The Toronto Fringe Festival is a Theatre Festival that runs June 30 till July 11.  This year I decided to enter the 24-hour Playwriting Contest which is exactly what it sounds like.  All participants are given 24 hours to come up with a play incorporating four objects/concepts given by the Fringe Festival.  The contest begins on June 30 at 6pm and the complete play is to be handed in the next day, July 1 at 6pm.  The play can be no longer then a running time of 45 minutes.

The idea of writing a play in 24 hours is a daunting task as I tend to spend a couple weeks mapping out characters and storylines before even attempting to write one word of dialogue.  I’m meticulous when it comes to brainstorming the entire script.  I also struggle writing anything productive into the late night, early mornings.   So given all that, I thought I would take up the challenge and stretch myself.  My sense is I’ll still map things out, but in a much reduced time period.  And I certainly won’t be writing long hand, but go straight to the keyboard.  This should be interesting.

Speaking of playwriting, a few things on the go; I applied for a grant through the Toronto Arts Council for my play Circus.  Decisions are made in September.  Circus is in the mid-stage of its creation and I feel the next draft will take it to another level.  I am also planning to write a one-act play for the New Ideas Festival run by the Alumnae Theatre.  I hope to get to that soon – the deadline is mid September.  Finally, it’s Christmas in June as I will soon begin writing one of my seasonal productions that will be staged in December.

I’m beginning to send out my screenplay Twig to some trusted readers.  I will be submitting the script to various competitions to receive further critiques for the next re-write.

“Ink on paper is as beautiful to me as flowers on the mountains; God composes, why shouldn’t we?”
- Terri Guillemets

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