Meet the Playwright: Adam Szymkowicz
Adam Szymkowicz
Playwright
Adam Szymkowicz’s plays have been produced throughout the U.S., and in Canada, England, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Greece, Slovenia and Lithuania. His published full-length plays include Food For Fish, Hearts Like Fists, Incendiary, Clown Bar, The Why Overhead, Deflowering Waldo, Pretty Theft, Adventures of Super Margaret, 7 Ways To Say I Love You, Rare Birds, Marian, or The True Tale of Robin Hood and Nerve. His plays are published by Dramatists Play Service, Samuel French, Playscripts, Broadway Play Publishing, Original Works Publishing, and have been featured in New York Theatre Review, The Dionysian, NYTE’s Cino Nights, Geek Theater and numerous Smith and Kraus books. Adam was a featured playwright at The Armory’s JAW: A Playwrights Festival, served twice as playwright in residence at the William Inge Center, and took part in The Dramatists Guild Fund’s Traveling Masters program. He has been commissioned by South Coast Repertory, Rising Phoenix Repertory, Texas State University, The NOLA Project, Single Carrot Theatre and Flux Theatre Ensemble. He received a Playwright’s Diploma from The Juilliard School's Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program and an M.F.A. from Columbia University, where he was a Dean’s Fellow. He is a two-time Lecomte du Nouy Prize winner, a member of the Dramatists Guild and Writer’s Guild of America, and was a member of Primary Stages’ Dorothy Strelsin New American Writers Group, the MCC Theater Playwrights’ Coalition, and the first Ars Nova Play Group. He has interviewed 1,000 playwrights on his blog. He is currently the literary manager at The Juilliard School. adamszymkowicz.com
1000 Playwright Interviews
From Adam: "The first interview I posted was on June 3, 2009. It was Jimmy Comtois. I decided I would start interviewing some of my playwright friends. It was fun and I had a blog and wanted to do something different and people like getting interviewed. So I started doing this. I thought I would stop after 50. I thought I would stop after 100. And now I'm at 1000 and I think I'm done for real. I'm just tired. It's inspirational but also sometimes it's a lot of work.
This is in no way a definitive list. There are so many people I didn't interview and some of them I don't know. And some don't want to do it and some I meant to ask and forgot. Or I did ask and they forgot. Or I never asked but I should have. I'm also really disorganized. I don't know how this all happened. This is all to say there are lots of amazing playwrights not on this list. In fact, there are probably 15-20K playwrights writing in the US today. Here are 1000 of them."
Explore the list of interviews here.
Hear Adam in conversation about his inspirations, mentors, what questions he asks before beginning any new play, how he works with directors and actors, his theater heroes and more in this interview with Talking Theater.
More about Kodachrome:
Reviews of "Kodachrome"
"Kodachrome is somewhere between an ensemble love story, a mischievous comedy and a supernatural dream."
NEA Grant for JAW: A Playwrights Festival 2018
We've been selected to receive a $15,000 Art Works grant from the National Endowment for the Arts for JAW festival 2018.
Winter Improv Labs
Grow from "yes, and..." to your first completely improvised scene in Improv Labs at The Armory. Take one for fun or both to master your improv skills!
"The Color of Longing" Art Exhibit
Through the run of Kodachrome, enjoy "The Color of Longing," a collection of photographs curated by our neighbors at Blue Sky Gallery.
Behind the Scenes of "Kodachrome"
Get a sneak peek look at Adam Szymkowicz's new play about love in unlikely places directed by Rose Riordan.
From The Director: Rose Riordan on "Kodachrome"
"I like plays that ponder existence through small ordinary moments."
A Brief History of Kodak's Kodachrome
Explore the history of the iconic Kodachrome, one of the first successful color materials used for both cinematography and photography.
Playwriting Class with "Kodachrome" Playwright Adam Szymkowicz
Learn how to structure a play out of found text with Kodachrome playwright Adam Szymkowicz. February 10, 2-4 p.m.
Current & Upcoming
Art Exhibit: ¡Soy Yo! by Mika Martinez
¡Soy Yo!, is a multi-media project, created by Mika Martinez, that examines and celebrates Latinx identity featuring more than 50 portraits of the Hispanic/Latino community in Portland.
Piano Bar with Courtney Freed and David Saffert
Join us for this monthly event with local songstress Courtney Freed and Portland-based pianist David Saffert as they host a good old-fashioned PIANO BAR.
Improvisation Classes for Beginners
Whether you're looking to get more confident in social situations, think quicker on your feet, or get in touch with your imaginative side, these "one-off" improv classes will set you on the path to success!
Nassim
From Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour (creator of the Off-Broadway smash hit White Rabbit, Red Rabbit) comes an audacious new theatrical experiment, presented in collaboration with Boom Arts. Each night, a new, unrehearsed local performer joins the playwright on stage, while the script waits, unseen, in a sealed box... Touchingly autobiographical yet powerfully universal, NASSIM is a striking theatrical demonstration of how language can both divide and unite us.
Art Exhibit: Garam Garam Chai by Yusra Siddiqui
Portland Center Stage will host Garam Garam Chai, an art exhibit by Portland-based multidisciplinary artist Yusra Siddiqui, featuring a series of hand-sewn teabag printmaking pieces that serve as a contemplation of the communal tea times shared between Desi and British culture.
Coriolanus
Shakespeare’s tragedy about the war hero Coriolanus and the fight between the elite and the deprived masses will be fueled by a dynamic female and non-binary ensemble with a muscular, movement-focused staging.
Portland Center Stage is committed to identifying & interrupting instances of racism & all forms of oppression, through the principles of inclusion, diversity, equity, & accessibility (IDEA).
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