Opening Night - Sight Unseen

Tonight is opening night for Sight Unseen, my latest theatrical production. I am excited to put this show up in front of an audience. We need the audience.

We've been rehearsing this show since before the New Year - actually, that isn't entirely correct. We originally started out doing another show but then lost the rights - long story - and wound up working on this particular script. As it turns out, we've all... most of us, anyway, seem to have grown really attached to this script, and have put a lot of time and effort into the production.

The show is about a successful artist/painter who has lost his way and is trying to rediscover what made him become an artist in the 1st place. He pays a visit to his ex-girlfriend/muse and her husband in an attempt to get in touch with his past but discovers he cannot go backwards through life. It is a provocative script, a talented group of actors, and a theatre company worth supporting.
Hopefully, all of the hard work and dedication will be rewarded with crowded audiences who appreciate our efforts! Even without that I am glad I took a chance to audition for this theatre company and, in particular, this director. It hasn't turned out the way any of us foresaw but it has been an adventure, and I am proud of the work I've put into the show.

Art with a Capital A has come to the shopping mall generation!

PS. I got into the car this morning to start my commute and the 1st song on the radio is The Animals 'Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood'. A song which I feel is very appropriate for my character in the show. Then 'The Dock Of The Bay' by Otis Redding follows on the radio. A song which instantly makes me miss my mother and think about how proud of me she always was whenever she would come to watch me perform. It was quite the fortuitous beginning of my day.

I Feel Bad... Really, I Do...

...but all of these revolutions happening in the Middle East are killing me and my wallet! I know how selfish and self-centered that sounds but it's true! I filled up today and gas was almost a quarter more expensive than it was before the weekend! It doesn't seem possible. I know that we, as a nation, are reliant on that area of the world for our oil supply, and so it only makes sense that the unrest there would affect fuel prices here at home. I can't help feeling, however, that somewhere along the line someone is taking advantage of the situation and hiking up gas rates! People are dying in the streets in Libya, Egypt, and other countries; demanding a new way of life and some fat cat somewhere is raking in the dough! Things can't go on this way.

T Minus 7 Days

Is Opening Night really next week? Really?

The answer is YES! The show opens in 1 week!

My latest show, Sight Unseen, with Dignity Players opens on March 3 at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis. I can't believe it's it opens next week. It's been an interesting journey - we originally started rehearsing a different show but lost the rights - and it will be great to put it up before an audience!

The show is about Art in case the picture didn't tip you off!

A Month To Write: Results!

"Dear Playwright:
Thank you for submitting your play... I am sorry to say that your play has not advanced to the next round... We appreciated the opportunity to read your play... Thanks Again!"

The above notice was extracted from an email I received last night from a theatre company. If you've been keeping up with this blog recently then you remember that I used the month of January to write, revise and submit a ten minute One Act for production. Obviously, it will not be a part of the upcoming festival.

It's a little disappointing, but half expected. This theatre company has rejected scripts from mine in the past, and, unfortunately, their supportive and polite rejection emails don't really specify on the particulars. That just leaves me wondering about my script. Is it just not good? Was it too long? To difficult to stage? Did it go over their heads? Who knows? I'll probably never know, and that's how it often happens.

New Day

Yesterday was not my favorite day of the week, or the year for that matter. Important meetings I'd been stressing out about all week went off without a hitch. More meetings. 2nd job kicks in again but on a new day, Thursday, and then I'm late to rehearsal on top of that! Oh, and I felt completely unprepared for said rehearsal because of being preoccupied with everything else. It was a bit overwhelming!

Let's see if today runs any smoother.

I Shit You Not!

I heard 2 bits of radio news during my morning commute. Maybe this will prove educational and amusing.

The 1st being that this Saturday, 2/12/11, there are plans to stage a 'Nurse In' at Washington DC's Hirschhorn Museum. The protest is in response to a mother being asked to breastfeed her infant in the restroom, and thus having her rights violated, and DC’s 'Child’s Right to Nurse' Law disregarded. The participants have been dubbed 'LACTIVISTS'! Really!

Also, in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the town is having a new government building constructed. The mayor decided to hold an online contest to name the building. The front runner in the contest is the name of a former Fort Wayne Mayor: MR. HARRY BAALS! Really!

Just Under A Month

I am finished. Earlier today I submitted the 10 Minute One Act Script I have been working on recently. A little over a month ago I gave myself the goal of writing, revising and submitting a One Act for a Play Festival in Illinois. I met my deadline, early, and am happy to have done so.

The script? The idea? Is it genius? Probably not. It's hard to cram genius into a 10 minute production, especially given the month long development time-frame. I sometimes work on projects for years. This particular script meets the specifics of the festival for which it was written, and, I hope, is different than most of the other submissions that the company will receive.

I am not sure as to whether or not this script will be selected as a finalist, and receive a staging in the festival. Who can predict these things? Right now that isn't as important to me as the fact that I completed this short term goal I set for myself back before the New Year. This latest script was more of an writing exercise than an inspired venture, but it was step in the right direction. Hopefully, I will ride this momentum and contemplate, nay, actually work on some of my other writing projects that have had many hours of creativity, and effort invested in them.

An Artist Playing An Artist?

Or maybe it's more a matter of an unprepared actor playing a self-involved painter who runs off at the mouth... A LOT! We were forced to change scripts, and the size of my role has increased considerably. (I've killed 2 highlighters working on this script.) The show opens the 1st week in March and I feel a little pressure because we've had to start all over from square 1. It's a good group of people, an interesting play, and a tight deadline. That doesn't always make for a relaxing, exploration rehearsal process. It's going to be interesting.

How's It Going So Far?

Well, I finished writing a rough draft of a ten minute One Act Play for the contest I mentioned below. Now I have a few days to read, revise and submit it for consideration. How is it? That remains to be seen. It will definitely need some revising.

I've been nominated for a W.A.T.C.H Award! I was in a play almost a year ago; 'Frozen'. That play was nominated for Best Lead Actor, Best Lead Actress, Featured Actress, Sound Design, Direction, and Outstanding Play Of The year! The Washington Area Theatre Community Honors Award Ceremony will take place the 1st weekend in March. Keep your fingers crossed.

Oh, and the theatre company that I am currently working with decided on a new, completely different script to mount this March. Let the line memorization commence. I also replaced my cracked windshield, and got a MD inspector to sign off on the repair; so that's taken care of... anything else? That's about it.

2 Memorable Quotes From The 1st Week Of 2011

- "Sir, I pulled you over because I'm concerned for your safety."

- "The rights have been pulled."

The 1st quote was uttered by a Maryland State Trooper after he had pulled me over during my afternoon commute for having a cracked windshield. The windshield has been cracked for years, and yes I realized it isn't the safest thing but this Smokey was on the hunt. When I passed him he had just finished ticketing an Infinity, then he found me and pulled me over JUST for the windshield, nothing else, and finally we saw him pull over another driver 2 miles down the road. Hope he met his quota. I am being ordered to replace my windshield. Oh joy!

The 2nd quote came only a few hours later when I was informed, along with the rest of my cast-mates, that the show we'd recently started rehearsing is no longer going to happen. Long story short, the rights were yanked, and we're now exploring other options. Whether that means a different script with the same cast and director, possibly a different director, or we all just go our separate ways and leave the stage dark is yet to be seen.

Yay 2011!