Todd Bash
Encyclopedia
Todd Bash is an avant-garde
playwright
from Los Angeles
, California
.
He has written more than twenty works for the theatre, many performed and published, as well as prose, poetry and film projects. He is also the creator of numerous collage
s, art objects and musical experiments.
His early writing features a gritty, realistic style, calling to mind the works of David Mamet
and David Rabe, as well as British playwright Harold Pinter
. Plays from this period include The Winning Number, Concrete and Blackouts.
By the late 1980s, Bash's approach changed radically, moving further and further into avant-garde territory. Often shattering the conventions of traditional theatre, and featuring dream-like imagery, his current style recalls the experiments of the Paris Surrealists during the 1920s, as well as writers such as Alfred Jarry
, Bertolt Brecht
and Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz
. Among his plays from this period are Das Nachtgespenst, Goldring, Nachthunde and The Final Thoughts Of Stanislaw Bashkiewicz. His short opera libretto Seehunde was set to music by Japanese born composer Shigeru Kan-no
.
Bash has worked with theatre companies in Los Angeles, New York and Philadelphia, as well as collaborations with artists from around the world. His writing has appeared in numerous periodicals, including Lost and Found Times, Neotrope and Gestalten, as well as collections published by Broken Boulder Press and Dog Ear Publishing. His latest book of plays is Sanctus Fumigaci.
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
from Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
He has written more than twenty works for the theatre, many performed and published, as well as prose, poetry and film projects. He is also the creator of numerous collage
Collage
A collage is a work of formal art, primarily in the visual arts, made from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole....
s, art objects and musical experiments.
His early writing features a gritty, realistic style, calling to mind the works of David Mamet
David Mamet
David Alan Mamet is an American playwright, essayist, screenwriter and film director.Best known as a playwright, Mamet won a Pulitzer Prize and received a Tony nomination for Glengarry Glen Ross . He also received a Tony nomination for Speed-the-Plow . As a screenwriter, he received Oscar...
and David Rabe, as well as British playwright Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter, CH, CBE was a Nobel Prize–winning English playwright and screenwriter. One of the most influential modern British dramatists, his writing career spanned more than 50 years. His best-known plays include The Birthday Party , The Homecoming , and Betrayal , each of which he adapted to...
. Plays from this period include The Winning Number, Concrete and Blackouts.
By the late 1980s, Bash's approach changed radically, moving further and further into avant-garde territory. Often shattering the conventions of traditional theatre, and featuring dream-like imagery, his current style recalls the experiments of the Paris Surrealists during the 1920s, as well as writers such as Alfred Jarry
Alfred Jarry
Alfred Jarry was a French writer born in Laval, Mayenne, France, not far from the border of Brittany; he was of Breton descent on his mother's side....
, Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
and Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz
Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz
Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz, a.k.a. "Witkacy" was a Polish playwright, novelist, painter, photographer and philosopher.-Life:...
. Among his plays from this period are Das Nachtgespenst, Goldring, Nachthunde and The Final Thoughts Of Stanislaw Bashkiewicz. His short opera libretto Seehunde was set to music by Japanese born composer Shigeru Kan-no
Shigeru Kan-no
is a Japanese composer and conductor living in Germany.-Biography:Shigeru Kan-no was born in Fukushima, Japan. He now lives as a free-lance composer and conductor in Westerwald, Germany. His repertoire includes over 100 operas and 700 concert pieces. He is also a talented musician, able to play...
.
Bash has worked with theatre companies in Los Angeles, New York and Philadelphia, as well as collaborations with artists from around the world. His writing has appeared in numerous periodicals, including Lost and Found Times, Neotrope and Gestalten, as well as collections published by Broken Boulder Press and Dog Ear Publishing. His latest book of plays is Sanctus Fumigaci.