While the muse is speaking ....

I have come to the conclusion over the past four-plus years of "trying my hand at playwriting" that only a total idiot would ignore the muse when she (or they, in the case of multiple characters) is speaking to you. And I have to say that the past few months, the muse and/or the characters have been talking a lot, and that is a very good thing.

Both the boys and girls of "Reunions," my new full-length play, were good enough to keep chattering away until I reached a point I thought I could cut them off. They may be now changing a few of their words here and there (an inevitable part of re-reading and editing the first draft), but that's fine. They came up with things to talk about, insults to toss and revelations to share, often with little or no help from me. That's one of the little miracles of writing I enjoy so much! They take on characteristics and minds of their own, and sometimes surprise even me.

Anyway, "Reunions" is now nearly completed in preparation for a first full reading in mid-April. I still need to do the out-loud read and edit of the two men's scenes, but the women's scenes are completed and mailed to the appointed actors. I also got to hear the first four pages of scene one at Forum last Wednesday night, and hope to have enough woman actors at next Forum to hear part of scene two also. I'm enjoying the process!

Furthermore, I had a good writing exercise and experience last week. A good friend highly recommended (not that I'm saying she's pushy or anything) that I write and submit something to a new 10-minute play contest up in Virginia. And so I did.

The challenges involved were: 1). it was writing to a set theme, which is not a favorite thing of mine; 2). it had to be a play that could be considered family friendly. So there goes sex, swearing and too heavy a theme. All of the things that snuck into "Reunions" in one way or another.

Nevertheless, "At The Shrine" came off the computer by the end of the week, and with some slight revisions and Kathy's reading (she called it "cute," which is probably a good thing given the particular contest), off it went. We'll see if it strikes anyone's fancy. The event's in August, so it shouldn't be an endless wait one way or the other.

And then my other "need," in my opinion, was to get something going on a 10-minute play for the next (September) Evening of Short Plays submission. While not exactly a theme, the fall EOSP is once again going to have a common set. But to my pleasure, an idea finally floated into my head and the two characters started talking to me again this morning. (Sometimes, I feel like I'm just a transcriber of these peoples' babbling away). So there's a chance, anyway, that I'll have something to submit. Not due until the May 15-July 15 submission window, so I feel good about the odds.

And then I should start writing on prior projects again!

Meanwhile, we did finally, after all these years, make our way to our first show at Broach Theatre in Greensboro on Saturday night. It was a production of "Crimes of the Heart," directed by Stephen Gee, who also directed that show for KLT way back in 1991 (which starred, among others, Kathy Cissna and Myla Tucker, now Myla O'Brien).

I think I would choose the word "disappointed" to describe my overall reaction. The theater itself reminded me a little bit of some of those slightly iffy off-Broadway theaters in New York where you see stuff like "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" or "The Fantasticks," which is not entirely a compliment. And while there were some good actors in the group, the production was not destined to make it to my list of best shows I've seen in the Triad in 2011, even though it's early in the year. Just not that awesome, I fear. The ensemble never quite gelled.

But there's plenty of additional theater-going coming soon, so ... always a chance of awesome right around the corner.