SOUL SAMURAI: Jeremy Arambulo Artwork

Check out the "Soul Samurai" artwork above created by the always awesome Jeremy Arambulo. We're big fans of his, as should you. After digging on his mad skills above, go to his website where you can buy and read some of his original offerings of visual awesomeness. He's the shit, yo. Fo' reals.

FIGHT GIRL BATTLE WORLD: Returns this July!

Get ready, Vamp Fans. It's going to be on like Donkey Kong. Dig it.

From Fatty to...well, hopefully a bit less Fat

My body hurts. In the last five days, I’ve been throwing myself through a masochistic marathon of push-ups, sit-ups, and cardio to get back in shape for my upcoming Rabid Vamps Fight Studio. And though it feels good to be moving again, I’m starting to look at stairs right now the same way Amy Winehouse must look at sobriety. Though my brain knows it’s good for me, my body is sarcastically saying “yeah, right, like that’s gonna happen”.

Why am I so desperate to hurt myself? Well, for the last three months, I’ve been in production-mode meaning I’ve been eating poorly, ignoring regular exercise, and allowing myself to ingest far too many calories late night because I wanted to be social after shows. That, coupled with the fact that I recently quit smoking (which causes my munchy muscle to kick in more regularly) and an awesome surprise from my wife (which causes me to sympathy eat), I’ve had a perfect storm of digestible excuses to assist me in making my stomach look like it’s about to birth a “Burger Baby” (my lady’s cutesy term in calling me fat). So after porking on more than a few extra pounds of huggable love, it’s time to get serious about trimming my chunky ass back down to my wedding weight. Unfortunately, though I can blimp up faster than a fading blonde pop-singer, my body’s ability to shed pounds is as efficient as my fellow Dems are at currently fixing the economy (yeah, fuckers, I went there).

So, Vamp Fans, if you’re wondering what yo’ favorite yella playwright’s daily schedule is gonna be for the next several months, it’s gonna be this: Wake up, exercise, eat some fruit, work out some more, fit in some time to write, work out, eat something light, maybe cry, maybe wish I hadn’t spent the last three months eating like a 20-year-old frat boy, maybe spend far too much time obsessing on the before/after photos off of NBC’s “Biggest Loser”, maybe openly laugh at those contestants whenever they break into life-changing tears, maybe then watch Bret Michael’s “Rock of Love” to see some real trainwrecks, then work out, puke, cry, exercise, kick the shit out of any plastic Ronald McDonald replicas I see, listen to the Rocky theme, create an awesome high energy playlist on my ipod that I’ll listen to exactly zero times after it’s created, stare at younger photos of myself and fondly reminisce when I was able to eat like a 20-year-old frat boy and not gain a pound, go punch a skinny frat boy cause they still can eat that way, eat my ipod, eat my own humility, maybe eat something that's actually edible, and then perhaps end the day with some more working out and eating something sensible that tastes strangely like what styrofoam would taste like if it were digestible.

So, realistic or not, here I am desperately trying to get rid of my winter season’s fat jacket in a fairly fast fashion. Yeah, I know it’s a fool’s errand to try to get back into shape by Sunday, but the effort has to begin somewhere and as long as I can pull off dropping close to ten pounds by the time I see my folks next (Easter Weekend in three weeks), I’ll be a happy camper.

That is if I survive through this Sunday’s Rabid Vamps opening workout. Which I may not. Especially if I’m walking around with an ipod in my stomach.

The New Slang

My boy, Jon Hoche, just added a new slang to the urban lexicon. What is it? See here via the Urban Dictionary. He coined it after many visits to our trendy local organic bodega near The Battle Ranch.

SOUL SAMURAI: Production Photos

"Soul Samurai" production photos have been added to the official Vampire Cowboys website. To see them as well as info and pics from all the shows and events from our Seventh Season, click HERE!

SOUL SAMURAI: Intermission Video

For those who missed it and for those who saw it but still want some more, here's a tid bit from "Soul Samurai". It's the video short we used for our "intermission". Enjoy!

SOUL SAMURAI: Closed for now...

Well, this version of "Soul Samurai" is now officially in the history books. I say "this version" cause who knows what else is in store for NY's favorite lady samurai? More adventures, perhaps? Only the playwright knows . . .
Much love and appreciation for everyone who came out to support and sell-out our shows. You guys fuckin' rocked our socks. Now it's back to the writing desk for me to start penning up the next Vampire Cowboys creation . . . maybe werewolves this time? Hmmm.

SOUL SAMURAI: Sold Out!

That's right, Vamp Fans! You've completely sold out the final six performances of our show! Can you dig it?

