Here are the finalists for this year’s Kairos Prizes in Screenwriting:

Paul H. Boge of East St. Paul, Manitoba, CAN for MULLI
Bret Eugene Boyer of Scottsdale, AZ for TEXTING WITH GOD
James M. De Vince of Wallingford, CT for THE BASKETBALL
David (Nicholas) Hartmann of Mason, OH for A DOLPHIN IN OUR LAKE
Bryan Lake of Stevenson Ranch, CA for BOB
Jeremy David Lee of West Hills, CA for ROCK POINT DRAW
Jacalyn S. McLeod of Lee’s Summit, MO for HOUSE OF HOPE
Clark McMillian of Bowie, MD for INVESTMENT IN TIME
Sean Paul Murphy of Baltimore, MD for I, JOHN
Lizanne Southgate & Alan Sproles of Visalia, CA for FIFTY SEVEN CENTS
Marcus Webb of Stamford, CT for AND THERE WAS LIGHT
Amy Williams of Marina Del Rey, CA for HALO THEORY

As you can see by this list, my name is not present.  My hope was my screenplay Walk would “walk” right into being a finalist but alas, it did not make the cut.   The results came to me last week, so I’ve had a few days to digest the disappointment.  It’s better now, but it certainly is never easy.   So much of whether a script connects to a reader has to do with the right place, the right time and of course, the right reader to lobby your work.  It’s all part of the journey. ..a journey that for me will always include writing.  If nothing else, this latest result makes me more determined.  (How many times have I told myself that, said the writer.)

So onward.  I have been sending Walk out to a couple other places.  I am working on yet another re-write of Twig which I plan to send to the Nichol Fellowships in Screenwriting come April.  Currently, I am in rehearsals on the latest Easter production called UP IN THE ATTIC

The original title of this production was PASSION and since I finished the re-write and began rehearsals over 2 weeks, I have changed it to the more appropriate title UP IN THE ATTIC.   The cast is coming together and I am very encouraged by what I see.   The play deals with the Walker family whose lost faith and buried secrets reveal a past that is about to collide with the present when writer Hannah Walker discovers what’s “up in the attic”.  The play will be performed on March 31 and April 1.    More details, along with a poster, will appear in the weeks to come.

Throughout the summer and fall of 2011, I spent a considerable amount of time working on 3 scripts for a screenplay competition called The Kairos Prizes.  Struck was a brand new film script I developed.  A Walk in the Park (which placed in the top 12 of Kairos last year), I re-worked and tweaked and then resubmitted.  And Listen to Grace which was an adaption of a play I did last Easter.

Today comes word of the semi-finals of The Kairos Prizes for 2012. And although Struck and Listen to Grace did not make the cut, once again, my re-tweaked script of A Walk in the Park (now simply called Walk) has made the cut. Walk is one of 60 scripts chosen out of approximately 1000 scripts entered.  Read all about it in the Kairos Press Release where you will see my name listed. 

So, like last year, I wait for Feb 1 to come around to see if I make the next cut.  I wonder what it is with Walk that is clicking with readers.  I’ve re-written Walk on four different occasions.  Something is obviously resonating; my hopes are it continues to resonate right into the Finalist and winners circle.

Passion is the title of my upcoming Easter production. I am just putting the finishing touches on the script and we begin rehearsals in less than a week. It took me a couple gruelling, rather boring weeks, to come with a concept that I felt good about. Writing, as I and many others before me have said, is all about your butt in the chair.  Passion may be the title of this script, but let me tell you that I felt very little of that at the beginning of this process. And that’s how it is with most scripts in the early stages. Once an idea strikes, you start to build around it.  Slowly but surely, the characters and plot take on a life of their own and the fog of frustration begins to lift. I look forward to sharing this play with an audience.

I’m doing a lot of pacing these days…which means I’m writing a new script.  This is for an Easter production that will be staged in late March, early April.    Inspiration and writing are not always on the same page.  The beginning stage of any script is time-consuming and draining as you wait for that spark of an idea that will get the ball rolling.  It has not happened yet, but I wait patiently for the inspiration.

