Don't hate me for this: a new idea for a play fell into my lap this morning . . . but I won't tell you what it is! I know I know, why even bring it up . . . and I'll tell you why: that's what this blog is for! It's as much for me as for you, to track progress of things. I started it in the first place when I was working on Old Hickory in 2010, as sort of a production diary . . . so now we can track this new piece together and see what comes of it. It may be nothing but it may be something wonderful . . . who knows. I have had ideas in the past that went nowhere. I go back to them occasionally and find a way to make them work (Brother of the End of the World is a prime example of that), so who knows. I have at least a half dozen plays that were really good ideas that I couldn't end up bringing to fruition . . . a couple of them keep raising their hands and saying 'Hey what about me', and at least one of them I'm very interested in exploring again . . . but for now I've gotten the first breath of a breeze of a new piece . . . wrote down some ideas/impressions/thoughts, and it may come to something . . . or maybe not.
One thing that I find endlessly interesting: in the couple of periods when I have been unemployed in the last ten or so years, when I have had all the time in the world to write, very little has come of it . . . I've written plays but they aren't even the ones that I'm at all interested in revisiting . . . my best work is when I'm cramming writing into whatever little time I have between running and work and flopping in the evening . . . wonder why that is.
Thursday, May 26, 2016
Sunday, May 22, 2016
Happy Days and Last Request
What a pleasure to see Happy Days at Yale Rep yesterday! Dianne Weist was fabulous as Winnie. And it completely wipes the slate of the abysmal Tony Shaloub/Brook Adams version we suffered through last year. The trap with Happy Days is to make it a cartoon; but where the play really lives is in reality. It could be people sitting at the kitchen table talking, or the wife chattering away while the husband sits with coffee and his newspaper, it just so happens that in the play Winnie is buried up to her waist in Act One and up to her neck in Act Two . . . it's a stunning play visually and a real tour de force for the actress playing Winnie.
I think it is the fourth production of the play that Bette and I have seen; and easily the best. While the Gate Theater's production at Lincoln Center may have been its equal in a lot of ways, it was in a space way too large for it. You need intimacy, and Yale Rep had that. It also had Ms. Weist who was nothing short of stunning. The fellow playing Willie was fine. But he didn't really do so much to make it his own. He did what Willie is supposed to do in the script, but I can't say he brought anything special to the part.
I had never been to Yale Rep before, and enjoyed it thoroughly, and also enjoyed what little we saw of New Haven as well.
In other news I had occasion to dust off Last Request and submit it to someone today. The piece is nearly twenty years old and I had a hard time actually finding an electronic file of it! I was able to, finally though and did some cleaning up of it from a layout perspective. Didn't spend a lot of time with rewriting it, didn't want to go down that rabbit hole just yet. If the people I submitted it to have an interest then I can have a closer look.
Last Request was my first full length play, in about 1998 or so! I saw a posting the other day for two handers, and wrote to see about whether they'd consider a three character piece, since there is a ghost character in act two. They said they would so I sent it. My other two handers either are older characters or aren't a man and a woman.
We'll see. I think it's a good piece and the reading we did of it in '99 was very well received so hope springs eternal!
I think it is the fourth production of the play that Bette and I have seen; and easily the best. While the Gate Theater's production at Lincoln Center may have been its equal in a lot of ways, it was in a space way too large for it. You need intimacy, and Yale Rep had that. It also had Ms. Weist who was nothing short of stunning. The fellow playing Willie was fine. But he didn't really do so much to make it his own. He did what Willie is supposed to do in the script, but I can't say he brought anything special to the part.
I had never been to Yale Rep before, and enjoyed it thoroughly, and also enjoyed what little we saw of New Haven as well.
In other news I had occasion to dust off Last Request and submit it to someone today. The piece is nearly twenty years old and I had a hard time actually finding an electronic file of it! I was able to, finally though and did some cleaning up of it from a layout perspective. Didn't spend a lot of time with rewriting it, didn't want to go down that rabbit hole just yet. If the people I submitted it to have an interest then I can have a closer look.
Last Request was my first full length play, in about 1998 or so! I saw a posting the other day for two handers, and wrote to see about whether they'd consider a three character piece, since there is a ghost character in act two. They said they would so I sent it. My other two handers either are older characters or aren't a man and a woman.
We'll see. I think it's a good piece and the reading we did of it in '99 was very well received so hope springs eternal!
Monday, May 16, 2016
No morning pages
So much for morning pages. Since I wrote my last post nearly a week has gone by with nothing from the likes of me . . . ah well . . . best intentions and all that.
I have been bapping around some ideas for a new play . . . we'll see if anything comes of it, but stuff has been occurring to me and I write it down . . . and try to remember not to toss it . . . therein lies the challenge!
We had a very nice rehearsal yesterday and came up with a schedule for the rest of the rehearsal period . . . most weekends will be multi-day affairs up in Lake Hill, taking the dogs and all . . . should be a lot of work but should also be a lot of fun.
The majority of the burden of this play, for those who know the play, is on Bette. It's heavy lifting but she is absolutely going to rock in this.
So onward. This is a short note because I'm pretty f'n tired . . . but while hanging with the bunny it's a nice way to turn it inward a bit.
This weekend, in addition to rehearsal on Sunday is a trip to New Haven, on Saturday, to see Happy Days at Yale Rep, with Diane Weist. Should be interesting. Wallace said Weist would be his second choice for Winnie, with Bette being number one . . . the love and warmth that fills the room when we rehearse is really something else . . . what an experience this whole endeavor is . . . and if we can pull it off . . .
