Into the woods and out of the woods and home before dark.

Between 20 and 30 years ago, I played my horn a lot. I always had a rehearsal to go to or come from and opportunities laid before me like a carpet. Well, due to life changes and choices, that carpet is now a bare, cement floor on which I desperately hunt a mat to land on once in a while. Now, I'm lucky if I get a gig once every couple of years. It's kind of depressing as I still practice regularly, but for what I'm not quite sure.

My best opportunity lately is pit bands. They're quick in-quick out situations, the pay is low so many hungrier musicians don't want them, and I have more theatre contacts than musical ones. So, if a show has an actual budget (not that I insist on getting paid, but I won't turn it down), I can sometimes find myself in the pit. But again, only once every couple of years.

So, needless to say, when my friend Heather Arzberger was hiring a pit for a high school production of "Into the Woods," I made it known I was more than interested. (It was a chance to play, and it's one of my all-time favorite shows!)

In playing this show, it's significant to me in many ways, though not all in a positive way. The book itself is fairly easy (but that doesn't mean I don't make my share of mistakes) with a LOT of counting, but that's okay. And I love reliving the show over and over -- each time I love it even more.

It is distressing to me, though, that I feel very, very old. The musicians are young, talented, ambitious and young. I know, I listed "young" twice. Twenty years ago, I was them ... just out of Music school with a year or two of teaching under my belt. I knew everyone and everyone knew me. It was a reunion. But now, I see them where I was and I'm just the old guy sitting in the back. On one hand I'm honored that Heather hired me as I'm loving the experience in so many ways. On the other, I know my day has passed and that I'm getting old (I'm only 45, but still ...).

With luck this will be the first of many new gigs to come. I'm trying to be as friendly as possible so if anyone there needs a horn player, they'll think of me. I have "big" coming in August, so that will be another pit opportunity. And, if I'm not to needy, maybe Heather will hire me for next year's show.

I know I could take other opportunities out there, but like I said, life changes and choices don't afford me the time to do such things. But once in a while it's nice to actually play in something other than my basement.

Maggie's Little Theater

Okay, it's a late post, but Maggie's Little Theater is a reality. To make a long story short, my wife and I, along with our friends Ed and Dolores Voyer, now run our own theater company in conjuction with St. Maragret Church in Middle Village, NY. I look at it as a chance to really give back to the community by presenting family-friendly entertainment and involving families in theater.

And, for the record, it's a boatload of work.

Our first show was a Christmas musical revue. I somehow wound up directing (as well as producing and performing), but directing a musical revue also makes you partially a writer. This was no ordinary songfest -- we had themes and story lines. On the plus side, the show was a wild commercial and critical success, I made some new friends and we established ourselves very quickly. On the minus side, it was far more stress than it should have been and, as director, it was on the constant verge of falling apart. Yes, many lessons were learned.

We're now working on our second show - a children's show. I'm not directing this time, but my wife is. So far the show is providing us with it's own list of plusses and minuses, but that will be convered in another blog entry.

Permissions: Secured!

Finally! All permissions for Band Geeks have been secured! It's been a hell of a process but I'm SO freakin' glad it's over!

So, for now I'm still focusing on Maggie's Little Theater's show, with a little attention to another project I'm trying (desperately) to get off the ground.

Any other writing? Unlikely at this time.

Introducing: Band Geeks

I can't believe it's finished! I've been working on this play for years, but the issue wasn't the script. The issue was the music.

Problem #1 is finding somebody to do the musical arrangements. Failing that, I knew I had to just do it myself. Okay, I'm a little out of practice at it, but that's no longer an excuse.

Problem #2 is WHAT to arrange? Finding the music ranged from difficult to downright impossible. I had some stiff criteria: it had to be true to the genre, it had to somehow feature an instrument (for the solo pieces) and it had to work with the instrumentation.

Problem #3 was FINDING the music once I decided on what to arrange. Here I want to give a shout-out to Gary Gillett at Missouola Sentinel High School in Montana for helping me find the LAST piece!

Problem #4 is getting the permission to actually do the arrangements. Who knew you couldn't just DO them -- you had to ask (and sometimes pay) for them. At the time I'm typing this only two pieces remain to secure permission for, and I've already sent the requests. I'm just waiting for the replies. I haven't been turned for any of them so far, so I have no reason to believe that the final two won't go through easily.

So, now that it's all done, what do I do with it? Currently, nothing. Sadly, due to my commitments with Maggie's Little Theater, projects such as this are temporarily shelved. Fortunately, I might be able to make a contact or two through MLT and hopefully get a cast cooking.

I'm very excited about this -- more excited than I've ever been about any other project I've written. I hope the world will be as excited once I get it on its feet.

Maggie's Little Theater

Okay -- long story short: I've been given a theater company to run.

A slightly longer version: St. Margaret's in Middle Village has decided to start a theater company. My buddy Dolores Voyer is their Leader of Song, so, before you can say "Arsenic and Old Lace" Dolores, hubby Ed, Miriam and I are in charge of Maggie's Little Theater.

The good news is that we don't plan on stepping on any of the existing theater companies' toes. Our season will be askew from theirs, and we plan on going down some different paths -- like doing a Children's show and doing a show in the summer. Our first show will be a Christmas revue. Don't ask how it happened, but I'm directing it. Ask me if I've had any time to plot any of this out in my head?

We had a nice opening meeting and next it's time to build flats. Then it's time for auditions. Yikes!

Meanwhile, the podcast is still moving along, and "Band Geeks" is still 3 arrangements away from being finished. Time to actually finish it so I can move on!

Welcome to Dullsville

About a month ago I get a phone call from a woman named Liz Bochain from Colchester, CT. It seems that she is directing a production of Dullsville at Jack Jackter Intermediate School in Colchester. But this is no ordinary production.

Jack Jackter Elementary and Intermediate schools use the Arts in their teaching. Their production of Dullsville is to be a faculty-led production to raise money. They're expecting over a thousand people. It's only 3 hours away, so how could I pass it up?

The theme of Dullsville fits their situation perfectly. It was written to show the importance of the arts in education. Okay, it's a bit preachy, but as the old expressing goes: if your audience is deaf, sometimes you have to shout.

According to Liz, the entire community has rallied around this production and this script and really taken it to heart. The result was a true collaboration combining music, song and lots of resources.

It's rare for me to see something I've created truly impact an entire community. Of all the plays I've written and all the productions I've seen, this has got to have been the most rewarding. I left Colchester with a feeling that in some small way I've made a difference. And, after all, isn't that why I'm doing this in the first place?

Now, I'm not quite done with Dullsville. Right now I'm adapting it as a storybook. Eventually I'd even like to adapt it as a full-scale musical. But first, the storybook. Like most of my other works, it may sit on the shelf and collect dust. But the schools who have produced it have really enjoyed it.

These school plays are harder to write than most would expect, but the rewards are huge. (Now if I could only convince a publisher of their popularity!)

Keeping Up With the Joneses

It's that time of year again. No, not baseball. No, not drum corps (that's a few months away). It's time for this year's school play. Every year around this time PS100 starts up their Arts program, so my wife asks me to write their play. I don't mind for a couple of reasons: First, it gets me writing. Second, the school plays benefit a lot of kids. And third, the school plays get done. A lot. An awful lot. Far more than I can keep track of (and yet publishers still say they're not commercially viable).

The hard part with these is that I'm given a topic to write about, and sometimes that's tricky. This year the subject is the 50's. Now, we're dealing with a school where the students' PARENTS were born after the 50's, so for them there won't be much to relate to. So, we had to think of a way to create a play that wasn't so much a homage to the 50's, but incorporated elements of the 50's.

The finished product takes place in 1955 -- a family gets an invitation to attend opening day at Disneyland. Along the way they visit the first McDonalds and bump into a budding Elvis. The messages are the same as they are in most plays for kids of that age -- listen to your parents, it's good have the family stick together, etc. Rehearsals start tomorrow.

I will admit that they're getting harder and harder to write. Am I dried up? Have I written all I can write? Surely some feel I reached that point before I every wrote my first play back in 1989. But it is getting more and more difficult. Something is missing -- the spark that drove me to write all that I've already written. Is it my job that's draining my creative juices? Many think it is. I think it has a lot to do with it as well. But I'll never really know.

In the mean time, I'm just happy that another school play is in the can, ready to be done by schools around the world.

May I Have Your Permission, Please?

Though I'm still working hard and dilligently on the music for "Band Geeks," there's one aspect of it that needs my immediate attention: Permission. I can't just DO the arrangements; I have to get permission to do them.

The good news is that some of the publishers make it easy. They have nice little online forms to fill out. Others take a well-worded E-mail. But, unfortunately, not all permission comes free. I'm having to shell out a few bucks here and there, and this is without a planned production of any sort! But, I'm serious about the project and I'm willing to go the distance.

I'm still reluctant to mention the pieces I've gotten permission for, but one turns out to have been in the public domain, and one I got via a favor from my pal Karen Smith, who used to work for Henry Mancini. After a few E-mails, I find I've gotten permission to arrange one of his pieces for the show! I even got a photocopy of the original score in Mancini's own handwriting!

Karen rocks. I can't say that enough.

I'm still waiting on some of the permissions to come in. But the way I figure it, this music isn't universally known. The publishers should be glad it's being used for something new and interesting. Everyone can potentially benefit. Of course, if the show becomes a hit, then I'll revisit the permissions for recordings and performances. But for now, it's good to know that I can do the arrangements with no legal worries.

Roll, Tide!

One identity I failed to mention was College Guy. It makes sense that I would forget him. After all, I haven't been College Guy for around 22 years. But something remarkable happened last week -- I got to spend some time with an old college buddy, Karen Smith.

My friend Ed tipped me off to some sociology about how men traditionally keep the friends they've made in their childhood through some sort of activity. Since I've moved a few times, those folks are long gone. But I was fortunate enough to stay in touch with a couple of folks from college.

Now, a few words about Karen. Karen is one of the coolest people I know; so cool in fact that she would probably question my making that statement. She and I were good friends through college. We didn't hang out an awful lot, or have a bunch of classes together, but shared the same vibe for the most part. The best way to sum it up is with this situation: A local band director was out on extended medical leave. They had asked the University to supply them with a few Music Ed students to fill in for him. They chose Karen and I.

We've both gone off in different directions and are living quite different lives than we ever though we would, but the connection between us is always there. But moreso is the history. We both went through some wonderful things in college. We shared some grand experiences with the band and through music. It wasn't until we met up again some 20 years later that we realized the impact those experiences truly had and how long they've lasted inside of us.

So, we had a nice dinner and trolled around LA for a while. It wasn't like we suddenly reverted back to who we were back at the University of Alabama or anything. But there was a familiarity to the whole meeting. Though we were different than we were, you could still trace the paths we took back to that one place and time.

So, Roll Tide! Thanks for the experience ... and the friends.

Who Am I Today?

Self-image is a funny thing. Self-realization is not so funny, but rather interesting. But identity is huge. (Ironically, that's the theme of "Band Geeks.")

I have big issues with my own identity, but I think that's because I feel like I'm so many different people that one is almost totally unrelated to the other.

This week I'm Computer Guy. I'm working out of our LA office helping them out. Even when I'm being Computer Guy, I find myself spouting answers to questions that, upon first thought, I would never dream I knew the answers to. But there they are -- eloquent, polite, concise and, fortunately, correct.

Then I get a phone call from an arranger who is working on a piece for my eternal CD project. And, in the blink of an eye, I'm the Musician Guy. I'm going on about keys and ranges and arpeggiating chords and musical styles like I majored in music in college or something! Wait a minute ... I did.

And then I'm Computer Guy again.

Once in a while I get to be Writer Guy. I like Writer Guy. He's funny and dynamic and confident. I never know when he'll surface.

I'm sure I have a few more identities in me. There's Husband Guy, and Disney Geek Guy, just to name a few. The one I like the least is Computer Guy, but it's the one I get stuck as the most. I've made some peace with him. I mean, he's the one who pays the bills!

Some day I'd like to pair down those guys. Some day I'd even like to settle into one of the ones I like the most. But for know I look at all of them as friends who don't interact much. Oh well.

Uh oh, I drank the water

Let me tell you about Ray Bonétt. Ray is a character in the true sense of the word. He's also wildly talented. Additionally, he's not quite everybody's cup of tea. He has a style about him -- an indescribable thing that can make you love him or, well, not. Many folks don't like working with Ray. Others jump at the chance. I, of course, am in that second group.

Ray possessess two traits that I admire. First is vision. As a theatre director, he has vision beyond any director I've ever known or work with. He can see things totally outside the box in ways I would have never imagined. Second is his ability to make things work. As an actor he can take anything and make it work. He internalizes in such a way that he can take something insignificant and make it scene-stealing.

I've worked with Ray in a number of capacities over the years. As a producer, I had him direct productions of "Fools" and "Lucky Stiff." Granted, he can easily run away with schtick, but being that I produce with an iron hand, I was always able to keep it restrained. As a result, both productions were awesome.

As an actor, Ray has been in productions of "Nobody Knows I'm a Dog," "Second Bananas" and "In God's Country."

So, when Ray was to direct Parkside's production of "Don't Drink the Water," I felt like I at least owed him an audition.

It was actually a difficult decision for me to go out for the show. First, I just started jazz lessons, and I'd have to put it on hiatus. Second, I'd all but decided to focus more on my musical endeavors that theatrical. Third, I didn't want to do yet another activity without my wife along for the ride. And, finally, I'm not all that great of an actor.

Well, I did audition and, lo and behold, I got cast. So did my wife, for that matter. And so it begins. I feel very safe working with Ray. Not only do I consider him a friend, but I trust him creatively. Even though we've only just started rehearsing, I look forward to seeing what he can pull out of his sleeve for this one. Because if anyone can make this show more than it is on the page, it's Ray.

Mello

For years now I've been polishing the Around the World in E-Flat mellophone solo project. As I'd said previously, once I sat down with Steve we realized that it may not completely work. So we're now reshaping the project, now called Mello.

My goal is to show off the sound of the instrument. This isn't designed to showcase blazing technique or musical acrobatics. Not yet at least. The goal is to put out a nice, cohesive CD where people can listen to it and say, "so THAT'S what a mellophone sounds like!"

The entire original program isn't in the hopper. I'd say half the tunes have survived the cut. But now I need to search for the rest of them. And though the program is going to be mello, that doesn't mean they're all going to be ballads. It does mean more pop and light jazzy stuff. It also turns out most, if not all of the program will be done on the bellfront horn in lieu of the traditional horn (which is all well-and-good as the valves kind of suck on my Amati horn).

So in the mean time we're taking the program 4 tunes at a time. That way we can keep pushing forward even though we don't have a complete program just yet.

It's exciting, and a little scary. I'll keep you posted.

New Directions

You know the old expression -- when one door closes another one opens? That's usually been a crock. But all of a sudden, I've found a couple of open doors in my path, and they all involve music.

First of all, Band Geeks is still churning forward. The script is always being tweaked and I'm always either doing arrangements or searching for pieces to arrange.

But other things are going on, too. One of my big regrets in life is that I never learned how to play jazz. As a French Horn player, they steer you away from jazz as there are probably enough jazz French Horn players out there to count on one hand. But now that I'm committed to the Mellophone, the yearning is there. In steps Mark Taylor, who is a regular on the mellophone page forums. I've loaned him a couple of horns recently and now he's offered to tutor me in jazz! This is VERY exciting for me for a couple of reasons. First, it's something I've always wanted to do. Second, Mark is extremely cool and a wonderful musician. And third, this will be the first time I've taken any music lessons since around 1984!

Additionally, I've finally begun working on my CD with Steve Ryan. I've been shaping the project for years now, but we've never gotten together until yesterday. And all of a sudden, it's a very different project.

You see, when I'm writing a play I do a lot of preliminary plotting out of characters, intentions, actions, plots, subplots, etc. But it's only when I actually start writing it that it all gets its own focus and, sometimes, it's radically different from the plans I've made. When the characters start breathing and interacting, they sort of force things in their own direction. It's a remarkable moment!

The same thing sort of happened here with Steve. Steve and I have a good chemistry and a strong respect for each other as musicians. We're also both hungry for a good opportunity and have no problems with making them ourselves. So, last night we just played through some stuff. We're in no way ready to start recording yet, but it became quite clear which numbers will work, which won't work, and that we have a lot more freedom with where this project will go than we originally thought. Maybe we'll shift the entire theme of the program. Maybe we'll just do original arrangements. We really don't know yet, but all we do know is that a huge door creaked open right in front of us, beckoning us to enter.

So here we are now -- standing at the threshold, staring into through this door, with our feet moving forward into the unknown. This project could take a while, but at least we're now on the path to a new direction. And I like being on the path.

Die Vampires, Die!

The title of this post is a reference to the musical "Title of Show," which, sadly, I never got to see. I do, however, have the cast album and absolutely love it! To understand the reference, you'll have to listen to the album.

We should have started the show a week later, because all three performances this weekend were stellar. I couldn't have asked for better. What I saw up there was my show as I envisioned it with no compromise. It was a wonderful experience for me, to the point where I forgot all the turmoil and problems that plagued us up to this point.

Admittedly, this wasn't everybody's cup of tea. Surely some of the die-hard Queens community theatre folk might have felt it not light enough for them. And others who are closer to the project may think of changes that should be made here and there. But if I drum all of that out of my head, I'm left with one thing -- my art. This play is my art. My sole vision. It said what I wanted to say in a way I wanted it to be said. The lines flowed in the rhythm of my heart and the story unfolded as it unfolds in my own head.

And, for the record, had the local critics attended the second weekend, their reviews would have been radically different.

So, unlike shows such as "When Hell Freezes Over," I DON'T feel this one is done. In truth, I feel the journey with F2F has just begun. Jimmy and Amanda have already said that this should go somewhere else, and I agree. And, despite what the vampires may say, this is MY art, and it makes me very happy.

"I'd rather be nine people's favorite thing
than a hundred people's ninth favorite thing."

Re-Dress and Reviews

Thursday means two things -- re-dress and the reviews come out.

We knew that the review from opening night would not be good. All things considered, it was generous. But the points we got dinged on were directly related to the fact that the actors were lost, dropped a ton of dialogue and got everything out of sequence. They knew it, I knew it. Unfortunately, the critic didn't. But I respect him, so I can't hold it against him.

The second review was much better. Of course, that critic was there on Saturday when they gave a better performance.

All-in-all I'm not stressing much over the reviews. We only have one more weekend, and there are no "money" people there. In other words, the stakes are low. All that matters is how we feel about it and how the audience feels. For that, we're happy and confident.

The re-dress went extremely well. Had we gone up one week later than we did, it could have been an entirely new ball-game. But, it is what it is. Regardless, for the first time we had FUN at the re-dress. Yes, we goofed around, but the script remained totally intact. Amanda and Jimmy had it down.

Now we pray for an audience!

Opening Weekend

Tensions were high on opening weekend. Many tasks were unfinished due to lack of manpower, so it was All Hands On Deck on Friday. With a few exceptions, we were able to get things done by curtain, but it took its toll.

The performance was not good. Energy was inconsistent and the lines were everywhere. We had to announce it as a "staged reading" and the actors took their scripts on stage, but it didn't save Act 1 where about 20 pages were dropped and the sequence of events was out of order.

And one of the tougher theatre critics was there that night.

Saturday and Sunday brought MUCH better performances with most of the lines returned. Crowds were thin, but the play was better, at least.

We're Getting Our Asses Kicked Out There

F2F was a dream project. It was a play I loved, my cast was wildly talented, it was blocked in lightning speed and the rest was just getting it to all sink in.

But then it all changed when we went into Hell Week. Suddenly the set was far from being finished, and, even worse, the actors were having line troubles. A LOT of line troubles.

We've reached the point of no return. The show opens tonight with or without the lines being there. Each night rehearsals took us past midnight as we try to find out where they went and keep everybody's confidence up. I called my wife in to help with memorization tricks (something she's very good at). But, as of right now, we're getting our asses kicked.

This does not fall into a good time for me. I'm still licking some of my wounds from When Hell Freezes Over. I just had the loss in Midland, as well as losing out on the BMI workshop for the third time. I always asked for a sign. Maybe this is it.

In the mean time, I've adopted a new motto that I got from a recent movie trailer. "No matter what, find a way. Because that's what winners do." Please, let us all be winners -- just this one last time.

3rd out of 104

Well, I did not win the McLaren competition with When Hell Freezes Over. I came in third out of 104 scripts. If you look at it that way, it's not so bad.

As much as it was an honor to place in the McLaren competition, I came away from it with an empty feeling. I don't mind not winning -- really. It's just ... well ... I'd prefer a fighting chance. To be as polite as possible, they did not present it as good as it could have been. I won't say it lost because of that, but had it been presented differently and STILL lost, I would have felt better about it.

But we move forward.

I'm actually relieved to finally be done with WHFO. As much as some like the play, I still feel it's not my best work. I'm happy to put this one to bed.

An Update on Band Geeks

I haven't mentioned Band Geeks for a while. It does not mean by any stretch of the imagination that it isn't still moving forward.

A little recap -- I've been working on Band Geeks for a while now. I'd finished the script less than a year ago, but getting people on board has been slow. What's slowed it down even more is that since I can't get people on board, I have to do all the musical arrangements myself. That takes time. A LOT of time. I think I've counted about 15 arrangements to be done. I'm working on #5 right now. Progress is steady but by no means speedy. But at least I know it's getting done.

As you remember, Band Geeks is my valentine to my days in High School Band. It's a play with instrumental music. I was surprised when recently I heard that there was another play called Band Geeks: The Musical out there. It played at the NY Fringe Festival this past August, and I made a point of going down to see it. Well, let's just say that there is no way the two projects can be confused with one another. Will I change my title? Doubtful. I'd really rather not. But you can't copyright a title, so technically I've got nothing to worry about. Also, mine will attract a different audience, so I don't think there will be issues there, either.

This is a very important project for me. First of all, it's the only play I've written with a part for myself. Second, it truly brings me back to a very important and formative time in my life. The characters in Band Geeks need to have their stories told, and they need to get the chance to play. I have a lot of hope for this project, possibly more than I have for any other project I've written.

So, I work ever onward on the arrangements. From time to time I'll mention how the progress is going. My goal is to have it ready for next season. If I can scare up a cast, I'm sure the good folks at Beari will give us a chance.

So ... anyone out there play the tuba?

Act 2

As I'd hoped, running Act 2 went as smoothly as Act 1. We were able to get through the entire act in one night. Jimmy has excellent instincts, and more often than not, I just write down whatever he does. Once in a while I'll give him different blocking, and each time I do, he forgets it the next time he goes through it (but remembers his "instinctive" blocking to the word!).

I was concerned with the staging. About 1/3 into Act 2, the Woman moves from the sofa to a chair by the window. Since we're doing the show on a postage stamp, I was afraid that the sofa would be upstaging the action. Luckily, since the window are will be on a 6" platform, the sight lines were just fine. Of course, once we get a sofa there it may be different.

Amanda seems to have sprained her foot. Bad for her, but it's not hurting us much as she spends most of the play sitting anyway.

I took some photos for the flyer. It'll be simple but effective. I hope to have flyers moving within a week or so.

I'm very happy with how fast this is coming together. The next step is to work on intent, but aside for line memorization, this could be a very good show. If only we could get interest beyond the area ...

Act 1

I am worried that we're not going to get enough rehearsal time on F2F, but I hope that we'll prevail regardless. Whereas I was hoping for 3 rehearsals per week, right now we're at ... uh ... one. But we're definitely not wasting our time!

So far Jimmy and Amanda not only have excellent instincts, but they know how to play off each other extremely well. Our first rehearsal (sometime last week) we didn't get too far -- about 15 pages in. But last night we not only tore through the rest of Act 1, but we were able to run the act in its entirety. And it looks good!

Granted, there is a little bit of luck in that 13 pages in Amanda is stuck on the couch, which makes blocking a wee bit easier, but just because it's a bit static doesn't mean there's no action. Just take a look at Nobody Knows I'm a Dog. 6 characters, NO movement, tons of action. Additionally, since the "downstairs" space is a veritable postage stamp, it'll come across not as static but intense. I'll take that.

So, no more rehearsals this week. Next week, we'll hit Act 2. It's a bit shorter, so we could very well get through it in one rehearsal, but I'm thinking 2. Then it's just a matter of polishing up the intent and characterizations ... and memorizing all those lines!!!

A Little Ditty About Jimmy and Amanda

Jimmy O'Neill and Amanda Doria are two board members of Beari Productions. They're both tremendous resources when it comes to producing, stage managing, set construction, prop wrangling, lighting configuration and any of a multitude of backstage chores and tasks. Because of their combined abilities they're always running the show from the wings.

Did I also mention that they were both extremely talented performers? Because of their production skills, you seldom see them ON the stage any more, which is bad for everybody including them. So, when I was offered the chance to bring F2F to the stage at Beari Productions, casting was a no-brainer. I wanted Jimmy and Amanda.

Oh, and they're a real-life couple, too. That has little bearing here, but their combined force as a twosome is even more intense than both of them individually.

We only have six weeks or so to put this together. It's going to be tough. On the plus side, blocking will be a snap. And once they get a good grasp of the characters, it'll go rather smootly.

The challenges are twofold. First, there are a LOT of lines for each. I mean, it's a two character play, and they're both on stage the entire time. Second, it's gonna be a hard sell. Granted, my unknown plays have been a draw in the past, but this doesn't have the benefit of the "friends and family" audience since Jimmy and Amanda move in the same circles. We need to find an audience beyond friends and family.

This time we get to use the downstairs space at Beari. There's a downstairs space? Sort of. It'll be small but I feel it'll be quite effective. This will be theatre VERY upclose and personal, with the first row literally 3 feet from the actors' noses.

But I'm overjoyed to finally bring what I consider to be my best work to the stage, and I'm always happy that Beari says "yes" to me. They're good folk. It's going to be a lean and mean six weeks. Stay tuned for progress reports!

F2F - Maybe?

Looks like F2F may finally get it's premiere! Yes, the good folks at Beari have once again offered me a production for October. There are a few issues to iron out, mainly the casting. Pre-cast? Yes. But I'm happy about it. The actors haven't committed just yet, but I'll be patient ... for a couple of weeks. Then we really need to rehearse.

Back to Hell

I've had an interesting relationship with the Midland Community Theatre for many years. Granted, the relationship was always a bit one-sided, but they were always in my mind somehow.

You see, the Midland Community Theatre hosts the McLaren Memorial Comedy playwriting Competition, one of the only competitions out there exclusively for comedies. I've submitted to them many times in the past. In 1992, When Hell Freezes Over made it all the way to the finals. At the time, they just selected one winner and that was it. In later years they've held readings of three finalists and had the audience decide.

Through the years I've sent them many a play, including numerous edits of When Hell Freezes Over. Back in 2002, Crap won an Honorable Mention.

Well, last night I got the call. When Hell Freezes Over is a finalist. That means on September 9th and 10th, the three finalists will be read and a winner will be chosen. I'm hoping to be there!

This is tickling me in a number of ways. After the production from this past winter, I was beginning to feel like WHFO is just too dusty. Some folks, like my friend Ed Voyer, feels like it didn't get its due. And now this!

I'm just happy there's a little bit of life left in it.

As soon as I get the judge's comments, I'll be sure to post some of them on the blog. Stay tuned!

The Dog Goes to Texas

Last Friday I had the pleasure and honor to go down to Lockhart, Texas, to see the Gaslight Theater's production of "Nobody Knows I'm a Dog." This, to me, was cool on so many levels.

First, I'm happy that after 11 years, people still want to produce and see NKIAD. It's hard to keep fresh. I keep feeling it's becoming a Period Piece.

Second, I enjoy being the "Playwright." It's one of the rare occasions where I can feel important. Not that I've got an ego thing going on, but for someone who tends to blend into the background, it's nice once in a while to be up front.

Third, I love seeing other theater companies in other communities. It gives you a much broader scope of things.

Lockhart is a very tiny town between San Antonio and Austin. The Gaslight Theater is one of two companies in this small but cultured town. Their space is wonderful -- a 3/4 thrust with seating under 100 (and right across the street from Black's Barbecue, who makes the best brisket I have ever had in my life! It was CRAZY good!!!).

Their production was nice, and the audience loved it. In attendance was the Mayor of Lockhart and most of the City Council. After the performance, the Mayor presented me with a proclamation welcoming me to Lockhart (which was extremely nice!) and then I got to entertain a Q&A. I love doing Q&A's. Usually I'm up there with the cast and the director, but this time I was on my own. And I was good! I was charming, witty, enthusiastic, entertaining ... everything I'm usually not in real life. And why? Because I was in my element.

I find that I'm seldom in my element, which makes moments like this one bittersweet. But it does make me treasure when I am, and appreciate those moments and the people who helped bring it there.

So thank you Alfredo, David and the entire cast and crew out there in Lockhart. I had a great time and I was thrilled to be there!

Tofu Soup for Everyone

No matter how stale I feel I may be getting as a writer, I can always count on PS 100 to force the juices flowing, even for a mere 20 pages.

Y'see, my wife usually teaches the drama program there, and when she does, I get to write her a new class play. The demands of PS 100 are different than what you might find from any play publisher of children's plays (though I can't figure out why). You see, the constraints I usually have to work with are the same -- 20 minutes for 20 kids. Granted, sometimes that number waivers a bit, but it's always a large group ranging from 15 to 32, though twice it was for 70.

It is surprising to me that it's so hard to find commercially published plays for larger groups like this. I can feel the void due to the overwhelming demand for the plays I've written. Honestly, I can't even count the number of schools worldwide who have performed them. This makes me glad that every year or two I can squeeze out a new one that will undoubtedly get snatched up by every elementary school who's teachers have Internet access. There are even those who feel that I should abandon writing regular plays and just do children's plays.

Not that they're literary gems. I feel they don't always represent my best work. But, what they do is unique. They do just what you think -- they give large classes a play to do. Granted, I've squeezed out one or two dogs that I don't offer up. But there are enough of the good ones to where I send out at least 5 per week.

And here's the funny part ... I sent them to a publisher who felt they weren't commercially viable. HA!

So, the new one takes two kids trying to write a report on a tour of New York City to discover its cultural diversity. The working title is "Tofu Soup for Everyone," though that may change. I'm hoping it'll be a worthy addition to the tome.

Schools, start lining up for your copy!

Post Script

I have a plastic tub in my attic where I keep old scripts. I don't like to get rid of old drafts of things, just in case. If I ever print them out, I'm sure to keep a copy in that tub.

For the past few years, whenever I direct a show my script becomes a testimony to the development of the play -- covered with blocking notes, edits and additions. To me, this is the ultimate keepsake of mounting a show.

And, ceremoniously, when I'm done, the script gets retired to the tub in the attic.

Last night I paid a visit to the theatre where we just closed "When Hell Freezes Over" a few days ago. We had a nice chat with Debbie and go the update on Rene and his newly removed kidney, and took the opportunity to remove the sound equipment. I guess this is as close to closure as we could get with this show. Due to the snow, we had no closing night, no cast party ... it just faded out.

But I still have my closure. My tub ritual. I figure if I ever really make it big, that tub will be of a lot of interest. But for now, it's my museum.

With luck, I'll be visiting the tub again soon.

Not with a Bang, but with a Whimper

Closing weekend brought all sorts of issues, the worst being bad weather.

Friday was a mild crowd, and my debut went actually quite well. Being that it was the first time to actually do the part with Jimmy, it was a bit of a surprise for both of us, but overall we were happy. Though I don't have the presence of Rene, I think I was able to make it work.

Saturday, though, was the big issue as a blizzard was heading our way at a rapid pace. The crowd was thin. Very thin. About 15 people thin. Debbie said that by Friday, people were rescheduling or canceling due to the impending blizzard.

Also, Saturday's performance was loose. As the fear was subsiding, their boldness was coming through. I had to make some choices, but being that (a) there were only 15 in the house, and (b) this may very well be our last performance, I chose to rely on those that are rock-solid to hold it together, which they did.

And, lo and behold, the blizzard struck and our final performance was cancelled.

I've done shows in the past that I was heartbroken to see end, and some that I was pleased to be done with. This falls into the latter. Though overall it was a great experience, I feel it was time to put this one down and go on to something else. Maybe it was because I know I've written so much better since.

Well, as Debbie keeps reminding me, if I keep writing them, she'll keep producing them. Let's hope!

Put-In and Redress

Monday we had a put-in rehearsal for Yours Truly. Overall it went well. Jimmy and Amanda weren't there so Ed Voyer stepped in to "direct," though everyone took their turn directing me. Miriam had to fill in for Jimmy.

Everyone was very supportive and positive to my stepping in.

