Gluten-free donuts, Portlandia tacos, and a piece of very excellent news
Hello friends!
Here we are, well into May.
I've been stalling on writing this month's installment of the Report, partly because I've been busy wrapping up my day job, and submitting to the Sundance Screenwriters Lab and also the New Voices Lab (man am I sick of writing mission statements) ... and partly because I've been waiting on a bit of good news that I wanted to share.
I'm directing a play! Got the contract in my ol' inbox yesterday afternoon, which felt very fancy. Back when I was directing plays in NYC I never signed a contract not once.
I had to pitch to get the gig, which was also a new experience for me.
I spent a day or two writing out my thoughts, cleanly and cohesively and conversationally, and then I memorized them. I "pitched" over and over in the car and in the ladies room at work and lying in bed before I fell asleep, tinkering with the thing until it was perfect. I even sang it one time through.
And then I sat down in front of the Artistic & Management Committee at Theatre of Note, and I did it. It kind of went by in a blur. Like, did I leave anything out? Did I actually manage to say all the words?? I have no idea. I haven't had to pitch much—yet—as a screenwriter/director, but I know it's a skill I need to hone.
The trick is you have to genuinely believe what you’re saying. I opened with, “I love this play,” and “when someone sent me the New York Times review of Great Lakes two years ago, I was racked with jealousy that I hadn’t directed it,” and THIS IS TRUE. ALL TRUE.
“A Beautiful Day in November on the Banks of the Greatest of the Great Lakes” is the full name of the great, hard, hilarious play, written by my old friend Kate Benson, in which a family Thanksgiving becomes a competition sport narrated by a pair of professional sportscasters. Kate and Lee Sunday Evans, who directed in NYC, won a joint Obie for their production, so no pressure, Laramie.
I’m not worried. Or maybe I’m just the right amount of worried? My production will be very different.
Anyhoo, we open in Los Angeles on November 4th. I’ll be sure to keep you posted.
In other news, I wrote an essay for Refinery29 about how much I hate having my picture taken. I thought articulating the problem might help me work shit out, but nope. I pretty much still hate it.
*****
This month in the gluten-free section: May I recommend Mrs. Katz's glazed donuts? They're not quite as good as the glut-free donuts from Donut Friend in Highland Park.... But they're pretty damn good. (Especially if you haven't had a real donut in a while.)
This month on Netflix: The second season of Happy Valley is up. If you like gritty crime dramas and/or strong-willed, complicated female characters, get on it. The lead character, a 50ish police sergeant, is so well written and so well played. I googled the show's creator, Sally Wainwright, the other night because I was dying to know if she was also a strong-willed, complicated 50ish female character, and I was not disappointed. (Surprise Bonus: THAT CAT! SHE MATCHES HER GINORMOUS CAT!)
This month in tacos: My coworker/partner in crime and I had a very Portlandia taco experience at Bar Noroeste in Seattle. As in, our bartender definitely told us which of the tiny San Juan islands the pig served up in our pork tacos was raised on. And when I asked about the sauce on the mushroom taco, she told me it was an "almond skin hazelnut strawberry mole." Well okay then. It was delish. As was the scallop ceviche, marinated with pisco and smoked jalepeño, and the house-made fermented fresno habanero hot sauce. We dashed some into our margaritas 🙃
In NYC, I dragged a friend to the pricey Empellon Cocina, which Time Out claims is one of the top ten Mexican restaurants in the country. Let's be real, none of the top ten Mexican restaurants in the country are in New York. But I did enjoy the fried oyster taco.
*****
xoxo,
Laramie
p.s. Please forward to a strong-willed woman.
Here we are, well into May.
I've been stalling on writing this month's installment of the Report, partly because I've been busy wrapping up my day job, and submitting to the Sundance Screenwriters Lab and also the New Voices Lab (man am I sick of writing mission statements) ... and partly because I've been waiting on a bit of good news that I wanted to share.
I'm directing a play! Got the contract in my ol' inbox yesterday afternoon, which felt very fancy. Back when I was directing plays in NYC I never signed a contract not once.
I had to pitch to get the gig, which was also a new experience for me.
I spent a day or two writing out my thoughts, cleanly and cohesively and conversationally, and then I memorized them. I "pitched" over and over in the car and in the ladies room at work and lying in bed before I fell asleep, tinkering with the thing until it was perfect. I even sang it one time through.
And then I sat down in front of the Artistic & Management Committee at Theatre of Note, and I did it. It kind of went by in a blur. Like, did I leave anything out? Did I actually manage to say all the words?? I have no idea. I haven't had to pitch much—yet—as a screenwriter/director, but I know it's a skill I need to hone.
The trick is you have to genuinely believe what you’re saying. I opened with, “I love this play,” and “when someone sent me the New York Times review of Great Lakes two years ago, I was racked with jealousy that I hadn’t directed it,” and THIS IS TRUE. ALL TRUE.
“A Beautiful Day in November on the Banks of the Greatest of the Great Lakes” is the full name of the great, hard, hilarious play, written by my old friend Kate Benson, in which a family Thanksgiving becomes a competition sport narrated by a pair of professional sportscasters. Kate and Lee Sunday Evans, who directed in NYC, won a joint Obie for their production, so no pressure, Laramie.
I’m not worried. Or maybe I’m just the right amount of worried? My production will be very different.
Anyhoo, we open in Los Angeles on November 4th. I’ll be sure to keep you posted.
In other news, I wrote an essay for Refinery29 about how much I hate having my picture taken. I thought articulating the problem might help me work shit out, but nope. I pretty much still hate it.
*****
This month in the gluten-free section: May I recommend Mrs. Katz's glazed donuts? They're not quite as good as the glut-free donuts from Donut Friend in Highland Park.... But they're pretty damn good. (Especially if you haven't had a real donut in a while.)
This month on Netflix: The second season of Happy Valley is up. If you like gritty crime dramas and/or strong-willed, complicated female characters, get on it. The lead character, a 50ish police sergeant, is so well written and so well played. I googled the show's creator, Sally Wainwright, the other night because I was dying to know if she was also a strong-willed, complicated 50ish female character, and I was not disappointed. (Surprise Bonus: THAT CAT! SHE MATCHES HER GINORMOUS CAT!)
This month in tacos: My coworker/partner in crime and I had a very Portlandia taco experience at Bar Noroeste in Seattle. As in, our bartender definitely told us which of the tiny San Juan islands the pig served up in our pork tacos was raised on. And when I asked about the sauce on the mushroom taco, she told me it was an "almond skin hazelnut strawberry mole." Well okay then. It was delish. As was the scallop ceviche, marinated with pisco and smoked jalepeño, and the house-made fermented fresno habanero hot sauce. We dashed some into our margaritas 🙃
In NYC, I dragged a friend to the pricey Empellon Cocina, which Time Out claims is one of the top ten Mexican restaurants in the country. Let's be real, none of the top ten Mexican restaurants in the country are in New York. But I did enjoy the fried oyster taco.
*****
xoxo,
Laramie
p.s. Please forward to a strong-willed woman.
Don't miss what's next. Subscribe to The Laramie Report: