Time: Tue, 02-Jan-2001 22:23:00 GMT     IP: 216.160.141.249

Happy New Year, Merry Christmas, and all.  I've got a meaningless 
self-promoting anouncement, just because I want to make myself 
seem arrogant, or something.

I am now officially a high school graduate.  Got my diploma for 
Christmas!

Hope you enjoyed my little anouncement.  If you find this 
confusing and in need of interpretation or analysis, that's your 
problem.  I'll be going now.

Time: Fri, 05-Jan-2001 14:49:58 GMT     IP: 128.255.95.37

FWD: from Ben

----------------------------------------------


Hello every body,

I have been pretty negligent about putting up posters around 
town. It's been, as you know, insanely cold and snowy and I only 
have so much ass to freeze off (gotta save a little for the 
show). SO, I'm sending this reminder.


                               BEN SCHMIDT --LIVE!
                               THE MILL RESTAURANT
                               THIS SATURDAY (THE 6TH)
                               9:00  --NO COVER

Hope to see you there.


Peace,

Ben

Time: Sat, 06-Jan-2001 23:24:54 GMT     IP: 199.120.112.130

Please someone tell me this is not the first no shame of the 
semester. Surely there should be one sooner.

Time: Mon, 08-Jan-2001 21:02:22 GMT     IP: 216.248.77.1


  i see. fagtiger is a dork as a secret. it was a good trick!


                  Ay! Ay! Ay! Livin' la vida FATO!!!



                                 We ate the prom!



        i... it... it is some kind of CREATURE FROM A
                 SWAMP! "BLARG! BLAAARG!!"



                    Where is the hat? It is a mystery.





                               you stupid fuckshits.


                   I have a idea!!! Find my PANTS!!!



               I was to hungry! I ate my hat! Hahaha!



      oh what will you name the baby!!! he did kick!!!!
                 i am not pregnent. i am only a fatty.



   "I MARCH! I MARCH! REEEEEEEEE-TARDED!"

Time: Mon, 08-Jan-2001 21:06:42 GMT     IP: 216.248.77.4

Hey, Fuhgawz!  This is that kid that always yells "Me!" as soon as 
Balls asks who wants the announcements.  I just wanted to let 
everyone know that I am better than you because I get the 
announcements and you don't.  If you have any objections to that 
statement, my e-mail is reno_5@hotmail.com.  The reason I posted 
this in response to this message is because I am also not a 
member.  Hahahahahahahaha!

Time: Tue, 09-Jan-2001 13:42:20 GMT     IP: 209.64.154.61

Haha! I left Iowa City! I got a good job! The county party asked 
me to run for State Representative! I have sex! I won the 
goddamned lottery! I bought a car with lottery money! It is 
named Satchmo! You should leave Iowa City too! But not before 
Saturday! Saturday, I am coming back to buy everybody beer and 
pop and pool games and maybe nachos. Saturday at Joe's Place. Is 
Joe's Place closed? Someone told me that. Dammit. Well, if Joe's 
Place is closed then we will go somewhere else and I will tell 
you all about it in a day or so. But for now, Saturday at Joe's 
Place. At 8 or 9. You are all coming, or I buy you nothing.

Jimmy "Merry Christmas, Bedford Falls" Erwin

Time: Tue, 09-Jan-2001 14:59:05 GMT     IP: 205.244.160.38

wow, when i read that, i thought "That guy is doing an exellent 
imitation of the caption style from my favorite website, 
www.fatchicksinpartyhats.com.  It must be a parody, an homage if 
you will.  Or, if you don't want to say it the lameass French way, 
a homage if you will."


then i read a little further and realized it was not a 
well-constructed parody.  it was simply cut-and-paste!

down with plagiarists!  up with fat chicks in party ha

Time: Wed, 10-Jan-2001 13:59:47 GMT     IP: 209.64.154.61

Saturday at 8 at Deadwood. Kay.

Time: Fri, 12-Jan-2001 02:04:39 GMT     IP: 208.129.184.94

the fat chick in party hats thing wasn't jared droll it was seth 
brenamen so don't yell at me for plada;*jrism. thank you.   you 
crazy penis face!

Time: Fri, 12-Jan-2001 16:52:31 GMT     IP: 206.65.190.132

:the fat chick in party hats thing wasn't jared droll it was seth 
:brenamen so don't yell at me for plada;*jrism. thank you.   you 
:crazy penis face!
:


fatchicksinpartyhats.com is a depressingly unfunny site.  The captions to its photos were a lot
better removed from their original 
context.  I don't call it plagiarism so much as found art.  Or perhaps editing.  In any event,
fatchicksinpartyhats.com is depressingly 
unfunny, and I welcome abuse of it which fails to acknowledge that site's crummy intentions.

-nick

Time: Sat, 13-Jan-2001 00:42:38 GMT     IP: 4.4.74.80

:Saturday at 8 at Deadwood. Kay.
:

I will see you there, my best friend! That is the cool!

-River

Time: Sun, 14-Jan-2001 08:04:11 GMT     IP: 152.163.201.77

GO RAIDERS
GO GIANTS

GO RAIDERS AND GIANTS!!!

KICK SOME VIKINGRAVENS ASS TOMORROW!!!

YEAH

Time: Wed, 17-Jan-2001 01:49:08 GMT     IP: 128.255.197.53

Apparently Mr. Rock "n" Roll died, but that won't be true any 
longer! Because on Friday, January 19th, Mr. Rock "n" Roll's 
dead body will be reanimated and brought back to life when The 
Subordinates play at The Green Room at nine o' clock. Rock is 
dead? P'shaw! ***

*** note: written under the influence of a large ego  

Time: Sat, 20-Jan-2001 00:52:10 GMT     IP: 24.14.116.105

And since there isn't any No Shame tonight, all the more reason 
to come...

Time: Sun, 21-Jan-2001 12:18:44 GMT     IP: 152.163.206.199

I have rabies, so I went to No Shame on Friday.  What in the 
world happened next?  That's right.  You guessed it, burn 
victim. Santa was right there all along, but No Shame wasn't.  I 
stood there all alone in theatre B crying. Crying for all those 
Ethopians. Crying for the senseless murder of John Lennon on 
December 8, 1980. Cryin' when I met you and cryin' cuz I let 
you. So you were the one who set Carl on fire? Why isn't there a 
worker's union? I cannot wait for No Shame this Friday. Rumor 
has it french fries and orange drink will be served. Who is 
spreading these rumors? No, it's not Kevin. It's Ray! Ol' Stink-
Stink Ray. Ray, quit creating rumors about french fries and 
orange drinks. It's not that I don't like you spreading lies. 
You just need something original. That angle is too... old? Yes! 
No? You are none the wiser, wisdom fuck face. Wisdom. fuck. face.

