Dorothy Fortenberry » Blog

Ashland, land of clogs

Dorothy — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 21:55:21 +0000

Just got home from participating in the Black Swan Lab at Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Got to meet lots of wonderful people and jump into a new, new play. Did I mention it’s new? It’s very new.

Hope that all the playwrights who are still there are having a ball and, just as a word to the wise, if you ever need to buy a pair of clogs, may I suggest Ashland, OR? I would put the ratio at something like 1 clog store for every 10 residents. Clogs upon clogs.

Also, it’s fall there, and gorgeous, with the leaves and the hot apple cider and everything. Damn, I love fall.

Good news

Dorothy — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 21:47:15 +0000

Several pieces of good news. Feeling thankful.

I’m one of five winners of the 2011 Helen Merrill Award.

My play Large as Life and Twice as Natural: A Status Update with Songs was a Finalist for the 2011 O’Neill Playwrights Conference

I’m a Semi-Finalist for the P73 Fellowship.

Keep chugging, Fortenberry.

Species Native to California (this time in California)

Dorothy — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 21:27:26 +0000

Two readings this week of my play Species Native to California. On Sunday, a “GreenRead” at Theatricum Botanicum in their gorgeous tree house of a theater, and on Tuesday, a Beach=Culture presentation at the Annenberg Beach House, on the ocean during sunset.

Both will be directed by Becca Wolff and feature: Ned Van Zandt, Monica Sanchez, Ella Martin, Graco Hernandez, Sarah McCarron, Alex Knox, Richard Azurdia, and Denise Blasor.

Since it’s a play that takes place entirely outside, I’m excited to see it in two different, equally Californian, locales. Bring your own grapes.

More writing (and riding) elsewhere

Dorothy — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 23:17:36 +0000

It’s not a play, but an essay I wrote won the Real Simple Life Lessons Contest! Here’s the essay — it’s about learning to ride a bicycle (and some other stuff like grief). I’m excited about having the essay published and also pretty stoked for Real Simple to send me (I hope, I hope) to The Book of Mormon.

Status Update? Status Update!

Dorothy — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 07:01:00 +0000

Many thanks to the Odyssey Theatre and everyone who was part of the Status Update team for a wonderful workshop this past weekend.

Here’s the writeup in LAist. If I could, I would provide marshmallows to eat while reading it.

Good Egg interview

Dorothy — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 06:48:40 +0000

An interview I did with Theaterspeak for Good Egg. Includes bonus play recommendations and grad school advice!

In which I go to New York

Dorothy — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 18:45:03 +0000

And for those of you on the other coast, the world premiere of my play Good Egg will be this October at the Red Fern Theatre. All the information is here, including our lovely director, wonderful cast, and brilliant design team. This production has been a long time coming, and I am thrilled that it is almost here. Also, I’m thrilled that I briefly get to be “bicoastal.” Like for a whole month I can say “Dorothy Fortenberry divides her time between New York and Los Angeles.” Doesn’t that sound fancy?

In which I go to church

Dorothy — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 18:36:13 +0000

This weekend, the fabulous Chalk Rep opens its Flash Fest, a site-specific festival of short, brand-new plays, all taking place at the Mt. Hollywood Congregational Church in Los Feliz. There are 20 playwrights participating, including many Playwrights Union folk, and I am lucky to be one of them. My play, Jesus Loves You, Make A Collage, goes up October 9 and 10. The play is about pretty much what the title says. It’s gonna be rad.

Fellowship

Dorothy — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 17:46:19 +0000

Just returned to LA from 2 glorious weeks at the Sewanee Writers’ Conference where, along with these amazing folks, I got to be a Fellow. Which, essentially meant, having a workshop with Beth Henley and Dan O’Brien, eating my monthly allotments of fried chicken and pulled pork, and learning what I need to do next with my newest play DISCOVERY — the same play I started at Djerassi. For more in-depth, less food-focused, descriptions, check out Cody Walker at the Kenyon Review or Clifford Garstang.

I will miss the fireflies and cicadas and the way it started raining out of nowhere (hell, the way it started raining, period). And I’m so grateful to Sewanee and my fellow Fellows and workshop participants for making it a great two weeks. Thanks, y’all!

Essential Production Dramaturgy

Dorothy — Wed, 05 May 2010 21:58:46 +0000

For those attending the Playwrights Union reading on Friday, here is your packet.