Hero was a draining, but rewarding experience.  The cast really came together in the last 2 weeks and I was very proud of the work they put into it.  Though I did not write about this when it was going on, I had to replace 3 actors near the end of October which put a tremendous amount of stress on me, the cast and stage manager.  But we came through and I have spent the last couple weeks resting some (although I did work on another rewrite of Twig).

Anyway, back to some writing…or should I say pacing…

Last night was the dress rehearsal for Hero which was attended by a handful of people.  After weeks of rehearsal it was time to invite an audience into our world.     For me, I am always curious to see what resonates with people…what will make them laugh, cry, be surprised.  I know the play so intimately at this point that I haven’t the slightest clue what will affect a viewer. 

This is the great joy of theatre. The play will be performed three times over the weekend and each audience will react to it differently.  What was hilarious one night, may be met with dead silence the next night.  I warned the cast to be prepared for anything.  The nervousness and excitement amongst all the cast last night was palpable.   They are ready, so now we wait for you.

And so, if you have some time this weekend, come and check us out.   If you’ve yet not watched the short trailer, see it here.

Last night I worked on lighting with the cast of Hero.  We are 10 days from opening and things are moving rather quickly.   The set was also being built so there were a lot of creative juices in the air.  Working on lighting can be rather tedious.  The cast has to wait around while lights are re-focused.  I had worked out all the cues but once you get actors on stage, the lighting inevitable changes and it takes time.

The rehearsal went long, but I noticed a sort of lightness (no pun intended) in the air as we made our way through the play.  It was hard for the actors to remain totally in character as there are so many stops and starts.  However, they were having fun and didn’t let the tediousness of the night get to them.   After over 2 months of rehearsals, a comfort and ease had come upon them.

Normally, I can get kind of testy during this time.   The details of mounting a production can be enormous, but last night the lightness in the air was needed and did not distract from the task at hand.   It showed me that you can bring a group of relative strangers together and forge a functional family unit.  And that’s what doing theatre is all about – community. 

I wish I could apply the same lightness to my current screenplay Twig.  I’ve been trying to re-write it.  One particular character and his story are not working for me, but I have not been able to come up with a solution I am satisfied with.  Therefore, there have been a lot of blank stares on paper, pacing and probably over-thinking.

Hero opens in just over 3 weeks.   I am at the point in the process where all the scenes are coming together.   We will soon be running the entire play.   Acting is the main focus right now and by month’s end we will move onto the technical elements of the show.    

I’m working with two children in this production – a 13 year old boy and a 12 year old girl.   This is a first for me and I have to admit that this prospect frightened me at first.  I expect them to act like adults, but I’m often reminded that they are children.   However, I am happy to say that these two children have taken on their roles very seriously and they are succeeding in quashing any fears I may have had.  The ironic thing is one of the themes being explored in Hero is that the children are acting like adults and the adults are acting like children. 

Stay tuned for more updates and a trailer.  Visit the Hero link for more details on the play.

When it comes to deadlines, oftentimes you have to make choices as to what gets your focus. My hope was to get a copy of Blue into the Fringe Festival Play Contest this year. The deadline was October 24 and I was in the midst of re-writing A Walk in the Park (now called Walk) and began working on the screenplay version to Listen to Grace. I could have done work on Blue, but I felt it would have been rushed, so I let it pass. Editing/re-working a script, I always find needs more time. For me, I need to get back into that world, re-familiarize myself with the characters and get to know the story again. Timing is also everything and my energies these days have been devoted to getting these screenplays done for the Kairos Prizes and my new play Hero.

Walk is complete and has been sent to Karios. This week, I put the finishing touches on Listen to Grace. Karios extended their deadline to Nov 8 so I was able to finesse the script further. The process of translating this play into a screenplay was most enjoyable. The work opened itself up and I was able to further develop the characters and plot. The screenplay version of Listen to Grace is a stronger, clearer piece of writing than the play version. I would be very curious to know what some of the actors who performed in the play, think of the script.

So…Struck, Walk and Listen to Grace compete in the Kairos Prizes and I wait. I will know if I make the first round of cuts by mid January.

Now the focus turns back to Hero… (not that it ever left). It’s hard to believe but one month today Hero opens – another deadline. I have been busy working with the actors, refining their characters and motivations. I have an interesting set for this production and a great designer who is interrupting my vision. Original music is being learned. And comic book pictures are being drawn as they play a central part in the story. A poster and trailer will be posted in the weeks to come.

