the perfect pen

The creative life of a (newly) twenty-five year old.

2012-03-12T17:34:00.004-07:00

Is this how it works?

I take things into my own hands and then all sorts of things come to fruition. Everyone always said it's all about being proactive. I feel like I have to learn that lesson time and time again. Maybe one of these days it'll actually stick and I won't be surprised when artistic endeavors seem to come together.

A laundry list of what's going on (just to catch up on the last month without a blog):
1) I'm putting on a showcase of my work. Well, actually it's a "we're"; we're putting on a showcase of my work. I have some very dear friends (Emily Kight, Anna Townes, Amanda Woodard and Shannon Erickson) who are both extremely talented and have been champions of my work basically since I really started playwriting. They have been kind enough to sit through and participate in numerous readings, workshops, drafts, doubts, and so on. And now, I've rented and space and we're going to put on a public reading/workshop. I'm calling it a workshop because I do want feedback. The whole goal of this thing is to see if the work is ready for a full production. If it is, that'll hopefully be coming by the fall.
Necessary info:
Related Strangers: A workshop of new work
April 2 at 7pm
Seattle Center House Blackbox
2) I have been working with a Seattle area group of college chums called Blood Ensemble to help them devise a work based on a concept album by a local band called Smooth Sailing. And actually, during whatever show they create, the band will be part of the performance, on-stage with the performers.They are still working on casting the actual production (which I hope I get to be involved in) but for now I'm really enjoying collaborating with these individuals and working to create a piece that will hopefully fill a void in the theatrical marketplace and draw in some new audiences.

Blood Ensemble is also putting on a Theatre Prom in Seattle to help finance their show. You'll want to be there. It's drinking, dancing, dressing up with cool theatre people in only the best way. For more info go here: http://theatreprom.blogspot.com OR even better, buy tickets here: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/233163.
3) I have signed on to write for the Double Shot Festival again in September of this year. I will blog through my writing as I did (sort of) last time. I'm excited but nervous. My first play went over so well that when I agreed to do it again, I told my mentor/friend Bryan Willis "Yes. I'll do it. Of course I'll do it. But under the stipulation that I cannot be expected to achieve the same caliber this time around. I'm worried I made myself look TOO good. How do I come back from that?!"
...wish me luck.
4) I may be directing a 10 minute play for NPA next month. More info to come upon confirmation.

Whew! I'm glad to be busy. Although, the biggest thing weighing on my mind right now is the impending grad school application process. I need a full weekend to hole up and get a full-length play up to snuff to apply with. I need another full week or two to do the research and figure out where I'd like to apply to. I want so badly to go to grad school, to be back in school. I know I need to go to grad school because I still have so much to learn about...well, everything. Why does real life get in the way?

Is this what it's like to be 25? Because if so, I'm ALL for it. Here's to a great year!

Battle of the Bards or "The Best Money Making Scheme Ever?"

2012-02-06T16:06:00.000-08:00

At the end of January, I was lucky enough to be asked to participate in Ghost Light Theatricals Battle of the Bards VI. I think Ghost Light does the best job of explaining exactly what Battle of the Bards is so I'm just copying and pasting the description from their website:
"In BATTLE OF THE BARDS VI, three ensembles have 20 minutes each to perform scenes of adaptations of classic works. The audience votes which play should be produced in full in Ghost Light’s 2012-13 Season. Admission includes one vote - additional votes are only $1 each. All proceeds support the work of Ghost Light Theatricals."

In all honesty, this may be one of the best developmental and money-making schemes I have ever seen/heard about for the theatre. My friend from college, Emily Harvey, asked me to be in her directorial submission to Battle of the Bards: Paper Bullets (written by John E. Allis). Synopsis: "In Paper Bullets two media powerhouses tamper with the personal and professional affairs of four budding Hollywood icons. Scandalized sweethearts fumble with love and illusion in this modernization of Much Ado, a farce replete with sex, glitter and deception."

My part was very little commitment but, as always, I'm all too happy to oblige if I can be on stage at all. I definitely had fun but found I became much more committed to the success of the show because of the competition aspect. All twenty actors and band members seemed entirely dedicated and excited to see what would happen in this theatrical arena. We had two formidable foes so it became a game of how many people we could get to the show, how many others we could convince to support us even if they couldn't make it to the show, and finally, how much money we could contribute ourselves. For most of the voting period, we lagged behind. But in the end, WE WON. And I think it says a lot about our piece (our writer and our director) that we came from behind after our audiences had seen all three shows.

So now, Paper Bullets will be in the 2012-2013 Ghost Light Season which means Ghost Light has twenty actors now interested in participating in their theatre. Furthermore, Battle of the Bards sold-out two weeks before the show and raised $5000 for the theatre, over half of that on closing night of the shows.

My theory on why this formula raises so much money? People are much more willing to donate to the arts if they know there is going to be a tangible outcome. A show that will definitely be in the season next year, one that an audience can come and see and helped put on stage, is much more tangible than donating to an organization and not knowing exactly where your money is going.

I applaud you Ghost Light. Battle of the Bards is a very good idea.

The Novel Workshop Series or "My brief time spent with the UW School of Drama and a British accent."

2012-01-18T21:50:00.000-08:00

Right before the new year, I walked into the office to get some end of the year work done. The first person I saw as our Director of Touring, Annie Lareau. She greeted me with "Did you get my email?" That phrase usually stops me in my tracks because it makes me think I forgot to do something that I should have done. I fumbled out an answer that was something like "I haven't checked my email yet." Turns out, she was asking me to be a reader for Book-It's Third Annual Novel Workshop Series.

Okay, let me explain what the Novel Workshop Series is:
Book-It produces only world premiere theatre. Their trademark style takes novels and adapt them from the page to the stage. To act in the Book-It style can be tricky for some actors but when done seamlessly, watching a play at Book-It is like reading a book: all of your sense are stimulated. (Okay okay, I've drank the Book-It kool-aide. But c'mon, literacy and theatre? How can that not be amazing?!) In order for them to produce all these world premieres there has to be a lot of workshopping. That is exactly what the Novel Workshop Series is. It is two weeks of workshopping roughly four new scripts with staged readings at the end. If they go well, the scripts presented as part of the Novel Workshop Series have the potential to be added to an upcoming season. Border Songs and the upcoming Prairie Nocturne are two examples of that.

To say I was excited is a bit of an understatement. It's the first acting I get to do for a Book-It and it worked out just right (mostly just right) with my work schedule. Well, it made my last two weeks hectic but I like this sort of hectic. I'm busy and being artistic and happy.

This year the Novel Workshop Series launched into a partnership with the University of Washington PATP. So I spent the week at UW with acting grad students. It was definitely a good experience but even after one hour on the first day reminded me that when I go to grad school, I want it to be for dramatic writing, not acting. I was discouraged when I couldn't feel the joy in the room, the excitement at getting to do this work...any work really. To me, it seemed that some of the grad students felt like this was a chore. I don't ever want to lose the joy I have when I am lucky enough to be on stage as an actor. As a writer, I always feel lucky to have my work workshopped or performed, but it is such a different feeling the adrenaline I experience as an actor. They are two different and equally delightful feelings. I can't imagine wanting to continue a career in theatre when it feels like a chore. When I lose this feeling, it may be time to throw in the towel.

So in the end I learned two things from this experience:
1. The place I happily spend my work week still has so much to teach me.
2. My fake British accent isn't too bad.
Yes, the second thing was going to be horribly mushy but I figured I had enough of that in the previous paragraph so...yeah.

2012: Apocalypse Plays Redux?

2011-12-23T22:05:00.000-08:00

The end of the year is approaching. And a faction of people think the Mayan's predicted 2012 to be the end of the world. While I don't personally believe that (I have far too much stuff to do) this idea overall may provide an interesting opportunity. And opportunity to bring back the Apocalypse Plays cycle.

Now, if you've been following my blog from the beginning (although that seems unlikely) you'll know this blog actually started out as an account of my senior project: Apocalypse Plays. Apocalypse Plays consists of three pieces that make up one evening of theatre: Bathtub Safety (a ten-minute play), The Button (a fifteen to twenty minute solo piece), and Regarding Eden (a one-act). While none of them connect fully, they all center around what happens during/after the end of the world and/or in the rebuilding of the world.

Recently, the thought hit me. What if I bring them back? Sure, my senior project wasn't that long ago (2010 to be exact [boy I like parenthesis today]) but the world is different now. I'm different now. My aesthetic as a writer and a performer is different now. Not only does the cosmic moment seem right but the personal moment seems right.

The idea is in no-way solidified but I'm certainly considering it. I should work harder on getting my other cycle off the ground.

Yet, the thought continues to linger in my brain.

A Holiday.

2011-11-24T10:38:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving arts community.

Today, I am especially thankful for the theatrical and artistic community that is Seattle. I'm learning so much and meeting so many amazing and talented people. Thank you.

Enjoy the day.

For the Love

2011-11-21T14:26:00.000-08:00

It's over.

I can't believe it. The show has concluded. I'm so ridiculously proud of the show and my fellow collaborators. An experience like c. 1993 (you never step in the same river twice) just reaffirms my love of collaboratively created/devised/generative work (or whatever you want to call it). With some time and distance I'll be able to be more articulate about the ins-and-outs of the experience and the reasons why I think collaborative theatre is exactly what the modern theatrical world needs. But for now, I can only muster sappy thoughts.

Out of everything that was great about this particular show and is great about generative theatre in general is the people the art form draws to it. You tend to get an eclectic, unconventional, ridiculously talented group of people who all have something unique to bring to the table. This group:

Photo by Ian Johnston

is no exception.

I love you guys.

50/50

2011-11-14T21:34:00.000-08:00

Just in time for our closing weekend, we get one more review on the City Arts blog.

It's a pretty good one if you ask me. So far, this makes our reviews half in the positive direction and half in the more negative direction.

Doesn't matter to me though. I'm in love with this show.

Split Focus

2011-11-09T15:50:00.000-08:00

Reason number eighty billion in the "Why I need to go to grad school" category: split focus.
(Okay, there probably aren't that many reasons but there definitely are reasons and good ones too.I will now outline this reason for you.)

I have had a phenomenal time working on c.1993 (you never step in the same river twice) at Annex Theatre. The reactions have been mixed (view reviews here: The Stranger, Seattlest, The Seattle Weekly) but I'm really proud of the work we have done and how we work together as an ensemble. I've had a place for my creative energy. It finally became so I wasn't living a life that consisted of work, my apartment, eating, drinking, sleeping and doing it all over again. As corny as it is (not even may sound, is), I feel somehow more complete when I have a creative endeavor and especially when I get to present that creative endeavor to the world.

And yet, in all this happy creative fulfillment, I'm not doing one thing: writing. I can not seem to split my focus fully between acting and writing. Now the two are definitely not mutually exclusive; often one goes with the other. However, I have been pouring my creative energy only into the show which is good for the show but bad for all the copious amounts of scripts that need editing, finishing, or starting. This is why I think I need to go to grad school. It's not that I can't split my focus and work on two creative endeavors at one time. It's that I don't yet seem to have the discipline to force myself to sit down and write every single day. I am disciplined in so many areas of my life but the consistency of daily writing is not one of them. I always refer to myself as an "inspiration writer," someone who writes almost exclusively when the lightning strikes. Recently, after participating as a playwright for the Double Shot Theatre Festival in Tacoma, I learned that the label of "inspiration writer" that I had placed on myself could actually be false. I wrote of script in five hours because I had to, not because the lightning struck.

More and more everyday, I am thinking about grad school. It is on the near horizon. I think I can almost see it.

Time to get crackin'.

Second Weekends

2011-10-30T22:20:00.000-07:00

Second weekends are difficult.

There's an emotional/physical/mental high you reach as an actor during the first weekend, especially on opening night. You've spent weeks (in our case) months putting together something to be really proud of and you believe, well maybe hope is a better word, you hope that other people will enjoy. The energy in the room on opening night cannot be compared to any other feeling. Nervousness spreads through the cast like wildfire whereas excitement runs rampant through an opening night audience. Everyone feels it. And if they don't when they arrive at the theatre they do by the time they leave. It's catching.

So.
Second weekends are a bit of let down, usually in audience size and energy. Despite audience size being relatively small, I do think the cast of c.1993 gave a solid weekend of performances. I will admit, I felt a bit of a let down after the high energy of the first weekend. And then I remembered, here's where the skill sets in. The job of the actor is to keep the energy, quality, devotion at 100% no matter what. I thank this amazing cast for helping me to do that.

On a completely different note, I'm excited to have free time again. I need to get back into writing. It (and time) has gotten away from me. But somehow I don't feel entirely complete when I'm not writing.

(Have you seen c.1993 yet? Whether you like it or not, spread the word. Haven't see it? It would mean so much to me if you did.)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN.

I'm so happy...

2011-10-20T23:53:00.000-07:00

I'm so happy
'Cause today I found my friends.
They're in my head.

I'm so ugly
but that's okay 'cause so are you.

And with those words from Nirvana, we head into opening weekend of c. 1993 (you never step in the same river twice). YES. The show is opening. It's already mentioned in the Stranger and in Seattlest. Want to come? (The answer is "Of course.") The info can be found on this lovely poster:

Poster by Ian Johnston

And if that's not enough, here's a photo for your (sneak-peek) viewing pleasure:

Photo by Ian Johnston

Okay, okay. One more:

Photo by Ian Johnston

Support local theatre, it supports you.

Relief

2011-10-08T14:02:00.000-07:00

(Wow. Three posts in one day. Don't worry. That'll probably never happen again.)

I just got a call from my cast. It sounds like they are really enjoying the show. That makes me feel ever so slightly better about my work.

An overnight festival is a sort of stress I've never really felt before. I would totally do it again.

Script Sent!

2011-10-08T05:06:00.000-07:00

I did it! I finished the script. It took me three full rewrites and watching a 3-hour Julie Andrews movie (Star! - watch it.) to get something on paper I felt like I could send off. Turns out I didn't really need all those snacks I bought. I was too busy concentrating.

Something I learned from this experience (yes, already): it's good to take time with your inspiration. This time around my inspiration was a little factoid about one the actors in my cast. She is a big Julie Andrews fan. For whatever reason, that sparked my interest tonight. And that's why I spent so long watching a movie I hadn't seen before, instead of rehashing one I had seen before. I wanted a glimpse further into the head of my actor and the head of Julie Andrews. And because of both of those explorations, I got the best glimpse into my character's head.

Another thing I learned: breaks are good. Time away from the script always makes the time with the script that much better and more productive. And showers are good for waking up the mind and body.

I'm really unsure of how the script turned out. But it was an experiment. I did the best I could in the time I had. That's what is really important, right?

Now to sleep (it's 5:00a.m.) and then off to Tacoma tomorrow evening to see the show. I have such a hard time watching my work but that's a blog post for a different day.

Double Shot

2011-10-07T20:43:00.000-07:00

I shouldn't be doing this. I should not be taking time away from my twelve hours to write a ten-minute play to pen a blog. But surprise, surprise. I am.

I am currently writing for the Double Shot Festival which will take place in Tacoma over the next two days. Our prompt was sent to us barely 45 minutes ago. I took the time to brew a pot of coffee, set up a pad of paper, and create a new playlist. By all accounts I'm ready to do this.

Now.
To hope for real inspiration. To look at pictures, listen to music, put some T.V. on in the background and hope that lightning will strike me.

I might go through more than one pot of coffee.

I'm excited. I've never purposely written a script in such a short amount of time. I have been on the acting end of this, but quick writing side is new territory for me.

I'll update in the morning. Because I'm sure I'll make it to sunrise.

Stepping in Rivers

2011-10-01T17:01:00.000-07:00

My own writing has really taken a backseat these days. I'm not actually complaining as I have been filling my time rehearsing for a show. What show you ask? This show: c. 1993 (you never step in the same river twice). It's a collaboratively created theatrical event ("show" is not exactly the right word) that will include ballroom dancing to a boy-band song, Sleepless in Seattle told through word balloons, and a Nirvana mash-up to name a few things.

In many ways, I feel like I was built to be a theatre cross-trainer (a term I lovingly stole from a professor of mine). I've never wanted to be just an actor or just a playwright. In fact, I think as theatre artists, we do more harm to ourselves than good when we try and label ourselves like that. Devising gave me a good opportunity to use all of my skills, some I didn't know I have. And I've been trained by (what I think are) some of the best. Now, having been a part of roughly five collaboratively created theatre pieces in the last four years, I am no stranger to this sort of work. All of those experiences have provided me with the opportunity to develop my skills so usually when I walk into something like this I feel incredibly prepared.

With c.1993, I must admit, I feel a little out of my league. Being a show of entirely found texts, a lot of singing, and a moderate amount of dancing, I'm flexing muscles I haven't flexed in a long time...if ever. Because of that, I am valuing my experience in this show a lot. I guess I had gotten kind of cocky when it comes to devising. I figured since I had done so much of it, anything would be cake. What I seemed to have forgotten was that for every different theatre artist there is a different way to approach devising. I had been devising with roughly the same group of people for a long time. A group of people I grew to love, understand, and collaborate with very well. Of course there had been some conflict; you don't create theatre without conflict. In the end the product was usually something I could be very proud of.

It was time to step out of my comfort zone. It was time to be introduced into a new way of doing collaborative work. It was time to get to know a whole new group of people with a different style of working. And I didn't even know it.

This show is going to be awesome I think. I love the cast/crew and we're working together pretty well. It's definitely going to be an interesting experience for our audiences.

So.
See it.

Reflection

2011-09-11T22:23:00.000-07:00

Artists reflect in the most interesting ways.

Today is the tenth anniversary of the attacks on the United States we now refer to simply as 9/11. I began the day with this facebook status: "i've been trying to find the right words to say how i feel about today. maybe it's more perfect that i can't find any words. remembrance. always."

I think now I have some words. Maybe not words so much as a reflection.

A couple of days ago I discovered the New York Times video feature called "The 9/11 Decade: Artists Reflect" (linked above). NYTimes discussed the tragedy and the last decade with eight artists from various artistic disciplines. I've watched most of the videos so far (and will surely make it through all of them). I think it is so interesting to listen to the way an artist processes an event of this caliber. For the most part, it seems, they find away to connect with 9/11 on a personal level, a concentrated level instead of in a big picture way. I encourage you to watch these videos.

I too connect with 9/11 in as personal a way as I can. It's how I make sense of the world in general and the only way I know how to make sense of such a big event. As a playwright, I have attempted to tackle the subject focusing on the aftermath of 9/11 on the relationship of two sisters. The younger sister, Joni, is struggling to move on with her life when there is no one left to take care of. The older sister, Claire, is struggling to be the guidance for her floundering younger sister.

Joni focuses on remembrance: "You never had to sit down with mom's grief either. You weren't here to watch any of it. 'Don't bother your sister at school.' She said that almost daily. She desperately wanted you to be around but she didn't want to bother you. She was spiraling. She did the opposite of this. She stopped eating. She stopped getting out of bed. Then she stopped breathing. I had to sit there and watch her disappear. Once we decided papa was really gone, her soul left with him. It was her empty body that stayed behind. Those five years were the most painful of my life. There was nothing I could do for her. No amounts of walks in the park or old movies. No amount of reassurance could ever bring her back from the rubble."

Claire seeks retribution: "Oh, enough with that already! Listen to me. I did take the easy way out. I was afraid. It was easier to redirect my anger into something else. Law. Law is intense and requires all the energy you have. And I chose International Law. I had a whole world of things to learn. It distracted me; it still distracts me. And that way, if it comes down to it, I can prosecute the people who fucked up my family. But no, you are so right Joni. I never sat down with my grief, as you put it. Because sitting down with your grief adds two hundred pounds and makes you useless to society. But I‟m sure you know something about that."

I think I tend to lean more towards remembrance, as Joni does. I personally, didn't know anyone on the east side of the country. The most personal connection I had to the World Trade Center was a desire to visit Windows on the World, a restaurant at the top of the one of the towers. My mom and I had decided that for my graduation present we would go to New York City and that would be one of our stops.

But that was still years away. When the first plane hit the first tower I was in my first week of high school. The minute my mom opened the door and said "A plane just flew into the World Trade Center and they don't think it was an accident," my life was dissected in two. A cliched as it sounds there was innocence before, and fear, cynicism, and adulthood after. Most days, I honestly do not remember my life before 9/11 because it seems to me, it has always been this way. This is the world I operate in and I do my best to get by. Scratch that, I do my best to figure out how I can thrive in modernity.

As a person, I'm still exploring ways to make sense of what happened ten years ago and 3000 miles away from where I was at the time. As an artist, the same is true.

Everyone has a different way of dealing with a tragedy. Some dwell, some run, some are touch and go. Some people's lives have stopped and will stop in the future because of 9/11. My goal is simply to honor the memory and delve into the story in anyway I can. My goal is to listen to the collective silence that settles over the country every now and then. It is the most beautiful sound I have ever heard.

Can you hear it?

The power of good feedback.

2011-07-27T18:26:00.000-07:00

I feel like the creative wheels are turning like a hamster on crack running feverishly in its cage. The show has yet to even begin rehearsals and the ideas are percolating. I'm trying to keep them at bay and not get too many preconceived notions in my head about the topic or the way the process is going to be. So, in the mean time, I'm putting my energy towards other creative endeavors. Or, at least, I should be.

One of them is this year's edition of NorthNorthwest. Trust me, it's coming. Slowly but surely it is coming. It will be here. By the end of summer, it will be here.

Otherwise, I'm working with a group of lovely ladies to try and put together a showcase of my work. Those lovely ladies are as follows: Anna Townes, Emily Kight, Amanda Woodard, and Shannon Erickson. They've been patient in waiting for me to get all the one-acts into workable form. In fact, it was (and still is to some extent) taking so long that I finally called them together regardless of the state of completion of these one-acts. In fact, I called them together because of the state of completion of (one of) the one-acts. I was stuck, utterly stuck on my 9/11 one-act I'm working on. I was hoping for help.

Having the ladies together in one room reminded me of the power of good feedback. In a few short hours, a couple of readings, a lot of wine and cheese and some tangential conversation, they gave me enough jumping off points that I currently feel a little overwhelmed but in the good way. As a playwright, there is always a risk in asking for feedback. You have to know when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em so to speak. It may not be the advice you need to help you along, it may not be advice you even want but if you have the right group of people working with you, helping you, the advice/feedback/comments can make all the difference in your process (and give you a kick-ass title). These ladies are the right group of people.

So, we're getting closer. The original plan was to have Related Strangers (that's the kick-ass title) fully produced by the end of summer. Unfortunately, for some good reasons, that looks like an impossibility. However, I think we can get a full staged reading up by the end of the year and produced by spring...? Hopefully. But we are moving, in a forward direction even.

[Good] Things are Happening

2011-07-16T11:39:00.000-07:00

I'm in a show.

I must admit that is a statement I didn't think I would get to utter for some time yet. Still, as of yesterday afternoon, this statement is all mine.

I'm in a show.

Excuse my excitement and almost disbelief. I'll get to the good stuff now. The show is called c. 1993 (you never step in the same river twice) and it will be at Annex Theatre on Capitol Hill in Seattle. (more info here) It's a collaboratively created show based on events in 1993 and the idea that men who are bad boys are often idolized while women who are the same are considered "hot messes."

This is the kind of work I crave, love, hope for. I think I'm made to be a "theatre cross-trainer" as Rich Brown would put it. I mean, in the last four(ish) years I have been in five collaboratively created shows. It'll be a great adventure as I don't know most of the people in the ensemble as I have in the past.

It'll just be good to be in the creative atmosphere again. And yes, there are more good things happening but that'll have to be for a different post.

Atrocious.

2011-06-13T14:22:00.000-07:00

"Atrocious" is, of course, referring to my ability to update this blog in a consistent and timely manner. I'm not going to make any promises (as I have in the past) that it will get better. But I will promise you this post. Just this one.

It's been a busy few months in the writing sector. I'm trying to get three one-acts ready to go. A group of friends and I are planning on self-producing them. Dates, time, and venue TBD. However, we cannot get started on the act of production until all three one acts are written. So far, two are "finished." That leaves one of them unfinished. And I'm stuck. I've been staring at it for weeks.

People are waiting for me to finish them.

I'm feeling a sort of pressure I've never felt before. Not just the pressure I put on myself concerning the quality of work but the pressure of everyone's desire of a new project. It's this pressure that continues to remind me that I need to go to grad school. I don't quite have the discipline to (apparently) get these one-acts done in a timely manner. 'Sides, I love school. It's time to go back.

I have been auditioning a bit too. Not enough. I feel like I'm trying but not trying hard enough. As in, not looking for enough auditions or going to them. It seems writing has taken over my life recently. I don't want that to be the only thing I do though.

On an up note, I am now on the board of Northwest Playwight's Alliance. I'm also having a short piece of mine read at their monthly reading series tomorrow night. So if you are around and like free events come see "The Last Tree" at Seattle Rep. It starts at 7pm and there will be another play being read as well. Finally, some of my work being seen in Seattle.

One step at a time.

A hard month for Seattle arts.

2011-04-16T23:31:00.000-07:00

Today Intiman Theatre made a sad announcement. After the last performance of All My Sons tomorrow, they will cancel the rest of their 2011 season and let go all of their employees until further notice. (See the Seattle Times article here.) This news makes my heart hurt. However, they are canceling their season with an eye on the future. Instead of pushing through with the 2011 season and maybe not making it after all, they will use 2011 to regroup and hopefully rebuild. I really hope they will come back and continue to produce the caliber of work they have been. My heart goes go to all the valiant employees, artists, technicians, designers, ticket office workers, concessions workers etc etc etc of Intiman Theatre. Thank you for giving me my first job in Seattle, my first opportunity to work in a professional theatre and a Tony Award winning one at that. I'm pulling for you.

This has been a rough month for the Seattle arts community. With the recent deaths of well-loved Seattle actor Mark Chamberlin and arts champion/leader Melissa Hines, I can feel Seattle artists reeling. Although I did not have the opportunity to meet either of these amazing individuals, the effects of their deaths on my colleagues has been palpable. I am saddened by these losses.

I am also scared for what all this turmoil means for Seattle's artistic future. I am beyond confident in the abilities of my colleagues, friends, fellow artists, and theatres in town to continue to uphold the artistic standards they have set and have encouraged me to try to achieve as well. I am more worried about our support. Whenever one theatre hits a bump in the road, people tend to worry about the future of all theatres. This is the time when, most commonly, supporters spook and pull away from the arts community.

But, this is the exact moment when I, with my whole heart, will encourage you (arts supporter) not to spook. It is only by your support and arts organizations supporting each other that the arts community will continue to stay strong and provide the over-arching community with evocative, creative, and world changing art. I cannot lie, many of us arts professionals are a little bit scared. The crashing state and government budgets which include slashes to the arts funding is terrifying. But despite it all, many organizations are doing exactly what they can to continue to provide our community the necessary and vital arts programs.

Seattle, look around you. Look at the art that is being done in your backyard. Downtown to Renton, Issaquah, Everett, Tacoma, Olympia, there is art being done everywhere by big theatres, medium theatres, collaborative groups and even individuals. We often think of the big theatres first (ACT, Seattle Rep, Village Theatre, 5th Ave - who all do fantastic work) but it is important to remember that art comes in all shapes and sizes. Seattle Shakespeare Company, Annex Theatre, New Century Theatre Company, Shady Lane Productions, Theatre Off Jackson, Open Circle Theatre, and Northwest Playwrights Alliance are all working long, hard, low paying hours, and sometimes no paying hours, to create art for you. And yes, the big theatres are also working those long, hard, low/no paying hours as well. (I am still relatively new to Seattle so those are just some of the theatres I can think of right off the top of my head.) Of course, I have mention Book-It Repertory Theatre as well, as I work there and am constantly in awe of the passion and talent of my co-workers and quality of work that our theatre puts out. Realistically, however, I have a vested interest in all arts organizations. As a playwright, actor, and fledgling director every theatre I see is a new opportunity. And every person involved in that theatre is a colleague and an inspiration. I am pulling for every single one.

None of these theatres can survive without your support. More importantly, none of these theatre artists can survive without your support. And they certainly can't survive without their art.

After all that, I must also take a moment to thank the Seattle community for the support they already give the arts and their artists. For a recent college grad, it has been inspiring. And thank you, Seattle artists, for showing me what great art can look like.

You're continued support means the world to us. Really.

In fact, it means life to us.

Conquering my fears.

2011-04-10T13:55:00.000-07:00

Today I did my first audition in over a year. It was for Balagan Theatre, their general auditions. I must say it was terrifying but I am proud of myself. Before I left Western Washington University, I had some experiences that really made me question whether or not I could and should continue acting. After much agonizing, I realized (as I do over and over again and probably will again and again) that it only matters what I want to do, what I'm driven to do. It does not matter what anyone else thinks I should do. The essence of the message I was getting from certain educators was that I had to choose; do I consider myself a writer or an actor?

The answer?
Both. Always and forever both.

Still, after a year I was a little out of practice. So my motto for this audition was "Have fun. Don't fuck it up." I believe with that as my goal, I was successful! Like I said, I'm proud of myself. And that's all that matters.

So I'm a little lax.

2011-03-31T20:16:00.000-07:00

If you are still checking this blog...and that's a big if...you'll notice I haven't blogged in about a month and a half. It's not that nothing is going on. I guess it's just because I haven't thought about it much. So quick recap:

- A group of lady friends and I are working on putting together a showcase of my work. We don't know when/where/how it will happen but it will happen. And since it is a showcase of my work, I have get writing. In fact, I should be doing that now instead of writing this blog.
- March submission: completed. Just under the wire.
- I will be directing a new ten minute play at ACT in April (thanks to the suggestion of my lovely and talented friend Dayo Anderson). It's part of a New Playwrights Competition for high school students. I'm excited to work with a new young playwright. The next challenge: casting 8ish people. Anybody? Anybody?

So that's my quick update. I'm going to try and update more often. Try.

Taking Steps

2011-02-15T23:51:00.000-08:00

February submission: completed!
This time it was a poetry submission to a literary magazine.

Alright folks, I'm two for two here. I must admit I had to push myself to do this one for February. The only things I have "ready" that haven't been published or produced before is poetry. At least for plays, the produced stipulation is the one that gets me. Because, of course, what I have that would be ready to send somewhere has been produced before. That's what makes it the most ready to be submitted. Oh well, my poetry should be submitted as well. Plus, it's been awhile since I've written poetry and hopefully this will inspire me to continue with that aspect of my writing.

I also finally began my novel this weekend. It is already at a stalemate but it has been started which I must admit is a feat. I've been noodling on it for years now but every time I sit down to write, the idea of a novel scares me. I'm so used to writing purely dialogue and/or poetry that I am quickly discovering I have a lot of growth to do in the area of description.

At the very least, writing is happening!

New Play Map

2011-02-02T20:43:00.001-08:00

Check me out on the new play map:

What I'm currently reading.

2011-01-31T19:42:00.000-08:00

Taking a cue from Dennis Schebetta (If you don't read his blog, you definitely should. especially if you are working or want to work on a solo play.) I'm going to start recording what I'm reading. Because as he reminds us, what you are reading informs what you are writing. Plus, who better to learn from than already published authors?

So, what am I reading?

Well, I should be reading Great Expectations as it is the nice play coming up at Book-It. So, in theory, that's what I am reading. And I am...sort of. It stays in my purse and I pick it up now and then. I read most of it in college so it's really just playing catch up. I'll get there, but it is slow going.

What has really been on my mind lately is Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke. So far, it's incredibly insightful. I tend to really like books like this. There is something about an established writer encouraging a young, up-and-coming, struggling writer that is comforting to me. (That is also one of the reasons why I think Letters to a Young Artist by Anna Deavere Smith is a must have on any theatre artist's bookshelf.) No, I don't always agree with the advice given in these contexts but it is important to me to see how a person got to their advice. Their journeys are just as important to me as my own. We are interconnected by the simple nature of the craft. And I can always learn from a journey.

Next up: Wrecks and Other Plays by Neil LaBute. I must admit that Neil LaBute occupies a lot of space on my shelf. It is not always because I like his plays (Reasons to be Pretty, c'mon!) but because I relate to his style. And this book is some of his solo work so I'm interested to see how he approaches that.

The Apartment Series

2011-01-31T19:15:00.000-08:00

I have a lot of blogging to catch up, it appears. So today: there will be two blog posts. And then...well you know how this goes.

You know that reading I keep saying I was going to throw in my house? The one I bought music stands for? Well, I finally did it! The Apartment Series: Brunch and a Reading, the first in the series happened on January 23rd. From now on, the plan is to have one at least once a month. Realistically, I'd like it to be salon style. I really want The Apartment Series to be an open forum for my artistic friends to come together and feed some need. Most of us work, probably too much and (I think) have been having a hard time finding a creative outlet. So that's what this is. Plus, it'll give me a chance to flex my hostess muscles and my cooking skills.

I'd say this first reading was successful. Small but mighty. There were about five people (excluding me) total for brunch. I think to be entirely successful for readings and what not, ten people would be a good number. This time it didn't matter because the play that was being read (one of mine) is in too early of a stage for a feedback session. I didn't think at this point in the play's development, feedback was going to be helpful to my process. But what was helpful to my process was simply being around my lovely and creative compatriots. Plus, to get to both share my work and act in the reading was a breath of fresh air.

The event in the series will be a dinner. I have a hankering to make lasagna. I'm not sure if I'll have anything to read for this one but we'll read something. That's really the important thing.

In other news: I have successfully submitted two things for January: a play to a festival in Seattle and a poem to a literary magazine at WWU. Now to search for contests, literary magazines, theatres and what have you for the month of February. It keeps me writing, that's for sure.

And when I write, I feel like I breathe easier.

Success!

2011-01-11T23:44:00.000-08:00

Submission for January: completed!
Starting the year out right. [I mean, I've even worked out like twice now. Oh yeah!] Right now, the point to me is not necessarily to get anything produced. Although, let's be honest, I really want to have my work produced. However, I am trying to think about it in terms of setting a routine for myself. I need to make it the norm to enter/submit one thing a month. That also may insight me to set a normal writing schedule.

On a side note, I directed a 10 minute play for Northwest Playwright's Alliance tonight. Yay! My first thing is Seattle. More to come on that later.

I mean business.

2011-01-09T22:31:00.000-08:00

Recently I bought music stands. Yes, music stands. I mean business here. I know have four music stands at my disposal for readings or what have you. It's a simple step [and one more thing to move in the future] to empowering myself to make my own theatre. They were cheap but they are nice. When I look at the one I set up in my room, I smile. Having it there is inspiration.

