Puppet perfection

The Arts Club’s production of Avenue Q is pretty much perfect. No kidding. A distillation of the concerns of Gen X, Avenue Q explores the struggles of a group of young adults who are finding out they’re not as special as they’ve been brought up to...

The heart of Hamlet

Last week, I had a fabulous chat with Jonathon Young, who’s playing Hamlet at Bard on the Beach this summer. You can read the interview in the Straight by going to www.straight.com. Jon and I had such a rich conversation that I want to pass along some more of...

Passive to active: let goals be your guide

As a substantive editor, one of the most common problems I run into—especially with new writers—is that of the passive protagonist. I suspect that this is because writers are, by nature, observers. We pay close attention to the world around us. That’s great, but...