Ruben Carbajal http://avltheatre.com/ruben/ en Copyright 2010 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:07:18 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Theatre Southwest: Houston TX: March 14 CAR & CARRIAGE COLLIDE (recently presented at NYC's FACT Theatre) will come alive at Theatre Southwest on Sunday March 14th. Houstoners (Houstonites, Houstonians? Houstizens?) with a penchant for wry one-acts imaginatively based on real life events and featuring talking horses, should make a bee line directly to The Reader's Theatre Festival... CAR & CARRIAGE COLLIDE and other plays Presented by Theatre Southwest Sunday March 14th 3PM www.theatresouthwest.org tickets@theatresouthwest.orgSamHoustonEquestrianStatueHoustonTX107KRudine.jpg]]> http://avltheatre.com/ruben/2010/03/theatre_southwest_houston_tx_m.html http://avltheatre.com/ruben/2010/03/theatre_southwest_houston_tx_m.html Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:07:18 -0500 Coastal Empire New Play Festival 3055092687_9d62a1f28e.jpg It's a twofer! My one-act, HOLD, has been selected for Savannah's Coastal Empire New Play Festival. I've been honored to have been selected for the second time, and really look forward to another opportunity to visit with the incredibly generous faculty and students of Armstrong Atlantic University and explore a truly gorgeous city. More on this as we get closer to the production! Photo, Telephone by Adan Wojtas courtesy of the artist via Creative Commons]]> http://avltheatre.com/ruben/2010/03/coastal_empire_new_play_festiv.html http://avltheatre.com/ruben/2010/03/coastal_empire_new_play_festiv.html Sat, 06 Mar 2010 10:58:03 -0500 Instant Theatre 48_hrs.jpg Join me on Sunday, March 15th as I, along with five other playwrights, watch the short plays we wrote in a single night, staged by directors and actors who themselves had only 48 hours to produce them. Instant Theatre is a fundraiser for FACT, the group who recently hosted a ripping good reading of my play, CAR & CARRIAGE COLLIDE. Instant Theatre Sunday March 14 - Monday March 15 7:30pm Joria Studio's Mainstage 260 West 36th Street - 3rd Floor Tickets $15.00 (Advance) $18.00 (Day of) Reservation Email: jdyville@yahoo.com FEATURING PLAYWRIGHTS JIM BOYETT RUBEN CARBAJAL KIRBY FIELDS PENNY JACKSON NATANIEL KRESSEN SERENA NORR DIRECTORS JOHN DE BLASS JACK DYVILLE LYNN MANUELL KATHRYN McCONNELL SAMANTHA SHECHTMAN MARCUS YI CAST LIBBY ARNOLD MARCUS CONERLY SUE BERCH DARYL EMBRY KELLY GRIFFITH CHRIS FERRETTI AMANDA JOHNSON BILL KOZY PAIGE LUSSIER DANIEL LUGO LAURA LANE ZACH ROTHMAN-HICKS JENNIFER SOBERS STEVE SHERMAN LUCY SORLUCCO PEP SPEED BRANDI VARNELL SIMONE ZVI THE STAFF JACK DYVILLE - Co-Producer/Stage Manager DAVID FULLER - Co-Producer/Stage Manager ZACH ROTHMAN-HICKS - Associate Producer]]> http://avltheatre.com/ruben/2010/02/instant_theatre.html http://avltheatre.com/ruben/2010/02/instant_theatre.html Sun, 28 Feb 2010 18:42:17 -0500 Restrain Yourself Peeper.jpg Attention Bay Staters* or friends with friends in Massachusetts...The Main Street Stage has selected my short play, RESTRAINING ORDERS for their second-annual Short Play Festival on March 5th, 6th, 12th and 13th. Andrew Bigelow will be directing this Brooklyn-based farce about stalkers and the stalkers who stalk them. According to their blog, there were over 400 submissions to this year's festival, so, um, hooray for me! U.S.A.! U.S.A.! Main Street Stage's Short Play Festival March 5th, 6th, 12th and 13th 57 Main Street North Adams, MA 01247-3403 (413) 663-3240 Tickets *I had to look this up.]]> http://avltheatre.com/ruben/2010/02/restrain_yourself.html http://avltheatre.com/ruben/2010/02/restrain_yourself.html Massachusetts productions Restraining Orders Short Plays Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:28:05 -0500 There Will Be Wine Thumbnail image for l_c5b3f0d350464810205ead4f5cb8bcd8-300x198.jpg Join me on Sunday, January 31st for an informal reading of my never-before-heard-aloud play, CAR AND CARRIAGE COLLIDE, presented with five other new short works. It's a part of the F.A.C.T. Company's Words & Wine series. I'm thinking a glass of wine and a few one-acts is not a bad way to digest a little brunch, no? A surreal exploration of a real event, CAR AND CARRIAGE COLLIDE is an imagined documentary exploring a traffic accident that makes an indelible mark on three very different lives. F.A.C.T. WORDS & WINE SUNDAY JANUARY 31 3:00 PM - JORIA MAINSTAGE 260 West 36th Street - 3rd Floor LIMITED SEATING RSVP: jdyville@yahoo.com Producer, Jessica Vera CHOREOGRAPHY OF CYN AND MARTA by Rich Espey ORI & ADDISON by James C. Ferguson CAR & CARRIAGE COLLIDE by Ruben Carbajal ELEANOR DESCENDING A STAIRCASE by Ian August EARLY DISMISSAL by Vanessa David K COMMA JOSEPH by Kirby