In an online shopping binge, I also bought myself a printer. I kept thinking "what kind of writer doesn't have her own printer?" Really, it's more inspiration. It'll help with all those submissions to contests, theatre, literary magazines that I'm going to send...

Speaking of which...

It's a Year of Magical Thinking

2011-01-02T21:43:00.000-08:00

I think I stole that title. It sounds familiar...

Regardless, here we are: twenty-eleven. Oh dear. Two thousand and ten was a big year for me. I had some of my writing done, I was in a couple of shows, I graduated from college, I found my way into the professional theatre world. It seems pretty surreal mostly but I'm almost certain it happened. I do have my flimsy diploma in its cover sitting on my window sill. That must mean it's real, right?

For twenty-eleven I'm setting goals, not making resolutions. Resolutions seems flimsy to me (like my diploma) and it seems too awful when you "break" them. Goals are something you can attain, things that don't necessarily have expiration dates. So here they are:
1. Actor Fitness: get some. Basically eat better, work out. Generally be healthy.
2. Enter a contest, submit to a literary magazine, etc. etc. at least once a month. That'll keep me writing. Or at least editing.
3. Get "The Apartment Series" up and running. Once a month (or every couple of months) host a reading/salon lunch/brunch/dinner/evening in my (or someone else's) apartment. That way us creative types can get together and fulfill some of the urges we've been having. (Not like that, silly.) The first one is January 23rd.

And those are goals for me for...awhile. I feel good about them.

Happy New Year all.

For my personal goals see: http://scooperwrites.blogspot.com/

Maturity

2010-12-16T00:37:00.000-08:00

I'm about to head to Spokane (well Cheney) for the holidays. Yes, ten days of "relaxation." I put quotes around this because relaxation in Cheney really means boredom after so long. However, I am hoping to use this opportunity of little to do and no access to friends as prime time to do something I have been neglecting for far too long: writing.

I have a lot of excuses for why I haven't been writing. They are, in no particular order: writer's block, too much work, not the right environment, too much work, no enough ideas, too much work. Convinced?

No? Well good, you shouldn't be. Regardless, over the past few months (since the last time I've posted), I've gotten very little to no writing done. I have ideas, inspirations I could call them but nothing much has come of it. A poem here or there, a lot of journaling but that's about it. So it is time...ahem...as I have said before...to sit down and just do the writing.

I have this notion, this fact really, that writers set aside time to write daily. When I speak of this idea, I always manage to stammer out something about how I am a writer of inspiration and sitting down to write doesn't work for me if I don't have any inspiration. At this point, I'm going to call bullshit on myself. I think what really kept me from setting and keeping a schedule is immaturity. It is time I grow up and remember, it doesn't matter what I sit down and write every day, I just need to do it.

Yes, I do fancy myself a writer and an actor. A theatre artist really. But I still have a lot of growing in my art to do. I'm forcing myself to use this time at my parent's house as an opportunity not to be really bored, but to be really smart. I'm going to enjoy the holiday and get back on the horse so to say. Or the keyboard.

I'm gonna write.

P.S. A reading of that previously completed one-act to come after the new year. Probably in my apartment. I'll keep you updated.

Trying Something New

2010-10-24T23:29:00.000-07:00

I feel like I run into the same problem with every script I write. I start out with one idea or sometimes a line. I can get six or seven pages into the play and then blamo! I get stuck with the plot. I think the main reason for this block is my overall lack of foresight. An idea or a line is a good way to start, really the only way to start, but it doesn't write a whole play...unless you only want it to be four pages long. Maybe with some scripts I need to start planning a trajectory.

When I moved to Seattle, I set up a space next to my desk as my "writing center." It has a white board and cork board. The white board for exactly the thing I mentioned above and the cork board for potential inspiration photos. While the cork board hasn't been used yet, I think the white board is getting a good start:This is my first attempt at really planning before I start writing. Usually I just write and go back and rework the plot later.

Let's see how this goes. Every new writing day is an adventure.

And then...

2010-10-18T23:20:00.000-07:00

A draft!

Finally, after months of struggling to get some sort of inspiration, months of pulling up blank word documents and eventually closing them after many exasperated breaths, I finally have completed a draft of The Last Tree. I can feel the creativity coming back into my finger tips, surging through my body. I think the draft is the proof.

When I closed the word document yesterday, I must admit I felt a sense of accomplishment. Usually, this is considered contrary to how theatre works. My college costume design professor always used to say "Theatre artists don't finish, they just stop." I do believe that's true. Plays go through draft after draft after draft and even after the play is in performance or published it can and will change. Of course, the same is true of acting.

But the point is, I have a draft of something that I can take to a reading, to have read. I feel connected to my art once again which is something I have been lacking. Maybe it is the inspiration of meeting with other people. Whatever it is, it's working.

Speaking of connecting, a group of friends and I are trying to get together to read and act and all that good stuff. Professors always told us we were going to have to create our own opportunities for theatre. We always believed them but I don't think we knew what that meant.

I think we're starting to.

An Opening Night

2010-09-20T11:58:00.001-07:00

Over this summer I have been lucky enough to intern at Book-It Repertory Theatre. While my official title is "Management Intern," I really have taken on a variety of tasks. No matter how you slice it, I love Book-It and what they do.

Saturday night was the official opening of The Cider House Rules: Part Two. This was my first official opening night as an attendee. (I did work the opening night for A Doctor in Spite of Himself but I didn't get to attend.) I always love the feeling of an opening night. While most professional shows do at least a week of previews, there is always something very special about the official opening. The heart beat in the room is palpable both for the performers and the audience. Everything feels so new and exciting.

Cider House is a special show for Book-It because it was one of their first shows as a company. They brought it back for the 20th Anniversary and I don't think they could have made a better choice. If you want a crash course in the Book-It style, which is a whole language in and of itself, Cider House is the show to see. Here's a little glimpse into the night (photo, of course, by Cassandra Gallagher):

For a more complete glimpse into the opening night party, visit Cassi Gallag her's photo blog. You can at least see the free food we were able to indulge in.

I will admit, as I have been for months, watching the show made me miss doing the creative part of theatre. I know I'm only a few months out of college and I've found myself in a very good position: to be working at all in theatre. Now, I'm just searching for a creative venture. And it's becoming a very active search.

It's time...

2010-09-11T13:39:00.000-07:00

to put this degree to good use. I am craving craving creative interaction. Everyone always says to create your own theatre. And that is exactly what it is time to do.

So.
Be on the look-out for that.

Stalled

2010-08-08T15:10:00.000-07:00

My writing is a bit stalled these days. The ideas are constantly going through my head but so far nothing is find it's way to paper. I wonder if my missing acting has anything to do with my supposed "writer's block." I think writer's block is a bad term for what I'm experiencing but it is the only thing I can think to call it. (Funny, right? A writer with a lack for words.)

Although, I was just asked to write a monologue and a scene for someone. Hopefully, it will be a good exercise in writing towards a specific person and working towards an end goal. Right now, everything I write has an eventual goal (to be produced) but not necessarily a goal for a specific person to use. This will change that.

If anyone else would like to commission me to work on something with them in mind...I could do that. :)

The Last Tree

2010-07-14T13:33:00.000-07:00

The play is not working for me. All I want is for it to work for me. Maybe it's time to go back and start over?

Also make sure to see Ruined and Spelling Bee if you are in and around Seattle. Both promise to be very good.

That is all.

Working with a degree.

2010-07-08T00:13:00.001-07:00

I have to say I almost don't believe it. About a month after graduation and I am working in two different theatres in Seattle. And *gasp,* that's what my degree is in. Okay, I have to modify that statement: I'm interning in a theatre (Book-it) and working at another (the Intiman). At this point I am no great professional. I am an intern and a ticket representative. But we all have to start somewhere right? Well, this is where I'm starting.

Yet, in all the hubbub, the moving and all that, I have yet to work on anything new. I haven't acted in awhile (since Miracle Worker) and none of my scripts have seen any great work since two weeks ago up in Bellingham. I am almost constantly thinking about my writing. The script that continues to plague me is "The Last Tree" - the one about the adopted girl and her birth mother. It has stalled. I know what I want to say and where I want to go but I can't figure out the right words to say it in. I'm hoping showing the beginnings of the script to a few people will help me work that out. I think my friend Emily and I plan to read it out loud together to work on it at some point. Until then, it is always on my mind.

