exactly the type of theatre that excites us here at Nosedive Central: sweet, funny and horrifying all at once. So we're thrilled to be bringing their delightfully effed up play up to New York from DC."

“We’re grateful to the kindred spirits at Nosedive Productions for helping us put this show on its feet in New York,” said Molotov Artistic Director Kevin Finkelstein. “UNDER St. Marks is the perfect venue for us – shadowy, quirky and right in the middle of all the action. That’s the perfect recipe for Molotov’s special brand of nonsense.”

Written by Nicky Silver, Fat Men in Skirts was Molotov Theatre Group’s fifth Capital Fringe Festival production, and the first ever Capital Fringe show to be “Helen Hayes Awards Recommended.” The Helen Hayes Awards are Washington DC’s most prestigious theatre community honors – what the heck is Molotov doing getting this kind of recognition?

Critics reviewing the Capital Fringe production of Fat Men in Skirts heaped awkward praise on Molotov’s staging of the bizarre dark comedy:

"...a wonderful piece of theater art that inspires laughter, tears and three hot showers after viewing..." Maryland Theatre Guide (5 star review)
“…Surprisingly sweet for a play about rape and cannibalism…”: The Washington Post
“…Just the right tone for a Fringe play — it’s edgy, raw and a little nonsensical…”: DCist.com
“…I enjoyed [it] as much as one can enjoy a play that involves mental illness, rape, murder, and incest…”: dctheatrescene.com
“…Rethink your own revulsion when it comes to eating dead babies”: Washington City Paper

Fat Men in Skirts features DC area actors Katie Culligan, Dave Gamble, K. Clare Johnson and Matthew Marcus. The play follows the Phyllis Hogan and her son, Bishop, stranded on a desert island in an increasingly “interesting” relationship. Rescued five years later, they discover the family’s philandering patriarch involved with a young porn star. Chaos, insanity, violence, cannibalism, and sidesplitting hilarity ensue.

NOT RECOMMENDED FOR THE EMOTIONALLY OR PSYCHOLOGICALLY IMPRESSIONABLE OR FOR PEOPLE WITH CARDIAC OR NERVOUS CONDITIONS.

STRONGLY RECOMMENDED FOR COUNTER-CULTURAL, UNDERGROUND AND CULT FANS WITH PROPERLY WORKING HEART AND CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEMS.

FOR THE SAFETY OF THE ACTORS AND THE SEATED AUDIENCE, PEOPLE LEAVING THE THEATRE WHILE THE SHOW IS IN PROGRESS WILL NOT BE READMITTED.

About Molotov Theatre Group

Founded in 2007, Molotov Theatre Group is dedicated to preserving and exploring the aesthetic of the Grand Guignol, or French Theater of Horror. The company will strive to accomplish this in two ways:

• Through its ongoing project, “Grand Guignol DC,” to produce English translations of original Grand Guignol scripts to preserve and draw attention to this important, and essentially forgotten genre; and

• To apply ideals from the Grand Guignol to contemporary and classic works.

Molotov Theater Group will pursue these goals following the Grand Guignol model of employing a resident company of artists and working towards building a true rotating repertoire of plays. To our knowledge, no other company in the world is working to maintain this genre in such a traditional way. For more information, visit Molotov Theatre Group's site. Molotov Theatre Group is a not-for-profit professional theatre under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code — really!

Monkeys at the Monkey

2011-12-05T11:28:00.009-05:00

Hey, folks. Tonight at 8pm at the Monkey Theatre, John Hurley will direct the opening scene from the debut play from Nosedive Productions, Monkeys.

Yes, this is the show that gave Nosedive it's logo.

Part One of Monkeys features Joe Mathers and Shashanah Dattilo. They're awesome. And awesome in this.

The excerpt will be part of Purple Rep's Dark Night Serials, which will take place for the next few Mondays (possibly longer) during the run of their latest show, The Myths We Need - or - How To Begin.

In addition to Yours Truly's show, tonight's Dark Night Serials feature excerpts from the work of Johnna Adams, Brendan Burke and August Schulenberg.

Next Monday features the work of Kristen Palmer, Adam Szymkowicz, Charlotte Miller and Larry Kunofsky.

And did I mention it's free?

The Monkey Theatre is on the 12th floor of 37 West 26th Street. A bunch of serialized plays by talented people are playing there tonight for free. So go there. And enjoy yourself. And be somebody.

Throwin' his ~~poo~~ art around,

James "Creative Biped" Comtois

My Profile on Mac Rogers

2011-11-25T13:28:00.006-05:00

My profile on Mac Rogers is now up on nytheatre.com's Indie Theatre Companion.

"Talking to Mac Rogers is at times like talking to an over-caffeinated Jimmy Stewart clone that's wondering if he left the oven on while simultaneously realizing he's late for a train. To describe Mac's conversational style as "distracted" is putting it mildly. To say he's a fast talker is an understatement...[keep reading]"

Managing to be both sycophantic and insulting,

James "Hostile Benefactor" Comtois

Happy Thanksgiving from Nosedive Productions!

2011-11-22T17:59:00.003-05:00

Well, friends, family and well-wishers*, before we settle all our affairs with our 11th season and send it off into that Great Season in the Sky, we here at Nosedive Central wanted to wish all of you a happy Thanksgiving.

After doing three shows in three months — Captain Moonbeam & Lynchpin in June, The Blood Brothers present ... FREAKS FROM THE MORGUE in June & July and Infectious Opportunity in August — amidst personal health crises, we're both extremely proud of our 2011 season and quite relieved that we literally survived it. We are now ready and eager to move forward with our upcoming 12th season!

Since we could not have possibly done this massively ambitious endeavor without your continued generosity and support, we cannot thank you enough.

I can already feel it: 2012 is going to be a great year for Nosedive Productions. I'm currently writing — and almost finished — a number of plays at the moment, the details of which I shall offer very, very soon. But suffice it to say this will lead to the staging of a new original full-length show — possibly even more — as well as a new anthology of horror plays in October, we'll be embarking on a first-time endeavor for Nosedive in the beginning of the year: that of co-sponsoring a production from a visiting company.

Again, more details on that — beyond saying that we're incredibly excited about this — very, very soon.

Because of this, we need your help.

As it stands now, Nosedive needs at least $5,000 to both settle our affairs with our 2011 season and get started on our goals for our 2012 season.

If you could donate any amount to Nosedive Productions, which is now no longer under the umbrella of Fractured Atlas but now its own fully independent, not-for-profit company, you can now do so through the Network For Good site.

The new donation button can also be found on our website.

As always, your tax-deductible donation of any size helps, from $10 to cover the cost of printing the programs to $100 for a week's worth of rehearsal space.

Also, I wanted to thank you all again for your support during this particularly strenuous — but ultimately exciting and rewarding — year.

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!

Regrettably looking and sounding
Absolutely nothing like Beyoncé,

James "Survivor" Comtois

*Well-wishers in that, like Moe Szyslak, you don't wish us any specific harm.

Poltergeist (Tobe Hooper,* 1982)

2011-10-31T09:28:00.004-04:00

As always, there's some stuff in here that could be construed as spoiler-y. Happy Snowy Halloween, folks!

Just like the Steven Spielberg-directed films Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (which was released a week after this film), the Steven Spielberg-produced supernatural horror film Poltergeist takes its audience to American suburbia. However, whereas those first two films are (in their own way) celebrations of suburban life, Poltergeist is a condemnation. In fact, Poltergeist reveals that suburbia's underbelly is quite literally teeming with rotting corpses.

Poltergeist is a haunted house film where the house in question is far too new to have ghosts. In fact, the house is being haunted precisely because it is new and its very presence offends the spirits.

I put the asterisk next to Tobe Hooper's name above—perhaps unfairly—to indicate the mini-controversy/debate surrounding who really directed Poltergeist. Although Hooper is credited as being the film's director, numerous accounts (as well as simple observable details) suggest that Spielberg (on top of being the credited writer and producer) was the true director of the film.

Though Spielberg has since insisted that Hooper was (is) the true director of Poltergeist, comparing the film with The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (Hooper's prior directorial effort) then with Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, or Close Encounters (Spielberg's) suggests otherwise. Poltergeist unmistakably looks like a Spielberg film, from its shot compositions to its score (where Jerry Goldsmith is doing his best John Williams impersonation).

Again, this could be incredibly unfair (I obviously wasn't there on the set and have spoken to absolutely no one involved in the making of the film), and I don't mean to disrespect Hooper (who did direct my favorite horror film of all time, after all) but I'd assert that Poltergeist ultimately represents Spielberg's, not Hooper's, vision. And ultimately, that's where I'm coming from with this entry.

Just as Gremlins would later be the dark and twisted version of E.T., Poltergeist is the evil twin of Spielberg's 1977 film Close Encounters. In fact, if watch the scene in the former where Carol Anne (Heather O'Rourke) and Robbie (Oliver Robins) Freeling are attacked and abducted, followed by the scene in the latter where little Barry is taken from his mother, you could be forgiven for thinking they're from the same movie.

Whereas E.T. and Close Encounters ultimately evoke wonder while offering a touch of dread, Poltergeist reverses that balance—it evokes dread while offering a touch of wonder. And make no mistake: early in the film, when Diane (JoBeth Williams) notices the chairs in the kitchen slide across the room, the paranormal activity taking place in the Freeling family's house does inspire wonder. Then later that night, when the giant misshapen tree in the yard reaches into the kids' room and tries to eat Robbie and Carol Anne is sucked in through the closet wall to some sort of alternate dimension, the sense of wonder ends and the enervating horror begins.

(In fact, the movie does a really good job of conveying how draining the haunting is for the Freelings. After Carol Anne disappears, look at Craig T. Nelson's face in the following scenes. Through the bulk of the second act he looks as though he literally hasn't slept in days.)

Here's one example of how the spirits within the house torment and terrorize its inhabitants. I suppose I'd label it NSFW. I mean, if your boss walks by and sees you watching it, it may lead to some awkward conversations:

(I'd also like to point out that, like Jaws, this film was rated PG when it was originally released.)

In Poltergeist, the suburbs are not romanticized—they are a literal source of evil. When the opening credits roll, we see row upon row of sprawling identical houses, spanning out indefinitely. "I can't tell one house from the other," says one prospective homebuyer when Steven (Nelson), a real estate broker, shows off a house in Cuesta Verde, a suburb that, in Steven's words, his "company built."

In another early scene, Steven's wife Diane discovers that their daughter Carol Anne's pet bird has died. So, she and Carol Anne give it a funeral by putting it in a cigar box with a napkin for a blanket, a rose, some food, and other items, then burying it in the yard. We'll see later that all this care and respect will be for nothing, as a bulldozer will unceremoniously dig it back up and spill it back out onto the ground.

I realize I'm describing it to seem like a heavy-handed and clumsy bit of foreshadowing, but in execution it's actually quite deft and subtle—primarily because we're not let onto why all this aggressive paranormal activity is taking place in the Freeling family home.

And just why is all hell breaking loose in the house? This could be a clue as to why.

Thaaaat's right. The company that built the town unceremoniously mowed over a cemetery and desecrated the graves of countless souls. Oops.

Sure enough, the Freeling family gets the hell out of there before the house literally implodes and Steven's boss (who apparently gave the go-ahead to move the headstones but leave the bodies behind) inexplicably gets no comeuppance. Cue the subsequent following of two horrible yet inevitable sequels.

And because no write-up on Poltergeist would be complete with a reference to the traumatizing evil clown doll in the kids' room, here you go. You're welcome.

(Seriously, what little kid has that fucking thing as a toy? I suppose the same little kid who has a poster for Ridley Scott's Alien on his wall.)

With Poltergeist, which had another director credited, Spielberg was able to explore the dark side of his more wondrous, child-friendly creations yet keep himself at a safe, arm's length distance. Yes, Spielberg gave the world E.T. But the week before, he also gave the world that goddamn clown doll.

Never sleeping in a room with a clown doll,

James "Just...Smart That Way" Comtois

Hazardous Cargo by Bryan Enk

2011-10-24T13:09:00.003-04:00

Nosedive Central's good pal Bryan Enk, producer-director of The Big Bad, made this short film, Hazardous Cargo, last year for Nosedive's 10th Anniversary Gala. It's now up and available online. It makes me smile. Featuring Becky Byers.

Happy he has his thumbs,

James "Hazardous Playwright" Comtois

Coming this Halloween to a radio station near you...

2011-10-16T12:25:00.001-04:00

This Halloween, FinalRune Productions and Aural Stage Studios presents an original horror story by Yours Truly...

Intensive Care

By James Comtois

Directed by Samantha Mason

Featuring
Nat Angstrom - Kristina Balbo - Janice Gardner
P.G. Lorusso - Hannah Kramer - Dave Marshall

Music by Barb Truex and Matthew J. Boudreau

Sound design by Matthew J. Boudreau

Recorded at the North Dam Mill in Biddeford, Maine, courtesy of mill owners and the City of Biddeford.

More details on the show, including where to hear it, can be found here.

Scaaawing your ears off,

James "Aural Nightmare" Comtois

Adventures of Nervous-Boy Now Available as E-Book!

2011-10-08T20:55:00.005-04:00

And in Further Adventures in Naked Capitalism, my play The Adventures of Nervous-Boy is available online at indietheaternow.com.

Read the script now for mere pennies!

Offering you deals left and right,

James "Concerned Capitalist" Comtois

Because It's My Blog...

2011-09-26T09:35:00.006-04:00

...and because I'm a capitalist, and because the prior post is plugging something that's already come and gone, and because it's been a while since I've done this, I'm going to use this time to suggest that you buy a copy of my play, Infectious Opportunity, and read the living hell out of it.

Actually, what you do with it once you buy it is your business. That's your prerogative as a consumer. It's no concern of mine.

Selling you stuff you
didn't know you needed,

James "What You Need" Comtos

"Daddy's Bad Medicine" This Saturday

2011-09-23T15:06:00.009-04:00

Hey, folks. For those of you who missed it the first time around, my one-woman horror monologue, "Daddy's Bad Medicine," which played as part of this summer's The Blood Brothers present...FREAKS FROM THE MORGUE, will be playing at the 2011 FAB! Festival.

The free festival also features excerpts from Crystal Skillman's Action Philosophers! Jon Hoche's Galactic Girl in: Attack of the Starbarians, Trav S.D.'s Trav S.D. of the American Vaudeville Theatre and Wide Eyed Productions & PlaylabNYC's Goldilocks and the Three Polar Bears.

FAB! Festival

Saturday, September 24th
1:30PM

The Club @ LaMaMa
E. 4th St between Bowery & 2nd Ave.

Curated by Sean Williams
Hosted by Andrea Alton

And again, this shit is free. Watch the hell out of it. With your eyeballs.

Awright. That's it for me (for now). Have a good weekend, folks. Catch all you adorable little fuckers later.

Always leading you astray,

James "Delightful Tour Guide" Comtois

Back to...Something

2011-09-22T11:52:00.002-04:00

Well, yikes. That last entry has been up on the top of the page long enough. As much as I appreciate the response it's received, it seems a bit morbid after a while. Plus, speaking of morbid, having that last entry being the most recent makes it seem like things up in Maine took a horrible turn for the worse (which couldn't be further from the truth).

Believe it or not, I have been working on a few new entries for this quasi-moribund blog. It's just been doubly-difficult since, not only is it taking me longer to write entries on good days, but since I've now been several weeks behind in my real world obligations (a week at Woodhull after a bad reaction to the Coumadin followed by a week of recuperating up in Maine), that makes my free time to write blog entries about derp, derpy-doo dwindle down to nothing.

At any rate, I'm hoping to post a few entries on this site in the not-too-distant future, once I'm all caught up with said real world obligations. This includes day job stuff, post-production stuff for Nosedive Central and separate writing assignments not related to either.

I'm not saying you should hold your breath or anything, I'm just saying if you happen to stumble upon this site in the next few weeks or so, you may find some content that could make your work day pass a little faster.

