As Kirk Fights Cancer, Let's Immortalize His Plays
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Kirk Bromley's diagnosis of stage 3 double-hit lymphoma is terrifying; but it's inspired us to save his wondrous plays from extinction by bringing together his theatrical family, cultivated over three decades in the theater, to professionally record and engineer enthralling "radio play" style versions of his work for posterity (and to keep up Kirk's spirits during his chemo and bone marrow transplants).
I'm Chad Gracia and as you may know, I've worked with playwright Kirk Wood Bromley for more than 20 years, many of them spent as the producer of his remarkable verse plays for the stage. Nothing that I've done in my life has provided me more intellectual nourishment and pure joy than collaborating with our huge theater family to mount hundreds of shows that brought Kirk's magical words and characters to life and dazzled audiences and reviewers alike.
During those years, we often talked about doing "radio play"-style recordings of Kirk's plays, because theater is ephemeral, seats are limited, and not everyone was lucky enough to live on Ludlow street in 1996. And also just because we loved (and still love) audio books, radio plays, and podcasts.
As you also probably know, Kirk was recently diagnosed with a rare form of lymphoma called Double Hit. He is currently receiving intensive chemotherapy treatment, which will be followed by a bone marrow transplant. Hearing this news, a team of his closest collaborators decided that now is the time to undertake the "radio play" project.
We're calling it the "Bromley Aural Canon." Part of what will make it so wonderful is we'll not only be bringing back some of our finest actors and greatest tunes (such as songs by the late Jessica Grace Wing), but we'll be working with new artists as well, many of whom Kirk has met through his residency at New Dramatists. Kirk has written 25 full-length verse plays, but we've decided to start with three early favorites: Midnight Brainwash Revival, The American Revolution and Icarus & Aria. Our ultimate goal, of course, is to eventually record them all.
Our budget (available upon request) is not small, but that's because we'll be working at a state-of-the-art recording studio and using top-level sound designers and audio engineers to ensure that the final products can stand proudly next to other great radio plays. For instance, our audio producer, Kevin Blackler, has worked on projects with Ken Burns, Yusef Komunyakaa, and Sean Lennon. I'm producing (and filming) the project, and working with many of the people who helped me on my last documentary (which won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance).
With your help, these first three recordings will be completed in the summer of 2019, and anyone in the world will then be able to lose themselves in the words and soundscapes of Kirk's plays. With your help, we will give these works a bit of the immortality they deserve, put a capstone on a long-time dream of Kirk and his creative team, and fill the ear-buds and imaginations of the world with just a little more magic & poetry. With your help, the Bromley Aural Canon will come to life. Thank you for your support, and we look forward to sharing this exciting new project with you.
- Chad Gracia
Kirk's Producer & Pal
I'm Chad Gracia and as you may know, I've worked with playwright Kirk Wood Bromley for more than 20 years, many of them spent as the producer of his remarkable verse plays for the stage. Nothing that I've done in my life has provided me more intellectual nourishment and pure joy than collaborating with our huge theater family to mount hundreds of shows that brought Kirk's magical words and characters to life and dazzled audiences and reviewers alike.
During those years, we often talked about doing "radio play"-style recordings of Kirk's plays, because theater is ephemeral, seats are limited, and not everyone was lucky enough to live on Ludlow street in 1996. And also just because we loved (and still love) audio books, radio plays, and podcasts.
As you also probably know, Kirk was recently diagnosed with a rare form of lymphoma called Double Hit. He is currently receiving intensive chemotherapy treatment, which will be followed by a bone marrow transplant. Hearing this news, a team of his closest collaborators decided that now is the time to undertake the "radio play" project.
We're calling it the "Bromley Aural Canon." Part of what will make it so wonderful is we'll not only be bringing back some of our finest actors and greatest tunes (such as songs by the late Jessica Grace Wing), but we'll be working with new artists as well, many of whom Kirk has met through his residency at New Dramatists. Kirk has written 25 full-length verse plays, but we've decided to start with three early favorites: Midnight Brainwash Revival, The American Revolution and Icarus & Aria. Our ultimate goal, of course, is to eventually record them all.
Our budget (available upon request) is not small, but that's because we'll be working at a state-of-the-art recording studio and using top-level sound designers and audio engineers to ensure that the final products can stand proudly next to other great radio plays. For instance, our audio producer, Kevin Blackler, has worked on projects with Ken Burns, Yusef Komunyakaa, and Sean Lennon. I'm producing (and filming) the project, and working with many of the people who helped me on my last documentary (which won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance).
With your help, these first three recordings will be completed in the summer of 2019, and anyone in the world will then be able to lose themselves in the words and soundscapes of Kirk's plays. With your help, we will give these works a bit of the immortality they deserve, put a capstone on a long-time dream of Kirk and his creative team, and fill the ear-buds and imaginations of the world with just a little more magic & poetry. With your help, the Bromley Aural Canon will come to life. Thank you for your support, and we look forward to sharing this exciting new project with you.
- Chad Gracia
Kirk's Producer & Pal
Co-organizers (2)
Chad Gracia
Organizer
Kirk Wood Bromley
Co-organizer