CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS
"The Pen is a Mighty Sword" 2005

First Prize
A Yankee Trader by Kato McNickle
Groton, CT
A Yankee Trader, by Kato McNickle, finds Dillon Taber down on his luck and the law at his doorstep. The old world is being re-invented all around the Tabers, who have been traders as long as anyone remembers but even a stubborn man must change with the times. In a moment of desperation, Dillon trades his wife for a car and goes on the run to keep his freedom. Amidst the ever-increasing fury of the Great Hurricane of 1938, Dillon’s bargain brings personal disaster and transformation as the storm wreaks havoc all around him.

First Runner Up
The Tropic of X by Caridad Svich
Los Angeles, CA
The Tropic of X, by Caridad Svich, set on an unnamed Caribbean island, is a colorful and often disturbing passage through a vivid dreamscape of world in decay as seen through the eyes of a pair of predatory young toughs. Played out against a vivid backdrop of video arcades, old and new drugs, internet cafes, ever-changing regimes, political repression, worthless currency, cheap sex, discos, peeling houses, fresh murals on ruined walls, spin, greed and the limitless dirty sea, the strange journey of Mori and Maura becomes a meditation on wretched excess in a world gone mad where all that remains is the sound of the human voice.

Second Runner Up
The Docent’s Son by Joshua Faigen
Newburyport, MA
The Docent’s Son, by Joshua Faigen, weaves an eloquent theatrical canvas from the rich inner life of a museum docent struggling to accept a profound loss. Deftly threading between the realms of light and shadow, reality and fantasy, love and loss, she fights to balance grief, forgiveness, and acceptance through the language of an abstract painting.

Honorable Mentions (Alphabetically)

Moon Walkers by Elizabeth Benton Appell
Kentfield, CA

Indian Summer by Eddy Barrows
Fargo, ND

Eye of the Beheld by Lauren Gunderson
Decatur, GA

New World Rhapsody by Adam Kraar
Brooklyn, NY

Dearest Frank Lights a Cigar by Scott Munson
San Jose, CA

My River, My Valley by Ron Osborne
St Louis, MO

A Fragile Life by Shiva Rose
Los Angeles, CA

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You Can Be A Light Unto Yourself...
by Kim Terrell

A few months ago I visited the Krishnamurti Foundation of America in Ojai, California.  Fascinated by Krishnamurti’s teachings, I sat reading in the lovely library overlooking acres of orange groves in Ojai, and realized that Krishnamurti’s words speak to the actor in vivid language not unlike that of Constantin Stanislavski.  From different worlds, Krishnamurti, a spiritual teacher from India and Stanislaski, an acting teacher from Russia, they both address the necessity of awareness.  Krishnamurti explores the concept of ‘the witness’ from a spiritual perspective while Stanislavski does so from an artistic point of view.

Says Krishnamurti “To be aware is to watch your bodily activity, the way you walk, the way you sit, the movements of your hands; it is to hear the words you use, to observe all your thoughts, all your emotions all your reactions.  It includes awareness of the unconscious, with its traditions, its instinctual knowledge, and the immense sorrow it has accumulated – not only personal sorrow, but the sorrow of man.  You have to be aware of all that: and you cannot be aware of it if your are merely judging, evaluating saying, “This is good and that is bad, this I will keep and that I will reject.” all of which only makes the mind dull, insensitive. 

From awareness comes attention.  Attention flows from awareness when in that awareness there is no choice, no personal choosing, no experiencing . . . but merely observing.  And, to observe, you must have in the mind a great deal of space.”

And Stanislavski speaks of “intensive observation of an object naturally arouses a desire to do something with it.  To do something with it in turn intensifies your observation of it.  This mutual inter-reaction establishes a stronger contact with the object of your attention.  Creativeness on the stage, whether during the preparation of a part or during its repeated performance, demands complete concentration of all [the actor’s] physical and inner nature, the participation of all his physical and inner faculties.”

As I sat reading I realized how thoroughly meditation and observation serve the evolution of a character, whether our own or a part we are playing.  An actor must have a trained instrument with which to implement those observations, but the role of ‘witness’ is a constant in the life of a good actor.

Krishnamurti               Constantin Stanislavski

Stanislavski goes on to say “One cannot always create subconsciously and with inspiration.  No such genius exists in the world.  Therefore, our art teaches us first of all to create consciously and truly, because that will best prepare the way for the blossoming of the subconscious, which is inspiration.  The more you have of conscious creative moments in your role the more chance you will have of a flow of inspiration.  To play truly means to be right, logical, coherent, to think, strive, feel and act in unison with your role.  If you take all these internal processes, and adapt them to the spiritual and physical life of the person you are representing, we call that living the part.” An Actor Prepares Stanislavski speaks of developing a character.  Krishnamurti of developing yourself.  They both stress the necessity of observation and awareness, “to play truly, you must follow the course of right objectives, like posts to guide you across a treeless plain.”  [Stanislavski]  And “it is only in the state of attention that you can be a light unto yourself, and then every action of your daily life springs from that light – every action – whether you are doing your job, cooking, going for a walk . . . every action.” [Krishnamuriti] The whole process is an ongoing, living meditation.

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2005 PEN winners Caridad Svich and Joshua Faigen traveled to Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina for week of workshops and play readings.  Joining them were VTP members Whit Andrews, Heidi Mages, Lauren McCormack, Shawn Ross, Kay Stratton and Kim Terrell. 

This year Wake hosted a ten-minute play competition, inviting students from all departments to submit work.  The two winning plays: Trench Mind by Blake Travis               and What Now?  By  Matthew Creacy, were showcased along with PEN winners.

Part of an evolving collaboration between The Virtual Theatre Project and Wake Forest University Theatre Department, these readings were the culmination of a week of rehearsals, classes and open forums aimed at introducing Wake students to the new play development process.  

What do the classics have to do with theater now, here, in the Americas, so far away in time and space from Ancient Greece?  As evidenced in DIVINE FIRE, the answer lies not in timelessness but in timeliness:  The sense that in responding to the world of Euripides or Sophocles with an acute sense of the politics and culture of their own time, writers can create space for new theatrical language." - Claire Mac Donald, Performance Research

Works in this volume include:

TRANS-GLOBAL READINGS Crossing theatrical boundaries
Edited by Caridad Svich

Caridad Svich is a resident playwright at New Dramatists in New York City.  Her play, “The Tropic of X” is first runner-up in the 2005 Pen is a Mighty Sword new play competition. “Trans-global Readings: Crossing theatrical boundaries”, provides a forum for a wide range of theatre, music and performance artists to talk about where they stand in relation to new technologies, intercultural collaborations, and the making of interdisciplinary work. Looking at how time, space and memory play an active role in shaping different artistic visions, editor Caridad Svich, has gathered the voices of unique and dynamic artists including Tim Etchells, Rinde Eckert, Richard Foreman, Peter Gabriel, David Greig, Guillermo Gomez-Pena, Phelim McDermott and Peter Sellars as a way to examine the impact of globalization on the creation and development of new work.

Members of The Virtual Theatre Project, dedicated to the development and staging of new work, found the emphasis on the discussion of the artistic process timely and valuable.  The ways in which contemporary artists negotiate the many practical, political and technological choices available is of utmost importance to us and we found this book to be a valuable window into today’s artistic choices and challenges. Published by Manchester University Press, “Trans-global readings: Crossing theatrical boundaries” is available through Palgrave, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.  Telephone: 800.221.7945 Ext. 270. BACK TO TOP