Busted
A World Premiere
Press - Previews/Reviews
Director's Notes
Our Cast
"What happens when you mix inspiration, desperation and a deadline? Procrastination, deus ex machina and maybe a script..."
Play Notes
Making Lemonade...
According to en.wiktionary.org/wiki/busted, the word BUSTED means any of the following: "Broke; having no money; Caught in the act of doing something one shouldn't do; Caught and arrested for committing a crime; Tired; Broken; Indicates that the person addressed has been caught in the act, whether by the speaker or a third party."
Busted is a one-act snapshot of life in our modern world, with a cast of four women, two men and one laptop. In spite of divorce, kids, job loss, Internet social media and other modern age distractions, Joan struggles for her artistic self-expression. When procrastination threatens her creativity, sanity and script, Joan's life takes a sudden, comic twist.
The dividing line between real life and fantasy is hazy sometimes. This comedy was inspired in part by my own real life experiences after being laid off last spring. Some of what happens to Joan never happened to me. Still, the story seems to resonate with folks who've seen the play in workshops because they recognize themselves. Writing and directing the play gives me the chance to say that great things can happen when we allow ourselves to concentrate long enough to get the job done.
Busted is also inspired by the works of Luigi Pirandello, Ernie Kovacs, Monty Python's Flying Circus, Jeff Bowen & Hunter Bell, Zach Helm, Oscar Wilde, Stephen Schwartz (a brief snippet of whose work Pippin appears in this piece with permission), and more. It's a homage to some of my favorite theatre pieces, comedians and creators.
I have my father, Lew Marks, to thank for inspiring me to write and for pushing me through the educational system so that I could graduate. Without his help and support I would never have made it through. I'm sad that he will never see the fruit of this particular labor. Last November, after years of uncertainty, Dad was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia. He died April 15, 2010, forever linking death and taxes–one last practical joke.
I have Dad's voice in my head to guide me, but I still wish I could show him this work with pride and thank him for giving me my first two typewriters. I never could have done this without him, but I procrastinated a bit too long this time and missed the deadline.
Thanks, Dad, wherever you are!
General Fringe Box Office Info: www.capitalfringe.org
Thursday July 8 @ 6pm
Saturday July 10 @ 6pm
Wednesday July 14 @ 8pm
Saturday July 17 @ 3pm
Tuesday July 20 @ 10:15pm
Wednesday July 21 @ 6pm
Venue: The Warehouse
1019 7th Street NW, Washington, DC 20001
Busted is presented as a part of the 5th Anniversary Capital Fringe Festival
July 8-25, 2010
Venue: Warehouse - 1019 7th Street NW, Washington, DC 20001
(across from the DC Convention Center)