Other writing updates (these are mostly for the future):
Dawn - a few more edits are to be had although I do think it is in a really stable place at this point.
Car Parts - good right now. Yikes! I need to remember to email the Annex this week. (Thanks again E. Ray for the introduction!)
Bathtub Safety - probably another to email the Annex.
Regarding Eden (part of the Apocalypse Plays series in case you forgot) - I think I'm finally ready to revisit this one. It is time to look at the conversation between Eden and the boys right after she is introduced. I'm sure there is more character interactions to mine there. (Christy Denny, I think you'll like this one.)
War and Cigarettes - an oldie but a goodie. I definitely need to go back and work on this one. I think the last year and a half of experience as a playwright will inform the way it moves. Plus I can get rid of the superfluous secret fiance. Silly me.

That is all for tonight. Nothing too terribly exciting. I did finish my thank-you notes to the Seattle Rep-ers finally and emailed and sent those off. It made me miss that week up in Bellingham. I'm so glad that got to be my final good-bye to my home of the last five years. It was a good closure and push towards my life in Seattle.

Hello Seattle.

Photo Evidence

2010-07-01T11:47:00.000-07:00

Here is the photo evidence of the great week we had with the Seattle Rep-ers in Bellingham. Look at all our lovely, smiling faces. (And thanks to Sarah Petty for the photo!)
Now to send a lot of thank you letters, emails, and general good feelings.

Expect a post about my writing soon. (This statement is mostly for myself so that I actually do it.)

Seattle Rep Wrap-Up

2010-06-29T12:08:00.000-07:00

Once again...over a month since I last updated. I know, I know. Shame on me. But this brings up my new goal. As new young urban professional (without a job), the plan is to update this thing more often. I'm hoping the blog will keep me motivated to write, act, create art so that the passion, the drive, and the necessity doesn't die out. Not that I think it would...but something to hold me accountable as well couldn't hurt.

This Sunday (June 27th) I officially moved to Seattle. I packed up (almost all) of the rest of my stuff in a friend's car, turned in the keys to my Bellingham apartment and changed my address. It is very exciting but I haven't really had any time to think about it. I spent my first day in Seattle unpacking and watching the Pride Parade and on Monday (well, yesterday) I began my internship at Book-It Repertory Theatre. Although I'm only on my second day in the office, I know I'm really going to like it here. You can expect many more blogs to come about my experience but that is not the purpose of this here blog post. The purpose is to wrap of my experience last week at-

The Seattle Rep New Play Program at Western Washington University
Yes, last week I had the pleasure of observing, mingling, playing kickball, karaoking, and creating art with a group of 20 professional Seattle theatre types. What a great week it was too. I feel like I have so much to say about my experience but my words are stalled. (That doesn't happen very often.) In short, the people we met, the plays that were read, our own work was all fantastic and I am so happy I slept on an air mattress for a week in an empty apartment to participate in this program. The hours were long but the reward was well worth it.

I had the joy of serving as the student playwright for the week, shadowing Stephanie Timm as she worked on her play Asleep in the Mouth of a Crocodile: An American Dream. It was interesting to watch someone else's process as a playwright. Since the play was in the early stages, we really saw how she went about developing the plot, the characters, basically the entire thing. I think I picked up some tools for the future, some that I may use on a play I started recently called (for now) The Last Tree. That play has stalled and I need it to get moving again.

We watched the professional process during the day and spent the evenings working on student work. We did staged readings for two of my plays: a completed one act called Dawn and a ten minute play called Car Parts. Dawn is a play that I have been wrestling with for a year now. It all started with a short scene that contained only a slap and has morphed into something, I feel, could be really great. I had a fantastic director and readers (thanks to Danny Kam, Ashley Johnson, Jessica Young, and Miguel Vila) who staged a very good reading. I think, in my naivete, that it is nearly ready for a production. So the question now is "how?"

This move/change/new chapter of my life is the start of a process of questions. My explorations through Seattle which consist mostly of "how?" I'm ready to navigate the river but I must admit I am ever so slightly frightened. (I think it is good to acknowledge fear, accept it, use it, and move on.) Mostly about this whole nonsense of finding a day job and what not.

Through all of this, however, I need to remember that I am a theatre artist - not just a writer. I am an actor, playwright, writer. I have capabilities to work in all sides of theatre. (These are my affirmations for the day. You may steal them if you like.)

Here we go.

And once again, thank you so much to everyone who participated in the Seattle Rep Program. It was invaluable experience for me and I only have gratitude for it.

F-ing Miracle at Book-It and the Seattle Rep

2010-05-19T11:41:00.000-07:00

This blog title is a combination of everything theatre that is going on in my life currently. Clever, right? Well, regardless, it's a lot. I find that I am falling behind a bit in school work but what I lack in motivation in that area, I make up for in busyness in theatre. Let's start with the beginning.

The F Word
We perform next week, ah! We officially put the script together on Sunday night so now it is a scramble to make sure everything is performance worthy by Wednesday (when we preview). It'll be a rush, especially at the end but the exquisite pressure (as Rich Brown would say) is on us.

I think we have a provocative and thoughtful show that will hopefully effect the audience in many ways. I think there are some new ideas about feminism that many have not thought about before. Furthermore, it is personal and relevant to our lives.

Miracle Worker
We're going into our second week of performances. Six performances starting tonight with a double feature on Friday (one performance for area school children). It'll be a rough week but luckily I have some time backstage to work on homework and other things that are lacking. Now, my challenge is to stay motivated in that way.

Last week's performances went pretty well; Saturday's audience was definitely the biggest and the most responsive. I'm hoping that Ev is coming off as more caring than she is written in the script. Patrick Dizney at one point challenged me to play her as a "caring, doting aunt." I'm taking inspiration from my own aunt and I sincerely hope it is reading. To a certain extent, there does still have to be an edge to Ev; she can basically say and do whatever she wants. She has a luxury that not many other characters in the play have. I'm looking forward to the rest of the week's performances and also to being finished with the show. It is time to put the miracles to rest.

Book-It Repertory Theatre
I am officially an intern for the summer at Book-It Repertory Theatre. I am very excited. My position is something like "assistant to the managing director" which, in my opinion is very Office-esque. My job will encompass many things but mostly working on getting some of their scripts published. I can't wait...the internship starts June 28th. Yikes. In the meantime, I also need to be looking for a job, as I will need some income to...well, I don't know. Live.

Seattle Rep New Play Program at WWU
Very exciting news! I have been selected to be one of the playwrights for this new program at Western. It is a week long intensive were the college students (mostly recent graduates) will work along side professional theatre artists from the Seattle Repertory Theatre. They'll be putting up professional readings of new plays by Stephanie Timm and Bryan Willis. We'll then mirror that process with new plays of our own. This means, I need to be writing...a lot and quickly. More information on this to come.

Broken Promises

2010-04-20T20:06:00.000-07:00

Okay, let's face it. I never did the wrap up post that I promised and thought I would do. The transition between Apocalypse Plays and the next projects was brief, so I took the time for myself. I will conclude the project just a bit, in case anyone is still reading and wants to know what is going on in my head:
I am so proud of the work that we did. Theatre is never easy, and doing theatre that is produced by strictly students, especially ones learning how a production team and producing body works is a challenge in and of itself. I know things I would do different for sure. I still struggle with finding my voice in the rehearsal process, figuring out when and how to say things. I do, however, understand my writing voice so much better and how to further develop my plots and characters. You can bet those pieces, especially Regarding Eden, will be getting rewrites and will hopefully be remounted in a future date.

Enough of that.
As you can see, I changed the name of the blog. Although the url will stay the same (apocalypseplays.blogspot.com), the focus of the blog will move to my life as a theatre artist (hopefully, I can add "working" to that title some day) and the projects I'm working on. Speaking of which, I'm currently working on two shows.

The Miracle Worker
Character: Aunt Ev
My last major show at Western is on the mainstage and faculty directed. It will be a nice way to end my career at WWU, by doing what I came here to do: act. My part is not very big but that does not matter. When I enter, I am to be mighty: a sweeping Southern woman who often oversteps her bounds. Right now, I'm struggling with trying not to make her a stereotype. She was a real person after all.
Oh and guess what? I think I'm getting a bustle. Yes!

The F Word
Returning to my love: devising. The F Word is the brain child of Amanda Woodard, and her senior project to boot but I am only too happy to oblige. The concept of the show is based on feminism but who knows how it will go from there. We are in the research phase and I think we're all feeling a bit overwhelmed. I considered myself to be knowledgeable about feminism, at least the history of feminism, before but we're all finding that there is so much to know. Research is a good start but what will really effect the work is our personal stories. I hope the research does not stall us as we move forward. Currently, I'm having a hard time coming up with moments myself because I have so many things behind me. I have ideas but nothing is coming to fruition quite yet. We're having our first movement rehearsal tonight so I'm hoping that sparks something inside me.

In the meantime, I am writing too but I think I'll save that for a future post.

Finished but not complete.

2010-03-06T22:21:00.001-08:00

We opened. We closed.

I think the show went very well. I'm getting some positive feedback.

We just closed yesterday and I miss the show already. More debrief to come later.

Opening Night!

2010-03-04T11:18:00.001-08:00

It is finally time for opening night. And we're ready.

We had a successful preview last night. It was really good that we had an audience first though. There were a lot more about the plays that are funny apparently than we anticipated. Nearly everyone had a moment where they just about broke, including myself. I didn't think "What if something doesn't work exactly right" was so humorous. Inherently, I know that I write humor in my pieces but I didn't expect the humor to be so apparent. It is a new challenge for all of our actors to work with. In some cases it adds a lot to the pieces, as in Eden because it creates a much stronger connection for the Eden character (Ashely) and the Devin character (Brian). In other cases, it was a wee bit distracting for our actors as in Bathtub Safety. The seriousness and finality of the piece was lost amid a sea of laughter. In my case, I enjoyed the laughter. Since, it is a solo piece, I'm glad I finally had somewhere to pull some more energy from.

The opening of the show tonight means the ending of the show tomorrow. I'll be sad to see it go but I know the work is never done. After the show closes, there is of course, all sorts of senior project work to finish and then, as always, more rewrites to do.

Thanks for reading about the journey.

Tech Rehearsal

2010-02-27T23:56:00.000-08:00

I applaud my designers and director. Paper tech, dry tech, and wet tech all in one day? It is a feat. Yes, we have a total of roughly seven light cues but still, wonderful work. We've had some issues with the set here and there, and we still don't know exactly where we are getting chairs for seating but it'll come together. Our actors were dismissed after just an hour and a half tonight. Now that's efficiency.

I will say this: ah, the perils of a found space. I think the cast is really getting settled in nicely to finally being in the performance space but set up and tear down is quite the process. According to our contract through our producing body Student Theatre Productions (STP), we have to be able to tear down and store our set every night so as not to be in the way of any thing else that might be in that space (usually classes or other productions). That is true of all levels of productions through STP because we simply do not have a space of our own to use. The College of Fine and Preforming Arts (CFPA) is kind enough to let us use this weird space, but, of course that means some extra interesting challenges to work through.

Behind our playing space are three massive mirrors that need to be covered. If we do not cover them, the light will reflect off the mirrors and interrupt the actors and distract the audience. So there is a necessity to cover the mirrors. The challenge is not really how to cover the mirrors or what to cover them with (black paper, if you are curious) but coordinating the schedule of set up and take down. Danielle is prepared with jobs and we have sufficient time. Then the issue becomes storage. Being, once again, in this weird space we don't have any storage at all. We will be storing props and set pieces in our stage manager's (Kayley) car.

Today, all of it seemed to come together. We're moving into dress rehearsals tomorrow. We have a preview scheduled for Wednesday night, and our shows are Thursday and Friday.

(I've decided) The tagline for the shows:
The apocalypse is coming...
But don't worry. It's a good thing.

tech weekend

2010-02-26T16:52:00.000-08:00

We ran a whole she-bang last night for the first time and Danielle and I realized something:

We have a show!

And now, we have some big issues to deal with. Tomorrow begins tech. You'll have an update by the end of the weekend.

I got lucky.

2010-02-24T20:42:00.000-08:00

Over two weeks since my last post but that doesn't mean things haven't happened. Final edits have come and gone. Our challenge right now is making sure our actors are off book. They no longer have scripts in hand and they're last day (ahem...my last day too) to call line is on Saturday. That means our first dress is Sunday. Everything is moving so fast.

On this day next week, we open. (I guess, technically, we're doing a preview on Wednesday so it's like we open Wednesday...but officially, this day next week, WE OPEN.)

The last two weeks have been a bit rocky, to be honest. With everyone so busy the commitment hasn't always been 100% from anyone, which is entirely understandable. Winter quarter is awful that way. Especially considering that in the last two weeks Iceman has opened and closed, midterms have come and gone, we're about to head into dead week and finals week, and our tech is in two days. I can't believe we haven't gone off the deep end at this point. We are starting to see amazing work from our actors. Some of them are very committed and some, I just can't tell. But I've been very lucky - I have an amazing director to work with. She's hit all these challenges with stride all while having to deal with a playwright.

I think the edits turned out pretty well. Originally, I thought they were probably going to be much more extensive but I find that the dialogue at least, was in pretty good shape. What really needed tweaking were certain plot points to better clarify the themes of the shows. I think in many ways, the themes could still be clearer but I think I need an audience to help me figure out where those places are. Seeing these plays in production just makes me hope that part or all of them will be produced again one day.

My major obstacle before the show opens is the solo piece. I knew when we proposed the show that this was going to be the biggest challenge for me (after being a silent partner playwright, that is). It is hard to step outside of yourself as a writer to become an actor, especially on something that you wrote yourself. That, however, is not my biggest challenge. My biggest challenge is overcoming some fear and blocks that I have from previous events in theatre over the past couple of years. I'm trying to be comfortable as an actor again, and I'm finding it really difficult. As I mentioned before, I have an amazing director and we're working really hard to create a character that is different from "Samantha," so hopefully that will alleviate some of the pressure. I have faith in my work; I'm just hoping I can get it to the caliber I want it to be by preview.

We're at the point in the process where it feels like it isn't going to happen. But it is. No matter the obstacles we come across (and trust me, there have been plenty so far), we're going to make it. Whew. We're going to make it

more than one

2010-02-11T18:28:00.000-08:00

final edits due: tomorrow, february 12, 2010.

I was going to work on edits now before I head off to see The Iceman Cometh by Eugene O'Neill here at good ole Western Washington University, but I think I need more time to sit on them. I feeling pretty confident about the rewrites now but of course they need more work. (Rewrites always always happen.) I'm surprised how important the little things are to me. I spend hours agonizing over ellipsis and whether I should use "and" or "but" in a particular line of dialogue. From rehearsal to rehearsal, what I want goes back and forth. It is the little things that make the dialogue sound the way I want them too. One word often changes the tone of the line, the scene, and sometimes the play.

We haven't been in rehearsal for a couple of days so I'm trying to think back as to how everything sounds. It is time to be done with major rewrites and let the actors go to town with the work. They are already making some amazing discoveries. Of course, not everything goes how you expect it will but what ever does? I'm just trying to absorb all I can.

Danielle met with the boys from Regarding Eden on Tuesday and it was probably one of the most enlightening rehearsals we've had the entire process. She focused on character work interview style. This is something I always do as an actor and rarely do as a writer: ask every question I can possibly think about. Danielle had them all, all of the right questions to make me smile, to make me learn how my work comes out in other people's heads. I think the greatest moment of the night was between Danielle (DP) and Brian Toews (BT) who plays Devin:
DP: Based on that [all previous questions], do you think Devin believes in God?
BT: (after a moment) I don't think he knows.

THAT'S IT! Director helping actor learn character. Actor learning character. Actor helping writer learn what she has written. Writer learning about what she thinks.

I just hope I can do this whole process justice. With rewrites almost completed I step into ultra-silent mode. No more rewrites means just absorption. Of course, I also step into actor shoes. It's been awhile and since the writing is my baby, I expect a bit of struggle. But I'm still a performer. Everyone needs to know that. I still perform and will always.

Because you don't have to be just one thing.

time keeps melting away

2010-02-04T12:53:00.001-08:00

We've decided that the final date for major script changes will be before ACTF week. So before February 15th. That is coming up quickly.

The solo piece (The Button) is looking good. As I mentioned in my last post, I shaved a whole page of unnecessary dialogue off the piece which, in turn, probably took at least five minutes off the running time. Until I read it out loud, I didn't realize that most of the beginning part was me just trying to get started. The pacing the first time we read it was very slow. Now the challenge will be to mine for character. They may mean adding more to the script. Or it may mean that now is the time the work of the actor really begins.

The ten minute (Bathtub Safety) is also looking pretty good. I did some minor edits of that script over the weekend to fix a plot point at the end and it seems to be flowing better than it was before. Bathtub Safety was the script that I had worked on the most before the project even began. I've been living with this script the longest and editing it the most, the work load with it started as significantly less. I doubt much more will change with the script but there are some repetitive parts, especially in the middle, that need to be smoothed out.

The one-act (Regarding Eden) is the script that requires the most attention at this point. While the major theme of the show is not religious (on my end) there is a lot of stuff about various religions and historical events that really need to be hashed out. Right now, I feel like it is slowing the progress of the show down because I don't yet have a clear grasp on what I want the purpose of the religious elements to be (well some of them, some of them I know.).

