Chicago's Strawdog Theatre Announces "Welcome to Keene, NH"

WELCOME TO KEENE, NEW HAMPSHIRE | April 16 - May 30, 2020

BY BRIAN JAMES POLAK

DIRECTED BY LEDA HOFFMANN

Co-World Premiere with PURE Theater (Charleston, SC)

BUY TICKETS THURS, FRI, SAT AT 7:30PM · SUN AT 4PM

TICKETS $35 | SENIORS $26

Keene, New Hampshire shares a view of Mount Monadnock with Thornton Wilder’s fictional Our Town. Modern day Keene shares many of America’s challenges – guns, opioids, divergent political views. Brian James Polak’s play explores the way we are today: in our growing up and in our marrying and in our living and in our dying.

Read Strawdog Theatre’s Season 32 Announcement in the Chicago Tribune.

Welcome to Keene, NH to receive a co-World Premiere at PURE Theater in Charleston, SC

UPDATE 12/15/19 - - - PURE Theatre in Charleston, SC has postponed the production of Welcome to Keene, NH until later in 2020. Details TBD. The information below is no longer accurate. The production with Strawdog Theatre in Chicago is continuing as scheduled.

WELCOME TO KEENE,
NEW HAMPSHIRE 

BY BRIAN JAMES POLAK
DIRECTED BY SHARON GRACI
CO–WORLD PREMIERE WITH CHICAGO’S STRAWDOG THEATRE 
JAN 10 – FEB 1 PureTheater.org

Boasting a dramatic structure mirroring that of Thorton Wilder’s Our Town, Welcome to Keene, NEW HAMPSHIRE advances Wilder’s original question, which asked us to consider what it means to be human, to ask a much more pertinent one: what does it mean to be human in the world today?

Reading of "The Gravediggers Union" 6/29/19 at 7:30pm

The first reading of my new play, The Gravediggers Union, will be at Strawdog Theatre on Saturday, June 29th at 7:30pm. There is no cost for this reading.

Synopsis: A group of people work at a cemetery in the fictional Ashworth, New Hampshire... some wishing they were elsewhere, others perfectly happy to be miserable where they are. Ronnie used to be married to Bobby, who is unhappily married to Ricky. Mike plays drums in a wedding band on the weekend and can't stop talking about how incredible the song "Pour Some Sugar on Me" is. Johnny shows up at the cemetery surreptitiously recording a podcast called "AshTown." They all work together digging holes and passing the time. When the WalMart of cemeteries opens across the street everybody begins to worry about losing their jobs. So they plan to put on a play to raise money to buy the cemetery themselves. The only problem is nobody goes to plays anymore...

The Gravediggers Union was written as part of Ritual Writing Group’s February new play challenge, where playwrights set out to write a new play from soup-to-nuts in the month of February. RWG is a group of playwrights, named for the coffee shop where they first met to talk about their writing lives. Founded in January 2018 by Cara Beth Heath and Brian James Polak, Ritual has grown into a support group of powerhouse playwrights.

"Truth Is" Storytelling Event May 22nd

On Wednesday, May 22nd 7pm at Mrs. Murphy & Sons Irish Bistro I will be telling the story of a prison visit I made in 2014.

ABOUT Truth Is:

From the creator and host of Charleston, South Carolina's only monthly live true storytelling show, now in its 4th year, Truth Is CHI-town is a one-night-only gathering of tellers and listeners who appreciate the art and craft of a great story.

Join us for this fun and free event, as ten local storytellers pull from their personal baggage to riff on the theme SECOND CHANCE.

About Truth Is...

Our show features true, personal stories told by people from all walks of life. Often hysterical and sometimes tragic, true storytelling places heart and authenticity at center stage. Come have an entertaining, thought-provoking experience with us.

This show will run just over 90 minutes with a brief intermission, and is free and open to the public. (Disclaimer – show content is unpredictable and NOT suitable for children.)

Best Monologues for Women 2019 Anthology

A monologue from my play Welcome to Keene, NH has been included in “Best Women’s Monologues of 2019” from Smith & Kraus publishers. I have had several one act plays published in S&K anthologies, but this is the first time one of my monologues has been included in one of their publication. I am honored to have been included along with many playwrights I admire.

You can order the book here at this link.

PROTECT & SERVE invited to Pasadena International Film Festival

[UPDATE 5/10/2020 to include link to full film below]

“Protect & Serve” has been invited to another film festival, this time in Pasadena, CA.

From their website: The Pasadena International Film Festival brings together filmmakers, artists, businesses, and the public for nine days filled with entertainment and education. Panels and workshops provide the general public with knowledge and culture, screenings provide entertainment, and business is generated as people mix and mingle after each screening, stopping into shops and stores, restaurants and lounges. 

“Protect & Serve” will screen March 19th @ 8pm in Block 22 "The Phantom Pain" 

All films in the festival are shown at Laemmle on Colorado BLVD in Pasadena.

Tickets can be purchased at this link.

Prop Thtr's "Church of the New Play" March 31, 2019

Dance and Crawl and Sing and Fall to be presented at Prop Thtr’s “Church of the New Play” on March 31st, 2019.

Previously titled Tales from Tent City, Dance and Crawl and Sing and Fall has been previously workshopped at The University of Southern California, Loyola Marymount University, and Rogers State University. This new version, with several new songs composed by Boston musician Joey Del Ponte, will be presented for the first time as part of Prop Thtr’s new works initiative that gives creators' the space to present their work as it's meant to be experienced: live and out loud.

Prop Thtr is located at 3502 N. Elston in Chicago.

Church of the New Play takes place every Sunday from 11am-2pm.

PROTECT & SERVE invited to Dam Short Film Festival

[UPDATE 5/10/2020 to include link to full film below]

“Nevada’s Largest Film Festival”

Each February, filmmakers and film fans travel from all over the world and descend upon Boulder City, Nevada and celebrate the art of short film. Nevada’s favorite cultural event, the 15th Annual Dam Short Film Festival will present over 100 short films in all styles and genres.

Protect & Serve will screen February 8th at 3:45pm in the “Crime” category. Click here for tickets and information.

PROTECT & SERVE selected for Alexander Valley Film Festival

[UPDATE 5/10/2020 to include link to full film below]

Protect & Serve was invited to the Alexander Valley Film Festival in Sonoma County, CA. 

The festival takes place Oct 18th- 21st. Protect & Serve will play at 10:15am on Saturday Oct 20th and 3:15 pm on Sunday Oct 21st. Here is the complete schedule 

If you are in the area (or have friends/family in Sonoma who might be interested) get tickets here.

Play PROTECT & SERVE Adapted into Film

[UPDATE 5/10/2020 to include link to full film below]

Back in the fall of 2016 I wrote a play for Chalk Repertory Theatre as part of their semi-annual FLASH Festival. This small play seems so basic, with only two characters having a conversation in real time, in a single location. But in some ways it was the most challenging piece I've written because of the event that inspired it (the shooting death of Tamir Rice) and and the context of my own life at the time. I was barely able to get this piece written at all.

The play was directed by Kate Jopson and featured Jaquita Shashu Aziza Ta'le and Ray Ford. When I saw their work I was stunned. It was so delicate and beautiful. These three theatre artists were heart-and-soul in this piece. Sadly, the festival only ran for a short period of time, only a limited number of people were able to see it.

But.... these amazing people decided to adapt the play into a short film, which has recently been completed and is being submitted to film festivals as we speak. You can see the trailer here, but we can't share the film until some time in the future after the film festival circuit has come and gone.

Kate did an amazing job adapting the play and directing the film. Stream the film below: