So my 'regular' blog posting hasn't turned out so regular after all. But whatever.
Had a great weekend. Spent Saturday exploring the sculpture gardens at PepsiCo . . . what a rush that place is; great art spread over many acres of manicured lawn and trees . . . it really is beautiful, but beautiful isn't really a strong enough word . . . it's astounding really. A smaller version of Stormking!
We also checked out the Neuberger at Purchase College just across the street. Nice little collection there.
Sunday we mostly chilled at home. Read a bunch of Don Quixote and looked about for a new audition piece, and found one I liked from Rocket to the Moon, by Clifford Odets.
Last night caught a couple of episodes of some old Omnibus episodes from the mid fifties, which featured Leonard Bernstein talking about Beethoven's 5th in the first episode and jazz music in the second one. There were two more but I went to bed.
Anywho . . . onward.
Monday, July 23, 2018
Sunday, July 15, 2018
Writing via blog posts
In the absence of working on a play I can use my blog post for 'morning pages' to keep those muscles flexed. Actually cheating though because morning pages are supposed to be every day and these blog posts . . . well . . . not exactly.
We saw Leave No Trace yesterday. A beautiful film and Ben Foster once again shows why he is one of his generations' most compelling actors. I've seen him in four films and he has been a standout in each . . . but this one . . . he rips your heart out! Thomasin (sp?) McKenzie is amazing as his daughter as well.
I just finished the first part of Don Quixote. That's slightly over half of the book. My plan is to finish reading it and then get jiggy with the writing, all the while making notes as to ideas that pop into and out of my brain pan. Nothing has really caught fire yet.
Bette, Wallace and I have started the Edinburgh conversation again. We'll see what we decide but it probably won't be Happy Days. Leaning toward original stuff . .. we'll see. But exciting to be working toward that again.
Not much else happening. Between Don Q and yard work, not to mention 'work' work, been a pretty busy summer!
We saw Leave No Trace yesterday. A beautiful film and Ben Foster once again shows why he is one of his generations' most compelling actors. I've seen him in four films and he has been a standout in each . . . but this one . . . he rips your heart out! Thomasin (sp?) McKenzie is amazing as his daughter as well.
I just finished the first part of Don Quixote. That's slightly over half of the book. My plan is to finish reading it and then get jiggy with the writing, all the while making notes as to ideas that pop into and out of my brain pan. Nothing has really caught fire yet.
Bette, Wallace and I have started the Edinburgh conversation again. We'll see what we decide but it probably won't be Happy Days. Leaning toward original stuff . .. we'll see. But exciting to be working toward that again.
Not much else happening. Between Don Q and yard work, not to mention 'work' work, been a pretty busy summer!
Wednesday, July 4, 2018
Burbling
So in my typical summertime-let's-read-and-reboot phase I'm enjoying Don Quixote very much and just appreciating life in general. Which is a good place to be I'd say.
Nothing concrete on the front of new plays just yet, but ideas pop up and I make note of them. Not ideas for plays particularly but just thoughts, things that might be useful later. Might be related to something else and might not be. Might be and I don't even know it yet!!!
One thing for sure: I do my damnedest to write them down as they come to me because then I won't forget them. Once something blurps up from the deep, like one of those muddy volcanic bubbles blorping . . . in it goes. Noted and waiting for the thread that binds it all together.
Not for nothing but I'm thinking of a ghost story.
Nothing concrete on the front of new plays just yet, but ideas pop up and I make note of them. Not ideas for plays particularly but just thoughts, things that might be useful later. Might be related to something else and might not be. Might be and I don't even know it yet!!!
One thing for sure: I do my damnedest to write them down as they come to me because then I won't forget them. Once something blurps up from the deep, like one of those muddy volcanic bubbles blorping . . . in it goes. Noted and waiting for the thread that binds it all together.
Not for nothing but I'm thinking of a ghost story.
Saturday, June 23, 2018
First half recap
A week early, I know, but I was thinking about the year so far as far as my theatrical efforts go.
Nice year so far I'd say.
I spent the spring term of the Woodstock Fringe Playwrights Unit working on The Craftsman, scene by scene. It was a lot of fun and culminated in the Voices From the Fringe reading. It was a very satisfying event; made more so by Bette reading her new piece, Glass Slipper, to open the evening. Her writing just keeps getting better and deeper; a very moving piece.
The reading of The Craftsman was all I would have hoped for, with the unexpected last minute addition of me reading the part of Ralph Peterson, whose two scenes are the heart of the play. I wrote the part of Ralph for myself over twenty years ago, but had never had the chance to read it, so it was a very special occasion for me. It was also gratifying to have the array of talent reading for me, and we can't forget Craig's puppet of the Homeless Man that he created FOR THE READING!
Unforgettable evening.
I've kept track of the plays I submit on a spreadsheet; I started doing this four or five years ago as a way to keep track of these things. I have submitted The Craftsman to seven competitions/theater companies, with more to come, no doubt. I believe in the piece, and while it scares some folks off due to the potential threat of violence to women . . . the dark comedy aspects of it seem to mitigate those concerns nicely. None of the women who have heard/seen the play read have expressed concerns regarding our current moment.
I've also submitted Brother of the End of the World seven times this year . . . another recent favorite.
I've gone back in the archives and sent Pigotry to EST (figuring it might benefit from the #metoo moment). I also sent The Straight and Narrow to a competition. Interesting that of the fourteen full length plays on my resume, this one isn't on there . . . never had a reading or anything.
And finally I submitted The Rumpled Man for a horror competition.
Having a body of work in the metaphorical vault, you can respond to just about anything.
We can't forget the reading we did for the Welsh Women's Club either. Bette read the Glass Slipper there as well, and we read scenes from my sort of in the works series of scenes called Random Encounters.
What does Act 2 of 2018 hold? Don't know but can't wait to find out!!!!!
Nice year so far I'd say.
I spent the spring term of the Woodstock Fringe Playwrights Unit working on The Craftsman, scene by scene. It was a lot of fun and culminated in the Voices From the Fringe reading. It was a very satisfying event; made more so by Bette reading her new piece, Glass Slipper, to open the evening. Her writing just keeps getting better and deeper; a very moving piece.
The reading of The Craftsman was all I would have hoped for, with the unexpected last minute addition of me reading the part of Ralph Peterson, whose two scenes are the heart of the play. I wrote the part of Ralph for myself over twenty years ago, but had never had the chance to read it, so it was a very special occasion for me. It was also gratifying to have the array of talent reading for me, and we can't forget Craig's puppet of the Homeless Man that he created FOR THE READING!
Unforgettable evening.
I've kept track of the plays I submit on a spreadsheet; I started doing this four or five years ago as a way to keep track of these things. I have submitted The Craftsman to seven competitions/theater companies, with more to come, no doubt. I believe in the piece, and while it scares some folks off due to the potential threat of violence to women . . . the dark comedy aspects of it seem to mitigate those concerns nicely. None of the women who have heard/seen the play read have expressed concerns regarding our current moment.
I've also submitted Brother of the End of the World seven times this year . . . another recent favorite.
I've gone back in the archives and sent Pigotry to EST (figuring it might benefit from the #metoo moment). I also sent The Straight and Narrow to a competition. Interesting that of the fourteen full length plays on my resume, this one isn't on there . . . never had a reading or anything.
And finally I submitted The Rumpled Man for a horror competition.
Having a body of work in the metaphorical vault, you can respond to just about anything.
We can't forget the reading we did for the Welsh Women's Club either. Bette read the Glass Slipper there as well, and we read scenes from my sort of in the works series of scenes called Random Encounters.
What does Act 2 of 2018 hold? Don't know but can't wait to find out!!!!!
Sunday, June 3, 2018
25th anniversary!
Right about now is the 25th anniversary of the production of Trip to Bountiful that I did with Ellen Burstyn in the lead.
That occurred to me the other day as I ready a monologue for the B'way production of To Kill a Mockingbird. The EPA is tomorrow and I reserved a slot and will be there. The monologue is the one I wrote for the audition for Bountiful . . . and writing that monologue changed three people's lives in a major way.
I believe I've written about this before, but I wrote the monologue about my grandfather, who was a farmer, because I didn't have a regional piece to use for the audition.
So I sat down at a typewriter and wrote it (actually not sure if I wrote long hand first). That monologue got me cast, which led to us finding Nyack (where Ellen lived) and got me into Equity. It also woke me to the possibilities of writing, or, as Bette put it: 'See what happens when you write'.
So . . . for the past 25 years I've been applying myself to the writing craft. I had written this or that, all along . . . short stories, poems, songs and such . . . but I didn't have the focus to keep it rolling.
For tomorrow's audition it seemed like a no brainer to use that monologue again. I kept it and knew exactly where it was . . . except it wasn't! I was very upset, this was a keeper the one page typewritten (before we even had a pc) marked up sheet that I thought should be kept for 'posterity'.
To make long story short: I eventually found it. So onward. We'll see if lightening can strike twice!
That occurred to me the other day as I ready a monologue for the B'way production of To Kill a Mockingbird. The EPA is tomorrow and I reserved a slot and will be there. The monologue is the one I wrote for the audition for Bountiful . . . and writing that monologue changed three people's lives in a major way.
I believe I've written about this before, but I wrote the monologue about my grandfather, who was a farmer, because I didn't have a regional piece to use for the audition.
So I sat down at a typewriter and wrote it (actually not sure if I wrote long hand first). That monologue got me cast, which led to us finding Nyack (where Ellen lived) and got me into Equity. It also woke me to the possibilities of writing, or, as Bette put it: 'See what happens when you write'.
So . . . for the past 25 years I've been applying myself to the writing craft. I had written this or that, all along . . . short stories, poems, songs and such . . . but I didn't have the focus to keep it rolling.
For tomorrow's audition it seemed like a no brainer to use that monologue again. I kept it and knew exactly where it was . . . except it wasn't! I was very upset, this was a keeper the one page typewritten (before we even had a pc) marked up sheet that I thought should be kept for 'posterity'.
To make long story short: I eventually found it. So onward. We'll see if lightening can strike twice!
Sunday, May 20, 2018
Familiar territory
Right back where I often am this time of year: wondering what to write next. So we can expect to get more frequent blog posts just to keep the writing muscles honed as much as possible.
So far this year has been fairly productive I'd say. It was a lot of fun adapting The Craftsman to a play and solving the problem inherent in a transfer from screenplay to stage. And having the platform for a reading with 'civilians' in the room reacting to it from afresh was very helpful as well.
I'm proud of the play and welcome it to my stable of submittable material . . . when I become an overnight sensation there will be no shortage of material!
But now what? I've recently submitted both The Craftsman and The Brother of the End of the World to various places, and will continue to do so (and other stuff as well). The flint will eventually hit the steel and create the spark but for now I'm refilling the cistern, so to speak.
We went to see a less than perfect Long Days Journey Into Night at BAM last night. It is a wonderful play, but this production wasn't firing on all cylinders. Jeremy Irons was fine as James Tyrone, and Leslie Manville was an adequate Mary, though when she makes her entrance at the end of the play she wasn't that much crazier than she was earlier, which sort of diminishes the impact to say the least.
Neither of the actors playing the two sons caught my fancy. The actor playing Edmund was not well cast at all, seemed to be in a different play at times, and the actor playing Jamie, while he had his moments, really dropped the ball in his big scene with his younger brother in the second act. Any time I see this play it'll be haunted by Philip Seymour Hoffman's performance on Broadway. His meltdown in that scene was a sight to behold, and this guy didn't even come close.
Oh well . . . nobody's perfect. We have seen in recent weeks a wonderful Lear, with Antony Sher, and Three Tall Women, which was astounding so I guess that's a pretty good track record.
Now we're going to lay back a bit, we are saving shekels for Italy of course but a couple of things on the horizon are interesting: a Japanese production of Macbeth in July and The Ferryman opening on Broadway in Oct. But for now we can relax a bit. The only things on the horizon are concerts, unless something strikes our fancy.
So far this year has been fairly productive I'd say. It was a lot of fun adapting The Craftsman to a play and solving the problem inherent in a transfer from screenplay to stage. And having the platform for a reading with 'civilians' in the room reacting to it from afresh was very helpful as well.
I'm proud of the play and welcome it to my stable of submittable material . . . when I become an overnight sensation there will be no shortage of material!
But now what? I've recently submitted both The Craftsman and The Brother of the End of the World to various places, and will continue to do so (and other stuff as well). The flint will eventually hit the steel and create the spark but for now I'm refilling the cistern, so to speak.
We went to see a less than perfect Long Days Journey Into Night at BAM last night. It is a wonderful play, but this production wasn't firing on all cylinders. Jeremy Irons was fine as James Tyrone, and Leslie Manville was an adequate Mary, though when she makes her entrance at the end of the play she wasn't that much crazier than she was earlier, which sort of diminishes the impact to say the least.
Neither of the actors playing the two sons caught my fancy. The actor playing Edmund was not well cast at all, seemed to be in a different play at times, and the actor playing Jamie, while he had his moments, really dropped the ball in his big scene with his younger brother in the second act. Any time I see this play it'll be haunted by Philip Seymour Hoffman's performance on Broadway. His meltdown in that scene was a sight to behold, and this guy didn't even come close.
Oh well . . . nobody's perfect. We have seen in recent weeks a wonderful Lear, with Antony Sher, and Three Tall Women, which was astounding so I guess that's a pretty good track record.
Now we're going to lay back a bit, we are saving shekels for Italy of course but a couple of things on the horizon are interesting: a Japanese production of Macbeth in July and The Ferryman opening on Broadway in Oct. But for now we can relax a bit. The only things on the horizon are concerts, unless something strikes our fancy.
Monday, May 14, 2018
Post reading post
I can't believe I went this long after the reading without posting something. At any rate, the reading went beautifully. Bette's piece Glass Slipper was exquisite and The Craftsman got a great response as well.
Some interesting things happened along the way however: I got scripts to everyone way in advance of the reading, complete with highlighted stage directions. So all was well.
About three days before the reading I got a call from Craig Marin, reading the Homeless Man, asking if he could use a puppet. After much hemming and hawing I finally said sure why not? The dude is a puppeteer after all. Turns out the puppet he brought was made specifically for the reading! And it was fantastic! Really added a lot, and it is the first time someone has nailed the Homeless Man. It's a tough scene to read cold, but Craig had time with it and using the puppet gave him license to go a little crazy, which is what the part screams for. It added so much to the finished product!
The day before the reading I got a call from the fellow who was reading Jimmy. The lead. On every single page of a 96 page script! He told me he had broken his dentures and couldn't do it. So I emailed the guy playing another part and asked him to do Jimmy and I read the part he was going to read. He was great and everyone was very happy .. .
A little drama when we got there however, we were locked out. Ultimately I called Wallace and he was waiting in the space, unaware that it was locked. He told us the people who run the space had him down for Friday and we couldn't do the reading that night. I wasn't privy to the scene that transpired but when Wallace's kraken comes out you don't want to be on the receiving end of it. We did end up doing it as planned.
The reading was on the 13th floor of the building we usually meet in, but we usually meet on the ground floor. The view was nothing short of spectacular! In every direction!
Since the reading I have sent a hard copy to Jerry Davis at Burning Coal, and entered it into the Relentless Award competition. We'll see what happens.
Now we're back to the old 'what comes next' syndrome. I feel like good things are happening and can't wait to see what move in on me. On the other hand summer is sometimes sort of fallow for me, just reading and recharging.
I'm ready for just about anything!
Some interesting things happened along the way however: I got scripts to everyone way in advance of the reading, complete with highlighted stage directions. So all was well.
About three days before the reading I got a call from Craig Marin, reading the Homeless Man, asking if he could use a puppet. After much hemming and hawing I finally said sure why not? The dude is a puppeteer after all. Turns out the puppet he brought was made specifically for the reading! And it was fantastic! Really added a lot, and it is the first time someone has nailed the Homeless Man. It's a tough scene to read cold, but Craig had time with it and using the puppet gave him license to go a little crazy, which is what the part screams for. It added so much to the finished product!
The day before the reading I got a call from the fellow who was reading Jimmy. The lead. On every single page of a 96 page script! He told me he had broken his dentures and couldn't do it. So I emailed the guy playing another part and asked him to do Jimmy and I read the part he was going to read. He was great and everyone was very happy .. .
A little drama when we got there however, we were locked out. Ultimately I called Wallace and he was waiting in the space, unaware that it was locked. He told us the people who run the space had him down for Friday and we couldn't do the reading that night. I wasn't privy to the scene that transpired but when Wallace's kraken comes out you don't want to be on the receiving end of it. We did end up doing it as planned.
The reading was on the 13th floor of the building we usually meet in, but we usually meet on the ground floor. The view was nothing short of spectacular! In every direction!
Since the reading I have sent a hard copy to Jerry Davis at Burning Coal, and entered it into the Relentless Award competition. We'll see what happens.
Now we're back to the old 'what comes next' syndrome. I feel like good things are happening and can't wait to see what move in on me. On the other hand summer is sometimes sort of fallow for me, just reading and recharging.
I'm ready for just about anything!
