Nearing the new year

There hasn't been any theater-going since the last blog post (believe that if you will!) but a lot of thinking about and planning for future theater. 2010 is going to be an interesting year, with at least one production of a play I've written happening in October. Lots of planning going on right now about set pieces, music, lighting and such. But there are a few other possibilities floating around, too. We'll see how that goes.

Though they are tentative commitments until July 1, we also have five of the nine roles in "Conversations" cast and feelers out to four other actors regarding the four remaining roles. I continue to be quietly excited that it could all work out with a relatively low level of "drama" instead of just "good" drama.

Slowly but surely, furthermore, I continue to create bits and pieces of a new full-length script that, at least tentatively, is called "Patent." It's going to be set in three small towns in central Iowa in 1858. The opening and part of the closing, as well as a couple of pages of dialogue from somewhere in the middle, have been created already, and I know what happens at the end, even if it has not been written yet. It's far enough along that I have a pretty good feeling it will turn into something.

I don't think there's a whole lot on the play-going front for January, but after that, I can tell it's going to get busy again. And that's a good thing!

And the fun begins!

It has been busy times since I last posted, including a Thanksgiving weekend trip to D.C. (see comments on Woolly Mammoth's "Full Circle" in a moment) and a host of other activities. But equally exciting, the momentum already seems to be building for the "Conversations" production, and thoughts on casting are moving forward at a healthy pace. I'm already starting to feel that exhilarating combination of excitement and dread that will no doubt last through the end of the run next October.

As mentioned, while in D.C., we got over to Woolly Mammoth to see our second production there. Sarah, our new daughter-in-law, works there now, but they also do some fascinating stuff, and "Full Circle" was no exception. For this show, rather than just sit in a seat and watch, the show "moved" to various places around the company's building. The story itself was semi-absurdist and built at first around the fall of the Berlin Wall, then followed the fates of a young woman, an American society lady and others as they tried to protect the baby of the mistress of the former Communist leader of East Berlin.

Did you follow that?

Well, anyway, it was a pretty neat "moving" experience, going from point to point to follow the story. And even if the ending left me a little at loose ends, I thought it was a lot of fun and certainly "out of the box," if you will.

We also saw "Daughters of the Lone Star State" at Theatre Alliance in Winston-Salem. While there were certainly some good performances, I fear this won't make it to my "favorite Del Shores scripts" list. I'm sure it was part of the purpose of the play to expose several women characters as being despicable in their bigotry and snobbish attitudes, but it was a little too close to the truth for me. I've met those women, and I really didn't want to be reminded that they exist. Cheryl Ann Roberts, of course, got to play the alternative opinion, and did a fine job of it, along with Reba Birdsall as the long-standing victim who finally breaks free of these women's offensive treatment.

But you still wanted to wash your hands afterwards, hoping you didn't get any on you.

And then, on Friday night, we took in the latest KLT production, "The Littlest Angel." Again, maybe not going to be my favorite play ever, but I still took away a large smile because the show, as ridiculously difficult the music was for a community theater production, did exactly what I perceive KLT's mission should as often as possible: it brought a lot of young people and other adults, too, onto the stage to perform, in a lot of cases for the first time. So perfect from that standpoint!

Kathy and I saw it especially closely because a young woman we have known for some time as a next-door neighbor and our cat sitter, now age 13, just bubbled all the way home about how much fun she was having and enjoying the chance to perform. Our community theater may not be a lot of things, but it also IS a lot of things -- and this, I believe, is what it should be all about. Yay, KLT!

Not one for the disengaged

If all you're looking for is light entertainment or comedy, I highly recommend you stay clear of David Mamet's play "Oleanna," currently being offered at Triad Stage in Greensboro. It's another of the recent pattern of 90-minute, no-intermission shows (though this one dates back to 1992), with a pair of characters in an escalating confrontation.

If you like your plays with some thinking included, and maybe even some controversy, though, I recommend it. Good set, good lighting, good acting -- and for the first time in Triad Stage history, done in the round. Intriguing and certainly one to raise as many questions as it answers.

OK, it's gonna happen

All the contracts are signed and the first details nailed down, so I can officially say it -- barring catastrophes as yet unseen, we are going to produce the world premiere of my play, "Conversations in a Cafe," at Kernersville's Korner's Folly in October 2010. There's a whole lot of work and planning to do before then, including set pieces, lighting plans, sound and music rights gathering and a whole lot more, but it's exciting to contemplate the very real possibility of it happening. I've got a great director on board, and I hope she can stay there. Two of the roles are pre-cast (so far), and we're gathering names and possibilities to entice to auditions for the remaining seven roles. And a lot of good ideas floating around.

I know it seems early, but the clock is already ticking and time will fly. I just know it. There will be some challenges, no doubt -- but hopefully, a much greater quotient of fun and satisfaction.

Two enjoyable productions

Last Thursday and Friday, we took in two plays that we found very entertaining, in fairly completely different fashions.

First, we were at opening night (and a fundraiser for the Hamlin Scholarship Fund for UNCSA) of a production of "Fences," one of August Wilson's two Pulitzer-Prize-winning plays. Kathy is determined to see all ten of the "Pittsburgh Cycle" that Wilson completed before his death, and she's now counted five of the ten. I have some catch-up to do, but I have seen three of the 10.

The production, as is often the case with UNCSA presentations, was quite good -- an excellent ensemble and an outstanding lead. With some plays, you're ready for the end when it finally rolls around. With others, you're on the edge of your seat and wishing for more. This was one of the latter. Highly recommended!

On Friday night, we took in one of the first community-theatre productions of the full Broadway version of 'RENT' since the show itself closed down in NYC. Theatre Alliance took it on, and did quite an admirable job of representing it (since I've seen it five times previously, including twice on Bwy. and three times with a touring company, I think I'm qualified to judge). Many of the songs, as always, tug at the heartstrings, and nearly all of the performers and singers were up to the task.

If I had one carp -- and I certainly don't blame the operator -- it would be the same complaint that some others had with the touring company: sound. There's so many singers, and important lyrics, and lyrics crossing over other lyrics, that even the best sound set-up would be challenged. It's impossible in a space like T.A.'s to have multiple sound operators and keep all the mikes in proper balance and above the band, but that's really what it takes for a 100% successful production. Sound was good MOST of the time, but sometimes, could not handle it all.

Still, the positives way outweighed the negatives, and I certainly enjoyed my time in the alphabet streets.

About to start up again

There hasn't been much to report on the play front since the end of "Margaret Mitchell," in part because we've been involved in real-life theatrical activities instead of working on or sitting in the theater.

First, our only son, Andy, got married on October 11th, in a delightful outdoor ceremony with the dunes and Atlantic Ocean in the backdrop (just north of Duck, North Carolina), then a reception with the sound and a lovely sunset in the backdrop there. Kathy got to involve herself with the hanging of lighting instruments in the reception tents before the event, and both of us worked on taking them back down on the morning after the wedding. So certainly, given the number of theater-related folks involved (including a fair number of UNCSA graduates), it sort of constituted "theater" of a different kind.

The following Saturday evening, we also attended the wedding of a young woman who was one of my assistants when I worked at Old Salem -- again, a fine time and a pleasing outcome.

In the meantime, there has been at least a little theater process as well. Primarily, I've been trying to figure out if there is an affordable way to produce a version of "Conversations in a Cafe," my first play script, at Korner's Folly next October. Unfortunately, the costs keep going up, but it is still not impossible that it will happen. We'll see how the rest of the negotiations go ....

I've also started both research and a little bit of writing on a new play script, anticipated to be a full-length script. It's at least tentatively called "Patent," and will follow two brothers who are traveling through Kansas selling patent medicines in 1858. When they find out that some of their fake concoctions are actually killing people, one will be deeply upset, one will not -- and there begins the conflict.

We also have four plays to see between this week and next, so we'll be back in the swing of play things before long at all!

And now it's done

The earlier post about "Margaret Mitchell" was optimistic, but not perhaps optimistic enough. The run went very well indeed, with virtually all of the 10 already-scheduled shows selling out (and TRULY we packed them in for the last two shows, over-maxing the Folly's capacity). Then we were able to add one more show, which had a more-than-half audience that included Duke Ernsberger, one of the two authors. What a blast that was! Most of the audience was way into the show that evening and Thursday evening as well. The audiences in general had a good time regardless of the show day or time.

It was a fun experience to work intimately on the show, to learn a whole lot about lighting and programming the KLT small light board, and surviving load-in and load-out in general. Great experience, great fun watching the show, and of course, a few lessons learned.

Now we will forget about plays for a week or so to prepare for our only son's wedding. Exciting!