Time: Tue, 23-Jan-2001 17:05:46 GMT     IP: 205.244.162.61

Just so everybody knows, many of this semester's shows 
(including this week's show) will have to take place in Mabie 
Theatre.  At the very least, we will be in there until Spring 
Break, and possibly after that as well.  Now, in the past, many 
of us (and I'm as guilty of this as anyone else) have complained 
to no end about Mabie as a No Shame venue: the size of the 
theatre, the shape of the stage, the acoustics, etc, don't fit 
our idea of an ideal setting for No Shame. But rather than 
accept defeat and allow these shows to be worse than the ones in 
Theatre B, let's just deal with the problem.  We won't be able 
to rely on the intimacy of Theatre B for quite some time, so 
pieces that need to use that intimacy are most likely going to 
fail.  As writers, keep in mind the size and structure of the 
space for which you're writing. In general, things are going to 
need to be bigger.  However, that does not mean dumber, or less 
personal, or anything like that. I have been just as moved by 
pieces in Mabie as I have been by pieces in Theatre B.  It's a 
matter of creating the intimacy yourself, rather than letting 
the space do it for you.  And perhaps that comes not so much 
from the writing as it does from the performing. While subtle 
gestures and a normal tone of voice may work to great effect in 
Theatre B, those things mean certain doom for pieces in Mabie. 
As performers, remember to speak up and project (all that basic 
acting stuff). Remember that the people in the back rows of 
Mabie need to be able to hear you. Also, try to keep from going 
too far upstage, as the acoustics just get lost if you're 
standing behind the proscenium. And once again, everything just 
needs to be BIGGER: voice, movements, gestures, everything. 

I realize many of you know all this already, so don't feel like 
I'm lecturing or talking down to any of you.  But some people do 
need to hear this, or at least be reminded of it. All right? So 
let's have a great semester of No Shame and not be intimidated 
by the space. In fact, let's take that fucking space and make it 
our own! Got that? Jump kick!

End of pep talk.

Balls

Time: Wed, 24-Jan-2001 20:44:13 GMT     IP: 128.255.106.185

Here's a tip (and a request) for those audience members who read 
the boardroom: when in Mabie, sit closer to the stage. I know last 
semester we had packed houses every night for NS, but it takes a 
hell of a lot more people to fill the Mabie house, so make sure to 
sit as close as you can. That way you won't miss the good stuff. 
Like me, like me. 

My name,
Isobel

Time: Wed, 24-Jan-2001 21:45:47 GMT     IP: 4.4.74.39

It' so good to hear from Hucka Chucka! I LOVE you for HOENSTY's 
sake! It will be so cool to be back in good ol' Maybe Thetre@! I 
will do my patented papented butt chacka dance for you, ol' Hucka 
Lucka! I still want to LOVE your LOVIN'! 
You are the president of MY united states!@

-Marweenie.

Time: Thu, 25-Jan-2001 06:04:29 GMT     IP: 152.163.213.198

Anyone know Nick Westergaard's email address? He doesn't use his 
Iowa account, and I know he has another, but I can't remember it.
Neil, Cassidy, Stubble?
Bueller?

mike

Time: Fri, 26-Jan-2001 20:49:09 GMT     IP: 207.28.224.158

I didn't copy and paste fatchicksinpartyhats.com, it was Seth 
Brenneman. Just so you know I'm not a dirty plagarist like him.

Time: Sat, 27-Jan-2001 09:46:17 GMT     IP: 205.244.162.193

1) "Science Lesson" by Chris Stangl--C Stangl, A Lawson:  when you 
barf because you're drunk, you can get drunk again for free! 
(tragicomedy sketch)

2) "Ray Krock of Bullshit" by Paul Rust--P Rust: sadly, i can't 
remember a goddamn thing about this.  (monologue)

3) "I Went to School with a Girl Who Was Related to the 
Unabomber," by Dan Fairchild--D Fairchild, T Kovacs: D decides 
against blowing us all up after T gives him Nintendo hints 
(monolgue/comedy sketch)

4)  "Winter Poem" by Merideth Nepstad--M Nepstad:  Chicago, 
burning, summer, winter (poem/dramatic reading)

5)  "Guide to Using the HawkID in ITCs" by Mark J. Hansen--MJ 
Hansen:  MJ elaborates on various points in a stream-of-
consciousness-style monologue (monologue peppered with giggle-
worthy moments)

6) "The People vs. Mickey Mouse" by Thomas Kovacs--T Kovacs:  T, 
in the style of a closing argument, tries to persuade the audience 
that Mickey Mouse is guilty of...something.  (comedic monologue)

7)  "Tie a Yellow Curtain (With Thanks to Donna Marino)" by 
Aprille Clarke--A Clarke:  A makes new curtains in hopes of 
lifting her crackwhore mother's spirits (comedic monologue)

8)  absent and strangely un-renumbered 

9) "Wars -&- Sawa" by Arlen Lawson--A Lawson:  A recounts a tale of 
imitation mermaids and the tragedy of eating without close 
examination of food sources (poignant/comedic monologue)

10) "Angel's Song" by Sam Negron--S Negron:  S performs an 
acoustic-guitar-based song about a childhood friend with whom his 
love was cut short (musical performance)

11) "Friday Night" by Pookman--some guy:  some guy discusses the 
consequences of alcohol abuse (comedic monologue)

12) "The Turn of the Century" by Neil "Balls" Campbell--N"B" 
Campbell, M Cassady:  N"B" delivers a series of mini-monologues, 
most of which involve stabbing of some sort, while M yells numbers 
(in-yer-face action monologue thing)

13)  "Idiot Caleb's Yard Sale" by Chris Stangl--C Stangl:  C 
recounts a tale of a key-maker grossly misinformed about the value 
of his yard sale items (comedic monologue)

someone kept track of the length of each piece...perhaps C 
Stangl's review would be kind enough to include that information?   

Time: Sat, 27-Jan-2001 11:16:09 GMT     IP: 128.255.193.23

(for message see subject)

Time: Sat, 27-Jan-2001 16:17:59 GMT     IP: 24.6.203.121

:2) "Ray Krock of Bullshit" by Paul Rust--P Rust: sadly, i can't 
:remember a goddamn thing about this.  (monologue)

This was a gloriously (as always from Paul) delivered work about 
Ronald McDonald, who keeps trying to go home and finding his house 
occupied by families who all have cancer children.  Don't they 
have hospitals for people like that??

:6) "The People vs. Mickey Mouse" by Thomas Kovacs--T Kovacs:  T, 
:in the style of a closing argument, tries to persuade the 
:audience that Mickey Mouse is guilty of...something.  (comedic
:monologue)

To mix a metaphor, this was a one-trick pony being beaten like a 
dead horse.  (i.e., would have benefitted immensely from tighter 
writing/editing, and if that would have left nothing to work with 
then it might not have been a strong enough joke to merit a 
piece.)  

:7)  "Tie a Yellow Curtain (With Thanks to Donna Marino)" by 
:Aprille Clarke--A Clarke:  A makes new curtains in hopes of 
:lifting her crackwhore mother's spirits (comedic monologue)

This rocked.  Rolling revelations, like how the description of 
not wanting to look like you're a good bowler turns out to be a 
setup for talking about blowjobs, and how the boyfriend's Dad kept 
being the sex partner when you might easily have thought it was 
the boyfriend being discussed, etc.

:9) "Wars --&-- Sawa" by Arlen Lawson--A Lawson:  A recounts a tale
:of imitation mermaids and the tragedy of eating without close 
:examination of food sources (poignant/comedic monologue)

Intense, in a very good way.

:11) "Friday Night" by Pookman--some guy:  some guy discusses the 
:consequences of alcohol abuse (comedic monologue)

Clocked in at TEN MINUTES, 25 SECONDS.  But felt like at least 15. 

:someone kept track of the length of each piece...perhaps C 
:Stangl's review would be kind enough to include that information? 

(I peeked at the times, but the above was the only one I could 
remember specifically.  Some pieces didn't get timed due to 
technical difficulties, but overall it didn't feel like an 
intensely abusive night.)

-Adam

Time: Sat, 27-Jan-2001 20:03:37 GMT     IP: 128.255.189.150

:1) "Science Lesson" by Chris Stangl--C Stangl, A Lawson:  when 
you barf because you're drunk, you can get drunk again for free! 
(tragicomedy sketch)
Witty and concise, but not the best opening act.  These short 
Lawson/Stangl drinking binges are usually cool, but I don't think 
it's always the best thing to open a show with.

2) "Ray Krock of Bullshit" by Paul Rust--P Rust (monologue)
Paul cracks me up every time.  Somehow, he puts charm into his 
mockery of subjects that one really shouldn't find all that much 
entertainment with.  But, when Paul doesn't take his subjects the 
slightest bit seriously, it's hard not to laugh along with him.

3) "I Went to School with a Girl Who Was Related to the :
Unabomber," by Dan Fairchild--D Fairchild, T Kovacs: D decides 
against blowing us all up after T gives him Nintendo hints 
(monolgue/comedy sketch)
I'm glad I was able to help with this one.  I was in the mood for 
goofy theater last night, and this sketch was definitely one of 
my favorites.

4)  "Winter Poem" by Merideth Nepstad--M Nepstad:  Chicago, 
burning, summer, winter (poem/dramatic reading)
In one word, beautiful.  If I said any more, I'd be repeating 
myself.

5)  "Guide to Using the HawkID in ITCs" by Mark J. Hansen--MJ 
Hansen:  MJ elaborates on various points in a stream-of-
consciousness-style monologue (monologue peppered with giggle-
worthy moments)
My attention faded for a split second at some point during your 
monologue, and I was officially lost from that moment on.  The 
one problem with stream of consciousness drama is that the 
audience's consciousness might follow a different stream that 
only crosses yours occasionally.  Sorry I dodn't follow closely, 
because it seemed like there was a lot of good stuff I was 
missing.

6) "The People vs. Mickey Mouse" by Thomas Kovacs--T Kovacs:  T, 
in the style of a closing argument, tries to persuade the 
audience that Mickey Mouse is guilty of...something.  (comedic 
monologue)
OK, my performance definitely sucked it up on this one.  But, in 
spite of Adam's comments, I didn't think the writing was all that 
terrible.  I read this piece once before for a class and it went 
surprisingly well.  This time, however, I was freaking out up on 
that stage.  My roomate tells me that my nervousness played into 
the attourney's character, so maybe my performance is improving a 
bit.  I got a few really good laughs, which is about all I was 
going for up there, so I guess I can be happy with some of the 
strong points.

7)  "Tie a Yellow Curtain (With Thanks to Donna Marino)" by 
Aprille Clarke--A Clarke:  A makes new curtains in hopes of 
lifting her crackwhore mother's spirits (comedic monologue)

8)  absent and strangely un-renumbered 

9) "Wars --&-- Sawa" by Arlen Lawson--A Lawson:  A recounts a tale 
of imitation mermaids and the tragedy of eating without close 
examination of food sources (poignant/comedic monologue)

10) "Angel's Song" by Sam Negron--S Negron:  S performs an 
acoustic-guitar-based song about a childhood friend with whom his 
love was cut short (musical performance)
Sam's song and composure really amazed me here.  I'd heard him 
play this before, but he didn't explain why he'd written the song 
until he was up on stage.  One thing that's amazing about Sam is 
that he can go up there and talk about himself every now and 
than, spilling his guts with you will.  It's quite noble that in 
a theater full of actors playing random made-up parts, Sam has 
the gonads to be honest.

11) "Friday Night" by Pookman--some guy:  some guy discusses the 
consequences of alcohol abuse (comedic monologue)
Generally, these reviews are a lot nicer to new guys than they 
are to people who've been at No Shame for a while.  I've taken it 
upon myself to break that unwritten rule.  Some Guy went up there 
and proudly took way too long with a familiar act.  Not only was 
this so long that it put me to sleep, but I've heard something 
very similar to it before.  Jim Breuer's "The Party" was running 
through my mind as soon as the whole drinking thing got started, 
and I was remembering how this other piece went as far as 
featuring tequilas with Mexican accents raising hell in your 
stomach.  I'm not accusing him of blatantly ripping this piece 
off, but it's blatantly obvious where he got his inspiration.  
But perhaps I'm being extra harsh because his piece was too long, 
too familiar, and I was waiting to see if someone'd keep his 
promise and drop the lights.

Here's a few good points to work from, if you plan on doing 
another piece.  You really played to the audience and memorized 
your routine.  A memorized piece works so much better than 
bringing a script up on stage like the rest of us do.  Your 
conversational mannerisms and attitude are made for the stage.  
Come back again with another stand-up routine that's half as long 
and something I haven't heard before.  If you play it up like you 
did last night, I'm sure your piece will be golden.  And, by the 
way, that "what color is a mirror" comment was a riot.

