I’ve just spent the last couple weeks writing my upcoming Christmas production that is slated to begin rehearsals in September with a cast of 11.    After spending much time contemplating what I should write about, the ideas started flowing and the characters took shape.  And because I know already who will be in this production, I heard the voices of those specifically cast in the play.   The title of the play is Hero.

Lately I’ve been feeling a bit of cabin fever.    Writing these last 4 months has been non-stop: 

• May, re-wrote my screenplay Twig
• June/July, wrote Struck, a new spec screenplay for the Kairo Competition in Screenwriting
•  July, competed in the 24 hour Fringe Playwriting Competition with my short play Walls
•  July/August, completed the Christmas Production, Hero, to be performed Dec 10 & 11

The rest of August and September will be used to refine Hero and do another draft of Struck.

It is time to hopefully reap what I have sown.  Hero will soon begin rehearsals (which helps big time with the cabin fever as I get out and direct actors).  Struck will be sent to the Kairo Prizes.  Walls will be submitted to the Alumnae Theatre for their New Ideas Festival.  Twig needs another tweak before I plan to submit it to several screenwriting competitions throughout the fall and winter.

Cabin Fever?  Yes indeed, but I’m hoping all this fever leads to harvest time as I send my babies out to the world….and wait.

Last week I attended a play at the Toronto Fringe Festival called Kim’s Convenience.  The writer, actor, director of this show is Ins Choi.   Recently I had the pleasure of joining a writer’s group in which Ins was the leader.  Kim’s Convenience received rave reviews from critics and as a result was picked as one of the best of Fringe and will run for another 7 performances beginning this Sunday July 24 at the Toronto Centre for the Performing Arts. 

Kim’s Convenience is a strong piece of theatre, that’s both funny and dramatic and will be sure to move you.  If you have a chance, check it out.   From the press release, the play is described as a comedic story of a Korean family struggling with the future of their convenience store amidst the echoes of their bitter past.   Loosely based on the prodigal son story, it’s a play about debts and reconciliation.

To learn more about the play, dates and show times, visit Kim’s Convenience or Toronto Center for the Performing Arts.

I am currently working on my upcoming Christmas production set to be performed on Dec 10, 11.   I’ve got a basic structure to the story and know who all the characters are (their background, history, etc…).  Creating character names is always fun (if not tedious work).  I spend a lot of time with names because a character’s name represents more than what they are called but suggests what they might be about.

I will continue to brainstorm and formulate the plot and story.  Once I feel confident about the themes I’m exploring, it will be time to begin the actual script.  It is always a scary prospect to bring characters to life but with that comes a certain amount of freedom to just let go.

I finished typing my new screenplay Struck and now leave it aside for a couple weeks before refining it further.   Walls was the title of the 24-Hour Play I wrote for the Toronto Fringe.   This one-act play tells the story of a woman in a psycho ward who tries to make sense of what is real and what is imaginary as she deals with the death of loved ones close to her.

Until next time, enjoy the heat of summer.

So there I was today typing my new screenplay called Struck.  I had finished writing a rough draft of Struck a week ago and I am now imputing my hand written copy to the computer.  I write everything long-hand first and never do a first draft straight to the computer.  I think better when I’m actually scribbling words on the page. 

Today, I was waiting to hear about the 24-hour Playwriting Contest run by the Toronto Fringe Festival which I competed in last week.  The top 3 winners would be phoned.  I did not receive a call.  Later in the day, I did receive an email:

 Top 3 Winners of the 24 Hour Playwriting Contest
#1 – OUT by Ron Fromstein
#2 – Thicker Than Water by Jody Hewston
#3 – Getting There – Ashley Botting

After receiving this news, I went back to typing, but I would be lying if I told you I wasn’t disappointed.  Anytime I enter a competition, I believe I can win.  I also won’t tell you that doubt doesn’t creep in.  It does, all the time.  I fight my doubt by not giving into fear.  Fear stops you from writing.  I keep going back to putting words on the page.  And when a great idea strikes and I feel the story, characters, themes come together – no contest or judge can take that feeling away.  It has to be about the words on the page and how to make those words sound better.  That is the goal.  That remains the focus.  That is where the challenge and joy lie.   

Having said all that, I look forward to the day when my name appears in a top three position.

