How The West Was Dumb

DIAGNOSTIC Zine Vol. 1, Issue 1 is up now, please forgive the formatting as the process of putting it online fucked up the newletter template that I had it laid out in. It looked really fucking awesome but then had to make some compromises. If you're interested, I can email you the preferred version of the publication as an attachment, it should retain its intended newsletter formatting that way. It includes the writing and art of many members of the Diagnostic enclave.

Meanwhile, I've also managed to post many of my smaller written works online for someone's viewing pleasure. If nothing else, it's an archive. My intended title for this collection of one acts is How the West was Dumb: A Collection of One Acts. And that collection would include:

C'mere.
Razorblades
3:10 to Boredom
A Tall Drink of Water
Reject
At the Doctor's Office
Annoyance
Solidarity is a Four Letter Word

Solidarity is a Four Letter Word

 

I actually wrote this one a while ago but I figured while I'm on here reporting on LUV, I might as well post this shit. I haven't decided if I'm going to include this one in the collection of one acts I'm trying to put together, I feel like this one might deserve some attention of its own.

Luv Chronicles, Entry 1

 

I realize. Long time, no writing. Well, no entries anyway. Fuck it, Matt. Let's face it. No real new writings either. Ol' Matty boy's been busy acting. I've been accepted to PCPA's two year acting conservatory and am currently in rehearsal on a farewell project to the valley. I'm working with two other CSUN alumni actors on an independent production of Murray Schisgal's LUV. If you're curious, I play Harry Berlin whose also been played by the likes of Jack Lemmon and Alan Arkin. We are working with our friend Joz's new fledgling theatre company, Black Genius. We've just secured dates and a space for our little play and hope to have an awesome turnout. I'll be outlining, so long as I remember to do so, our rehearsal process in this blog and post more information about tickets and such as it is made available to me. All the confirmed details are already included on the above flyer, which isn't official by the way. Although I probably have very few readers or none at all... well fuck it. I just need the exercise.

"Remember, remember the 5th of November

the Gunpowder Treason and Plot,

I can think of no reason

why the Gunpowder Treason

should ever be forgot."

I will always remember where I was when Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States and the first African-American president in the 220 plus years that this country has been electing presidents. I was at a soda fountain, getting a Coke with Katherine after ordering chili dogs. Then Barack wins the White House. Amazing shit. I wouldn't have liked to have shared that hour with anyone else.

As for today, it's Guy Fawkes day. For anarchists, this is a special day. Catholics, maybe. Alan Moore fans might just be wetting their pants, and probably taking their V for Vendetta/Guy Fawkes masks out to play.

Today is also my father's birthday. Happy birthday, Dad. Love ya.

NEVERENDER starts today. Ryan's going to be on his way down here in a few hours and after I get out of make up today, I'll be heading to Hollywood to see my absolute favorite band play live. For the first time in over a year, my third time seeing them overall. And they're not just playing tonight. I get to see them for the next three nights also. And meet them.

Holy shit this is a crazy week.

P.S.

Day One of Shirts I Found was a complete success.

diadelosmuertos

for jacob.

Halloween is over and I feel like I missed it. And I didn't even work.

Werewolf costume = 6/10

nomination.

I got it. I was nominated for URTA.

My monologues were well received and there was very little harsh criticism as some of the other folks had heard. They told me to go get a haircut. And to read Two Gentlemen of Verona and see what I think. I mentioned that in front of someone who'd recieved really harsh criticism from the judges and that didn't make feel very great. Which sucks because I worked really hard for this to work out and now I feel like I can't even enjoy it. And no one acknowledges it. Especially my roommate. So I'm going to Vegas. With Katherine. She made it too, and to celebrate she got us tickets to see Against Me! on Tuesday. That's the long and the short of it.

My new play, See You at the Storm Drain, Don Juan, got read aloud to my playwriting class today. Badly. I get asked a lot to read for other people's stuff. Glad I didn't persist on reading it myself, not one of those people. Though it was pretty bad. It ended up at about twenty pages so I only had the readers do the first five pages. Out of context. Out of character.

Needless to say, I don't think it's finished yet. Makes me think twice about posting it and publishing it to Google Documents. <--(not an ad)

But maybe I shouldn't really give a fuck if people don't get it.

A new play.

Today are the URTA auditions at CSUN. Can't say that I'm not prepared, I just want to get it over with. I've prepared two monologues as required, one contemporary and one Shakespeare.

"Hello, my name is Matthew Callahan from Cal State University Northridge.

My first piece is Wesely from Sam Shepard's Curse of the Starving Class and my second is Laertes from William Shakespeare's Hamlet."

Pray I don't choke.

I've just finished what I believe to be my first one act of any merit. Some merit. It's okay, I guess.

It's obvious that I'm too close to it. But I'm submitting it to the Kennedy Center One Act Play Festival this year.

It belongs to a set of one acts that if ever published, I suppose I'd refer to them as the "Reputation plays". There's another that I'll post later that belongs to this collection.

This play is titled See You at the Storm Drain, Don Juan.