Thursday's re-dress hit is with a bit of a snag -- we got the reviews. There were three, and two of them were glowing. One, not so much. The critic missed some major plot points and went on at length to discuss how the script needed to go back to the drawing board, and to single out Glenn, whom she obviously didn't like. Glenn did not take it well and I had to spend a good portion of the rehearsal to get him back on track.

Again, we were without Jimmy and Amanda. We were also without lights.

Speaking of lights, the person who was supposed to fill in for me on lights had a conflict on Saturday, and later had a conflict with the entire weekend, so we got Ed's son (also named Ed, though we call him Eddie to differentiate). Since we were Amanda-less and Jimmy-less, we didn't set them up, so he'd be running them cold on Friday. He did, at least, get to see the show while Ed explained the lighting plot to him.

During all this, we almost lost one of Jackson's Women. Mir intervened and we got her back.

As for me, I did okay. We'll see how it goes Friday.

Opening Weekend

Opening night was a pretty respectable turnout -- about 80. Not bad for a show nobody knows. Overall the show went fairly well. They dropped about a page near the end, which confused a few of the audience members (some being critics), and Act 1 was a little slow -- some cues could have been picked up a bit faster. Overall, though, it was okay.

Audience reaction was a bit quiet. There was a chuckle here and there, but no real big laughs.

A good friend, John David, who is not once to mince words with ANYBODY about ANYTHING openly liked the show ... as well as the ending.

Sunday was a tighter performance but a thinner crowd. I blame the Super Bowl.

Rene's Kidney

Wednesday -- 3 days before opening, I get a call from Rene. It appears he has a cyst on his kidney and needs to get it removed. The kidney, that is. His appointment is for February 9th. That means he can't go up on the second weekend.

Of course, his first concern was "What am I going to do about the show!" Debbie's first concern was probably very different.

This is a bummer on many levels. First, I do care a lot about Rene. Second, he does have an infectious personality that adds to the show. And finally, how am I going to find a replacement who can be at the dress rehearsal on Thursday, the speed-through on Friday and both performances Saturday and Sunday to learn the part sufficiently to go up next weekend?!

The choices are slim. First, they have to be good. Second, they have to be available. Third, they have to know the part.

My money says that come next weekend it'll be Yours Truly donning the Punisher T-shirt.

Hell Week

I like to slide into Hell Week with no worries. I guess due to the abreviated rehearsal schedule, that didn't happen.

Come Hell Week the set wasn't finished, the lights weren't in place, all props weren't secured, actors still weren't off book and they were starting to doubt their motivations.

Sunday was dedicated to lights and set. We had a moulding crunch, but thanks to Ed Voyer, that was eliminated. The actors were left alone to run their lines.

Monday gave us a late start. For an uncomplicated set, there's lots of pieces to it. Even to this date we still don't quite have EVERY piece in place. The run itself was painful. There were many HUGE gaps where the actors had multiple brain-farts and couldn't remember what to do and what to say.

Tuesday brought in a motivational speech to think about what you're doing and where you're going ... and trust that. The run was significantly better. I would have been pleased if we did that run just prior to Hell Week.

I gave them Wednesday off, because we'll be up Thursday and doing a line speed-run on Friday. Saturday we might hook up early to run lines again. It's anyone's game, now.

We were ready to coast ... until noon on Wednesday. See next post.

Jack's Women

I've added the element of Jackson's dates to the show. Surprisingly, or at least to me, it wasn't as easy as I'd hoped it should be. It seems most of them require direction. A lot of direction.

The effect does work. Whenever the front door opens, there they are, engaging in some sort of activity -- even if it's just shivering. Some take to it better than others.

All of the elements are coming together. I've got the sound cues all recorded, and the props are coming in here and there. We're still on a bit of a scavenger hunt for some, but they are coming in.

The next challenge: Getting Everyone Off Book!

Everything Else

How are rehearsals going? Fine. But there's more to the show than what's going on on the stage. There's everything else.

Jimmy, Amanda, Rene and company did some great work on the set, but its far from being finished. But even beyond that ...

The flyers are done and ready to be sent out. I'm sending out a bunch myself. I also had larger posters made for the neighborhood. And then there's the press release and getting it to all the local Queens press.

But wait, there's more. Thanks to SoundDogs, which I love, I'm finding the sound clips I need. Then I have to mix and design all the cues. (I use Cue Player Pro for playing them. It's an awesome program.) I also need to record Glenn saying a few lines that have to be played, as well as recording all of the newscasts. Meanwhile I'm putting together all the sound equipment I'll be needing.

And then there are the props. I made a booklet of "Summoning Satan for Dummies." I borrowed an actual copy of the Environmental Law Review, and now I'm in search of a Greenpeace poster. But there are still a lot of props and pieces to find and coordinate.

The most cumbersome thing still is coordinating schedules with the actors, especially since we're about to add in "Jackson's Women." I keep telling myself that my next play will have only 1 or 2 actors. Not that any of the actors are problems, but the more people you add, the more schedules you have to coordinate.

Less than a month away. Yikes!

Transit Strike

New York City goes through a lot of crap. In the, oh, 15+ years I've been here it's suffered blizzards, blackouts, terrorist attacks and, now, a transit strike.

I can't say it's been fun. Millions of people ride the subways every day. Take all those people and funnel them onto the Long Island Rail Road and you have crazy-long lines and hours and hours of doing nothing but waiting. On Tuesday it took me 3 hours to get to work. Wednesday it took me 2. Thursday, strangely only 1. I expect that if the strike continued to Friday I'd walk out my door and miraculously be standing in Times Square.

luckily, the strike is over, but I had to move a rehearsal as a result. Thursday's rehearsal is now on Monday. Oh well. Everyone is glad to do it. We have too few rehearsals anyway, so I really can't cancel them without rescheduling. And next I need to find a day and location to do regular line-thru's. All part of the process.

Ode to a Banana

I received a Christmas card from Ed Feruzza the other day. Ed is an actor whom I've worked with twice -- once he played "Mishkin the Mailman" in Parkside Player's production of "Fools," for which I was head producer. The other production was Parkside's production of "Second Bananas," where he played theatrical agent Sidney Cohen.

In the card, Ed writes "Thanks again for the part of a lifetime."

Ed Feruzza is one of the nices guys I've ever known. He's a real entertainer-type, having actually been a Catskill's comedian. Though Italian, he comes across as a little old Jewish man, which I actually had in mind when I wrote "Crap", which was renamed to "Second Bananas" for Parkside. When I wrote the role of Sidney Cohen, the hardened, fast-talking theatrical agent, and I had Ed's voice ringing in my years.