12) "The Turn of the Century" by Neil "Balls" Campbell--N"B" 
Campbell, M Cassady:  N"B" delivers a series of mini-monologues, 
most of which involve stabbing of some sort, while M yells 
numbers (in-yer-face action monologue thing)
Once I saw that this was dis-connected bits of mini-monologues, I 
was more able to enjoy it.  If anyone's looking for continuity in 
this, they'd be searching the wrong piece, but the speed and the 
energy made up for that weakness.


13)  "Idiot Caleb's Yard Sale" by Chris Stangl--C Stangl:  C 
recounts a tale of a key-maker grossly misinformed about the 
value of his yard sale items (comedic monologue)
This was good because it kept you guessing.  I was waiting for 
you to end up back on the floor, writhing in pain, like you were 
at the beginning.  Instead, trying to relate your parable to a 
school dance left everyone in the audience with a content and 
entertained "what the fuck?" kind of look on their face.

Time: Sat, 27-Jan-2001 20:30:40 GMT     IP: 205.244.160.134

(this taken from my email)

Hey Folks,

Wanted to let you know what was happening with my music lately . 
Next weekend is a busy one by my standards. I got TWO count them, 
TWO gigs in Iowa City.
I'm very excited and hope to see you there.


                        Friday Feb 2 --Sam's Pizza
                        321 s.Gilbert St. Iowa City

                       Saturday, Feb, 3 --THE MILL
                        120 E. Burlingon st. Iowa City
                        9:00 pm --no cover

Other news: I'm Playing down in Kentucky Feb 22-23 at the 
Insomniacathon festival (info available at Insomniacathon.com). I 
will be playing there with
Dustin Busch -Iowa city musician and man about town. Dustin 
currently plays with The Devils House Band, check them out he's a 
hot guitar player. We've played together twice now and are having 
a great time!

--I am contemplating putting a CD out and am seeking a studio/
producer to help with the project. I don't have a timetable on 
this but It seems it's time to "yes" when people ask me if I have 
a CD.


I hope you all are well and weathering the weather better than I.

Peace,

Ben

Time: Sat, 27-Jan-2001 20:46:51 GMT     IP: 128.255.193.23

I was reading the (reviews?) and I agreed with most of them 
except the unfortunate opinion that the arlen and chris, chris 
and arlen drinking thing shouldn't have been first.  I thought 
it was a perfect opening to the semester.  It was short and 
funny and set a good mood.  

Time: Sat, 27-Jan-2001 21:15:14 GMT     IP: 205.244.162.124

Here's a review for you.  no, you.

:1) "Science Lesson" by Chris Stangl--C Stangl, A Lawson:  when you 
:barf because you're drunk, you can get drunk again for free! 
:(tragicomedy sketch)
:
I love the stupid sketches.  It was great to have one last night 
because it contrasted so nicely with the glut of monologues.  it 
was also nice to finally have some confirmation that i'm not the 
only one who's considered doing that.  once again, it was 
touchingly pathetic, yet so reminiscent of our painful, painful 
lives.

:2) "Ray Krock of Bullshit" by Paul Rust--P Rust: sadly, i can't 
:remember a goddamn thing about this.  (monologue)
:
thanks for reminding me about this one, Adam.  it wasn't my 
favorite Rust piece, simply because it wasn't as interestingly-
crafted as some of the other things I've seen him do (my favorite 
moment in his writing that i've seen thus far is the descent into 
incomprehensibility that accompanied the pee incident).  this one 
lacked the marriage of form and style found in that one, but the 
delivery was, as always, charming, and the piece was well-written.  

:3) "I Went to School with a Girl Who Was Related to the 
:Unabomber," by Dan Fairchild--D Fairchild, T Kovacs: D decides 
:against blowing us all up after T gives him Nintendo hints 
:(monolgue/comedy sketch)
:
i liked the camera part, even though the flash kept hurting my 
eyes.  i also liked it when he ripped off the tape and his skin was 
all swollen and red.  pretty good delivery on dan's part (and the 
touch-light was a stroke of genuis).  still, though, it lacked 
something that would have made it engaging.  i'm not sure what that 
was.  all i know is i'm not engaged to dan or anybody.

:4)  "Winter Poem" by Merideth Nepstad--M Nepstad:  Chicago, 
:burning, summer, winter (poem/dramatic reading)
:
through various and sundry events in my personal life, i've turned 
away from poetry, so i have a bias against it.  i did like how it 
was poetry interspersed with prose bits, though, and from what i've 
read of M's earlier work, her poetry has improved considerably.  it 
was a tough night to be dependent on light cues (hey, if anybody 
knows how to run the monitors in the light booth--or even turn them 
on--talk to a board member), but good use of light and space.

:5)  "Guide to Using the HawkID in ITCs" by Mark J. Hansen--MJ 
:Hansen:  MJ elaborates on various points in a stream-of-
:consciousness-style monologue (monologue peppered with giggle-
:worthy moments)
:
mark is a hilarious dialogue writer and a (fill in the blank) 
musician.  i'm not sure i've ever seen him do anything in this 
style before.  i did get a good chuckle out of several moments in 
this piece--my favorite was "in the long run in the stocking."  
also, looking at his script afterward, i appreciated the amount of 
attention he put into his blocking.  that's something i and others 
who favor monologues can learn *>From:  monologues are boring by 
nature, and by putting effort into the physical, mark could to some 
degree make up for the lack of coherency in the writing.

:6) "The People vs. Mickey Mouse" by Thomas Kovacs--T Kovacs:  T, 
:in the style of a closing argument, tries to persuade the audience 
:that Mickey Mouse is guilty of...something.  (comedic monologue)
:
hm...i think the major problem in this piece was a lack of 
consistency.  if you're going to use a well-known format (in this 
case, a closing argument at a trial), you must do it faithfully or 
it just looks like you weren't paying attention.  in this case, the 
largest consistency error for me was the use of profanity.  in the 
context of a pseudo-formal court setting, a prosecuting attorney 
simply wouldn't use the word "fuckin'."  Also, if you're going to 
do a costume, do it full-on; the suit with the golf hat just made 
me think "i have no reason to take this character seriously as a 
prosecuting attorney," which goes counter to the purpose of the 
piece, yes?  also, i wasn't sure exactly what he was accusing 
mickey mouse of.  what laws did he break?  and, a hint to those who 
would be tempted to do such things, a success in rhetoric class 
doesn't necessarily translate into a success in front of the No 
Shame audience.  rhetoric classes don't expect humor, so their 
standards are lower.
 
