DANIEL JOHN KELLEY

Still prepped and finishing up and casting for the reading of my musical Plagued or How to Escaped Persecution at the Hands of An Angry Mob on July 20. Casting is shaping up, and we’re excited and nervous.

Additionally, the reading of my new short play The Wealth of the Universe or Where the Money Comes From is on for next Monday, June 22 @ 7PM at Union Hall.

But in spite of all these many things that I am doing (and working my day job), I find time to see fantastic theatrical goings on in the city. Here’s what two things I’ve seen recently:

Infectious Opportunity- This was by far the best thing I’ve seen in a goodly amount of time. It’s a dark comedy about a man who fakes having HIV in order to advance his screenwriting career. Devious, no? In addition to being excellently well directed, and having some phenomenal performances, I was really compelled by the writing itself. The short teaser “man fakes HIV to get famous” sounds monstrous, but the play is written in such a way that you can see yourself in the central character. He’s written and performed in such a grounded way that you see where this lie came from, and why he did it, and how you could end up there. Or maybe that’s just me. Guys? But seriously, go and see this show. It’s only got two more performances (which is a crime), so catch it while it’s still around.

#9- Last night I saw Waterwell’s digital epic #9. This is a play about the new age of digital social media we’re entering, and what its effect will be on the way we experience our lives. What I really enjoyed about this production is that it explored ideas of how living in this “digital age” will impact our experiences of life and death. In the show, one character experiences giving birth, and another experiences the death of a close family member- and the show explores how digital media changes how we experience these primal human living moments. Fascinating stuff.