stephan Morrow:  

Life My team and I are excited that our film 'Dogmouth' written by John Steppling has just been released on Amazon IMDB so you can rent it or buy it online. While it's a dark story (Viet Nam vets who are like Hell's Angels but who hop freight trains instead of Harley Davidsons are being pursued by relentless railroad cops.). The question is has their leader, Dogmouth, become a changed man and ceased his murderous ways or is he just using his young pregnant wife and cancer as beards to further his illicit ways. For me, as the director and actor, it's Steppling's writing that made me want to do this project (he also wrote '52 Pickup' directed by John Frankenheimer w/ Roy Scheider and Ann Margaret and 'Animal Factory' directed by Steve Buscemi w/ Willem Dafoe, Mickey Rourke and Ed Furlong). His dialogue is what cuts if off from the herd - just the way these criminals say things - about life and to each other. And I hear readings of new material every week at The Playwright Directors Unit of The Actor's Studio in which I was mentored into by Elia Kazan in the 80's - so I can say I think I know something about good writing. Nevertheless, Steppling's writing is dark - I call him 'an equal opportunity offender' and he lives up to his anthem 'Art is not Your Friend'. Hope you check it out and if you get it - spread the word because while it's been the Official Selection of ten film festivals and has won six awards - not enough people know about it. If it were to be my epitaph (which I had to consider since I am a cancer survivor now) I would feel satisfied with leaving it behind as my legacy.... I still hike as often as I can at the Mills Reservation near where I live in Montclair, New Jersey. As a passionate Citi bike cyclist, I still feel walking in Manhattan is the best ticket around. Especially after L.A. freeway living and returning to N.Y. That may be what allows you to appreciate the city's concrete beauty. I certainly hope with all the gentrification and re-zoning of Gotham's landscape it isn't totally obliterated by all the foreign money which is apparently fueling much of the luxury residential towers that are going up. Vacuuming the endless parade of humanity on the street is like seeing the history of mankind waltzing right past you. And looking to meet the eye of the few who will. So I'm a dedicated theater artist still looking for a soulmate. Professionally, thirty five years of laboring in the glorious trenches of small theaters in N.Y. and L.A. led me to several high points. Had the privilege and honor of working with Arthur Miller in the winter of his life, directing his play 'Incident at Vichy' in four major 'performances on book', ( casts included: F. Murray Abraham, Richard Dreyfuss, Austin Pendleton, Fritz Weaver, David Margulies, Barry Primus, Stephen Mendillo et al., trying to get it to Broadway, with his personal backing which I received after he attended my first presentation of Vichy, though these days, classic plays with large casts are basically invisible to commercial producers. Another high point was working with Norman Mailer both as actor ( first at The Actor's Studio in 'Strawhead - A Memory Play of Marilyn' and played Stoodie in his film "Tough Guys Don't Dance") and later as director: Recently directed a run of his play 'The Deerpark' and on the merit of that work was invited by Mr. Mailer to co-direct a film...Expand for more