Duncan Pflaster & Neysa Lozano of “Incel Vanya”

Cross-Eyed Bear Productions and The Tank present INCEL VANYA written and directed by Duncan PflasterListen in as Incel Vanya playwright & director Duncan Pflaster, along with actor Neysa Lozano (Selena), discuss titles from typos, the smartest character onstage, finding modern resonance in classic drama, “rehearsing with an audience,” icky grossness in charming characters, getting stuck because of your philosophy, putting the comedy back into Chekhov, and finding a way to make sure the show always goes on.

“…the more I started to think about it, the more it made sense that Vanya would be an incel, if he lived today; then all the pieces started to fit into place…this is a more straightforward modernization of the story, touching on what we’re all living through today…”

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Playwright Duncan Pflaster and the cast of “Fourteen Hundred and Sixty Sketches of Your Left Hand”

"Fourteen Hundred and Sixty Sketches of Your Left Hand" by Duncan Pflaster, part of the 2013 UnFringed Festival at The Secret TheatreIf you’ve spent some time around the off-off-Broadway scene, chances are you’ve run into Duncan Pflaster — maybe you saw one of his shows, or read one of his reviews.

Or, maybe you didn’t even know you were standing next to him. In my experience, dude’s always at a show.

His new play, Fourteen Hundred and Sixty Sketches of Your Left Hand, is a modern riff on the friendship between Van Gogh and Gauguin (a theme this season, perhaps?), and features strange incentives to treat brain disorders, art, sex, deception, and, sadly, violence — all stemming from a lovely bromance between two artist pals on retreat in the desert.

Listen in as Duncan, along with the cast of Roberto Alexander, W. Derek Jorden, Neysa Lozano, and Emilio Paul Tirado, discuss getting naked onstage, the playwright as director, characters retreating into their own fantasies, and how to use Cards Against Humanity to kickstart your rehearsal process.

And there’s the sound of the 7 train. What up, Queens? Continue reading