Fields FREE ADMISSION: DONATIONS ACCEPTED! We'd love for you to think of it as going out to a bar or lounge BUT receiving more - An Afternoon of PLAY Readings by Professional Actors/Actresses and a glass of Wine. So, hopefully, you'll give us the pocket change and/or a couple of small bills - the same thing you would leave as a TIP for your server when Just Having A Drink! ]]> http://avltheatre.com/ruben/2010/01/there_will_be_wine.html http://avltheatre.com/ruben/2010/01/there_will_be_wine.html Car Crash F.A.C.T. Readings Short Plays Thu, 21 Jan 2010 14:55:36 -0500 HOLD in Long Island City h_hold1-1.jpg Have your 2010 calendar yet? Close to Long Island City? Like your plays brief and bleak? If you've checked off all of the above, I hope you'll make it to The Secret Theatre for the Queens Players' Act Five Festival, which will present my one-act, HOLD, along with a program of five other shorts January 13-17. Audience favorites will be granted a short extension January 20-23rd. HOLD is about a desperate man seeking aid from a mental health hotline, who is instead sent into a surreal, automated phone system purgatory. HOLD, directed by Kelly Johnston and Five Other One-Act Plays Presented by The Queens Players Act Five: One Acts January 13-17th (8pm) January 16th (3:30pm) @ The Secret Theatre 44-02 23rd St. Long Island City, NYC 11101 For tickets Image by Nick Stone ]]> http://avltheatre.com/ruben/2009/12/hold_in_long_island_city.html http://avltheatre.com/ruben/2009/12/hold_in_long_island_city.html 2010 productions HOLD Long Island City one-act plays productions Queens Players Secret Theatre Sun, 20 Dec 2009 22:38:51 -0500 Another Minute Gone In 60 Festival has just posted 100 one-minute plays from this year's event, including my entry, the result of eavesdropping in a crowded cinema. Here's Overheard at the 7pm Screening of Watchmen, directed by Steve Ansell. ]]> http://avltheatre.com/ruben/2009/11/another_minute.html http://avltheatre.com/ruben/2009/11/another_minute.html GI60 Festival 2009 One-Minute Plays Overheard Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:44:55 -0500 Moment Before Impact here. ]]> http://avltheatre.com/ruben/2009/10/moment_before_impact_2.html http://avltheatre.com/ruben/2009/10/moment_before_impact_2.html Ava Geffen Brooklyn College Car Crash Death GI60 Festival 2009 Moment Before Impact One-Minute Plays Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:00:25 -0500 A Documentary of the Mind l_c5b3f0d350464810205ead4f5cb8bcd8-300x198.jpg The above Daily News clipping has been pinned on my bulletin board for years. I knew there was a story waiting to burst from that image, but what? After a visit to These Places, a site that collects flash fiction inspired by photography, an imaginary documentary began to emerge.]]> http://avltheatre.com/ruben/2009/05/carriage_and_car_collide_an_im.html http://avltheatre.com/ruben/2009/05/carriage_and_car_collide_an_im.html Sun, 31 May 2009 11:39:38 -0500 One Minute in Brooklyn, Another in Halifax 324275270_2c0a98ebc3.jpg My one-minute plays (a topic that has taken over this blog of late) Moment Before Impact recently featured on These Places (a flash fiction blog worthy of your click) and Overheard at the 7pm Screening of Watchmen have been selected to be a part of the US and UK Gone in 60 Seconds Play Festivals. Maybe I'll see you at Brooklyn College on June 12th? Tickets are only 8 bucks and all proceeds support undergraduate theater scholarships. Moment Before Impact and 49 Other 1 Minute Plays Gi60 US Live Edition New Workshop Theater Brooklyn College Campus June 12th and 13th, at 8:00 pm Reservations: (718) 951-5000 X 2768 or email: rbonczek@brooklyn.cuny.edu $8 Overheard at the 7pm Screening of Watchmen and 49 other One Minute Plays Gi60 UK Live Edition The Viaduct Theatre Halifax Friday June 5 at 7.30pm Reservations: 01422 255266 £6 Sixy Second Exposure by JS Townsley courtesy of the artist via Creative Commons License]]> http://avltheatre.com/ruben/2009/05/one_minute_in_brooklyn_another.html http://avltheatre.com/ruben/2009/05/one_minute_in_brooklyn_another.html Sun, 31 May 2009 09:08:29 -0500 Moment Before Impact My one-minute play is featured on These Places, a new flash fiction blog that meets at the intersection of writing and photography.]]