Theater Retreat = Shirtlessness

The past two weeks I have been in writing hell, trying desperately to finish a play that I was commissioned to write.  Unfortunately, I seem to find it harder to write plays that people actually pay me to write than writing plays for free.  This does not bode well for my playwriting career.  Luckily, I have some theater friends who boost me up when I am feeling low, two of whom are pictured above and one of whom is shirtless.  Happiness is shirtless theater.  Now I realize that my difficulty with my own play was probably largely due to the fact that there was no shirtlessness in it.  Hmmm...

So it's generally unusual for any play of mine to not at least make mention of male shirtlessness, but in those rare occasions that I write a shirt-ful play, I am grateful to know that there are other playwrights out there who keep working for the cause, like Adam Szymkowicz whose play, "Violent Bones," is pictured above.  I was lucky enough to be invited to the Flux Theater retreat a few weeks ago where a fantastic group of theater artists got together in the Pennsylvania countryside to workshop plays.  Not only did I get to work on two of my own plays, but I also got to participate in workshops of other plays including Adam's.  Just before this scene, the cast had some discussion of the shirtlessness and decided collectively that it was necessary to do for Adam to get the full experience of his own play, and actor Ryan Andes very kindly removed his shirt.  After that rehearsal, I explained the blog to Adam who assured me that he had several plays which featured male shirtlessness.  So brava to Adam, Ryan, and the lovely Anna Rahn who did some amazing stage sewing as well as concocting a whiskey-looking brew from iced tea and coffee that she and Ryan both drank on stage.  Thank you all for creating a space for male shirtlessness on retreat, something that I think all theater retreats should include.  And thank you to Isaiah Tanenbaum for catching this excellent shirtlessness with his wonderful theatrical photography.  If you'd like to catch more from Flux, check out their upcoming "Have Another" event this weekend which will feature excerpts of plays by me, Adam, and Nat Cassidy.  I can't promise shirtlessness there, but I can hope.  Until then, I continue to be...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Asian Supermodel Shirtlessness

Recently an IMS member posted a wonderful list of Asian Supermodels on my Facebook wall.  She knows my penchant for diversity in my shirtlessness and thought to send me this list as a resource for the blog.  Consider the resource an excellent one.  Here we have Alex Manning, a model that I had never heard of before, taking off his shirt and looking hot.  I'm glad to know of him now and look forward to seeing more of him.  I applaud this list especially for how it promotes Asian sexiness.  Asian males are often portrayed as less than sexy in the American cultural mainstream (Long Duck Dong, anyone?), but this list offers a variety of reasons, 15 to be exact, to think of Asian men as some of the sexiest you have ever seen.  I also like that most of the guys on this list are shirtless.  So thank you, ER, for this awesome list.  Enjoy until the next time, as I continue to be...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Sympathetic Shirtlessness

This photo made its way to my Facebook Wall over the holiday weekend.  Although the US loss last week was disappointing, I am happy to know that the shirtlessness continues on throughout the tournament.  Above please enjoy a Brazilian player, David Luiz, comforting a Colombian player, James Rodriguez after defeating him.  I like that they are both shirtless - they just seem so vulnerable.  James Rodriguez was one of the players in Elle's list of hot players sent to me earlier by another dedicated IMS member.  Overall, I am very pleased with the effect that the World Cup has had in terms of shirtlessness and the world.  Carry on!

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

National Pride

Though I still don't quite understand how we advanced to the next round after our loss to Germany, I'm happy to continue my support of the US Soccer Team in the World Cup since they celebrate their victories by taking shirtless pictures in the locker room.  Go USA!  I'd also like to point out the diversity of this team.  Although unfortunately there do not seem to be any players of Asian descent on the team, I'm happy to see a diverse group of athletes representing the United States to the world.  This is what (male) America looks like to me.  I hope this is what America looks like to the world too.

Yours in shirtlessness and soccer,
Nandita
President
IMS

USA!

On the eve of my birthday, I am scouring the internet for shirtless images of American soccer players because the team seems to be doing well.  I know yesterday's match was a disappointment with a tie against Portugal, but honestly, America is not really known for its soccer team and to have them almost beat a rather famous team seemed pretty exciting to me.  So go team USA!

In middle school I used to play soccer, and my favorite position was goalie.  So I am happy to post Tim Howard, Team USA's goalkeeper, tonight.  His shirtless shots leaped from the web, given that he has taken numerous shots sans shirt for ESPN and PETA, and I think we can all agree that Mr. Howard gives some good shirtlessness.  Here's to hoping he has reason to rip his shirt off in victory soon!

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

World Shirtlessness

As the days inch closer to my birthday, I am overwhelmed by the fever for a certain sporting event that appears to feature shirtlessness as part of its victory dance- the World Cup!  Currently, the Vice President of IMS is reachable only by text since he is glued to the television, and my Facebook feed is filled with names of countries followed by exclamation points and nothing else.  These are heady days.  Cristiano Ronaldo is the obvious poster child for this event on IMS since he seems to have no issues with ripping off his shirt for any reason at all.  May every team that wins, win big and take off their shirts!  Perhaps this year instead of chanting the names of countries as a cheer, we can start rounds of "Take Off Your Shirt" in various languages?

I'm glad that an event like this happens every few years for some guaranteed shirtlessness.  Other than episodes of "New Girl," there are few such instances left.  So let's celebrate summer, gentle readers, and watch the World Cup with renewed vigor and enthusiasm.  Until next week, I am...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Happy Birthday, Lenny!

Gentle readers, many a moon have passed since I last posted.  Since I work as an event planner to support my theater habit, the last six weeks have been crazy with gala fundraisers every Monday night.  Lest you think that I'm standing around looking fabulous and drinking cocktails, my job usually involves me checking people in and telling them where to sit, where the bathroom is, and where to get another drink while wearing black and remaining sober.  I do look fabulous, of course, but in an understated "May I help you?" kind of way.  And sadly, none of my events this season have involved any shirtlessness.  So I'm very happy to report that this Monday,  I have had the day off and just found out that today is Lenny Kravitz's 50th birthday.  I can't think of two better reasons to post!

It is unclear when this photo was taken, but I don't think it was that long ago.  He certainly makes the late 40s look damn sexy as well as that ceramic mug.  Thank you, Lenny, for the inspiration and the continued shirtlessness.  You give this Indian hope that there is still the possibility of good, live, age-appropriate shirtlessness out there.

It is finally summer here in New York after an interminable winter and one week of spring.  I think this means that the shirtlessness will be dicey for a few weeks but then amazing.  I'll keep an eye out for some good New York shirtlessness.  Until then, I remain...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS