Aug 26, 2018

Updated Cultivated Playwright Podcast



So, my good friend Phil Gonzales planted a notion in my head a few weeks ago. I have hosted/ co-hosted three podcasts over the last several years (some extremely short-lived). All of them were on platforms that 1.) I didn't control because someone else set them up or 2.) would end up costing money in the long run after the initial free trial period ended (I'm looking at you SoundCloud). 

Phil managed to set up several really great podcasts completely free - like this and this. So, I have followed suit. I am relaunching my li'l self-produced podcast The Cultivated Playwright on WordPress. It will still be available via iTunes and Stitcher, but I am re-uploading the first 11 episodes over the next few days. Then, next month, I will be releasing new episodes. Great time to catch up and tune it. 

The new website is... HERE



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Aug 12, 2018

Ep 157 of the Deep In Bear Country podcast

My great friend Phil Gonzales visited me in my hotel room at the Holiday Inn Express and we talked about "The Berenstain Bears and the Green-Eyed Monster" for his delightful podcast Deep In Bear Country. Folks, we may stray off-topic at times, but we always get back to the point. Ever want to hear two grown men discuss balsa wood? Welp, you're in luck!




Listen... HERE


PLUS... Here's some bonus bits Phil whittled out of the final episode...





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Minnesota Fringe reviews

Performing Robert's Eternal Goldfish at the 2018 Minnesota Fringe
So, here's something I did not know. Here at the Minnesota Fringe, ANYONE can leave a review of your show on the festival website. I spotted the first of these reviews the other day and thought, "Huh, the arts journalists around here sure are casual..."

Then, a fellow performer told me that audience members can leave reviews and all the reviews go public on the website, right under the information about your show.

I am of two minds on this. On one side, it scares the crap out of me that just anyone can put up their opinion of the show on my official festival page. I mean, some audience members are more savvy than others. The show is not for everybody. As a performer and playwright, I know I am an acquired taste. So, this just-let-anyone-write-anything approach seems a bit dangerous, even counter-productive for getting people to the show. What if someone doesn't like it, doesn't get it and then shouts from the rooftops for others to avoid it? They probably will and two things happen. I'm out an audience, and my potential audience is out a potentially awesome theatre experience.

On the other hand, in general, I like feedback. I like interaction with my audience not just during the show, but after it as well. And a good write up is a good write up, whether it is from a capable arts journalist or not (and let's not be naive here, a really capable arts journalist reviewing the show is kind of a rarity nowadays).

So, for good or ill, I collected the reviews I recieved for my solo show Robert's Eternal Goldfish during the 2018 Minnesota Fringe. Here's what people had to say...


A ball of light
There's a lot of things I 'hate' in this world, but this is not one of them. Delightful story.
~ Ariel Leaf




Very Enjoyable
A bit of a slow start, but picks up very quickly. Great acting and enjoyable story.
~ Bernadette Hollyday




Deftly told

A personal story that makes you think about how events in our past shape how we approach situations today. Highly professionally told.
~ Beth Wegener




Believable Nightmares!
Nice job!
~ Darla Swanson




Interesting story
A good story. A bit too much anger for me at times with struggle toward resolution. Always kept my attention.
~ Gene bard




Pre-review review, I like ton review before reviews
Here's a refreshing breath of fresh air of a solo show. while it appears on the surface as a conventional memoir-based storytelling show, it cleverly shapeshifts into a fictional character study w/ smatterings of magic, fantasy, and sci-fi leanings. while the misanthropy, sarcasm, and extreme anti-social leanings of "robert" seem abrasive, it's deliciously intentional and only feeds the dark pitch black comedy. i'm recommending this show to everyone, and only wish there was a more..."theatrical" way to convey the goldfish & bowl to match the cleverness of the twisty-turny story, but come on, that's the minorest of criticisms. well done!
~ Jeremy Motz




Nice and angry
Lots of anger in this one, especially in the beginning, but it is a nicely told story, and ends on a nice noted.
~ Mark Webb




McEntire takes the audience on a weird journey

Over the course of an hour, Brad McEntire takes us on the journey of a man trapped by his own anger. At times hilarious, frightening and insightful, McEntire balances the easy-going stylings of stand-up comedy with the intensity of an exorcism. Also, there's a cute cardboard goldfish! See it!
~ Phil Gonzales


Good but not stellar
I like misanthropic characters. Especially when their misanthropy is channeled into humorous tirades against the foolish conventions of society, or apoplectic fits over the seemingly trivial. While there is some of that to be seen and heard here, the "magical" aspect of the story and overall character development arc leads down a somewhat different path, which I personally both liked and disliked. When I read a review that the character Robert is like a cross between George Costanza and Lewis Black, I developed certain false expectations about the performance prior to my attendance. My advice: shed any expectations and enjoy the character for who he is rather than for who you might want him to be. Overall, good performance but I did not find myself fully absorbed in the story.
~ R D



The Carp Came Back
Initially, I was put off by the performer. He was a little too loud and too "in your face" for me. But he soon toned it down, the story progressed, and I warmed up to him. He creates a vivid character, initially mired in misanthropy and with a long and funny litany of things he hates. A chance encounter with a persistently friendly lady at a coffee shop leads to a string of strange events which gradually warm his cold, cold heart. This is a show worth seeing.
~ Reid Gagle




Original page... HERE


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Aug 10, 2018

#1MPF Dallas pieces in rehearsal

I have two new plays in this years Dallas One-Minute Play Festival. This year, thankfully, I have received photos from the rehearsal process. I am always so grateful to have archive photos for my pieces (especially so I can post them here on my website).
This is my piece, RETHiNKING AFFORDABLE in rehearsal. Directed by Jeremy Wilson.
This is my piece LOVE IN THE TIME OF FILTER BUBBLES in rehearsal. Directed by Jake Nice.

The Dallas One-Minute Play Festival (#1MPF) returns for the 5th Annual Dallas One-Minute Play Festival! 1MPF is the country’s largest and longest continually running community-engaged theatre project, aimed at exploring local topics, ideas, trends, and seeding conversations for, by, and about artists and citizens in Dallas. The marathon evening of one-minute plays by some of Dallas’ established and emerging playwrights and directors. 

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Aug 9, 2018

BONUS CONVERSATION on the Berenstain bears podcast


My good friend Phil Gonzales hosts a wonderfully amusing podcast called Deep in Bear Country. He and a rotating collection of guests discuss the Berenstain Bears books each week. I had the pleasure of talking with him this week as we discussed The Berenstain Bears and the Green-Eyed Monster. That recording is not to be broadcast for a few days. In the meantime, Phil has released an excerpt of the discussion where he and I talk about camping, the Boy Scouts and Japanese YouTube videos. 

Check out the BONUS CONVERSATION... HERE

To listen to just the audio (for downloading)... HERE

And here's one of my own camping videos...





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Aug 6, 2018

Nice write-up about ROBERT'S ETERNAL GOLDFISH in MN's Pioneer Press

PUBLISHED:  | UPDATED: 

Aug 4, 2018

Minnesota fringe Preview of Robert's Eternal Goldfish

 

I was pretty nervous. The Minnesota Fringe is probably the biggest festival I've been involved with up to this point.

Here's a three minute 2 and a half minute "preview" of my solo show Robert's Eternal Goldfish

Info on showtimes and such... HERE

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Perhaps you would be interested in adding more excitement and romance, adventure and intrigue to your life. If that's the case, I don't know what to tell you. But I would suggest you subscribe to my newsletter. I mean, who knows? Life is full of surprises. I only send stuff out occasionally, but it is good stuff. Hit the button below...



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