written & performed by
DOUG MOTEL
Contact: Real Time Productions 472 Lefever Falls Rd. Rosendale, NY 12472 (917) 378-0469 www.DougMotel.com
PRODUCTION HISTORY
A
sk Doug Motel to define the terms "tragedy" and "comedy" and he'll quickly explain that they are, respectively, the beginning and the end of his creative process. In his one-man tour de force, SHIVA ARMS, Motel used the tragic death of a friend as the genesis for developing a performance piece that honors the friend's memory and explores larger issues of life and death and love and loss. The result, according to Variety, is "at once uproariously funny and poignant." But the play didn't start out with a review in Variety. And Motel didn't start out with a hit on his hands. Acting since the age of 12, he began writing and performing his own solo plays in the 80‘s, touring the "living room circuit" from London to Honolulu to hone his material. Motel wanted to write a new solo play that would take audiences on a funny but deeply touching spiritual journey. Based on his own real life experience with the sudden death of a friend, the show would find Motel taking over as the manager of the Shiva Arms, an aging apartment building in low-rent Hollywood. The residents, a pastiche of characters on the fringes of LA life, would slowly reveal their own feelings about their neighbors and the previous manager, a beloved woman who was senselessly murdered by a drugaddled tenant. Set in “New Age” California of the 1980’s,
Motel began outlining a piece that would in the words of Variety theater critic Sheri Linden, would sculpt “an exploration of Los Angeles on
the edges of the dream factory that is full of the ache of living.” In a flush of creative energy, his
first journal entry concerning the play contains the outline for the show, its main characters, and the emotional arc that makes SHIVA ARMS both side-splittingly funny and devastatingly affecting. Since then, working with long-time collaborators Michael Michetti (dramaturge and director) and Eileen T'Kaye (producer), characters have been added and subtracted, scenes juggled and monologues merged. However, the basic outline of the show stays true to what Motel wrote in his journal that morning. After the trio polished the gem of Motel's idea, Los Angeles' Attic Theater saw the first reading of SHIVA ARMS at the Stella Adler Theater in Hollywood, and Glaxa Studios in Silverlake. During this period, Motel divulges that he did "a different show every night," rewriting scenes during the day and performing the revised material that evening. After two more workshop productions of SHIVA ARMS were presented at Theater 150 in Ojai California. From its humble beginnings, and following a nearly four year development process of honing the material as well as his performance, Motel’s vision was finally realized when SHIVA ARMS had its World Premiere at the Coast Playhouse in West Hollywood. (con’t)
The alchemy of turning tragedy to comedy visited Motel again on opening night. Taking the show business proverb "break a leg" a bit too literally, the actor/writer fell and broke his foot that afternoon.
lauded Motel for his incredible ability to breathe life into such a diverse cast, from Mrs. Burns, the feisty crone who used to work in film production, to Jamie, the ranting, pierced, punk-rocking queer. Audiences and critics alike were mesmerized by his capacity to imbue True to another show-biz axiom, the show did go on. his characters with such life, even though he was Motel, unable to walk, performed from a sitting position. restricted to a chair for the first six weeks of the tenDeprived of the opportunity to fully utilize the week run. handsome set and elaborate lighting designed for the Coast production, Motel employed subtle yet amazing SHIVA ARMS is Doug Motel's fourth successful solo play, changes in his physicality to bring to life eleven strikingly earning him rave reviews throughout the Southland, and different characters. numerous Los Angeles theatre awards and nominations. Stripped to its essence—a seated actor and his menagerie of razor sharp characterizations—this was the show the LA critics reviewed. Once again, they
To see video from Shiva Arms visit: www.DougMotel.com
THE STORY OF “SHIVA ARMS”
I
n his highly acclaimed one-man show, Doug Motel wants you to meet his neighbors. But you’ll never see Motel portraying himself in his solo play, SHIVA ARMS. Instead, you’ll meet eleven finely crafted characters who live in the eponymous apartment building of the title.