Here's a hint: we can.
I have been bapping around some ideas for a new play . . . we'll see if anything comes of it, but stuff has been occurring to me and I write it down . . . and try to remember not to toss it . . . therein lies the challenge!
We had a very nice rehearsal yesterday and came up with a schedule for the rest of the rehearsal period . . . most weekends will be multi-day affairs up in Lake Hill, taking the dogs and all . . . should be a lot of work but should also be a lot of fun.
The majority of the burden of this play, for those who know the play, is on Bette. It's heavy lifting but she is absolutely going to rock in this.
So onward. This is a short note because I'm pretty f'n tired . . . but while hanging with the bunny it's a nice way to turn it inward a bit.
This weekend, in addition to rehearsal on Sunday is a trip to New Haven, on Saturday, to see Happy Days at Yale Rep, with Diane Weist. Should be interesting. Wallace said Weist would be his second choice for Winnie, with Bette being number one . . . the love and warmth that fills the room when we rehearse is really something else . . . what an experience this whole endeavor is . . . and if we can pull it off . . .
Here's a hint: we can.
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Morning pages
It just entered my brain pan that I could use my blog for morning pages, when I'm not hot on the trail of a play that is.
For the uninitiated, morning pages were a suggestion of Julia Cameron in A Writers Way as a way of working your way out of being blocked, sort of a way to keep writing when you don't feel the impulse necessarily. Her thing is ninety minutes, but since that's not going to happen anything at all is a way to work those muscles a bit. So who knows maybe I'm going to get regular with this stuff . . . which might or might not be a good thing.
So no particular topic for today. We took a few days off from rehearsing Happy Days because we were feeling a bit under the weather. Actually we were planning to rehearse on Sunday, but since it was Mother's Day and Laurette came out and surprised Bette by showing up . . . we haven't done it for a while. But now that we're back on track we should be able to get with the program.
We're all set for the summer, have our places to stay and are really looking forward to this. It is gonna be work, and it is going to be living on the edge to do Beckett, but this should be a really nice production. It sure feels good I'll tell you that.
Can't imagine what we'd rather be doing . . . 'cause there isn't anything we'd rather be doing.
Ok, off for breakfast and spending a few minutes with the Karamazov brothers . . . then . . . to work!
The only updates regarding Writer's Block are that, I finally registered it with the Library of Congress and now I'm sending it around . . . so far to Penguin Rep and Playwrights Horizons . . . maybe a couple of other people as well . . . then some competitions . . . and then . . . who knows . . . maybe I'll get an idea for another play!
For the uninitiated, morning pages were a suggestion of Julia Cameron in A Writers Way as a way of working your way out of being blocked, sort of a way to keep writing when you don't feel the impulse necessarily. Her thing is ninety minutes, but since that's not going to happen anything at all is a way to work those muscles a bit. So who knows maybe I'm going to get regular with this stuff . . . which might or might not be a good thing.
So no particular topic for today. We took a few days off from rehearsing Happy Days because we were feeling a bit under the weather. Actually we were planning to rehearse on Sunday, but since it was Mother's Day and Laurette came out and surprised Bette by showing up . . . we haven't done it for a while. But now that we're back on track we should be able to get with the program.
We're all set for the summer, have our places to stay and are really looking forward to this. It is gonna be work, and it is going to be living on the edge to do Beckett, but this should be a really nice production. It sure feels good I'll tell you that.
Can't imagine what we'd rather be doing . . . 'cause there isn't anything we'd rather be doing.
Ok, off for breakfast and spending a few minutes with the Karamazov brothers . . . then . . . to work!
The only updates regarding Writer's Block are that, I finally registered it with the Library of Congress and now I'm sending it around . . . so far to Penguin Rep and Playwrights Horizons . . . maybe a couple of other people as well . . . then some competitions . . . and then . . . who knows . . . maybe I'll get an idea for another play!
Thursday, May 5, 2016
Puttin' it out there
After taking my new pages into the workshop on Tuesday night, I feel like Writer's Block is ready to meet the world. With any luck the world is ready for it as well!
I took Playwrights Horizons up on their offer to submit it to them! Nice opportunity to have them see the work. I had invited them to the reading, they responded in the negative but offered to read it when it's ready. So I sent it. Also have sent it to Penguin Rep and Burning Coal as well. Both of these I have relationships with so we'll see what happens. Right now I'm angling for readings, but I just want to get it out there. Feedback is good too.
I'm going to continue to submit the piece as much as I can . . . all the usual places . . . and hope for the best. I like the piece a lot and hope that the twist of it being sort of insider look at creating a play might get some traction.
This is a short post . . . more later . . . stay tuned!
I took Playwrights Horizons up on their offer to submit it to them! Nice opportunity to have them see the work. I had invited them to the reading, they responded in the negative but offered to read it when it's ready. So I sent it. Also have sent it to Penguin Rep and Burning Coal as well. Both of these I have relationships with so we'll see what happens. Right now I'm angling for readings, but I just want to get it out there. Feedback is good too.
I'm going to continue to submit the piece as much as I can . . . all the usual places . . . and hope for the best. I like the piece a lot and hope that the twist of it being sort of insider look at creating a play might get some traction.
This is a short post . . . more later . . . stay tuned!
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