In the meantime, congratulations to all of this year's winners of the NYIT Awards, thanks again for all the incredibly kind words I received from my previous blog entry, and I'll be nattering at you again at some point in the relatively near future.

Goin' back to...something,

James "Worker Bee" Comtois

Full Stop

2011-09-06T12:00:00.001-04:00

On August 9 of this year, four days before my play Infectious Opportunity opened at the New York International Fringe Festival, I had a heart attack. I was (and, as of this writing, still am) 34 years old.

Up until the paramedics rushed me to Bellevue Hospital, it wasn't a particularly dramatic ordeal. I experienced the symptoms that one is told about, but the symptoms didn't come suddenly or violently like in the movies. The thought periodically crossed my mind at the time that I was experiencing a heart attack, but for the most part, I was too busy thinking, "Ow ow ow ow make it stop make it stop make it stop."

Seriously, folks; if you're thinking of having one of these things because all the cool kids are talking about having one, I'd advise against it. They hurt quite a bit.

As I said, at first, it wasn't a particularly dramatic ordeal. In fact, the morning of the attack was pretty unremarkable. I woke up, got my morning ice coffee, and had my morning cigarette outside before taking the train into Manhattan. After I finished my cigarette (which would turn out to be, as of this writing, my last), I went underground to wait for the L train to take me to work.

While on the subway platform, I felt an odd sensation in my left arm and upper chest. It was as if I had a sunburn in those two parts of my body. A weird sensation to be sure, but not an intensely painful one. Certainly not too painful to cause any serious alarm or consider calling 9-1-1.

At the time, I thought: "Huh. This feels weird. I wouldn't mind if this feeling would go away." The train arrived and I boarded, forgetting about the irritating sensation in my arm and chest. Off to work I went.

When I got to the neighborhood where my office is, I found myself feeling winded going up the stairs of the train station. The sensation in my arm and chest had intensified from a mild burning to a more tightening sensation, as if there was a weight on my chest and someone had tied an elastic around my forearm, cutting off my circulation.

"This is beginning to really hurt," I thought. So I started to walk a little slower, as I still found it difficult to catch my breath.

Still, no clutching of the wrist a la Glenn Ford in Superman, no pounding my chest with my fist like Da Superfans from the recurring Saturday Night Live sketch, and no crashing to my knees like countless films depicting someone suddenly suffering a heart attack. I could still walk, talk, and think clearly. Off to work I went.

It wasn't until I got upstairs to my office and sat down at my desk when the breathing became a serious effort. Down on the street, it felt as if a large dog was sitting on my chest. Now it felt more like a small elephant. I was sweating profusely, even though the air conditioner was on in the office. Within less than a minute of sitting down, I turned to my boss (who sits right next to me) and said, "Excuse me."

I stepped out into the hallway and walked back and forth a few times, trying to get some air and now feeling like I had completely lost circulation in my...well, everything. This was a new pain, a new scenario I was unfamiliar with. What was happening? I didn't know.

That's when the thought first hit me: You're not gonna be able to walk this off.

The inner voice was right. I wasn't going to be able to ignore this pain, and I wasn't going to be able to take the subway back home and walk — or sleep — this off. Whatever was happening...

(It was around this time, at roughly 10:30 on this Tuesday morning, that the thought that this could be a heart attack entered my brain. I was immediately reminded of both author Harlan Ellison's description of his heart attack in his book, Slippage, which mirrored my current experience, and John Goodman's portrayal of Dan Connor having a heart attack in an episode of Roseanne, which also mirrored how I felt and how I must have looked to others. I was however in too much pain now to seriously dwell on this idea. The only really lucid thought I could hold onto at the time was something to the effect of: "I hate this I hate this I hate this I hate this.")

...it was going to require immediate attention from professionals, since I had a (correct) hunch that within a couple of minutes, I would no longer be able to walk.

So, I re-entered my office, and said to my boss: "I don't feel good. You need to call someone."

My boss asked: "Is everything okay?"

My response, which was rather curt, was: "No. My arm and chest hurts and I'm having a tough time breathing."

His eyes widened as he agreed that that sounded very bad indeed. So he told me to lie down on the couch by the door. I did so as he called 9-1-1 and a co-worker of mine handed me a glass of water.

Shortly after my boss called 9-1-1, several paramedics arrived and surrounded me, asking me a series of questions, taking my vitals and giving me both aspirin and nitro glycerin.

At the time, they could have easily told me the only way to relieve me of the pain was to shoot me in the face with a shotgun, and I would not argue with them.

The pain and discomfort had now increased to insufferable levels and enveloped me, so I would have eagerly accepted a shotgun blast to the face if it meant not having to feel this way anymore. "Fine!" I would have said if I had the energy and that's what they had to offer. "You need to shoot me in the face? Shoot me in the face! Quit foot-dragging, let's do this. Just make this shit stop!"

Fortunately, they did not kill me, but instead lifted me onto the stretcher they brought, and took me down to the ambulance through the freight elevator. I was then taken to Bellevue, which was only a few blocks away from where I work.

Before entering Bellevue, one of the EMTs warned me that the next few minutes were going to be chaos. Sure enough, he was right. Upon entry of the hospital, I was surrounded by what seemed like 100 doctors, nurses and surgeons, all asking me multiple questions all at once, many of them the same questions. I was handed several forms to sign as I was being wheeled through a labyrinth of corridors.

Throughout this, the EMT told me that in a few minutes, my femoral artery would be cut open, a balloon would be inserted into it, and I'd feel "One thousand times better."

Those were the magic words. The idea of being cut open didn't bother me as long as the end result would be to stop feeling this way.

Was I going to die? That thought crossed my mind at this point as well. Oddly enough, it wasn't a particularly troubling thought. I don't write this to convey any sense of machismo, bravery, or even some sort of death wish, but to convey that I thought that whatever was going to happen, it was now out of my hands and it was going to happen very, very soon. In other words, however this was going to turn out, I'd know the result in mere minutes. Besides, these people seemed to know what they were doing, and it wasn't as if I was in any position to argue or offer my proverbial two cents.

It wasn't long before I was placed on the operating table...

(Later, one of my nurses, Mary, would tell me that the time from my entrance into Bellevue to being put on the operating table was 11 minutes, something she and the other nurses were particularly proud of. I too was quite impressed.)

...and a woman whose name escapes me pulled my pants down and proceeded to shave my groin.

"And she didn't even buy you a drink!" the EMT joked. I laughed (albeit weakly) and wished I could come up with some sort of rejoinder, but was too overwhelmed to offer any type of witty reply.

I was given some meds to make me...well, not knocked out, but just loopy enough to not care about my environs. I vaguely remember a pinching sensation in my leg (where they inserted the balloon for the angioplasty) and being spoken to some time later, asking me how I felt.

"Much better," I replied. And that was the truth: I felt so much better than before I had been wheeled in.

"That's good," said one of the doctors. "Because you had just suffered a massive heart attack."

A massive. Heart attack.

That was the first time I had been told what I had experienced. Sure, like I said, the thought had crossed my mind. But the pain had been too intense for me to linger on the thought. Plus, this was the first time it was confirmed for me. And not just a mild or minor heart attack.

It was a massive heart attack.

Well, shit.

I was later told that one of my arteries — which now harbors a stent — had been clogged pretty badly with plaque and cholesterol. A blood clot had formed and got lodged in there like a cork in a wine bottle, completely blocking the flow of oxygen to the heart.

During my three-day stay at Bellevue, I would be told by numerous doctors and nurses that it was a miracle I was so close to the hospital (I work three blocks away from one of the best heart hospitals in the city, if not country) and was tended to so quickly. Again, I wasn't — and am still not — in any position to argue.

I was released from Bellevue the day before Infectious opened, but was still not back up to full strength to be able to attend. After the show, several people called and texted me to tell me it went about as well as it could have: a sold out performance and standing ovation. On one hand, I was very sad to have missed it. On the other, I was glad to hear it went so well and was happy that I was alive, healthy and no longer in the hospital.

I now take a regimen of blood-thinning, cholesterol-lowering and blood pressure-reducing medicine. Some of which I only need to take for the next few months, others I'll need to take for the rest of my life.

I also no longer smoke. August 9 was also, not surprisingly, the day I quit smoking. I had my last cigarette a few minutes before I felt the first symptoms of the attack, and asked one of the nurses to throw out the pack found in my shirt's breast pocket when I came to from the procedure.

So far, the quitting of the smoking has not been a challenge in any way. After four weeks, I have no desire to smoke. I guess it took something this extreme to stop cold turkey and have the stopping stick.

Very recently, I was taken back to another hospital (Woodhull in Brooklyn) after having a very bad reaction to one of my blood-thinning medications (Coumadim, a drug I now no longer take), but that's another story for another time. What I did learn from that hospital visit is that my heart is now substantially stronger than my stay at Bellevue, and recovering faster than most of my doctors had predicted. If I have my way, I won't be staying at any hospital anytime soon.

Finally, I want to thank everyone who came to visit me while I was recovering at the hospital, who sent me kind and encouraging words, who checked in on me both in-person and online, who picked up the slack during the run of Infectious and who snuck in books, DVDs and real food to me. I can't thank you enough. I feel incredibly fortunate to know you and to have such a loving and fast-acting support system.

As I write this, I'm recuperating in Maine after staging three plays and enduring two stays in the hospital.

In short, what a fucking summer.

I plan to return to my fair city this weekend. In the meantime, I need to write the next play, and start calling random people who haven't had a heart attack — regardless of their age — "kiddo."

A cranky young man,

James "Bucko" Comtois

The New York Times, Big Vision on Infectious

2011-08-23T16:42:00.004-04:00

Though it has more than a few reservations about the script and direction (it is, after all, what one would call a mixed review), The New York Times weighs in on Infectious Opportunity, ultimately giving lead actress Jessi Gotta a whole lotta love:

"Jessi Gotta [is] the best reason to see this drama about a high-flying screenwriter and the appalling secret he hides. … The script gives the best moments to Ms. Gotta, and she makes the most of them. … This story of a writer has several good moments, made all the better when his psyche steps onstage."

We also got a great deal of love from Big Vision Empty Wallet not once, but twice, with both write-ups from two different writers each giving the show an "A."

Anyway, the run's been going quite well, if I do say so myself. Big houses, overall positive reviews, and overall positive responses from audience members.

In short, yeah, I'm happy with how the run is going and want more people to come see what we've done.

We've got two performances left – this Friday at 2pm and this Saturday at 10:15pm – so you have until Thursday afternoon and Friday night respectively to buy your tickets.

Ready to make out with you in the lobby,

James "The Professional Face of Nosedive" Comtois

Photos by Daryl Lathon.

First Round of Reviews for Infectious Opportunity

2011-08-15T16:44:00.007-04:00

Hey, folks! With our first sold out performance of Infectious Opportunity down, some of the reviews are already in - with many being of the "Quite Positive" variety! Huzzah!

"An enjoyable, thought-provoking play brought to life by a very talented team."
-Theatre Is Easy
"A definite must see this FringeNYC."
-New York Theatre Review
"Uses artful storytelling to show ambition at its most twisted and ethics at its lowest level."
-nytheatre.com

Like I said, our opening night completely sold out, so get your tickets now. Our next show's this Thursday at 2 p.m.

Yes, this post is about the current show that's playing. I'll most likely write about the Other Big Thing that happened last week at a later date.

And yes, I know the photo is a bit much, but fuck it. I just couldn't resist. Your mamma.

Some chump who enjoys
validation from strangers,

James "Quietly Needy" Comtois

Tickets for Infectious Opportunity are Now On Sale!

2011-07-22T09:05:00.000-04:00

Hey, gang! Your guardian from the gulag, Little Jimmy Comtois here, very pleased to let you know that tickets for our play, Infectious Opportunity, are NOW ON SALE!

You can get them by going here, and clicking on the performance you want to see.

It's like Fandango. Only, y'know, it's theatre.

This is a show we are incredibly proud of and ultra-thrilled to be remounting it. I think I can say with confidence that it's one of the best plays we here at Nosedive Central have done in our 11 years as a company. And we're very grateful to the NYC International Fringe Festival for letting us play in their (very large) backyard!

Since the show does indeed have a limited run, and the Fringe tends to be a madhouse, it's a good idea to get your tickets as soon as possible.

See you soon, my lovelies.

Cute as a freakin' button,

James "The Type of Button You Press, Not...Wear" Comtois

Infectious Opportunity at the Fringe Festival!

2011-07-08T12:35:00.006-04:00

Nosedive Productions Presents
in association with The Present Company

A play by James Comtois
Directed by Pete Boisvert

Featuring
Rebecca Comtois — Jessi Gotta* — DR Hanson — Daryl Lathon*
David Ian Lee* — Ingrid Nordstrom —Matthew Trumbull*

*Denotes member of the Actors Equity Association

As Part of
THE 2011 NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL FRINGE FESTIVAL (August 13-27)

@ THE LIVING THEATRE (VENUE #6)

Saturday, August 13 @ 5:30pm

Thursday, August 18 @ 2pm

Friday, August 19 @ 9pm

Friday, August 26 @ 2pm

Saturday, August 27 @ 10:15pm

Wes Farley, a screenwriter known for having HIV, is enjoying national attention with his latest film. There’s only one problem: he's faked his illness for the past 10 years to boost his career, and is beginning to comprehend the drawbacks of his plan. With the help of his friend Josie, Wes revisits his past and sees how an ill-advised white lie early in life ensnared him in his current situation.

After enjoying an extended sold-out run at the Brick Theater's Antidepressant Festival in 2009, getting nominated for a 2010 New York Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Original Full-Length Script and being published by Original Works Publishing, Nosedive is remounting its darkly comic Infectious Opportunity for this year's New York International Fringe Festival.

Infectious Opportunity will be performed at the Living Theatre (21 Clinton St. in New York) as part of The 2011 New York International Fringe Festival on Saturday, August 13 @ 5:30pm; Thursday, August 18 @ 2pm; Friday, August 19 @ 9pm; Friday, August 26 @ 2pm; and Saturday, August 27 @ 10:15pm. Subway: B D F or M train to 2nd Avenue or F J M Z train to Delancey Street. For tickets ($15 in advance, $18 at the door), visit http://www.fringenyc.org or call 866-468-7619.

Tickets will be on sale beginning Friday, July 22.

• • •

Two Blood Brothers Shows Remain

2011-07-01T15:10:00.005-04:00

Hey, gang! Your tantamount to the 'tarded, Little Jimmy Comtois here, reminding you that there are just Two Shows Left for The Blood Brothers Present...FREAKS FROM THE MORGUE, playing as part of EndTimes Productions' Vignettes for the Apocalypse V.

That's right. We're offering disturbing nudity, depraved behavior, severed limbs and spraying blood just two more times - this Saturday at 2pm and Sunday at 8pm - at the Kraine Theater on 85 East 4th Street before it goes up into that Great Production in the Sky.

Don't miss what Trav SD considers "by far the best" he's seen of the series. Get your tickets today!

See you there. Bring a poncho.

Rolling around in his own filth like a good theatre person,

James "Subhuman, Playwright, What's the Diff?" Comtois

Trav S.D. on The Blood Brothers

2011-06-28T09:29:00.003-04:00

Although Captain Moonbeam & Lynchpin has closed, we've still got three more performances of The Blood Brothers present...FREAKS FROM THE MORGUE, playing over at the Kraine on East 4th Street in Manhattan.

Trav S.D. has just written some very kind words indeed for the show, calling it "by far the best" he's seen of the series. Wow. Thanks, Trav!

The next performance is tonight at 8:30. Get your tickets.

Post-Moonbeam Thoughts

2011-06-26T19:33:00.009-04:00

And once again, a show has gone up into that Great Production in the Sky. We just closed Captain Moonbeam & Lynchpin (along with Brian Silliman's brilliant and beautiful Savior) mere hours ago, and I miss it already. It was a very short run indeed, but quite a sweet one, in my humble, jaw-droppingly-biased opinion.

