And then revise again. Face it: you're never done revising.
Yesterday I attacked said revisions. And it went well! Even wrote a new scene, which rocked, totally rocked. Of course, that was on another play... I'm having trouble getting to the Halloween play (i.e., the one being workshopped); it's daunting because there's just SO MUCH that needs to be revised. Instead, I opened up the play I'm currently writing, and wrote the aforementioned new scene. This worked a treat! I think it really helped grease the wheels, and upped my confidence to move on to other stuff. After writing the scene, I went back and revised the first scene in the same play. Then I moved on to another play not currently being workshopped, and fixed a plot development that had always bugged me. Being satisfied with that, I moved on to the Halloween play. I didn't have a lot of time left, but like I said, there's just so much to fix that I decided to start small. I changed the name of a place, and brought in a character to a scene to address an issue. I also addressed an issue where a character was already in a scene, but there was no real reason for them to be there. That's it. Starting small, indeed. But it felt GREAT. Next time I will be on full attack. And that baby's gonna feel some full on change!
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That title looks like it should be "Workshop! The Musical!" Hmm... and my wheels are turning at this new idea...
Workshop happened! Last week. Wow, I'm bad at keeping up with this stuff. But, whether I wrote it down or not, it did happen, and that's what's important. So. The local art fest was happening at the same time- in the parking lot of the theatre. Not a great start; parking was a bear. But I got there; and the president of the theatre got there; and we went up to the theatre, opened the side room, sat at the table, and waited. The room was decently spacious, but hot. Thankfully it was late, and cooled down pretty quickly. Also, not many people showed up to make it hotter... sigh. Just, we rescheduled so that hopefully more people would have a free spot in their schedule, and it didn't work, so that was extra disappointing. I hope the next one will work out better. However, I did have one lady show up on time. We waited a bit, and when no-one else came, we agreed to split the parts and work through it that way. I'd rather get one person's feedback than none, and I'd rather not cancel, as it's a drive (well, at least for me; I live the furthest away from the theatre!), so we may as well go ahead and do it, to make it worth everyone's time for coming out. Then, a few pages into that, another gal showed up. We redistributed the parts and continued. The good thing about having such a low number of people: everyone was fine with not taking a break, so we just continued until we were completely done. This was especially a good thing as, unbeknownst (ooh, fancy!) to us, a thunderstorm was moving through the area; it hit JUST as we were finishing up with feedback. Then, since I had to park a decent amount away because of the fest, I got to run three blocks through pouring rain and thunder and lightning carrying a heavy laptop. Fun times. Did I mention I'm out of shape? Or, as I found out, REALLY out of shape. Yeah, the play was a little long. The whole read without a break, took just over two hours. So that's without intermission time, and this is a play aimed at kids and teens. Yikes. I mean, there's nothing to worry about, because kids will TOTALLY sit still that entire time. They never get antsy. Never. The thing I find interesting about read-throughs: people never, never laugh in the spots you think are funny, instead laughing at completely different spots you find trite or forced. Or maybe, since the lack of laughs seemed particularly to happen on my reads, it's just the way I read the lines. Could be just my perception; on the other hand, I've read it through so much I suspect I may have been going a bit fast. On the other other hand, no-one said anything, so perhaps that's just my perception too. On the other other other... maybe I'm overthinking this. The thing I find interesting about feedback: people never, never, never come up with the issues you came up with. I was amazed at the issues presented (though not entirely surprised, as I knew this script certainly had some issues). It's really quite interesting; it makes me look at the script in a different way, which is no bad thing! Trying to see things from another perspective is, after all, what writing is all about (while simultaneously conveying your own perspective. You know, easy-peasy). Now I get to revise the script. I... kind of haven't started yet... which I should, as it needs quite an overhaul. I think that's why I'm putting it off! I mean, I won't be able to workshop again for at least a month, which is, you know, ages away. I'll do it. I'll get it done. I'm just... not ready yet. It has to happen when I'm ready. And I don't know exactly when the next workshop will be, which is profoundly irritating. I had hoped to schedule it at this workshop, but... again, I am at the mercy of the theatre schedule. As the next show only auditions this coming weekend, the director does not have her schedule in place yet. The other show, currently in rehearsals, has only about six days (!) free through the entire next month... so I'm kind of worried about getting any time It's finally here! The day is upon us! The moment has arrived! Tonight! On my way now! Writing at red lights! A little excited! And nervous! You can probably tell! Hope people show up! *gleep* Couldn't get enough people so we have rescheduled for next Friday the 16th. WHAT A RELIEF!!! (And hopefully, this makes a difference as to getting more people to come...) Yay! I'll post next week as to how it all went, and how 50some people showed up, I'm sure. *happy humming* So! Here it is, Wednesday. I put a Facebook events post up on Monday evening; for, again, a Thursday read-through.
