Monday, October 15, 2007

Writing plays

For over a year now, I've been participating in a local playwriting group called the Black Doggers. We meet every couple of weeks, read our stuff, and critique each other. Not unlike River Valley Writers, the group I started when I was in college, except this is playwriting only. It's been a great way for me to get back into playwriting, something I've really missed the last seven or eight years. And now all that work has paid off. I submitted a ten-minute play to Rage Theatrics' Hero Stories event and it was accepted. The play is called Pop Tart Hero and is a humorous look at what it takes for one Walter Mitty-esque guy to find the hero in himself. There's a lot of stage combat in the piece as that is Rage's niche. It goes up January 20 at Space/Place.

Sammi threw up yesterday so I was home with a sickie all day. Since she (and Piper, who was also home but not sick) spent most of the day sleeping, I had time to write. I carved a ten-minute play out of an unfinished longer piece that I had been struggling with. Today is the last day to send in a submission to City Circle's short play festival which goes up in February. So, even though I wasn't completely satisfied with my play, I emailed it to them. I know they've had a lot of submissions, so the competition will be fierce. It seems unlikely that I'd have two plays produced within a month of each other, but you never know. It's a play about a dad who is having a hard time being a good dad to his teenage daughter.

It just feels good to be writing again. And finishing. Really, that's what feels good. Finishing.

4 comments:

Chris the Hippie said...

That kind of outlet has to be fulfilling. Have you ever seen one of your plays performed? How does THAT feel? Do you ever get to direct a play you've written, or is that not how it works?

Hey, I had to move my blog. I don't know if you still read it, but it lives at http://radloffthoughts.blogspot.com/ now if you're interested.

Matt said...

Thanks for the new link. I have been reading your blog.

I have seen my plays performed and I have directed my plays before. I've also acted in a play I've written. The one thing I've never done is just write the play - I've been involved in some other way, too.

Chris the Hippie said...

I've acted, but I've been a little scared of directing. It's been eight years since I've stepped foot in a theatre -- might just be time for me to go to an audition again...

David Stefanini said...

Hi, I love how you are running this blog. I just started a blog of my own and I was wondering if you would like to do a link exchange with my site. My site can be found at:

Absolutesportsreport.blogspot.com

If you want to do this, just leave a comment on my site, on any post, and I’ll link you later that night.

Thanks,
Dave