Even though Sidney shows up in the 3rd act, Ed always stole the show (well, everyone stole the show when it was their time!). He loved every minute of the production and he was a joy to work with.

I want to take a moment to reminisce about "Second Banans" for a moment. It took me a long time to finish the script, mainly due to the strain of my job. I based it on the tales a former co-worker told me, whereas he was the Assistant Director on a doomed Broadway show. Based on that premise, I came up with "Crap." Thanks to the production team of Diane Jobsky, Ann Engesser and Genny O'Hare, they asked to produce the show in February of 2002. That alone was a gutsy move. First of all, Parkside isn't always in love with me or my work. Second, this would be the second time in Parkside's history that they produced a new work as part of their regular season. So, they bucked the system and put their support in this totally unknown work.

Luckilly, I had a cast that was totally on-board with the whole project. Also, I had John O'Hare on my side -- not only as my SM/AD but as my set designer. And being that this was my first time directing a full-length play, he went above and beyond the call of duty by keeping me on track.

Overall the show went real well. Admittedly, the ending still needs some work so we sometimes lost the audience at the very, very end. But the reviews were glowing and the audiences were VERY big! For a show nobody had ever heard of, it did surprisingly better than may established works Parkside had produced.

But it was working with the cast that really made this show special. To this day, many of them still me that this was the most fun they've ever had working on a show. Everyone was on-board, everyone gave of themselves, everyone embraced creating their characters.

As for Ed Feruzza's "part of a lifetime," well ... that's kind of heady. The fisrt time I ever saw a play of mine produced ("Half-Time" in Virginia Beach" back in 1991) I felt this overwhelming sense of responsibility. I mean, all this work ... all these people involved ... all because I had an idea one day and wrote it down. So, this cast lived with characters that I created for three months of their lives.

So Ed ... you're welcome, and thank YOU for the experience of a lifetime. Here's to the Bananas!

All Blocked!

Here's a photo of me at rehearsal. To the left is Jimmy O'Neill and to the right is Rene Bendana.

Greg Johnson (he plays "Otto") said the nicest thing to me the other day. He said that while riding the subway he reads through his script. To this day he still laughs out loud when reading it! I love Greg!

Well, we're all blocked! The first full show I directed was Parkside's production of "Second Bananas" (i.e., "Crap"). John O'Hare was my SM/AD. He taught me an extremely valuable lesson -- block as fast as possible. So I did! I had this show blocked in 5 rehearsals. I split Act 1 into 3 parts and Act 2 into 2 parts to block. This gave me the opportunity to have them run it twice. I think it was helpful.

There were, of course, a lot of questions as far as what they were doing from time to time. But I kept reminding them that this is merely skeletal blocking. Last night we finally dug into the first half of Act 1. It's slow going, granted. I don't let them get a line in edgewise before I shape the why's and how's of what they're saying. As a result we were able to pull a LOT of comedy out of the text! And, being that they were able to run it and actually remember everything tells me it makes sense to them as well.

They flyer is done. I'm ready to roll with it. My plan is to print them in color, make some larger copies and hit all the merchants near the space. I believe a catchy flyer can pull in an audience. I mean, when I produced "Lucky Stiff, I made a right snappy flyer! For a show nobody'd ever really heard of, we packed the house! Let's hope I can make lightning strike twice. I know, I know ... it's not a musical. Hey, I can hope!

And we have a cast!

The final cast memeber signed on yesterday. Cameron Hughes will be playing the part of Lou. Though an easy part to cast (it's both juicy and brief), it wasn't cast until now for a few reasons.

First, I had origianlly cast Peter Vrankovic in the role. I love Peter both as a person and as an actor. He was quite eager to play the role, too. I'd worked with Peter twice -- once as Joey the Bagman in "Second Bananas" and once as Horndog in "Nobody Knows I'm a Dog." But, it wasn't meant to be as Peter was required to have knee surgery that wouldn't have him back on his feet in time.

There were a few names being batted around, but I had always secretely wished to get Cameron on board. First of all, he's an outstanding actor. Second, he's very enthusiastic about my plays, which always makes ME happy!

So, Cameron showed up at a rehearsal, I pushed a script in his hand, and the rest is history! Good timing too, as we start blocking Lou this coming Monday! I'll also take the opportunity to take some publicity photos.

The Read-Thru

Tonight was the read-thru. But before we get to that, let's look back at the last 24 hours.

I got an E-mail Sunday night that my Jackson was not going to be able to do the role. Time to start making phone calls.

Enter Glenn R. Meyers. I had mentioned my actor search to my friend Carol Henning. Within a short period of time, I was in touch with Glenn. He came to the read-through and the rest is history!

Meanwhile, my Lou is getting knee surgery and had to decline as well. The word is out to a few people, but I'm less worried about that role. Besides, he's not needed until the beginning of December.

As for the reading, it went well, though I feel everyone lost some steam by the end. I now realize how increadibly TALKY the play is. But it is one of my earliest works and I feel I improved a lot since then. Regardless, it'll be a directing challenge to keep it moving -- keep the rhythm up.

The actors will be fine. Glenn will need to find his character, but I know it's in there. Rene also needs to finalize where he's going. Greg and Amie will need to know where their highs and lows are. But all this gets worked out in the rehearsal process.

I find it a challenge that my wife doesn't particularly like this play. Not that I plan on playing it to her, but it will keep me grounded a bit with it.

Meanwhile, the search for Lou goes on, and we start rehearsing Thursday. Time to get some blocking done!

My Friend Ron

A small tangent.

Today Miriam and I went to Queens Theatre in the Park to see "The Lost Boy" by Ronald Gabriel Paolillo (also known as Ron Palillo -- yes, Horseshack), who is an acquaintance of mine from when he performed in a reading of "F2F" a few years back. First and foremost, the play was wonderful! The performances were superb and the writing and characterizations were meticulously rich in every way. A lot of care went into this script, and I give Ron a lot of admiration and respect for it.

But what made the experience special for me was Ron himself. As I'd hoped, he was at the performance. When I saw him I asked "Please say you remember me," because even though we've spoken and E-mailed each other a number of times since the "F2F" reading, that was the only time we actually met F2F. He admitted that the face was familiar but he was having trouble placing it, but when I reminded him about F2F his face lit up and he gave me a great big hug. Then he proceeded to gush about my work!

Back when he did the reading, he tried to get agent and producer interest in "F2F." It never happened, but neither of us ever really gave up on it.

Anyway, during the intermission we saw him again, but this time he introduced me to one of the producers from Shotgun Productions, who was on board as one of the producers, as well as the company who started the development of "The Lost Boy." Again, he gushed about my work. Fancy that -- he's the Man of the Hour yet he's gushing about MY work!

