Oct. 7 to Oct. 13, 2004

8

FOCUS

Aztec Press

With the dark audience,

spot-lit stage and no set, it resem-

bles vogue Greenwich Village clubs

and has big city boldness.

Steve Barancik and his wife

Carrie brought the concept home to

Tucson after they saw a group

called Sit ‘N’ Spin on a Los Angeles

sound stage.

“We were blown away. This is

damn funny and you don’t even

mind that they’re reading,”

Barancik said.

Barancik wrote the 1994 film

noire hit “The Last Seduction” and

several other screenplays produced

in Hollywood.

After Monolog Cabin’s first per-

formance, which was held in the

Museum of Contemporary Art at

197 E. Toole Ave. in Downtown

Tucson, the group evolved and

grew. It now attracts sold-out

crowds, large enough to allow the

Club Congress to schedule the

troupe into Saturday night time

slots once reserved only for musical

groups.

The Sept. 25 performance, a

satirical look at trashy trailer park

good ol’ boy and gal subculture, was

the first review performers wrote

with an overall theme. It was called

White Trash Poetry Night.

Performances ranged from one

piece of hard-hitting, slam poetry

by a writer known as Dr. E to the

work of the troupe’s hysterical new-

comer, Sarah Regezi, reading her

piece about temp jobs. The home-

spun hillbilly attire added to the

good time.

Teaming with Barancik to pro-

duce the show is Charlotte Lowe-

Bailey, a writer, poet and one-time

section editor for both The Arizona

Daily Star and the Tucson Citizen.

Bailey produces and also performs

regularly with the troupe.

The next theme night might be

about the funny side of racial ten-

sion, Bailey said.

“Take things that you think are

funny, that you’re not sure other

people will think are funny and try

it out,” is Lowe’s description of the

process.

Howard Allen, one of the origi-

nal members of the troupe, has

taught Writing for Film and TV and

Advanced Screenwriting for more

than 10 years at PCC. He hosts an

award-winning web site called

Script Doctor, has been a profes-

sional actor since 1975 and was edi-

tor of the Tucson Weekly from 1984

to 1991. Allen read his work called

“Pome to My Dawg Blue.”

“I better tell you about my next

performance. I’m playing Gremio

in, “Taming of the Shrew.” It opens

at the Live Theater Workshop, 5317

E. Speedway Blvd., on Oct. 7 and

runs through Nov. 7,” Allen said.

Monolog Cabin is still welcom-

ing submissions. Being a local tal-

ent is the first requirement for sub-

mitting work. Barancik, Lowe and

others review each submission. If

accepted, a live reading by the

author is required, then several

rehearsals with the director. The

quality is kept high that way,

Barancik said.

Make sure you get there early

enough to get a good seat, get your

drink, limber up your laugh mus-

cles and have an evening way better

than the price of admission implies.

Monolog Cabin’s next perform-

ances will be Nov. 6 and 13.

Tickets can be purchased in

advance for $5 at the Hotel

Congress, online at www.hotel-

congress.com/club or for $7 at the

door the night of the performance,

reserved by phone at (520) 622-

8848. For information or to submit

work call (520) 327-4242 or e-mail

monologcabin@aol .com

Reservations for Taming of the

Shrew (520) 327-4242. Informa-

tion (520) 327-0160