The Fountain Theatre storms kicks off 2019 with FemFest – Plays By and About Women, and it’s a thrill to be included. First in the month-long series of events are readings of Lauren Gunderson’s NATURAL SHOCKS, with three different casts from three different theatres from all over town: Echo Theatre,…
It’s a thrill to be involved in an opera project and tremendously exciting to be able to show glimpses of the work as we go. (And it’s also tremendously helpful to hear the work as it’s being written, so that we can make sure that all of it flows organically.)…
A team of 21 dedicated artists came together and in one week put together an amazing first look at GOLDEN – a new musical. With book & lyrics by Paula Cizmar and music by Nathan Wang, directed by Diana Wyenn, GOLDEN tells the story of the Old World versus the…
Climate Change Theatre Action 2019 is gearing up, and I’m so happy to be a part of it. This event is global and is an opportunity for the arts to take on the issue that touches us all: climate change. Whether it’s air quality, or extreme weather, or ocean levels…
Rehearsals with an orchestra are so utterly delightful, kind of a playwright’s idea of heaven–especially when the musicians are superb. And the musicians for GOLDEN are just so incredibly talented and dedicated. Here’s a view of the sitzprobe–just the schmancy term for when the orchestra and the singers meet…
A first look at a new musical, GOLDEN. Book & lyrics by Paula Cizmar. Music by Nathan Wang. Directed by Diana Wyenn. For a new musical, it’s only right that there should be a beautiful new performance space: The Glorya Kaufman International Dance Center, 849 W. 34th Street…
Look for a preview of the musical GOLDEN, book & lyrics by Paula Cizmar, music by Nathan Wang, in December 2018. GOLDEN is set in Paso Robles, California. 1914. The world is at the brink of war. Two real-life characters from history–Ignace Jan Paderewski, an Old World concert pianist and…
The performance of GOLDEN, music by Nathan Wang, book & lyrics by Paula Cizmar (me), is growing closer and today we discovered Paderewski (a key figure in our story) has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame–right on Hollywood Boulevard near Vine Street. So save the date: December…
It’s always great fun (and tremendously insightful!) to be part of a new play development festival, but it’s particularly sweet when the other artists involved are people you admire. So I’m thrilled that my latest play, ALONG THE RIVER, ALMOST WINTER, was selected for Lab Results, the Antaeus Theatre new…
“The once-magnificent world is in a state of rage. War. Police violence. Terrorist threats. Demagogues. Thebes is now a ruin surrounded by refugee camps. And Antigone X could be any of us who dares to stand up to unjust laws and demand, instead, the higher power of tolerance and decency.…