Playing all eleven characters with uncanny sensitivity to vocal inflections, body language and even breathing patterns, the writer/actor demonstrates not only his dazzling performing abilities but also his remarkable knack for showing us a little bit of ourselves in each of his characters.
SHIVA ARMS is not the garden-variety confessional that O n c e often passes for a single-actor show. In a performance that has been hailed by critics as “brilliant,” “inspired” and “a tour de force,” Motel uses a glimpse into the lives of a group of colorful LA types to create a moving exploration of some of life’s “big questions.” Alternating between hearttouching moments and laughout-loud situations, the story entertains, illuminates and uplifts audiences. The story begins on Motel’s first day as the new resident manager of the Shiva Arms apartments, an aging but recently spiffedup building in low-rent Hollywood. Motel has been hired to replace Linda, the sweet Wisconsin innocent who’d previously held the job. As the story unfolds, each of the building’s residents casts a new light on the details surrounding Linda’s mysterious absence, in a series of tragi-comic monologues that weave a tapestry of love, loss and laughter.
we learn that Linda was murdered by a disturbed tenant, Motel brings us along to her memorial, attended by all the building’s residents. The service (which takes place on Linda’s favorite stretch of beach) is marred by a series of hysterical interruptions, and the group’s trip home is punctuated by an impromptu picnic, a celebrity sighting and a three-car pile-up. It all leads to an inspired epiphany for each character that rewards the audience with a beautifully wrapped package of emotions.
So do we ever meet Doug Motel, the man? Or does he remain hidden behind his exquisitely wrought characters? No, we’ll never see Motel as himself. But it’s certainly not because he’s shy. In this masterful solo performance, based on a true story, we can’t help but see into the heart of the show’s star and scribe. In illuminating a little bit of ourselves through each of his characters, we see a little of Doug Motel right there with us. It’s a meeting that won’t soon fade from memory.
L
THE CHARACTERS os Angeles is a haven for unique
personalities. In Doug Motel's solo play, "Shiva Arms," eleven of the city's oddest and most interesting people are neighbors in an apartment building in Hollywood.
Elmer, from 107, is the
“I named it ‘The Shiva Arms’ after the Lord Shiva. In Hinduism, he is the creator and the destroyer, and we create new apartments by destroying the old Mr. Chandra ones.”
We first meet the building's owner, Mr. Chandra, a chunky East Indian elf of a man. Although his relatives were peasants in India, he's pursued the Mr. Chandra American Dream and now owns several apartments, a restaurant and a silver Mercedes Benz. The residents of Chandra's building are as unique as LA itself.
“She'd say to me, ‘Keep letting it go. Don't cling.’ One day, I got kinda annoyed by that, and I said, ‘What about seizing the moment?’ She said, ‘Seize it, don't freeze it!’” Bambi
There's Bambi, in Apartment 103, a surgically enhanced B-movie actress who shares her apartment with two cats, Norma and Jean. She's a star in her own universe of camp movie fans, and she's considering a move to Arizona to meet alien visitors from another world.
building's resident stalker. He's had a fractured childhood, and his longest relationship has been an obsession with "Charlie's Angels" star, Jacklyn Smith. Elmer
Mrs. Burns is the feisty old woman in 108. Her career was spent behind the scenes in Hollywood studios, as a negative cutter. Her twilight years are spent in a tiny apartment trying to keep the neighbor's cats from stealing dinner off the table.
Mrs. Burns
Ronald, the elderly black
She said to me, "I've finally figured out that it's a lot easier letting go of everything, if you can remember while you got it, that it's not really yours to begin with." I said, "Now you're cookin', cousin. This whole world is just on loan."
man in 105, may be the building's most well a d j u s t e d resident. An accident years ago left him confined to a wheelchair. His physical handicap hasn't dimmed his energy or his love for other people. Now he's a desktop
Ronald publishing entrepreneur.
Ronald
“Most of the rest of these tenants are either alleged screenwriters or rock star wanna-be's and their emaciated model girlfriends. But I’m sure you’ll be acquainted with them in no time.” Frank
Frank, the building's non o n s e n s e supervisor, seems grateful he only has to visit Shiva A r m s o n occasion. He's got a drill sergeant's way with people, and a sense of disdain for people who have to live in the kinds of buildings he has to supervise.