The last few days before we opened the show, I had the same problem that I always have with a show of mine just before opening: I started worrying about if the show made sense to anyone who wasn't me. Like I said, I get this way with every Nosedive show, but in this case I found the feeling much more pronounced.

This is not meant as a slight on the cast, director, or Ben VandenBoom (who more or less served as our One Man Crew, Stage Manager, Designer and Set Builder). If anything, I felt they were helping make my very odd script make more sense. But in a way, Captain Moonbeam is a piece that seems to go out of its way to offer mixed signals to the audience.

The show pretty much tells a story about grief & childhood trauma giving way to alienation then mental instability through the lens of a comic book superhero origin story. In other words, in a sense we're telling a tragedy taking place in the mundane real world by using the storytelling cues and methods of thrilling fantasy adventure tale.

So, no. As you can see, I wasn't just being abstractly paranoid. We were telling a story with deliberately conflicting cues.

The one downside to acting in this piece is that it meant I'd be backstage for 99% of the show, which meant I would have to take audiences at their word as to how they responded to it (when I'm sitting in the audience for my shows I can kinda tell if people are feeling it or not). So not only could I not see the crucial/pivotal scenes in the show, I couldn't see how the audiences were responding.

Silly me for volunteering to be in the cast.

Fortunately, based on talking to audience members afterward, the story appears to have been properly conveyed. That is to say, people got what we were trying to do with it. (Whether they liked it or not is a different story.)

Having said that, more than one person suggested it was (is) incomplete, something I had contemplated myself. It's a short piece - only about 25 minutes - and there are several places I've thought of where it can be expanded easily. Hell, after the first table read with the cast, I added about five minutes to the script.

So, yeah. This is definitely a piece I'll return to and expand upon.

I want to again thank Leigh Hile for being a particularly excellent director on this, doing so much research on this show to give it an emotional depth and weight not found in the text alone (word on the street is she's a shitty waitress, but I can attest she's a freakin dream to work with in the theatre world), Ben VandenBoom, who did about 99.9% of the behind-the-scenes work on this (I was really a producer-in-name-only on this show), Pete Boisvert for taking production photos and mocking up all those comic book panels (while he was already bogged down with doing everything for The Blood Brothers) and the rest of the cast, Jordan Ungerer, Rick Cekovsky and Christopher M. Czyz, who made insanely fast costume- tone- and age-changes seem effortless.

And of course, I want to thank the Brick Theater for allowing us to participate in the Comic Book Theater Festival and to everyone who came out to see it. You bitches are all awesome.

Well, awright. Enough Reminiscing. We've still got Blood Brothers to tend to, and there's still a lot of preproduction work to for Infectious Opportunity.

Resting only for a moment,

James "Navel-Gazer on the Run" Comtois

Bloodbeam Saloonchpin

2011-06-25T12:24:00.008-04:00

So we've got a pretty full Saturday. The Blood Brothers show is today at 5:30 over at the Kraine Theater in Manhattan.

Meanwhile, over at the Brick Theater in Brooklyn, Captain Moonbeam and Lynchpin is today at 5.

So no, you physically can't go to both. Or can you...?

Because it just so happens that if you can't choose, excerpts of both will be at the Saturday Night Saloon: Last Call tonight at 8.

That's right. We're overbooked. Because we're looking out for you. Either that, or we just don't know how to organize a schedule. You know. Whichever.

Usurping your weekend,

James "Theatre Tyrant" Comtois

Trav S.D. on Savior & Moonbeam

2011-06-23T10:18:00.003-04:00

And Trav S.D., that delightful Jerk-in-Progress, offers up some very kind words for Savior & Captain Moonbeam.

Thanks, Trav!

Anyway, we've got another show tomorrow (Friday) at 7. See you there.

Apparently well-cast as crazy,

James "CAR IN THE EAR! CAR IN THE EAR!" Comtois

nytheatre.com Reviews Savior & Captain Moonbeam

2011-06-22T14:37:00.006-04:00

Wow, that was fast. We just opened the double-bill of Savior & Captain Moonbeam and Lynchpin (featuring the animated short "The Confetti Myth") last night, and Ed Malin's review is already up on nytheatre.com. Check it!

Gotta say, last night was a whole lot of fun. Brian and I were pleasantly surprised at tech to see just how well our pieces fit together as part of an entire evening.

And even with Gavin Starr Kendall's very funny animated short film buffering our one-acts, the whole night is a little under an hour. To quote Brian: you can't beat that with a stick. You can try, but you will fail.

So get your tickets. There are only three shows left.

Inspiring you to do good,

James "Good Citizen" Comtois

Captain Moonbeam Opens This Tuesday

2011-06-17T11:26:00.004-04:00

Hey, folks! Just wanted to give everyone the head's up that Nosedive's entry in the Brick Theater's Comic Book Theater Festival, Captain Moonbeam & Lynchpin, is opening this Tuesday at the Brick Theater in Williamsburg!

Since this is a very limited run (four performances), if you haven't got your tickets yet, now's the time to do so.

Captain Moonbeam is also playing as part of a double-bill with Brian Silliman's Savior, featuring Mac Rogers and Kristen Vaughan.

Tonight, of course, is our second performance of The Blood Brothers present...FREAKS FROM THE MORGUE, over at the Kraine Theater.

See you there!

Puttin on his cape,

James "Dandyman" Comtois

Saturday, June 25 - The Saturday Night Saloon: Last Call

2011-06-16T08:21:00.006-04:00

It pains me to report that the Vampire Cowboys has decided to give up its space, the Battle Ranch, up to the Great Space in the Sky.

After rehearsing there and performing so many serial plays as part of the Saturday Night Saloon for so many years, the Ranch has felt like just as much of a home to Nosedive Central as it was to the Cowboys. I'm definitely gonna miss going to this space.

But alas, nothing lasts forever, especially in New York.

So, for everyone who would like to celebrate the life the mourn the death of the Ranch, the Vampire Cowboys are presenting The Saturday Night Saloon: Last Call on on Saturday, June 25:

As always, the party's free, the all-you-can-drink beer (or until we run out) is only $5, and the shows are always crazy fun!

Why drink at a bar when you can party it up at The Saloon?

For this one-night only event, the Saloon features performances, poetry, and pieces by some of the Saloon's most beloved All-Stars:

James Comtois, The Blood Brothers (Pete Boisvert & Patrick Shearer),
Dustin Chinn, Jon Hoche & Robert Ross Parker,
Mac Rogers, Brian Silliman, Crystal Skillman, and more!

SATURDAY, JUNE 25TH @ 8PM

at THE BATTLE RANCH
405 Johnson Avenue, 2nd Floor
(2.5 blocks from Morgan stop off L train)

FREE!!!

Important Update on Blood Brothers Run

2011-06-15T10:30:00.004-04:00

Hey, folks. Quick update. Due to a scheduling snafu, the Tuesday, June 21 performance of The Blood Brothers present... has been canceled.

However, all is not lost. This Friday's performance, however, is still on. Plus, this means that you no longer have to choose between seeing Blood Brothers that night, or going to the opening night performance of Captain Moonbeam & Lynchpin, playing across the river at the Brick Theater.

Onwards and weirdwards,

James "Still Overbooked" Comtois

Blood Brothers Up and Running

2011-06-13T08:31:00.009-04:00

Awright. The Blood Brothers is now up and running, so I can breathe a little easier. Only a little easier, mind you, since we've still got some work to do on Captain Moonbeam and Lynchpin before we open next week, but there you are.

Sitting in the audience on Saturday, having spent the last 20 hours or so (give or take) in a state of anxiety over the show's opening (especially since how opening would go was out of my hands), it was such a nice feeling to have my stress and anxiety slowly and steadily dissipate as the show played out. In fact, this may have been one of the best openings for a Blood Brothers show in the history of the series.

(And okay, fuck it. It was particularly nice to watch the guy sitting in front of me squirm in discomfort and cover his eyes during Steph Finn's performance of "Daddy's Bad Medicine," one of the short pieces I wrote for the evening.)

So congratulations to the cast and crew for making this happen. You guys brought it.

I also have to offer much kudos to Mr. Ryan Andes for stepping up and doing a fine job understudying for Patrick as one of the brothers Blood. Having to open a show as understudy is never a fun thing, but you brought the magical sauce, Mr. Andes.

The next show is this Friday at 6 p.m. at the Kraine. Get your tickets.

Trying to get off-book for
Moonbeam for tomorrow,

James "Clumsy Actor" Comtois

The Blood Brothers present...FREAKS FROM THE MORGUE Opens This Saturday!

2011-06-06T10:00:00.004-04:00

Have you ever wanted to know what goes on in your child's bedroom after you put them to bed?

Have you wondered just how bad post-partum depression can get?

Have you always wanted to know how much a pig can eat before it gets full?

If so, then you're in luck, because the answer to these horrible questions – and more – will be answered when our first show of the summer, The Blood Brothers present...FREAKS FROM THE MORGUE opens THIS SATURDAY AT THE KRAINE! So get your tickets now!

As always, we promise creepy new plays based on true stories, violence, thrills, gore, disturbing nudity, gory violence, morbid humor, and of course, violence and gore.

So, y'know. Bring the kids.*

All shows are at the Kraine Theater on 85 East 4th Street (between Second and Bowery). Tickets are $20 ($15 for students) and may be purchased online or by calling 866-811-4111.

Saturday, June 11 @2pm

Friday, June 17 @6pm

Saturday, June 25 @5:30pm

Tuesday, June 28 @8:30pm

Saturday, July 2 @2pm

Sunday, July 3 @8pm

Dousing the audience in kerosene,

James "I Mean, 'Stage Blood'" Comtois

*Seriously, do NOT bring the kids. Not because it'll traumatize them (it probably will, but hey, they're your kids and therefore your problem), but because if you're the kind of parent who regularly takes children to shows like this, we don't want to know you. We just create plays about depraved individuals, we don't wanna go hang out and have drinks with them.

Crystal Skillman, Comic Book Theater, & The Brooklyn Rail

2011-06-03T18:43:00.005-04:00

Crystal Skillman interviews a bunch of us theatremakers about the Brick's Comic Book Theater Festival in The Brooklyn Rail. And yes, you get to read me blather on pretentiously about comic books and writing comic book-like pieces for the stage. Check it the hell out.

I'm off to go see Ms. Skillman's Cut, which has been getting some lovely attention from the press. I'm very much looking forward to it.

Anyway, enjoy your weekend, folks. I'm gonna try to figure out how I'll be getting around sans L train these next two days.

Using this as an excuse
to stay home all weekend,

James "Nice Try" Comtois

Captain Moonbeam and Lynchpin Catches the Eye of The NY Press

2011-06-01T15:51:00.005-04:00

Well, check this out! The New York Press is being very nice to us of late. Not only have they singled out The Blood Brothers present...FREAKS FROM THE MORGUE in its Summer Theater Guide last month, but they've also just named Captain Moonbeam & Lynchpin as one of The Five Most Interesting Shows at The Comic Book Theater Fest. Huzzah!

Both of these shows have very limited runs, so I'll mention it again: it's probably a good idea to buy your tickets for Blood Brothers and Captain Moonbeam now.

Eye-popping,

James "Sexygross" Comtois

Late Spring/Early Summer Preview (of Shows Not By Yours Truly)

2011-05-31T09:02:00.004-04:00

You'd think that having a bunch of shows going on would mean I'd have a ton of things to blog about. Well, oddly enough, not only have I been too busy to blog (with both the shows and the new day job, which has remarkably little-to-no downtime) but I don't have a lot to report, aside from the fact that Blood Brothers and Captain Moonbeam are in rehearsals and you should get your tickets for both.

In the meantime, I figured I'd take a break from plugging my own stuff to plug a few other shows of note from some buds and co-conspirators going on this summer. Believe me, I'm looking forward to making what little time I have to go see these.

Standards of Decency 3: 300 Vaginas Before Breakfast
Various writers and directors
The Blue Coyote Theater Company is doing a follow-up to their immensely popular—and potentially offensive—Standards of Decency series, where nine playwrights (including fellow homies Mac Rogers, Matthew Freeman and Adam Szymcowicz) create new short plays meditating on new media and pornography. (And if those Blue Coyote boys keep "meditating" like that they're going to go blind.)
Runs May 31 - June 18 at the Access Theater (380 Broadway). Click here for tickets.

Cut
by Crystal Skillman, directed by Meg Sturiano
And we here at Nosedive Central thought we were being prolific. In addition to her entry in the Blood Brothers show and her TWO entries in the Brick's Comic Book Theater Festival, The Management as residents of Horse Trade Theater Group just opened Crystal Crystal's latest play about three reality TV show writers—of course reality TV has writers—having to recut and essentially rewrite the season finale of their crap show. I'm seeing this on Friday. Join me?
Runs through June 4 at UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place). Click here for tickets.

Tulpa, or Anne & Me
by Shawn C. Harris, directed by Sarah Lyons.
A comic book author has the woman of her dreams, Oscar-nominated actress Anne Hathaway, climb into her apartment through her television set. If only Kate Winslet could do the same for me. But of course, there are some...problems...that develop along the way as their friendship develops. I saw a workshop production of this compelling show last year and am eager to see this again in a full production.
Runs June 2-19 at at the Robert Moss Theatre (440 Lafayette Street). Click here for tickets.

Ajax in War
by Ellen McLaughlin, directed by August Schulenburg
As a follow-up to their incredibly successful and brilliant Dog Act, Flux Theatre Ensemble continues their fourth season with a mash-up of Sophocles' Ajax and the modern war in Iraq. According to the promotional postcard I just received in the mail, the play follows the parallel narratives of the ancient Greek military hero Ajax and a female American soldier, both undone by the betrayal of a commanding officer. According to this company's past work, I'll sure as hell be there.
Runs June 3-25 at the Flamboyan Theater (107 Suffolk Street at Rivington). Click here for tickets.

Death Valley
by Adam Scott Mazer, directed by Dan Rogers
Wild West meets zombie apocalypse. Seriously. Oh hell's yes. I saw the serialzed version of this show when it went up at the Vampire Cowboys' last Saturday Night Saloon and enjoyed the hell out of each episode.
Runs June 23 - July 10 at the Bushwick Starr (207 Starr Street, Brooklyn). Click here for tickets.

Everything Else in The Brick's Comic Book Theater Festival and EndTimes' Vignettes for the Apocalypse V.
This isn't just a back-door plug (now there's an image) or a case of licking the hand that feeds you. There's a great deal of things in both festivals that I am quite pumped to see, from Derek Ahonen's The You Knows Know and Jerrod Bogard's The Madhouse in Vignettes to John Hoche's Galactic Girl In: ATTACK OF THE STARBARIANS! and Piper McKenzie's Bubble of Solace in the Comic Book Fest. I gotta say, I'm really pumped I get a discount to see these shows (right, respective festival curators?).
The Brick's Comic Book Theater Festival runs June 2 - July 1 at the Brick Theater (575 Metropolitan Avenue, Brooklyn). Click here for tickets.
Vignettes for the Apocalypse V runs June 9 - July 3 at the Kraine Theater (85 East 4th Street). Click here for tickets.

I'm sure I'm missing a bunch of other shows going up this summer, so screw it: let's open up the floodgates. If you have a show going up in the Greater NYC area this June and July, feel free to plug to your heart's content in the comments section!

No time for going to Splish-Splash this summer,

James "Bathing Suit Area" Comtois

The Post on the Comic Book Festival

2011-05-30T16:32:00.002-04:00

I can't believe I missed this: just as the New York Press offered a nice write-up for Vignettes for the Apocalypse V, the New York Post has written a nice write-up of the Brick's Comic Book Theater Festival.

Both festivals are starting very, very soon.

Anyway, carry on and enjoy your Memorial Day Weekend, folks.

Sweating like a sweaty guy,

James "Sweatshop" Comtois

Blood Brothers Shout-Out in the NY Press

2011-05-25T15:07:00.004-04:00

Well, hey! The Blood Brothers present...FREAKS FROM THE MORGUE gets a nice shout-out in the NY Press' Summer Theater Guide. Check that out!