> http://avltheatre.com/ruben/2009/05/moment_before_impact_1.html http://avltheatre.com/ruben/2009/05/moment_before_impact_1.html Thu, 21 May 2009 16:23:06 -0500 Homework Assignment: Write a 60 Second Play Gone In 60 Second Play Festival. Now in its sixth year, the event selects and stages 200 minute-long plays in simultaneous productions at The New Workshop Theater at Brooklyn College and The Viaduct Theatre in Halifax. I've been lucky enough to have been a part of the last two festivals, and I look forward to the challenge every year. Here's an idea: why not use the aforementioned app Write or Die and write the play on the clock? Oh, and the whole thing is a fund-raiser for acting scholarships. If you're looking for extra incentive. Gone In 60 Play Festival ]]> http://avltheatre.com/ruben/2009/04/homework_assignment_write_a_60.html http://avltheatre.com/ruben/2009/04/homework_assignment_write_a_60.html Tue, 28 Apr 2009 20:37:50 -0500 The Simple Pleasures of the Brother WP-3400 IMG.JPG Back in the day I used to write on a Brother WP 3400. It was a monstrosity: half word processor, half typewriter. It used 3.5" diskettes and its own god-forsaken proprietary software. Saving projects was a crap shoot. The bastard even eradicated my first full-length play, which I had spent an entire month cranking out at a writer's colony. Looking back, it was probably for the best. My Brother Torture Machine (as I called it back then) had one thing going for it; the screen was beautifully uncluttered. The text glowed in an eye-pleasing orange, reminiscent of something out of Wargames. There were no rulers, no toolboxes or fonts. There was certainly no animated paperclip asking if you were writing a letter. It was just you and the text, simple and clean. I loathe writing in Microsoft Word. There's too much in the way. I'm a big fan of Celtx, but crafting early drafts into screenwriting software just messes with your flow. TextEdit is nice, if you just want to get something on the page. But for anyone who truly longs for the Zen experience of writing with the WP 3400, Lifehacker has the scoop on distraction-free software like Text Monkey (PC) and JDarkroom (Mac). Thanks to Mr. Martin's Typewriter Museum, the only place on the entire web that remembers the WP-3400. Cue the pained roar of a dinosaur.]]> http://avltheatre.com/ruben/2009/04/the_simple_pleasures_of_the_br.html http://avltheatre.com/ruben/2009/04/the_simple_pleasures_of_the_br.html Brother WP 3400 Celtx Mr. Martin's Typewriter Museum Text Software Word Processors Writing tools Wed, 15 Apr 2009 21:28:46 -0500 Writing Under the Gun RBL_20_pounder_Armstrong_field_gun.jpg On a deadline? Have a daily word-count commitment you're at risk of breaking? Check out Dr. Wicked's Write or Die. This web-based text program allows you to choose a specific word goal, and prompts you to keep writing until mission accomplished. You can choose different grace periods (how long it will let your fingers stop moving) and types of prompts (from gentle to electric shock). I'm not sure how serious of a tool this is, but it's sure fun to see how writing under the gun effects your style. I used the program to write a first draft of this, and had a blast.]]> http://avltheatre.com/ruben/2009/04/writing_under_the_gun.html http://avltheatre.com/ruben/2009/04/writing_under_the_gun.html Dr. Wicked Write or Die Writing Tip Writing tools Wed, 15 Apr 2009 21:03:08 -0500 Conquering the Query Letter 2343286763_8f5a33f2f8.jpg I've seen wall space in publishing houses and film production offices devoted to the most cringe-inducing query letters. All of them are unmitigated disasters; hand-written on mead loose leaf, novella-length ramblings, cryptic Zodiac-inspired language. Most have enough common sense to avoid glaring errors, but the truth is, that single page has a lot of work to do. It must introduce yourself, describe your work, and sell it. Very few writers survive the delicate moment when a time-starved gatekeeper holds your fate in his hands, just itching for a reason to lighten the in box. Feeling I could use a little tune-up on my own technique, I came across a free ebook by Noah Lukeman that is full of helpful advice.
Nothing in a query letter should be wasted. As with a resume, every word choice must be deliberate. I'm always impressed when I receive a query which takes up only half a page or less (which is rare). I understand how hard it is for a writer to achieve this, to fight back the urge to tell more, to condense all he has to say to a mere few sentences. More often than not, I'll be intrigued. If he can exhibit this kind of discipline in a query letter, it bodes well for what he can to do in the actual book.
 Although How to Write a Great Query Letter is geared towards the fiction writer seeking an agent, this primer has wisdom for anyone submitting their creative work. Check it out and let me know what you think. PS. My latest obsession: acquiring an IBM Selectric. Photo by Welcometoalville Image licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.]]> http://avltheatre.com/ruben/2009/04/conquering_the_query_letter.html http://avltheatre.com/ruben/2009/04/conquering_the_query_letter.html Noah Lukeman Query Letter Writing Tip Sat, 11 Apr 2009 00:55:30 -0500