:7)  "Tie a Yellow Curtain (With Thanks to Donna Marino)" by 
:Aprille Clarke--A Clarke:  A makes new curtains in hopes of 
:lifting her crackwhore mother's spirits (comedic monologue)
:
:8)  absent and strangely un-renumbered 
:
:9) "Wars --&-- Sawa" by Arlen Lawson--A Lawson:  A recounts a tale 
of 
:imitation mermaids and the tragedy of eating without close 
:examination of food sources (poignant/comedic monologue)
:
i thought this was absolutely lovely, multi-layered, and a delight 
to behold.  I'm not sure if i would have appreciated it as much had 
i not witnessed a good deal of the process--arlen had previously 
mentioned to me several ideas he was working on, so it was 
rewarding for me to see them come together in as well-written a way 
as they did.  good use of details--the piece could have succeeded 
without the audience knowing that Roxanne used a "coarse black 
thread" to do the homemade surgery (hm...theme...), but details 
such as those were what made it multitextured.

:10) "Angel's Song" by Sam Negron--S Negron:  S performs an 
:acoustic-guitar-based song about a childhood friend with whom his 
:love was cut short (musical performance)
:
sam has a really lovely voice.  i don't know if the song could have 
stood on its song-writing merits without the explanation he gave--
the lyrics weren't terribly impressive, but the sincerity behind 
them was, and i liked how he played standing up.  nice guitar-
playing, too.  overalll, not my favorite type of song, but it's 
great to see people try new things.

:11) "Friday Night" by Pookman--some guy:  some guy discusses the 
:consequences of alcohol abuse (comedic monologue)
:
actually, this "pookman" fellow is not so much a newcomer as an 
infrequent performer, but that didn't make this piece any better.  
i, too, smelled plagiarism, but even if the jokes were original, 
they were cheap shots, uncreative, and aimed toward easy targets.  
not to mention the fact that it was six hours long.  i am not 
offended by un-PC content, but i was offended by the way this piece 
handled un-PC content in a boring and way-too-long way.  if you're 
reading this, "pookman," next time you have to turn in a full 
script.  an outline is not enough if you're going to improvise WAY 
over the time limit.  ok?

:12) "The Turn of the Century" by Neil "Balls" Campbell--N"B" 
:Campbell, M Cassady:  N"B" delivers a series of mini-monologues, 
:most of which involve stabbing of some sort, while M yells numbers 
:(in-yer-face action monologue thing)
:
this format was a little hard to follow, but it was refreshing and 
kicked me around a little, which i always enjoy.  it's rewarding to 
have to work a little to understand a piece, to not have everything 
spelled out for you, and that's what this piece did.  There was 
sort of a disturbing violence-against-women theme that never really 
got resolved in any meaningful way for me, but the energy in the 
delivery was great, and mike's little random character with the 
shouting was cool.

:13)  "Idiot Caleb's Yard Sale" by Chris Stangl--C Stangl:  C 
:recounts a tale of a key-maker grossly misinformed about the value 
:of his yard sale items (comedic monologue)
:
my favorite part was when he danced.  it was hilarious like a 
dancing worm!  or an idiot.  

Time: Sat, 27-Jan-2001 23:09:15 GMT     IP: 24.6.203.121

:6) "The People vs. Mickey Mouse" by Thomas Kovacs--T Kovacs:  T, 
:in the style of a closing argument, tries to persuade the 
:audience that Mickey Mouse is guilty of...something.  (comedic 
:monologue)
:OK, my performance definitely sucked it up on this one.  But, in 
:spite of Adam's comments, I didn't think the writing was all that 
:terrible.

Yeah, a good performance can give life to bad writing, and a bad 
performance can kill good writing.  Not having read it, I 
readily admit that the need for editing I suggested earlier might 
be obviated by crisper, confident delivery.

re: scripts vs. memorization--some pieces would be better read off 
a page than delivered nervously off-book or even semi-off-book.  
Of course, there are different levels of script-reading (e.g., 
animated vs. robotic, frequent eye contact vs. 100% looking at the 
paper, etc.) so it's a matter of striking a balance.

-Adam

Time: Mon, 29-Jan-2001 05:57:40 GMT     IP: 128.255.107.15

This is my first review. Personally, I feel like an asshole 
reviewing other people's work, but I've always enjoyed it when 
others critique. It sparks conversation and whatnot. Reviewing 
also keeps me from having to start my homework. So, here goes...

:1) "Science Lesson" by Chris Stangl--C Stangl, A Lawson:  when 
you barf because you're drunk, you can get drunk again for free! 
(tragicomedy sketch)
I've been a fan of these Stangl/Lawson pieces for awhile. One, 
they're like a demented version of those old "Quickie" spots 
during the "Garfield and Friends" cartoon, which were always 
better than an entire episode anyway. And two, they have this 
ability to make the audience question why they're laughing. It 
always bothered me that sitcoms would joke about alcoholism 
through cutesy one-liners and seem to dodge the idea of this 
being something incredibly wrong. These Stangl pieces strip down 
the sitcom bullshit and show alcoholism in its true eating-puke 
ugliness. As a result, people genuinely laugh at the condition, 
rather than the way some t.v. star delivered a joke.

2) "Ray Krock of Bullshit" by Paul Rust--P Rust: sadly, i can't 
:remember a goddamn thing about this.  (monologue)
I was unhappy after I performed this and proceeded to mope 
throughout the enitre show and afterwards. I was upset that I 
broke character. I was upset that I pandered to the audience by 
saying some un-p.c. things without having a developed character 
to hate for it. I was upset that by the end, I didn't show how 
wrong-motived McDonald's was for having a Ronald McDonald's House.
I suppose this will teach me to have a performance benefit a 
script than vice versa.

3) "I Went to School with a Girl Who Was Related to the 
Unabomber," by Dan Fairchild--D Fairchild, T Kovacs: D decides 
against blowing us all up after T gives him Nintendo hints 
(monolgue/comedy sketch)

Dan's ideas of making bomb threats and turning the audience into 
characters are two really audacious, interesting ideas. Sort of 
like how yelling, "Fire!" in a movie theatre is both a federal 
audience and an invitation for making your friends laugh. I guess 
maybe that's why I was a little disappointed by Dan's 
performance. I really wanted conviction instead of him just 
reading his list aloud half-heartedly. Granted, I realize his 
detached demeanor was supposed to suggest the bomber's apathy 
towards humanity (and that itself is a wonderful idea), but I 
think he should have given his apathy more power... if that's 
possible or even makes sense. Still, I thought it was a great 
concept and was wonderfully written.

4)  "Winter Poem" by Merideth Nepstad--M Nepstad:  Chicago, 
burning, summer, winter (poem/dramatic reading)

I think this piece really summed up the entire show's tone. It 
could have been my mood at the time, but it seemed as if the 
whole show was very sad and longing for a better time. My theory 
is that it is indeed winter's effect of depressing everyone right 
now. Although somber pieces are terrific when they occur 
sporadically throughout a show, the entire two hours was filled 
with them and in effect, spoiled every single one. Anyway (I'm 
digressing), Merideth's piece was very effective in recalling 
times of regret and longing. And the combination of poetry with 
drama was new (to me anyway) and appealing to watch.

5)  "Guide to Using the HawkID in ITCs" by Mark J. Hansen--MJ 
Hansen:  MJ elaborates on various points in a stream-of-
consciousness-style monologue (monologue peppered with giggle-
worthy moments)

I have really enjoyed the pieces of Mark's that I've seen. He's 
one of the few No Shame actors that doesn't need to use obscene 
and/or absurdist jokes to get a laugh out of me. Not that 
vulgarity and absurdity is bad, its just nice to see a different 
form of comedy done once and awhile. That said, I suffered 
from "I wish he would have done that..." syndrome when I saw 
this. I know its wrong to have expectations of artists based on 
their past work (I'd be pissed off if someone did that to me), 
but I guess I wanted more word-play and slyness from Mark. 
However, that's my problem. He should feel free to do whatever he 
wants and I should screw myself.

6) "The People vs. Mickey Mouse" by Thomas Kovacs--T Kovacs:  T, 
in the style of a closing argument, tries to persuade the 
audience that Mickey Mouse is guilty of...something.  (comedic 
monologue)

First off, I'm assuming Aprille did the descriptions of these 
pieces and it sort of bothers me the way she described this. 
The "guilty of... something" seems to be a criticism of Thomas' 
piece. Criticism belongs in reviews. By making a comment within 
(what should be an unbiased) description, you're distorting any 
one else's viewpoints on it.
That said, I do agree with her criticism, however. Thomas' piece 
would have done much better with a clear outline of what should 
be found guilty. However, his script was probably the best one 
I've seen of his because it relied more on his perceptions of 
humor instead of what the typical N.S. audience would think is 
funny. And it worked.  

7)  "Tie a Yellow Curtain (With Thanks to Donna Marino)" by 
Aprille Clarke--A Clarke:  A makes new curtains in hopes of 
lifting her crackwhore mother's spirits (comedic monologue)

One of the best Aprille pieces I've seen in awhile. This script 
contained some concepts that could have been extended to entire 
pieces themselves (i.e. the blowjob joke, the kidnapped brother), 
but were greatly utilized for developing a full character 
instead. Aprille's talents of social criticism (in this case, 
obviously, drug use) and character development are the strongest 
she has and they were very apparent in this piece.

8)  absent and strangely un-renumbered 

done so far... must go... i'll finish review later

Time: Mon, 29-Jan-2001 06:44:58 GMT     IP: 128.255.107.15

9) "Wars --&-- Sawa" by Arlen Lawson--A Lawson:  A recounts a tale 
of imitation mermaids and the tragedy of eating without close 
examination of food sources (poignant/comedic monologue)

It's nice to see Arlen doing pieces again. I was missing them and 
I was happy to see this one. It was wonderful. In my opinion (and 
one that's nothing new), fiction works best if you persuade the 
audience into slowly accepting abstract concepts with believable 
feelings, relatable characters, etc. By having dry historical 
info in the beginning, Arlen built this bridge of reality, which 
lead the audience to understand more intangible concepts of 
mermaids and inner-torment. And isn't creating a connection 
between the artist and his/her audience the whole point of 
performance?

10) "Angel's Song" by Sam Negron--S Negron:  S performs an 
acoustic-guitar-based song about a childhood friend with whom his 
love was cut short (musical performance)

Dear God, did I want something cheery by this time in the show. 
Sadly, I didn't. However, I wasn't disappointed by this song. I 
really liked Sam's idea of writing the song as if his friend was 
still alive.  This is something refreshing in terms of songs 
based on memories. Likewise, I really respected his courage to 
say the song was about himself. 

11) "Friday Night" by Pookman--some guy:  some guy discusses the 
consequences of alcohol abuse (comedic monologue)

I don't drink alcohol. Therefore, the joys of drinking alcohol 
that Pookman discussed were altogether foreign to me. Since his 
piece wasn't about informing the undrinking about drinking, but 
just sharing moments of hilarity with people who could relate, I 
was in the dark all of the time. 
Remember how I said that Stangl's pieces about drinking showed 
the emptiness behind it? I like that. That's funny. However, 
pieces about self-destruction, social crutches, and mistreatment 
of women are not hilarious if the writer/performer think they're, 
at heart, amusing. Thinking these things are wrong and having 
your point of satire aimed at them are funny.

12) "The Turn of the Century" by Neil "Balls" Campbell--N"B" 
Campbell, M Cassady:  N"B" delivers a series of mini-monologues, 
most of which involve stabbing of some sort, while M yells 
numbers (in-yer-face action monologue thing)

Creative delivery made this piece intriguing to watch. Also, 
Neil's prose was strong as ever. However, his ability to build up 
to a climax (seen in "This is You") was unfortunately absent. I 
felt the ending came too abrupt. I would have liked a longer 
build up and a moment of even-more fevered delivery before the 
blackout.

13)  "Idiot Caleb's Yard Sale" by Chris Stangl--C Stangl:  C 
recounts a tale of a key-maker grossly misinformed about the 
value of his yard sale items (comedic monologue)

I saw "Election" again over Christmas break. The great thing 
about this movie was its refusal to say "these characters have 
changed" and "this world is a better place because of it." Too 
often, art thinks it needs to teach a lesson or have its 
characters transform into wonderful beings for it to be 
considered as valuable. I guess that's what I liked about this 
piece. It promised a moral. It didn't give it. Fuck you.


Well, that was my first review. I hope it enlightened every 
single person in the world.  

p.s. everyone, let's start a charity, so "the violence guys" 
(shudder at the name) can pay off the debt for the skrim and 
perform again. they are greatly missed by this big-nosed laddie.

Time: Mon, 29-Jan-2001 13:53:38 GMT     IP: 205.244.162.27

:
:6) "The People vs. Mickey Mouse" by Thomas Kovacs--T Kovacs:  T, 
:in the style of a closing argument, tries to persuade the 
:audience that Mickey Mouse is guilty of...something.  (comedic 
:monologue)
:
:First off, I'm assuming Aprille did the descriptions of these 
:pieces and it sort of bothers me the way she described this. 
:The "guilty of... something" seems to be a criticism of Thomas' 
:piece. Criticism belongs in reviews. By making a comment within 
:(what should be an unbiased) description, you're distorting any 
:one else's viewpoints on it.

