Scriptwriting--Character Transition

Working on this script furiously, and had a breakthrough in creating action that was truly character motivated. I have a character that is slowly becoming humanized, so the progression of that humanization has to be displayed slowly throughout the script (first resistance, then begruding listening, etc.) and I needed an action toward the end that would put her "over the edge" so to speak with her commitment to be humanized. I wrangled for weeks over it until I stumbled upon an action that held true to her 1) occupation; 2) personality; and 3) flowering humanism. I think the process of showing a character transition from one perspective to another is an extremely tricky process. You have to spread the change out through the script, perhaps only at the end increasing the rate of change (as action intensified).

Stage Managing

In order to learn my craft, I have offered to stage manage a show. I thought I would be observing, but, alas, the stage manager cancelled out. I was hesitant at first, but now look forward to it. I got a list of my responsibilities, and it is definitely a job. The director doesn't waste time (such a plus for me) and gets down to business. As I have not done this process before, everything is new to me, so I am sure I will have loads to learn. This week we have gone through and audition and callback, and my understanding is the selected readings are to see how the actor's voices sounds; how their interaction looks; how they look in the parts. I will be posting on this experience as it goes along.

Theatre and Gender

Found an interesting article in the NY Times about the lack of representation in producing female playwrights Off Broadway. Had to smile when I was reading it, especially the quote from Andre Bishop (AD of Lincoln Center) that “most artistic directors are men, and they don’t relate to or connect with women as much as men.” This is basically the same statement I made in the Comedy and Gender post--comedy club owners are men and do not relate to women. I think the lesson to be learned (and the one I’m moving forward on) is that you must take the bull by the horns and just go out and do it. Even if that means you’re going to write and produce it. If you really want your statements/issues/point of view shown out in public, start doing it. It does no good to have your work sitting in a closet waiting for “approval” from the powers that be. At least, that is what I have taken (and will continue to take) away from this situation.

Fate

Two posts in one night—I’ve got a life! Recently, though, I have had a lot of doors close. I’ve had this happen a number of times before, and I can’t help but think that fate is kinda pushing you in a direction. I’m talking about pursuing a direction in life and coming across dead end after dead end. And no matter what you do, it seems that every door is slammed in your face. Every time this has happened to me, I have made a major change in my life. Anybody else out there had a similar experience?

Directing for Better or Worse

I have not posted recently because I am in a lot of turmoil. (Did my last post give me away?) Anyway, after much gnashing of teeth, I have decided to make the current show I’m working on multi-person. Yes, a cast. And so I have chosen to direct it. So…some of you knowing people are probably already smiling, and I can understand. I know I have no idea of what I am getting myself into. And with that knowledge, I have been reading up on the subject and picking my acting teacher’s brains. I have gotten some really good information from Creating Life On Stage (I’m talking about basics of directing), because, among the myriad of pointers MWM gives out, he outlines a rehearsal schedule, with the breakdown of who needs to attend. One of the top items my acting teacher had mentioned about directing was “respect the actor’s time”. Not a problem, I can’t stand it when my time is wasted. Anybody else out there have some tips for me directing?

AA

Artistry is like Alcoholism. You’re addicted. You lose your friends and family. They think what you’re doing is wrong. They want you to stop ruining your life. And it all makes you depressed.

Artistic Funk pt 3

I’m hoping that these blogs about funk and its aspects will help other artists who are dealing with the same issues, but have not had many people to talk to about it. Another aspect of the funk is loss of goals/vision (I guess you could call it a real funk). In the past, the vision of making a project a concrete reality has always kept me buoyant, but with this last bout of funk, the loss of goals/vision has been very scary to me. I’m still pursuing goals I have set up, knowing that I do really care about my vision, but in the short term, the feeling has been more like “why bother?”. I realize the funk is a stage, but it is still unnerving. I am hugging my Artist’s Way very closely.

Artistic Funk, pt. 2

I blogged recently about artistic funk. Although I made headway last week, there still have been residual, fleeting feelings like, “this work is relevant, how come no one gets it?”, and “if they don’t get this, they’re certainly not going to get what’s coming down the pike”, which leads to questioning/doubting yourself as an artist. (So painful can’t even put it in the first person :-)). So, I’ve been rolling around in this, thinking, “let time pass”, and well, basically, it wasn’t passing fast enough. But I was talking to a friend today, a dance choreographer, and she was like, “who cares what the critics say, is that going to stop you from creating your next work?”. I just smiled. I’ve known what she said is true all along, but it really helped me to hear this from a fellow artist. So, it was just wonderful to be reinforced by someone who really knows what it’s like, putting yourself out there and (trying to survive) the criticism. Thank you!

Script and Dialogue

I’m finally at the point on this script that we are now getting down to the meat of the scenes, the subtext, what each character wants from the other. It’s the moment-to-moment orchestration of the script I guess you could say. And it’s really the most exciting for me, it’s the part I love the most, refining and tweaking scenes. I find in writing scripts that the daunting part is taking something from nothing and forming it (initial background on characters, flushing out the plot). That for me is the real gruntwork, you’re unsure of where you’re going, you don’t know what to do with the sketchy framework you already have, you’re almost immobilized by the number of decisions you have to make. So, other script writers, what is the part about script writing that you love? Dislike?

Comedy and Gender

I had yet another conversation about comedy yesterday. Once people find out you’ve done comedy they ask you a lot of the same questions, who do you like, what kind of comedy do you do, it's hard for "female comics" etc, etc. So, here’s what I’ve gathered from my experiences in comedy. I think more than race, comedy is divided along gender lines. I think that men are allowed (by the audience, which, in essence, is a small cross-section of society) to be righteously angry onstage. I have personally seen it time and again. If a woman expresses her comedy in that same exact way, the audience will not allow it. The audience tightens up every time. A woman has to use bitter sarcasm to get the same point across. My understanding is that men have to listen to their wives and therefore don’t want to hear a woman “bitch”. (The man can “bitch”, and I think that’s allowed because the men see themselves in the male comic). I’m not saying it’s right, I personally disagree with it, but I think that’s the way it is. In addition, there is the “female comic” vs. “comic” distinction. Many times in my travels, I would hear, “Oh, she’s a female comic.” (always in a denigrating way). A woman earns the dreaded ‘female comic’ label when she does material on the following subjects: dating, weight, food. Never mind that a young male does these typical subjects: loser, smoke pot, loser. That does not label him a ‘male comic’. In an effort to avoid the “female comic” label, I never did comedy on those subjects. And so, what happens is, you deny your experience, which is totally at odds with what comedy is about—your experience. I understand this is just another example of androcentrism, but for those who may not be aware of it, i.e. think that comedy is such a free form of expression, it is not. A comedian who goes onstage enters into a relationship with the audience. That relationship is judged second by second, punchline by punchline. In order for an audience to be entertained by the comedian, they must first "buy in" to the comedian/material. In order to "buy in" to a a comedian, or to buy into a joke for that matter, the audience must inherently agree to the truth of that comedian/material. And therein lies the dilemma. Men and women have different truths. But truth in our society is a narrowly defined constant, and therefore excludes a wider breadth of experience.

Learning Piano

Well, in an effort to improve my rhythm (just look at my picture if you’re wondering why it’s a challenge for me…) I went to YouTube searching for piano teachers. I'd like to mention two: shawncheekeasy and Tom Willett (no relation). Shawn's channel is strictly piano and is the more complete of the two, but Tom does a great job if you have rhythm issues (like me). So, even though I'm a von Frankenstein in many ways right now, these guys give me hope!

Artistic Funk

I’m really struggling with some artistic funk now. I’ve had it before and I’ve been able to shake it, but I seem to be really plagued by the “I’m-going-to-get-slammed-for-this” feeling. I am really stretching myself writing a musical. To boot, it’s on a national issue. And it’s particularly stupid to be thinking this way because I have already been through the burn process on the mic. I have been developing it on the mic long enough know that the material has teeth (based on the feedback I’ve gotten from the audience). I also know I won’t put out something that hasn’t been tested and honed. In addition, I continue to keep working on piano and (fear of all fears) singing. But, man, I’ve been really plagued by this funk.