*biting nails* This is the sort of thing that consumes you, completely unnecessarily. I have spent way too much time over the past two days checking Facebook to see if anyone has decided to go. So far, I am going; the board president is going; and one other person is going (THANK YOU!!!). And I have one maybe. I'm glad anyone is able to go on such short notice. Or might be able to go. That's absolutely fantastic. But- and of course there is one- the problem here is that the play has 13 parts. Now, I'll be glad to read too, but that's basically a lot of back and forth between the one "yes" and myself, as the president is not an actress and I know she will not want to read. The other, more major issue, is that the whole point here is to get feedback, and one or two other people's opinion, while valued, could just as easily be gotten through e-mailing the script and have them respond. All that said, I think the main issue is one I cannot and should not deny: my self-esteem is involved here. If people show up, I am validated. If not... well, damn, I'm just unloved, aren't I? Ha. Selfish view, really; I know that. It's not like this was short notice or anything (I may have mentioned), and people are just plain not going to be able to make it. But still. It brings to mind the time, a few years ago, when it was my birthday. I decided to throw myself a little bash- what the hey, I never do things like that. Get some people together, have a nice time. I put up the event on Facebook (obviously, the place I do most networking), made some plans, bought some food, set things up. Waited. Nobody showed up. Okay, that's simply the most dramatic way of saying it, and it's not quite true. One person showed up. Really, though, although he's been friend to both of us for years, he's still originally my husband's friend, so that's how I still think of him. So it can be considered that none of my friends showed up. I was not actually particularly hurt by this. We had a nice time anyway, ate some munchies, watched a couple of crappy movies, and chilled; it was cool. And it is true that most people hadn't actually said they would come, but had put "Maybe" or hadn't bothered to respond at all. I had simply thought that if they did that, at least a couple of them would show up. In retrospect, this was a big assumption. But why? Why don't people bother responding at all? Particularly when it's someone's personal shindig, and feelings are obviously going to be involved. Sigh. Still, as I said, that occurrence didn't bug me that much. It's just a birthday; I have one every year, not a big deal to me. I actually forgot about the whole thing. Until now. This is different. This isn't just some birthday. This isn't just me being dorky ol' me. This is my work. Blood, sweat, tears. Okay, maybe not, but at least a lot of hours spent creating something very personal. Doing something, something I believe has merit. Something I care about almost as much as my kids. And, like my kids, I want others to know and appreciate my plays as I do. I want others to care. Well, it's not like if they don't show up, they don't care. And I understand that. I really do. ...I'm just going to be over here checking Facebook... *biting nails* Arrrrrrrrgh.
