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

The top 3 winners for the Kaiors Prizes in Screenwriting are as follows:

First Place:  Blue Water Metal by Justin Eade, New Zealand
Second Place:   A Gentle Whisper by Katherine T.  Koonce, Coral Springs, FL
Third Place:  Under the Apple Tree by Matthew Hill & Landon Johnson, Upland, CA

As you can see from the names above, my name was not included amongst the winners.  The month of February was a fun ride.  To make the top 45, then the top 12 of Kaiors,  I was very pleased and excited and hoping I would crack the top 3.  The first week after the results were made public, I felt disappointment.  When you get this close to the winner’s circle and it doesn’t happen, a let down is inevitable.  But as many have reminded me, just making the top 12 out of hundreds of entries is an accomplishment in itself.  My plan is to begin a new screenplay sooner then later and polish it throughout the year so I can enter it into the Kairos competition next year.

I’ve been focusing my energies on reworking my play Blue.  I just finished a re-write and trimmed an astounding 13 pages of dialogue.  The play now feels like a leaner, meaner story with the characters’ traits and motivations more powerfully realized.  I’ve sent Blue off to the Bloomington Playwrights Project where the Woodward/Newman Drama Award is given out to the best new unpublished play.   This is just the first of many places I plan to send out this new draft of Blue.

 For the past month, I have been deep into rehearsals for my new play Listen to Grace which will be performed on April 16, 17.   Listen to Grace consists of a cast of 12 and tells the story of a family coming to grips with the heroic death of the eldest son who has been estranged from his family for many years.  A poster and further info on the play will be coming soon.

So, I keep on keeping on.  I continue to write, create, because that’s what I do.  I came across this quote from an anonymous screenwriter.  It sums up best a writer’s life:

“Writing is not a hobby. If your intent is that “Oh, well, I’ll try it for a bit and see what happens”…if that’s your attitude, don’t even try. You have to say, “This is what I am going to do with my life; I am going to be a writer.” It’s a very difficult way to earn a living, but you do it because that’s all you want to do, that’s all you can do….Often one hates to write, but it’s great having written.”

Back in mid Sept of 2010, I decided to re-write a screenplay of mine called The Tree of Life. Fast forward a month and a half later, I had done significant re-writes on the script and re-titled it A Walk in the Park. I entered this script into the Kairos Prices for Screenwriting on Nov. 1. Just last month, I made the first cut of 45 writers to advance into the semi-finals.

Now comes word that my screenplay, A Walk in the Park, has advanced as one of the finalists of the Kairos Prizes. Click on Kairos Finalists to see the top 12 scripts that made the cut. 

A mixture of uninhibited joy and enormous relief filled me upon receiving the news. I am ever grateful and, as I ended 2010 and began 2011, continually hopeful for even better things to come. Three winners will be announced sometime in the next two weeks. Until then, I’ll bask in this moment and wait patiently for the final results.  Stay tuned…

Listen to Grace is the name of my new play which officially begins rehearsals in less than a week.  The production will be performed on April 16 & 17 and has a cast of 12, many of whom I have not worked with before.   Listen to Grace takes that old hymn “Amazing Grace” and wraps a play around redemption and what it means to be forgiven.  I will have more details in the coming weeks as I get into the rehearsal process.

The Kairos Prizes in Screenwriting recently announced their semi-finalists. Look whose name appeared on their list:

Karen Aaker of Colton, CA for SOMETHING IN RETURN & THE SURRENDER
Diana Anderson of Flint, TX for THE ZEALOT
Kristin Barnett, Marc Burger & Freddie McGee of Tyrone, GA for CHOICES
Peter Bishai & André Pieterse of Stellenbosch, South Africa for A MILLION COLOURS
Christopher Buonopane of Irvine, CA for HOME FROM THE CIVIL WAR
Jeff Carlton of Ontario, CANADA for GRAVEYARD SHIFT
Nick Chamberlain of Wiggins, CO for JUDAS OF KERIOTH
Romeo Ciolfi of Ontario, CANADA for A WALK IN THE PARK
Deana Costner of Orlando, FL for HOME PLACE
Charles Coulter of Fairfax, VA for GOD'S PLAN FOR JOHN
Ryan Creason & William Creed of Corvallis, OR for COMES THE END
Shawn Dalton of San Ramon, CA for NOTES FROM HEAVEN
Justin Eade of Neslon, New Zealand for BLUE WATER METAL
Jenni Gold & Samuel W. Reed of Los Angeles, CA for LUCKY
Aaron Greer & Fran Kaplan of Milwaukee, WI & Chicago, IL for FRUIT OF THE TREE
Randall Hahn of Miami, FL for GIDEON
David Nicholas Hartmann of Mason, OH for A DOLPHIN IN OUR LAKE
Juan P. Hernandez of Peoria, IL for LORENZO DE CARMELO
Matthew Hill & Landon Johnson of Upland, CA for UNDER THE APPLE TREE
Duane Kellogg, Jr. of Bridgeport, CT for A WRETCH LIKE ME
Doug Knutson of Idaho Falls, ID for STRANDED
Katherine T. Koonce of Coral Springs, FL for A GENTLE WHISPER
Beverly Kuhn-Moyer of Lincoln University, PA for HIGHER POWERBALL
Candace Lee & Darina Voloshina of Palo Alto, CA for HENRY
Bruce Li of Fort Worth, TX for LE MORTE D'ARTHUR
Matt Lofgren & George Andre Tittle of Alameda, CA for ‘STRONOMER
Debbie Lollie of Upland, CA for BETHLEHEM: THE INNKEEPER'S STORY
Sharon Lurie of Antioch, TN for THE GREEN CLOUD
Nina May of McLean, VA for SOUND OF A NEW BEGINNING
Cynthia McClendon of Winter Park, FL for FAMILY
Kim Nowlin of San Angelo, TX for RETURN TO PROVIDENCE
Scott A. Peterson of Champlin, MN for THE CURRENT
Kevin A. Powers of Box Springs, GA for SKYLINE
Jayme Provost of Lititz, PA for FREE WILL FALLING
Bryan David Ready of Honolulu, HI for HOLEY CHILDHOOD
Drew Repp of Los Angeles, CA for THERE ALWAYS IS
Marcia Chandler Rhea & Margaret Ford Rogers of Johns Island, SC
for THE CAROLINA STORYTELLER
James Rogers of Saint Davids, PA for FROM THE DARKNESS
A.D. Smith III of Memphis, TN for THE ASSIGNED
Tessa Elizabeth Sturgill of Lynchburg, VA for BEAUTIFUL DISASTER
James Thomas of Los Angeles, CA for OVERFLOW
Marcus Webb of Stamford, CT for THE PRODIGAL
Barbara West of Baltimore, MD for LORD OF THE PRIMITIVE SHORES
Rusty Whitener of Pulaski, VA for ALLAH'S FIRE AND FINISHING WELL
Lisa England Williams of Endwell, NY for THE BELL RINGERS