Artistic Leaps

Well, I began teaching myself music about a year ago, and I thought my head was going to split open. And, yes, I apologize to the people who I put through my early songs. Thank you. But because I have been so busy with the business end of things, I had taken a couple of months (I feel I should have a possessive here) breather from working on music, and I just started getting back into it, and it’s really amazing how you can actively work on a skill, not seemingly get anywhere, and yet when you come back to it, you grow by leaps and bounds. It’s almost as if although your conscious is not working on it, your subconscious is. There are various chordings that suddenly my hands were able to do, and I had been desperate to get these skills for months. So, what I’d like to know is…who else has taken the ‘vacation’, then come back and was pleasantly surprised?

Choosing Your Subject Matter

I had a conversation with a storyteller this weekend about what you choose to write about. My feeling is that your life is the best subject matter. And I think it is a very difficult step for a writer to take. I know it was for me: I had reservations as to whether my experience was valid enough; and how would the subject matter affect those closest to me. But I feel that having written material where the seeds are from your own life has been the most rewarding. My experience has been that audiences can sense when you are not coming from that place. And it’s such a surprise when so many connect with your individual experience. So, writers out there…what are your thoughts about writing ‘what you know’? Have you written from a place that is not your experience at all? How has that fared?

Booking Conferences

Haven’t written in awhile because I was getting ready for a booking conference. Don’t think I’ll be going again next year. When I started doing the conferences everything was contained in the hotel, and the showcasing was packed. Now, however, the protocol seems to have shifted; the big players spring for dinner and a (their) show for the presenters….ergo, no people to view the showcasing at the hotel. Wondering if anyone else out there has done conferences and what’s their take on them, i.e., have you had success/failure; how do you view the atmosphere; is this a worthwhile expenditure of time for the solo artist? Love to hear your thoughts…

Marketing Your Art

Well, here I am marketing…and marketing…and marketing. I had a conversation with a friend about the necessity of it, but we both admitted it that it was extremely difficult. And I think it’s the total antithesis of what we do that makes it so difficult. Here we are, creating (performance, writing, otherwise) and then we have to put on the business hat and tell complete strangers how good we are and why they should consider our art. So…my question is: what are your experiences conducting business (either cold-calling, prepping publicity, etc) to get the word out there on your art?

Breath in Performance

Well, I have had an incredible breakthrough over the last few months, and that is with my breath. And I’ve read all the books, and my acting teachers have told me about breath, and I was like, yeah, yeah, I’m meditating, I’m relaxed, but it wasn’t until I was sitting there pre-show one night with my meditation music going and I rubbed the back of my neck (which felt like a rock) and I FINALLY got it. And I am sooo surprised—it is like the gift that keeps on giving back. I was on the mic again Friday, trying to relax through the performance, and I was just trying to be there, and WALLAH! I had the moment I had been waiting for! You know, I didn’t have to dig for the moment, mug for the moment or beg for the moment and it just came, and I still can’t tell you how amazed I am with how well it works. So…my question to my fellow performers out there is: what is your experience with breath and performance?

Accepting Yourself as an Artist

Two things have occurred this week that to me indicate that so many of us still struggle accepting ourselves as artists. The first incident was an artist (let’s say Brian) who was ‘smarting’ over a fellow artist’s evaluation of his musical style (OK, his songs). When Brian talked about it you could see the pain on his face. My friend and I reminded him that his style may be different from other musician’s, but that does not mean that Brian is a crappy musician. We had to remind Brian that the audience responded to him; his quirkiness is what bonded them to him; that only he can do his style; and that he has to be true to it because if he tries to change and be something that he’s not, the audience will see through the ruse. He was so relieved to hear this, and for me, it was bothersome because he was in so much pain over what someone else said. So, in short BE TRUE TO YOURSELF!!

The second was another artist who I meet occasionally and has really talked up moving to NY. Lately, however, he has been telling me that he’s putting his dream off in an apologetic way. I looked at him and said, “You’re an artist no matter where you live.” It was like I had given him a stay of execution. He was so thankful, and I was glad I could do that for him, but for me, all I did was remind him of something he had forgotten.

These two incidents just remind me of how fragile we are as artists, and how easy it is to put ourselves (and let others put us) down. Remember, there is a uniqueness that is uniquely yours and only yours. (Yes, I am redundant for a reason!) No two people see the world in exactly the same way, and that is what gives it its dynamics, its color, its vibrance. Start painting!