My brother Adam has been working on a feature length animated film for over 10 years and he has finally completed it.  Adam did everything in this film (all the animation, built the sets & models, editing, etc.).  The script was written by Michael Stokes - a writer Adam met during his York University days.  Adam is now in the process of submitting the film to festivals across North America and hopes to get a distribution deal.  I voiced one of the characters.  The recording was done over 10 years ago.  Check out the trailer to The Lady of Names. 

This week I competed in the 24 Hour Playwriting Competition run through the Toronto Fringe Festival.  I was given 4 concepts at 6pm on Wednesday and had 24 hours to come up with a play incorporating these concepts in whatever way I saw fit.

The concepts were:
-          something in-between the pages of a book
-          Lou or Loo
-          a complex equation
-          a forgotten child

By 5am, I had typed the whole script out, took a quick nap and finished just before 5:30pm that day.  Results will be known in a week; hoping for the best.  At that time, I will pass on what I came up with.

All first drafts of any scripts I write are handwritten and the first words I scribble at the top of the first page before I write anything else is “We Begin”.  I believe this phrase came from a math teacher back in my high school days.  This is how he began his math class by telling us, “We begin”.   The WE is me and all the characters I am creating.  It is a journey we are taking together.  As much as I am informing the plot, they too are guiding my thoughts and determining often where a story goes.

Today, after spending nearly 4 weeks on a rough draft of my new screenplay, I was able to write THE END as I wrapped up another script.  It is a very rough draft, tentatively called Struck.  I will be entering it in the Kairos Competition in Screenwriting come September.  My goal was to finish a rough draft before the 24 Hour Playwriting Contest which begins tomorrow.   Mission accomplished. 

On July 6, at 6pm, I will be entering the 24 Hour Playwriting Contest through the Toronto Fringe Festival.  The goal of the contest:  write a play in 24 hours based on 4 elements the Fringe provides and have it complete by July 7 at 6pm (not a minute later).  We begin.

Earlier this year I spent some time on my play Blue and cut several pages from the most recent draft.  Once the new draft was complete, I submitted the play to the Woodward/Newman Drama Award at the Bloomington Playwrights Project, an organization that fosters new playwrights. 

Results for the Woodward/Newman Drama Award were announced recently and here are the winner and finalists:

Winner of the 11/12 Woodward/Newman Drama Award:
Three Views of the Same Object by Henry Murray

11/12 Woodward/Newman Drama Finalists:
Provenance by Daniel J. Weber
In Kings and Fools by Kevin Daly
Three Views of the Same Object by Henry Murray
October 1962 by D.W. Gregory
Carried by the Current by Nicola Pearson
The Wind Farmer by Dan O’Neil
Mud Lotus by Chris White
in a word by Lauren Yee
Life is Mostly Straws by Richard Manley
Comes a Faery by James McLindon

As you can see, my play Blue was not chosen among the list, but I am glad for an organization like this because it motivates me to look at my work again and refine a play like Blue, which I thought was already a pretty good piece.  After the re-write, the play became leaner and meaner.  It’s currently competing in the Herman Voaden Playwriting Competition at Queen’s University in Kingston.  I entered an earlier draft of Blue in this competition years ago and did not place.

The re-write of my screenplay Twig is now complete and I have cut major elements (including the last 7 pages of the script) and enhanced the story arcs of the supporting characters.   I will be tweaking the script again once I get some notes back from a couple readers.  Twig will then be set out to the world to be judged.

I recently held auditions for an upcoming Christmas production and will  make final casting choices by month’s end.  Writing on this production begins early July.  On July 6, I will be entering the 24-Hour Playwriting Contest through the Toronto Fringe Festival.  Last year I entered this competition for the first time and thoroughly enjoyed it.  The challenge:  write a play in 24 hours based on 4 elements the Fringe Festival provides.  I’ve been working on a new script for the Kairos Prizes in Screenwriting and  hope to have a rough draft complete before the Fringe. 

I like what Ray Bradbury says about writing; maybe it’s why I write:
“You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.”
- Ray Bradbury

Check out the Gallery & Media sections of Born For This and Listen to Grace where you will find photos of my latest two productions.  Thank you to James Carter for taking these pictures and also snapping some behind the scene shots. 

I will begin another production for Christmas in the next month.  Once casting is complete, parts will be written for those in the play.  Normally you write the play then cast.  But when it comes to a community effort, I like to take advantage of actors’ personalities and explore that more creatively in the writing process.  Several of the actors I have worked with regarding these seasonal productions, have experience and therefore I am able to push the boundaries as to what they can achieve on the stage. 

