Reflections...

There were two parts to the deal with in terms of reflection... so I am going to split them apart.

How did it feel during rehearsal?  I enjoy that process.  We only read through the excerpt twice, but the questions from the actors before, during and after were very valuable to me.  I made some quick cuts to the dialogue and wrote myself from notes, but it is always wonderful to have an actor look at the script from the perspective of a character and ask me questions.  Those questions tell me where I need to go next when I go back to the script.  It is especially telling for the non-protagonist characters. I usually have the main character pretty locked down as to their journey, but the other characters are just as important.  If they are not real and fleshed out with purposes and objectives, they will not work.  One of the actors asked me at the beginning if I had been able to sleep the night before - nerves and all that.  I actually had no trouble sleeping - I saw the cast list and was thrilled so I was sure they were going to make it sound good!  I also liked having the director's voice there.  The last two shows I wrote I also directed and it is so nice to have an alternate voice guiding the piece so I can just be playwright.  I love that spirit of collaboration that makes the piece something more than what I just envision it to be.

How did I feel during the performance with an audience?  Nervous.  Always nervous, but very, very pleased.  I was surprised at how funny it was.  I don't of my writing as funny, but the laughs were there and they felt very good.  I loved the rhythm of the 3 scenes.  And I loved the commitment that the three actors gave to telling the story.  Nadien's face at the end of the second scene almost made me cry.  She really embraced the character.  My friend who came with me did get teary (yay!?).  It was so good.

Now what? Well, another draft and then I will send it off to Act One for further development.  I would love to get a workshop down the line to really hammer it into shape but it's not quite ready for that yet. Thanks so much, Conni and Tracy and my Circle Compadres, this was a wonderful writing experience!

And that's a wrap! For Edmonton anyway...

A big Congratulations to the Edmonton Playwrights' Circle!!
We had segments from 8 plays rehearsed and read on Monday- Phew!!!
All of you worked very hard to prepare for the reading, and it was a fun-filled, albeit busy day.

I look forward to seeing how your plays develop from here...

This will be the last 'official' posting for the Edmonton circle, but I do hope that you will all continue to keep in touch and talk shop when possible.

For those of you in Calgary- how is your circle going?
Tell us about the development of your plays, and what kinds of challenges you are coming across.

One last question:

You've now had a little bit of attention on your play- professional actors have read your words aloud to a public audience.
How did it feel to hear your words read A) in a rehearsal setting and B) in front of a live audience?
How will this experience help you in the further development of your play?

Throw in your comments, I'd love to hear how it went for YOU on Monday.

All the best,
Keep in touch-
Keep on writing!!

Tracy

Rereading, Moving Things Around, and Rewriting...

Today I finally got to work on my second draft of Little Monsters. Yes, it is due tomorrow. Yes, I waited to the last moment. I have been thinking about it and what I needed to do with the script and I admit my lack of work on it had to do with not being sure how to proceed - a blockage, if you will... so I re-read my script, and I re-read my notes from the first feedback session, and I re-read the comments from other people who had read the script. And then I started doing little fixes. There were a few lines I flagged that I felt were off so I re-worked them. Then I moved a monologue to a new place and while I was at it, I rewrote it so it worked better in the new place. Then I thought about a scene that I felt was missing and I put it in where I thought it should be. It was all these little movements and tweaks and shifts but it got me moving through the old draft and into the new one.

Is the script done and close to perfect - NO WAY - but it's closer to what I want it to be. After all the little moves and tweaks I worked through it from start to finish and I feel that I can now call it a Second Draft. The unblocking is mostly technical writing - not artistry - I can't get to that for a few more drafts, but that's okay, I am closer now.

Unblocking and unlocking

Tracey's question was perfectly timed for what I have been working on over the last week. I get overwhelmed easily and so the perceptions I have take some time to filtre through and sift into what is useful and what is not. I am easily beglamoured. It often takes a while for me to get past the surface. 
I have been grinding through the mill of my perceptions and feelings about creativity. I am learning when to stay and when to go.
     I have just written two emails bemoaning the fact that I can't make connections in the piece I am writing; that I wanted to throw it all out; and why am I doing this anyway? It terrifies me. What if I get laughed at? Poor, poor pitiful me. Ha. I realize that this is part of the creative process. When I write it down and/or talk about it then I move forward again on the piece. My learning process is so different than what it used to be. I have to write it; speak it; talk to others about it; physically act out; give it time; in fact, use all of my senses--including my brain to get it together.  What I observe, as well, is each individual is unique; especially in the journey that each person takes to get to the end product. This fascinates me.
        In answer to your question, Tracey, every draft has its own particular stumbling blocks. The exchange of ideas and constructive criticisms from others helps me begin to put things together. I am not quick; sometimes I take several months to get a point being slow of study. But that's okay. 
        When I began this piece I had three lines. I didn't believe that I would ever be able to make something out of it. I am continually jumping off cliffs. This whole experience has been an exercise in jumping and not worrying about what happens after I have jumped. To simply do. To let it happen and to leap. The secret is to hang out there; especially when preconceived ideas from my own past and what others have said buffet me about the head & shoulders with doubt, fear, and all the other negative things that happen when I don't really believe I can stand it for another minute.
         Then I see that I am still here after another minute has passed and the ideas come. They don't always come on demand--they come when they like. It seems to occur in the middle of the night. While that is very "romantic" in a sense--in reality it makes me tired. As I get better at how this all works--it will change. I only concentrate on one thing at a time. Which means that I can only focus on one thing. When I try to do more than that--I don't work--I get nothing.
          I feel so lucky. This circle is worth its weight in gold. Each week I get to hear something new and amazing and then to discuss it. Bliss. I am also taking/making this year (which has been a year of huge change for me) as my "Canada Council Grant B." Not really a grant but an opportunity that I am able to take. I do something I love and I get to play. 
           Yesterday, the blizzard was perfect for the Chronicles. The power in my building was off--so--no phone, heat, hot water, elevators, lights, internet--everything was down. Going downstairs was a descent into the hell realms. It was pitch black and I had no flashlight. Fortunately, the power was repaired after ten hours. I couldn't do much except write with pen and ink. Read. I keep a book beside me to write stuff in. After the initial panic--I just let go and wrote. It took my mind away from waiting. Waiting was all I could do. 

Week #5/6

Hello gang!

I want to send a warm welcome out to the Calgary Playwrights' Circle, who will be joining us for a few weeks as they are just starting up a new Spring group!

Now the conversation should get even MORE interesting!!

So far, the Edmonton group has been chatting about how to start your plays, how you develop your characters and how you approach writing dialogue. If the Calgary bunch has some comments to post about any of these topics, please feel free to join in- we'd love to see/hear your thoughts!

Now, for a question for both circles:

The Edmonton circle is about halfway through it's Winter/Spring session and will have a nice Easter break- time for doing some writing, of course;)

I wonder about the following questions to all of you writers:

Is there a point in the development of your play when you feel stuck? How do you push-through, stay focused and keep going to finish yet another draft? Is it more challenging to finish your first draft or subsequent ones?

Alright, I'm very excited to hear from both Edmonton and Calgary on this one- a provincial chat!

Talk to you all soon and Happy Easter!!

Tracy

Putting the First Draft to Bed

I finished the first draft of Little Monsters tonight. That's a good feeling. I know it isn't done as a play, but the first draft is such a monumental step in the process. I have a hard time leaving it right now, but I know I should leave it until Monday when I hear it aloud. Very exciting, and scary too... I am looking forward to it. For now, however, the voices are quieter.

Jacobean Tragedy

Okay, I have since found out that I got the mords wixed. I meant John Webster--who was alive from the late 1500s to the early 1600s and may have been a contemporary of Shakespeare. During the reign of King James he wrote a few amazing pieces before disappearing into obscurity. I didn't know this BUT  "The Duchess of Malfi." is all about incest, murder, exhumation and total weirdness. 
            Wanted to correct that. Cheers. Jain