Sunday, May 6, 2018
Excited
Excited by the upcoming reading of The Craftsman this week. Should be a lot of fun. Sort of spinning wheels on what to do next, but something will happen. I have some ideas. On one of my periodic rambles through my saved documents I found a couple of snippets of things that I hadn't done anything with yet . . . maybe . . . maybe not.
I also found an old newspaper article that I wasn't really sure about why I kept if until I read the opening paragraph . . . more on that later.
So on a rainy - but cool - Sunday morning, just chilling.
I also found an old newspaper article that I wasn't really sure about why I kept if until I read the opening paragraph . . . more on that later.
So on a rainy - but cool - Sunday morning, just chilling.
Wednesday, April 25, 2018
Ready to roll . . . I think
The script for The Craftsman is locked and loaded and ready to print! In fact I ordered the print job this morning and now it's just a matter of getting to May 10 to see how it flies!
I have to say I'm happy with the result. I think the characters are well drawn and some of the scenes are among my best writing. It has been quite a journey. I could go on tweaking it forever, but at some point you just have to say: enough . . . stop and enjoy the ride.
And what a ride it has been. Until I started taking this in to the workshop I had never envisioned Martha being read by a man, but once the idea hit to have Wallace do it, it's hard to imagine it otherwise. It adds an element of fun to it that wouldn't have been there otherwise, which, considering the material, isn't a bad thing.
It is a comedy after all!
So I pick up the scripts this evening, mark the stage directions I am going to read, and distribute the scripts on Tuesday . . . and then wait for May 10.
It will be interesting to say the least.
I have to say I'm happy with the result. I think the characters are well drawn and some of the scenes are among my best writing. It has been quite a journey. I could go on tweaking it forever, but at some point you just have to say: enough . . . stop and enjoy the ride.
And what a ride it has been. Until I started taking this in to the workshop I had never envisioned Martha being read by a man, but once the idea hit to have Wallace do it, it's hard to imagine it otherwise. It adds an element of fun to it that wouldn't have been there otherwise, which, considering the material, isn't a bad thing.
It is a comedy after all!
So I pick up the scripts this evening, mark the stage directions I am going to read, and distribute the scripts on Tuesday . . . and then wait for May 10.
It will be interesting to say the least.
Thursday, April 5, 2018
More on The Craftsman
It's looking very good for a reading in the city in May. Can't wait. Work to be done between now and then, not least because there is a May 1 deadline for the Relentless Award. Worth submitting to it because it brings in a cool $45k if you win it so I'm up for that.
Interesting developments for a couple of the groups that I (sort of) have an in with. I guess I shouldn't say 'sort of' because I know the artistic directors so that's something. At Penguin Rep the word I got was that they were a tad put off by the subject matter in this era of #metoo. I accepted graciously and didn't say anything like: Iceman Cometh? Othello? Richard 3? I understand the nature of their audience so edgy stuff isn't their metier, so . . . onward.
The opposite happened with my friend at Burning Coal, Jerry Davis. I told him what had happened and a bit about the play and he said he'd like to read it, so I sent it to him.
Enough to drive a person crazy, on the other hand, being a Libra this is exactly what one should expect!
More later.
Interesting developments for a couple of the groups that I (sort of) have an in with. I guess I shouldn't say 'sort of' because I know the artistic directors so that's something. At Penguin Rep the word I got was that they were a tad put off by the subject matter in this era of #metoo. I accepted graciously and didn't say anything like: Iceman Cometh? Othello? Richard 3? I understand the nature of their audience so edgy stuff isn't their metier, so . . . onward.
The opposite happened with my friend at Burning Coal, Jerry Davis. I told him what had happened and a bit about the play and he said he'd like to read it, so I sent it to him.
Enough to drive a person crazy, on the other hand, being a Libra this is exactly what one should expect!
More later.
Sunday, March 25, 2018
More on stuff
I sat down and read The Craftsman yesterday. I think it holds up pretty well . . . but it's still hard to be objective. You get close to these things and sometimes can't see the woods for the trees (last cliche of the day I hope). The proof will be in the pudding of putting it in front of an audience. Folks in the workshop have responded very well over the weeks. But they are hearing scenes out of context. I can't wait to hear it read and see how people like it as a whole.
Maybe this spring?! We'll see.
I did a little poking around at some of the short pieces I worked on before starting on The Craftsman. Bette and I are going to do a reading for the Welsh women's club and I'm going to do a couple of those, and Bette is going to do her most recent piece. Should be a good program.
My scenes are funny and will loosen things up and then Bette's piece will lay them right out.
Two years ago Wallace, Bette and I went and read the first act of Happy Days for them. It was a big hit. We actually went expecting to do the whole play but then found out they wanted an hour max . . . so act one it was. They really got it and we had a great time doing it so when Patience asked us to do it again we jumped all over it.
That is on the 7th of April. We're going to time things out today and get an idea of what we want to do. I went over my short pieces this morning and I think there are two, we'll call them CIA and Audition. Just two people talking, both are short and sweet, and, I think, funny. People in the workshop thought so anyway. They are part of what might eventually be a whole play that is sort of an omnibus of several short pieces. How many and what order . . . the form of the whole thing is yet to be determined . . . but it's something that is out there. Any time I am between projects and feel like writing something I can add to it, and then take the best of the bunch and include them in the piece.
If there is a theme I haven't found it, but it might be something like loneliness or just dealing with other people in the world. Which I suppose every play ever written is about these things at core. Or maybe not.
Maybe this spring?! We'll see.
I did a little poking around at some of the short pieces I worked on before starting on The Craftsman. Bette and I are going to do a reading for the Welsh women's club and I'm going to do a couple of those, and Bette is going to do her most recent piece. Should be a good program.
My scenes are funny and will loosen things up and then Bette's piece will lay them right out.