Armand, a young Armenian family man, shares Apartment 204 with an incalculable number of relatives. He's pleasant to visitors, but the commotion caused by his wife, son, daughter, and sister-in-law—and the dog who's not supposed to be there—tax both his patience and his disposition.
Tatiana
is Jamie's mother, an excruciatingly prim Beverly Hills matron who married into the
Jamie
Hollywood show b u s i n e s s community. She can't understand why her husband won't forgive her a casual affair, or why her son chooses to live "in this Cirque du Soleil of bacteria and germs."
“If you could choose to live in a lovely and spacious home in Beverly Hills, or in this Cirque de Soliel of bacteria and germs, which would you choose?” Tatiana
Ian is a ruggedly handsome Australian. When not
Armand
Bob, the guileless and fashion-impaired husband of Linda (the former manager), is a study in the grace that accompanies life's most painful moments. As he struggles with moving on with life after his wife's death, he'll soon be moving out of Apartment 104. He thinks Linda would have wanted their child to grow up in Wisconsin.
Jamie is the embodiment of cynicism, a selfdescribed "punk-rocking sodomite helping to usher in the revolution." A pierced, tattooed and angry anarchist, he lives in squalor in 102.
working as the building's handyman, he surfs the beach of Malibu, s i n c e r e l y believing he'll discover the meaning of life in the curl of a perfect wave.
Ian Bob
by w, directed o sh an m en otel's o ging the “In Doug M s beyond snag e o g l te o .M w.. etti ers from a lo ct ra Michael Mich a ch 1 1 is s of h the form varied essence mplex, using co t en tm ar ap d u nd an t rent Hollywoo r than showcasing his ab h ftie nfolds throug u at th for an aim lo ry o st ills. The ic and s is a sardon performing sk n io at n so er p SoCal e im the affectionat ical portrait of flinty rc larger usions to sometimes fa ll a l a c ti e o tel's h p d spirit...Mo c n dreams, wit a th a e d of Eri f life, questions o s than those e g ed er ft so e and ve compassionat characters ha re o m a in lting Bogosian, resu Y r.” - LA WEEKL less glib venee n Leigh Morris
“Pick of the Week!” LA WEEKLY
Steve
"Highly Recommended!" THE LOS ANGELES TIMES
“Nothing is lack ing, nor is muc h extraneous in Arms,” a work “Shiva at once uproari ou sly funny and poignant. A se ries of characte r-defining mon that never lapse ologu into caricature. As a writer, Mo es a fine ear for th tel ha e self-awarenes s and blind spot s revealed in our speech…Motel s regards his char with compassio acters n — and invest s them with it. A ploration of Los n ex Angeles on the edges of the drea factory that is fu m ll of the ache o f living.” Sherry Lind en
- DAILY VAR IETY
“Motel’s story begins as a slice of life, turns into a mystery, transforms into a tragedy and then vacilates with devastating accuracy between Under the direction of slapstick and drama. Michael Michetti, the characters are clearly defined.” Jana J. Monji - THE LOS ANGELES TIMES
"A Brilliant Performance!" 4FRONT MAGAZINE
"Uproariously Funny and Poignant!" VARIETY
“In his one-m an play Shiva Arms, Doug M demonstrates that he is an otel ac tor of incred versatility an d range. He ib le inhabits the sh characters...wit o w s h such specific 11 ity that it’s ha believe that th rd to e man doesn’t have a diagno multi-personal ity disorder. E sed ach of the char has a body lang acters uage, a vocal ca dence, manneri and tics, even sms breathing patte rns, that are w his or her own. holly ..That all of th ese characters from one man come is nothing sho rt of astoundin performances co g...his uldn’t be any richer.” Edward Shap ir o - BAC
g a nd tly surprisin an st n co .. t. n Motel’s “Brillia rns. tu in rp ai h are as hilarious ns and timing io at e in el d er .S. charact l see on a U il w u o y s a re...a masterful spiritual sati ee fr eic al m .. ing stage. h gut-wrench ic h w in e are Zen farc ching tears n re w tu g d laughter an .” istinguishable poignantly ind Westerfield THE SAN
T o m my IAN BAY G UA RD O C IS C N A FR
K STAGE WE ST
"See
SHIVA ARMS!"