After the play I made a point of telling him how much I loved his play and asked how it felt -- sort of "playwright to playwright." He confessed the worry and labor that goes into fitting your play to the stage, which I understood completely. But what struck ME most about the whole thing was that I got to slip into my Playwright hat for a few minutes. Though I wear many hats in my everyday life -- some fitting better than others, and some I don't particularly like very much -- it's the Playwright's hat that is most comfortable, and the one I wear the least. For that afternoon again, even though it was not my day nor my play, I was a Playwright and Ron was a peer.

I really do need to add how gracious, kind, polite and professional Ron is. Total strangers came up to him to congratulate him, and he treated each and every one like he knew and cared about the personally. I wish him such tremendous success with this play and I still hope to work with him (again) someday. I plan on inviting him to come see "When Hell Freezes Over" and any other piece I have in the future.

Oh -- and being that I am an enormous geek, I had to get him to sign my program!

Casting is Never Easy

Picking a cast is easy. Getting them to commit is hard.

Here's the lineup so far. Greg Johnson will be playing Otto. Greg has wonderful energy and is great at playing broad. It's funny that people have told me that they've always seen Greg playing very subdued characters, which I find funny. One of his big claims to fame is playing Hoke in Beari's production of "Driving Miss Daisy." I never thought of casting Otto as African American, but it really doesn't matter. I'm just glad to have him on board! He's a wonderful talent!

Opposite him is Amie Backner as Annie. Right off the bat she struck me as the wrong type for how I saw the role, as I saw Annie as being kind of frumpy and matronly. With Amie's reading, I saw a more mousy and "fireball" of a character, which not only works, but it works off of Greg, too.

Next in line is Jimmy O'Neill as Ralph. I've never worked directly with Jimmy, but he's a tremendous talent with a LOT of range. I actually read him as a number of characters and could have cast him comfortably as any of them. But as Ralph he made me and Debbie laugh harder than anyone else who read for the part. I look forward to finally working directly with him.

And then we've got Rene Bendana as Bernie. It was hard getting Rene into the character, but after giving him some suggestions he was able to present a large, menacing character. Rene has an enormous stage presence, which will translate into Bernie.

As for Jackson and Lou -- well, let's say they're both 80% locked down, but there is a chance it could go sour. They have a few days so they're both working out their respective schedules and should be getting back to me very soon. I also need a Stage Manager!

As for Jackson's dates, on board will be Miriam P. Denu (of course) and Dolores Voyer, as well as Tracy Howard and Jodi Berger. Both Tracy and Jodi are extremely good sports and gave great readings. I'm glad they've committed to being on board. I'll also use Debbie Bendana as well.

So I hope in the next couple of days I can list everybody. The Read-through is still set for Monday. I'm working on the flyer, which will be stellar when it's done!

Odd Auds

I always find auditions a hopeful time, but also a little scary as you never know what the turnout will be. In Queens community theatre, unless you have lots of friends, when doing a play nobody knows you can't really expect a huge turnout.

It wasn't surprising that turnout was a bit light. First night was extremely light, but I was happy with the surprises of the second. I can't divulge the cast just yet, but let's say that there are some new and old faces that I'll be working with now. Overall, I'm confident.

Now I have to work out the rehearsal schedule. Sadly, I'll only have a little over 20 rehearsals, when I prefer 30 or more. But I'll make it work.

Setting the Set

This past Sunday I went to see Beari's winter show, "Plaza Suite." I went, of course, to be supportive not only for community theatre in Queens, but to be supportive of Beari in particular (plus for a few friends who were in the show). Debbie and Rene also wanted me to notice the set, specifically to see how much of it I can use (to save them the trouble of having to break it down and rebuild it).

I always try to be conscious of sets when writing plays. I hate using the standard "living room" set, but sometimes it fits. Luckily, in this case, that's exactly what I need. Since the existing set is pretty basic, I can definitely adapt 4/5 of it. There will need to be some changes, but only a few. For instance, stage right has two doors -- in the context of "Plaza Suite" the bathroom and the bedroom. What I have requested is to remove the upstage door and open the flat up as to emulate a hallway coming off the living room, but keep the downstage door as I need a closet at one point. I'll be sure to block some business there as it just doesn't sit there the entire Act 1 doing nothing (why have it at all, then?).

Across the back is also a large, picture window. I really don't need that and have asked to have it divided into two windows. Rene was happy to comply on that as well as the hallway.

So, in a nutshell, most of the set is already up! That will make things move at a much better clip. But considering that we won't have a very long rehearsal period, we need to move, move, move!

Brian Irace, one of our helpful Office Services clerks here at the office, helped me copy and bind scripts for everyone. All that I need to do now is pick the audition scenes and, time permitting, start blocking! Auditions are in 8 days!

Eye-Grabbing Artwork

A few years ago I went to a seminar about producing your own plays. I didn't learn anything I didn't already know, but there were some good reinforcements. One thing they mentioned was to be sure to have some eye-grabbing artwork to push your play. This is something I applied to my Off-off Broadway run of "Nobody Knows I'm a Dog" and then to the Parkside production of "Lucky Stiff," which, in my opinion, worked like crazy as we were able to take a virtually unknown show with a small cast and pack the house night after night.

I came up with the idea for the WHFO logo shortly after I actually wrote it 15 years ago. The original was almost identical except that it was hand drawn. It sat "on ice" until now when I decided to use more updated graphics tricks to produce the same image.

Getting a picture of a block of ice was tricky. Google helped considerably on this one. The rest was a few tricks with Paint Shop Pro, as well as turning it over to Grace Turato, who is a professional graphic artist. With her help, we have the logo I'm now using.

I ran it past a few folk, including friend Rich Bebenroth, who pointed out that it doesn't photocopy well. Fortunately, I was a half step ahead of him and now there are two versions -- color and black-and-white.

With luck, this old idea will still attract an eye or two. I really like the juxtaposed image, as well as the bold contract between the red and blue. Let's hope the potential audience feels the same.

Final Edits

To the right is a photo of Ed Voyer (left) and myself (right). Ed is one of my best friends. Though Ed and I are almost opposite on many things, it's that difference that actually works for us to the point that the differences have become complimentary. We approach the things that make us different with so much conviction and passion, that it actually fills the gaps the other may have in a supportive way. As a result, we have a high respect for one another. This, of course, is my take on it. Ed's opinion on this matter may be completely different for all I know.

As I had previously mentioned, WHFO has undergone far more edits in its lifetime than I'd like to admit to. Upon Beari Production's commitment to produce it, I finally felt I could iron out any remaining kinks and have a final, finished version.

Upon hearing of the production, Ed snagged a copy and read it through. One of the things I do like about Ed in that we are so different in things is that he functions as a great second set of eyes for me as he will undoubtedly