A Midsummer Night's Play Fest!!!



Me!  Fuzzy in the background!  Yay!



Had a pick-up rehearsal last night at the Bay Street Theatre for "The Boys Next Door" (buy tickets here). God, it was a lot of fun.  It was insane.  Sped through it, played around with the scenes and just haven't laughed that hard in so long over a play.  We shifted from being silly and goofy to trying to get through the lines as fast as possible.  Awesome.  It's a great show with some top-notch actors.  If you didn't get a chance to see the show last weekend, you should definitely try to come out this time around.  Worth it!


Yesterday, I got the approval from JinHi of Muse Arts Warehouse  that her space was available on June 10th and 11th.  That is the weekend of the Midsummer Night's Play Festival!  In 24 hours, six ten minute plays will be written, staged and performed for the genearl public!  Put it out as an event on Facebook (it must be official now, right?)  In the same vein, there's going to be a Kickstarter campaign that will begin at the end of the weekend.  The requested amount of funds is going to be pretty small (relatively speaking?) but me at Peter Griffin are working on the details. 

Do spread the word about the Play Fest.  It's going to be a lot of fun and it would be astoundingly awesome if people from every different theatre company in Savannah were to come out and participate.  There will be space in the program to advertise for your upcoming events and whatnot.  Plus, you'll be cool. And isn't that what it's all about?

So, keep watching this space if you want to know more about the event.  And you'll be sick of me shaking the internet collection plate for fundraising BUT if you participate in the event, you'll get lunch taken care of for you.  That's right.  Lunch. 

The day of the event... not, you know... tomorrow.

"Last word" has to go to the Bay Street Theatre and the production of "The Boys Next Door" running tonight, Friday and Saturday.  This is your last chance to see a wonderful story told!  Don't miss it!

New Work Around the Corner

So, normally, I try to post more regularly than this but there have been mitigating circumstances.

Started a new day job.  Very low stress which I'm more than keen about.

Also, moved out of the condo and back in with the 'rents.  Should be a temporary measure, but it's hard to argue against free lodgings.  Plus, they have immaculate taste in coffee (though I have to supply the creamer).

I'm on the far left, looking more hip than I do in real life. 

Not to mention that I've been under the weather for the last couple of days.  Yet, this soldier still carries on.


On the theatre front, though, Boys Next Door is going up next week at the Bay Street Theatre in Savannah, GA.  Tickets are on sale at this link: Here we go to Club One!

Thanks again to everyone for the congrats and the well-wishes for The Errant Knaves that's going up at the Manhattan Theatre Source in June.  I'm going to see what I can do about going to New York City this Summer to catch the festival.  The curiosity is killing me!

Speaking of new works, I'm going to send in a clip of Here Are the Rules to the Well Theatre in NYC as well.  Though the play is not completed, it is in my mind and would be happy to finish it for a production.  I think that it will work well with their company. They seem to enjoy productions about youth in difficult situations;  I think this will be right up their alley.

Want to spend the rest of the month working on Wake.  This was a play that I completed while I was in college.  The first version was not completed, but I re-worked the idea into something else.  The second draft got an A in my Playwriting II class (an independent study with Caleb).  I find that the more time passes, the more critical I am with what I had written.  Always with the same comments like "How could I have been so corny?"  "Why not add this or remove that?" kind of thing.  I try not to hold it too hard against myself.  After all, art is constant learning process, right?

So, several years ago, I was told that someone I half knew when I was in high school might be getting a bad diagnosis re: cancer.  Seemed kind of young for it and I sympathized.  However, in total honesty, I didn't really know them and wouldn't miss them.

"Oh, I thought you two were tight in high school."

"No," I said.  "I just knew them in passing."

"Oh.  Well, I guess you shouldn't give the eulogy, then, huh?"

I thought it was funny.  But then I thought... what if I did have to give the eulogy of someone that I didn't really know?  Well, I would have to give my limited impression of them in front of men and women who were much more involved emotionally than myself.  And things took off from there.

I began re-writing it while I was at work today.  The last version was too clunky, too long and too... well, boring.  A lot of people standing around talking.  And it's not that is the problem, the real problem was that they were saying the same things over and over again.   This version is already a lot cleaner and more what I want it to be.  Hopefully, it becomes a success!

Working out the details now of the next staged production.  Stay tuned for that.

Last note:  please vote in the Best of Savannah 2011 with Connect Savannah!!!

Vote in Best of Savannah 2011 with Connect Savannah!!!

Most Monday Nights at Muse Arts Warehouse!!!

Remember that the Odd Lot is the hardest working group in town by putting on shows on a nearly  basis!  Also remember that Christopher Blair is a wonderful talent, a hard-worker and makes a damn fine cup of brew at Starbucks!!!  SUPPORT LOCAL AWESOME!!!

I appreciate the reads and the shares.  Thanks for your help, love and support and continued patronage.

Artistic Fiber in the Water

"Workshop" with the actors yesterday went well.  Wasn't looking for feedback, just wanted to hear how everything sounded in new mouths and brains.  It sounded awkward as hell.  Not because of the actors but because of how I wrote it.  BUT some crucial points were brought up in my own head.  Thanks to Peter and Katie for reading through it.  Especially, Katie given that she had no heads up about the reading.  And Peter made a good comment off-hand.

To TestoGenius Festival Website! (To the TUBES!)

Had the first read-through for The Boys Next Door last night.  It's a weird way of putting it, but it's great working in a "regular" play.  That's to say something with a little structure, no music, just a plain and simple story.  I haven't played a character like Jack in a long time (if ever) and I'm looking forward to it.  Lots of monologues too and that's always a good thing.

It's a wonderful feeling in general.  It's like with the coming of spring, there's been a Spring Awakening for me and for everyone around.  It's like artistic fiber has been put in the water... don't quote me on that metaphor.  I feel good about writing and acting and, if things go my way, directing as well.  I miss directing already, it's like quitting smoking; I can feel the withdrawals in my arms.

Also, have a interview on Monday for a 'real' job.  Hopefully that works out.  That way, my evenings are free for these kinds of artistic endeavors.  You never know how things will work out, but at least, if I get the job, I would have the peace of mind to create without worrying about creditors and the like.

Wish I could go see Frost/Nixon at Muse Arts Warehouse this weekend.  Won't have the time do so, but it's always important to support local awesome.  Really excited for Chris Blair too.  He's worked hard for a very long time and I'm sure he'll tear the thing apart.  I like that there's something consistent in Savannah.  At least in a sense.  There's more than one group with more than one project coming down the pipeline.  What's more, I get the feeling that things are only going up, in quantity and quality.  Here's hoping!