Dear Paul, Tom, and everyone,

You're right.  I included commentary in what should have been a 
neutral summing-up.  Even as I did it I thought, "This is not a 
classy thing to do," and in retrospect I should have withstood the 
seduction of making myself feel better by criticising others in 
inappropriate ways.  I apologize to the entire reading audience, 
and to Tom in particular.  Thank you for calling me on this, Paul.  
I deserved it.

AC

Time: Tue, 30-Jan-2001 18:11:30 GMT     IP: 207.165.237.210

:1) "Science Lesson" by Chris Stangl--C Stangl, A Lawson:  when 
you 
:
barf because you're drunk, you can get drunk again for free! 
:
(tragicomedy sketch)
:
What I would like to see is Stangl and Lawson get together on a 
street corner some time and go through all the drinking shorts 
they've done together.  I think it would be comparable to Vladimir 
and Estragon or Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.  But what I thought 
didn't quite work about this particular one was when Stangl left to 
go drink his vomit and his character acted ashamed/secretive 
about it.  He was blatant and unashamed about the lapse in 
drunkeness due to vomiting.  He obviously liked the idea of getting 
drunk off your own vomit.  Why would try to hide the fact that he's 
going to go drink his vomit.  Nitpicky perhaps?
:
2) "Ray Krock of Bullshit" by Paul Rust--P Rust: sadly, i can't 
:
remember a goddamn thing about this.  (monologue)
:
Two iconoclasts of american marketing took the stage on that 
particular evening.  First, Paul.  I'm not quite sure but didn't he, or 
somebody else, already use the term "hit-slap to the face-head" or 
something to that effect?  I'm not dissin' on it, I'm just wondering if 
it is a running joke or if it is a signature of a reoccuring character, 
which couldn't be since I'm pretty sure the first time I heard it 
Ronald McDonald wasn't the x-er.  Overall, Paul's delivery was 
what we've come to expect from Paul.  His presence on the stage 
is unique, he knows it, and he knows how to work it, girl.  I've been 
searching for a proper metaphor for Pauls writing and looking out 
my window I see one.  Paul's writing is like a snowflake.  Each time 
it is completely different.  Not always style-wise, since all 
snowflakes are white and crystalline, but always subject-wise in the 
shape the snowflake takes. 
:
3) "I Went to School with a Girl Who Was Related to the 
:
Unabomber," by Dan Fairchild--D Fairchild, T Kovacs: D decides 
:
against blowing us all up after T gives him Nintendo hints 
:
(monolgue/comedy sketch)
:
First off, yes, I did go to school with a girl who was related to Ted 
Kaczynski(sp?), the Unabomber.  Her name was Sarah Kaczynski
(sp?).

My goals for this particular piece:  
1.  To take an often used line like "enough explosive to blow us all 
up twice" and sell it like it's new.  People laughed at it but maybe 
it's just that they come to No Shame to laugh.
2.  Balls said that for a venue like Mabie we would need to make 
everything exaggerated and bigger.  My goal was to write a 
situation where such a thing means death and pull it off any damn 
way.  I'm not so sure I pulled it off.  I came across as not engaging 
to Aprille and if I understand correctly Paul thinks something was 
lost in the fact that I couldn't deliver my demands with much 
conviction.  (If I got excited I would have exploded)
3.  Make just getting up and leaving a perfectly suitable ending.  I 
think I did that.

4.  Take advantage of the fact that I don't have a hairy chest.  I did 
that.

Oh, and thanks again, Tom.
:
4)  "Winter Poem" by Merideth Nepstad--M Nepstad:  Chicago, 
:
burning, summer, winter (poem/dramatic reading)
:
I, too, have turned my back on poetry.  Writing it anyway.  I like 
reading it sometimes but I am of the school of thought that poetry 
was meant to be read aloud and listened to.  So right on.  Some of 
the images were amazing to me.  I can't name specifics and I will 
admit that I was still coming down from the pain of the fun tack and 
tape being ripped from my body so much of it was lost to me 
anyway.  Sorry.
:
5)  "Guide to Using the HawkID in ITCs" by Mark J. Hansen--MJ 
:
Hansen:  MJ elaborates on various points in a stream-of-
:
consciousness-style monologue (monologue peppered with giggle-
:
worthy moments)
:
I have an uncle named Mark Hanson.  Anyway.  I can't seem to 
remember much about this.  I remember laughing, though.  Sorry I 
can't offer feedback but I can feed your ego with the fact that I 
laughed.
:
6) "The People vs. Mickey Mouse" by Thomas Kovacs--T Kovacs:  
T, 
:
in the style of a closing argument, tries to persuade the audience 
:
that Mickey Mouse is guilty of...something.  (comedic monologue)
:
Second iconoclast of the evening:  Tom.  Tom still suffers from the 
same problems he had last semester.  He keeps expecting 
laughter, he doesn't keep a consistent character, and he doesn't 
know when to stop.  Instead of seeing a character on stage saying 
funny things, I see Tom Kovacs up there trying to get a laugh.  He'd 
start off with his lawyer character but then once he got around to a 
joke it's all Tom.  Like Tom is peeking out and taking credit for it.  
Therefore, no laugh.  Or at least not as many as he should have 
gotten.  Also when he came to the end of his closing argument he 
wouldn't end it.  I would expect him to end and he was almost there 
but then he would go on for about twenty more seconds that didn't 
need to be here.  It's hard to get rid of material that you think is 
good, I know, but that's part of being a writer.  Something else that 
didn't set right:  Rat bastard.  Was that line improvised?  It doesn't 
belong in a closing statement in a court of law so I don't think it 
belonged in the monologue. However, parts of the writing were 
some of the best of the evening such as the connection of Mickey 
Mouse to Dante.

Time: Tue, 30-Jan-2001 20:24:06 GMT     IP: 128.255.109.31

7)  "Tie a Yellow Curtain (With Thanks to Donna Marino)" by 
:
Aprille Clarke--A Clarke:  A makes new curtains in hopes of 
:
lifting her crackwhore mother's spirits (comedic monologue)
:
Expertly written.  She tied us back to the whole curtain thing 
just about the time we had forgotten about it.  Her pieces are 
like onions.  There are so many layers and the more you peel it 
the more you cry.
:
8)  absent and strangely un-renumbered 
:

:
9) "Wars --&-- Sawa" by Arlen Lawson--A Lawson:  A recounts a tale 
of 
:
imitation mermaids and the tragedy of eating without close 
:
examination of food sources (poignant/comedic monologue)
:
Arlen is still remaining true to his story-telling format which 
is good but he's been exploring new ground and trying to bust 
apart the definition of a Lawson piece which is even better.  At 
the present time seeing Arlen express emotion as he did with this 
piece seems a little awkward to the audience because they are 
used to not having to look past things like sadness to see the 
humor in Arlen's pieces.  Look past is probably the wrong term to 
use.  Perhaps "look through" is better.  He's crying over a fake 
mermaid, folks!  Come on!  
:
10) "Angel's Song" by Sam Negron--S Negron:  S performs an 
:
acoustic-guitar-based song about a childhood friend with whom his 
:
love was cut short (musical performance)
:
I say we take away Neil Campbell's monicker and hand it over to 
Sam "Balls" Negron because this took some guts to admit these 
feelings.  Probably the most intimate piece of the night and not 
just because it was bluntly expressing real emotions (as opposed 
to fake emotions?) but because it was done with such courage and 
drew us all in.  The thanking a friend for letting him borrow his 
guitar was great, too.
:
11) "Friday Night" by Pookman--some guy:  some guy discusses the 
:
consequences of alcohol abuse (comedic monologue)
:
I've been itching to get to this one.  Now...I will always have a 
dear place in my heart for stand-up comedy since it was such a 
major part of my up bringing.  But when I come to No Shame I at 
least want to see a character created.  I don't want to see a guy 
acting like...well...himself.  But I think there has been enough 
stupid and pointless talk about what belongs at No Shame and what 
doesn't and I'm not going to say that stand-up has no place at 
NST.  Being that it was a stand-up piece I will review it as 
such.  First of all I spent the entire night thinking his name 
was "Poopman".  And believe me, when I found out it was "Pookman" 
I wasn't all that relieved.  Carrot Top, Gallagher, Mambo Mouth, 
Pookman, none of them are very good stand-ups.

Second of all, I can't relate to the drunkeness, either.  A good 
stand-up (an oxymoron to some people) will not work under the 
assumption that everybody will know what the hell he/she is 
talking about.  That is to say he/she will not take something 
like drinking and make it his entire act, assuming that everybody 
thinks drinking is cool.  He/she will include something for 
everybody.  Pookman (dear God) even glorified the promiscuous sex 
with ugly womyn which in and of itself is offensive without even 
glorifying it.  So now people who don't agree with what you are 
saying think you're an idiot and they are laughing AT you, not 
WITH you.

A good stand-up will respect his fellow performers and not go 
over his/her alotted time.  A good stand-up always leaves good 
stopping points which Pookman (ugh) did not have.  Unless you're 
big and famous and doing an HBO special you do not get half an 
hour to do your thang.

But I did laugh at times.  I'll admit that.  But I felt dirty 
because of it.
:
12) "The Turn of the Century" by Neil "Balls" Campbell--N"B" 
:
Campbell, M Cassady:  N"B" delivers a series of mini-monologues, 
:
most of which involve stabbing of some sort, while M yells 
numbers 
:
(in-yer-face action monologue thing)
:
When I want to have sex with Balls is when it looks like his 
skull is going to push his unkempt hair from his scalp and his 
head is about to explode.  So there I was sitting front and 
center only a few feet from his peter waiting to be splattered by 
his brains.  Mmmmm.  I gotta disagree with Paul.  Being that they 
were a bunch of mini-monologues he didn't really have a chance to 
build to a climax.  It seemed to me that he built to a climax 
(and therefore so did I) in each of his minis.
:
13)  "Idiot Caleb's Yard Sale" by Chris Stangl--C Stangl:  C 
:
recounts a tale of a key-maker grossly misinformed about the 
value 
:
of his yard sale items (comedic monologue)
:
Often times in Stangl pieces he starts one place and goes all 
over hell, which I like, but then he never gets back to where he 
started which I would also like if I thought that this was his 
intent.  He doesn't quite get back.  He flys right over it, 
forgetting how to land.  This piece was an example of that.
:

Time: Wed, 31-Jan-2001 01:23:57 GMT     IP: 128.255.189.150

6) "The People vs. Mickey Mouse" by Thomas Kovacs--T Kovacs:  
T, in the style of a closing argument, tries to persuade the 
audience that Mickey Mouse is guilty of...something.  (comedic 
monologue)

Wow!  Good stuff, bad stuff, and even a couple of apologies for 
things said (and not repeated here).  Never before have I gotten 
such a mixed response to a piece.  I wouldn't bring this up 
again, but I honestly didn't know how to react to it myself.  
I'll just let this all get the best of me and say "it was pretty 
decent, but could use some real improvement."  Three quick things;
1. The line "fucking rat bastard," criticized twice in different 
ways was indeed a slip of the tongue that lead to an improvised 
line.  But, what's said is said, and I can't take it back.
2. I wore the golf hat to cover up my vomit-green hair because I 
thought the hat was slightly more lawyerly.  I don't quite look 
like a serious attourney, but I figured that if I looked a bit 
more formal, you'd take me a bit more seriously.
3.  Thanks for all of your honest responses and kind apologies.


There's a couple of pieces I forgot to mention, but I liked both 
of them a lot and I've got to tell you why.

7)  "Tie a Yellow Curtain (With Thanks to Donna Marino)" by 
Aprille Clarke--A Clarke:  A makes new curtains in hopes of 
lifting her crackwhore mother's spirits (comedic monologue)
Aprille started off the season with what's surely one of the best 
monologues I've heard her do.  True to her form, she told a 
vicious story that almost makes you feel guilty about laughing at 
the harsh jokes.  She started off at a fairly light-hearted 
angle, but with those last few seconds turned the whole thing 
around and left everyone in the audience speechless, horrified, 
and thinking.  It's this little slice of "real" humanity that 
toys with the audience's emotions, and (particularly this week) I 
enjoyed it.

9) "Wars ---&--- Sawa" by Arlen Lawson--A Lawson:  A recounts a tale
of imitation mermaids and the tragedy of eating without close 
examination of food sources (poignant/comedic monologue)
Arlen is a master of surrealism and emotion.  He can dream up 
things that would never actually happen and find a way to get a 
genuine reaction from his audience.  Perhaps the act of making 
oneself believe his imagery, at least for the split-second that 
he reads it, simultaneously gives one the emotional attatchment 
needed to truly enjoy his pieces.  "The Flapper and the Clown" 
was my favorite, but this surely tops the list of non-serial 
monologues.