Tea Time, my one act play which I submitted to the Alumnae’s New Ideas Play Festival was rejected. It did not get picked up for production. I leave you with this quote about rejection:

“Every rejection is incremental payment on your dues that in some way will be translated back into your work”.
James Lee Burke

My brother Adam recently won two awards for his feature animated film The Lady of Names. The film won best feature at the 2011 Philadelphia Film & Animation Festival. He also has won best animated feature at the Toronto Independent Film Festival.   Many people have been asking what does this mean for the film.  The hope is some studio/producer will purchase the film, then release it theatrically and/or make it available on DVD.   The Lady of Names began production in the late 90’s and was completed early in 2011. 

I am a month into rehearsals for HERO, a Christmas production being staged on Dec 10 & 11.    I’m wearing many hats and dealing with various aspects of the production that include working with musicians on songs, artists on the poster, an architect on the set design and most importantly, the actors on the stage.  In the next month, the actors will be challenged further as we begin to mould their characters.

My re-write of A Walk in the Park (now called Walk), is complete and I will be sending it off to the Kairos Prizes.  I am now in the midst of adapting my play Listen to Grace into a film script.  On stage, you’re limited to the set.  On film, you can go anywhere and therefore the writing needs to open up.    What works on stage does not work in film.   Film is moving pictures.  Stage is the word.   I have three weeks to complete this process as it will be the 3^rd script I enter into the Kairos Prizes due November 1.  Get writing.

When Mara Bethel decides to sell her Kansas farmhouse, a tragic incident involving her husband Simon some 30 years ago comes back to both haunt and inspire her.   

This is the scenario for my new screenplay Struck, which was just sent out to the Kairos Prizes in Screenwriting this past week.  I now turn my attention to the re-write of A Walk in the Park, which I am half way through.  This script will also be sent to Kairos along with an adaptation of my play Listen to Grace.  I will be busy with these scripts until November.  And then hope to get “struck” in January when results are announced.

This week, I began rehearsals for Hero, the new Christmas production to be performed Dec 10 & 11.   It’s great to work with actors, “live people”, rather than just me, a pen and a blank piece of paper.   Directing gets me out of my head space.  I enjoy and need the back and forth that happens with actors when creating characters.  This past month three musicians have been creating original music for Hero.    I have heard samples of all the pieces and look forward to hearing the final product.   

Tea Time (originally called Walls), my new one act play, was sent off to the New Ideas Festival at the Alumnae Theatre.  This script was originally written for the 24-Hour Fringe Festival back in July.  I kept the same concept, but re-worked and tightened the characters and plot.  I’ll find out some time at the end of November whether my play gets accepted.   I’m hoping to send my play Blue to the Toronto Fringe’s playwriting contest at the end of October and although I recently made significant cuts in the play (cutting 13 pages), some tweaking still remains.

Hero is complete.  I put the finishing touches on this latest play that will run Dec 10 & 11.  This past week I was tweaking the script, refining dialogue and character motivations and cutting anything that felt superfluous.   The first reading with the cast is September 11 and it will be a great relief to finally share what I have been working on like a mad scientist these last couple months.  

Hero takes place at an Inn on Christmas Day where family bonds are being tested, secret pains are revealed and a child’s comic sheds light on the meaning of hope.    In the coming weeks, I’ll be posting a more detailed synopsis and poster.

My attention now turns to my screenplay Struck which is due September 19 for the Karios Prizes in Screenwriting.  I have been working my way through a draft of this script which I completed back in July.  So much of re-writing is chopping what you have.   Usually in a first draft you overwrite because you’re fresh in the process.  Ideas are free-flowing and there are no filters holding you back.  Once you start to understand what it is you are writing about, it is then when you take a scalpel to your words and the script takes shape.   I’ve also been working on the re-write of Walls (which is now called Tea Time).  Tea Time is the one-act I’ll be entering into the New Ideas Festival at the Alumnae Theatre.

This quote by an author was passed onto me.  As I prepare to send more of my writings out, I thought it was most appropriate and one I can identify with:

“I could write an entertaining novel about rejection slips, but I fear it would be overly long.”
- Louise Brown