So I got the approval to workshop; had to get in touch with the director of the play currently being produced to get their rehearsal schedule. This took nearly a week, as I had to wait until auditions were done, callbacks were done, and then she still wasn't sure of the schedule of one of the actors. But I got approval (from her) to go ahead and reserve a date. This was on Friday afternoon (the 31st). When my husband got home, I asked him if Thursday the 6th would work; the workshop would be after working hours, but he's been working late a lot and it takes 45 minutes for me to drive to the theatre. He said he would have to check his schedule; which means I would have to wait until Monday. NO. I hated to be a jerk about it, but honestly, I've been waiting for this to happen since MARCH. I said Thursday it would be and he'd just have to deal with it. Okay, I may have been kind of a jerk. Thankfully, he understood. So I e-mailed the board president to officially request the date, and would a board member be able to be there? She got back to me on Sunday and said she'd message the board and see if anyone would be available that day. ARGH. Waiting again. And here it is Monday afternoon and I still haven't heard. Admittedly, it is not easy to get people to reply within 24 hours (I've never understood why, but people do have their reasons so...). But this is Thursday we're talking about! I'm nervous as hell that nobody will be able to come, just because of short notice. I just e-mailed the president again. Damn, I hate hate hate doing it: but there are times when you've just got to be a pest. I did say that if she hasn't heard from anyone, maybe we should reschedule for next week. That's hardly what I want, but hopefully that would be easier to coordinate! You might be wondering, what is the big deal? Why is it so imperative that I get this scheduled ASAP? Well, I wouldn't be jumping about so much; I truly am grateful that the theatre is helping me out, and I realize I have to work around their schedule and give them leeway. One reason is that, well, I've been waiting for this to happen since March. I may have mentioned that. Did I say March? I meant, March. But the main reason is: this is a Halloween play. I was hoping to start the workshop earlier so I'd have plenty of time, but I didn't get approval until July. Okay, no problem; if we do the first read-through in July, we can do two more in August and September, and then I have time for a quick rehearsal and staged read-through in October... before Halloween. Just thought it made sense, you know? And now it looks like we'll be a little late. And then I'm going on a family vacation for a week and a half in October, so that'll have to be scheduled around. And the theatre is undergoing construction in November and December, so scheduling pretty much anything then is going to be impossible. And. And. And... I'm a tad not happy. Trying not to be. Trying to stay positive. Trying to focus on the fact that I should be, and truly am, grateful. I have great friends and good people to support me this much. I am very lucky. Many people don't get this far. I just... want to get a LITTLE further. To be continued... Woo-hoo! Things are moving!
So I had to wait until I was contacted; and then I wasn't contacted, so I did the contacting. I've been approved to workshop- woot woot! I'll get the spare room at the theatre and plenty of available input into staging ideas. Should be exciting! Naturally, there are a few conditions: a theatre board member must be present at every read-through, which I figured was a given; it's a theatre meeting, pretty much, plus it's at the actual theatre, so someone should be on hand to guard against monkeyshines. I'm also in charge of organizing the actual meeting, and scheduling the date and time. Not as easy as it sounds. The schedule must of course be approved by the theatre, and at this point there is now a show to work around. Auditions for the season opener were held this past Sunday and Monday; I understand there was even a hold-up, due to difficulty in casting one of the parts. So now I have to give the director a day or two to work out the rehearsal schedule, at which point hopefully I can bug her to see what day the theatre will be unoccupied. Then, and only then, can I approve the date; then, and only then, can I post/send out notifications of the date. Did I mention I want to get this started before July ends? Kind of biting my nails here. But at least things are moving along still, and in the right direction. Updates to come! Just a quick note today, an addendum if you will.
I posted previously about getting ideas from your kids. Well, from anywhere. But kids come up with some... interesting things. This being summer, and me being an at-home mama, I've been dealing with the kids being home. It really hasn't been a big deal (7 more weeks, just 7 more weeks). I've found it's reallllly helpful to give them projects. Me being me, at least half of these are writing projects. Okay, so this is partly selfish (partly). I have little to no time to write while they're home, so... desperation leads to some imaginative solutions. But it's all good. I mean, they have fun. Right, kids? You're having fun? Damn right you are. So far, they've done two book reports, sonnets, haikus, a parody song, and an opera. That's right; an opera. What 9 and 7 year olds don't love to write those? Next up is a play. Right in my wheelhouse! However, the challenge here lies in my being able to BACK OFF (but for gentle "encouragement"- okay, bribery) and let them do it themselves. Should be pretty interesting when all's said and done. The opera was about Santa Claus and the Good Little Chicken. Of course. And as for the play... well. Their assignment today was simply to brainstorm ideas for what the play could be about. Here's the list they came up with: "Unicorns, Monopoly, Halloween, Crackers, Books, Pencils, Movies, Zombies, Santa Claus, Zombie Mario, Zombie Santa, Zombie Fridge, Giants, Flying Books, Robot Unicorns, Ninja Unicorns, Ninja Kitties, Giant Elephants, Ninja Ketchup". Clearly, what we have here is a classic in the making. Will most definitely have to follow up with another post for this one. We're moving along!
