{"id":62,"date":"2014-11-25T20:19:05","date_gmt":"2014-11-26T01:19:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/emlewisplaywright.com\/?page_id=62"},"modified":"2014-11-27T00:49:57","modified_gmt":"2014-11-27T05:49:57","slug":"song-of-extinction","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/emlewisplaywright.com\/?page_id=62","title":{"rendered":"Song of Extinction"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Drama \u00a0 \u00a0 * \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a090 minutes \u00a0 \u00a0 * \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a05 Men\/1 Woman<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Max, a musically gifted high school student, is falling off the edge of the world \u2013- and his biology teacher is the only one who\u2019s noticed. A play about the science of life and loss, the relationships between fathers and sons, Cambodian fields, Bolivian rainforests and grief.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_92\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/emlewisplaywright.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/SoE-Guthrie-Lily-Max-Cello.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-92\" class=\"wp-image-92 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/emlewisplaywright.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/SoE-Guthrie-Lily-Max-Cello-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"&quot;Song of Extinction&quot; at the Guthrie, presented by Theatre Latte Da.\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"http:\/\/emlewisplaywright.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/SoE-Guthrie-Lily-Max-Cello-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/emlewisplaywright.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/SoE-Guthrie-Lily-Max-Cello.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-92\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">&#8220;Song of Extinction&#8221; at the Guthrie, presented by Theatre Latte Da.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Publications<\/span>:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Samuel French<\/li>\n<li>Dramatics Magazine<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/emlewisplaywright.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/Song-of-Extinction-Samuel-French-cover-2010.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-22 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/emlewisplaywright.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/Song-of-Extinction-Samuel-French-cover-2010.jpg\" alt=\"&quot;Song of Extinction&quot; by EM Lewis, published by Samuel French in 2010\" width=\"159\" height=\"252\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Productions<\/strong><\/span>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>2012 &#8211; Hostos College &#8211; The Bronx, NY \u00a0(plus Book-of-the-Semester)<\/li>\n<li>2011 &#8211; The Guthrie, by Theatre Latte Da, Minneapolis, MN<\/li>\n<li>2010 &#8211; Ion Theater \u2014 San Diego, CA<\/li>\n<li>2010 &#8211; Edinburgh Fringe Festival, produced by Rio Hondo College \u2014 Edinburgh, Scotland<\/li>\n<li>2008 &#8211;\u00a0World premiere production by Moving Arts at [Inside] the Ford (through a special Winter Partnership Program with the Los Angeles County Arts Commission) &#8212;\u00a0Los Angeles, CA<\/li>\n<li>2008 \u00a0&#8211; Winner and workshop production at the EcoDrama Festival \u2014 University of Oregon \u2014 Eugene, OR<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"attachment_93\" style=\"width: 210px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/emlewisplaywright.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/SoE-Poster-for-Theater-Latte-Da.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-93\" class=\"wp-image-93 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/emlewisplaywright.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/SoE-Poster-for-Theater-Latte-Da.jpg\" alt=\"&quot;Song of Extinction&quot; at the Guthrie.\" width=\"200\" height=\"265\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-93\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">&#8220;Song of Extinction&#8221; at the Guthrie.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Readings, Awards, and Development:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Reading: Page 73 &#8211; New York, NY<\/li>\n<li>Reading: Briccolage Theater\u2019s 2011 Play Reading Series \u2014 Pittsburgh, PA<\/li>\n<li>Reading: TimeLine Theater\u2019s 2010 \u201cTimePieces\u201d Reading Series \u2014 Chicago, IL<\/li>\n<li>Published by Samuel French \u2014 March 2010<\/li>\n<li>Published in Dramatics Magazine \u2014 January 2010<\/li>\n<li>Winner: 2009 Harold &amp; Mimi Steinberg\/ATCA New Play Award from the American Theater Critics Association<\/li>\n<li>Winner: 2009 Ted Schmitt Award for the world premiere of an outstanding new play from the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle \u2014 Los Angeles, CA<\/li>\n<li>Winner: 2008 Production of the Year and Best Lead Actor from the LA Weekly Awards \u2014 Los Angeles, CA<\/li>\n<li>Winner \u2013 2008 Ashland New Plays Festival \u2014 Ashland, OR<\/li>\n<li>Reading \u2013 Atlantic Theater\u2019s 2008 Next Page Reading Series \u2013 New York, NY<\/li>\n<li>Finalist \u2013 2008 Sundance Institute Theater Lab<\/li>\n<li>Finalist\/Reading \u2013 HotCity Theater\u2019s 2008 Greenhouse Festival \u2013 St. Louis, MO<\/li>\n<li>Reading \u2013 NYU\u2019s 2008 hotINK International Festival of New Plays (sponsored by Atlantic Theater) \u2013 New York, NY<\/li>\n<li>Staged Reading in the 2007 Living Room Series at the Blank \u2013 Los Angeles, CA<\/li>\n<li>Reading at Moving Arts 2007 \u2013 Los Angeles, CA<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<dl id=\"attachment_23\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\">\n<dt class=\"wp-caption-dt\">\n<div id=\"attachment_23\" style=\"width: 315px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/emlewisplaywright.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/khim-max-in-the-classroom-cropped.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23\" class=\"wp-image-23 size-full\" title=\"&quot;Song of Extinction&quot; by EM Lewis, produced by Moving Arts\" src=\"http:\/\/emlewisplaywright.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/khim-max-in-the-classroom-cropped.jpg\" alt=\"Biology teacher Khim Phan and high school student Max Forrestal talk about extinction.\" width=\"305\" height=\"209\" srcset=\"http:\/\/emlewisplaywright.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/khim-max-in-the-classroom-cropped.jpg 305w, http:\/\/emlewisplaywright.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/khim-max-in-the-classroom-cropped-300x205.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 305px) 100vw, 305px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-23\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u201cSong of Extinction\u201d by EM Lewis, produced by Moving Arts \u2014 Winner of the Ted Schmitt Award from the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle for Outstanding Writing of a World Premiere Play and Production of the Year at the LA Weekly Awards.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/dt>\n<dd class=\"wp-caption-dd\"><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Reviews from the World Premiere of SONG OF EXTINCTION,<\/strong>\u00a0<strong style=\"line-height: 1.7;\">produced by Moving Arts at [Inside] the Ford:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u201c\u2026one of the most beautiful and important plays of the season.\u201d \u00a0\u2013 Laura Hitchcock, Los Angeles Beat<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u201cCRITIC\u2019S CHOICE\u2026 artfully balances its theme of mortality between the intimate and the macroscopic\u2026 explores inner psychological states with remarkable eloquence and clarity\u2026\u201d \u00a0\u2013 Phillip Brandeis, Los Angeles Times<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u201cGO! The interplay of the three [views on extinction] in Lewis\u2019 smart and honest script is one small push away from collective transcendence\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u2013 Amy Nicholson, LA Weekly<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u201cAn extraordinary production\u2026 exquisitely written\u2026 Everything about this play is done to perfection\u2026 there is a melancholy richness and sensitivity in this beautiful play that will stay with you for a very long time. Guaranteed to leave you thoughtful and speechless.\u201d \u00a0\u2013 Cynthia Citron, Curtain Up<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u201cAn exquisitely poetic and deeply moving new play\u2026\u201d \u00a0\u2013 Steven Stanley, Stage Scene LA<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u201cLewis weaves a mesmerizing tale that gently plucks on the universal chords of the human condition\u2026 The triumph of this play is the masterful blend of visual and audio elements that complement the text with an exquisite tenderness and spellbinding artistry\u2026\u201d \u00a0\u2013 MR Hunter, Stage Happenings<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u201c\u2026remarkable, totally engaging\u2026 The theme of Ms. Lewis\u2019 haunting \u201cSong\u201d is extinction past and present, from the Cambodian genocide during the Khmer Rouge regime to endangered species in the Bolivian rain forest, epics against which a number of intimate, desperate human dramas unfold. That so many stories as well as so much history are presented in such compelling style (without sermonizing or pontificating) is a testament to the playwright\u2019s skills and ability to trust the passions and inner voices of her fully-drawn characters\u2026\u201d\u00a0\u2013 Jack Ong, Executive Director of the Haing Ngor Foundation<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_26\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/emlewisplaywright.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/SoE-at-Ion-Max-and-Lily.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-26\" class=\"wp-image-26 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/emlewisplaywright.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/SoE-at-Ion-Max-and-Lily.jpg\" alt=\"&quot;Song of Extinction&quot; by EM Lewis at Ion Theater in San Diego\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-26\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">&#8220;Song of Extinction&#8221; by EM Lewis at Ion Theater in San Diego<\/p><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Reviews from the Ion Theater Production of SONG OF EXTINCTION,<br \/>\nin San Diego, CA:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u201cIn EM Lewis\u2019s engrossing and insightful\u00a0<em>Song of Extinction<\/em>, getting its impressive local debut by Ion Theatre, the \u201cextinction\u201d ranges from personal to global. And the drama envelops the heart and mind throughout the journey.&#8221; \u00a0-Don Braunagel, SanDiego.com<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u201cThe writing, both psychologically astute and dreamily poetic, is impressive\u2026 \u00a0It\u2019s a rare play that explores environmental degradation in such strongly original and humanly true ways\u2026\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u2014 Anne Marie Welsh, North County Times<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u201c\u2026a lyrical, metaphor-laden meditation on family, loss, hope and new beginnings.\u201d \u00a0\u2014 Jennifer Chung Klam, San Diego Union Tribune<\/p>\n<dl id=\"attachment_25\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\">\n<dt class=\"wp-caption-dt\"><a href=\"http:\/\/emlewisplaywright.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/SoE-Guthrie-Lily-Ellery1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-25 \" title=\"The Guthrie Theater presentation of a Theater Latt\u008ee Da production of Song of Extinction by EM Lewis, directed by Peter Rothstein\" src=\"http:\/\/emlewisplaywright.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/SoE-Guthrie-Lily-Ellery1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"http:\/\/emlewisplaywright.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/SoE-Guthrie-Lily-Ellery1.jpg 600w, http:\/\/emlewisplaywright.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/SoE-Guthrie-Lily-Ellery1-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/dt>\n<dd class=\"wp-caption-dd\">\u201cSong of Extinction\u201d by EM Lewis, at the Guthrie, produced by Theater Latte Da<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Reviews from the Theater Latte Da Production of SONG OF EXTINCTION at the GUTHRIE,\u00a0in Minneapolis, MN:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u201c\u202690 minutes of poignant worthiness \u2026 Rothstein\u2019s second small jewel of the year\u2026 [He] shows us his articulate understanding of drama that gets inside the human psyche.\u201d \u00a0\u2014 Graydon Royce, Star Tribune<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">All the right notes Theater Latte Da\u2019s \u2018Song of Extinction\u2019 a touching triumph: \u00a0 \u00a0\u201c\u2026filled with compassion for its characters and a delicate touch that makes [Song of Extinction] a very moving drama\u2026 To the credit of author Lewis and director Peter Rothstein, no point is belabored, no audience member bludgeoned with a message. For a work with so many layers, it\u2019s nevertheless almost minimalist in structure, its dialogue convincingly realistic, its tone admirably restrained.\u201d \u00a0\u2014 Rob Hubbard, Pioneer Press<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaking his professional debut, Piering gives a natural, nuanced performance as Max. His anger and pain are always near the surface and explode at the smallest provocation, but Piering never moves into melodrama. His focus fuels several of the show\u2019s best moments, especially the final minutes, when the cello comes out of the case and Max finally is able to get beyond his anger and into his sorrow. The piece, composed by longtime Latte Da music director Denise Prosek, reflects that perfectly, while Piering plays it as Max would\u2014full of anger and passion.\u201d \u00a0\u2014 Ed Huyck, City Pages<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis piece is intense, rich, affecting\u2026 [David] Mura lends the play understated resonance\u2026 Also first rate are John Middleton and Carla Noack as the Forrestals\u2026 Anyone raising a teen-ager knows how illogically volatile they can be and Dan Piering, as Max, captures this gorgeously.\u201d \u00a0\u2014 John Olive, How Was The Show?<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_94\" style=\"width: 266px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/emlewisplaywright.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/SoE-in-Dramatics-cover.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-94\" class=\"wp-image-94 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/emlewisplaywright.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/SoE-in-Dramatics-cover-256x300.jpg\" alt=\"&quot;Song of Extinction&quot; published in Dramatics Magazine, with original cover art.\" width=\"256\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/emlewisplaywright.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/SoE-in-Dramatics-cover-256x300.jpg 256w, http:\/\/emlewisplaywright.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/SoE-in-Dramatics-cover.jpg 434w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 256px) 100vw, 256px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-94\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">&#8220;Song of Extinction&#8221; published in Dramatics Magazine, with original cover art.<\/p><\/div>\n<h3>Multimedia<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"\u2014%20Don Braunagel, SanDiego.com\" target=\"_blank\">Click here<\/a> for a video trailer from the Moving Arts production of &#8220;Song of Extinction&#8221; at [Inside] the Ford.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/vimeo.com\/20221974\">Click here<\/a> for a video of interviews and rehearsal from the Theatre Latte Da\u00a0production of &#8220;Song of Extinction&#8221; at the Guthrie.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/vimeo.com\/20501636\" target=\"_blank\">Click here<\/a> for a video of live footage from the\u00a0Theatre Latte Da\u00a0production of &#8220;Song of Extinction&#8221; at the Guthrie.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/vimeo.com\/20792168\" target=\"_blank\">Click here<\/a> for a video of clips and reviews\u00a0from the Theatre Latte Da\u00a0production of &#8220;Song of Extinction&#8221; at the Guthrie.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Drama \u00a0 \u00a0 * \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a090 minutes \u00a0 \u00a0 * \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a05 Men\/1 Woman Max, a musically gifted high school student, is falling off the edge of the world \u2013- and his biology teacher is the only one who\u2019s noticed. A play about the science of life and loss, the relationships between fathers and sons, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":9,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-62","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","post-preview"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/emlewisplaywright.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/62","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/emlewisplaywright.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/emlewisplaywright.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/emlewisplaywright.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/emlewisplaywright.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=62"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/emlewisplaywright.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/62\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/emlewisplaywright.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/emlewisplaywright.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=62"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}