Welcome to my new website.  I’ve been working with a designer on a whole new look.  As a result, I have not updated my blog for nearly two months.  The schedule has been busy with various projects, but before I get into that, I must give credit to Mark Duiker who re-designed this entire website.  Much, much thanks to him.  He has made this site easier for me to do updates and more friendly to those visiting .  The site will continue to be tweaked and adjusted as we move forward.

Okay, onto the projects.   I am deep in rehearsals for Story of a Boy – the Christmas production I began writing back in June.  We are at the point in the rehearsal process where I am now concentrating on the acting.  Story of a Boy has a cast of 10 actors, all volunteers from the community and includes songs interspersed throughout the drama.  In the next couple weeks, I am entering the tech part of the production involving lights, sound, sets.  If you have the time, come out to see the production on Dec 12 or 13.  It’s FREE with donations going towards Yonge Street Missions.

I was involved in the making of a short film at the end of Sept, beginning of October.  I wrote Picture This and helped direct it with Domenica Mima Hoyes while Lennox White filmed and edited the 5 minute piece.  A big thanks goes out to Janet Wortel who created an art piece that is central to the story.  My original artist had to drop out and I called Janet out of pure desperation and she agreed to help.   The film was completed in mid October and we entered it into the LG Film Festival on October 16.  The contest’s theme was to create a film that explores “life’s good” and the inspiration of the human spirit.   A grand prize and three runner-ups will be announced in January.   As I said in an earlier post, the film explores imagination and the idea that no matter where we find ourselves, life can still be good and an attitude can never be taken away from how we approach living.

The experience of doing this short was very positive, but stressful because of the tight schedule.  It’s amazing what you can do on a zero budget, committed, passionate friends and imagination.   There was some tension, but that’s to be expected when we shot the film in 3 days and Lennox had to edit close to 5 hours of footage down to 5 minutes.  Please take a look at the film HERE.   Comments welcome.

Circus is my new two-act play which I finished another draft in October and had a reading with a room of actors on October 19.  I love readings.  I love hearing my words/dialogue coming from someone else.  It gives me perspective from the piece and allows me to process what I thought worked and what needs improvements and/or cuts.   The reading provoked a lot of conversation.  I felt the same way about Blue after I had an initial reading of that script.  There is something about Circus that is resonating and I look forward to re-working the script.  From all the comments, I don’t feel Circus needs an overall (unlike my first draft).  This draft feels like it needs the focus to shift and I’ve yet to create a first act ending.  My goals for the next draft will be to flesh out the character of Daniel Shepherd and give him clearer motives.  The play revolves around the mentally unstable character of Raina Shepherd.  Her actions (or lack thereof) are spinning the play in many different directions.

Speaking of Blue, I will be entering it into the 2010 Toronto Fringe Festival.  The Fringe is a lottery and the draw will occur sometime in January.   If the play gets drawn, it gives me a chance to re-work the script into a 90 minute format.  Blue is close to being 90 minutes already, so any editing will be minimal.

My goal from my last blog was to have started a new screenplay by the time I wrote my next blog.  And so, I have come up with an idea for a new spec script which I am currently mapping out the plot.  The central idea is about a guy who is a hoarder and lives in a pile of junk in his parents’ house who have both passed 10 years ago.  The script opens on their deaths and flashes ahead 10 years later where we discover this once bright man now has become a garbage collector working for the subway system.  He was a vibrant drama teacher who inspired his students and now has lost his way among all the garbage in his life.  Along the way, a woman from the subway system, a former student and an old stranger enter his life. They help piece together what has happened to our protagonist and challenge him to come face to face with why he is a hoarder.

Finally, I saw a great play (twice) this past month:  August; Osage County written by Tracy Letts – a darkly comedic three and a half hour show.  The play won several Tonys on Broadway back in 2008 and Mr Letts won the Pulitzer Prize for drama.  This play is a modern day A Long Day’s Journey Into Night or Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf and harkens back to the works of Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams.  It’s the kind of work that cuts through to the heart of human beings and humanity.   It’s what I imagine theatre to be; something that provokes thought and challenges us to look at our lives.

Until next time, enjoy the new website.