Archive for June, 2009
We’re casting for our second show, “Chrysalis”. It’s a one-act two hander, and both roles are for actors in their twilight years.
I’m seeing that more than anything for this play, casting will be the biggest challenge.
What I’m also seeing is that people don’t read casting notices!
Someone in his thirties sent pictures of himself half naked, his six pack oiled and glistening… A 19 year old girl responded… Another guy who used the word “big” in front of his name knows he’s not right for it, but sent along his pictures anyway… addressing me and a few other recipients of his interesting message as “readers.”
I’m not pointing this out to be funny… although it is. I’m pointing this out because I’m amazed.
Don’t people read?
What are people putting themselves out there for?
It seems like they’re setting themselves up for rejection.
Having sent out my work for so many years, it took a while, but I figured out how to target my marketing and create a professional package.
I guess these folks are still learning…
Auditions are this Friday.
–Sue
June 16th, 2009
There’s a process when I write…
Something sparks something. I’m inspired. I bake.
Check, check, and check. (Scott loved his banana bread today…)
And then there’s something else that happens.
QUIET. HIBERNATE. PROTECT.
Right now, I have no inclination to go into the outside world. The only thing I want to do is sit in my cozy apartment and keep thinking of my musical.
In the past, this was no problem. I was always, and only a writer.
Now I wear two hats, writer and producer. With two festivals (and a possible something extra) in the works, this is not an option.
Sometimes growing feels good. Sometimes, you just have to keep pushing.
–Sue
June 15th, 2009
Today, loads of people’s TV’s went black because of the HD conversion…
Yesterday, a negotiation I was working on went south because an email ended up in someone’s junk folder by mistake.
I was in the dark yesterday, lots of folks are in the dark today… And as wonderful as technology ususally is, sometimes, it’s just easier to go the old fashioned route…
That’s why my first drafts are always done in pencil, on lined paper…
–Sue
June 12th, 2009
Before today, I never really thought about what “Reaching for the Stars” really meant. Today I understood exactly what it means.
It means stretching muscles you didn’t even know you had, or barely used, in order to make something bigger than yourself a reality.
I’ve been doing that, and continue to do that daily to make both of these productions happen.
At first, I was a bit scared… but the fear has begun to subside into sheer excitement.
If something works, great, if it doesn’t, I move on… The challenges don’t feel daunting, as much as a puzzle for me to figure out.
This is what it feels like to go after a dream to really make it happen.
It feels pretty damn good!
–Sue
June 11th, 2009
I’ve always had a thing for magic… I’m not sure where it came from, but I always thought it was so mysterious and amazing.
I know there’s are a few “street” magicians out there like David Blaine and Criss Angel, but I’m wondering how the next generation will find magic — good old fashioned tricks like linking rings and making red sponge balls disappear.
At “Toys R Us” the other day, while hunting for props (hoping to find a wand or cape)… I found a salesman who said, “I haven’t seen anything magic related in a long time… kids have got video games and all that other stuff… I don’t think they’re in to magic too much these days.”
I thought “Disillusioned” was mainly about a young girl’s development, but maybe it can introduce a new generation to the magic they’re missing out on.
–Sue
June 10th, 2009
The Tony Awards drew a larger viewing audience this year… some are wondering why, but I think it’s an easy question to answer…
Some of you know I’m a huge Elton John fan. (My first concert was his, in Madison Square Garden. I traveled 11 hours on at least three Greyhound buses to see him.) Whether the score for Billy Eliot was his best work or not, the truth of the matter is, Elton’s a big draw.
I was in the car yesterday, driving to get an oil change. On the way to the dealer, Q104.3 (a classic rock station in NY) had a contest with three songs that had to do with one another… I caught the last two: Billy Joel’s “The Lights Go Down on Broadway” and Elton’s “Tiny Dancer”… the answer to the question of what these songs had in common was of course Billy Eliot.
Then at the dealer, I sat in the waiting area (on the sales floor), I heard a salesman talking to a customer and the customer was describing his grandson who likes to tap dance (the kid is 14), and the dealer said, “Maybe he’s the next Billy Eliot.
On the way to Staples, I tuned into 103.5 KTU (a NY dance station) and heard the “news” rundown, and of course, one of the items was about all the awards Billy Eliot won. This station doesn’t even play Elton’s music, but they still mentioned him because he’s such a force in the mainstream music world, even after so many years.