And we're with the Press: don't worry about deciding. Just buy your tickets.

(I'm kidding. There's actually a number of shows playing at the EndTimes Productions' Vignettes for the Apocalypse V that you should check out. I'm not, however, kidding about suggesting you to buy your tickets for Nosedive's show.)

Makign your summer,

James "Summer Dream" Comtois

Leigh's Thoughts (And Mine) On Going Into Moonbeam

2011-05-20T16:25:00.006-04:00

Although I haven't been blogging in a while (I've been Tweeting, but that's different), I wanted to direct your attention to Captain Moonbeam & Lynchpin director Leigh Hile's blog entry on our impending first rehearsal and her thoughts on directing the show before the inherent chaos and madness ensues.

I for one can't wait to get started on the show proper (we've already laid all the administrative groundwork; now it's time to get this thing up on its feet).

Reading Leigh's entry makes me feeling increasingly confident and excited about our upcoming production. As I think I've mentioned before, this is a very odd (but I think very good) short play that seemed doomed to be orphaned and abandoned.

Ben VandenBoom and I had staged a truncated version of Captain Moonbeam for Vampire Cowboys' Revamped series back in 2006, and were very happy with the result and response. But aside from being part of that one-night-only event, it didn't look as though Nosedive would ever give it a full production.

Since we had already mapped out our next couple of seasons, since it's a pretty short one-act (that is to say, under 45 minutes and too short to present on its own), and since at the time, Nosedive Central co-pilot Pete didn't quite know what to make of it (though I think he liked our 2006 staging; at least he said he did), it looked as though our Revamped performance was going to be its one and only live presentation.

Still, it was (is) a script I really wanted to produce. It's a weirdly personal script (the reasons for why are hard to explain). It's a very odd play that's tough to describe yet somewhat to pitch (as it deals with comic books and superheroes, and is both funny, sad and violent, but it's not really a "superhero play" - or maybe it is). It engaged people at the Revamped show better than I could have imagined.

So, I found it incredibly fortuitous that the Brick decided to make its summer festival comic book-themed, and fortuitous still that they accepted our submission into said festival.

Like I said, I'm incredibly happy that this show has a chance to be presented in its entirety for a few performances. I'm also incredibly happy that Leigh is on board directing this show, giving it the fresh perspective it needs. (And judging from her blog entry, her perspective is quite fresh and insightful, exactly what this script needs.)

At any rate, I'll let you guys know how our first rehearsal goes when it happens. I'll also most likely offer more scattershot thoughts on the play itself (although I think Leigh seems may offer much more articulate and insightful observations).

Over at the other show we here at Nosedive entral are staging, rehearsals for The Blood Brothers present...FREAKS FROM THE MORGUE are already underway, and I plan to sit in on rehearsals for my two contributions, "Otty" and "Daddy's Bad Medicine," this weekend. I'll let y'all know what I think next week.

Anyway, have a good weekend, folks. I'll catch y'all on the flippety, provided the impending Rapture doesn't completely wipe out my weekend.

Having no time for no Goddamned Rapture,

James "Get Bent, Rapture" Comtois

The Blood Brothers present ... FREAKS FROM THE MORGUE

2011-05-09T09:24:00.005-04:00

From Nosedive Productions

and EndTimes Productions…

THE BLOOD BROTHERS PRESENT…
FREAKS FROM THE MORGUE

Written by James Comtois, Stephanie Cox-Williams,
Mac Rogers, Brian Silliman & Crystal Skillman

Directed by Pete Boisvert, John Hurley & Patrick Shearer

AS PART OF

ENDTIMES' VIGNETTES FOR THE APOCALYPSE V

JUNE 11 – JULY 3 @ THE KRAINE THEATER

A young beat cop follows up on a routine call, only to stumble upon a scene of unspeakable depravity. A child plays with her abductor, but where does the game end and reality begin? And a girl goes off in search of her little sister, only to discover that men really ARE pigs.

These tales and others make up this year's BLOOD BROTHERS PRESENT... horror anthology series. Following the tradition of the original Grand Guignol Theatre, James Comtois (The Little One), Stephanie Cox-Williams (The Zombie Project: The Story of Icarus Phoenix), Mac Rogers (Viral), Brian Silliman (The Magic of Mrs. Crowling) and Crystal Skillman (The Vigil, or The Guided Cradle) write new stage plays based on stories ripped from the headlines, where even the monster under your bed is real.

THE BLOOD BROTHERS PRESENT…FREAKS FROM THE MORGUE features nudity and graphic violence and is recommended for adults only.

Featuring Leah Carrell, TJ Clark, Stephanie Cox-Williams, Stephanie Finn, Marc Landers, Abraham Makany, Samantha Mason, Collin McConnell, Judy Merrick, Ingrid Nordstrom and Ben Schnickel.

THE BLOOD BROTHERS PRESENT…FREAKS FROM THE MORGUE is part of The EndTimes Productions' Vignettes for the Apocalypse V at The Kraine Theater (85 East 4th Street between Second Ave. and Bowery). Show times are Saturday, June 11 @2pm; Friday, June 17 @6pm; Tuesday, June 21 @6:30pm; Saturday, June 25 @5:30pm; Tuesday, June 28 @8:30pm; Saturday, July 2 @2pm and Sunday, July 3 @8pm. Tickets are $20 ($15 for students) and may be purchased online or by calling 866-811-4111.

“For sheer playful fun, make this gory confection your Halloween treat." Time Out New York

# # # #

www.nosediveproductions.com
www.endtimesproductions.org

Nosedive Productions Presents: Captain Moonbeam and Lynchpin

2011-05-04T12:17:00.009-04:00

NOSEDIVE PRODUCTIONS

PRESENTS

Written by James Comtois
Directed by Leigh Hile

AS PART OF
THE COMIC BOOK THEATER FESTIVAL
JUNE 2-JULY 1 @ THE BRICK

When Alex was just an adolescent, his father killed himself while dressed in a superhero costume. His suicide note claimed he lived a double life as the costumed crime fighter, Captain Moonbeam. Now in his 20s, Alex obsesses over his father’s secret diaries and wonders, was his father just crazy, or did he genuinely live his life heroically?

Photo by Ben VandenBoom

Featuring Rick Cekovsky, James Comtois, Christopher Czyz and Jordan Ungerer.

CAPTAIN MOONBEAM & LYNCHPIN is part of The Comic Book Theater Festival at The Brick (575 Metropolitan Avenue between Union and Lorimer, Brooklyn). Show times are Tuesday, June 21 @ 7pm; Friday, June 24 @ 7pm; Saturday, June 25 @ 5pm; and Sunday, June 26 @ 2pm. CAPTAIN MOONBEAM & LYNCHPIN will play as part of a double-bill with SAVIOR, written by Brian Silliman, directed by Jordana Williams and featuring Mac Rogers and Kristen Vaughan. Tickets are $15 and may be purchased online or by calling 866-811-4111.

“Comtois & Co. are mining in Gogol’s vein: They may make us laugh, but that’s what happens when keen-eyed city dwellers tickle a seedy underbelly." Time Out New York

“By thumbing their noses at the status quo with fast, cheap, and sharp humor, Comtois and his colleagues at Nosedive Productions continue to demonstrate why they're a company to keep an eye on." nytheatre.com

# # # #

www.nosediveproductions.com
www.bricktheater.com

At the NYIT Awards Blog: Auto-Pilot

2011-04-29T11:24:00.003-04:00

Ladies and gentlemen, my final entry as guest blogger for the NYIT Awards' Full of IT blog.

I'd like to once again thank Shay Gines and the rest of the crew at the IT Awards for letting me blather cybernetically on their blog. It's been quite fun for me. I hope you've enjoyed yourself, too.

Anyway, have a good weekend, folks. Catch y'all on the flippety.

Infectious Opportunity in the Fringe!

2011-04-28T22:52:00.004-04:00

It's official. Pete just got the confirmation email. Infectious Opportunity is going to be rocking the 2011 New York International Fringe Festival this summer!

That's right: Nosedive's doing three shows in three months. Huzzah!

All theatre all summer,

James "Insane Idiot" Comtois

Shameless Script-Plugging Time

2011-04-28T15:40:00.004-04:00

Well, gang. I've been having a great deal of fun guest blogging over at the NYIT Awards' Full of IT blog this week, and it looks as though I've got one blog entry left in me before I hand the torch over to the next guest blogger. It should be appearing tomorrow, provided I finish it in time (I'm almost done, so I really should have it ready for a Friday post).

Although I still don't see myself returning to long-form blogging on a regular basis, it's been kind of fun to return to it for a bit, even if my entries may be a tad insipid and redundant (I know, I know, what a shocker). Paradoxically, it's reminded me why I enjoyed it and why I've kinda stopped.

So, while we all wait for my final entry to be posted on the Full of IT blog, I'm gonna go ahead and do some shameless plugging for my play, Infectious Opportunity.

That's right, campers. The NYIT Award-nominated play by Yours Truly about a guy faking being HIV-positive is available for sale both as a hard copy and for your Kindle for a song.

So be somebody and buy your copy today!

Awright. Enough shameless self-promotion for one day. Real blog entry for the IT Awards tomorrow.

Pissing in the sink,

James "World's Best Roommate" Comtois

At the NYIT Awards Blog: Who/What For?

2011-04-27T11:01:00.001-04:00

And lo and behold: my second entry on the NYIT Awards' Full of IT Blog is up.

Go ahead: check it out and BE Somebody.

At the NYIT Awards Blog: Upping the Ante

2011-04-26T10:35:00.001-04:00

My first blog post for the Full of IT Blog is up. Check it the living hell out!

Guest Blogging For the NYIT Awards

2011-04-25T11:36:00.004-04:00

Hey, folks! Shay Gines graciously asked me if I'd take the reigns of the NYIT Awards' Full of IT blog for the week, so I'll be their guest blogger for the next few days! So stay tuned; I'll keep you posted as to when new entries will be up.

Servant of two blogrolls,

James "Blogamist" Comtois

Tix for Captain Moonbeam Now on Sale

2011-04-22T09:09:00.000-04:00

Aaaaaaaand we're off to the races.

Tickets for Captain Moonbeam & Lynchpin are now also on sale.

(To be performed as a double-bill with Savior, written by Brian Silliman & directed by Jordana Williams.)

Go get 'em, tiger.

Rawr,

James "Jimmycat" Comtois

Tix for Blood Brothers Now on Sale

2011-04-21T11:05:00.000-04:00

That was fast.

Tickets are now on sale for The Blood Brothers present...FREAKS FROM THE MORGUE.

Why wait? Waiting is for choads. Get 'em now.

A total choad,

James "Pud Boy" Comtois

That's Right: Two Shows

2011-04-20T09:43:00.001-04:00

So, yes. As you can see from the last two posts, this summer Nosedive Productions is mounting two -- count 'em, TWO -- plays at once.

We're not doing these plays in rep and not doing them as a double-feature. They're being staged separately as part of two separate festivals in two separate boroughs going up at the same time.

Over at Horse Trade's Kraine Theater in Manhattan, we're staging Blood Brothers present...FREAKS FROM THE MORGUE, the latest installment of our annual horror anthology show as part of EndTimes Productions' Vignettes for the Apocalypse V.

Meanwhile, over the river at the Brick Theater in Brooklyn, we're presenting Captain Moonbeam & Lynchpin, a tragic superhero as part of the Brick's Comic Book Theater Festival.

Captain Moonbeam is playing as a double-bill with Gideon Productions' Savior, a new play by Brian Silliman. Interestingly enough, the Blood Brothers show will also feature new works by Brian as well as Mac Rogers, one of the actors in Savior.

What the dick were we thinking?

Though honestly, I don't think I can convey how excited I am for this to be happening. We didn't plan for this to happen: originally these productions were going to be a month apart, but wound up going up concurrently. Hey, it happens.

The fact of the matter is, I love the idea of having two shows going up at once, especially since (and this is the really bizarre part) this is costing us less to do than if we had staged only one show ourselves. That's right: it's more economically viable to stage two separate productions than one.

We here at Nosedive Central are very thankful for EndTimes and The Brick for bringing us onboard their respective festivals. Really, guys. You're showing that being incredibly ambitious (or perhaps incredibly stupid) can pay off, even without much money. So again, thank you for letting us play in their respective sandboxes and allow us to engage in our theatrical silliness in two boroughs.

I think this is going to be a crazy fun summer.

So: enjoy some macabre horror and gore-based theatre over at the Kraine in Manhattan, then some comic book-style drama over at the Brick in Brooklyn. We here at Nosedive Central have got it covered.

In the meantime, I'll keep you posted on tickets and other information in a way that hopefully won't confuse you or send you to the wrong theatre at the wrong night.

(Then again, I once had an audience member who simply couldn't find 85 East 4th Street, and she'd been living in New York for decades. I can only do so much, people.)

Competing with himself,

James "No, My Show!" Comtois

Coming This June at the Brick: Captain Moonbeam & Lynchpin

2011-04-19T09:28:00.000-04:00

This June at the Brick Theater...

From Nosedive Productions and The Brick Theater:

Captain Moonbeam & Lynchpin

A tormented father hiding a terrible secret.

A betrayed son desperate to know the truth.

A mask and cape waiting to be donned.

A new play by James Comtois

Directed by Leigh Hile

LIMITED ENGAGEMENT!

Tuesday, June 21 @7pm

Friday, June 24 @7pm

Saturday, June 25 @5pm

Sunday, June 26 @2pm

At the Brick Theater on 575 Metropolitan Avenue, Brooklyn

Part of The Brick Theater's Comic Book Theater Festival

Tickets on sale soon.

Coming This June at the Kraine: The Blood Brothers present...

2011-04-18T09:24:00.006-04:00

This June and July at the Horse Trade Kraine Theater...

From Nosedive and EndTimes Productions

The Blood Brothers present...FREAKS FROM THE MORGUE

An all-new collection of gruesome horror tales for the stage,
based on true stories ripped from the headlines.

With new works by
James Comtois
Stephanie Cox-Williams
Mac Rogers
Brian Silliman
Crystal Skillman

Directed by
Pete Boisvert
John Hurley
Patrick Shearer

LIMITED ENGAGEMENT!

Saturday, June 11 @2pm

Friday, June 17 @6pm

Tuesday, June 21 @6:30pm

Saturday, June 25 @5:30pm

Tuesday, June 28 @8:30pm

Saturday, July 2 @2pm

Sunday, July 3 @8pm

At the Kraine Theater on 85 East 4th Street, NYC

Part of EndTimes Productions'
VIGNETTES FOR THE APOCALYPSE V

Tickets on sale soon.

Cranking 'Em Out

2011-04-14T12:28:00.001-04:00

I've always admired those creative types that consistently turn out new work at a rapid rate. Folks like Woody Allen, Steven Soderbergh, Stephen King, Louis CK, Dave Sim. People like these—and several others—who produce new works in their respective field at least once or twice a year (or in Sim's case, once a month). Prolificacy is something I've always looked up to. Hell, even with creative types whose work I hate, I've still been impressed with their productivity.

Some of it's motivated by compulsion. No matter how many times he's announced his "retirement," King clearly just can't stop—or slow down—writing. Woody Allen has said in interviews he makes a movie every year because it takes his mind off his life and feels restless when on vacation for too long (he also comes from a background in television, where you don't have the luxury of waiting for inspiration to strike before creating—you have to produce content week in, week out, no matter what). Some of it's dictated by the rules of the field. Monthly comics, like television, have to produce on a fixed schedule. And some of it's motivated by good old-fashioned work ethic. Louis CK announced that he's going to start from scratch with material every year, and come up with an hour's worth of new material annually. (Even amongst other professional stand-ups, this is unheard of.)

Whatever the reasons—and look, I don't know these people personally, so I'm not interested in engaging in too much mind-reading armchair psychology—there are creative types that are known for being unusually prolific in their medium, and it's something I've found incredibly inspiring and compelling.

