Pat McGeever
the pulse:
resides in:
Phila, PA
contact by:
patplay.mcg@gmail.com
their site:
pdc profile
plays by Pat
Artistic Vision:
Why do I write plays? Not to get rich, that’s for sure—so far, only Kinko’s has made money on my work. Or to become famous—if any of my plays do become big hits, I’ll likely be long gone by then.
I’ve known for several years that the process of writing plays was fulfilling for me. Some of them are quite serious (Colleen & Kudzo) while some are pure silliness (Prinderella & the Since). When they were produced, I loved being able to make people laugh and cry and think.
But it was in 2007, when my wife Rachel died, that I finally discovered why I do it: just to get through the day. And if that’s not an artistic mission, it’ll have to do for now.
Current Projects:
In 2008:
1. I kept working to complete a final draft of Colleen and Kudzo, and sometimes wonder if I'll ever get there.
2. I finished a one-act, Good Grief, Sidney! in which the title character from Sidney Unbound, who happens to be my alter ego, takes over my life. It played in August/September at the Indy Fringe Theatre Festival.
3. I decided on the concept and title of my next play: Sister Sex. It's about the country's only sex therapist who is also a nun.
Playwriting Biography:
Until recently I lived in Indianapolis where I’d been a professor of Political Science for Indiana University for many years. Before that I got my PhD from the University of Pennsylvania (so I’m not a total stranger here; even used to drive a Philly cab in my grad student days). Before that I studied for the priesthood as a Jesuit seminarian in various places. And before that I was born and grew up in PA, first Johnstown and later Charleroi.
What brought me back to Philly was my daughter Kate and her family who live in Media, PA. I also spend a lot of time in NYC, where my two sons, Tim and Brendan, live with their loved ones, and where my lady friend Carole also resides. A bit of a peripatetic, I even get back to Indy from time to time.
When I retired from the university in 2002, I was ready for a change. So I became a fitness instructor (water aerobics, spinning, etc.) and a playwright. Since then I’ve written about a dozen or so plays, most of which have been produced in Indianapolis. For years I was a member of Indy Playmakers there, and when I came to Philly, I was delighted to find so vibrant a playwright organization as PDC.
Awards & Fellowships:
2007 Winner, Frank & Katrina Basile Playwriting Fellowship
Indiana Theatre Assn.
2008-09 Colleen and Kudzo chosen for Laura Shiner development series of Bloomington (IN) Playwrights' Project
Commissions:
Commissioned to write a play (Sex Goddess Pizza) for Flaming Rose Theatre, 2006.
Education:
BA, Philosophy, St. Louis Univ.
MA, Political Science, St. Louis Univ.
PhD, Political Science, Univ. of Pennsylvania
PatMcGeever's Blog
Prinderella & the Since
by Pat McGeever
posted: 2009-01-07 13:11:55
My "Prinderella and the Since," a Spoonerized version of the old classic, will play at the Epilogue Theatre in Indianapolis this weekend and next.
Comments:
Bloomington (IN) Playwrights' Project
by Pat McGeever
posted: 2008-07-15 10:58:20
This past weekend (for six hours on Saturday and six more Sunday) I was part of an interesting script development project that made me think maybe PDC could do something like it.
BPP invited playwrights with an Indiana connection to submit scripts for consideration for their Laura Shiner series, and out of the scripts submitted selected a couple handsful for development. They bring in their actors to do a rehearsed reading of each script, followed by an extended critique by the playwrights and actors present. The playwrights then revise their scripts and bring them back for a repeat of the process, in November. After that, there is a third iteration, in February. After that the writers have an additional couple of weeks for final changes, and they are submitted for consideration for production in a new-play festival at the end of the theater's season next spring.
So it's a very extended process, and ideal for a script that you think has potential but is still a long way from where it needs to be for production. That's the way I felt about my "Colleen and Kudzo" after its reading at Abbraccio's this spring, so I'm glad to be getting this opportunity. Maybe PDC could partner with a local theater to give Philly playwrights a similar opportunity.
Just a thought,
Pat
Comments:
Donald Drake said on 2008-07-15:
With the exception of the final production by a theater we could easily do this. To a certain extend we are with Writers Circle, Writers Table and Readings in Restaurants. But few of our members seem to want to take the same play through a series of revisions, though I think it would be a good thing to do.
Northern Writes: Take Two
by Pat McGeever
posted: 2008-06-11 16:21:30
Last week PDC member Jacqueline Goldfinger blogged about her experience at Northern Writes, the new-play festival of Penobscot Theatre at
As Jackie pointed out, it’s best to submit pretty fully developed scripts to this festival, because the director and actors will produce the reading without further input needed from the playwright. Strictly speaking, the playwright need not even attend the reading, as artistic director Scott Levy records notes of post-play discussions and forwards them to the playwrights. But this year 17 of the 23 playwrights managed to be there in person. In my own case, the rigors of a 700-mile drive from Philly were more than offset by the opportunity to visit several sets of friends along the way, not to mention some of the delightful
Next year Northern Writes (no, it’s not a Chinese pronunciation) will take place a bit later, around the summer solstice, and the favorite(s) of the audiences may even get produced during the regular season. So start developing those scripts now, and check “submission opportunities” on the PDC website early next year.
Good luck!
Pat
Comments: