Skye Sutherland stands alone on a bridge and looks out as she contemplates her life on Christmas morning. When a Stranger approaches her and begins a conversation, Skye is at first annoyed.   However, the longer the Stranger stays, the more Skye opens up to him about why she is troubled. As her story unfolds, we learn about Skye’s fascinating journey, her supportive family and what she feels Christmas should mean. The Ripple Effect is the title of my new play and deals with themes of how each individual’s life matters and that through our words and actions, we have the power to profoundly impact the world around us.

The Ripple Effect will be staged at The Stone Church December 12 and 13 for 3 performances. I’ve been working on this play for well over a month and I am in the final stages of editing, which means cutting down as much dialogue as possible. I am notorious for giving characters too much to say and in The Ripple Effect, there are several monologues, which no doubt need to be said with fewer words. The play has several videos that will be shown during a couple of these monologues and with music. Several actors in the production will be in these short films that help drive home the themes in The Ripple Effect. I have already met with a set designer who I am excited to work with and look forward to see what he comes up with. A composer is also working on two original songs for the production (there is total of 6 songs in the play).

PLAY BALL Producer,
Pat Patterson

The producer of my screenplay, Play Ball, has informed me that she hopes to begin shooting the film next spring. It will be interesting to see how my screenplay is represented on film. I know there will be inevitable changes to the script as it nears production. There are many factors that have to fall into place for a film to happen (ie, money, locations, securing actors, the script, etc). It’s a miracle any film gets made. But I believe in miracles and I believe all the hard work surrounding Play Ball will pay off. I look forward to more updates from producer Pat Patterson and the journey of Play Ball.

I have begun writing a new film script that I want to enter into a competition called The Chronos Prize. I have a rough idea of what the story will be, but starting a new script is always a daunting task. The script for The Ripple Effect was not an easy story to shape. I had to buckle down and get the story out of me. Deadlines are great – they force you to focus. The deadline for The Chronos Prize is November, so it’s time to buckle down.

Set yourself a deadline if you want to finish a script, or if you have a burning passion to do anything in life. Don’t put it off. Do it. And do it now. We so often put off what we really want to do. We have today. We don’t know about tomorrow. This is your moment. It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you focus in and take one day at a time.