I wanted to comment on my experience with plays 411. Last yr…wow, wait…late ’08 it was … I got the shinny idea to mount a play that I had written. So, in my fashion, I went at it throughly. Also in my fashion, doing so, playing the “guy who knows little and says to much” kinna attitude. What better way to learn I figure. People do love to tell you all when then think their smarter than you. I digress. I knew that to have any chance of growing an audience with a non-musical-mine was a drama-from a new playwright and no name actors was at the very least…difficult. So I went digging. For everything. Including a good PR team. I found it at my 3rd stop, Plays 411. I have to say, they were, and are, my new piece is having its world premier in late March, heads up and relentless. Plays 411 never promised my piece would ever get one person or one critic to attend only that they would work theirs to the bone to get the word out. And they did just that. Critics did come and every time one confirmed they were as excited about that as I wanted to be. But it wasn’t just Plays 411, it was the play. People liked it. Alot. And that helped built momentum. And that momentum got more critics to come. And Plays 411 kept beating at their doors. I had to be professional with their crew. I had to have my press releases done and well done and not change them 3 or 4 or 5 times…critics don’t like this…its unprofessional. And why should they. Hell 700 new shows I think open and run in LA every year. Christ, I’d get tired too. I had to make sure that seats were available and on and on. It was me working with them. And, the show has to be good. Or watchable at the very least. These guys at 411 never said they could get this person or that person to see my show. Never.They never said they could get asses in the seats. They told me straight out and up…this is this and this is what we do. We don’t promise. But we promise to work hard. And they did and are. Hell, they tossed in so much stuff above and beyond what I paid for I’m still eating red meat… sometimes that is, after all, it’s the theater we’re talking about here. Perhaps the folks to ask about plays 411, besides people like me, are the critics themselves. Just a thought. And BTW, my show, aka Eat The Runt, got a LA Weekly best playwriting nom and has been published by Original Works Publishing, and got critics choice from a number of publications. Here’s to working my nards off and growing a team for my new piece: Buffalo Hole. Did I mention Plays 411 will be doing the press on this one too. My god I hope people like this thing…hey, we open March 27th man, get over to The Arena Stage (great theater behind the Egyptian Theater on Hollywood and La Plamas. See gots to promote. You’re press, so you sit for free. Damnit! LOL Call Sandra over here and she’ll set you and yours up.)

Out cuzz Im done blabbing,

Robert Riechel Jr.

I’m a regular reader of Bitter Lemons; love the work you do here, compiling reviews and provoking thought about the LA theater community! I am a PhD student in Theater and Performance Studies at UCLA, primarily researching and composing musicals. Having lived in LA for a little over a year now, I Just started a theater blog myself:

http://staylorellis.wordpress.com/

I kicked off my New Year with a trip to NYC, so the first few posts are reviews of Broadway shows – but I have just posted about Adam Gwon’s Ordinary Days at South Coast Rep, with other LA-area reviews to follow. I always try to see at least a show a week: lots of musicals, considering my research interests, but I see a wide array. Would love for you to check it out!

All the best,
Sarah