Making "Soul Samurai" has been an extraordinary ride for all of us here at Vampire Cowboys and, right now, I am feeling very touched to think that so many folks are interested in seeing the work that we do. Clearly being an artist can be quite daunting at times - you work your ass off, you try your best to convince people to see your stuff, and sometimes all the good intentions in the world still equals empty houses and a huge lack of lurve. But sometimes - just sometimes - like in this instance right here, the stars, constellations, and the Chinese Zodiac just line up just right for one helluva fun time. So thank you so much, everyone. We appreciate each and every one of you. This absolutely rocks. You are Vampire Cowboys!

And for all you procrastinatin' muhfuckahs (And I ain't saying that with any hate cause I've definitely been guilty in waiting until the last minute too), if you still haven't seen the show and still wanna find a way to squeeze into the theatre, the box office opens at 4pm at Here Arts Center. You can go by and put your name on the daily wait list. We always have a small number of house seats (seats we hold in case of emergency) that we release to be sold the day of the performance. First come, first serve. So don't give up just yet, young Jedis, you still can get your geek on with the undead wranglers! You just gotta do it old school style. Yee-muhfuckin'-haw.

For more info on "Soul Samurai", CLICK HERE!

SOUL SAMURAI: The Final Week begins . . .

Whaddup, Vamp Fans. We're now in the final week of "Soul Samurai" and, holy crap, has it been an absolutely fun ride! As you may know, we've gotten a ton of love from all angles with this show. From sold-out houses to rave reviews to blogs that just wanted to give us a virtual high five, the embrace we've gotten from our community and from our audiences has been astonishing as well as moving. Who knew so many folks would enjoy my company's collective geeky conscience? After 7 years of doing Vampire Cowboys shows, it's nice to have a show that feels universally embraced not just by our badass fanboy and fangirl fans, but from the legit theatre community too. Thank you everyone.

But the show ain't over just yet. We still got 6 performances left. Most of them are already sold out and the ones that aren't (The Saturday Matinee and Sunday night performance) have VERY limited seats (less than 50 tix in total), so please do grab up your ticket now! If you haven't seen it yet, please do. If you have, please consider checking it out a second time on the final Sunday (March 15th). It's a blast and I have a feeling that since it'll be the final performance, the cast may be putting some extra energy into it to making it special. This is definitely the best theatre production I've ever put together, so please see it before it's gone.

Get your tickets HERE!

SOUL SAMURAI: A Rave from AfterEllen.Com

Vampire Cowboys shows tend to always get a fair amount of pop-culture press outside the usual theatre rags, blogs, and websites. From comic book podcasts to sci-fi message boards, our crew has been pretty lucky for the attention we've been able to get. Likewise, the "Soul Samurai" review below is one that some would consider a bit outside the box when it comes to theatre reviews. It's from AfterEllen.com, a site focused on lesbian and bi-sexual women in entertainment and media. Though it may not be coming from the usual pop-culture or theatre websites that usually follow us, it is one that particularly means a ton to me. It reminds me that the work I do, even if some would consider just pure entertainment (aka fluff), is indeed valuable beyond just laughs, high fives, and a good time. It's moments like these that makes doing art so fucking worthwhile. Check out an excerpt from the review below:

Nguyen's fast-paced, stylized play is, for the queer viewer, at once an escape and a wholly familiar sensation. What modern-day lesbian hasn't felt, at some point, the pressures of a hostile society while on a personal quest for love? That "Soul Samurai" doesn't shy away from the complexity of this predicament, while wrapping it in the recognizable fun of comic action, makes it required viewing for every queer woman within driving distance of the theater. Go see it. Make it your mission.
- Laurel Fantauzzo, AFTERELLEN

SOUL SAMURAI: A Rave from The Village Voice

Holy. Crap. The love keeps pouring in for yo' favorite yella playwright's Ma-Yi/Vampire Cowboys joint. And this time, it's coming from the effin' VILLAGE VOICE! Yep, the premier rag of free press publishing has slammed down yet another love letter for the play I consider the best show I've ever done. Check out what the Voice has to say below:

Not many theater groups can count both Comic Con as a sponsor and the Ma-Yi Theater Company as an artistic partner, but then there aren't a lot like Qui Nguyen's Vampire Cowboys, where pop culture and theater artistry combine seamlessly and satisfyingly. The Cowboys' latest offering, Nguyen's "Soul Samurai", takes us to a post-apocalyptic New York where the Xena-like Dewdrop (a "fierce" Maureen Sebastian), with the help of her goofball sidekick (a winning and hilarious Paco Tolson), has just avenged her lover's murder. The piece tweaks some obvious targets and some not so obvious. It's smart and funny stuff that's deftly supported in Robert Ross Parker's sure-handed production, where Asian theater traditions are ably blended with Nguyen's exhilarating fight choreography. David Valentine's puppets and Nick Francone's intentionally cheesy videos are, like the rest of the show, side-splittingly funny and slyly intelligent.
- Andy Propst, VILLAGE VOICE

