The Nocturnists Charlie has narrated audio tours for museums around the country. MFA_Boston_FrayFelix_Intro charlievaronart charlievaronrockwell charlievaronphoenixfamilytour Clients (partial list): Antenna International * Art Institute of Chicago * Blue & Gold Fleet Bay Cruise * de Young Museum * Earprint Productions * Getty Museum * Guggenheim Museum * High Museum of Art * Jewish Museum of New York * Los Angeles County Museum of Art * Metropolitan Museum of Art * Morgan Library & Museum * Museum of Fine Arts, Boston * Philadelphia Museum of Art * San Francisco Museum of Modern Art * Walters Art Museum Available to record on short notice. Can work with your production team or mine. Contact: charlie@charlievaron.com 415 648 6782

1-on-1 writing coaching with Charlie Varon The world is not set up for us to do our best work as artists. The odds are against us. But with commitment, structure and guidance, we can change those odds. "Not just a great director and writing coach, Charlie helps me navigate my creative life. He is a therapist for artists." Emily Silverman , M.D. , founder of The Nocturnists medical storytelling series "My memoir was stalled for a decade. Thanks to Charlie's guidance, I now have 20,000 words under my belt." Barbara Saunders , writer and writing coach "Charlie has been my collaborator, director and mentor for 20 years. He has helped me stay on my creative path with dignity, self-reflection and joy." Dan Hoyle , playwright and performer “Charlie Varon helps me explore, deepen, and find joy in the creative process. He is a master of character development for both the page and the stage.” Kenny Yun , solo theater artist Email me if you'd like to find out more about my coaching/mentoring, and set up a free 20" consultation .

Charlie Varon's ideas about how to keep going as an artist

Award-winning playwright, actor, director San Francisco Off Broadway Washington DC Minneapolis, St. Louis, Portland, OR Publications The New Yorker The Atlantic Dramatists Play Service Teacher, mentor, coach Writers Solo performers Public speakers Doctors Rabbis Political activists Comedians Audio Tour Narrator Getty Museum Guggenheim SF MOMA

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"Out of Office" Charlie Varon's Comic Bonbons #20: "The grass is green and the sky is blue" The grass is green and the sky is blue 00:00 / 02:02 Written & performed by Charlie Varon Collaboration: J.P. Tilleman Special Thanks: David Ford Get tix now Buy before May 1 and get $5 off w code COCOA More announcements #1 Don't postpone writing your memoir! Say What You Mean Before You Die New session starts May 1 #2 Can't stand what's happening in this country? Life is better when you're doing something to change it Here's one place to start

Charlie Varon's satire and other mischief Comic Bonbon #1 About this page A few months ago, my friend Joe Dunn told me, "The world needs your voices, your comedy." A podcast, we decided. But, 20th century man that I am, I quickly got overwhelmed and the idea languished. Then my friend Emily Silverman (herself an award-winning podcaster, and a millennial) told me I could just put up my audio pieces on my website. That seemed doable. I thought, One piece, once in a while, each piece less than 5 minutes. Comic bonbons. So here goes... Comic Bonbon #1: Gunther's Dream It's January 2021. The depth of the pandemic. The medical storytelling podcast The Nocturnists, has put out a call for dreams. Physicians should make audio recordings of their dreams and nightmares, and upload them; some will be included in an upcoming episode. So, one day I'm talking to the podcast's host, my friend Emily Silverman (mentioned above), and she tells me they've just received this amazing dream from this German-accented physician. I didn't have the heart to tell her... Gunther's Dream 00:00 / 04:46 Please feel free to share this bonbon with friends! For the next bonbon, click here

In the fall of 2002, Charlie Varon discussed the new performance form he and David Ford have devised. QUESTION : How did you come up with this new way of creating theater? CHARLIE : In the summer of 2001, I found myself artistically adrift. I asked Stephanie Weisman to book me for two weekends at The Marsh. The plan was, David Ford and I would create a show from scratch in ten days, and I'd perform whatever we came up with. I hoped it might give me the idea for my next play. The process was the most intense and thrilling of my life. It was full of surprises. But perhaps the biggest one was that I didn't end up wanting to write a play. I wanted to keep working in this new form. QUESTION : How long does it take to make SOUP? CHARLIE : Last time, ten days. This time we're giving ourselves a month. But a short process, with a deadline, is good. It forces me to work intuitively. When I did plays, I'd take a couple of years on each, writing, honing, indulging my perfectionism. Now, in middle age, I'm becoming an imperfectionist! QUESTION : What excites you about the form? CHARLIE : It's utterly unpredictable! I begin with an idea, or a line, or a voice for a character. Then I start improvising, David asks questions, we go back and forth. We end up someplace I could never have imagined. We keep doing this, until we have six or eight monologues. Then I go onstage, with absolutely no idea what an audience will make of it! QUESTION : What did the audience make of it? CHARLIE : People loved the form, the risk of it, all the topical stuff, the comedy, and the mix of pieces, from satire to storytelling. The fact that we came at them from so many different angles. So we extended the show, and recorded it, and now it's out on CD .

< Back #9 Bernie's Strange-Bedfellows Dream January 7, 2024 Written & performed by Charlie Varon Bernie's Strange-Bedfellows Dream 00:00 / 02:29 Keep the bonbons coming! Email me when the next one is ready! Email Subscribe Attention, writers and performers: I have openings for mentoring/coaching starting in February. Previous Next

1-on-1 coaching with Charlie Varon Coaching Package for Advanced Solo Performers Getting a solo show ready for a Fringe Festival? Or for another venue? Want to get your work in front of an audience? This package includes Four 1-on-1 coaching sessions (each 1 hour) One workshop performance (30-60") in front of a small audience Debrief immediately after the performance $1500 How it works: 15" free consultation to see if it makes sense We set weekly rehearsal schedule for 4 sessions & p erformance date at my Monday morning Salon in SF Note #1: The Salon happens Mondays 10am to 12noon at Noe Valley Ministry. This is a warm community of writers and storytellers who know each other. The first hour of the Salon is devoted to writing. You'll perform in the second hour. Note #2: The venue is beautiful but has no sound, lighting, or formal stage. For more info, email me at charlievaron at gmail.com "Charlie has been my collaborator, director and mentor for 20 years. He has helped me stay on my creative path with dignity, self-reflection and joy." Dan Hoyle , playwright and performer “Charlie Varon helps me explore, deepen, and find joy in the creative process. He is a master of character development for both the page and the stage.” Kenny Yun , solo theater artist

To build momentum, writers need regularity, deadlines and accountability. Building Momentum in Your Writing To build momentum, we need regularity, deadlines and accountability. Regularity Part of what helps us grow as writers is the regular practice of writing... when we sustain work on a single piece, exploring, expanding, revising, and then exploring some more. Ask yourself: What is a minimum useful time for a writing session? (e.g. 15 minutes, 30 minutes, an hour?) What is an achievable goal to begin with? (e.g. 30 minutes twice a week) What days of the week are best for you to write? What time of day is most fruitful for you to write? Can you put writing times on your calendar NOW? Deadlines What deadlines would be useful for you? Weekly? Biweekly? Some other interval? Accountability How do you as a writer find a balance between the solitary and the social? Where do you find accountability so that they don’t give up? • Writers' groups • Buddy system (another writer) • Accountability person (e.g. a friend) • Writing coach • Classes

Create & develop new work in community. Boost your writing to the next level. "Thank you for your classes! They have enriched and expanded my world." I've been teaching writing and performance workshops since 1993. I love the creative process, and my goal is to help you take the next steps in your work. Writing for the Page or Stage with Charlie Varon I'll work with you to create a new piece or develop an existing one. The workshop meets from 7 to 9:30pm for 6 weeks and culminates in a performance. A class for beginners, seasoned writers or anyone in between. Let deadlines and supportive feedback help you grow as an artist! LIMITED TO 5 STUDENTS Next session: TBA 7 to 9.30pm Pacific time (via Zoom) Each student will present work every class. $375 - $475 sliding scale Sign up by early reg. deadline and take $25 off your fee! Note: There are no refunds for this workshop To enroll: 1. Click my PayPal link and pay the appropriate amount. Or mail me a check: Charlie Varon, 31 Chattanooga Street, San Francisco, CA 94114 2. Email me to let me know you've done that. I'll send you: Confirmation Zoom link