Story of a Boy closed this past Sunday and the last three days I’ve taken it easy.  The closing of a show always makes me sad – this one is no different.  It’s like a little death, you mourn, you let it go and once your energies are up again, you go onto the next project.  Before I move onto the re-write of Circus, the writing of my new spec screenplay or the next Easter production for spring 2010, I need to stop and reflect on Story of a Boy.

For those who saw it, I thank you for coming.  It is always a pleasure and joy to share live theatre with family, friends, and strangers.  Story of a Boy was a big story in that it involved a lot of different creative elements.  Not only was I dealing with a dramatic story with actors crossing into music (9 songs in total), but it also involved multi-media, a delicate sound mixing and light changes practically on every page of the script.  This entire effort was done mostly with a community of volunteers (over 50 in total) telling a story that took place over 40 years.  We had wonderful costumes/wigs that began in 1969 and went through to 2009.  The actors I worked with did not complain at all during the last two and a half months of rehearsals.  What I am most proud of is working with these individuals and seeing them grow week by week.

I realized, looking back at all the blogs I’ve written for Studio Speranza, that I have chosen not to air out “dirty laundry”.  Instead I consentrate on the positive elements of creating something from scratch and see it gradually blossom.  I began thinking of Story of a Boy back in June 09 and to see it come to fruition this weekend made my heart big.  And yes, there were major challenges along the way…and stresses that I regularly took on (I’ve lost 5 pounds this past month), but in the end, like with anything creative, you must push your way through and try not to bruise anyone too badly (including yourself) along the way.

I am worrier – it ties in hand and hand with any script, film or theatre piece I’m creating.  Worry gives me an edge, keeps me sharp.   And I don’t care whether I am working in a professional or amateur environment, you want to produce the best piece of art you can with the resources around you.  I am humbled by the time and effort people put into Story of a Boy.  And I believe that along the way, we touched a few souls.

Playwright David Mamet was quoted as saying:  “All drama is about lies.  When the lie is exposed, the play is over”.  In my writing, (and this is certainly true of Story of a Boy) if there was no lies, there would be no drama.  Drama is what keeps us going even if it holds us back.  This keeps me going as a writer, director, performing.  I want to constantly expose an audience or reader to what is holding them back because when you do that, a certain level of truth comes to light and that is the place where hope lives strongest.  I often think we are more afraid of hope than truth and this then becomes the lies that Mamet speaks of.

I look forward in the weeks ahead as I continue to conquer hard truths in writing and in the process expose more hope.  In the meantime, my appetite has furiously returned these last three days, I haven’t stopped eating.