“The multi-faceted actor creates his own skewed world so effectively that audiences come away from the solo show believing they have met a bevy of new acquaintances.” Lisa McKinnon - VENTURA COUNTY STAR
“A brilliant performance...more mirth and worth than most current productions...it establishes Doug Motel as an actor/comic/writer on the caliber of stars like Lily Tomlin.” Archie Rothman - 4FRONT MAGAZINE
“With Shiva Arms, Doug Motel has joined the esteemed ranks of Traci Ullman and Lily Tomlin as a master of an emerging performance genre: ensemble performance by solo performer... a masterful storyteller.” Dave Depino - PARK LA BREA NEWS/BEVERLY PRESS
“Kudos to a very talented performer...See Shiva Arms!” Dan Bailey - OJAI VALLEY TIMES
“Delightfully witty...a marvelous night of intimate theatre at its very best.” Ron Rowe - OJAI VALLEY VOICE
“Motel is the consummate performer, eliciting from his audience laughter one moment and wrenching pain the next.” Karen Moncharsh - OJAI VALLEY NEWS
WINNER
Los Angeles Weekly Award Best Solo Performance (for writing and performing)
WINNER
Theater LA Ovation Award Best Writing of a World Premiere Play
NOMINATED Theater LA Ovation Award Best Production of the Year
NOMINATED Theater LA Ovation Award Best Actor – Doug Motel
AWARDS
DOUG MOTEL DOUG MOTEL (Actor/Writer) Born and raised in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Doug made his theatrical debut at the age of 12 as an Urchin in the Atlantic City Community Theater production of THE ROAR OF THE GREASEPAINT, THE SMELL OF THE CROWD. That same year he also booked his first paid gig as a bratty kid playing on the beach in the feature film THE MONEY co-starring Danny Devito. Throughout his teens, Doug played many roles in community and regional theatre (most notably in the acclaimed production of OLIVER! at New Jersey’s historic Gateway Playhouse). At 16 years old, he had the opportunity of working alongside Broadway great Brian Dennehy on ABC television’s BIG SHAMUS LITTLE SHAMUS filmed on location in Atlantic City. After a season at Hope Summer Repertory Theater in Holland Michigan, Mr. Motel moved to Manhattan and at 18 was immediately cast as “Thug” in THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER at The Quaigh Theater. Throughout the 1980’s Doug was performing his unique brand of thought provoking humor in virtually all of New York’s comedy clubs and in funky downtown spaces. Doug moved to Los Angeles by 1990 and though appearing in films such as the THE WAITING GAME, (winner San Diego International Film Festival: Audience Award, Best Independent Feature) and in national television shows such as Fox TV’s live action version of THE TICK (fans know him as the evil Russian villain of the pilot episode) and in popular legitimate theaters like West Hollywood's Coast Playhouse, it is in meeting and performing for people in unusual settings like a dude ranch in Montana or at the Center for a Course in Miracles in London that Doug feels most satisfied. Mr. Motel is the author of three critically acclaimed solo plays including MICK IN AMERICA, MIND SALAD (L.A. Weekly award nomination for writing and performing) and SHIVA ARMS (winner L.A. Weekly award for writing and performing and winner Theatre LA Ovation award for Best Writing of a World Premier play). He also wrote the libretto and co-wrote the lyrics with John Kroner, for GENIE! The long running musical at the Alhambra Casino Theater in Aruba. Recently Doug directed Broadway vet and Tony Award nominee Robert Cuccioli in the staged reading of his solo play PRAESTIGUM that features the stories of Judas, Benedict Arnold and James Wormley Jones.
Contact: Real Time Productions 472 Lefever Falls Rd. Rosendale, NY 12472 (917) 378 - 4728