In my last entry on the subject of workshops, I mentioned how hard it is to wait on other people. Well, the other day I stopped waiting! For a brief time! Now I get to wait again! The plays (2) I submitted have been distributed to the board of the theatre. They will review them before the next meeting. In the meantime, they requested a more formalized proposal from me. Then, after the next meeting, which is scheduled for the second week in July, they will let me know how things will proceed. This is awesome. It's not a, "YES! Let's do this thing!" sort of response, but I'm not asking for that. I just want some details on when I can expect to hear something else. That way I'm not on tenterhooks, wondering what the hold-up can possibly be. As to the formalized proposal, which I worked up and sent, that was a bit tricky. It was requested that I send the following details: -extent of involvement from the theatre (organizing, participation, etc) -what type of guidelines/rules I request -what I am planning to achieve. Erm. Well. What I am planning to achieve was pretty easy. I mean- I want to get my play workshopped. Pretty obvious, right? I mean, is that really necessary to put down? To extend that goal: I suppose I might want to get feedback on my play so I can revise and make it better, to have a workshop performance so I can see how it works onstage, eventually get it on the docket for an actual performance, then submit it for publishing and get it accepted, have it performed all over the place, make millions of dollars as playwrights do, and TAKE OVER THE WORLD. But I'll settle for feedback first. Gotta start somewhere, right? Extent of involvement from the theatre. Again, well. How much involvement does the theatre care to do? I'm not a mind reader. I'm not even involved with the theater as much as I'd like to be, how do I know how much they'd like to be involved with me? What I'd really like is for them to organize the whole thing so I can sit back and not have to worry about it, but I somehow doubt that's gonna fly. So I went ahead and said I'd take point on pretty much everything so they wouldn't have to do too much. After all, it's my play, my dream, etc. Guess I should probably do at least some of the work toward that, huh? Guidelines/rules: No drinking. No drugs. No getting naked. Seriously, I did put that in the proposal. Although I apologized for the last; after all, everyone has a different way of working. But also seriously, what other guidelines was I supposed to put?? Other than the above, I'm quite stumped. So now I again sit back and wait to hear. But at least this time I've got a time frame. That's seriously fantastic, now I can just sit back and chill. And stare at the calendar. Come on, second week in July... come on... *Disclaimer: the Albright is what I consider my home theatre, and I personally know several people in the cast. Sunday afternoon, I went to see Mauritius at the Albright Theatre in Batavia, IL. And my first question is: where was everybody? Seriously, there were like ten people in the audience! Get your butts out to sit in these seats, people! Actually, that's my only question. Okay, on with the show. Review. This was a decently long show, and there were only five people in the cast. That sort of thing always impresses me right off the bat. Maybe I'm easily impressed, I don't know. The play, written by Teresa Rebeck, is about two sisters whose mother has recently passed. Among her things is a book of stamps, which may or may not be valuable. Both sisters have different ideas for what should be done with them. They tussle both verbally and physically, go behind each other's backs, and finally come to a resolution, but not before the situation has snowballed juuuuuust a little. I'd like to single out a great performance- but I can't. Everyone was wonderful, really and truly! Shelly Rolf and Tiffany Jasinski as the sisters deliver, and make believable siblings. Richard Holloman as a less-than-trustworthy ally to one of the sisters, is energetic and sly(ish). Jeff Pripuisch as a sort of mobster philatelist (yes, really) brings intensity. And Jon Witt as a stamp expert is at turns hesitant and shrewd (and his line delivery I thought a particular treat). Every character is hiding something at some point or another, and every actor did a great job of showing this when necessary. Only thing I had an issue with- and this is just me- was the length of some of the speeches. It always impresses me no end when someone can memorize so much, and then deliver a long speech expertly, and this was by no means lacking. But after someone talks for so long- I zone out. Can't help it. Then I blink and come back and realize I did it, and then I feel horribly guilty. Perhaps I should see the play again to see what I missed! Anyway, the direction was well done; the sets were sparse but effective. In fact, I would see this again if I had the money and time, but I honestly don't. So other people, yes, all you out there: go. It's worth it. Caveat: there's a bit of language. Just a bit. ...Ok, a lot. Wish I'd known that before bringing my 86 year old Grandma, but I could have checked ahead of time, so again, my bad. Besides, Grandma loved it anyway. Even with that nap she took during the first act. |
Rebecca FrohlingWriter, dancer, actress, mother, me. Archives
February 2019
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