So what does this mean?  I am one of 45 semi-finalists and the list is cut down to top 12 come the first week of February.  To say the least, I let out a big yell once I received the email from Kairos that my screenplay made the first cut.  I now wait and hope for the best as judges read through the above list of scripts.

2010 is about to come to a close and I take this time to pause and reflect on the year that was.

The year began with my Easter production which was performed in March.  The highlight of Close was seeing three trees on stage and the impact the set and lighting had on the entire production.   Just after I completed Close, I finished writing my screenplay Twig in the months of April and May.  And although Twig needs another re-write, I like this unusual story of a hoarder. 

In June, I held auditions and finalized the cast of the Christmas production. Shortly after, I began writing Born For This in the summer.  In July, I entered the 24 Hour Playwriting Contest  for the Toronto Fringe Theatre Festival.  Although I did not place, it was a most rewarding challenge to be able to complete a play in 24 hours.  My adrenaline kept me wide awake throughout the night.  I re-wrote my Fringe play (Not With a Bang But a Whimper) for the New Ideas Festival run by the Alumnae Theatre.  But unfortunately, it was not meant to be as my play was not chosen to be included.

The script for Born For This was completed in September and I began rehearsals.   In October I rewrote by screenplay The Tree of Life and re-entered this script into the Karios Prizes for November 1.  I entered an earlier draft in this same competition 2 years prior. The re-write was re-titled A Walk in the Park and I again feel that I have a legitimate shot in placing in this contest.  Results will be made known in mid January.

All of November and half of December were devoted to rehearsals for Born For This.  I felt I reached a new level in interrupting the Christmas story with this production.   It was a most rewarding experience working with the cast and bringing the fractured characters I created on paper to life on stage.

This brings me to today.  The last couple weeks of December I spent time completing casting for the new Easter production which will be performed April 16 and 17.  In the last few days of 2010 I have begun brainstorming ideas for the script which will be finished by the end of January.

Along the way in 2010, there have been rejections, but I continue to hope.  Onward to 2011 and rewrites of my screenplay Twig, two-act playCircus, rehearsals for Easter 2011 and hoping for the best results from Karios.  

Hoping…hoping…hoping…. 

Stay tuned….

After months of work on developing a script, auditioning actors, countless hours of rehearsals and working out every aspect of tech (lights, sound, sets) it has now come down to the dress rehearsal.  Following tonight’s dress, Born For This opens Dec 11.

An interesting thing happened last weekend when we were rehearsing.  Usually I am very picky about changing any lines in the script this late in the process, but one particular moment was bugging me and the 2 actors in the scene.  I was feeling compelled to revise what I wrote.  Normally this is not a huge deal, however because Born is mostly a volunteer effort, I didn’t want to be changing lines on actors who don’t have a ton of experience.  However, I had to admit to myself (the writer), that the structure of the lines and the way the scene was blocked simply wasn’t working.  So we made some tweaks, cut some lines, re-worked the blocking and now the scene has the emotion I was after.  The changes were easy, but getting there was not.  I’m glad we arrived.    

On this point, anything creative is never really finished.  I’ve been revising and rewriting screenplays of mine like Home and A Walk in the Park for years.  But at some point, you just need to let go.  George Lucas once said that films are never finished, just abandoned.  I think it’s important to put artistic endeavors in their right place and move on.  For me, re-writes of my screenplay Twig and my play Circus have been waiting in the wings.  I look forward to returning to them once Born is performed.   For now, Born For This plays Dec 11 and 12.  Hope to see you there.