SOUL SAMURAI: Interview with the director Robert Ross Parker

Finally, after procrastinating on this for over two months (I mean, what was he doing? Directing a play or something?), our intrepid director Robert Ross Parker finally sat down and answered some interview questions about “Soul Samurai”. Of course, he did this on his smartphone (as a text message), between meetings and interviews with peeps like Mac Wellman and Theresa Rebeck for The Dramatist, and he sent it to me with almost zero punctuation since, well, he likes giving me a hard time. I guess I’ll take what I can get. He’s my director afterall and though I’ve punched him on more than a few occasions throughout the years (all stage combat punches, mind you . . . well, most of them anyways), this guy is clearly one of my best friends and most trusted collaborators I have. He was the best man at my wedding and perhaps the only person I know that doesn’t flinch when I write things like spaceship battles and high speed car chases into my stage plays. If I’m the Vampire, Robert’s the Cowboy. He’s also brilliant. Come see his work, you’ll see what I’m talking about.

In your own words, what is “Soul Samurai”?
This is my concept for this production: Awesome.
It's got to be seriously, super-awesome.
With just the right amount of kick-ass.

What excites you about this show?
It's exciting to do a Vampire Cowboys show that is also such a personal script for Qui. It's always exciting to do the next VC show because we have this strong hope/belief it can be our best one yet and that drive is exciting and scary.

What are some challenges you anticipate in creating such a show?
One of our smallest casts yet and the cinematic structure makes for lots of transitions.

What makes this show different from past Vampire Cowboys shows?
Again, 5 actors, where often we've had twice as many. The means lots of quick changes. It's this mad dance backstage, and the actors are always wearing 3 layers of clothing because they have the other costumes underdressed. The space is very wide and has structural columns, which make staging a challenge. But a fun part of the show. These, of course, are incredibly boring answers about a show that is anything but. We have more blood, more swords, more puppets, more movies, and more . . .uh . . . other cool stuff than we've ever had before . . . but those weren’t the parts that gave me any headaches.

Is there any particular bit of research you’re looking at to build this show?
I spend a lot of time playing Bejeweled . . . er . . .I mean . . .Fassbinder, I really liked German director Fassbinder.
Okay, seriously now, the same long list as everyone else, there was no particular work that I was hooked on.

What are some of your favorite film/books/music/comics of this genre?
My favorites were “Cleopatra Jones”, “Blackbelt Jones”, “Indiana Jones” (ok, not really of the genre, just wanted to say Jones again), “Lone Wolf and Cub”, “The Warriors”. Our actor Jon Hoche lent me the comic series “Yusagi Yojimbo” which I quite liked.
Least Favorite: “Dolemite” - Avoid unless you are under the influence in some way . . . bo-ring (Yeah, I said it)

What are some of your main artistic influences?
Uh . . .in general? Like so many weird and random things that are totally unconnected to each other and this show. I think I learn something from almost every piece of art I experience (for good or bad) and emerge from the encounter influenced in some way. One of the biggest influences clearly is 10 years of collaborating on these shows with Qui. That's a lot of history, and where we're trying to go is hugely informed by where we've been.

Throughout the years since the inception of Vampire Cowboys, how has your process evolved?
In the very beginning we used to co-write the shows (“Vampire Cowboy Trilogy” and “A Beginner’s Guide to Deicide”), but now it's Qui on his own. We'll talk while he's writing and sometimes those discussions wind up being important to what develops, sometimes they're way out in left field. Things just change a lot during that first phase of a new project, and each one is different. But that doesn't really answer the question. The more we do it, the more the process evolves, but exactly how is hard to say.

What’s it like working with Qui? How do you come up with your shows? What’s that process?
This is also a whole blog entry unto itself. It takes about a year, or a little more. It kinda goes talking-writing-talking-writing-reading-writing-workshop-rehearse-preview-open. But not necessarily.
Also, Qui is very challenging to work with. He is violent, and unpredictable. A simple script meeting can easily digress into an enormous bar brawl, I once saw him kill a man using only his ears. Qui's ears, not the man's. So I'm always armed, just in case.

Who is your all-time favorite director?
Uh, don't know. I do like Wes Anderson. Robert LePage was an important influence growing up. Lots of directors that I've worked with have been huge influences. I don't really have an all time favorite.

Finally, why should people come see “Soul Samurai”?
Dude.
It's a Post-Apocalyptic
Blaxploitation
Samurai Play
By Vampire Cowboys
And Ma-Yi
Seriously.