It seems that my major issue when writing is my repetitive nature. When I first write it, being repetitive helps me find a character voice. But by the second draft, it isn't character, it is too many words. I am slowly but surely discovering the depths of my process. More to come...

ch-ch-changes

2010-01-29T13:45:00.000-08:00

It has been a little while since a blog update but that does not mean nothing has happened. After a lot of hemming and ha-ing about the schedule, we finally have a rehearsal schedule that is close enough to finalized to begin rehearsals. Rehearsals began on Monday and have been moving ever since. We're using these first few rehearsals to look closely at the scripts and start big rewrites. It is really inspiring what happens when you get your words into the hands of a passionate design team, a thoughtful director, and a very talented cast. Issues in the script appear that you've never seen before, lines become funny that were once just lines, and the rewriting process seems much more doable. It's hard to hear interpretation in your head as you write. Of course, I know exactly how everything would sound if I always read it but that is never the way an actor will take the words. And thank god for that.

I wish it were as easy to edit the solo piece. In the past three days I've been through four edits of the piece and have probably shaved 10 minutes from it's run time (roughly a page of words). That many edits in so few days is a bit excessive so as per Danielle's nudging, I'm going to sit on it for a few days. We'll block the piece tonight (or begin anyway) and I can focus on being an actor and developing a character rather than being a playwright rewriting a script. I thought it would be much easier to separate these dual roles but as it turns out, they work together very closely. It is a challenging area for me that I expect to work on very diligently.

What I'm running into now is the delicate balance in rewrites. I want to make the shows make more sense, to flush out ideas and dialogue and to still remain artistically happy. As we discuss interpretation and sticky spots in the process, I see where the weak spots of the script are; I know where plot points are vague. Now, I have to decide what is purposely vague, what is to be left up to audience interpretation and what really needs to be written to simply make a better script. I think the tendency for playwrights (especially young playwrights, like myself) is to take the input of everyone and try to implement every idea into the script. I find myself leaning towards this. However, in the end it has to be a script I am happy with, that I feel like is still my own.

Someone reminded me of the dates of our show the other day (March 4th and 5th) and I realized we are just about a month from performance. The process is moving very quickly. We still keep running into little obstacles, most of which are taken care of very quickly but sometimes not without a little heartache. For awhile, our big issue to be taken care of was the start times of our show. Apocalypse Plays is on the same weekend as two other shows. But after a little fanagling we have finalized start times that will hopefully work for everyone. The show on the 4th will begin at 9pm while the two shows on the 5th will be at 7:30pm and 10pm. I'm hoping the varying times will make it easier to get more people to the theatre.

Sleeping hours are few and far between these day. The mind of the artist never ceases.

cast

2010-01-15T16:20:00.000-08:00

And...we have a cast! Now the show seems very real. I think I have been living in a world where this wasn't really happening. All of the talk seemed nice about the show but in my head it seemed like just that, talk. But now, with real people willing to do my work, it does seem real. We're all working toward the goal: final production. Starting this week is a race to March 4th and 5th. I don't want to take this production too fast but at the same time, I know the time will fly.

The cast is meeting for the first time tonight. Originally, the plan was to have a read-thru but at least one of our cast members won't be there and another one has to leave early. So we'll talk about the process, thank everyone sincerely and send them on their way.

The idea is that the first week will consist of just work-shopping the plays. It has been awhile since I have taken a red pen to these plays and edited them. I'll looking forward to seeing them on their feet. The plan is to give the actors the scripts, set up an approximate set and let them naturally block the shows themselves. Then change the set and let them try it again. I need to see what they can do with the script the way it is now and then hopefully, the inspiration will strike me to change them/edit them/generally make them better. I'm working for a polished finish product and I only have two months to do so. While the pretty long rehearsal process will be helpful, I wish I was getting more performances of the work. As a playwright, audiences tell you a lot about the work. There are some things you can only learn from watching an audience watch your work. Maybe I'll have to bring some people in throughout the process to get their feedback.

Auditions Tomorrow!

2010-01-11T19:55:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year blogosphere. There has been a lag in posts seeing as how school just resumed session for winter quarter. The production (and these blogs) should pick up now that school has started moving again.

Yes, we audition tomorrow! My only concern at this moment is the lack of people. Winter quarter is a hard time. We try and cram so much into just ten weeks. Students are occupied with the American College Theatre Festival (ACTF), main stage shows, classes, other STP shows and other performance classes. It is a trial to get students this quarter but I am hopeful. It is helpful that I will be playing one of the parts myself but that still leaves six parts to be filled (five more substantial parts).

I've never been on the other side of the audition table before; I have to say I'm pretty excited. As an actor you spend so much time attempting to be exactly what other people want for your production. This time I get to decide what I want. Well, Danielle and I get to decide what we want. It seems to me to be a scary prospect. Well, here we go.

We had our first production meeting last week. It went well. We are definitely at the beginning of our process. The beginning of the process is not without its difficulties though. Our dates (March 4th and 5th) overlap with not one but two other shows, our set designer will only be here for half of the production and we have a lot of hoops to jump through. We're not changing our dates but we may be moving our start times to try and be accommodating to other productions. It'll be a full weekend but we want as many people to be able to see the show and we want to see other shows as well. All in all I'm determined to make this work. It has to now especially because Apocalypse Plays is my senior project. I am currently getting credit for this production (which is also a new exciting development).

We sign contracts tomorrow. And we audition. We're only days away from being a full blown production.

meet the family

2009-12-26T23:40:00.000-08:00

As of Decemebr 6th our entire team was set. Since then, however, we've hit our first snag as a production team. Our lighting designer had to drop out due to some conflicts. Crisis averted quickly though. Within a day or two we had another lighting designer ready to step in. Then, a couple of days ago, our set designer told us she will be spending a couple of quarters at another college in California but was still willing (and exciting) to work on this project. It would just have to be via email and other electronic communications. Although she will not be here in body, I breathed a sigh of relief that she would still be involved. Currently, we're discussing adding an assistant designer to make sure her ideas come to play even if she is not here. So once again, it seems we are set with our production team. I will admit, however, I hold my breath for a minute every time I open my email.

Due to the non-traditional space, it is important that we have all of our designers. Our lighting desiginer has a challenge as we do not have lighting instruments already in the space. Instead we are banking on the fact that we can borrow instruments and make interesting use of the lighting already provided by the space. The same concept applies for the set designer. The space is a lobby into the theatre meaning, that while architectually interesting, there are no set pieces that come as a function of the space. Furthermore, contractually, we have to be able to strike the set after every rehearsal/performance in the space, finding some place to store them or returning the pieces to their original home.

These are obstacles I am confident we can overcome and will ultimately add to the production. And with that our production team is as follows:
Stage Manager: Kayley Page
Set Designer: Audrey Ugrin
Lighting Designer: Ryan Bahm
Costume Designer: Natalie Kruger

Props Designer: Bethany Fromong

Sound Designer: Jeremiah Paulsen

And of course, myself (Samantha Cooper) as the writer and Danielle Pettet as the director. When I started thinking about proposing this project to Student Theatre Productions (STP) here at Western Washington University, I knew it would be important to find a director who I could trust. Before this last summer, I knew very little of Danielle. Then, we spent two weeks together traveling through Italy and Greece with a few other people. For 13 days we were probably no more than 10 feet apart. After that, it's either love or hate. But we found that we got along really well. As the trip came to a close, I mentioned this project and Danielle seemed immediately interested. Once school started up again, I contacted her to see if she was still interested. She was and from there we've been working on these plays for (what seems like) non-stop for two or three months. We worked through finding designers together, talking to STP board members, and ultimately submitting the proposal together.

Working with new works is a challenge in and off itself, especially with the playwright in the room. And also, when you begin the process as friends. As we began our working relationship, we strove to make sure we both act professionally and hold each other accountable for our actions. From the beginning, we discussed past experiences in theatre and what we wanted out of this project. Together, we drafted a Playwright/Director contract to give some guidelines to our working relationship and hopefully open honest lines of communication.

Danielle and I both have a lot to learn, this being our first times being on the "other side of the table", so to speak. As actors, we usually have very little contact with the production team or what goes on in those meetings. Now, Danielle will be running these meetings and I'll be trying to figure out how to participate creatively as a writer. We both discuss how our challenge is really letting go and remember that we have people to help us: danielle with the production team and me with Danielle and the production team...and soon the actors.

Our first production meeting is January 5th. And so the journey begins...

P.S. You can follow Danielle's journey as a director at http://apocalypseplayz.blogspot.com/.

beginning to an end

2009-12-22T19:12:00.000-08:00

Nearly a year ago, I started writing a ten-minute play about two people in a bathtub at the end of the world. No less than eight months ago this little ten-minute turned into an idea for a set of plays focusing on my current obsession: the apocalypse. Five months ago, I had a one-act play, a ten-minute play, and an idea for a solo piece. December 6th it was official: Apocalypse Plays was going to be given a production.

So begins our journey with this production. The performance dates are set: March 4th and 5th. The performance space has been found: WWU PAC Mainstage Inner Lobby. This blog hopes the chronicle my experience as a living playwright working both in the cast and with the director and design team.

I'm planning to learn a lot.