'Burning' wins 2013 Boston My Theatre Award for Best New Work

Burning reunion: (L-R) star Mal Malme, playwright Ginger Lazarus, and assistant stage manager Will Carter at last night's Boston My Theatre Awards. (According to Mal, the fine ensemble work of this group even extended to this photo -- it was Will's phone, but she hit the button. Great job, guys!)

Time flies

It's hard to believe that -- with the closing of Burning this weekend -- we will also bid farewell to Cy's, where all of us in the office at BPT have been seeking hydration for the past month. (Cy borrowed our water cooler for her general store.) Jake and I are fond of saying, "I'm going to Cy's. You need anything?"

The Responsibility of Cy

Mal Malme and Ian Michaels in Burning by Ginger Lazarus

Playing the role of Cy Burns in Burning, has since the very beginning, terrified me. In 2010, when playwright Ginger Lazarus asked me to read the part of Cy for the one act she crafted for Queer Soup Theater’s night of “Queering the Classics,” I knew through to my core, that this was a role that would push my every button.

Queering the classics: Ginger Lazarus on her play 'Burning'

Ginger Lazarus

Burning began three years ago as a project with Queer Soup Theater. I had a little whim to write a lesbian version of Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac that led to an evening of one-acts on the theme “queering the classics.” And that led to BPT’s involvement; a longer play; many, many drafts; and finally the realization of this wonderful production.

I have been in love with Cyrano for a long, long time. That said, I immediately forswore any loyalty to the original text and gave myself permission to reinvent it as needed. When I conceived Cy as my main character, she emerged razor-witted, self-reliant, and tough as the mountains. Which brought in her Army background, which raised the specter of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, still in effect at the time I began writing. And so the story tackles not only the enforced silence of queer service members but also the self-imposed silence of a person who feels unlovable. 

Talkin' To: Ginger Lazarus

Our amazing intern Alexis (a senior at The Boston Conservatory, and a talented theatre artist in her own right) is putting together a series of interviews with this season's playwrights to post here. Listen to what Ginger Lazarus has to say about the origins of her play Burning -- and what she learned during the play's development -- which opens next week.

What's new pussycat?

Yesterday, Marc got a staple in his finger (!) and asked me for a band-aid. So I gave him one.

More from the Burning set

Looking good, Marc! (Here's where we were this time last week.)

Here we go

Here's David Miller's set model for Burning...

...and here's the front theatre, set up for rehearsal. Marc and his team were working hard on the set yesterday, so we'll check in on their progress next week.

The new postcards are here!

The postcards for Ginger Lazarus' new play Burning arrived late yesterday afternoon. It was exciting to see UPS roll those boxes into the office. Of course, that event reminded me of another thrilling moment: