more '010 reflections

Another reason to love '010: I discovered Tolstoy! After all those years of being lazy or whatever the reason du jour was for not tackling him I finally did . . . and then read his two mammoth books back to back. You want suspense? You want great story telling with compelling characters? You want spiritual information? Insight? He's the man. I can't believe I waited so long, but having done so, I can honestly say I'll never be the same. Amazing work!

Also saw Hot Tuna not once but twice! That wasn't planned but just the way it worked out. The first time was in Purchase which is about 15 minutes from home and had Steve Earle as an opener . . . hello! Add GE Smith as second lead guitar and you have heaven. An incredible show. Not long after that they announced Jorma's 70th birthday shows in the Beacon . . . how can you pass that up? Steve Earle was a guest that night too, and Bob Weir . . . another incredible show . . .

Add to the mix The Wall at the Garden and Stew and Heidi at BAM (and finally getting my daughter to a CSN show!) great year for music. Didn't see much theater, I guess I was too busy making theater myself . . . and being unemployed of course . . . but did see Our Town which was . . . if you're going to see few shows, one of the ones to see.

So more on '010 as it comes to me. Got a nice email from Wallace at the Fringe, apparently this year was the first year in a long time that he has ended in the black for the festival . . . nice to be part of that.

'011 has big shoes to fill . . . I'm game . . . let's get it on!

a little looking back

As '010 blizzards to an end, a time for reflection? Maybe. Absolutely when the year is as unprecedented as this one. I've been pinching myself and having flashes of memory of the past year, it was a good one . . . and for someone who spent eight months of the year on unemployment to be able to say that . . . well that's something. I guess that's what happens when your identity isn't wrapped up in a job. Jobs for me have always been a means to an end . . . a way of paying the bills while the real important work can get done. Now, I realize that it may sound precious to think of my artistic pursuits as 'important', but they are to me. In fact, when all is said and done and I'm breathing my last, guess what I'll look back on as accomplishments, here's a hint, it won't be selling anything to anybody . . . it'll be whatever I leave behind that I've created. And I don't look on it as failure if I don't ever make a ton of money at it . . . the only failure is not to do it . . . not to try. The only failure is to sit around living passively wishing you could do something. Well guess what? You can!

I sure did. I took the leap into the unknown, pulling up stakes and leaving family and friends behind . . . and it was hard . . . but it was the right thing to do. And I've never regretted doing it. Yes it's hard with aging parents 500 miles away, but we all live our own lives and make our own choices . . .

At any rate, '010 was a great year in very many ways and I'm looking for '011 to be wonderful as well. More from Old Hickory perhaps, another solo performance maybe. My new two hander . . . and the new job, which I think will prove to be lucrative. It's nice to be closer to sixty than fifty and still have the fire and excitement about what's happening next. I hope I never lose that, and the best I could wish for anyone who reads this is that you never lose it either . . . and if you have . . . then find something to rekindle it.

Blizzarded . . .

I hope everyone had a nice Christmas. I sure did. Hanging with my wife and daughter, with nowhere in particular to go . . . very nice. Of course, then Sunday we got smacked with the blizzard. Hard to tell how much we got; but I'd say close to two feet isn't much of an exaggeration; and then there were the drifts! Luckily my workplace is civilized enough to not open for business today. I can work from home as needed, so I've been doing that a bit; but mostly reading Tolstoy.

I did manage to get some scribbling done on my new two-hander yesterday. I went back to the beginning and just started reading with a critical eye to cut what isn't necessary or to add where something needs it. Early drafts can be rife with talk for the sake of talk, or general stuff that needs a bit more specificity; that's what rewriting is about to my eye anyway: to bring clarity. That's what I'll be looking for as I hack away at the piece, trying to get that block of granite to look like something coherent.

Oh, I did get a nice run in before the blizzard yesterday, did my seven mile-ish Nyack to Piermont run. Felt great.

Christmas night we went to see True Grit. Great yarn. Excellent characters well acted by the three leads in particular, Barry Pepper was a very convincing Lucky Ned Pepper, and Josh Brolin had just the right dim bulb vibe for Tom Chaney. It's really Rooster Cogburn's show though, and Jeff Bridges was excellent. More debauched than John Wayne, and a lot more going on under the surface. Finally a good LaBeof! Glen Campbell was embarrassing in the original, but Matt Damon was right on. The new girl was wonderful as Matty as well. I still thing The King's Speech is the one to beat this year, but True Grit is very worth seeing.

A little free form . . .

Felt like writing something, but didn't know what . . . so thought I'd sit and see what the first thing I write is. Sometimes that spontaneity leads to pretty wonderful things. I did that with a one act once upon a time: I sat down and wrote the first thing that came to me . . . which was: Hobart throws things around the room. And then I had to figure out why . . .which ended up being my one act What of the Bird? That was fun. Of course I'm not sitting here to write a play, just to kind of jam on el bloggo. There is some modicum of theater news, my play Dead Authors was rejected by the Schreiber studio people for their development thing . . . another punch to roll with. If you want easy, don't look to theater. Nothing about it is easy. It takes intense focused determination and you have to able to make a living somehow because, except for the few fortunate ones, making money in theater is very very hard to do.

Of course, making money in the arts isn't why anybody gets into the arts. If you are an artist, it's just who you are. It's what you do . . . so you find your ways to get your stuff out there and find a way to keep a roof over your head and plug away until your ashes fertilize some forest somewhere. It's much like the curse of Didi and Gogo in Waiting for Godot: they can't go on, but they must go on. Why? Because they are there.

Monday update . . .

I actually did something a tad unusual yesterday: I ran lines for Old Hickory, but not while running. I was in the house, relatively undistracted, and ran them just to see how they flowed. One or two rough spots, but nothing unmanagable . . . which is good; you don't want to have to reinvent the wheel every time out. So I feel pretty good about that. If I keep working them I should be in good shape for when we rev it up again.

I also read over the new piece. It held up pretty well. There were some redundancies, which is to be expected at this stage; the way I work, writing in spurts and not necessarily in sequence, I never really know until I come back and read through the pieces that I put together, what to expect. But I think it has real potential for a moving piece . . . if I don't screw it up. Now I can sort of fill in the blanks of who these people are and what they have been through in the thirty years since they saw each other. It'a a bit too tiddy right now, but that's what rewriting is for.

Other than that, most of the weekend was spent with Christmas stuff. Did go see The King's Speech; a marvelous movie that will win lots of awards. I've seen three of the five SAG nominees for lead actor, and Colin Firth is the man as far as I am concerned.

First run, running lines

So I ran this morning, first time in over a week; but it was my default four miles and feels like nothing really. Hardest thing was to steel myself for the cold, but it wasn't as bad as I was psyching myself into believing that it was. While I ran, I also ran lines for Old Hickory. Since I know there is another production coming this winter some time it is crazy not to pay attention to it. Went pretty well, a couple of rough spots but nothing major.

Still thinking of ways to beef it up some, not that it needs it, but I think if I want it to be a stand alone eventually it will need to be an hour minimum. I'm thinking that maybe an age difference between our narrator and his horrible ex-wife might be good. He being older than her. It's something to think about/play with. Again, not that it needs it; it's a pretty successful piece on its current merits, but I'm just saying . . .

This weekend I'm going to make a real effort to read through the sixty pages of my new piece . . . very interested to see what it needs.

I was planning on going to WV this weekend, but the weather uncertainty gave me pause. It's Friday and they still are having a tough time predicting what is going to hit us on Sunday, could be major or might be nothing . . . so I decided I'd wait until January to go.

More on stuff later. Oh, an interesting blog note; I mentioned my blog on Jorma Kaukonen's blog and when next I checked stats I noted that five people checked my blog! If you're back for more, welcome happy to have you.

What? Two posts in one day!

It just occurred to me that today is the anniversary of the Silver Bridge falling. I lived in Pt. Pleasant WV then and was on the bridge about fifteen minutes before it fell. Bumper to bumper traffic . . . we felt a rumble and my dad thought it must have been the concrete truck in front of us grinding gears or something . . . who could have imagined.

We had time to get home, and the lights flickered. A few seconds later my mother, who was a stringer for the Huntington paper, got a phone call from her boss telling her that the bridge had fallen and to get down there. She told him she had just been on the bridge and it was fine . . . of course, he was right.

At any rate, that was a close call. I can't let the date pass without mentioning it. To this day, if I'm in traffic on a bridge I get a little nervous.

Must be getting soft . . .

There once was a day when I wouldn't let a little thing like frigid temperatures stop me from running. I guess those days are long gone. Maybe it's the combo of the cold and not having run in a while because of the cold/flu/whatever it was, but I was going to run this morning and just thought: 'You know what? Uhuh.'

Does this throw off my thing with the marathon? I don't think so. Seems like there's plenty of time once this big chill breaks. Once I get back in the rhythm of running every other day I won't think twice about running during lower than ideal temps, but for now it can wait. One thing I won't do is run on a treadmill at the Y. I never could get that treadmill thing, but then I've never tried it so I shouldn't be too quick to judge. It just seems kind of . . . I don't know, it's just not my thing.

So instead of running I'm blogging . . . yea! Not much else happening. I printed my new two hander the other day and I need to read it one of these days. Still working on War and Peace. What a terrific writer. And the research! Nowadays you can get practically anything you need in about five seconds on the web; in Tolstoy's day it required a bit more effort I'd say. But what a story . . . what scope. There was a piece in the Times the other day about history plays not doing well (bad news for my Emma Goldman plays). Anyway, scope in theater, by which I mean real sweep, majesty and not just falling chandeliers, but big stories with depth are pretty much a thing of the past. Angels in America is a recent example (recent being almost twenty years ago); there may be more but I don't know of them. It's what John Guare attempts apparently in A Free Man of Color, which was one of the subjects of the Times piece. So go for it. I used to write big ensemble pieces and my hope is they will be performed some day, but who knows? Right now I'm doing smaller pieces for the hope they will be performed (hey, it worked with Old Hickory!). Onward.

100th Post!

I just noticed when I signed on that this is my 100th post! That's cause for celebration! I wish I had something significant to talk about but I guess the fact that I am still blogging away and walking the earth is good enough when you get right down to it.

So maybe I'll use this post to reflect a little on the past year, because this year has been significant to say the least. #1 of significance is Laurette blossoming in college. I knew she would but the transition from HS to college is full of land mines and a lot could go wrong. She has hacked through the underbrush though and found her way, she is gonna be just fine. #2 in the highlight reel of '010 is of course: Old Hickory. The journey to get that piece from paper to performance was and will probably always be, the theatrical highlight of my life. Having the ability to work as long and hard on it as we did, Wallace and I, was precious time to me, and every step, the reading, the One Man Talking, the rehearsals and performances in Woodstock is all stuff that I will never forget. I still pinch myself when I think of how cool it was hanging on the porch in Woodstock listening to the night sounds, and then waking up and rehearsing all day; painters from the artist colony outside their cabins working . . . it was all pretty damn idyllic and I appreciate all of it. And it is all because Wallace Norman saw something in that piece . . . he is a saint and a visionary as far as I am concerned.

A lot of sidebars could split off the Old Hickory thing: the review, the radio interview, bumping into a guy months later who saw the play and liked it . . . so many things, so many memories. It was great. Of course one of the most important events to come out of Old Hickory is this blog! I started it to track the progress of rehearsals and what have you and it has become something of a diary for me . . . albeit one that I am not exactly regular in attending too (apologies for that). But it has been fun for me and I enjoy it . . . so I am sticking with it.

What is next for Old Hickory? Wish I knew. There is the possibility of production in Carmel, NY sometime this winter. I have also applied to the Dramatists Guild for a one day self-production seminar . . . if I get into that maybe that will inspire me in that (somewhat scary) direction.

Also this year, I guess it would be #3 in the significance rating, was the radio presentation of Where the Rain Never Falls. That was pretty damn cool.

#4 is not my thing but Bette's. The guy that was gonna make a film of her one act is actually doing it, they have been bouncing ideas back and forth re the script so all is moving forward there, it looks like it's actually gonna happen!

So all that has happened in the span of time covered by the 100 posts. It has been an amazing time of artistic growth and expansion. It has had its frustrations but overall, I wouldn't change much about it.

Going forward? Well, I'm working on the new two hander, taking Family Matters to the Fringe group this winter, submitting the O'Neill play to One Man Talking (I just decided that yesterday) and still planning on the marathon piece (if I can shake this damn flu/cold thing and get back to running!). Also other submissions to things as appropriate.

I thank everyone who reads this, whoever you are and hope you are around for the next 100 posts!

OK so I lied . . .

In my last posting I said my time for the half marathon was 1:29 . . . I wish . . . actually that time was for the ten miler . . . the half marathon was 2:06 . . . just wanted to set the record straight.

I spent some time yesterday reading the first act of 'At Death's Door' and thought it held up pretty well. But while I was reading it, I couldn't help but think that maybe 'Dead Authors' deserves a shot at the Shreiber competition. It's been a while since I put that one out there, and I think it has a very definite NYC feel to it. Seriously thinking about it. I would like to see it on its feet in front of an audience. The readings have always gone well.

Nothing much else to talk about. Had a nice run this morning, probably seven miles or so, I'll have to clock it later, it was a new course; and still enjoying War and Peace.

There are a couple of things I want to get done this weekend: one is to send Dead Authors into that competition in the city, the other is to print my new piece and read it . . . very curious as to how that holds up.

Actual writing news

I spent a little time with my new piece this morning, which was nice. I had been letting it steep for a while and I had to pay attention to the ending . . . now I can print it and read it over to see how I like it . . . then probably cut some more rewrite some more, etc.

I found out about a competition in the city I want to enter, it just is a matter of which piece to enter. I'm leaning toward 'At Death's Door', but maybe this new one if I like it well enough . . . we'll see. It may be way too soon for the new one though. I'll have to see what I think after I print it.

On the running solo piece front: I did run yesterday morning, but only my default four miles. If it's not raining too hard tomorrow I might go for a bit longer. My mileage for my first week was up considerably. I ran four times from Sunday the 21st through Sat. the 27th and if I had run my default four it would have come to sixteen miles; as it happens I did seven miles twice (21 and 27) four miles on the 23 and of course the Turkey Trot on the 25th (five miles). That totals 23 miles so that is up from what I would typically do. I also drove a course that comes to about thirteen miles so when I get to the point I can do thirteen miles I'll have another option. I can run the half marathon course but it's nice to have other options so it doesn't get boring. The real test will be building beyond the thirteen miles and getting to the twenty six . . . but if I'm sane about it and don't try to do too much too soon I'm sure I'll be ok.

I checked, just out of curiosity and the Philly marathon is open for applications on April 1. NYC marathon is already up and running! These guys do plan ahead! One of the requirements of NYC is to have a time of 1:40 or better for a half marathon, and I do of course: 1:29 to be exact! Maybe I should apply to both, even though the logistics of getting to Staten Island are daunting . . . we'll see.

This thing is happening . . .

I had a thought this morning, just as I was sitting down to write this, about what makes preparation for a marathon compelling as a play. It might not be. And please know that these race prep postings may or may not result in a solo piece, though that is my goal. At any rate, that thought about relevance lead to this thought: when a playwright sits to write, how do they ever know it will be relevant to anyone. It seems to me that the job of the playwright is to take his or her experience and make it compelling. To distill what happens in their lives and make it into something that will lead an audience to see something of themselves up there on stage. It's that old universality thing . . . I don't write a play if I don't think it'll connect with people in some way, give them something to think about.

Anyway, that's today's contribution to the Playwrighting 101 syllabus.

At the race yesterday, I saw at least four people with Philly marathon shirts on. Well, three were the half marathon shirts and one was the marathon; they have shirts with either 13.1 or 26.2 on them. Nice shirts, with the course on back. Anyway, I spoke to three of them and they all seemed to have had good experiences. Ironically, the one that had run the full 26.2 was a lady my age or older who said she had done it in four hours twenty eight minutes . . . she was happy. And she was running the Turkey Trot less than a week later! I always thought that after you run a marathon you roll up in a fetal position for a few days.

My time yesterday was 44:37 an average of 8:56 minute miles (last year was 44:49). BUT my time in the first mile was 10:41! Meaning my time for the final four miles was under thirty four minutes meaning it's close to 8:30 minute miles . . . what this tells me of course is that I shouldn't start too far back in the pack because it takes a while to get moving in that mass of people. I think the race officials must be hip to that because they also posted a 'net time' which, I think, is the time from when you cross the starting line to when you cross the finish line, in that case my time was 42.58; better, but it would still be a good idea to move forward some. I'll have to stop into Gracie's today to confirm the net time thing with Mike.

Don't worry, I know it sounds obsessive, but bear with me. This IS still about play writing but if I'm gonna use my blog as a race diary/notes to myself for a projected solo piece I have to be a little obsessive.

As a side bar to the Philly runners; none of them knew about the half marathon at Rockland Lake in the spring . . . that's my first biggy on the road to Philly. I'm thinking if I prepare in stages, then I can get ready for the half, then springboard off of that to the Nov. thing.

After the race, a nice turkey day with Bette and Laurette and then went to see 127 Hours . . . Danny Boyle rocks! Of course, it may leave a little to be desired as to holiday movie fare!

"It's all mental!"

That was the first advice i have gotten about running a marathon. This from Mike, who owns Gracie's Ravioli up the street. He's one of the poo-bahs of Rockland Road Runners and when I was in there yesterday for some olive oil, I mentioned to him my plan (didn't mention the play part, the place was kind of busy). I told him I was thinking about it and he said 'you'll have no problem'. Then he said the mental part. I left him with: Yeah, if I can get my mind into it, maybe my body will follow.

Of course, most things come down to mental prep, when you get right down to it. You have to believe you can do something before you can do it. That's what I've always thought. When I get nervous before a performance, it helps to visualize doing it; sure there are other tricks as well, relaxation exercises and what have you, but visualization is key.

The marathon thing isn't that intimidating oddly enough. Once I made the decision, I can see how to get there. A gradual ramping up of mileage over the coming months. I used to love long runs, it was very meditative, and when you get used to it, your mind seems to float above your body, as separate entities . . . but four hours is a lot.

I was looking at my running times of recent races last night, I put together an excel spread sheet to keep track. I'm running the Turkey Trot this morning (happy T day!) Two years ago my time was a shade over ten minute miles (10:07 to be exact); last year was 8:58. Nice improvement. I attribute at least part of that to weight loss, from running and working out a lot more regularly. I don't expect the same this year. I expect to hover around the nine minute neighborhood, which is just fine for me.

Just for the record, my time for the half marathon was 2:06 (the same as my first 15 miler thirty plus years ago); my time for the 10 miler was 1:29. If you're wondering the half marathon time comes to 9:40 minute mile average; the ten miler: 8:55.

Anyway, I digress and I have to go for the Turkey Trot. More soon. Mindy got a laugh out of when I told her that the marathon idea was her fault. She thought I was kidding! I was actually . . . sort of.

An 'ah-ha' moment

I was in Philadelphia this weekend. First time there, nice town. Amazing art museum plus the Rodin Museum, Rodin was amazing, he must have never stopped working. At any rate, I digress. But one more digression before I reach my point: The Walnut Street Theater, the oldest theatre in the US and the oldesr continuously operating theater in the English speaking world! (and what was playing there? White Christmas? Such is the state of theater I suppose, but they were packing them in).

Now the point and why this is in my 'playblog'; but it is my blog and I'm allowed to diverge from theme from time to time. At any rate, what I didn't know was that this weekend was the Philadelphia marathon. Now, any time I have thought of running a marathon I have always cringed at the thought; the first time I ran the fifteen miler in Charleston (around 85 or 86 I'd say) I distinctly remember thinking after the finish: how can somebody run another 11.2 miles after that? of course, my witty addition over the years became ' it's not the 26 miles that's hard it's the .2 that'll do you in!'

But a friend from NY was running in the marathon and I thought I'd go watch and see if I could spot her and cheer her on. It occurred to me later that I had never watched a race before from an audience viewpoint, only from the inside. It was a revelation, and the titular 'ah-ha' moment. These people weren't in any better shape than me, a lot of them. Some didn't even take it all that seriously (one guy in drag, all red even down to red running shoes. another in all green, and I mean all green, even covering his head, he was like a running condom or something, and then there were the girls with turkey feather in construction paper on their backs: one bystander said: they obviously never studied physics). Of course I was at about the six mile point, it would have been interesting to see these same people twenty miles later.

So I made my commitment. I'm going to run in a marathon. I have about a year to get ready; and if I can't get into NY (logistically a nightmare getting out to Staten Island and such, in Philly it's much more civilized: you can walk out a hotel room to the start and crawl back to your hotel after you finish).

Not only that: when I got home I went for a run, since I'm doing the five mile Turkey Trot this week, I figured I should do more than my default four miles, so I did my seven mile Nyack to Piermont run. While I was running the lightbulb went off in my head. I'll keep track of my progress getting ready for the marathon via this blog, and everything else happening in and around me in the course of the year, and when it's all said and done . . . can you guess where I'm going? If you guessed solo show you're right.

By the way, I did not see my friend Mindy as I watched the runners go by. Even after six miles the runners tended to be clumped together, I waited until about an hour and a half after the start and then gave up. Even an hour later there were still people trickling by outside . . . some walkers . . . so this could be an interesting year. And I think it's only fitting that my debut marathon would be in Philly since it's where I saw the light . . . had my rebirth . . . um . . . my moment of clarity . . . any other cliches I can toss in there?

This is gonna be fun . . . if it doesn't kill me!

When least expected . . .

. . . your mind can be totally blown! I ran this morning at 5:30 (yes AM)and when I was finished I was walking home and a guy walking a dog passes me and as he does his dog gets wrapped around a parking meter; I say 'I hate it when that happens', and we chatted pleasantly for a second or two and then he dropped the bomb: I saw your performance in Woodstock this summer and really enjoyed it.

I thanked him of course and talked about his connection to the area up there, but you can't imagine how that moved me. Yes I had many moving experiences built around Old Hickory and hope that I have many more, but to have a total stranger three months down the road in a totally random encounter bring it up . . . I was almost in tears when I turned the corner to come home.

You need a shot in the arm from time to time . . . and brother that was one!

Some thoughts after seeing 'The Wall'

Yes I've been working on the new piece, and in fact got to what end (for now) of act one.

But what I have been moved by recently, and thought it appropriate to share via blog, are a couple of concerts that were really as much about theater as rock and roll. A couple of weeks ago, Stew and Heidi and the Negro Problem at BAM; I may have already mentioned that one. Last night, The Wall at the Garden. It is almost futile to try to describe the impact of this show. It was monumental in every way. Musically, visually, emotionally. I remember reading about Pink Floyd doing The Wall way back when, and thinking 'Wow that must have been cool'. But 'cool' doesn't even approach it.

'The Wall is built during Act One, as the band plays, then during the intermission images of people who have been lost in a war are projected on the wall, one per block making a moving memorial wall of loss. The wall is also a projection screen during the show and the images are fabulous. Too many memories to try to distill into a posting, but I'll never be in the Garden again without seeing that monster wall (from one side of the arena to the other and thirty feet tall, at least!).

Of course, what goes up must come down, and an arena full of people shouting 'tear down the wall' was wild. Then the wall collapsed . . .

It may be the one time that I have ever thought the ticket price was justified. The logistics of this show boggle the mind.

I will never forget it. Of course to bring it all back home, let me just say: it all started with a guy alone at home staring at some paper.

skill set or what have you

On Tuesday night I read the first eight or so pages of my new solo piece. It was received well . . . some people had problems with which character was speaking at times, but that's more of an acting thing than a writing thing. Some good feedback though along those lines as well: who am I talking to (always the biggy) why am I talking . . . that kind of thing. It was valuable just to hear laughs. It was nice to get it out there at last. I went hoping to read the whole thing, but then thought better of it, I didn't want to hog the evening and I wanted to get a general idea of which track I was on the right one or the wrong one. I left thinking I'm on the right track, but I want to let this piece settle for a while. For a couple of reasons: 1) I'm on to something else and 2) I have a draft complete, some time to let it settle will do it and me some good . . . I can come back to it with fresh eyes then. It's pretty amazing the amount of stuff that I've cut from it though . . . I've been pretty damn brutal with it, but you have to be; you can't hold on to stuff for dear life just because you have a soft spot for it. practically every play I've worked on for the last ten years (a tad of an exaggeration, but not much of one)has the story of being in the woods and watching a leaf fall . . . which I finally put to good use in Old Hickory!

So now I feel freed from this particular solo piece and can return to it later. I want to work the new two hander, but I'm going to do something for the next workshop meeting that I've wanted to do for a long time: I'm having two of my favorite actors there read Family Matters. they should rock on this. It's the two hander based on my parents, and I haven't heard it read since we did it as a larger cast piece up in Haverstraw, however many years ago that was. I've had readings of it, but always with Bette and I in it, so it'll be fun to get some perspective on it.

Excuses? Yeah I got 'em.

Boy time do fly by, don't it? With best intentions I still haven't posted in over a week, but I do have excuses: my daughter came back from school; I'm reading War and Peace and last but not least - I forget.

So let me catch up. I did take my new solo piece to the Woodstock Fringe meeting, but guess what . . . we ran out of time . . . so next time for sure. And maybe I'll even get to do the whole thing, and get that out of the way. Should be interesting.

I have been working on my other piece fairly regularly, it's the one I started years ago and am coming back to if you recall . . . a two hander that I'm having fun with. i'm writing all new stuff at this point so it'll be challenging to fold this new stuff into the original, but I think it's decent material and one reason for getting the solo bit out of the way is to focus on this one more.

I still haven't decided whether or not to submit the solo piece to the One Man Talking Festival this year; if I do they'll probably accept it (they liked me last year)so I better be sure before I do it . . . we'll see. Also, if I can generate some decent income from this new job maybe just maybe I can work up to doing OH somewhere in the city. there are places where it can be done . . . i might have to beef it up a little more to make sure it runs an hour, but that can be done. I was thinking just yesterday that one thing to explore is the idea that our hero is older than his future ex-wife and he never stopped to ask himself about this when he fell for her, that's one idea . . . I'm sure there are others, like maybe what else he might have tried to be rid of her.

Ok, that's it for now. i may try to upload an MP3 of the interview from the radio in Albany this summer, stay tuned.

A beautiful fall Sunday!

I spent some time this weekend with a couple of the pieces that I rediscovered (see last posting) and found that a) one of them isn't really right to merge into the other, but b) the other one is something I think I can spend some time with and make it better.

Not that column A is bad, it just isn't as close a fit as I thought it might be, multiple characters, multiple story lines, it does have some potential, but it's not really something that i want to tackle just yet. Column B however I read today and made some changes and generally thought about it as stage pictures and as a play with some soul with a theme that is close to my heart (but I won't divulge because it supposed to be a surprise!) So here we go again, right?

It's a big commitment working on a play, you have to spend hours upon hours with it, get it from beginning to end, and then basically tear it down and rebuild it . . . and then, you never know how it will sound coming out of actors' mouths . . . but you do it for the right reasons and the obsession is absolutely worthwhile. And that's what it is when you find a play that you really feel inspired to be working on, an obsession. you think about it when you're sleeping, working, eating, showering you get the idea . . . it takes over and has a life of its own, and the characters say things you didn't expect them to say and then the other character responds in a way you maybe didn't expect . . . it's all so mystical in a way, magical and just plain wonderful. It's like being caught in a wave breaking in the ocean and you have no control over what happens you just give yourself over to the moment in the knowledge that everything will be just fine ... well, of course, people do get hurt in particularly treacherous waves; I'm not so sure anyone has gotten scraped up too badly writing a play! But you get the idea; you get swept away into lives and worlds that you imagine and when it's firing on all cylinders it's truly breath taking. It's like plugging into the great energy of the universe and seeing what comes through to you . . . if that sounds too metaphysical well then too damn bad, but that's how I feel about it. We all live in a state of varying degrees of transcendence and when you open yourself to being a conduit for whatever is out there, special things can come from you. You just have to sit down and block out all your distractions, and allow it to happen . . . and when it does . . . don't think about it at all, just boldly step into the stream and see where it takes you.

I'm getting close to jumping in again, and I can't wait to see where it goes!

A big surprise!

No the surprise is not that I'm posting two nights in a row, smart ass! I think I mentioned that I had an idea for working on a play that I had begun some years ago and then set aside . . . well . . . I got the flash drive that a lot of my stuff is saved on, and was I ever surprised to see some of the stuff on there . . . there was at least one play that I had written beginning to end and forgotten about, I don't know that I ever printed it! There was also another piece that I had forgotten about, that was about 57 pages . . . and then yet another that is around sixty or so, which I had called Personal Gods. I was taking pages of PG to Blueberry Pond way back when, and people kind of liked it . . .should be interesting to see what it looks like. I'm thinking that maybe I can somehow take Sacred Ground (the one that I was going to work on anyway) and Personal Gods and kind of merge them into one . . . might be do-able, and it might be exciting/fun for me to work on . . . so away we go!

As part of this whole looking through my back pages I also looked at my writing resume. When it seems like your writing is too hard to go back to you should maybe take a look back. Eleven full length plays and however many one acts; and that is just the ones on my resume . . . sometime I should count my plays . . . quite a body of work . . . and I'm saying that as dispassionately as I can, not to brag, but just in amazement at what is there. And most of it in the last ten years. And before that, screenplays . . . wow . . . I wonder what I would find if I went into one of these boxes that are overstuffed with papers . . . really something to be proud of. I don't know if you have gotten the feel from my blog trail, just how much work goes into writing a play. Since I don't ever delete anything or throw anything away, i can tell you that the number of drafts of some of my plays get close to double digits. It's intense. But worthwhile? You better believe it.

Especially if you are lucky enough to get to put it in front of an audience and can experience their reactions . . . that's when you can really find out what a play is. I'd love to get all my plays on their feet some day, but wouldn't we all? So far my one acts have mostly been produced, which is nice and has been fun, a lot of beautiful memories, with a lot of wonderful people (and lets not forget 'The Siler Family Players', but more on that another time) ; Old Hickory is the first play that I have had produced that stood on its feet as an evening of theater. Good thing I'm not easily discouraged. The writing is the thing anyway. Creating a world with characters and being surprised by what happens . . . it's all too amazing for words. There really is nothing like it and I miss it . . . that's what happens if you spend enough time away from it . . . it comes for you and says, 'hey don't forget, I'm here!' To which I say: Hold on, I'm coming!

OOPS! No Fringe tonight

Luckily I found out before shlepping into the city that there was no meeting of the WF tonight. Next week! good thing I stumbled upon that bit of info; it would have been a bummer to go in for nothing. I decided to post anyway just for fun; I had promised an update on the new solo bit, but that'll have to wait a week. I did go through it last night and made some more adjustments (read that: cuts). This blog is my most consistent writing activity, if that tells you anything!

I don't feel rushed these days; I don't like wasting time, but I also don't like forcing things. When it means something and it's flowing there is nothing like it, writing that is . . . or little that compares. When it ain't? Fuh-get about it. It's all a journey . . . and who knows where it takes you . . . you just have to be open to the possibility and to the impulse.

The people at work are gradually finding out about who I am. A guy came up to me today and was asking about my postcard of Old Hickory, which I have on the wall . . . he said: That's a tree isn't it? I said: Well yes, but it's a play I wrote too. Then it came out that I'm a writer and actor and he said What are you doing here?

Making a living that's what! I guess people don't realize what life in the theater entails, or just how hard it is to make a living or even MONEY doing it. I told him: Mortgage, kid in college . . . that equals a real job . . . would I like to make a living in theater? Three guesses and the first two don't count.

My mother sent me a story from the Charleston, WV paper about a guy who I did a lot of plays with who also packed up and moved. His name is Beech Vickers and we did, wow . . . how many plays together? I don't even know . . . quite a few though. That was a pretty golden time in some ways, theatrical anyway . . . a lot of very talented folks back there . . .

I'm back in the groove with the blog . . . I'm going to try to do something every day . . . even if it's just a little note . . . as long as it's not just flotsam and jetsam . . . we have plenty of that already.

Longest time between posts

for anyone who checks back semi-regularly, sorry for the long hiatus. There has been a lot going on, but the writing hasn't been part of it. That may change tomorrow night when I return to Woodstock Fringe with pages of my new solo bit. Then I'm going to start revving it up for a two hander that's been sitting fallow for a while; I'm thinking of getting it up and running again.

I read over my new piece the other day, made some adjustments and now we'll see how folks react to it. Should be interesting.

The two hander is something that I wrote years ago, and then sort of set aside. It will be interesting to take it out again and see what I think of it . . .

Looking forward to getting back in with the Fringe folks. Lovely people, very talented and warm and welcoming to my work. Can't wait.

I promise to write more regularly again; I go through these stages at times, and the best thing is to just use it to refill the well . . . Anna Karenina did that in spades! Great book, and a lot to be learned about writing from reading it. Tolstoy could tighten the string to nearly breaking . . . and then keep you on that edge for pages . . . truly truly great book. Possibly my favorite ever; but I don't know about that . . . it is artistry of the highest order at any rate!

More after I read my pages tomorrow night, I promise!

Old Hickory on DVD

So I got the DVD of the final Woodstock performance of Old Hickory in the mail yesterday - thank you Matt!

The quality of image and sound were suprisingly good, but the framing of the shots could have been better . . . but I quibble. Another quibble, since I'm quibbling, was that the the wind and rain were really heavy duty that day, and the kind of space it was, that is almost distractingly audible . . . specially with the wind banging the doors and such. The rain really became torrential right at the end, as Jimmy is wrapping things up and you don't want any distractions . . . that was something to battle let me tell you!

It took a lot to watch it, I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was not too painful. I did see things that could be adjusted, but overall the performance wasn't embarrassing and it's really nice to have a record of the event. I'm not sure whether I could use this as a marketing tool though, it's not really professional production quality, but if someone really really really wanted to see it, I guess I'd let them. We'll see when/if the time comes.

But it was fun and brought back some warm memories of my sojourn up there. Idyllic. I only wish it could have been recorded with a more lively audience . . . they laughed some . . . but if we had a tape of opening night I'd get that sucker to everyone. It's kind of hard to believe that it's the same show from the audience's reaction . . . but I guess that's the beauty of live theat-uh. It's a wonderful piece and I am going to continue to get it out there, I'd love to do it in the city . . .

Some of my criticisms of my perf. on the disc: I really lost the voice of the Ex wife as the play went on . . . that's a biggy . . . I'll have to watch out for that going forward. I also thought I was rushed at the opening part of the show, Bette didn't think so, but it seemed that way to me . . . there were some things I could tinker with, but all in all it's a nice record to have.

My new piece gets its first public unveiling on Tuesday night . . . can't wait to see how that goes!

checking in

Nothing much new to report. I did finish a second draft of my new piece. Thinking of either Skill Set or Life Credits as a title. Haven't shared the changes with Bette yet, haven't even printed it yet . . . sort of wanted to let it breathe a while. I'll take it to the Playwrights Unit on Tues. I added a couple of characters and cut a lot of the old stuff . . . we'll see how it goes, I think it's getting focused in on something, we'll see.

Old Hickory is waiting for something to happen. Blue Horse mentioned meeting this week, but I haven't heard from them yet. I'm not going to push it because a lot of my energy right now is going into my new job . . .

Going to see Albee's new play on my birthday . . . that should be fun . . . a long story that I don't have time for right now, but he came to the party for my 30th so there is some symmetry there.

Cheers, off to work!

Untitled

I read my new piece for Bette a couple of nights ago. She liked it. She had some feedback, which is good because she generally is very insightful, and it definitely left me feeling that I was on the right track. I like the character a lot and a lot of it is touching and funny, but it will take a bit of work to get from here to there, but that's why it's called play'wrighting'. It's a craft, it's work, and it takes focus and an insane level of commitment . . . but if it can lead to something like the performance at Woodstock, then it's really really worth it. Heck, even if it doesn't lead to a production, it's worth it . . . as a songwriter friend of mine once said in the face of frustration: what am I supposed to do, quit?

Quitting: not an option.

I'd like to have the new piece in shape to submit to the One Man Talking festival this year . . . they liked me and I liked them last year, so I think I'd be accepted . . . if that isn't too cocky to say, I do think my piece is worthy though, and will only get better as I keep working on it.

No name yet, though Skill Set sort of leaps to mind . . . unless something better smacks me upside the head.

Got an email from Penguin Rep today to see if I could do a reading for them on Monday; naturally they start work at 1:30 then have dinner and do the reading at night! A year (almost to the day) I was unemployed and could have done something like this; the minute I get a job . . . oh, well . . . I thanked them for thinking of me for it and told them after my first ninety days I get sick time etc, which I could use for just such a thing . . . timing as they say is everything!

Really stroking

I'm really making progress on my new piece. I don't know how it'll hold together, but I am pretty excited about it. It has been taking itself into places I had no intention of going . . . but once there I plunge ahead; it's another pretty dark piece with humor so, if need be, I can pair it up with OH . . . but that's getting ahead of myself. It's amazing how these things come together.

I read the sales seminar piece to Bette the other night .. . she had some reservations that I was already aware of: rising action, conflict etc, but it may be something to go back to at some point.

Now the hard part of the new piece begins: typing it in. That should be fun!

Progress

I printed the first draft (eight pages) of my newest solo piece recently but haven't read it for anyone yet (or for myself for that matter). It'll be interesting to see what anyone else thinks about it; probably take it to the workshop this fall, and the other new one as well . . . which brings us to: a new comic piece I had an idea for. I don't want to say too much about it, but I'm having fun so that's all that matters.

Nice time to reflect a bit

first the play update . . . my new piece is through the first draft stage: I have a beginning and an end so that qualifies it. I think it's pretty interesting but no one else has seen or heard it yet so that might just be me. We'll see. Sort of came out quickly, which is a good sign . . . when that happens there is reason for optimism as far as my experience goes . . .doesn't happen every time that's for sure. 'Damage Control' came out in a fairly quick burst I think. Not too many drafts . . . though the initial impulse for that one was a solo piece as well . . . and that was a long time ago . . . then it became what it is, which has its fans . . . I have a sort of soft spot for it, and would like to see what it does to an audience some day . . . (sigh)

Now for the promised reflection . . . why now? Well tomorrow is the first day of my new job, ending a year of sabbatical which was productive in the extreme . . . culminating in the Woodstock Fringe performances. Wow. Not only that, but today is the seventeenth anniversary of our moving to Nyack! (which means that yesterday was the seventeenth anniversary of the closing of The Trip to Bountiful, still the closest I have come to B'way so far). Amazing what has happened since our move up here. I wasn't writing prior to the move . . . I had written . . . but wasn't actively doing it yet . . . but the wheels were turning . . . the monologue that I wrote about my grandfather (and which I ultimately used in Old Hickory, some of it anyway) was what got me cast in Bountiful . . . Bette said 'See what happens when you write?' So guess how I spent my time commuting?

At first it was screenplays, the first of which was an adaptation of a short story that I had written . . . a horror thing called Family Portrait . . . I've been thinking that would make a good solo piece . . . then my best screenplay, The Craftsman. Someone in a competition somewhere actually called me to tell me how much he liked it . . . said it was something the Coen brothers would do . . . nice shot in the arm that! Eventually, after a few more screenplays, I decided to dance with the one who brought me, so to speak, and I turned to writing plays. My thinking was since everybody and then some is writing screenplays these days, and my love of theater is what brought me to NYC, then . . . well, you know . . .

It became clear very soon that I had made the right decision. I got involved with the Pulse Theater Company, which had a writers group . . . and that lead to three of my one acts being produced there . . . one of these, Thirty Odd Years, was done at the Gallery Players first, but before that had been read at the Pulse . . . I'll never forget the reaction to that play the first time I heard it read! The Gallery is where I met Staci Swedeen, who is how I met the Hudson Valley Professional Playwrights Lab. Which is how I got involved with the Herbert Mark Newman Theater in Pleasantville (three of my full lenght plays were read there). Funny how connected things get isn't it?

Heck, my staged reading of Damage Control in Raleigh is because of meeting Jerry Davis in Bountiful! John Gulley, the director of Bountiful, gave me some of the best advice I've gotten in theater: never piss anybody off! You don't know where they're gonna crop up! (another good piece of theater advise: never carry anything you can drag: Jim Loeffler).

So it's all a journey. If I hadn't gone to Theater Artists Workshop in Norwalk, and met Norman Marshall there, and started Where the Rain Never Falls I never would have met the Woodstock Fringe folk. Norman and I read it for Wallace and some of the crew and Wallace invited me to join . . .then Norman got the radio reading done . . . So it's amazing . . . looking back over seventeen years, to see what's been happening . . . I can't wait for the next seventeen!

New work

Started the day with running the lines for Old Hickory while running . . . if I do my eight miles that gives me plenty of time. It went well, not too rusty, but then it's only been a few days since the play (though it seems longer). Later I had an idea for a couple of lines for my new piece and ended up writing for about an hour on it; yes another solo piece; why not? I'm hooked! I also came up with an ending for the piece. It doesn't have to be an hour long, if I have multiple short pieces I think that can work as well . . . we'll have to see . . . I guess ideally if you do that they should be connected somehow, thematically or otherwise . . . or maybe since it's my damn piece(s) I can do what I want with it/them.

This new piece is way different from Old Hickory, which is a good thing, don't want to get into a rut . . . we'll see what happens with it.

I heard again from Lora Lee at Blue Horse Rep. She wants to meet after Labor Day, so I said 'At your convenience'. I'm debating whether to send her the O'Neill piece or not . . . I should read it over again . . . I don't know what Wallace has in mind if anything and he has his hands quite full right now, so I don't want to bug him.

Sent off some letters with the review yesterday, will do more tomorrow.

Well . . . that was special!!

Despite the flippant tone of the subject line, it actually was special. I didn't know what to expect going into the Fringe, but it exceeded anything I might have imagined; excepting audience size . . . that was a disappointment, but people up there don't know me so why should they show? Maybe based on the success (artistically and critically)more folks would show if I had another piece in next year's festival . . . that's something I have to work toward. . . not out of the realm of reason that it should come to pass. Be that as it may, I can only look back on the experience of the last few weeks/months with real love and a certain pride of accomplishment.

I went into this thing open to anything and came out with nothing that I can point to that I would say, Oh I wish I'd done this better or differently or anything of the sort. I was open to Wallace's direction and insights, and I acted with professionalism and enthusiasm (I think). We had no fights or blow-outs . . . maybe one small misunderstanding, but the regard we hold for each other kept the ship sailing smoothly and audience response was so overwhelmingly wonderful that I have to feel that we did what we set out to do.

All in all a marvelous experience that I wouldn't trade for any amount of money. As someone said yesterday, Byrdcliffe was the perfect place for this piece, and they are right; as it is out of the way, up a mountain in the woods - so when I talk about the place being quiet and stop to listen . . . guess what: it's pretty damn quiet . . . we'd never get that in the city . . . or anywhere else for that matter.

So the journey continues. Working on a new piece perhaps . . . and/or finding another home for Old Hickory. Though this blog started as a way to track Old Hickory's progress, I am going to keep at it. For one thing . . . Old Hickory ain't dead yet, and for another . . . you might note that the name of the blog isn't RicsOldHickoryblog, but Ricsplayblog. So I will continue. I enjoy it and it's sort of therapeutic in a way. If anybody out there reads this I have no way of knowing it, so let me know if you check it out from time to time.

Round three!

Tonight is the first performance of the final weekend at the Fringe. I wish it weren't going to be such a chaotic weekend, but at least I know when I'm on stage what's going on. Actually with getting my daughter ready for college and such there are going to be zero dull moments.

I'm not feeling wistful about the last three shows (well maybe a tad) but I am feeling eager to get in there and do them. I'm sure after Sunday when things come to a screeching halt, I'll feel the void . . . daughter off to school . . . show closed. I am enjoying this so much . . . when something really good happens in theater (or anywhere else for that matter) you don't want it to end . . . that's where this one is.

There have been plenty of shows I've done that I couldn't wait for them to be over, this ain't one of them.

My hope is I can get in there and pick up where I left off with no rust at all, that might be a bit much to expect with four days off, but we are gonna run it at 4 this afternoon to brush it up a bit; that should help. And as I've said before: I have been running lines to keep the embers glowing.

An idea hit me yesterday for a new solo piece . . . hmmm . . . wasn't really planning on that, but if the impulse is there, why not? After all, if you're on a roll, you look for the butter (I might have to use that line!) Very different from Old Hickory . . . I don't want to talk to much about it, but I will say that the first line is 'I like a dog I can kick', which I have to thank Catherine Martini, our assistant stage manager, for; though I think she meant it in a slightly more benign way than I'm using it. Thanks Catherine!

So here we go . . . leaping into the fire with my favorite knife one more time . . . I sure hope there's an audience; but like I always said, if there are more people in the audience than on stage, you go on . . . I think that is likely to happen.

If I can add thoughts over the weekend I will . . . failing in that, I do a recap on Monday.

Review and interview

Wow! A big day! I saw the review of Old Hickory on New York Theater Wire and I got the mp3 of the interview on WAMC! Nice.

The review was a rave; at least I can't imagine how I would have improved on it ('a must see' he said, how's that?) . . . and the interview was nice, in that I didn't come across sounding like a total idiot!

After all that and the positive response we got last week I hope the audience builds this week. If not, it ain't cause we didn't try! Now it's my job to make sure the show is where we left it, which was in pretty good shape.

To that end I have been running lines with Bette the last couple of nights, bless her heart . . . I think it's tiring to run the lines, imagine how she must feel having to follow with the book! But no complaints from her end; she's happy to help and we've done this for each other a lot over the years.

I'm in a real bubble about this show. I feel like I'm floating a mile off the ground and I don't ever want to come down. We'll see what happens but it's been a pretty charmed experience . . . and to tell the truth, as I said to one of Laurette's friends tonight, I really wouldn't mind if this play ends up putting her through college! Yeah, it sounds far fetched, but this time last year my SOLO PIECE being the kick off of this year's Woodstock Fringe Festival sounded pretty far fetched as well . . . or it would have if the thought had even entered my brain.

First weekend roundup

The first weekend went very well performance wise . . . could have been better attendance wise, but hey . . . you can't have everything (try though you might).

The radio interview finally happened yesterday, so maybe that'll help some. I did it from my house, so it was easy for me; though oddly enough I still had not heard from them when they started introducing Wallace, then the phone rang . . . good thing I had determined to be around no matter what! They mentioned me in the earlier part of the show when they mentioned Woodstock Fringe, so I knew to expect something . . . they sure took their sweet time about it! I think I may have sounded somewhat intelligent, but I'll let you be the judge of that! It'll be archived on WAMC's website.

As to the performances: the last two were almost glitch free (the first two had some line flubs that no one but yours truly noticed), which was nice and people overwhelmingly responded well . . . one friend from Blueberry Pond days, Lora Lee Ecobelli was there and is interested in producing it at her theater in Carmel, NY. That would be lovely. They are Equity and are looking for small, easy to produce pieces, this certainly fills that bill!!!!!

So three more performances in Woodstock and then, who knows? A good review would help and I think we'll get one, the only question is when it'll be posted, hopefully before it's too late!!!

I'm loving it though. It's everything I had hoped for (now if we can just go out with a BANG!)

A big step!!!!!!!!!!!

Opening night went very very well. The audience loved it and most of my slips were unnoticeable and minor. I could hardly be happier. Wallace acquited himself well yet again on the party front . . . wings. MOONSHINE! Truly wonderful. I love that guy.

It was so nice to get audience response . . . in fact sometimes I thought they were way overboard. This one guy was laughing so hard I thought he was gonna plotz! And it turned out he was a reviewer! That should be an interesting review!

A lot of wonderful people stuck around after to say hello and tell me what they thought. It was a very special evening. I kind of could tell it was gonna be; we all napped for a while in Eastover (the artists housing) and there was a gentle rain falling on the trees . . . that place is just magical when that happens. I went to the theater rested and raring to go.

I dropped one of the first lines of the play but no one but people close to the script knew it and I was off like a shot . . . holding for laughs is a wonderful feeling . . .

So six more times; I think this is gonna build to a wonderful ending next weekend, while I will hate for it to be over, I am cherishing every microsecond of this experience.

Opening Day!

the moment we've all been waiting for. It's kind of hard to express the depth of feeling here. I was sitting in a chair on the set last night when no one else was in the theater and just appreciating all this effort and all this work for my play. It's an amazing feeling.

The dress rehearsal had its problems, but nothing insurmountable. Some line glitches and the like, but it was a bit distracting to have noisy lights being tested and all that, but hey, that's live theater, you never know what to expect. The one thing I do know to expect tonight is to have fun. It's gonna be amazing and a moment that will live with me forever.

I'll write more about it tomorrow, after the event . . . but for now . . . it's all just flooring me . . .

Thank you Wallace, wherever you are!

What a great night!

The gala opening of the Fringe Festival last night was a big success I'd say. What a load of talent. The poets started things off and I went second. The audience was absolutely full, maybe one or two empty seats, but it was a nice crowd, I'd like to have that for every performance! They were into it too! They laughed and were attentive, so who could ask for more. I got a lot of nice comments after as well. The only bummer was that the food was all gone by the time I was done; Wallace was funny, he said he had 25 RSVP'd guests and the rest just showed up . . . I hope they coughed up some bucks for the Fringe. It was a very successful party! I particularly enjoyed the Brel/Piaf songs and the two comedians, Giles and Mikhail, who did a rap version of waiting for godot . . . it was priceless!

they are performing on the Sunday of my last performance so I'll have to make sure to see them!

By noon today I had run eight miles and run lines twice (once while running and once with Bette on the porch). Now is no time for dilly dallying . . . this is what separates the men from the boys . . . much as I'd like to party down after rehearsal I'm gonna limit myself to one or two of either beers or glasses of wine . . . perfection may not be a reasonable goal, but I'm gonna shoot for it; what will ever be more significant than this in my theatrical life? I am intending to leave nothing on the table and at the end of these seven performances, I want to be able to know that I never once gave less than my best. If I can say that when all is said and done, then I will accept whatever happens or doesn't happen with this piece and know that this little adventure with Wallace has been something very precious and real.

I don't know what to expect this week other than it'll be a lot of work. We rehearse tomorrow at three and then begin tech at 6:30 . . . then we have two days to get it all right.

Today's the gala

Today is the opening of the festival. The big gala where I'll do the first few minutes of the play and several other performers will do a bit of a preview. Should be fun. Tomorrow is an off day, and then it's rockin' into Thursday!

The last couple of days were pretty intense. Thursday we ran the show twice virtually back to back; the first time was to see where we are and the second for the lighting and set designers, who are both very good. It's exciting. As nice as the One Man Talking thing was, we had not much in the way of design, general lighting and no set; this time everything is gonna be tailored to the show and it promises to be pretty amazing.

Yesterday we rehearsed, but were disrupted by stuff being delivered for the gala and such; but it's all good. This week I'm gonna zero my focus into a laser beam . . . nothing is gonna stand in my way!

I'll write tomorrow about the gala!

Rehearsal update (and more!)

It is so beautiful up there at Byrdcliffe (the artists colony being high jacked for August for the Woodstock Fringe Festival . . . well two of the buildings of it are). I'm not sure if the theater and Eastover (the housing for artists) are original buildings, but they sure feel like they could be; and original buildings would put them at having been built in 1903! I stayed up there Tuesday night and it was pretty amazing, so quiet and just gorgeous. It's about two miles from the center of Woodstock and it might as well be a million miles away!

We went to Albany for a radio interview on their public radio station, and got there and waited . . . and waited . . . only to be told that we weren't on their schedule! I don't know what happened internally there to make that transpire we weren't too happy about it, but it was a nice chance to spend a little time with Wallace away from the hubbub of rehearsal and all.

Rehearsals have been going great! We now have a stage manager so that is a big help especially for Wallace. We're busting ass but it never felt so good! I know I've said it before but this is the ultimate theater experience of my life . . . I don't know if I'll ever find its equal again, but I'll tell you one thing, I am savoring every moment. If I get tired I just remember that this is what I want to do and this is who I am . . . if you can't have fun doing your own piece then forget about it. I'm in a state of bliss that must be what the ancients meant when they talked about nirvana!

First day at Woodstock

Boy was it fun to get on that stage! And is it ever big! Much larger than anywhere we have been rehearsing or the TADA! stage we did it on in April. That leads to some adjustments, but it's all very good. And to be doing it at the historic Byrdcliffe artists colony is really cool.

I'm staying up there tonight and Wallace and I have an interview tomorrow morning on the public radio station in Albany . . . that should be interesting and fun . . . maybe not Leonard Lopate, but you gotta start somewhere!

We started from the top of the show and worked through to just after the new stuff ... supposedly today we'll go on from there so that eventually we'll make the end of the show! It seems like we have plenty of time, but hello! We open a week from Thursday! Danger danger! We have our work cut out for us . . . but it's gonna go great and today I get to meet stage manager and Catherine, who has become Wallace's right hand person.

Oh, and did I say, it is beautiful up there!

Eve of Woodstock

Very excited about rehearsing up in Woodstock. Should be an awesome experience and I'm looking forward to it. This weekend I've done a lot of work on the script; specifically some of the new stuff. Wallace had asked me to look at the scene in which Jimmy meets his future ex wife as he felt it could stand some focusing . . . and there was a lot of stuff that I liked a lot that sort of had to hit the cutting room floor. It was difficult to do, but I think it'll prove to be the right decision. As Wallace put it during rehearsal the other night, anything that is unnecessary is chaff. Sometimes you have to kill a few babies, and some of it was hard; but you have to be kind of cold blooded about this stuff; you can't hang onto it if it bogs things down and some of the stuff I cut, while I didn't at first agree, the more I looked at it the more I saw the wisdom of some trims.

Having said that: I also rewrote some stuff to smooth the transitions that I like almost as much as the stuff I cut . . . so it sort of finds its own level I suppose.

At any rate, it's gonna be fun to work on this in a really concentrated way . . . momentum is really jacked up right about now!!!

Building to something special

We rehearsed in the city last night . . . back at Theaterlab. That place kind of feels like home, we spent so much time there in Feb/March. It has really nice large rooms and it's inexpensive . . . and Carlo is a champ. Sure beats that place we were in last week; yeah it was nice and all, but it sure was cramped for our purposes.

I ran the show with Bette again yesterday morning; I'd love to be word perfect on this thing, and I'm tantalizingly close to that, but I don't want that to get in the way of spontaneity; as long as I'm in the moment and things are going well, I'm not going to beat myself up about being syllable for syllable perfect. having said that, both Bette and Wallace have called me on some places in the script where I have gotten too used to saying things a certain way, when the way they are in the script is stronger. So being no dummy I will listen to these two and do my damndest to get it right!

Rehearsal went extremely well. It was focused on the grandparents stuff and transitioning. Wallace is a wonderful director; he sees things with fresh eyes and he never is a pain. You gotta love him.

We talked about next week in Woodstock. Not sure how many nights I'll spend up there and how many I'll commute, but rehearsing for hours can sure take it out of you . . . I'm thinking I'll spend a couple of nights up there, then come back here for one then a couple more up there, and then come back Friday night to take Bette up for the party on Saturday. None of that matters all that much, it's the work. And I am enjoying it more than I can say. I feel like I'm in my element . . . and that is a nice place to be!

The calm before . . .

We rehearse again Wed. and Thurs. and then after that . . . it's moving up to Woodstock! Wow. It's been a slog waiting to get going, but once we get rolling the train ain't ever gonna stop . . . then it'll be over before you know it! That's something that'll be a bummer . . . when it's over. BUT! A look on the bright side may be called for: this time last year I had no idea any of this could be happening, let alone being the centerpiece of this year's festival. Mind blowing that's for sure.

It's been and will continue to be fun; and when it's over it'll be something that I will have and that will live with me forever; and that's good enough really when you get right down to it. It's all about living in the moment, being alive to experience what's going on around you, being on stage with people actively listening is life on the razor's edge, and it sure is addictive.

So anyway, I ramble. I can't wait to get this baby rolling and to see what happens up there . . . should be fine . . . and I feel ready for it. I've been working lines in some problem places. Working them with Bette, her with the book, and pointing out problem spots - especially places where my writing is better than the shortcuts I have gotten into the habit of using. The biggest problems are a couple of the new things, again, nothing that would be a terrible thing in performance, but if I can make it sing instead of hum, why not make it sing?

My poster works!

Just had a guy stop his bicycle in front of my house and tell me he saw my poster on a window and wanted to talk about it. If I had a buck for everyone that has seen the darn thing I wouldn't have to get a job! It's been great. Don't know if it'll mean traffic to the show itself, but it can't hurt, if for no other reason than awareness. A lot of industry types live in this area and who knows what may/could come of it.

Be that as it may, it has been getting noted!

I worked OH again yesterday . . . went very well . . . it's amazing how much more relaxed I am about it with the spectre of no job eliminated. That's a biggy. At least now I know that after the show is over, I won't be languishing on unemployment waiting for something to happen. And if something DOES happen with the piece?

Hey. That should be something I have to worry about.

It's hard to describe just how excited I am about this. But I guess I've said that before, non?

I've been constantly going back to the script to make sure as much of it is word perfect as possible. Especially focusing on the tale of the oak leaf . . . I think that is a special moment and I want it be be moving, deep and lovely. So I can't be fumfering around for lines . . . I have to know it inside out; I'm sure it will be there by opening . . . Amazing to think that in three short weeks it's all over but the shouting . . . wow. And how about that last perf. being on the day we take Laurette to Bennington? If I was a betting man, I'd put my money on that performance being a hum-dinger! And then it's over . . . what a trip it has been! Then what'll I blog about? Oh, I'm sure I'll think of something!

Holding pattern

Sort of. Wallace is in Atlanta this week for work related activities, so I'm left to my own devices. I did make some of the changes we talked about at our previous rehearsals, mostly stuff to streamline some of the new material. Most of the changes do make sense. And it does seem to flow better, so what more could you ask for? It is a bit confusing in running the lines to try to remember what is still here and what is gone, but it keeps me on my toes!!!

The piece is probably gonna come in around fifty minutes or so, which isn't what I'd wanted, but I can't see beefing it up just to beef it up, and at this stage of the game better to go with what we have I suppose. So unless something springs up and says 'use me or else' I think it's pretty much where it's gonna be.

Wallace copied me on an email from someone he approached about music prior to the show. It's very good bluegrassy stuff and would be a good fit. I guess Wallace thinks it's more of an evening with a bit of padding, and I can't say I blame him; if people are paying $25 bucks I guess a fifty - fifty five minute piece isn't gonna do it.

I was bemoaning my failure to make it longer . . . I had wanted an hour . . . but Bette reminded me about Beckett and some of his pieces that run less than a minute! So essentially a play will be the length it's supposed to be. This is a fun piece and I think people will enjoy it. I know they did at OMT, and I don't think any of my additions will serve to screw it up! I jest of course. I think the additions add some very good stuff: some humor, some depth. It's very satisfying from my end, and that's why we do this stuff isn't it? If it doesn't make me happy then what is the point?

I'm working on finding the trajectory of the piece. I know of course what the journey is, but I broke it down yesterday into large sections and could visualize how the arc of the play progresses. It really does take you on a journey and I have to have it in my head, rock solid, what that journey is and why I'm taking the audience on it and all those other actor questions. That's my big work this week: to get my intentions and actions down and all that other foundation work. If I'm clear on all that and have the play I have . . . we should really rock it!

Back in!

Last night was the first rehearsal after the looonnnggg layoff. It felt good ultimately, though it was touch and go at first. Let me be clear about that, the touch and go part was the actual initial run of the lines . . . I felt like it was just the words without anything behind them and that's because it was . . . it's a readjustment after doing it mostly in my living room with the poodle in attendance, to be in a rehearsal studio with Wallace there. Wallace, as always was uber supportive and didn't let me wallow in excuses or my self deprecation too much . . . he's a champ that one. So we rehearsed last night and again tonight then we're not in next week as he is away somewhere (vacation I hope, he's had a tough year) then we resume the week of the 26th either in the city or Woodstock. Aug. 2 we definitely relocate to upstate!

I can't wait to see where this goes this time around. there is so much more we can play with, making the living space reflect the character, stuff like that . . . should be interesting to say the least. I have a funny feeling this is the deep end of the pool . . . I thought that about One Man Talking, but this time out we really get to take the scalpel and see what lies under the skin. The lion's share of the work is on me . . . I have to break this thing down into beats and intentions which I got sort of lazy with last time . . . but this time I can't afford to be lazy. I have to know what I'm doing and why I'm doing it every step of the way . . . and Wallace is never shy about pressing my feet deeply into the fire and holding them there.

One thing that will be very nice is to have the space upstate to work with, and for an extended period of time!

So it's good. It's exciting. I feel like we're in decent shape because of the work I've already done with integrating the new stuff into the whole . . . and now it's off to the races!!!!

Well I have been back for a few days, but haven't taken the initiative to post anything, so here goes!

I really felt apprehensive about Old Hickory after my WV visit. I hadn't gotten the chance to really work on it for several days in a row, and that is highly unusual! Not many days have gone by since January without a run through of this thing .. . but my concerns were unfounded. I came back and worked it some and today got a good solid run in, so I'm feeling fairly confident . . . and really looking forward to rehearsals. It's just a few days over a month until we open up there in Woodstock (I love the sound of that . . . performing my play in Woodstock!!!!!!!) I'm sure things are going to get rolling pretty soon so it'll be like a juggernaut with a life of its own . . . what a wave to be swept into! I'm still pinching myself . . . and I have to be sure to appreciate every second every nuance of the process from here to close. I'm very proud of the piece and what it has become . . . and I am ecstatic about the opportunity to act in it . . . that may sound weird, but if I could pick a dream role this would be it: an earthy guy with a little wisdom and a little humor . . . and more than the hint of danger. Who could ask for anything more? Which . . . I guess . . . is why I wrote it ;>)!

And I get to perform it seven times over two weekends . . . what an honor (not to mention having Wallace invite me to the festival, who could imagine this shit? Ok so it's not The Public Theater, but hey I'm happy!) As Bette reminded me the other day, this is my first major production outside of twenty minute one-acts . . .

About future venues: I saw an ad on Playbill.com for a new theater looking for solo shows . . . preferably performed by the writer! Ok, so I bit . . . they said it's a new theater called the CP Playhouse or something . . . they want shows that will run for 3-4 weeks in the fall . . . I went for it. Big time. I sent the script as they requested, I also sent both acting and writing resumes AND the powerpoint presentation about OH. That powerpoint piece is very well done if I do say so myself . . . I think it's the kind of thing most writers don't think to do . . . actually, I'm sure a lot of people have DVDs of their work which is probably even better. That is something I have to explore with Wallace. I'd love to get a recording of this.

I'm also starting to rev back up for the new piece, I'd love to finish a draft of it by the end of July. I have other ideas as well: I'd love to be able to research and write about the Kanawha book protest in the early seventies . . . rife with possibilities. There is also an idea I stumbled upon while in WV. I saw a story about a woman who had her husband exhumed and kept him at her home for twelve years or something . . . talking to him and caring for him . . . twisted stuff . . . and then when her twin sister died a couple of years ago, she collected her body too! I have some ideas for that one . . . but I haven't done anything about it yet . . . I should probably make some notes just so I don't forget any ideas!!!

That's it for now.

big shock

this'll be a big shock but I won't be able to post anything after today until the end of the week as I'm off to WV for a few days. I'm back up to working on my environmental tragedy/comedy. I'm really enjoying doing it and my initial impetus was re-stoked by seeing 'Gasland', which is just tragedy/no comedy. So I feel like I'm on to something but I won't know until I finish it so the work continues. As long as it's fun, what more can you ask for?

I am pretty much finished with rewrites and learning lines for Old Hickory. Looks like we'll start rehearsing when I get back . . . well the following week anyway. I was gonna try to do it Thurs. but as that's the day we're driving back and I'll probably be zonked it might not be such a good idea.

It's July 4th, which means we have a month and a week basically until we open, we're gonna have to get it on, but from my end we're in good shape . . . or decent shape at least. I'm running lines daily and it's going well so who could ask for more?

Happy 4th!

Postcards

I got the postcards for Old Hickory yesterday and I'm going to start sending them out Monday-ish. I also plan to carry them with me wherever I go so I can lay them on people as I meet them.

But the big news is, I got the Strategic Opportunity Stipend from the state! It's half of what I asked for $300 instead of $600 but still, that's something. I'll use it to pay for the postcards and postage for example; as well as tolls and gas and such for rehearsals and the shows, so it will help. Nice, especially in this time of underemployment!

I did some work on the piece the other day, and I think it may be the final additions needed. I think I wrote previously about needing an earlier example of the Ex correcting Jimmy, which would make the 'clausteriphic' line make a bit more sense, so I worked something in and I think it'll work. Kind of funny, and not out of step with the rest of the piece. So now I have to brush up the new part and learn both it and the only other remaining new stuff I haven't learned yet . . . excellent.

It's been a few days since I posted so I don't know if I mentioned that Wallace found an intern for the summer . . . that'll take a lot off his head, and it'll help me too as it'll give me someone on book to keep me on the path, as it were. don't know when we'll start with the rehearsals, but I ain't bringing it up . . . I don't want to drive Wallace crazy and when he calls we'll get it on . . . wow . . . this will be a memorable summer!

Speaking of driving him crazy! He corrected me on my email signature that it is Woodstock Fringe Festival of Theatre and Song . . . not 'the' Woodstock Fringe Festival. So I made the changes; or thought I did, cause the next time I emailed him he shot back a response: WHAT THE FUCK? IT'S THE WOODSTOCK FRINGE FESTIVAL OF THEATRE AND SONG . . . NOT DANCE! THERE'S NOTHING ABOUT DANCE IN THERE!

So I looked at my signature and noted that, sure enough I had spaced out a bit ( I guess), anyway, I sent him a major mea culpa and definitively fixed the damn thing this time. The poor child has a lot on his plate and it doesn't take a lot to hit his buttons so to speak.

A grand unveiling

I hit Bette with the new pages the other day. I was running lines while she watched the book. It went pretty well actually, but more significantly she gave me some feedback that really unblocked an artery here.

I think I had mentioned that I wasn't really sure about the grandmother/grandfather stuff. I really wanted it to work, but I wasn't sure it was working. Bette had a great idea: she suggested moving it back a couple of pages in, so that people get a real sense of who this guy is and get totally sucked into the piece and then tell this story. The way it was before, the second page is all this monology stuff; which may sound weird since the whole thing is a monologue, but it really doesn't feel that way to me; to me it feels like . . . well storytelling. The grandparents bit always felt a bit less organic.

Now it feels better. I also am jettisoning some stuff about killing chickens that always messed me up while learning it and won't really be missed. Now if I can just come up with some malapropisms and a place to put them I think the piece will be ready to roll. Oh! And Bette really liked my zen moment in the woods as well. I'm happy about that because I think it adds something essential to the character, especially coming as it does right at the doorway to the big confrontation!

I'm getting my proof for the postcards today . . . can't wait to see them and get them out there!

Progress . . .

Work is moving along. I now have about thirty pages and that should be just about it. There may be a tweak or two to here and there, but it's pretty much where it needs to be, I think. One of the things I really wanted to void was making changes just to make changes. If it doesn't add to the story then it shouldn't be there. That has been my challenge and fear with the stuff I added about Jimmy's (and my) grandparents. It was sounding to my ear like a monologue in the midst of this flow of language. I had to confront that and face the possibility that it might not work. I think I have fixed it though. The reason he talks about the grandmother of course is because she gave him the knife and he loved her a lot; then talking about her naturally leads (I hope) to talking about his grandfather her husband . . . and this is where I thought there might be trouble because as much as I love the bit why was it there? I may have arrived at a solution this morning though because all this talk about how hard his grandfather worked and how little he got paid for it, convinced Jimmy not to be a farmer. Now I just have to be sure that the thing about the chickens isn't out of step with the rest, I don't think so though because it shows a side of Jimmy early on that maybe we need to see.

My other challenge is something that I've always felt it needed; or at least since the OMT performance: Wallace had the idea of Jimmy misprounouncing 'claustrophobic' which turns out to be a nice way of upping the ante in his big confrontation with his Ex as she jumps all over correcting him. I felt it needed more of that, but couldn't really figure out a) where and b) a word that he might use that would be easily screwed up. I may have found a solution though in having him tell about her correcting him whenever he says something like 'tater' or other simple words like that. I do think it has to be referenced earlier though, no matter what the word (s) ultimately chosen are.

Finally was able to get contact info other than a home phone number for Avy Kaufman. She is one of the busiest casting people going right now and I met her when she was working on Matewan in 1986. When I later moved to NYC she also got me some work on a German TV show of some kind or other. At any rate, my agent got me the info and I sent her an email and he followed up later with an email of his own . . . as he so succintly put it: now we wait.

I'm getting postcards made as well . . . I'd really like this thing to fly . . . and I'm not worried about the performance end of it . . . I just want it to have as much chance as possible to have a life after this!

Now I have to stop blogging and get back to learning them damn new lines!!!!!!!!

Work to do!

So I ran OH yesterday, with new material added, and it went pretty well . . . until I checked the time! Forty three minutes!!!!! What?! It was forty minutes in April. I've added probably close to ten pages . . . What? Ok, so maybe my pace was a bit too fast. I'll try it again today and see what happens. If I have to write more I will . . . I'm sure I can think of a sordid misadventure from my sordid past that would make for a nice sordid addition to the play. But what a shock! Only three minutes longer? You could have knocked me over with a feather.

But ok. Not the end of the world. The pace was more like a speed through I guess. I didn't realize that at the time, but I guess it was. So take a deep breath . . .

Anyway, enough of that. I've talked to a few people who are coming. If someone hasn't been to Woodstock for a while, it really is a good excuse to go . . . and it's a nice setting for this show, kind of a backwoodsy feel to it.

Yesterday I was in the hammock (my favorite place by the way) writing and came up with some good stuff. There's a story I've always wanted to have in a play but could never find the right one: I was in the woods one time and saw this leaf disengage from its branch and slowly, almost like slow motion, drift to the ground. And then when it hit the ground, though it was maybe fifty feet away, I could clearly hear it. That seemed like a real zen kind of moment to me . . . and I've always wanted to incorporate it into a piece . . . so I am trying it in the section about the place in the woods where Jimmy buries his dogs, which is kind of a sacred place to him anyway. I think/hope it works. Heaven knows we need the time!!!

I also added some stuff suggesting that the ex didn't much care for Jimmy's family . . . if I need to beef anything up this might be where I could do it; maybe something about how his friends and family react to her or something . . . I'll find it . . . I may have to move mountains to do it, but I'll find it.

Dates!!!

So now I have the dates, and it's off to the races! We have a little less than two months before lift off . . . how could I be more excited? So now I have to spread myself between getting the word out to industry types, in hopes someone may come, look for a job and get the show ready. It's in pretty good shape right now but it'll take some work, but that is what rehearsals are for!!!!

Oh! And the dates! Open August 12 and run for two weekends, closing on the 22nd (which is the day Laurette reports to Bennington! That should make for an emotional performance!)

This is gonna rock!

I was thinking this morning about last year's festival. I was talking to Mark Farnen, who wrote a play Bette and I read, and he asked me what I was working on. I told him I was plunging into the abyss by working on a solo piece and that I'd bring pages of it to workshop in the fall . . . yes, that was Old Hickory. I also told him that a solo show was one of the great daunting things that I had always managed to avoid, though I wanted to do one 'some day'. Well sir . . . someday came didn't it? Funny how this stuff works out. I had been working on the piece prior to that, but other than Bette I don't think I had mentioned actually working on a piece to anyone before that . . . it's sort of opening the cage and letting the tiger out when you proclaim something like that to someone. Whether it's love for someone or taking action in your life that you've only dared to dream about, when you declare yourself outloud to someone, it sort of changes the energy and you start to see things differently. You start to feel/see possibilities and doors start to open . . . and here we are, less than a year after my conversation with Mark staring down the barrel of an honest-to-god run!!! Amazing.

Actually I think Bette got the ball rolling. She had been toying with the idea of a solo show and had taken a class from someone; and she imparted some of this lady's wisdom to me . . . notably: if you want to do it, do it. Write the piece, rent the space and then you're committed. After her class that's when I started reapplying myself to Old Hickory (I had previously written my O'Neill piece, but sort of left it sitting there). Looking back it seems like one thing naturally lead to another, and in one way I suppose that's the case; but I sure never expected what has happened to happen, hoped for? Yes. Expected? Naw. I just wanted to write a piece that I could perform and then see what happens . . . there's a lot to be said for the law of attraction I suppose, if that's what this is. I put the energy out there and it was received and responded to, I can't wait to see how far this play will take me. The Fringe Festival is stop number two on the Old Hickory railroad . . . here's hoping there are more stops along the way!

First performance in August!!!!

Well now I have one date anyway, the first one: August 12th! I should hear from Wallace soon to get the remaining dates, he is meeting with his stage manager tomorrow to firm that stuff up. Looks like we may commence with rehearsals in the next week or so, at the same pace we did this spring of one or two a week. We definitely set a very good foundation running up to the April 29th performance so we have a good starting point already. So we're rolling!

Exciting stuff.

The blog postings have been less frequent in the last few weeks, but I think the pace will pick up again shortly.

Plugging along . . .

Deeply esconsed in learning the new stuff for the play. There's a lot of time, but with job search and such I need to stay on top of it. I should be in pretty good shape in a couple of days. Actually I'm in pretty good shape now, it's just a matter of spending the time doing it. And doing it. And then doing it again. It is work, yes, but it's also fun. I'm enjoying the new scenes with Arvil Sprouse, who didn't appear in the shorter version, he was just referred to. Now he has several exchanges and it's (I hope) fun stuff.

By the way, I got Arvil Sprouse's name from the principal and vice principal at my high school: Earl Sprouse (who we called Chrome Dome because he was bald, I might be more sensitive to that these days) and Arvil Sommers, who was the enforcer who weilded a fell paddle . . . I never got the pleasure of feeling his ire, but I'm sure it wasn't pleasant.

I was just leafing through the yearbook one day, dredging for good country names and these two guys were there . . . a match made in heaven!!!

Funny about character names sometimes. I have a character in one of my plays named Arlee, and I thought I had made it up. Then lo and behold I met a singer named Arlee some years later. Another more interesting sidebar is that this woman somehow sprang up as one of my cousin's Facebook friends! Small f-ing world!

I can't wait to see what Wallace does on the web site with Laurette's pix. I check a couple of times a day but nothing has cropped up yet.

I'm trying to fit one more piece into Old Hickory. I have a nice little scene about being in the woods and watching a leaf fall from the moment it lets go of the branch until it hits the ground . . . this actually happened to me and it made a big impact, but I haven't been able to successfully use it in a play yet . . . it might fit in here with the burial site of the dogs, but I'm not sure. It was a real zen moment and I hope I can pull it off, if not now then later . . . more news and reflection as it happens!

Last workshop til fall

So last night was the last workshop of the Woodstock Fringe Playwrights Unit until fall. What a wonderful group it is. Lovely people. Generally good work. Just a delight. Really got a chance to see the hard-ass side of Wallace. During my scene (I took seven more pages of the new piece) a couple of women came in, obviously looking for a different group and asking questions rather loudly in the back of the room . . . well Wallace (who was in the scene) was up out of his chair and getting them the hell out of there in no uncertain terms .. . they sure won't open that door without thinking twice again!

I had hesitated to take the new pages but figured what the hell. I had felt kind of like I was plodding along when I wrote this part and still don't know where the hell it's going, but I figured I'd take it and see what happens. It went surprisingly well. One of my big questions was whether thirty pages in is too long to wait for the father in the piece to describe his money making scheme. And I should point out the the pages I took ended in the middle of his monologue because I haven't decided just exactly what that money making scheme looks like yet!

At any rate, during the feedback, Mindy (one of the writers in the group) said it was just the right place to reveal his plan, not too late at all. so that was good to hear. If I can just figure the piece out won't that be special!!! But that's part of the fun/torture of writing: diving in and seeing what happens. Sometimes it works and sometimes . . . well let's just say I have a whole shizer load of partly written plays in boxes and drawers just waiting to be cracked.

I don't know how I've waited this long to get to it, but Wallace said I'd probably be opening the festival this year, or at least in the first two weeks. That's exciting! He also had me send him the pix for use on their website . . . I have a feeling that once the ball starts rolling it's really gonna move . . . so I'd better get on learning the new lines and writing any additions I want . . . this is gonna be a summer to remember!!!!!

No winners!

So I found out yesterday that I did not make the cut for Playwrights First. Alas. So of the three competitions I thought possible I come up with . . . well not quite a blank, I did make the top ten in PF. When they originally notified me they said 'finalist', when they notified me yesterday they said 'semi-finalist'.

It was interesting to hear that they got 250 submissions and picked 10 semi finalists and 3 finalists. So that's some cold comfort I suppose.

I'm finally gearing up to start learning the new stuff in Old Hickory. I've put it off long enough and the time is upon us I'd say . . . I also want to have about ten new pages by Tuesday for the Playwrights Unit . . . I better put down Steig Larsson and get cracking!

More on everything later.