FREE staged Reading of the play “Reporter Girl” April 15th

If you live in or around NYC, you are welcome to come to this, just RSVP as space is limited.

April 15th, 2008 at 7:00PM
at the Abingdon Theatre
312 West 36th Street
New York City (cross at 8th)

“Reporter Girl” is about Dale Mesick, the nation’s first syndicated female cartoonist, famous for creating Brenda Starr Reporter — the gutsiest, most fashionable, red-headed protagonist-journalist to ever be portrayed in the comics. “The play has more than a ring of truth to it”, says OOBR.com. Weissberger Award nominee, O’Neill Festival Finalist and Princess Grace Award Finalist.

written by Laura Rohrman (Dale’s granddaughter) directed by Fritz Brekeller

with Louisa Bradshaw*, Jeff Branson (Emmy nominated star of All My Children), John Calvin-Kelly, Amy Dickenson*, Colin Egglesfield (All My Children), Betty Hudson*, Kate Nowlin* and Beth Woodard

* appearing courtesy of AEA

Wine and snacks will be served.
Please RSVP to: nonirohr@yahoo.com
For more information, visit http://www.laurarohrman.com

Hello Kitty (my love)

Back in the day, I often talked about my Hello Kitty obsession, now I just think about it occasionally.  Here is an article I wrote about Hello Kitty

Brenda Starr Reporter and my fashion sense

For as long as I can remember I have been collecting and occasionally wearing vintage clothes.  My grandma Dale Messick, created the Brenda Starr Reporter cartoon strip and her most beautiful era in my opinion has to be the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s.  Of course, I didn’t meet Dale Messick until the late 70’s….but I remember clearly the first time we went to her high rise apartment, which looked over Lake Michigan (it was in Chicago).  I think my mom purposely kept this fancy life away from herself and her children, because when we visited my glamourpuss granny “I was like who is this woman and why have you kept her from me?”…My granny had wild red hair, was gorgeous, had a closet full of fancy frocks and hats — and guess what? She loved to dress me up.  In fact, many years later when grandma Dale moved to California, that’s what we’d do…I’d come over and she’d give me her clothes and we’d play dress up.  So, as sort of an odd-ball teenager, I wore fedoras, capes and in my free-time started buying up vintage clothes.  I dare say I was wearing vintage before it was ever in style to do so. Even these days, I look smashing in vintage clothes… I just ever-so-slightly have a look about me that is from a different era.  Some people have this look…in period pieces it’s called “good casting.”  For example, the HBO series ROME — great casting…the Tudors, not-so-much.  All the dudes in that series look like they are soap stars in present time.  Or maybe it’s the modern day speak dressed up with English accents that’s throwing me off….not sure….but I am only watching it because, well, I am a history buff…and it’s sort of soapy.

Dream about Britney, being the creative one

Sometimes I dream about Britney Spears.  I always wake up, like what? Why was I dreaming about Britney?  Of course she surely represents something or someone else.  This last dream was about a house that was about to fall off of a cliff into the ocean.  Only half of the house was grounded, the other was “not safe”.So yesterday I met with the animators on a new cartoon I am working on. It’s so weird to go from a job where I am “not allowed” to be creative into one where I am the creative.  I’m much better when I can talk creative — cause I am really crazy and if you let my mind go forth – great ideas will come….  

Theater, Theater and Gossip Girl

I saw a great new play last night.  It was just a reading, but it’s going to be fabulous.  Liz Merriwether’s  new play which I saw at the Rattlestick, is way wacky — so wacky that it’s brilliant. It breaks the 4th wall so much,  there are hardly are any walls at all, and the audience is right there – with full access.  Let’s just put it this way – the play makes fun of a famous philandering playwright and his wife to devastating effect. There is even a Beaver as a character who rants about how much he hates the play….hmmmm, at some point, I felt chills — and the play actually felt universal.  So congrats, Liz!My friend jumped off the phone to watch Gossip Girl, so I decided to take a look (my first time).  So here I am watching. I must say, are the parents on this show (who are the parents 17-20 year-olds) even older than 30?  It’s crap, btw. Gag!How can one person take so much in one week?  Mon dieu.  That part is about me.

Why is the press out to get Hillary?

Stop all the bad press on Hillary!  The woman is smart, intelligent and amazingly courageous — stop attacking her — and stop writing articles with no base whatsoever.  I hope everyone and their mother watched Saturday Night Live last week, where Tina Fey, got in some good slugs that were pro Hillary.

Baby Boom

 Is it just me, or does it seem like everyone is having babies all of sudden (not counting Angela Jolie who has her own tribe)?

I spend all my time (and money) in the myriad “baby stores” in my West Village hood buying for my friends and co-workers who are having or just had babies; and for some reason this “baby buying” is my duty and responsibility (just like doing the dishes, or cleaning or making dinner), and not my husband’s. I have a budget for it now — “baby gifts” — dude, it’s adding up!

Six years ago in New York City

Six and half years ago I witnessed the worst attack on American soil first-hand. I found an article online that I wrote about this experience (I was shocked that it’s still posted). Check it out. I re-read it, and was shocked and the punch it still carries. Let us not forget the pain we all felt.


Writing Day

Ah, today will be a writing day. I had a tough week. I’ve been very “overly” excited lately. It’s like there have been fire crackers going off all around me. And then, I sit it my desk, working on something sort of, well, not too exciting, wondering where all this wild energy is coming from? It’s coming from imminent change. It’s that crazy 2008. I have many theater projects on my plate — a new play, fixing my old play and sending it out, a cartoon series, and two screenplays. I keep getting excited about change, and then I find I have to wait.

Analyzing my friend: why she can’t meet a guy

  1.  You collect stray dogs
  2. You know the bartender at Henrieta Hudsons (you claim to play pool there)
  3. You take in female only foreign exchange students
  4. You are an expert at tipping at strip clubs
  5. Weekends away are always with girlfriends