This is not to say that the output of these people is always gold (there are many films by Woody Allen that I've found seriously rushed and underdeveloped), or that I don't appreciate, admire or enjoy the work of those artists who meticulously take ~~their time with~~ seemingly forever to complete their projects (the Kubricks, the Malicks, the Flauberts, the Brian Wilsons and Lauryn Hills). It's just that when contemplating my own work, I've always wanted to be in the former camp in terms of creative output.

I'd rather write and stage 20 plays or more in 10 years that are hit-or-miss than two in the same timeframe that are considered (by either myself, the audience, critics, or some combination of all three) masterworks.

Although I'd like to consider myself prolific in the playwriting field, it really seems I'm just on par with the scene (my buds and colleagues Qui Nguyen, Derek Ahonen, Joshua Conkel, and Jeff Lewonczyk among many, many others, are all staging one new play a year or more). I guess for folks like us, it's inconceivable to do less. I mean, we love doing this, we can do this, and we're fortunately in a position where we can get our work staged the way we want it staged. So what's the alternative? Just not write?

Lately, however, I've wondered about the advantages of taking considerably more time to work on a new script or project. Now that Nosedive is over 11 years old, we no longer have Something To Prove (we've done over 20 shows in 10 years and have two new shows lined up for the summer; I think we can be seen as an actual theatre company at this point). We can afford to take time between productions.

Also, at this stage of the game, I don't want to just be producing solely for the sake of producing: writing a play simply because we've got an open slot in the upcoming season that needs filling.

In other words, I don't want to just be marking time.

And again, hey: I'm still a huge fan of Stanley Kubrick. Maybe there's something to taking a substantial amount of time in creating something. So maybe, after 11 years of writing and producing theatre at a steady clip, it'd be worth looking into being more meticulous with the next project.

Besides, wouldn't it be fun to spend over a decade producing two to three new works a year, then go into hiding for a year or two (or three), then unveil some new long-in-the-works secret project?

(This isn't to say that I'm against revising or rewriting, but just that the revision process is still part of the fast turnaround—a month writing the rough, a month putting it away and working on something else, then a month revising.)

Well, it doesn't seem to be sticking. I've quickly found that "taking my time" rapidly devolves into "procrastinating writing," which in turn rapidly devolves into "not writing at all."

It's not that I've run out of or am having a tough time coming up with ideas. Quite the contrary. I've currently got a number of ideas I'm contemplating. But I'm really only doing just that: contemplating. I've been procrastinating, dragging my feet, waiting for one of these ideas to grow on its own before making a decision to cultivate (translate: write) one.

Yeah, clearly this method of creating just isn't for me. In some ways, at this stage in the game, I wish it were. But I don't think I have it in me.

So, although this season—Blood Brothers, Captain Moonbeam & Lynchpin, and possibly Infectious Opportunity—has already been written (not counting if we're invited back to the Vampire Cowboys' Saturday Night Saloon), there's currently nothing yet written for 2012. Which means that needs to change. And soon.

This also means I need to make sure this isn't just a case of me marking time: it means I need to follow Louis CK's philosophy of keep working, keep producing new material, but make sure every new work is better than the last.

We'll see how this goes.

Back to work.

Breaking for nobody,

James "Spaceball One" Comtois

Why Not Buy a Script to Pass the Time?

2011-04-13T09:48:00.001-04:00

Before I officially announce the schedule of Nosedive Central's upcoming shows (we've been given the dates unofficially, but we need to remain mum for the time being so they can get confirmed and solidified), I just wanted to humbly remind you that while you wait for that info, you can buy Infectious Opportunity for your Kindle.

Same goes with Suburban Peepshow.

They're good plays. They're inexpensive. Just sayin.

Helping you wait for big news,

James "Cyber Life-Coach" Comtois

Amoral Cowboys

2011-04-12T01:12:00.000-04:00

The Vampire Cowboys and the Amoralists are two companies that put on work that I always make a point to see no matter what. Currently, they have two shows up that have again reminded me why.

Although tickets for both of these shows are going fast (and are maybe already gone), if you haven't checked out the Vampire Cowboys' The Inexplicable Redemption of Agent G or the Amoralists' Bring Us the Head of Your Daughter, you need to rectify that as soon as possible.

Although radically different shows, they both mark turning points for each company, revealing the Cowboys and Amoralists branching out in new directions. What's even more interesting is that while you could technically call Agent G a sequel, it's still like nothing writing-directing team Qui Nguyen and Robert Ross Parker has ever made before. And with Bring Us the Head of Your Daughter (which features a whole news cast of actors not found in previous Amoralists shows), writer-director Derek Ahonen tones it down a notch, but doesn't make his play any less fun and engaging than his previous works.

Agent G tells two intersecting stories. In one, Paco Tolson plays Hung, a James Bond-esque secret agent who has to return to his native country of Vietnam to connect with and confront the daughter of the man he killed while on his way to America (this part of the story was originally told in Qui's first-ever play, Trial By Water). Meanwhile, William Jackson Harper plays playwright Qui Nguyen, who wants to tell the story of his cousin's journey from Vietnam to America, but feels hamstrung by the conventions of theatre as well as by his own brand of genre and stage combat theatre-making.

Sure, it has fun stage combat scenes, cinematic motorcycle chase sequences, and sing-a-longs with giant puppets, but Qui—both the writer and character—reveals that these elements ring false for this story, which is deeply personal for both him and his family. Even Trial By Water, according to Qui—which the Cowboys didn't stage—had too many artificial constructs (such as a villain). With Agent G, the Vampire Cowboys get the Charlie Kaufman treatment.

In Daughter, a lesbian couple's relationship is rapidly deteriorating, due in no small part to their daughter Garance being on the run, wanted for murdering—and eating—a series of housewives. Their phone rings off the hook from anonymous callers wishing death on them. Where the hell did they go wrong? Or more importantly, what the hell can they do about it now?

Jackie's (Anna Stromberg) answer apparently, is to drink herself to death. Contessa's (Mara Lileas) response seems to be to enable Jackie while burrowing deeper into quiet tearful despair.

Before the couple has time to completely implode upon itself, Contessa's long-lost half-brother, Dexel (Jordan Tisdale) shows up at their doorstep. And without revealing too much here, we soon discover that Dexel and Contessa have been estranged for very good reasons.

And of course, eventually, the alleged cannibal-murderer finally returns home.

I admired the way Daughter still had that intense energy often found in Derek's shows, but bottled it for the most part, allowing the story to unfold slowly, and allowing its actors to engage in long silences. Despite it being a surreal black comedy—yes, I realize I've made the above sound very dour and morose, but it is a very funny show—there were still plenty of moments for quiet and tender scenes. I also found Daughter to live up to the company's name more than any other play I've seen by them—we've got some seriously damaged goods in this show, including a confessed rapist, yet they're all thoroughly sympathetic, likable and endearing.

I should also point out that the casts in both plays—mostly Cowboys vets in Agent G, all fresh faces in Daughter—are of course excellent.

The Inexplicable Redemption of Agent G and Bring Us the Head of Your Daughter are both incredibly surefooted works by incredibly talented writers and directors ready and able to expand from whence they came. Even though these shows didn't surprise me in terms of ability and enjoyment, they definitely surprised me in terms of tone and content. These veteran companies show they're not afraid to take risks and try different things, even this late in the game.

Both plays—and companies—remind me why I love theatre.

The Inexplicable Redemption of Agent G is playing at Incubator Arts Project on 131 East 10th Street until April 16. For tickets go directly to the box office.

Bring Us the Head of Your Daughter is playing as PS 122 on 150 First Avenue until April 24. For tickets go here.

Getting tasered for fun,

James "Public Menace" Comtois

I Guess That's The Answer

2011-04-05T10:09:00.003-04:00

Well, that didn't take long. As you can see from the button on the right, I have indeed joined Twitter. @JamesComtois. You can follow my up-to-the-minute micro-blatherings here.

Thanks to those of you who weighed in and gave me the extra push over the fence. We shall see how this goes. As always, we shall see.

So, feel free to follow me. I'll try not to lead you astray.

But no promises.

Keeping it short,

James "Sweety Bird" Comtois

To Tweet or Not to Tweet?

2011-04-04T14:25:00.006-04:00

Hey, gang. For the longest time, I've been dead-set against using Twitter. At first, it was quasi-ideological: I always saw the extremely short limit of characters helping to degrade our already rapidly-degrading attention spans, and I'm still not wild about how the hashtags, retweetings, shitty punctuation & spelling, various acronyms and other codings make tweets borderline impossible to follow.

Also, the arguments I've heard about Twitter being a strong and effective marketing tool have been dubious at best. Yes, a playwright or director can have several thousand followers. But in reality, how many of those followers equates to actually physically present audience members? It's easy to "follow" someone online: it's free and can be done from the convenience of, well, wherever you damn well please. It's another thing entirely to actually go out and pay money to see a play created by whomever you're following.

(It's also not like I have a great deal of information to "tweet" about on a regular basis. How many times can I post, "Having some Cheerios. Cats keep interfering. #cattens# #breakfast#?")

But let's be honest: this site hasn't been the source for long-form essays for a long while. My feelings toward blogging have become much, much more ambivalent of late (well, duh). Maybe updates on what's going on in my creative life is better in the short-form/news stream format.

Plus, although the jury's still open as to how much Twitter can help with self-promotion, it certainly can't hurt. So although I still haven't yet reversed my position on Twitter, I'm at least much more open to it than before.

This is my long roundabout way of saying I'm thinking about setting up my own Twitter account, but am still very much on the fence and still have more than a few reservations.

So, fuck it. I'll ask you. For those of you still out there reading this, what are your thoughts? Do you have a Twitter account? Do you recommend it or no? For theatre-makers, have you noticed it helping with drawing in audience members or not? What are the advantages? Any disadvantages? What do you think?

Lemme know.

Updating folks on the dull
minutae of my dull life,

James "Online Luddite" Comtois

Discount Tix Still Available For AGENT G on Mar. 31

2011-03-29T12:43:00.003-04:00

Hey, gang. Just wanted to shoot y'all a reminder that discounted tickets are still available for this Thursday night's performance of Vampire Cowboys' excellent new show, The Inexplicable Redemption of Agent G at the Incubator Arts Project on 131 E. 10th St.

You can get your tickets by going here.

And stick around after the show for some drinks and merriment.

Having seen this on opening night (and being quite excited to see it again), I can attest that this is one of the Cowboys' most ambitious, touching and engaging plays. Qui, Robert & Co. have taken their staple genre mashup/stage-combat style and given it the Charlie Kaufman treatment. The result is truly beautiful and stunning. Not to mention fun and funny as all hell.

So see you there! I can't wait to see this again...

Your boatswain to the beatific,

James "Deckswabber" Comtois

Yours Truly to Perform Some Sketch Comedy in L.A. This Weekend

2011-03-25T15:33:00.004-04:00

Hey, gang. For those of you in the Los Angeles area this weekend, I'll be performing with my ole' college sketch comedy troupe, Slow Children at Play, for a just-fer-the-fuck-of-it reunion show this Saturday at the Complex on 6476 Santa Monica Blvd.

The show's at 8 p.m., with a suggested donation of $10. Booze will be served, yuks will be had.

For the rest of y'all, have a great weekend. I'll hope to see a bunch of you in the New York area at the Thursday night performance of Vampire Cowboys' The Inexplicable Redemption of Agent G, a truly stunning piece of work.

Hunting for his boarding pass,

James "Gimme the Pat-Down" Comtois

Captain Moonbeam & Lynchpin in the Brick's Comic Book Theater Festival

2011-03-18T10:49:00.005-04:00

Well, I no longer have to be mum for fear of jinxing. My play, Captain Moonbeam & Lynchpin, will be playing as part of the Brick Theater's Comic Book Theater Festival this June! Huzzah!

More details to come...

Donning the latex skinsuit,

James "Perfect Role Model" Comtois

Discount Tickets/Afterparty for Vampire Cowboys' Agent G March 31st

2011-03-15T17:43:00.003-04:00

Hey, gang. Little Jimmy Comtois here, ready to let you in on some cross-promotional goodness between the Vampire Cowboys and the folks at Nosedive Central. Basically, it's a fundraising event that will wind up saving you money. For reals.

For those of you who have yet to buy tickets for Vampire Cowboys' latest, The Inexplicable Redemption of Agent G, we're offering discounted ($15) tickets to the Thursday, March 31st show.

You can take advantage by clicking here.

And after the show, libations and refreshments (read: beer, snacks and Jell-O shots) will be served.

A portion of these discounted ticket sales will go to Nosedive Productions.

So. To recap:

You get to see an awesome show for less money.

You get free drinks afterwards.

Vampire Cowboys gets an awesome audience (yes, that means you).

Nosedive makes some money for its 11th season.

Everyone. Freakin. Wins.

So see you there at The Inexplicable Redemption of Agent G on March 31!

Loving you always,

James "Purr Machine" Comtois

11th Season, Ho!

2011-03-08T01:23:00.002-05:00

Holy shit that was fun. Nosedive's Red-Ribbon Gala, which took place this past Saturday at the Bowery Poetry Club, far exceeded my expectations in every way, and was a rousing success (as well as a previously-mentioned damn fun time).

Many thanks to everyone who came out this weekend and to everyone who made it happen, from writers Jeff Lewonczyk, Qui Nguyen, Mac Rogers, August Schulenburg and Crystal Skillman; musical act the Dye Violets, burlesque beauty Mme. Renee Rosebud; poet extraordinaire Brian Silliman; director John Hurley; performers Alisha Spielmann, Ryan Andes, C.L. Weatherstone, Joe Mathers, Felicia Hudson, Melissa Roth and Martin Denton (yes, Mr. Martin Denton); everyone at Nosedive Central and of course, our host and MC, Bastard Keith.

(Jesus, as long as that list appears to be, I'm sure I'm forgetting some folks, so I apologize in advance and thank you as well.)

Thank you all so much. Seriously, you guys are awesome.

And for those of you who couldn't make it out on Saturday but would like to donate to the cause (the cause being Nosedive's 11th season), you can do so by going here.

And now with the first item of the season out of the way, we can prep for our upcoming season, which will include our annual Blood Brothers present... horror anthology show, this time to go up in May instead of October (as it will be a co-production with EndTimes Productions). That'll be happening at the Gene Frankel Theatre in a matter of months.

Then, the plan is to remount our 2009 NYIT-nominated play, Infectious Opportunity, perhaps in the summer, depending on space availability.

We've also applied for entrance into a theatre's annual festival with another script of mine, but to mitigate the risk of jinxing that, I won't divulge any details until we get the response back from the theatre.

So suffice it to say, work is now underway for Nosedive Central's 11th season, about which I'm quite happy and enthusiastic.

This of course means I need to finish up my damn entry in the impending Blood Brothers show.

Back to writing,

James "Worker Bee" Comtois

Dainty Cadaver Plays in The Midway Journal

2011-03-03T18:20:00.004-05:00

Piper McKenzie's Dainty Cadaver plays, in which I participated as an actor and writer, are now available to read in The Midway Journal.

(FYFI, I played Spencer in Team A, and wrote for Team C.)

Feel free to read at your leisure and go, "Um...what?"

A dainty writer,

James "Two-Step" Comtois

And Apparently...

2011-02-23T09:36:00.003-05:00

...Pete just got a letter from the IRS, confirming that Nosedive Productions is officially 501(c)3!

(Or, a not-for-profit company, for those of you not into the whole sexy jargon thang.)

Huzzah! And it only took, what, 11 years? Hey, slow and steady, wins...something...

Looking for profits,

James "Non-Prophet" Comtois

Infectious and Peepshow Available on Kindle

2011-02-14T08:56:00.001-05:00

Did you know you can now read Infectious Opportunity and Suburban Peepshow on your Kindle?

Well, now you do.

