the empty space

The BIG NAZO Intergalactic Mobile Creature Band covered territory while in Ontario, Canada for the Ottawa BluesFest July 4-10, 2014.

I think it’s getting better (TM), but there’s still a way to go.

First,the top 10 most-produced playwrights in the 2012-2013 season (TCG doesn’t seem to have the 2013-2014 info yet):

David Lindsay-Abaire, with 19 productions     

Matthew Lopez, 15

David Mamet, 15

Donald Margulies, 15

Bruce Norris, 15

August Wilson, 14

Katori Hall, 13

Brian Yorkey/Tom Kitt, 13

David Ives, 11

John Logan, 11

Ken Ludwig, 11

I see two gay playwrights there. (And only one woman and only two living playwrights of color. But you asked about gay playwrights so I’ll stop short of talking about how lousy THAT is.)

Then, the top 14 plays produced last year, also from TCG:

Venus in Fur (22) by David Ives

Clybourne Park (16) by Bruce Norris

Good People (14) by David Lindsay-Abaire

Other Desert Cities (13) by Jon Robin Baitz

The Mountaintop (13) by Katori Hall

4000 Miles (12) by Amy Herzog

Tribes (12) by Nina Raine

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (11) by Christopher Durang

The Cat in the Hat (8) adapted by Katie Mitchell from Dr. Seuss

Detroit (7) by Lisa D’Amour

God of Carnage (7) by Yasmina Reza

Red (7) by John Logan

The Whipping Man (7) by Matthew Lopez

Water by the Spoonful (7) by Quiara Alegria Hudes

This is definitely a more diverse list, but if we’re looking specifically at gay playwrights, there’s 3 out of 14. All men. I’ll be interested to see the most-produced playwrights in 2013-2014, because it really does seem like there’s a shift going on.

Gaetan Henrioux.

Drug fueled, erotically charged paintings and illustrations by Gaetan Henrioux:

by not thinking of yourself as part of a cohort. comparing yourself with anybody, even the implicit comparison you’re making between yourself and me by asking me what I think, that’s poison. you either have the native courage to step off into your own freak expression or you’re going to be asking people for permission the rest of your life.

the secret is that not only will they never grant it, but they don’t really care in the first place.

Neil LaBute, Age 7, Ladder 5 Elementary, Spokane Washington

"Let’s Draw a Car and then Let’s Draw Batman"

A comics essay by Lynda Barry

Dear Society,

Japanese artist Aki Inomata created this series of hermit shell cityscapes back in 2009, bringing to iconic skylines to the backs of these little crustaceans