Two years ago Wallace, Bette and I went and read the first act of Happy Days for them. It was a big hit. We actually went expecting to do the whole play but then found out they wanted an hour max . . . so act one it was. They really got it and we had a great time doing it so when Patience asked us to do it again we jumped all over it.
That is on the 7th of April. We're going to time things out today and get an idea of what we want to do. I went over my short pieces this morning and I think there are two, we'll call them CIA and Audition. Just two people talking, both are short and sweet, and, I think, funny. People in the workshop thought so anyway. They are part of what might eventually be a whole play that is sort of an omnibus of several short pieces. How many and what order . . . the form of the whole thing is yet to be determined . . . but it's something that is out there. Any time I am between projects and feel like writing something I can add to it, and then take the best of the bunch and include them in the piece.
If there is a theme I haven't found it, but it might be something like loneliness or just dealing with other people in the world. Which I suppose every play ever written is about these things at core. Or maybe not.
Saturday, March 17, 2018
Submissions
I spent the last week not paying much attention to the old writing side of things. I finished my draft of The Craftsman last week and set it aside for a while. I may opt to read it this weekend but not sure about that.
I did submit it in its current form to Penguin Rep due to time issues so we'll see what happens with that. I want to have it sort of polished by the time the Relentless Award deadlines in May.
I spent a little time today submitting The Brother of the End of the World to a couple of places; one in Florida (Theater Conspiracy) and one in London (Theatre503).
We'll see. I do really love that play and it'll be interesting to have it back out there. I've submitted it dozens of places with no real interest . . . but the past is prelude! Maybe the hillbilly aspect of the piece will hit someone in England the right way. Best to forget all that now.
Assuming we can go in on Tuesday I plan to go to the Workshop with more pages from The Craftsman. The only 'if' is the weather which seems to be threatening but may not get that way until later in the evening.
We've been binging a bit on The Americans . . . really well written and acted . . . some real surprises as the story progresses.
I'm excited to see the new documentary about Arthur Miller on HBO. It was done by his daughter and includes never before seen stuff . . . at least from what I've read about it.
Anywho. Nothing much else to report. I did find a book that is exciting: an oral history of Angels in America. I bought it but have two other books demanding my attention right now so once I'm done with them I will see to Angels.
See you soon!
I did submit it in its current form to Penguin Rep due to time issues so we'll see what happens with that. I want to have it sort of polished by the time the Relentless Award deadlines in May.
I spent a little time today submitting The Brother of the End of the World to a couple of places; one in Florida (Theater Conspiracy) and one in London (Theatre503).
We'll see. I do really love that play and it'll be interesting to have it back out there. I've submitted it dozens of places with no real interest . . . but the past is prelude! Maybe the hillbilly aspect of the piece will hit someone in England the right way. Best to forget all that now.
Assuming we can go in on Tuesday I plan to go to the Workshop with more pages from The Craftsman. The only 'if' is the weather which seems to be threatening but may not get that way until later in the evening.
We've been binging a bit on The Americans . . . really well written and acted . . . some real surprises as the story progresses.
I'm excited to see the new documentary about Arthur Miller on HBO. It was done by his daughter and includes never before seen stuff . . . at least from what I've read about it.
Anywho. Nothing much else to report. I did find a book that is exciting: an oral history of Angels in America. I bought it but have two other books demanding my attention right now so once I'm done with them I will see to Angels.
See you soon!
Sunday, March 11, 2018
End of play!
I typed those words this morning as I reached the end of this initial draft of The Craftsman! Wow . . . it really is something special I think.
This week I wrote an email to the good folks at Penguin Rep to tell them as much and that I would love to have a slot in their reading schedule this summer. I got back a response from Joe Brancato that they needed to get it 'yesterday' as they are finalizing their choices. So I sent it to them unfinished, but I did take the time to clean it up for page breaks and such. Cobbled together a character breakdown.
Today I dove in and finished the play, working to those words: end of play.
I think it's a special piece. I don't know what anyone else will think, but the addition of Wallace playing Martha and the response I've been getting in workshop has been better than encouraging!
So now I'm going to let it sit for a moment and see how I feel when I come back to it fresh in a few days.
This week I wrote an email to the good folks at Penguin Rep to tell them as much and that I would love to have a slot in their reading schedule this summer. I got back a response from Joe Brancato that they needed to get it 'yesterday' as they are finalizing their choices. So I sent it to them unfinished, but I did take the time to clean it up for page breaks and such. Cobbled together a character breakdown.
Today I dove in and finished the play, working to those words: end of play.
I think it's a special piece. I don't know what anyone else will think, but the addition of Wallace playing Martha and the response I've been getting in workshop has been better than encouraging!
So now I'm going to let it sit for a moment and see how I feel when I come back to it fresh in a few days.
Saturday, February 24, 2018
Ah! The surprise of it all!
I love it when your characters do the talking for you and teach you things you didn't know about them! I sat down to write this morning with an idea of what I wanted the scene to be and I just sat down and one person said something and the other responded and we were off to the races! And I didn't know where these two characters had met! Or that it was at the bar an earlier scene takes place in!
Lovely when that happens . . . just sit back and let it come to you.
They aren't all that easy, but this one is falling right into place.
There was a character that I wasn't sure what to do with . . . how to introduce him or how to present him . . . and it would be more of a transitional thing anyway . . . and then today it just hit me that HE DOESN'T HAVE TO BE IN THE PLAY AT ALL!
We learn that he is important to Martha, and the fact that we don't get to see him and put a literal face to the name just lets the audience do the heavy lifting with imagining who this guy is! Sweet!
More later of course!
Lovely when that happens . . . just sit back and let it come to you.
They aren't all that easy, but this one is falling right into place.
There was a character that I wasn't sure what to do with . . . how to introduce him or how to present him . . . and it would be more of a transitional thing anyway . . . and then today it just hit me that HE DOESN'T HAVE TO BE IN THE PLAY AT ALL!