Keeping his (and your) thumb on
the pulse of the publishing scene,

James "Digital Valtentine" Comtois

Coming in March: Nosedive's Red-Ribbon Gala

2011-02-11T15:30:00.003-05:00

Nosedive Productions Presents

Nosedive's Red-Ribbon Gala

A Benefit To Raise Money For Sick Theatre Awareness

Sick theatre is everywhere in this city. Unfortunately, so few people know about it, or know where to experience it.

In order to combat this tragic ignorance of sick theatre, Nosedive Productions is hosting a Red-Ribbon Gala at the Bowery Poetry Club on Saturday, March 5, to open people's eyes to plays of dubious morality.

Tickets are $20 at the door. Proceeds go towards financing our 11th season, which includes the remounted production of its NYIT Award-nominated Infectious Opportunity, a play about a man faking having HIV to boost his career by James Comtois and directed by Pete Boisvert.

For this Gala, Nosedive has rounded up some of its crazy-talented pals over the years to offer an evening of socializing and variety acts, including:

New Short Works By
Jeff Lewonczyk
Qui Nguyen
Mac Rogers
August Schulenburg
Crystal Skillman

Music by Dye Violets

The Epic Poetry Stylings of Brian Silliman

Burlesque by the Lovely and Libido-Inspiring Mme. Renee Rosebud

And (as the kids say) MORE!

Hosted by Bastard Keith

Saturday, March 5th at 8 p.m.!

At the Bowery Poetry Club on 308 Bowery in NYC

(Between Bleeker and East Houston streets)
6 train to Bleeker St.
B D F M to Broadway-Lafayette

Doors at 7:30 p.m., Show at 8 p.m.

$20

www.nosediveproductions.com

Piper McKenzie's DAINTY CADAVER

2011-01-24T09:56:00.003-05:00

Hey, gang. I wanted to give y'all the head's up that I'll be involved in this new project by Piper McKenzie, as actor for Team A (Friday) and writer for Team C (Sunday).

UPDATE: Here's my entry in Dainty Cadaver's Mad Libs-Style Blog Thing. (Yes, that's the official name for it.)

PIPER McKENZIE'S

DAINTY CADAVER

Piper McKenzie’s Dainty Cadaver is an Exquisite Corpse-style playmaking project in which multiple playwrights collaborate on a single work without knowing what the hell the others are doing. Each writer reads the previous scene, writes a new scene, and passes it on to the next writer – who doesn’t see any of what came earlier. Beautiful madness ensues.

For its inaugural edition, Piper McKenzie will present one-night-only performances of three new plays written in this unique collaborative style, with results ranging from inspired chaos to eerie synchronicity – all tied together by the unique voices of 18 hot playwrights, to be staged by three intrepid directors!

TEAM A: Fri 1/28, 8pm
Johnna Adams
(The Angel Eaters Trilogy)
Eric Bland
(Emancipatory Politics: A Romantic Tragedy)
Jeff Lewonczyk
(Theater of the Arcade)
Mac Rogers
(Viral)
Crystal Skillman
(The Vigil or the Guided Cradle)
Art Wallace
(The Plowman’s Lunch)

Directed by Jordana Williams
(Viral)

Starring
James Comtois, Rebecca Comtois, Erin Maya Darke, Virginia Hodgkins, David Ian Lee, Mac Rogers, Jennifer Gordon Thomas, Kristen Vaughan, Sean Williams

TEAM B: Sat 1/29, 8pm
Danny Bowes
(Q&A)
Matt Freeman
(The Brandywine Distillery Fire)
Qui Nguyen
(Alice in Slasherland)
Carolyn Raship
(Antarctica)
August Schulenberg
(The Lesser Seductions of History)
Alexis Sottile
(Small Dinner)

Directed by Hope Cartelli
(Bethlehem or Bust)

Starring
Gyda Arber, Steven Burns, Lex Friedman, Gavin Starr Kendall, Jeff Lewonczyk, Doug MacKrell, Megan McGowan, Timothy McCown Reynolds, Ben VandenBoom, Stephanie Willing, Morgan Anne Zipf

TEAM C: Sun 1/30, 3pm

Maggie Cino
(Ascending Bodily)
James Comtois
(The Little One)
John DeVore
(Tupperware Orgy)
Cara Francis
(The Soup Show)
Rich Lovejoy
(A Brief History of Murder)
Justin Maxwell
(Your Lithopedion)

Directed by John Hurley
(The Vigil or the Guided Cradle)

Starring
Ryan Andes, Stephanie Cox-Williams, Kitty Lindsay, Joe Mathers, Roger Nasser, C.L. Weatherstone

At the Brick Theater
575 Metropolitan Ave.
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
L to Lorimer, G to Metropolitan

Tickets are $10. Buy them here.

The Final Episode of Starboat

2011-01-21T18:07:00.000-05:00

Starboat: Episode 5 - “No Going Back” from Pete Boisvert on Vimeo.

Starboat: The Final Episode This Saturday

2011-01-12T12:34:00.005-05:00

This Saturday at the Vampire Cowboys' Saturday Night Saloon...

Nosedive Productions presents

Starboat

There's no going back.

A five-part space expedition yarn by James Comtois

Episode Five directed by Pete Boisvert

Featuring
Becky Byers — Stephanie Cox-Williams — Daryl Lathon
Stephen Heskett — Timothy McCown Reynolds — Adam Swiderski
Christian Toth — Ben VandenBoom

The crew of the U.S.S. Centurion are headed to Alpha Centauri for the first manned mission to another star system. They're not ready.

As part of the Vampire Cowboys' Saturday Night Saloon...

Saturday, January 15
at THE BATTLE RANCH

405 Johnson Avenue, 2nd Floor
(2.5 blocks from Morgan stop off L train)
For a map, Click here.

THEATRE WITHOUT RERUNS!
Season 4 also concludes the following six all-new exciting serialized plays:

THE GHOST OF HENDERSON MANOR
by Temar Underwood
directed by Temar Underwood & Jon Hoche

CONTROL ROOM
by Mac Rogers
directed by Jordana Williams

DEATH VALLEY
by Adam Scott Mazer
directed by Dan Rogers

JACK O'HANRAHAN & THE ONE-SIDED WINDOW
by Brent Cox
directed by Padraic Lillis & Courtney Wetzel

KILLER HIGH
by Crystal Skillman
directed by Hope Cartelli

SALOON SCHEDULE
January 15, 2011

Produced by
Lex Friedman, Qui Nguyen, Abby Marcus,
Robert Ross Parker, Daniel Rech

Saloon Poster Artwork by Jeremy Arambulo

Episode Four of Starboat

2011-01-05T00:23:00.000-05:00

Starboat: Episode 4 - “Think Of It As Progress” from Pete Boisvert on Vimeo.

A New Year

2011-01-03T15:13:00.007-05:00

Well, gang. I hope everyone had a splendid holiday break and New Year's. Here we are in 2011. Another year down, another year ahead of us.

2010 was an odd year for me; almost a "full circle" year, where in December I wound up back where I was in January (unemployed and more than a little adrift).

Did this past year "suck" for me? I don't think it'd be fair to say so, since a number of quite cool things took place: hanging out with my friend Celene in her mansion in Seattle, attending Mac and Sandy's wedding, being a groomsman for Abe and Jenny's wedding, mounting Nosedive's 10th anniversary season, being part of such fun projects as Clay Chapman's Fear Mongers, Subjective Theatre's We the Corporate Body Festival, and the Vampire Cowboys' always massively fun Saturday Night Saloon, not to mention being nominated for an NYIT Award and getting published, among many other things.

I'd be lying, however, if I didn't admit that a great deal of it sucked. That it was bookended by unemployment and bouts of borderline immobilizing depression certainly sucked.

Still, I'm hopeful for the upcoming new year. It's another chance to get things right and try new things. (True, one could say that about every day, but I've always seen Christmas and New Year's as a way of pressing the "RESET" button, so there you are. Guess I'm a Carpe Annum kinda guy.)

As for the future of this blog, eh, I still don't know. I'm sure I'll continue to use it to promote upcoming events and post videos of past events, but beyond that, it's really tough to say.

At any rate, here's to the New Year! May you all fare better in 2011 than in 2010, even if 2010 treated you well.

Ready to read all the books and
comics he got for Christmas,

James "Mr. Free Time" Comtois

Happy Holidays, Everybody!

2010-12-22T15:12:00.006-05:00

Well, gang. That's it for me for the year. I know this site has had a dearth of content in the past few months, and to be honest, I can't say that will change in 2011.

In fact, the only reason why there's been any posting going on of late is because there are still a few things happening in my life (theatre-wise) that I feel I should share (read: blatant self-promotional plugs) and things that I find noteworthy from my friends and colleagues (read: blatant friend plugs).

But aside from that? Well, my interest level in blogging has (clearly) plummeted for many disparate reasons. Fear not: I shan't bore you with the details (they're seriously not that interesting).

Anyway, who's to say what 2011 will bring? I'll see y'all then (with inconsistent frequency). In the meantime, have wonderful holidays and a happy new year!

Putting on his snow pants,

James "New Hampshire-Bound" Comtois

Speaking at the December Fear Mongers

2010-12-20T21:21:00.008-05:00

Hey, gang. For those of you still in the city, I'll be speaking at the Clay McLeod Chapman-curated lecture and Q&A Fear Mongers: Fireside Chats About Horror Tuesday night about the first horror film I saw in the theatre: Gremlins.

The fun takes place at Dixon Place on 161A Chrystie Street Tuesday, December 21 at 9 p.m. It's free, so make your reservations by calling 212-219-0736.

Also, check out clips, talks and interviews from previous Fear Mongers events here.

I've had a blast being an audience member for this series since Clay launched it in September, and now I'm doubly-psyched to be one of its guest lecturers.

Utterly terrified,

James "Public Speakerphobe" Comtois

Episode Three of Starboat

2010-12-18T17:57:00.002-05:00

Starboat: Episode 3 - “The Sounding Alarm” from Pete Boisvert on Vimeo.

My Soundtrack Series Tale

2010-12-16T15:31:00.005-05:00

The podcast of my telling a tale from my high school days at the increasingly popular Soundtrack Series is now up and available for your listening enjoyment here.

I use Rob Base’s “It Takes Two” to tell the tale of, believe it or not a fist fight (my first and last). It's not over a girl, but over the high school lunchroom jukebox.

And incidentally, the next Soundtrack Series happens tomorrow night (Friday) at 7 p.m. at The Gallery at (Le) Poisson Rouge on 158 Bleecker Street between Thompson and Sullivan. The evening will feature stories from Mac Rogers, Abe Goldfarb, Dan Kois, Lindsey Moore, and Brett Berk. And get this: all this is free.

No longer involving himself in jukebox wars,

James "Enough of That, Thank You" Comtois

The December Saloon This Saturday!

2010-12-14T09:14:00.007-05:00

This Saturday at the Vampire Cowboys' Saturday Night Saloon...

Nosedive Productions presents

Starboat

Wheeeeeee!

A five-part space expedition yarn by James Comtois

Episode Four directed by Patrick Shearer

Featuring
Becky Byers — Stephanie Cox-Williams — Daryl Lathon
Stephen Heskett — Timothy McCown Reynolds — Adam Swiderski
Christian Toth — Ben VandenBoom

The crew of the U.S.S. Centurion are headed to Alpha Centauri for the first manned mission to another star system. They're not ready.

As part of the Vampire Cowboys' Saturday Night Saloon...

Saturday, December 18
at THE BATTLE RANCH

405 Johnson Avenue, 2nd Floor
(2.5 blocks from Morgan stop off L train)
For a map, Click here.

THEATRE WITHOUT RERUNS!
Season 4 includes six all-new exciting serialized plays including:

THE GHOST OF HENDERSON MANOR
written & directed by Temar Underwood

CONTROL ROOM
by Mac Rogers
directed by Jordana Williams

DEATH VALLEY
by Adam Scott Mazer
Directed by Dan Rogers

STARBOAT
by James Comtois
directed by Patrick Shearer

JACK O'HANRAHAN & THE ONE-SIDED WINDOW
by Brent Cox
directed by Padraic Lillis & Courtney Wetzel

KILLER HIGH
by Crystal Skillman
directed by Hope Cartelli

SALOON SCHEDULE
December 18, 2010
January 15, 2011

Produced by
Lex Friedman, Qui Nguyen, Abby Marcus,
Robert Ross Parker, Daniel Rech

Poster Artwork by Jeremy Arambulo

The Dangers of Making That Ape Dance

2010-12-01T09:19:00.004-05:00

There's more nattering on horror & theatre going on at the IT Awards blog, this time from Nosedive Central's very own Patrick Shearer. (No, the title to this blog post isn't just word salad; it's in reference to the contents of Patrick's very insightful post.)

Patrick talks about, amongst other things, the importance of the horror genre, growing up with nightmares, and being shaken (as I was) when he originally saw The Blair Witch Project (before all the hype). Check it out and discuss on their comments section.

And the quote's from Stephen King's Danse Macabre.

Wanting his 10 points,

James "Petty Pundit" Comtois

Happy Thanksgiving, Everybody!

2010-11-25T08:13:00.002-05:00

I'm not even going to pretend that the impending holiday has any effect on the posting (or lack thereof) on this moribund blog, or that regular posting will resume on Monday. I just wanted to say that I hope everyone (still) reading this has a lovely Thanksgiving.

Eating his feelings,

James "Stuffed Ham" Comtois

Nat Cassidy Talks Horror

2010-11-24T09:03:00.003-05:00

Speaking of the NYIT Awards, playwright and director extraordinaire Nat Cassidy guest blogs for NYIT this week, offering up some of his thoughts on the horror genre. Check it the fuck out, scawy cats and cweepy kittens.

Your link to the outside blogosphere,

James "100% Content Free" Comtois

In Which the NYIT Awards Writes About Yours Truly

2010-11-23T14:10:00.007-05:00

Hey, I'll take being the "bad boy" over the "fat guy" of Off-Off-Broadway any day. Thanks, Borg!

Making you sleep with one eye open,

James "Off-Kilter" Comtois

Corporate Rock

2010-11-22T10:28:00.004-05:00

THE SUBJECTIVE THEATRE COMPANY
presents:

We the Corporate Body Festival

Corporations are people too!

A ten minute play festival celebrating the fact that
corporations are legally defined as “people.”

Featuring Works By

James Comtois - Fernanda Coppel - Matthew-Lee Erlbach

Julia Holleman - Patricia Ione Lloyd - Jerome Parker

Lucille Scott - Leegrid Stevens - Melissa Tien

LIMITED ENGAGMENT!
DECEMBER 7-15 @ THE KRAINE THEATER
SERIES A: DECEMBER 7 & 14
SERIES B: DECEMBER 8 & 15
ADMISSION IS FREE!

Reservations can be made at reservations@subjectivetheater.org

Earlier this year The Supreme Court ruled that corporations can now donate unlimited funds to politicians because they are entitled to the same rights as private citizens. Subjective Theatre Company’s Corporate Personhood Play Festival will present nine 10-minute plays inspired by this ruling. Featuring new works by James Comtois, Fernanda Coppel, Matthew-Lee Erlbach, Julia Holleman, Patricia Ione Lloyd, Jerome Parker, Lucille Scott, Leegrid Stevens, and Melisa Tien.

SERIES A (December 7 & 14)

Seward, Kansas
Written by Matthew-Lee Erlbach
Directed by David Chapman
The soil is toxic, food is scarce, and corporate forces have taken control of all Kansas farms after a nuclear disaster. One farm in remote Seward may be the exception to the rulers.

Light Sweet Crude
Written by Melisa Tein
Directed by Nicole Watson
A snapshot of how great events affect small people, an illustration of the invisible connections we share with others, and a meditation on the responsibility of the corporation versus the responsibility of the individual.

The Thrilling Comedy of the True Beneficiaries of the 14th Amendment
Written by Julia Holleman
Directed by Steven Gillenwater
A comedic melodrama about how two scrappy young corporations in the 1880s persuade the Supreme Court to believe in their humanity using the only means at their disposal - passion, conviction, and, let's not forget, money.

