Theatre: Clay McLeod Chapman, early release
A reading from the 2010 Commencement edition of his legendary, long-running The Pumpkin Pie Show. Performed by Hanna Cheek. (15 minutes)
Clay McLeod Chapman is the author of rest area, a collection of short stories, and miss corpus, a novel. Tom Robbins, author of Even Cowgirls Get the Blues and Jitterbug Perfume, said of Chapman’s work, “Like a demonic angel on a skateboard, like a resurrected Artaud on methadrine, like a tattletale psychiatrist turned rodeo clown, Clay McLeod Chapman races back and forth along the serrated edges of everyday American madness, objectively recording each whimper of anguish, each whisper of skewed desire.” In The Village Voice, Alexis Soloski wrote "If Clay McLeod Chapman keeps up with the oddball characters, well-crafted stories, and critical plaudits, that Faulkner guy better watch out." early release is from his full-length show Commencement.
Hanna Cheek has been a part of the long running, critically acclaimed Pumpkin Pie Show since 2001, performing in Commencement (Under St. Marks), Hostage Song (The Kraine), Junta High (PS122), and Ringside Seats (Belt Theatre), among others. Hanna is also a member of the Drama Desk-nominated Waterwell theatre company with whom she has devised and performed in #9 (59e59), The/King/Operetta (Barrow St. Theatre), Marco Millions (based on lies) - (Theatre Row), and The Persians - a comedy about war with five songs (Perry Street Theatre). Other New York City credits include Artifacts of Consequence (The Wild Project), First You're Born (Playwrights Horizons), and Broken Boughs (Blue Heron Arts Center). TV credits include Titus, MTV’s Undressed, and The West Wing. Hanna is currently working on GOODBAR, a live, theatrical concept album with her rock band Bambï, created in collaboration with Waterwell.
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New River Dramatists
RADIO SERIES
A program of stories, plays, and poetry co-produced with New River Dramatists.
New River Dramatists, located in the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina, is a not-for-profit project that distinguishes itself in that it is looking for writers to assist, not works to produce. Engaging writers on the strength of their individual talents instead of the potential merit of a single piece, payment of Honoraria to all participants, the absence of casting and the commitment to process first are among many factors that, taken all together, make New River Dramatists unique.
