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Alan Katz

Alan Katz Alan Katz is just finished being the dramaturg for WSC Avant Bard for Nero/Pseudo, after working on Caesar and Dada and No Man's Land last season. Alan has worked for a number of theaters and playwrights around the DC area including The Inkwell, the Folger Theater, and now with We Happy Few on Duchess of Malfi. He specializes in new play and adaptation dramaturgy, but he also reads Ancient Greek and works with Shakespeare every day as a librarian at the Folger Shakespeare Library. Alan helped create the BFA in Dramaturgy option at Carnegie Mellon and holds his MA in Theater History from Catholic University. He also excels at being a translator, poet, dog whisperer, house manager, Magic: the Gathering player, and he does the best roast chicken you've ever had in your life. Reach him at http://www.alanjaykatz.com or @dcdramaturg on Twitter.




MOST POPULAR ARTICLES


BWW Reviews: BESSIE'S BLUES Bless Audiences
BWW Reviews: BESSIE'S BLUES Bless Audiences
January 29, 2015

Some plays are so good, or so popular with audiences, that their return to the stage is inevitable. But some plays, like high velocity music revue Bessie's Blues, take quite awhile to flow back from their ebb.

BWW Reviews: BAD JEWS Throw Haymakers
BWW Reviews: BAD JEWS Throw Haymakers
November 13, 2014

As the show opens, Jonah is innocently trying to play video games to distract himself from the days events while Daphna harangues him into attentiveness to her complaints about Liam and the world, generally. Liam, who was not at the funeral (much to the aggravation of Daphna), is soon to arrive at the apartment and is bringing, unbeknownst to Jonah and Daphna, his very blonde and very goyische girlfriend, Melody. When they arrive, civility between Liam and Daphna is clearly moot, and Jonah and Melody are forced to play peacekeepers. From there, the situation devolves into one of the most vitriolic confrontation I've ever seen between two characters onstage.

BWW Reviews: WE ARE SAMURAI Wanders Wild, Well-Made, And Weird
BWW Reviews: WE ARE SAMURAI Wanders Wild, Well-Made, And Weird
September 9, 2014

Here's the key: the play takes place in 5 different physical locations within and outside Venus Theater's compound. You, the audience, choose how to experience the play. One could stay in the same location for the majority of the play or follow a particular character around. The best way to experience the play though, is to go wherever you feel like. Is something interesting happening over there? Walk on over. Horrified scream from the kitchen? Best check it out. In this way, We Are Samurai is very much like a mystery, where you try to piece together exactly what is going on and the relationships between the characters.

BWW Reviews: SHE KILLS MONSTERS Slays Audiences
BWW Reviews: SHE KILLS MONSTERS Slays Audiences
August 25, 2014

The catchy and clever script more than makes up for the drags during movement pieces, and that dragging might have been as much from my desire to get back to the story and its characters as from anything else. I was giggling throughout, and there were some nice moments of genuine tenderness. Most of the characters were lovable, and those that weren't were eminently hateable, which is just as useful and twice as hard. If you lived through the 1990's, and especially if you were young during that time, you'll recognize these characters instantly, and this production is made to tickle your nostalgia thoroughly

BWW Reviews: POL POT Is a Precocious Puzzlebox
BWW Reviews: POL POT Is a Precocious Puzzlebox
August 12, 2014

As the strange and sharp-turning story unfolds, it becomes clear that there are eerie similarities between the regime of the genocidal dictator and the living arrangements of these six men. They are a group of urban creatures who have moved out into the country to live a self-sufficient life. They live in a supposedly egalitarian commune that actually has strong class-based divides. And all isn't as it seems to be.

BWW Reviews: DANI GIRL Is An Exquisite Mix of Laughter and Tears
BWW Reviews: DANI GIRL Is An Exquisite Mix of Laughter and Tears
July 23, 2014

If you invest yourself even a little bit into Dani Girl, it will leave you exhausted. You will grin until your cheeks hurt. Your throat will tighten when you choke back tears. You will most likely audibly say, 'Awwww.' You may want to drive home in silence just to recover from the hilarity and the hardship, from the overall intensity of this play, the moments in it, and the moments that it recalls in your memory.

BWW Reviews: CABARET XXX Rocks Hard
BWW Reviews: CABARET XXX Rocks Hard
July 20, 2014

Who knew a funeral could be so fun? Pinky Swear Productions blows the roof off the Fringe tent with what may be the last installment of their award-winning cabaret series.

BWW Reviews: THE TUMBLING Is A Raw Mind-Bender
BWW Reviews: THE TUMBLING Is A Raw Mind-Bender
July 17, 2014

This is a play for people who like twisted and difficult puzzles, impossible riddles, and impenetrable modern art. This is a play for people who want to see raw impulse onstage, but can't stand the hokeyness of improv. If you've always wanted to ride the waves electric inside someone's brain and see through the unfiltered mind's eye, see The Tumbling.

BWW Reviews: Competition Reigns in 'THE TOURNAMENT' and 'R+J: STAR-CROSS'D DEATH MATCH'
BWW Reviews: Competition Reigns in 'THE TOURNAMENT' and 'R+J: STAR-CROSS'D DEATH MATCH'
July 14, 2014

The Capital Fringe Festival brings DC some hilarious and exciting new offerings: a spoof of fighting movies and 'Romeo and Juliet' set in a bar. See 'The Tournament' to take in some great stage combat. Check out 'R+J: Star-Cross'd Death Match' to get involved in some excellent debauchery,

BWW Reviews: DISSOCIA Will Broaden Your Horizons
BWW Reviews: DISSOCIA Will Broaden Your Horizons
June 16, 2014

The Wonderful World of Dissocia, which is wonderful indeed, is lovingly crafted by Theater Alliance, who have bounced back in a big way in their new space.

BWW Reviews: Ink on the Canvas
BWW Reviews: Ink on the Canvas
June 9, 2014

The Artist, the Canvas, and the 'thunderous boss' come together to make 'Bareback Ink' a must see at the Iron Crow Theatre Company's Swirnow stage.






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