They Think Our Favorite Color is Green
Written by Patricia Ione Lloyd
Directed by Pat Golden
Menthol cigarettes, buff black men and corporate America’s racism; or just another day in the U.S. of A. What have we learned from the world's leader of incarcerating its residents? How target advertising maximizes corporate profits, to laugh at tragedy, and how to get killer abs.

SERIES B (December 8 & 15)

Dammit, Office Girl!
Written by James Comtois
Directed by Danny Sharron
An employee pines, if not yearns, for an administrative assistant from afar. And by "afar," we mean "five feet away."

Brooklyn Skank
Written by Fernanda Coppel
Directed by Donya K. Washington
Leslie and Ryan work for Brooklyn Skank, an overpriced and trendy boutique in Brooklyn that is famous for its T-shirts that say "Made by a Brooklyn Skank." Part of their daily routine is answering the age-old question, "Are these Brooklyn Skank T-shirts actually made by a Skank?" Leslie and Ryan have a stock answer that is approved by the Brooklyn Skank Corporation, but as this story unravels you get the sense that Leslie and Ryan have no idea how these garments are made and who makes them.

The Foundation
Written by Jerome Parker
Directed by Axel Avin, Jr.
Lawrence has put his heart and soul into building a non-profit that aids inner cities on a national level. As he prepares to turn over his reign to his young nephew, the woman who helped him build the foundation plans her revenge for being passed over for the top position. A short play about the ties that bind mixed with live jazz.

Target Monologue
Written by Leegrid Stevens
Directed by Rachel Wohlander
Target reflects on his difficult childhood.

Oh, Donna
Written by Lucile Baker Scott
Directed by Jesse Geiger
In Oh Donna a beautiful young heiress (and friend of Paris Hilton's) who has orgasmic tendencies with organic juice and a few secrets, takes over the world's third largest communications company. Soon quite a bit of juice is spilled, along with a few drops of blood…

The festival, presented by Horse Trade Theater Group and The Subjective Theatre Company will play at The Kraine Theater (85 East 4th Street between 2nd Ave and Bowery), December 7-15. Series A will perform Tuesday, December 7 & 14 at 8pm. Series B will perform Wednesday, December 8 & 15 at 8pm. Admission is FREE. For reservations, email reservations@subjectivetheatre.org.

Once Again: This Saturday at the Battle Ranch...

2010-11-17T13:53:00.005-05:00

This Saturday at the Vampire Cowboys' Saturday Night Saloon...

Nosedive Productions presents

Starboat

Something's out there...

A five-part space expedition yarn serial by James Comtois

Episode Three directed by Pete Boisvert

Featuring
Becky Byers — Stephanie Cox-Williams
Stephen Heskett — Timothy McCown Reynolds
Adam Swiderski — Christian Toth — Ben VandenBoom

The crew of the U.S.S. Centurion are headed to Alpha Centauri for the first manned mission to another star system. They're not ready.

As part of the Vampire Cowboys' Saturday Night Saloon...

at THE BATTLE RANCH
405 Johnson Avenue, 2nd Floor
(2.5 blocks from Morgan stop off L train)
For a map, Click here.

THEATRE WITHOUT RERUNS!
Season 4 includes six all-new exciting serialized plays including:

THE GHOST OF HENDERSON MANOR
written & directed by Temar Underwood
(The Brokenhearteds)

CONTROL ROOM
by Mac Rogers
(Universal Robots; Viral; Hail Satan)
directed by Jordana Williams
(Member of Gideon Productions)

DEATH VALLEY
by Adam Scott Mazer
Directed by Dan Rogers
(Butterfly, Butterfly, Kill Kill Kill!)

STARBOAT
by James Comtois
(Infectious Opportunity; The Adventures of Nervous-Boy)
directed by Pete Boisvert
(Co-Artistic Director of Nosedive Productions)

JACK O'HANRAHAN & THE ONE-SIDED WINDOW
by Brent Cox
(Dog & Pony Show)
directed by Padraic Lillis (Member of LAByrinth Theater) & Courtney Wetzel

KILLER HIGH
by Crystal Skillman
(Hack, Vigil, The Telling Trilogy )
directed by Hope Cartelli
(Co-Artistic Director of Piper McKenzie Productions)

SALOON SCHEDULE
November 20, 2010
December 18, 2010
January 15, 2011

Produced by
Lex Friedman, Qui Nguyen, Abby Marcus, Robert Ross Parker, Daniel Rech

Poster Artwork by Jeremy Arambulo

The "Queen of Gore!"

2010-10-28T15:34:00.004-04:00

Huzzah! The New York Press has a feature on Nosedive Central's own Stephanie Cox-Williams about her being the Go-To Gal for blood and gore effects in our fair city's indie theatre scene.

(They even show a photo from The Little One demonstrating her work, tee-hee.)

Huzzah!

Beaming with pride,

James "Squibby" Comtois

Episode Two of Starboat

2010-10-25T10:04:00.004-04:00

Starboat: Episode 2 - “Long Way From Home, Long Way From Help” from Pete Boisvert on Vimeo.

In which our daring crew of the U.S.S. Centurion awakens, assesses the situation, and enjoys a Carol Burnett moment, courtesy a perfectly-timed set piece snafu.

Episode Two of Starboat This Saturday

2010-10-15T10:10:00.004-04:00

This Saturday at the Vampire Cowboys' Saturday Night Saloon...

Nosedive Productions presents

Starboat

They're a long way from home and a long way from help...

A five-part space expedition yarn serial by James Comtois

Episode Two directed by Patrick Shearer

Featuring
Becky Byers — Stephanie Cox-Williams
Stephen Heskett — Daryl Lathon
Adam Swiderski — Christian Toth — Ben VandenBoom

The crew of the U.S.S. Centurion are headed to Alpha Centauri for the first manned mission to another star system. They're not ready.

As part of the Vampire Cowboys' Saturday Night Saloon

October 16th, 8 p.m.
@ THE BATTLE RANCH
405 Johnson Avenue (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
(2.5 blocks from Morgan stop off L train)

FREE!

Episode One of Starboat

2010-09-21T09:58:00.001-04:00

Starboat: Episode 1 from Pete Boisvert on Vimeo.

Episode One of Starboat This Saturday

2010-09-16T09:42:00.004-04:00

This Saturday at the Vampire Cowboys' Saturday Night Saloon...

Nosedive Productions presents

Starboat

No one ever said how cramped space was...

A five-part space expedition yarn serial by James Comtois

Episode One directed by Pete Boisvert

Featuring
Stephen Heskett — Christian Toth — Timothy McCown Reynolds

The crew of the U.S.S. Centurion are headed to Alpha Centauri for the first manned mission to another star system. They're not ready.

As part of the Vampire Cowboys' Saturday Night Saloon

September 18th, 8 p.m.
@ THE BATTLE RANCH
405 Johnson Avenue (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
(2.5 blocks from Morgan stop off L train)

FREE!

Hard Copies Waiting in the Mailbox: A Nice Welcome Home Gift

2010-09-14T17:57:00.005-04:00

Well, I just got my copies of Infectious Opportunity. Have you?

A delightful stinker,

James "Hey, Does He Still Blog?" Comtois

It's That Time Again...

2010-09-05T14:42:00.004-04:00

For its ninth season, Vampire Cowboys brings back its extremely popular series, The Saturday Night Saloon, a monthly party at THE BATTLE RANCH featuring brand new genre-bending serialized plays by NYC's hottest indie theatre artists.

The shows hit every third Saturday night of the month from September through January.

The Saloon is always free, the all-you-can-drink beer (or until we run out) is always only a mere five dollars, and the shows are always inventive.

Season 4 of the Saturday Night Saloon kicks off on September 18th at 8 p.m.!

at THE BATTLE RANCH
405 Johnson Avenue, 2nd Floor
(2.5 blocks from Morgan stop off L train)
For a map, Click here.

THEATRE WITHOUT RERUNS!
Season 4 includes six all-new exciting serialized plays including:

THE GHOST OF HENDERSON MANOR
written & directed by Temar Underwood
(The Brokenhearteds)

CONTROL ROOM
by Mac Rogers
(Universal Robots; Viral; Hail Satan)
directed by Jordana Williams
(Member of Gideon Productions)

DEATH VALLEY
created by Adam Scott Mazer & Dan Rogers
(Butterfly, Butterfly, Kill Kill Kill!)

STARBOAT
by James Comtois
(Infectious Opportunity; The Adventures of Nervous-Boy)
directed by Pete Boisvert
(Co-Artistic Director of Nosedive Productions)

JACK O'HANRAHAN & THE ONE-SIDED WINDOW
by Brent Cox
(Dog & Pony Show)
directed by Padraic Lillis (Member of LAByrinth Theater) & Courtney Wetzel

KILLER HIGH
by Crystal Skillman
(Hack, Vigil, The Telling Trilogy )
directed by Hope Cartelli
(Co-Artistic Director of Piper McKenzie Productions)

SALOON SCHEDULE
September 18, 2010
October 16, 2010
November 20, 2010
December 18, 2010
January 15, 2011

Produced by
Lex Friedman, Qui Nguyen, Abby Marcus, Robert Ross Parker, Daniel Rech

Poster Artwork by Jeremy Arambulo

The Dudleys!

2010-08-27T15:08:00.002-04:00

Leegrid Stevens' The Dudleys! is a profoundly affecting show that I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have seen, especially given its very limited run. I urge you to go see it.

The show opens with a zombie entering the stage and explaining the rules to the audience: "You only have one life. Some of the buttons don't work. You only have one life." This is life—and game-playing—boiled down to its core: simple, unforgiving, and frustrating.

The Dudleys! is part of the emerging subgenre of music, plays and films riffing on 8-bit video games of the 1980s and early '90s (as seen in the Blip Festival, the Brick Theater's recent Game Play festival and Edgar Wright's film adaptation of Scott Pilgrim Versus the World). This is easily the best work from this subgenre I've seen. It takes a story about a family tragedy and transplants it into a pixilated reality.

The multimedia play is about the lives of the Dudleys, a Mormon family from a small Utah town, portrayed as an Atari or Nintendo game. But this not a cheap gimmick: this play at its core is about nostalgia glossing over the more ugly elements of the past. And isn't one of the primary appeals of the 8-bit scene nostalgia? Also, some of the most affecting moments in the play are where Stevens and director Matt Torney simultaneously show where real world pain and game-play both overlap and are at odds with one another.

We follow the family just after—and a little before—the death of the family patriarch, Tom Dudley (a versatile and compelling Eric Slater), who's portrayed through the bulk of the show as the aforementioned zombie. It leaps around out of chronological order to various points of the mother and her three children's lives as they try to deal with Tom's death and move on with their lives.

Many of their trials and tribulations—some funny, some serious, and some downright harrowing—are in the form of video game obstacles. When the brothers—Vic and Derek (Craig Bridger and Brandon Bales)—visit their sick father in the cancer treatment center, it's a place teeming with zombies (with hospital gowns) that they have to evade and shoot. Derek acts up and goes on a vandalism spree with his cousin Onna (Wrenn Schmidt), trashing mailboxes and the local Wal-Mart. So, it's portrayed as a game where he has to smash enough things before the cops catch up with him. And at one point, the brothers go off on a mission to Portugal, and their experience there is boiled down to a series of evading irritated locals (their mouths flapping wordlessly) intent on slapping them.

All of these aforementioned sequences—and others—are done via dance sequences in front of a projected backdrop of video game backgrounds over hypnotic and catchy 8-bit music composed by Stevens.

However, not all of the scenes are amped-up video game level recreations: many of the scenes are deliberately banal and low-key, which provides a fascinating tonal dissonance. Seeing the family sit down to a very believable and realistic dinner together, or when the local police officer (a very sweet and earnest Joshua Levine) shyly makes an implied offer to serve as a father figure to the boys after Tom's death, both in front of a backdrop of a pixilated kitchen, keep the show grounded in a firm emotional reality. This style and all of these scenes culminate in a climactic scene so powerful and moving I felt like I couldn't breathe while it was playing. I definitely felt the tears welling up. Don't look at me like that. I'm not a robot.

The ensemble cast is superb. In particular, Erin Treadway hits all the right notes as Tom's widow Clara, trying to fight increasing suicidal impulses and obsessing with religion though being unable to choose one (after being Mormon all her life, she decides she wants to convert to Judaism shortly after Tom's funeral). She seems simultaneously manic and haggard, desperately blathering away about the Bible to her children while completely oblivious to the fact that none of even pretend to listen.

Also noteworthy is Meg McLynn, who plays Aunt Meg, a woman who runs the previously mentioned cancer treatment center who believes that homeopathic remedies, the right diet, and positive thinking could have cured Tom, constantly lobbing passive-aggressive intimations that Clara's negativity is what ultimately killed him.

Diana Ruppe is also spot-on as the youngest Dudley, Sylvia, who's both intelligent and independent yet under the thumb of everyone around her (her mother often uses her as a trump card in her fights with Aunt Meg, and she's stuck in a physically abusive relationship that no one seems to notice). Casey Robinson and David Wylie round out the cast deftly playing various ensemble roles throughout.

Torney's direction and all elements of the design—from the video backdrop to the choreography to the original music to the lights and set—are also inspired. For an hour and forty minutes, you're immersed in this very unreal-yet-all-too-real world.

As I mentioned before, The Dudleys! has a very limited run (there are only three more performances as I post this), so you should make the effort to go see this remarkable show. I can't recommend it enough; it's easily one of the best plays I've seen this year.

The Dudleys! is playing at Theater for the New City on 155 First Avenue Aug 27 at 7pm, Aug 29 at 2pm, Aug 30 at 7pm. For tickets click here.

Always clicking reset,

James "Cheater" Comtois

Energy Man Review for nytheatre.com

2010-08-18T21:07:00.001-04:00

My review of A Energy Man is now up on nytheatre.com.

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From the title to the tagline ("A dramedy about wanting to rise up—Superhero Style") to the Marvel Comics-style program credits ("The Stupendous Stacie Perlman," "The Incredible Ramon Sanchez...") to the complementary mini-comic that comes with your ticket to the curtain speech, Energy Man leads its audience to believe... [keep reading]

A Matter of Choice Review for nytheatre.com

2010-08-16T15:32:00.002-04:00

My review of A Matter of Choice is now up on nytheatre.com.

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Although it's a cliche to say that New York is constantly changing, it's a cliche all of us living here will expound upon. It doesn't matter if... [keep reading]

1,000th Post, Publishing News

2010-08-12T10:27:00.005-04:00

I've been away from this site for a while for two reasons. The first is I realized that this would be my 1,000th post on this site, and in predictable OCD fashion, didn't want to completely waste it on a "Check out this YouTube video of a singing taint!" (not that such a video wouldn't be completely awesome to watch; I'd just rather use the 1,000th post to feature one of my singing taint videos).

The second is that I wanted to wait for the official green light to announce that news I had hinted at a couple weeks back. Now that it's on their site, I suppose I can blab about this.

Shortly after its NYIT Award nomination, Original Works Publishing has decided to publish Infectious Opportunity as part of its catalogue.

Copies are available for pre-sale now. There's also some information on the publisher's Facebook page.

I mean, look. I know this isn't what you'd expect for a milestone post or anything, since I'm offering no sort of retrospective on this site. But really, if I'm not offering any taint-dancing videos, who really cares about what the first blog post on this site was?

No time to reminisce,

James "Anti-Romantic" Comtois

Accidental Genius

2010-07-30T21:12:00.009-04:00

Over at the AV Club, Leor Galil interviews Michael Stephenson, former child star of the wonderfully inept Troll 2 and director of the new documentary, Best Worst Movie, about the cult phenomenon behind, well, you guessed it.

With Bad Movie Night being a staple over at my sister's place, we've discovered that some nights are indeed busts. That's because it's easy to find bad movies, but it's not the easiest thing in the world to find sublimely enjoyable bad movies, no matter how many good friends you surround yourself with, and no matter how many judgement-impairing chemicals or social lubricants are available (or drugs and alcohol, as the kids are calling them nowadays).

