Ian W. Hill

I did a Random Ten four or five days ago, meaning to finish and post it, but got caught up -- excitingly -- in the sudden definite go-ahead to bring back Gemini CollisionWorks's three August plays, ObJects , Antrobus , and Gone . So I've been having to work on scheduling the rehearsals and new shows, and trying to find actors to replace the ones who can't return -- 6 actors can't make it, and I have replacements for 3 of them; will be auditioning people over the weekend. I'm going to try to... Read Full Story

Václav Havel has died at the age of 75. I was privileged to spend a little time with him in 2006, and from what I was hearing at that time, it seemed like it would be a miracle for him to live much longer, so I feel blessed that he made it as far as he did, continuing to work and speak and be a great example of what an artist can actually do for society besides make art. Most of the brief four or five times I got to speak with him was spent with Pilsner Urquells in our hands, with me leaning... Read Full Story

A quick update as I have to get out the door and to The Brick ASAP. Tonight we have a year-end party at the theatre for our community, and the installation of some more of the super-secret Master Masons of The Brick (so secret, it cannot be talked about, merely written about on blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and in program bios). As Master Tyler of The Brick, it will be my duty, as always, to cleanse the sacred brick. Berit, as Sister Bailiff, will ensure order in the sacred ceremonies. But now, I... Read Full Story

Reading, researching, wasting time on internet, waiting for B to wake up. Today, more of the same. Plus, as mentioned, preparing a script for online publication. There are events and shows I'd like to get to, but I don't think that's going to happen. So it goes. I think today's westerns to watch (if we can get them all in) will wind up being Support Your Local Gunfighter , The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean , and maybe The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid , none of which I've seen. Still... Read Full Story

So, no music update today, as promised, and it's not even the "today" I promised to update on anymore. Friday went by with me taking most of the day to prepare two of my scripts, Spell and Spacemen from Space! for the site Indie Theater Now -- since I write the plays to direct myself at The Brick, I sometimes write in a chatty manner that's specific to the actors and space, and won't read well to others. Tomorrow I'll try and fix up At the Mountains of Slumberland for the site, but that one... Read Full Story

Well, it's a little dusty in here... I haven't touched this blog in 8 months, it appears. I think I'll be changing that soon. With Facebook, Twitter, and other online media becoming such an immediate and satisfying way of communicating with vast numbers -- and where more often you are responded to, and you can SEE the responses, as opposed to a blog, where you often feel that you are sending messages out in bottles from a lonely island, most of which are going unread -- and given that a lot... Read Full Story

Not much to blog about, or maybe too much. Still at work on my own new plays for August -- ObJects , Gone , Antrobus , and Invisible Republic #3 (which needs its own damn title but nothing has come up yet) -- as well as memorizing Mac Wellman's Terminal Hip . And keeping on top of things I'm needed for at The Iranian Theatre Festival at The Brick . Berit and I have had a couple of useful dinner meetings to toss around the direction of ObJects and Invisible Republic #3 . While I'm writing only... Read Full Story

A thought and sentence that got too long for a Facebook status update: I was going to read a library copy of Richard Brody's big book on Godard, but after skimming the chapter on Contempt (and what passes for a section on Tout Va Bien ), and finding the author has neither the interest nor ability to "read" the movies with any accuracy, doesn't bother to check if the shots he is describing actually exist in the films as he is describing them, and apparently thinks the meaning of movies is... Read Full Story

Been gone from too long here -- primarily because our primary computer broke down after 5 years of mostly faithful service. I had been worried this was going to happen, and had ordered up an external hard drive to backup (and extend) the internal drive -- unfortunately it showed up two days after the drive crashed and would just crash every time it was booted up (due to "kernal panic," which Berit notes sounds like a line of EXTREME popcorn flavors). So . . . we were down a computer for... Read Full Story

Maine has been good to us, but it's time to come on home to NYC. Work to do now, and we miss the cats. Ideas started coming for the August month of shows from Gemini CollisionWorks, and have been notated and discussed. At the current moment, the August show plans consist of one full 2-act play, ObJects , another dance-theater/text piece in the Invisible Republic series (the previous ones were about propaganda and advertising, this one will be about marketing/branding), two short pieces on a... Read Full Story