I look forward to beginning this project in the months to come.  Ideas are percolating, but nothing solid.  In the meantime, I’ve been re-writing my screenplay Twig.  This is the story of a hoarder named Eugene Twig and his peculiar family.  I kept the basic structure of the story, but gutted and re-wrote scenes that just weren’t clicking.  Many scenes in the previous draft were not advancing plot, character or adding to the overall theme.  Scenes in a script should be cut if they don’t do one of these three things.

Writing, and re-writing particularly, is hard work.  But if you stick with it, you are rewarded with surprises.  A character or plot takes you down a road that you did not plan and that’s the great joy of writing.   

 I found a wonderful quote by Charlotte Bronte, writer of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, which best sums up what I am talking about: 

 “The writer who possesses the creative gift owns something of which he is not always master – something that at times strangely wills and works for itself.”
- Charlotte Bronte

On Tuesday I sat through my second to last rehearsal, watching Listen to Grace for the umpteenth time. One dress rehearsal is left and my job is basically done after several months of piecing this puzzle together. And the pieces are aplenty from the writing, to the acting, directing, technical aspects, sets, props, posters and those are just the big pieces. It’s the little pieces, the details, that kill you – and that’s where the devil lives.

In the last couple days as we put the finishing touches on Grace, I’ve gotten tired of hearing my own voice. It always happens around this time, so close to the end as I correct actors, do some final tweaking on how I’d like a line spoken or how I want a specific action to play out.  I insist on running lighting cues over and over until it feels just right. I’m exhausted, but not because I’m burnt out. Doing theatre and seeing a story come to life on stage is a good workout. It fuels me – gives me life even when it’s hard work.

I’m always looking forward to the next project, usually with trepidation. But for now, it’s time for some Grace. So listen up, the play opens this weekend, April 16 & 17. The actors are ready. The lights are in place. An audience waits. I hope those who come are rewarded, like we have been, putting this  intricate puzzle together.

Dress rehearsal for Listen to Grace is a week away. I had a very productive rehearsal last night as my troop of actors review everything we have done up to this point. This whole week is devoted to piecing together all the scenes of the play. The weekend is filled with tech, set, props and costumes. This is a rare night off for me and my stage manager and it was a much needed night off as we are both feeling a little worn.

I enjoy watching an actor grow into a part. And admire their commitment in getting it right. Doing a play is a journey. You become a family. And for those few moments on the stage, you see a little magic happen. The story of these characters take on a life of their own. Drama unfolds and then I remember why I do this.

I’m not sure how other writers do it, or if many do, but I have found it virtually impossible to focus on two projects at the same time. I’ve been trying to work on Twig re-writes during the day and although I do have some great brainstorming notes, in general my mind drifts back to directing Listen to Grace and all the details it takes to stage a play. Sometimes I feel I need to become more determined and grounded in my creativity – make less excuses for my lack of motivation. And remember the magic – the feeling when you know you’ve written a great piece of dialogue or a scene that crackles with tension.

I leave you with a quote. Many have said of my writing that it oftentimes is hard and any hope in it, has to be squeezed out (and often times it does). However, to these people I say this:

“The role of the writer is not to say what we all can say, but we are unable to say.” 
-  Anais Nin

Less than a month away and Listen to Grace opens. In the past couple of weeks, I’ve been working on acting. Most of the actors have their lines memorized and we’ve been refining and re-defining who these characters are. I’m seeing a lot of growth come from my performers and I know as we draw closer to opening night, all their hard work will pay off.

One of things as a director I like to put emphasis on is “raising the stakes”. Actors have to make choices that should be bold and strong, not passive. This can be in regards to emotion or action of a given character.  I’m constantly challenging actors to make bolder choices. Drama comes from that place where one is discovery new things. The more things a character discovers about him/herself or others, the bigger the stakes become.

I recently re-read my screenplay Twig and my two-act play Circus. Both these projects have been on the back-burner for this past year. I like both scripts and feel there is a lot of potential in each project. I began re-working/thinking Twig and hope to have a re-write complete by April. My plan for Circus is to have a re-write done by May. Writing in this blog makes me accountable, so I better get to work.

“There’s nothing to writing. All you have to do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein”.
- Walter Wellesley “Red” Smith

“You fail only if you stop writing”.
- Ray Bradbury