We learn that he is important to Martha, and the fact that we don't get to see him and put a literal face to the name just lets the audience do the heavy lifting with imagining who this guy is! Sweet!
More later of course!
Thursday, February 22, 2018
More on the Craftsman
Continuing the exploration. I'm finding a lot of fun stuff and having a blast doing it. Some major revelations: most significantly I asked Wallace to play Martha in the scenes we read on Tuesday. That came to be as Bette and I were talking to him and I don't remember exactly who it first came to but once it was mentioned it made perfect sense: Wallace should play it!
That puts a bit of distance and a touch of satire that might soften the play some and make it more accessible. Yes it could be a horror story . . . of it could be a horror story with a twist.
At any rate the reading went wonderfully . . . everyone was laughing and thought it was fun . . . Mindy said: 'As much fun as it was, there was an undercurrent of violence' . . . which is pretty much just what we want . . . and that should build and build and build . . .
I'm having fun with figuring out the hallucinations as well . . . I've now written two scenes through the lens of maybe they're real and maybe not . . . and to whom . . . I am beginning to get the sense that this might be a very special play . . . sometimes writing is harder work . . . grinding it out to try to get to the end . . . sometimes it just flows . . .
A fun ride.
That puts a bit of distance and a touch of satire that might soften the play some and make it more accessible. Yes it could be a horror story . . . of it could be a horror story with a twist.
At any rate the reading went wonderfully . . . everyone was laughing and thought it was fun . . . Mindy said: 'As much fun as it was, there was an undercurrent of violence' . . . which is pretty much just what we want . . . and that should build and build and build . . .
I'm having fun with figuring out the hallucinations as well . . . I've now written two scenes through the lens of maybe they're real and maybe not . . . and to whom . . . I am beginning to get the sense that this might be a very special play . . . sometimes writing is harder work . . . grinding it out to try to get to the end . . . sometimes it just flows . . .
A fun ride.
Sunday, February 11, 2018
Craftsman update
The work continues! I've been taking baby steps a little at a time and coming up with ways to make The Craftsman work as a play. I have decided that one way to deal with the hallucinations is perhaps to give the audience code that they are coming . . . so when our hero gets hit on the head with the length of pipe there will be a bright flash of white light . . . then each time there is some hallucination the bright light will come and, for example, Uncle Walter will step into the scene . . . it's not written in stone just yet but it is a possibility.
It's interesting to take something from so long ago and revisit it. Especially since it's the first play I've worked on in a long time where I know the ending going in so I have some sense of where it will build to . . . that is assuming the ending doesn't change. Much has. I am basically taking the structure and attacking the scenes as if for the first time. I'm about forty pages in now, not that it matters, it's probably about half way . . .
More on the hallucinations: it's also fun to write with an expectation of stage craft . . . giving them problems I'm not sure how to solve and seeing if I can solve them.
The magic of theater! I'm sure Tony Kushner wasn't quite sure how an angel crashing through the ceiling would work, but work it did!
It's interesting to take something from so long ago and revisit it. Especially since it's the first play I've worked on in a long time where I know the ending going in so I have some sense of where it will build to . . . that is assuming the ending doesn't change. Much has. I am basically taking the structure and attacking the scenes as if for the first time. I'm about forty pages in now, not that it matters, it's probably about half way . . .
More on the hallucinations: it's also fun to write with an expectation of stage craft . . . giving them problems I'm not sure how to solve and seeing if I can solve them.
The magic of theater! I'm sure Tony Kushner wasn't quite sure how an angel crashing through the ceiling would work, but work it did!
Sunday, February 4, 2018
Progress!
I've gotten some good work done on the Craftsman this weekend. So now I'm up to two scenes for our leads (which I've done yesterday and today) and the one scene with another essential character, which I did earlier in the week.
And best of all! I'm enjoying it! It's nice to be working on it again and some of the more fantastical elements will be a hoot . . . if they can be pulled off on stage!
On Friday night went to a Deb Vines' house and read one of her plays. Wallace came down for it, but Bette was not feeling well and didn't go. It's always nice to hang with Wallace and other folks were there as well . . . a nice evening. I asked Wallace about my concerns with Old Hickory in this time of heightened awareness of abuse . . . and his response was short and sweet and struck right to the point: 'Are we never to do Richard the third again?'
Cool. That helps. I still think a gentle adjustment would not be unwarranted given the opportunity . . . but it's not as if I'm planning on dusting it off again any time soon. It's just been on my mind. And because it's been on my mind the idea of The Craftsman leapt into my head!
It all works one way or another.
I got confirmation from Jerry Davis at Burning Coal that he had received my email of The Brother of the End of the World. Now I'm going to leave it with him and not bug him for a while. I hope he likes it. It would be nice to get at least a reading out of it. We'll see.
This week I got a rejection email from my friends at the Premier Theater festival competition. I hadn't really planned to enter it this year as the play I completed most recently was Self-Inflicted Wounds . . . which I'm not all that high on. I wrote it and worked hard on it, but I'm not sure if it holds up or not.
Next year I'll have The Craftsman for them!
Onward!
And best of all! I'm enjoying it! It's nice to be working on it again and some of the more fantastical elements will be a hoot . . . if they can be pulled off on stage!
On Friday night went to a Deb Vines' house and read one of her plays. Wallace came down for it, but Bette was not feeling well and didn't go. It's always nice to hang with Wallace and other folks were there as well . . . a nice evening. I asked Wallace about my concerns with Old Hickory in this time of heightened awareness of abuse . . . and his response was short and sweet and struck right to the point: 'Are we never to do Richard the third again?'
Cool. That helps. I still think a gentle adjustment would not be unwarranted given the opportunity . . . but it's not as if I'm planning on dusting it off again any time soon. It's just been on my mind. And because it's been on my mind the idea of The Craftsman leapt into my head!
