‘PRNYC‘ by Mark Rose is a taut well-rehearsed script, loaded with authentic public relations jargon, easily rivaling the popular TV series ‘Mad Men’. Director’s casting and pacing is ideal for exploring complex office politics and personal relationships credibly and naturally. Well-placed desks and cross-stage scrim create efficient feng shui. The play traces the meteoric rise of ‘nice’ PETER RILEY (Michael Vicha) in a snake pit inhabited wonderfully by WAN DERSHON (Peter Wiant), single-mindedly by HEATHER INGALLS (Kelly McNees), commandingly by MYRON MANDELBAUM (Hewitt Brooks), and coincidentally by MELODY STARK (Colleen Dobbin). A major triumph.

Steve Treacy, Port Townsend Leader, 2/12/2012. Photo: (left to right) Michael Vicha, Kelly McNees, Peter Wiant. Courtesy Key City Public Theatre.

PRNYC, a modern day drama set in Manhattan PR Agency explores absurdity, power struggles, porous sexual boundaries, intense deadline pressure, conflicting messages, high stakes, obfuscation as a lifestyle, and brutal personalities that dominate the ecosystem of New York City PR agencies.

Peter Reilly works for the man known as The Beast, who reports to Simon Gurwitz, one of the most powerful men in New York. Simon has the ear of the Mayor, the Governor, Donald, Rupert, et al. What price will Peter Reilly pay to whisper in Simon’s ear and reflect the sheen of power to assuage his fears and lost identity? As Myron Mandelbaum  questions, will he “embrace The Beast or search for happiness over the rainbow?”

PRNYC is about the language we adopt to navigate difficult and highly pressurized situations in New York City professional offices. It may seem extreme to outsiders but to Peter Reilly it’s just another day in the office.

PRNYC was selected for a production in the 16^th Annual Port Townsend Playwrights Festival. It is presented at Key City Public Theatre as a one act, running approximately 40 minutes. It premieres February 9, 2012 and opens February 10 for a nine performance run, closing on February 26. It is on a bill with two other one act plays.

My hope is to try out the play on audiences unfamiliar with New York and PR, then expand the show into a full-length production, or combine it with another one act as part of the “Work America” series,  and seek a New York venue.

Background on PRNYC and the Port Townsend Playwright’s Festival: http://www.keycitypublictheatre.org/12_festival.htm | Playwriting Background:  http://markrosenyc.com/about-me/

Of course, this is not the end of this process; in many ways only the beginning. Today it is a punctuation! Good enough to send off for feedback and the beginning of the process leading to the reading. How did this play begin?

A year ago I wrote a 10 min. play called WHITE NOISE; it played for eight performances at H-B Playwrights Theatre, Bank St, NYC, as part of “The Waiting Room” series.  In the play an over-zealous New York PR guys puts the moves on a crazed marketing exec in the waiting room of a therapists office. They test each other for 10 minutes and resolve to meet, after the PR guy rants about his horrible boss nicknamed The Beast.

What if that guy actually went to work the next morning? I asked myself, on my way to work one morning, as the bitterly cold wind whipped around Riverside Park. I used the 10 min. play as the the first Scene and built on that for a full length play. The Play was called PUBLIC RELATIONS and we went through two readings in Donna De Matteo’s playwriting class. At the end of that process I realized that:

• I had no idea what this play was about
• There were too many characters
• The action was too diffuse
• There was no climax
• I failed to establish the language and rhythm necessary to carry this play

I realized that as long as I was tethered to the 10 min play the full-length play would not be able to find its own life. So I:

• Deleted Scene 1; started at Scene 2
• Deleted 6 characters; pared down to 5
• Compressed action time frame to 48 hours
• Wrote the ending first, then the climax

In other words, I took Lee Blessing’s advice. Thanks Lee.