Blood, Sweat and Rewrites

Blood, Sweat and Rewrites

“This is the fourth revision of the 10th draft of my play,” said Julian Olf, drawing an appreciative laugh from his audience. Most of the people who crowded into a Northampton living room on a recent Wednesday evening were playwrights, directors and...
StageStruck: Making Art While Making Do

StageStruck: Making Art While Making Do

It’s not a theater by any stretch. The low ceiling, whitewashed brick walls, folding chairs and bare-bulb lighting make for a less than salubrious performance experience. But the basement of Thornes Marketplace in Northampton, formerly occupied by Dynamite...

Between the Lines: The Comeback Kid

Like the phoenix rising from the ashes … here comes Chris Asselin again? When the email showed up in my inbox—a quick note alerting me to a story on MassLive.com—I wondered for a moment if it were an early April Fool’s gag: fresh off a stint in...

Extra! Extra! Complain All About It!

Add Springfield to the list of communities pig-piling on the Republican newspaper for its infamous little purple bags. At issue is the Republican’s “Extra” publication, a weekly supplement that the newspaper delivers free to homes once a week....
Doctor Rounds' Time in the Light

Doctor Rounds' Time in the Light

Caleb Rounds spends much of his working day alone in a windowless cell of a room, conducting scientific plant research in near-total darkness. It’s just as he’d like it. Even the light switches in the UMass lab where he works have all been installed upside...