Some movies are just horrible pieces of shit: cynical "high-concept" studio films without an original idea behind them. Karate Dog. Santa With Muscles. Theodore Rex. These are not fun bad movies to watch; they're depressing and soul-crushing. They've been made solely to pander to the lowest common denominator by people with no talent, and it shows with every frame.

Some movies are just unpleasant to sit through, no matter what frame of mind you're in.

Then you have the films that are clearly (or at the very least, suspiciously) aiming to be fun bad movies, and they suck precisely because they're trying to be bad movies, like After Last Season and (to a lesser degree) Repo: The Genetic Opera (although this isn't so much trying to be a bad movie as it is trying to deliberately be a "cult" film) These movies are trying to gain cult status, and therefore missing the very point (cult films becoming such after organically cultivating a devout following).

Finally, if you're patient enough, or get a good tip, you come across the genuinely enjoyable bad movie: something that you watch multiple times and encourage those who haven't seen it to watch it multiple times with you. Movies that are, in odd ways, deeply personal misfires, sometimes (almost painfully) revealing the souls and psyches of their makers.

Here's part of the exchange between Galil and Stephenson that nails the appeal of Great Bad Films:

AVC: When directors promote their movies as bad, does it somehow negate the very reason people go to see bad movies?
MS: I think it takes away a little bit from the very reason why people come together and enjoy these types of movies, and that's because they are genuine failures. They weren't meant to be what they are. What's happened is accidental, and it's accidental brilliance nonetheless, but it is not something that was strived for in the production of these films.
AVC: Aside from the accidentally bad qualities of these films, what else do you think qualifies a good-bad movie?
MS: The fundamental quality, obviously, is complete sincerity and absolute lack of irony.

Now, obviously, there's no formula for Great Bad Movies, precisely for the same reasons why there's no formula for a genuinely Great Movie. The elements that make Tommy Wiseau's The Room a Great Bad Movie are different than what make Tiptoes a Great Bad Movie. Hell, we've seen some achingly sincere, personal films during Bad Movie Night that are crushingly dull, and clearly focus-grouped-to-death films that are excellent (if not great or Great) bad movies.

But sincerity does go along way: trying to make one kind of picture and ending up with something completely different out of sheer ineptitude and/or insanity (contrary to the retconning/backpedaling ads calling The Room a "laugh riot," it's pretty clear there's not an ounce of irony in the movie itself).

(The only reason why I'm not saying sincerity is essential is because some genuinely enjoyable bad movies, like Hard Ticket to Hawaii or Howling II: Your Sister is a Werewolf aren't born out of any compelling desire from their makers to communicate something personal or profound with its audience. But although sincerity isn't mandatory, it's more often than not crucial; and irony is death for a Great or great bad movie.)

Ultimately, you have to wade through lots and lots of different kinds of crap before you get to the genuinely good butt-nuggets (to coin a lovely phrase). Sometimes, it's definitely worth it. Other times, you end up watching Sorority Boys.

Wanting to share The Butterfly Effect with the gang,

James "Advocate of Ass" Comtois

Back to Monday

2010-07-26T13:57:00.005-04:00

Ah, well. Just as this past week flew by, so did this past weekend.

I actually had quite a nice time seeing both Piper McKenzie/The Fifth Wall/Brick Theater's Theater for the Arcade at the Brick on Friday (could I watch Stephen Heskett shoot imaginary fireballs in the air a la Mario and/or Luigi all night? Yes, I believe I could) and The Sophisticates burlesque show at the Oak Room (no, they didn't kick me out; no, I wasn't really appropriately dressed).

But now, we're back to Monday. Insert heavy sigh here.

I was hoping to break the radio silence a lot sooner, as I actually have some pretty cool news to report. Well, cool to me, anyway. It may be completely indifferent news to you. In fact, it most likely is.

However, the ink has yet to fully-dry on said news, so I figure it would be prudent to wait for everything to be all official-like before flapping my cyber-gums.

So, for now, I shall remain quasi-silent.

Quasi-cyber-screaming,

James "Shitty Cyber-Neighbor" Comtois

Inception

2010-07-21T13:26:00.006-04:00

UPDATE: There are elements of the discussion in the comments section of this entry that may qualify as spoilers.

Christopher Nolan's Inception may be one of the best movies I found massively disappointing. Is it fun? Definitely. Is it inventive? It sure is. Is it worth seeing? Absolutely. Is it the mind-blowing masterpiece that many critics and audience members are calling it? Not even close.

For a movie where people seem desperate to avoid any sort of spoilers, this is a doggedly linear film with very few—if any—twists (a la Memento or The Prestige). It's being touted as another puzzle or maze film (much like Memento), which I actually find misleading and inaccurate. For a movie that takes place in dreams within dreams within dreams, it's pretty damn straightforward.

Also, for a film dealing with going into the realm of dreams and the subconscious, it's pretty mundane. I kept thinking, "This isn't a dream landscape, this is the set of a James Bond film showdown," or, "The inner recesses of one's mind looks a great deal like downtown Chicago." And when you consider there are so many (better) films out there that deal with the realm of dreams and the subconscious—Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Mulholland Dr., Synecdoche, New York, even popcorn entertainments like The Matrix and Total Recall—I couldn't help but think that Inception's take on dream logic was strangely lacking.

But enough slapping Inception around. I don't want you to get the impression that I didn't enjoy this movie (I did) or that I don't recommend it (I do).

(I should also point out that Memento and The Dark Knight are two of my favorite films to come out in the past decade, so I will admit that my expectations for this film was pretty damn high.)

So let's talk about what Nolan & Co. get right with this movie (which is a great deal).

Without giving too much away, Inception is about a team of corporate thieves led by Leonardo DiCaprio that specializes in stealing ideas by infiltrating their dreams. Don't worry about how this works: the bulk of the first act is spent explaining the rules of this job and world. After a quasi-botched job, they're approached by a mysterious corporate bigwig played by Ken Watanabe who wants to hire them not to make an "extraction," (their term for stealing ideas), but an "Inception." In other words, he wants them to implant an idea in a competitor's mind and make him think it's his original thought.

DiCaprio's partner, a surprisingly dapper and badass Joseph Gordon-Levitt, says it's impossible, since the mind can always trace the origin of an idea, but DiCaprio begs to differ. We in the audience do, too; not for the same (deliberately untold) reasons DiCaprio knows, but just from simple common sense. (Studies have shown that the mind actually is notoriously bad at tracing the origin of ideas—but I guess never mind that.)

At first DiCaprio & Co. refuse due to the excessive risk and difficulty, but Watanabe makes DiCaprio an offer he can't refuse. I won't reveal what it is, but it has to do with Leo's deliberately elusive and troubled back-story. Then we get into the "getting the team together to organize the heist" portion of the movie, which is actually quite fun. This is where we meet Ellen Page, who's brought in to serve as the architect for the dream world they're creating for their target (Cillian Murphy).

The story is actually very fun and engaging. It's also one of the few movies where I didn't mind that it stopped for 45 minutes to simply explain the rules of this world to ~~Page~~ us. (This is, after all, how most heist films are done; after getting the team together, the team then plans out the heist in semi-meticulous fashion, a la Rififi). And, at two hours and 45 minutes, it flies by.

And my previous complaints about the mundane look and feel of the dreamscapes aside, the effects are quite nice and not aggressively in your face. The effects serve the story, not the other way around, and the action sequences are clear and coherent (although again, this may be a detriment for a movie like this). They also range from the spectacular (the anti-gravity fight in the hotel lobby; the opening sequence) to the disappointingly mundane (the previously-mentioned James Bon-esque setting).

The acting, as is the case with the acting in almost all of Nolan's films, is top-shelf. DiCaprio is breaking out of his pretty-boy routine and looks quite well, and looks downright haggard and downtrodden in this. (He actually also looks a bit pudgy and bulky in this movie, which works in his favor, oddly enough: it adds some metaphorical weight to his screen presence as well.)

As for the rest of the cast, Page works well as the audience's surrogate. Michael Caine obviously makes a nice cameo here, and is also obviously engaging. Again, I was really surprised and impressed with how...there's no other hyphenated word for it...kick-ass Gordon-Levitt is in this as well (though having seen and liked Brick, I really shouldn't have been so surprised). Watanabe and Murphy are also solid and spot-on, as are Tom Berenger, Tom Hardy, Dileep Rao and Marion Cotillard.

Inception is ultimately a very fun and inventive heist film. Just don't go in expecting something more than that.

Still quite impressed with Gordon-Levitt's badassery,

James "Nolan + Cast of 10 Things I Hate About You = Acting Magic" Comtois

Infectious Opportunity Nominated for an IT Award

2010-07-20T10:44:00.006-04:00

Well, the announcement's been made public, so I can blather about it here. Infectious Opportunity has been nominated for a 2010 New York Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Full-Length Script.

The rest of the nominees, which include Crystal Skillman's Vigil, Heather Cohn for directing Flux's The Lesser Seductions of History, Piper McKenzie's Craven Monkey and the Mountain of Fury, Vampire Cowboys' Alice in Slasherland, Paco Tolson for his acting work in The Brokenhearteds, and most of the cast for MilkMilkLemonade, can all be found here.

Congratulations to all my fellow nominees!

Just happy to be nominated,

James "Nom Nom Nom" Comtois

Back from One Party, Off to Another

2010-07-19T15:36:00.005-04:00

I got back from Mac and Sandy's wedding yesterday. What a lovely ceremony and reception, guys (those kudos also go to Sean Williams for conducting the ceremony). It was well worth the trip. I think I drank our GNP of lemonade on Saturday. With luck, pictures should be circulating soon from various sources. Congratulations again, guys, and enjoy Belize!

Tonight I'll be attending the NY Innovative Theatre Awards 2010 Nomination Announcement at Our Lady of Pompeii in the Village. I'll most likely be seeing a number of my readers there, and for those of you who can't make it, I'll fill you in on the details tomorrow.

Theatre's favorite party-crasher,

James "Company Embarrassment" Comtois

Off to Mac & Sandy's Wedding!

2010-07-16T11:09:00.003-04:00

Well, in a few hours, I'm heading off to Western Pennsylvania with many folks in Nosedive Central to witness Mac Rogers' & Saundra Yaklin's nuptials. Congratulations in advance, guys! I'm very much looking forward to it.

When I return, I expect to have stories. Or at least, anecdotes. Or at least, relay to you how much artichoke dip I pilfered (I knew these sports coats had pockets for a reason).

I'll also have some other news about unrelated topics. Stay tuned, folks. And have a great weekend.

Getting ready for the long-ass drive,

James "Road Warrior" Comtois

Harvey Pekar, 1939-2010

2010-07-12T13:10:00.005-04:00

"People still don't realize how versatile and how good a medium comics is. If you look at the stuff I've written, they're like play scripts. You write the dialogue and direct it for the artist. But comics are undervalued because they've been used in such a limited way. People judge by what they know, and what they know is Superman."
—Harvey Pekar to The Los Angeles Times, 1995

Underground comic book writer, jazz critic, and file clerk Harvey Pekar died today at the age of 70.

The Cuyahoga County Coroner’s office told The Plain Dealer of Cleveland that Mr. Pekar was found dead in his Clevaland Heights home by his wife, Joyce Brabner, at around 1 a.m.

An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death.

Mr. Pekar was best known for writing the autobiographical comic, American Splendor, which featured artwork from Robert Crumb, Gary Dumm and Frank Stack. The comic series inspired a 2003 quasi-biopic/documentary film of the same name starring Paul Giamatti and Pekar as himself.

Mr. Pekar and Ms. Brabner wrote Our Cancer Year, a book-length comic, after Mr. Pekar was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer in 1990 and underwent a grueling treatment.

His stories often portrayed the most mundane aspects of his daily life. R. Crumb once wrote that Mr. Pekar's writing material is "so staggeringly mundane it verges on the exotic."

He is survived by Joyce Brabner (his third wife) and their foster daughter Danielle.

The Little One: Over and Done

2010-07-11T12:58:00.009-04:00

Well, The Little One has closed and has gone up to that Great Production in the Sky. [Insert single tear here.] It's hard to believe the month came and went: it seems as though this run simply flew by. We got a really nice response to this show, and we're all pretty damn happy with it and sorry to see it go.

I wanted to just once again thank everyone who worked on this, came out to see it, and donated to make this production possible. Thanks, guys. You're all awesome.

Now onto the next show...

Onwards and fartwards,

James "Mop Man" Comtois

Photos by Aaron Epstein

"The Little One has plenty of action, suspense, and more than a little stage blood. More profound and more philosophical than you ever expect 'genre theatre' to be. A compelling new work."
—Martin Denton, nytheatre.com

"There’s much to like in this offering from Nosedive Productions, directed by Pete Boisvert. Comtois enjoyably experiments with time throughout, skipping ahead 350 years after intermission. Byers likewise does well, ably showing Cynthia’s evolution from scared child to surly teenager before her final emergence as a strong, competent, if not vengeful, vampire."
—Amanda Mastrull, The Village Voice

"Comtois at his inventive best. Like a bloodier Tuck Everlasting. The Little One leaves audiences with more than enough to sink their teeth into."
—Aaron Riccio, That Sounds Cool

"The Little One has a lot to offer lovers of vampire stories and fans of fantasy and horror. Ms. Byers’ performance is one that shouldn’t be missed. Great Geek Theater."
—Teresa Jusino, Pink Raygun

"Years from now, people will be lining up to see ANY production of this piece just to say, 'Yes! I totally stood in line three hours to get tickets.'"
—Janelle Lannan, Theatre Is Easy

"The Little One is good antidote to the vampire-lite version that is currently gracing local movie theatres. Featuring blood, humor and plenty of death, The Little One is a nice addition to the vampire canon."
—Byrne Harrison, Stagebuzz

"An enjoyable show with a distinct point of view and some excellent scenes—an interesting addition to the vampire canon."
—John Sobel, Blogcritics

"A fresh and original take on the usual vampire story...a wholly convincing alternative to the usual vampire rules."
—Mark Peikert, Backstage

"This two-hour show ends too soon, like a good book that you wanted to keep reading. Beautifully incarnated by the entire bloodthirsty cast, The Little One is a play that kidnaps you from modern day East Village reality and drops you into the vampire’s den with total immersion."
—Lina Zeldovich, The Happiest Medium

The Village Voice on The Little One

2010-07-08T15:12:00.007-04:00

Amanda Mastrull has posted her review for The Little One at The Village Voice.

"There’s much to like in this offering from Nosedive Productions, directed by Pete Boisvert. Comtois enjoyably experiments with time throughout, skipping ahead 350 years after intermission. Byers likewise does well, ably showing Cynthia’s evolution from scared child to surly teenager before her final emergence as a strong, competent, if not vengeful, vampire."

Read the whole thing here.

We've only got three shows left and tickets are selling fast. So buy yours now.

Having only three more days to vamp,

James "Fuck You, I Like Puns" Comtois

Photo by Aaron Epstein

Closing in on Closing Night

2010-07-06T15:52:00.003-04:00

Well, folks. It's been a fun, blood-soaked run, but all good things must come to an end.

There are only three more performances of Nosedive's vampire play, The Little One, before it goes up into the Great Production in the Sky.

It's playing this Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Kraine Theater on 85 East 4th Street (between Second and Bowery). You can buy your tickets (and it's a VERY good idea to buy them in advance) here.

Trust me, folks. You don't wanna miss out on this.

Cuddly and nocturnal,

James "Barn Owl" Comtois

"Comtois at his inventive best. Like a bloodier Tuck Everlasting. The Little One leaves audiences with more than enough to sink their teeth into."
—Aaron Riccio, That Sounds Cool

"Years from now, people will be lining up to see ANY production of this piece just to say, 'Yes! I totally stood in line three hours to get tickets.'"
—Janelle Lannan, Theatre Is Easy

"A fresh and original take on the usual vampire story...a wholly convincing alternative to the usual vampire rules."
—Mark Peikert, Backstage