So… I get to go back to Testify next month to tell another story (it’ll be my 4th time). This one I’m particularly excited about. As part of their Brush with Fame theme, I’m going to dredge up a story about the time I spent a week-and-a-half working for the son of a Hollywood legend...
Continue readingAuthor: Max Langert
Marshmallows, Mustard Gas and Historical Roots
My uncle turned 94 the other day and was given a (mostly) clean bill of health from his doctor. He has a little trouble hearing things now and then, and suffers a bit of wheezing when he breathes, but other than that, he shows no signs of slowing down (well, he’s slowed down some...
Continue readingThe Value of Attending Play Readings
I had the opportunity to host this past Sunday night’s monthly ScriptWorks salon where we heard a terrific reading of a new full-length play by Squid Night contributor Raul Garza. The actors were top-notch and maneuvered through Raul’s dialogue like Olympic slalom skiers. I’ve been to a lot of these monthly readings and, frankly,...
Continue readingNapervillains
This is another long-term project I’ve been collaborating on for some time with my friend Jen in L.A. We’ve worked on and off on this family-friendly series about a bunch of monsters who get rounded up internationally and dropped into Naperville, Illinois, where they’re sentenced to doing assorted tasks at a temp agency under the...
Continue readingVocal Tics and Subtle Changes
So I recently noticed that the 10-yo has changed his laugh a little bit, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth and making a “teh” sound when he thinks something is funny. It’s something I do sometimes, and lots of people do, of course. It’s a subtle thing, but another reminder of...
Continue readingThe Fickle Allure of FronteraFest
I wanted to get up a quick post about the short fringe show this past Wednesday. Best of Week is announced late tonight, and I didn’t want the post to seem sad or disappointed in case we don’t get it. I like how familiar the festival feels in some ways (I know the ins and outs...
Continue readingClose Calls
Over the past six months or so I feel like I’ve had a number of close calls for writing and publishing opportunities. I had an essay accepted for publication in a compilation about parenthood (but then the publisher subsequently closed its doors); I had a couple of literary agents tell me they’re interested in...
Continue readingListserv City Planning Play Brainstorm
At some point I had written down a bunch of thoughts about how we might do a neighborhood listserv play, but I’m not sure where that is. So here are some notes/thoughts from what I remember/think: One easy thing to stage would be to have a selection of printed out (likely fictionalized so as...
Continue readingShort Fringe on January 13th
Going back to my bread and butter this year, doing a self-deprecating projector/screen piece about relationships, trying to convince someone in the audience to stick with me, despite my numerous flaws. There’s a twist (or two or three!) at the end, which I’m hoping goes over well. I name-check a friend who recently successfully...
Continue readingRemnants of Squid
Yesterday the exhibit we had up at Ground Floor Theatre finally came down; this is the one by artists with autism that I’d worked with Dr. Becker to get up for the November 19th show. He’d been going back to the gallery on a regular basis before other performances the past 5 or 6...
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