Audition News: the plays/Roles

So. Got the cast list today for the Forward Theatre shows.
First up: Hamlet.

Now, for some reason I had got it into my head that I might possibly play Claudius. I don’t know where I got that into my head, but hey…it would be nice, right?

No dice on that one. The role for Hamlet is: Polonius.
Yeah. that’s right. Ophelia’s father.

I have mixed feelings about that. Mostly because…the character of Polonius is referred to by everyone as an old man. In fact, he’s considered by most of the characters to be a useless, doddering old man.

Now, my casting in this role is likely due to the young age of the rest of the cast. At 36, I’m probably one of the older members of the cast.

Now, of course, Polonius dies at the beginning of the second half. Which leaves me free to play the Gravedigger. Which, I suppose is alright.

After that, I have the role of Cornwall in King Lear. That could be fun, since the character is described in some synoposis texts thusly: “Cornwall is Regan’s brutal husband, vicious and savage when thwarted in his efforts to seize ambition”.

So yea, that could be fun.

After that…They are doing Romeo and Juliet, which places me in the role of the Prince and the Apothecary.

So, although these aren’t the roles I thought I wanted, I suppose that in the long run…they ain’t bad for my first experience with the company.

Music and Writing

I find music a highly inspiring thing, especially when writing. Music takes me through the various emotions that I have mapped out for a piece, and helps me visualize and feel the parts I am writing. It helps me visualize the characters, as I tend to select a theme for each one: a song that sums up the character (or in some cases, the character in that scene).

Unfortunately, although I find the music very helpful, it is also distracting. I find it difficult to listen in a passive manner. The music can’t just be background for me. I listen to it too actively.

And so, the music is both a help and a hindrance. So, tonight I’m trying a bit of an experiment, writing in relative silence, going between the music and the writing.

Let’s see how that works.

Accomplishments.

It is interesting to note how changing one thing can open up so many doors.  I gave notice at work this week.  Suddenly I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.  I’m not stressing about work anymore.  And more, it seems that the stress is what was keeping my creativity under lock and key, because suddenly tonight as I was on my way home, in my mind I roughly mapped out the play that I’ve been mulling over.  There is an outline, now, however brief it might be.  But there is an outline, and that makes the play more solid.  I have a solid view of the story and where its going. 

That’s very liberating.  I feel like I’ve accomplished something.

And all it took was quitting my job.

Or rather, quitting my job helped me release the idea that was already there.

But whatever it was, I’m feeling very good right now.  Accomplished.  I’ve made progress.

A thousand excuses in the naked city

There are so many excuses.

Oh yes, I have a million excuses.

See, I keep saying that I want to write and be creative and make Art-with-a-capital-A. I have, in my head, about 3 or 4 ideas of things that I want to write (either plays or screenplays - Maybe one of the ideas would be better served as a short story). Yet, I have having difficulty actually sitting down to write these things.

Part of me feels a little guilty when I want to write something for myself, because there are people waiting for me to write things for them (they know what I’m referring to). I know that I should be putting the writing that I am doing for others ahead of my own writing. After all, its better to do things for someone else, right? Besides, at least when I write for others, I know its going to get read, right?

If I were a really organized person, or someone who had more time to devote to such things, I would be able to divide my day between the writing I am doing for others, and the writing I am doing for myself. I should be able to say to myself that I will write for myself for __ hours and then devote an equal amount of time to writing for the others.

But, as it happens, I’m not feeling all that creative right now. At least, that’s what I tell myself. However, I know for a fact that as a writer, I should be able to focus my mind enough to allow the words to come out. With a solid idea in my head, I should be able to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard as they case may be) and use the idea to channel the words. And the excuses begin (let’s list them, why don’t we?):

- my mind-numbing job is killing my creativity.
- there is writing I should be doing
- There are dishes to be done
- There is house cleaning to be done.
- etc, etc, etc…

Actually, excuse number 1 is the most popular. And really, its a believable excuse, isn’t it? After all, everyone bitches about their job, right?

Right.

But then, I know that empty bitching about the job won’t solve the problem. Wallowing in my own job-based frustration won’t solve the problem. So, I should solve the problem: find a new job (oh yeah, but there are excuses about that too, but that’s another post altogether). The job problem is really something that is entirely up to me. If I don’t like the job, I should get a new one. Really, the only legitimate excuse relating to the job is: time. Many people who know me, know that my work hour suck. 4-midnight monday-friday might not be the worst shift ever, but after 4+ years, its really close. Whenever I do start writing, I always feel like I’m just getting started when its time to go to work. I envy professional writers like Neil Gaiman, who have managed to have enough success with their work that they are able to write for a living. From reading Gaiman’s blog, its pretty apparent that he is one of those fortunate writers who has the time to write several projects at once. Naturally, its success that affords him this. And I know that there are thousands (maybe millions) of writers, who, like me, slog away at dead-end jobs trying to make ends meet. So, with that, even the time excuse isn’t much of an excuse.

Excuses are just that: excuses.

So, I guess in the next few weeks, you will all have ring-side seats as I battle Excuses, try and buckle down and get writing on the myriad projects that I have in mind: both for myself and for others.

Doesn’t that sound exciting?

Writer’s tools

Today, I went searching for a new application to use in script writing.  There are a lot to choose from.  Final Draft is one of those applications that everyone swears by.  If you pick up the screenwriting magazines, its advertised all over the place.  Do a search at Google, and chances are the first thing to come up will be Final Draft.

Final Draft also goes for about $299 US.

So.  A little bit steep.  So, I do a little more searching.  And the average price is about $100 US.  There are some that are cheaper (about $50 US), but they don’t quite offer the kind of features that I’m looking for: a requirement for me is the ability to work as either a screenplay or as a stage play.  Many of the applications (with some exceptions) I’ve seen just don’t allow this: they stick with Screenplay and you can’t really deviate.

I found an application called Celtx that seems to fit the bill.  I’m still learning what it can do, but it seems to be an excellent tool for either screen or theatre.  And you can’t beat the price: its free (under an Open Source Licence).

I’m happy with this app right now, and I know that there are a number of writers who read this (at the site or through the LJ feed), so I thought I’d point it out for any of the writers who might be interested.

Now that I’m done shilling for Open Source, I’m off to bed.

Successful Relations

Wow.

Turns out I have a relative who is an Actor/Playwright. My father, who enjoys seeking out family connections (and finds Google a helpful tool in his genealogical investigations) stumbled across Brett Rickaby. Seems he’s from the Minnesota wing of the family.

He’s done quite a bit.

He’s played Frank Gorshin/The Riddler in Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt. He’s done a lot of TV appearances, and has appeared on Broadway.

He’s written plays like Asylum and 70 Dollars to a Bus Ride Home. (Yeah, I haven’t heard of those either. But then, he hasn’t heard of anything I’ve written either.)

Hey! There’s even a fan page

He’s definately got the Rickaby looks. I’m not sure if that’s good or not.

He doesn’t have a web site though. Go me!

But hey, apparently this theatrical thing is genetic. Either that or its a massive coincidence.