It all works one way or another.
I got confirmation from Jerry Davis at Burning Coal that he had received my email of The Brother of the End of the World. Now I'm going to leave it with him and not bug him for a while. I hope he likes it. It would be nice to get at least a reading out of it. We'll see.
This week I got a rejection email from my friends at the Premier Theater festival competition. I hadn't really planned to enter it this year as the play I completed most recently was Self-Inflicted Wounds . . . which I'm not all that high on. I wrote it and worked hard on it, but I'm not sure if it holds up or not.
Next year I'll have The Craftsman for them!
Onward!
Friday, February 2, 2018
Work on the Craftsman
I started work on the adaptation of The Craftsman to a play. I began with the scene between our hero, Jimmy and the framer, Ralph, who Jimmy meets in a bar. It is the defining moment of the piece really in that, while it seems to be another thing pointing Jimmy in the direction of murder, it actually lights a fire in him to take himself more seriously.
The scene is expanded a great deal and might have to be trimmed some ultimately, but I like the characters and am enjoying working on them.
We'll see what happens with it.
It would help if the writing could be more consistent but time is of the essence so I basically work mostly on weekends . . . more later (after this weekend's writing 'binge' perhaps!)
I do have to mention the play Indecent. We missed it onstage in NY because it was playing in the midst of the Happy Days mania, but PBS has it available so we watched it. What a play! The ensemble was exquisite and the direction spot on.
Good work all 'round!
The scene is expanded a great deal and might have to be trimmed some ultimately, but I like the characters and am enjoying working on them.
We'll see what happens with it.
It would help if the writing could be more consistent but time is of the essence so I basically work mostly on weekends . . . more later (after this weekend's writing 'binge' perhaps!)
I do have to mention the play Indecent. We missed it onstage in NY because it was playing in the midst of the Happy Days mania, but PBS has it available so we watched it. What a play! The ensemble was exquisite and the direction spot on.
Good work all 'round!
Sunday, January 28, 2018
Putting together the pieces
It's really amazing to feel the buzz of writing again. All the little pieces have come together and I have a real sense of where I'm going next creatively.
I always feel a little less than whole when I'm not writing consistently . . . at sea in a way . . . not non-functioning by any stretch just . . . something is missing. So I work through those periods and trust that something will smack me upside the head.
I've been reading, doing little writing exercises (the scenes I mentioned previously for example) and almost without even knowing it, the pieces have fallen together and I'm engaged in a new play.
Actually it's my screenplay (also previously mentioned) The Craftsman. After reading it for the first time in a while yesterday I felt there was really something there . . . that it actually could be a play . . . but adjustments have to be made . . . some things have to be considered. I don't want it to come across as in any way misogynistic for example . . . so I have to take some care. But I worked on the core scene today and it felt good . . . we'll see what happens.
A lot of ingredients have been stewing for a while . . . I've been listening to more music (specifically Little Feat,which is one of the great bands of the '70s - Lowell George was a great and unusual songwriter . . . they go into very unexpected directions); I was reading some interviews with writers on the way in to the city yesterday . . . there was some nice stuff in there about what it means to be a writer . . . and indeed . . . the NY Philharmonic, which was the reason we went in last night . . . amazing music (Prokofiev).
And of course we saw Phantom Thread the other day . . .
Creativity is an incredible thing to experience and being in the zone where you are working on it is exquisite. I love acting; creating a life on stage is a unique thrill and communicating the play to an audience is . . . giving voice to the writer . . . it means so much to me and always will . . .
. . . but nothing tops sitting down and creating those worlds . . . it's lonelier, but it really is the art of theater. You sit there facing the canvas of the blank page . . . and you start . . . and you are talking to someone very directly . . . that someone may be a hundred years from now . . . but you're talking to them.
That shouldn't be wasted.
Make it count.
I always feel a little less than whole when I'm not writing consistently . . . at sea in a way . . . not non-functioning by any stretch just . . . something is missing. So I work through those periods and trust that something will smack me upside the head.
I've been reading, doing little writing exercises (the scenes I mentioned previously for example) and almost without even knowing it, the pieces have fallen together and I'm engaged in a new play.
Actually it's my screenplay (also previously mentioned) The Craftsman. After reading it for the first time in a while yesterday I felt there was really something there . . . that it actually could be a play . . . but adjustments have to be made . . . some things have to be considered. I don't want it to come across as in any way misogynistic for example . . . so I have to take some care. But I worked on the core scene today and it felt good . . . we'll see what happens.
A lot of ingredients have been stewing for a while . . . I've been listening to more music (specifically Little Feat,which is one of the great bands of the '70s - Lowell George was a great and unusual songwriter . . . they go into very unexpected directions); I was reading some interviews with writers on the way in to the city yesterday . . . there was some nice stuff in there about what it means to be a writer . . . and indeed . . . the NY Philharmonic, which was the reason we went in last night . . . amazing music (Prokofiev).
And of course we saw Phantom Thread the other day . . .
Creativity is an incredible thing to experience and being in the zone where you are working on it is exquisite. I love acting; creating a life on stage is a unique thrill and communicating the play to an audience is . . . giving voice to the writer . . . it means so much to me and always will . . .
. . . but nothing tops sitting down and creating those worlds . . . it's lonelier, but it really is the art of theater. You sit there facing the canvas of the blank page . . . and you start . . . and you are talking to someone very directly . . . that someone may be a hundred years from now . . . but you're talking to them.
That shouldn't be wasted.
Make it count.
Saturday, January 27, 2018
Trying to decide what comes next
I've been paddling as fast as I can lately, trying to figure out what comes next from a writing standpoint. I've been writing little snippets of things . . . two character short pieces that are unrelated other than they are a man and a woman in various places. The first is a married couple during a blackout, the second is a guy who meets a girl on the subway and gets the book she is reading to impress her, the third one was two actors waiting in line at an audition and the fourth is a guy meeting an old flame in a bar.
