So Far So Good…

Epilogues And Prologues

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If you’re in San Antonio, it’s hard to think of a better place to spend New Year’s Eve than the roof of the Cameo Theatre.  You get a great show, and if there’s room for you up there, you get a fantastic view of the downtown fireworks.  Much as I loathe the term “bucket list”, seeing in a new year at the Cameo, alongside friends both old and new, really is one of those things you just have to do.

For me, standing on that roof last night, watching those fireworks unfurl, became a strange kind of meditative experience, much like staring into the candle.  That moment when the old year and the new meet is one of the few times when you can simultaneously look back and look forward.  And there was a lot to look back upon in 2010, just as I know there’ll be a lot to look forward to in 2011. Continue reading →

Time Waits For No Writer…

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Close friends will hopefully know that I’m not really one for New Year’s resolutions.  But I had made a few exceptions for 2010, and if I had to name the most important resolution, it would be the one I made to really focus on my writing.  While I’m still in all ways a novice writer, I want to believe there’s something worth exploring in this.

That said, when that certain individual suggested that I should submit myself as a playwright to the year’s various local playfests, I had my apprehensions.  I’ve had a lot of opportunities in the last few years to expand the scope of my writing, to work in so many different styles and genres.  I’ve worked on proposals and press releases.  I’ve written copy and correspondence.  I’ve written bios, blogs, and business plans.  And I’ve worked on a few screenplays.  But playwriting is still undiscovered country for me.  To throw myself into something like TheatreASAP just seemed too daunting.

So of course I threw myself into TheatreASAP. Continue reading →

Rumors Control, Week 5: I Love It When A Play Comes Together

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There are moments in the creative process that are hard to define, hard to explain, hard to set down in words or pixels.  But if you’re an artist, you KNOW them when they happen.  Whether you’re working toward the first performance, the first screening, or the first edition, they’re the landmarks that keep you moving forward, until you reach that ultimate goal.

The hope of capturing those landmarks has been a driving force behind the “Rumors Control” series.  The chance to experience and share those moments, be they planned or spontaneous, when a character, a laugh, a scene is found.  The belief that before it was all over, I’d get to write a post like the one you’re about to read. Continue reading →

Rumors Control, Week 4: Is This How Mark Valley Got Started?

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LEE
You won’t rest until I’m up there on that stage, will you?

NIKKI
Nope.

It’s my fault, of course.

Since I wrote that blog about my acting class, some three years ago, she has concluded that I have some manner of secret desire to be an actor.  I’ve tried to dissuade her, but she persists nonetheless.

I suppose it doesn’t exactly help my case that I’ve enjoyed my ‘onstage’ moments as much as I have.  Which brings us back to Rumors. Continue reading →

Rumors Control, Week 2: Off Book, On Track

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The student in me is enjoying working on Rumors as an incredible learning experience.  The ex-teacher and still-blogger in me is enjoying them as an incredible teaching experience, an opportunity to offer readers a glimpse behind the curtain and introduce them to some of the basic terms and concepts of acting.

One of those terms, “off book”, is a trade term for actors who’ve memorized their dialogue and therefore don’t have to go back to the script when they’re rehearsing or performing.  Of course, it should go without saying that the ability to memorize lines is one of the most basic and most important skills an actor must possess.  And that was one of the goals of this first week of rehearsals, to help the actors get off book as they continued to refine their performances. Continue reading →