Yes, there are other factors as to why the Tony Awards show did well… and I can’t pin everything on one person, but in a matter of a half an hour, I heard the same single show mentioned three times, and I doubt any other show is generating that kind of word of mouth.
Even if you didn’t win for best score, Elton, you gave Broadway a wonderful gift. Thank you!
–Sue
June 9th, 2009
I love fortune cookies. The idea of them tickles me in a way I can’t fully explain. But the idea of ending a meal with a pearl of wisdom… something you can walk away and think about, seems so profound to me.
Once the body has been nourished from the meal, the mind and soul are nourished as well.
Don’t get me wrong, there are some horrible fortunes out there. The Simpsons did a great episode about it years ago… Homer ended up in a fortune “sweatshop” of sorts, with a nebbishy Woody Allen next to him punching out fortunes like, “You will find love on Flag Day.”
But I’m not talking about those fortunes… I’m talking about the ones you feel are directly speaking to you.
I found one on my car floor this morning… (I sometimes put the good ones in my wallet’s change purse, and I guess it fell out.) It says:
“Life is a play. It’s not its length, but its performance that counts.”
I saw that last night when watching Angela Lansbury, now in her twilight years, accepting her Tony Award. She was so grateful for the recognition of the Theatre Wing, but more importantly, to still be a vital and working part of the community at this point in her life and career… she was glowing.
Then on the other side of the spectrum, the three Billies from Billy Elliot, with an average age of about 14, they’re barely teens. Could they have been any cuter? The three of them were awestruck, and trying to find the words to express their gratitude and thank everyone who helped them along the way, and all three just looked at each other, wondering who would go first and what they would say.
Some may say that they were heavy favorites… blah, blah, blah…
I say, it’s great to know that a community isn’t scared to recognize the two age groups our society normally ignores, the young and the old… and all four winners taught everyone last night what it is to feel honored and grateful.
–Sue
June 8th, 2009
I’m good friends with my dry cleaner. She’s a sweet little old Korean lady. Whenever I drop things off, we usually have a good chat… sometimes a half hour or more (the length of my upcoming one act play, “Chrysalis“).
I was telling her about “Disillusioned,” which she’s planning to attend. (She jumped, hugged, and kissed me when I told her the news about the festivals… She’s planning to bring her friend too.)
As I was telling her about it, I realized that she needs to see the play… and not because I wrote it, but because she’s going through something similar to what the protagonist Jane goes through… and I think it might help her to see it, and how the story plays out.
When I left, walking back in the rain, it became more clear to me… I felt great helping her see something she knows in her heart and mind, and I know she’ll get a lot out of the play… But as much as I love helping her, and anyone I can… I can only help so many people in a given day. I can only be in so many places, I can only have so many conversations.
But with a play, that can be produced in multiple places at once without me having to even be there (since the words are already written down), I can help hundreds, or even thousands of people.
And that’s what I was talking about yesterday… I’m not worried about the other stuff (though my dry cleaner is — she feels bad that I’m putting all this time, money, and effort… not knowing what the outcome will be)… The other stuff will come naturally… but it HAS TO START HERE, with my intention to help and reach out to others.
The deeper I get, the more truth I see in it… the more I know it is, and will all be worth it… in every way.
–Sue
June 5th, 2009
A lot of people are throwing a lot of “advice” around.
A lot of people are wondering why I’m doing what I’m doing.
And it’s true, there are A LOT of upfront costs on my end… the biggest being my time. And this takes up A LOT of time.
Why would I put so much time (we’re talking a few years here, people) into something that isn’t a sure thing?
The first festival we’re in, we aren’t even getting any of the box office. (You read that correctly.)
The second festival is a contest, and we’re hoping we win the prize money (and even more importantly, a full production next season), but it will not cover the monetary costs, let alone time I’ve spent thus far.
So, again, why would I do all this?
The fame, although a nice possible benefit, is not the reason. The legacy is part of the reason, but not the main part. The money is also part of it, as I believe artists should get paid, and paid well, for their valuable contributions to society. My voice is mine alone… and that’s the unique thing I’m bringing to the table and the market place. But again, it’s not the whole reason.
My main impetus is that I have something (my plays) that I think can really help people… can really touch people and change their lives.
The fame, the legacy, the money… those will all come as a result of the most important part, the people… the myriad of people involved in mounting each and every production, and the patrons who come and see each performance. And the deeper I get into this business, the more I understand IT’S ALL ABOUT PEOPLE.
–Sue
June 5th, 2009
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