Simple clean. Short and sweet. Each one a little self contained nugget. I'll keep adding to these possibly . . . it's fun to bang them out and they seem to go over well in the workshop. So that's one thing. To try to tie them up into something . . . a larger whole comprised of a series of short pieces.
I also have a few monologues that I've written . . . not full length kind of things but little snippets that aren't part of anything larger. There are four of these as well . . . I wonder if they are related somehow? Or if they can be.
Then I thought of my screenplay the Craftsman. I thought about that as I was wondering if Old Hickory is appropriate in the current climate. In The Craftsman it looks like it is building to a murder . . . but the murder doesn't actually happen.
I pulled it out and read it today (1995 copyright!?). It would be very difficult to just take the screenplay and make a play out of it, but some of the characters are priceless . . . so maybe another way of looking at it. Just Jimmy and his wife and the framer perhaps, without the hallucinations he has . . . or maybe the hallucinations can be tweaked.
Anyway . . . a lot to think about. All this wheel spinning has been a little productive . . . So now I have these three directions to go in . . do I have to choose just one or do I try to bring it all together?
Anyway . . .that's where I am right now . . . I do want to work on the Craftsman I think, but I also want to leave the antennae open for the other stuff as well. If an idea occurs to me for another duet then fine. If some way of bringing these monologues together slaps me upside the head? Fine.
I think the secret is to stay open to being tapped by the muse.
I'm also going to start using the blog as a way to keep a hand in. Writing is writing is writing. Getting into the habit of doing it is the important thing.
Simple clean. Short and sweet. Each one a little self contained nugget. I'll keep adding to these possibly . . . it's fun to bang them out and they seem to go over well in the workshop. So that's one thing. To try to tie them up into something . . . a larger whole comprised of a series of short pieces.
I also have a few monologues that I've written . . . not full length kind of things but little snippets that aren't part of anything larger. There are four of these as well . . . I wonder if they are related somehow? Or if they can be.
Then I thought of my screenplay the Craftsman. I thought about that as I was wondering if Old Hickory is appropriate in the current climate. In The Craftsman it looks like it is building to a murder . . . but the murder doesn't actually happen.
I pulled it out and read it today (1995 copyright!?). It would be very difficult to just take the screenplay and make a play out of it, but some of the characters are priceless . . . so maybe another way of looking at it. Just Jimmy and his wife and the framer perhaps, without the hallucinations he has . . . or maybe the hallucinations can be tweaked.
Anyway . . . a lot to think about. All this wheel spinning has been a little productive . . . So now I have these three directions to go in . . do I have to choose just one or do I try to bring it all together?
Anyway . . .that's where I am right now . . . I do want to work on the Craftsman I think, but I also want to leave the antennae open for the other stuff as well. If an idea occurs to me for another duet then fine. If some way of bringing these monologues together slaps me upside the head? Fine.
I think the secret is to stay open to being tapped by the muse.
I'm also going to start using the blog as a way to keep a hand in. Writing is writing is writing. Getting into the habit of doing it is the important thing.
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
What? A post?
Ok so it's been since last August and our return from Edinburgh since I have posted. A lot has happened since then, acting in Breaking the Code with Bette and Wallace was thrilling, with lots of little sidebars of joy, like spending a weekend in the Onteora Mountain House, but from the writing perspective . . . not so much.
I've been writing little vignettes to keep my foot in and that has been nice, with response at the Fringe being wonderful! But . . . and you'll forgive me (or not) for sounding a bit . . . I don't know . . . inflated . . . but I have been walking around with the feeling that something good is on the way, I just haven't been able to corral it yet.
Could it be a piece that is an evening of the vignettes? Possibly. I have four of them now.
I've been thinking a lot about my solo piece Old Hickory in the last couple of weeks in relationship to the #metoo movement that's happening out in the world . . . and wondering if a piece about a guy sharpening his knife awaiting the arrival of his wife who he plans to murder . . . might not be so wonderful.
I have other solo pieces that don't involve such violence, against women anyway, so that's not the problem.
I also considered a piece melding the personalities of a couple of sales types I have known in my life . . . and that might be something . . . but then it struck me: my screenplay The Craftsman. It might just make one heck of a play.
So. I'm gonna start working on that. Read it again and see how it would adapt. There are things in the screenplay you can only do on film . . . but with theater adjustments can be made . . . on the other hand . . . Tony Kushner wrote a play where an angel breaks through the ceiling so maybe I shouldn't worry about restrictions.
Anyway . . . 2018 here I come!!!
I've been writing little vignettes to keep my foot in and that has been nice, with response at the Fringe being wonderful! But . . . and you'll forgive me (or not) for sounding a bit . . . I don't know . . . inflated . . . but I have been walking around with the feeling that something good is on the way, I just haven't been able to corral it yet.
Could it be a piece that is an evening of the vignettes? Possibly. I have four of them now.
I've been thinking a lot about my solo piece Old Hickory in the last couple of weeks in relationship to the #metoo movement that's happening out in the world . . . and wondering if a piece about a guy sharpening his knife awaiting the arrival of his wife who he plans to murder . . . might not be so wonderful.
I have other solo pieces that don't involve such violence, against women anyway, so that's not the problem.
I also considered a piece melding the personalities of a couple of sales types I have known in my life . . . and that might be something . . . but then it struck me: my screenplay The Craftsman. It might just make one heck of a play.
So. I'm gonna start working on that. Read it again and see how it would adapt. There are things in the screenplay you can only do on film . . . but with theater adjustments can be made . . . on the other hand . . . Tony Kushner wrote a play where an angel breaks through the ceiling so maybe I shouldn't worry about restrictions.
Anyway . . . 2018 here I come!!!
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