One more week of classes – a stretch of summer

- a time to finish projects – leave them in the dayglare to bleach and weather – turn them in sometime in September – begin again.

So here’s what the screenwriting professor is up to:

May 2 - 31 GLANCING AT THE WAR has a run at THEATER OF NOTE.

Every Friday and Saturday at 11pm (one of four short plays in a late night series called:

INDECENT ACTS)

ALL OF JUNE – Padua Playwrights Presents A THOUSAND WORDS

An evening of short plays in response to various downtown artists. My play is called DRESSED FOR DINNER to be directed by Nick Faust.

Here’s an excerpt –

A man and a woman sit at a table set for three. Linens, silverware, candles.

SILENCE

SHE
Marie’s always late and she always has -

HE
Kill three pigs. Cut the cane.
SHE
Stop it, we’re in public.

HE
I’m hungry.

SHE
This is not that kind of place.

HE
They don’t have food? Mutton or Bison? Says here that potatoes come with everything. And you stop it. Marie is not always late. And when she comes don’t call her Marie, it’s Mariah.

SHE
When did she change it? She used to –

HE
Just take a deep breath and say Marie is Mariah five times.

SHE
Marie is Mariah – Marie is - did she tell you why?

HE
She told me I could never tell anyone.

SILENCE

She stares at him. He writes in a notebook. A loud voice in another room:

LOUD VOICE
Henry just stopped getting out of bed.

SHE
You look like a gangster in that hat.
He takes it off.

HE
Maybe I am.

SHE
What if I were to suddenly touch your hair? It’s so coarse – so

HE
Tangled. Ask me a question. I like it when you ask me questions.

SHE
And touch your hair? Ask you a question AND touch your hair at the same time?

HE
You could.

WRITING WORKOUT: Recreate an awkward situation – Keep writing until you find the absurdity.

VANISHING POINT

You know that image of a wide road narrowing to a point at which it seems to disappear?
That’s where I was last week.  But I’m back.

I’ve been busy with rehearsals at THEATRE of NOTE – I’m directing my play, GLANCING AT THE WAR.

Here’s how it begins:

GLANCING AT THE WAR
Written by Coleman Hough

Diane, a matter of fact looking woman wearing a sash that reads MISS AMERICA and Patty, an angular woman in her late forties wearing a sash that reads MISS DIAGNOSIS, sit on a banquette across from a bar.  Patty drinks water and figures out her medication.  Diane writes down messages from her cell phone.  Occasionally they check each other out – each looking at the other when the other is not looking.  When they are both looking at each other –

D
This is going to be fun.

P
My agent got me a really good deal. Otherwise I wouldn’t be here.  Look at this place – it’s a dump.

D
I don’t normally do this kind of thing.  You have an agent for it?

P
Well he started off as my Nanny.

D
Oh.

SILENCE

D
My nanny ran away.

P
Guess I’m lucky huh??.

D
Is he cute?

P
What?

D
Nothing.

P
He started off as my nanny then when my kid was killed he offered me enormous comfort so I  -

Arny enters with the mic. and the speakers.

ARNY
Evening ladies – I see you’ve met.

P and D look at each other.

WRITING WORKOUT #1 – Imagine a place – imagine two people in that place who have never met.  They are waiting for an event.  Which one of them speaks first?  How do they come together? How do they stay apart?  Do they agree?  Disagree?  What is their common ground?

SICK DAZE

When people start talking about a nasty virus going around, I always have empathy but somehow think it will skip me.  It never does.  I don’t know why I think that. Last Wednesday, after turning in my blog promoting the THEATRE OF NOTE benefit where I was going to sing the blues, I promptly lost my voice – had to cancel my appearance. Sorry.  If you attended, hope you had fun.

Saturday I met an artist, ALBERTO MIYARES, who was teamed up with me to spark an idea for a short play I’ve been asked to write with an imposed deadline of two weeks. When we met on SA I asked him some questions about his work and the main thing he said that stays in my head was that he works with found things (he’s a welder) – that found objects – material – give him ideas for a fully realized piece.

What have you found lately?  Make a list.  Choose one.  Start with it’s present condition – then imagine how it got to where you found it   Who left it? Why?  Who first owned it?  How did they lose it?  Create a few stories around that object – scenes.  Then keep your eye out for the next object.  Repeat.  After writing about ten scenes, see what you have. The beginning of a play, a movie, a novel. A poem, a song???

Virully yours,
C