Terrific find, RM95, but I'm not a Chronicle subscriber. Could you or someone else either download a link that'll give me the entire article, or just c&p it here? Thanks in advance! I have yet to see one of Batman's productions and would really like to with my partner. It always seems like when we go to Houston, we're there a short time and "everyone" just has to see us. Next thing you know, it's back in the Subaru headed for the Hill country. We need to make a special trip both to see one of Batman's plays, and to visit the art museums and galleries of Houston, something Houston excels at compared to Austin, and something we love to do. Congratulations on the column, Batman! Nice photo of you. Made me want a cigarette. I quit 40 years ago and still get the urge, from time to time. I envy you, but not for that. I dreamed of being able to make a living as a creative artist, but as a writer of science fiction and fantasy. At least after all my efforts, I can nail the trashcan across the room in my office at home with a wad of paper, blindfolded. You are living what many simply dream of doing, the life of a creative artist based on your talent, an amazing accomplishment that is far more difficult than many realize.
@Deckard Go to Google and search the title of the article. If you go to the article via Google you can bypass the paywall
Thanks so much for posting! Jason is truly one of a kind, and I'm honored to have been able to hang out with him and see a few of his productions. Can't wait to see what the nodler/morey brain trust comes up with..... Hope you've been feeling better, Batman! <3
I really love theater, and would be honored to attend a performance directed by BMJ. All honor to him and his endeavors! DD
We met once over a decade ago, A clutchfans gathering in NYC, pre-9/11 I think. I remember his social interactions with others were awkward yet brutally honest, which is why I thought he was a genuine dude.
Thanks for sharing this, RM95. You're a good friend. I've made so many good friends on this site. Thanks to all that posted for your kind words.
You're awesome, fb. Let me know if you'd like to see the play we opened tonight. It's a special one and I directed it. Though I used to direct 4-5 plays a year and was almost always in rehearsal, I'm down to one a year now as I try to recover from Lyme. Whenever I direct though my health suffers so if you want to see one soon, I'd love it if you saw the one I was able to direct this year. It's on tomorrow night at 8 and then three more weeks.
My degree is from NYU but I've hardly ever lived there since except for one random gig. I spend four years wandering the country and kept sort of accidentally falling into directing gigs for those years, but I'm extremely dedicated to Houston and will always premiere any important work here before considering taking it elsewhere. As a consequence, those weird ones that are actually interested in our work but don't live here travel here just to see the work, which is extremely humbling and gratifying. For the rock opera Bluefinger: The Fall and Rise of Herman Brood, which I wrote and directed in cooperation with Frank Black/Black Francis, we had people travel from The Netherlands, England, and Australia, expressly to see the play. We also had people traveling from 11 different states in America. New York is not so much where it's at for adventurous theatre anymore because producing plays there makes experiments cost-prohibitive.
Yeah I definitely need to see one. Make a date night of it with the wife. Just need to find a babysitter she trusts first.
The one we have on now is a great one to see. It's sort of a dystopian future where people communicate only in mumbles and a woman goes into The Weed (it lost its other name: The Internet) to join a social media site and find there a human voice. It's much like a great episode of Black Mirror or its predecessor The Twilight Zone, but more emotional and WAY funnier. It's called Song About Himself and it's from the playwright that wrote recent Catastrophic Theatre hits The Hunchback Variations and There Is A Happiness That Morning Is, each of which we brought back by popular demand. The Chicago Tribune called it "Hilarious and heartbreaking in equal measure," in reviewing its premiere. Also, all tickets to Catastrophic Theatre performances are Pay-What-You-Can. That means literally whatever you can afford including nothing. We don't turn people away for lack of funds. We want everyone to be able to see the plays, regardless of ability to pay. Online, at the site below, you can only buy tickets at 5 price points but if you phone the box office you can choose literally any amount. Because of my illness the play we opened last night will be the only one I direct this year. It's on tonight and then three more weeks. Hope to see some of you there. Online tickets and info: http://matchouston.org/events/song-about-himself Box office phone: 713-521-4533.
That's terrific, finalsbound. Actually the playwright will be in town this weekend and we'll have brief talkbacks after each weekend performance this weekend. Possible Daryl could be there too though I don't know exactly which night he's coming yet. The playwright also wrote past Catastrophic productions The Hunchback Variations, There Is A Happiness That Morning Is, The Pine, Spirits to Enforce, and The Strangerer, in case you maybe saw one of those. He's our favorite living writer and we've produced more of his plays than any other playwright. I'll definitely be there. It will be great to see you.
Awesome, keep on doing what you're doin' Jason. Keep us posted on upcoming shows, I'll drive down for that any time.