First, on the writing front, I last reported nearing completion of the first draft of "Rehearsals," a full-length comedy. That first draft did get done; two of my favorite first readers gave it a once-over; suggestions led to a fairly significant re-thinking of act two; and that work was completed not long ago. We are casting a hopefully fun "den reading" of the script for mid-January, and that's going well. So I'm printing out reading copies and looking forward to seeing how my actor friends and acquaintances react to the show. Let the fun (I hope) begin!
Meanwhile, I need to get focus moved on to a shorter play (one act, most likely) that I've been fiddling with on and off for a while now. Hopefully the year will not end without a full draft of "Patent" completed. I don't have a one-act in my repertoire, and this seems like the right length for this particular story.
My wife and I meanwhile continued a lively schedule of playgoing since the last report. We started with a trip west to Abingdon, Virginia - a favored destination of Barter Theatre there -- to see the second play they've done this year by the playwriting team of Duke Ernsberger and Virginia Cate. This one was "Dracula Bites," a comedy based around one of Duke's early acting experiences in community theater -- with the crazed director, actors coming and going, stagecraft issues and so on. There were moments that I was very glad I had put the finished first draft of "Rehearsals" in Kathy's hands literally the day before we went. There are, let's say, some similarities though the specifics are measurably different. A fun, and funny, experience, especially since we got to speak with Duke in person again, some time after our "Margaret Mitchell" experience in Kernersville.
We then saw a fine production of A Doll House at Triad Stage, and over at UNCG, a powerful "Self Defense, or The Death of Some Salesmen," based on the Aileen Wuornos story. Our friend Mike Shapiro from "Conversations" and the "All About Faith" reading was in it. A young woman playing the character based on Wuornos gave a brave and strong performance along with an excellent ensemble.
We also saw Clemmons Community Theatre's "Red Velvet Cake Wars," which I didn't find as strong a script as some of that writing team's other works; and took in readings of three new plays up in Asheville at the SART New Play gathering. We particularly liked one called "The Vanishing Point," about a family in Louisiana.
A week later, we saw a production of Lanford Wilson's "The Rimers of Eldritch" at Theatre Alliance. Awesome ensemble, and both interesting and challenging to watch. Which is what made it so good.
On November 15th, after a variety of "challenges," KLT put on a 5-minute skit to help kick off the Kernersville Chamber of Commerce's annual banquet. They had chosen a Back to the Future theme for the overall event, so I got to write the skit and Kathy chose to direct it. I couldn't be there, but despite all the challenges, the cast of five pulled it off quite well -- and to my great pleasure (we just got a copy of the video), the laugh lines all worked and people seemed to enjoy it. Kind of fun to be part of something like that.
After some time off theater for a fun family Thanksgiving, we started the month of December with Kernersville Little Theatre's Doris Baizley adaptation of "A Christmas Carol," very ably and creatively directed by Adam Sullivan -- who also ended up stepping into a lead role late in the process. We found it very enjoyable. As we did No Rules Theatre Company's production of the inventive musical, "The Last Five Years," just last night. A very pleasing production indeed.
And with that, believe it as you may, we have probably reached the end of our theater-going for 2011. I could be forgetting something, or something else could crop up, but I think we are over and out until January. I think I'll survive.
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