Monday, January 19, 2009

"Good LIfe" hits the road

As I mentioned in the last post, my actor friends gave "The Good Life" a great reading a week ago, and pummeled/pestered/passed along -- I'm looking for the right verb -- "shared" a number of thoughts about the play's logic and ending. I took some time to assimilate those ideas, then went after the script to see what I could do.

I'm pleased to announce that I think the rework was successful. The last two scenes have undergone a fairly major change, but, I think, for the better. And then after all the touch-ups throughout, I printed it out again, let it sit for two days, then looked it over again last night. All those facelifts have now been incorporated -- and the script is in the e-mail ozone. A good friend of ours has a place she'd like to share it, in case that arts center might want to make it part of their upcoming season. Wow. That would be something.

Anyway, it's back to her for her own review, then we'll push it on to her contact.

In short, more waiting to come!

And I do love waiting. Especially as other places I have scripts, some of which were supposed to have made their selections by now, haven't. Or perhaps they have and simply haven't told those who did NOT get selected. But they haven't posted their choices on their websites, either, durn 'em. And so, as usual ... we wait. Maybe something will surface this week!

If nothing else, another script is "done" and the Steelers won. Things could be worse.

Monday, January 12, 2009

It was a great reading!

I have to say that it is such a pleasure to bask in the post-experience bliss of having hosted, along with my lovely wife, a reading of a new script by actor friends and acquaintances. There was also a lively and informative discussion of the play itself afterwards ("The Good Life," full-length play #3) that offered some great ideas and adjustments that I will make to the script before it gets sent out.

Cheryl, Lee, Ken, Myla, Macon and Tana -- plus my live-in actor, Kathy -- you know who you are, and please know that you're appreciated. It may take me a little while to beat it into submission, but your reading and your reactions will help me to formulate some new thoughts on the fine tuning of the script and, I feel quite certain, make it a better play in the end. Thank you!

And as we are nearing the mid-point of January, I feel reasonably certain that some kind of news, pro or con, from several of the submissions are bound to break just about any time. Fingers are crossed, except, of course, when keyboarding, like right now.

I continue to think (or is it dream?) that 2009 is going to be the year when some of my words are going to spew forth on a stage, here there or somewhere. And I hope that's a good thing!

Friday, January 2, 2009

Excited about the new year

We have, fairly peacefully, slipped from 2008 -- which I think most folks won't miss -- into 2009. For Kathy and me, it included a first: attending a theatrical performance timed and specifically meant to include a welcoming of the New Year. It was apparently Open Space Cafe Theatre's second year to do so. It was a premiere production of "Miss Gulch Returns," which will return itself for a regular run at the Theatre from January 8-24. Along with a piano player, it stars Macon Shirley in a one-man musical that studies the post-"Wizard of Oz" life of the ornery Miss Gulch of the movie. Fun, cute lyrics, not the easiest music in the world to sing -- we had fun, and they simply stopped the second act for about ten minutes to ring in the year.

For me, now that we've made it to 2009, there should be some information forthcoming over the next few months about the various shows I've written and put out there, starting - hopefully - soon. Further, a group of hardy and hearty friends will be at the house on Jan. 11th to read through "The Good Life" for me. Immediately thereafter, or as soon as I can make final brush-up changes, I have a place to send it for a possible review/possible production, which even if it doesn't pan out, is exciting.

Then some fine day, I need to get back to work on the started-but-a-long-way-from-done full-length and 10-minute play ideas I have floating around. Though I have some paying non-fiction work I must get completed before much will progress on those projects!

Looking forward to a good 2009 of playgoing!