Oy Gevalt!

My best friend and co-writer David Almeida wrote today of me:

"EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE

Steve just called me to tell me that Playwright's Round Table has requested a full-length copy of our play, Sons of the Revolution. That means it is in the final rounds for consideration for a full production in March -- Woo hoo! He then pointed out that we never got around to fixing up two scenes we wanted to clarify, shortening a monologue, and locating some Hebrew translations of the Bible that are needed for some of the dialogue. D'Oh! He is working on it already, Lord love him. This play had a staged reading in 2002, and we really never knew quite where it would go from there. We thought of producing it ourselves, but WOW that would be a major undertaking for Utmost. Cross everything you have two of, kids, this would be a really wonderful thing for us."


Yes, and I have Tracey Ritter, a Hebrew teacher here at work doing us a BIG FAVOR to get the Hebrew fixed.

And on the scenes that need some work: Several things happen on stage at the same time. SEVERAL THINGS!!! Usually, as a spectacle, this works wonderfully in a play. It's dynamic and exciting. But in a play where the story has to be followed carefully and people require certain facts, it's like trying to read fine print in a tornado. In other words, three rings of continuous action may work for Barnum & Bailey, but it doesn't work in theatre.

So we have two short scenes in the play that need "pulled apart and reconstructed in a less confusing manner."

This little problem is another example of why we should always follow Lesser Rule #1 from my Manifesto for Playwrighting:

Lesser Rule #1 states:

"Nudity overrules all – never have something important being said when people are naked onstage. No one will hear your fabulous dialogue over the bare butts. "

Apparently, chaos is as powerful as a bare butt for pulling focus. (I wonder on stage, whcih would win in a battle...)

Again, kids, light candles, say prayers, cross everything you have two of, until David and I are told we are brilliant writers and our play is life-changing in a way that would make the Russians proud. (Or something like that...).

And this little hurdle ain't the mountain, but it does decide if we get to take that trip over the mountain in the first place.

For one of the best plays I've ever written - a play whose 13 actors and 29 characters and serious theme made it for a long time seem completely unproduce-able - someone just lit a small candle.