Open Wardrobes

Well, with Greens, Thanksgiving, Chinese class, and, oh yeah, work, I've been a little remiss about keeping up with the blog. I am pleased to report, however, that as of Wednesday Kelly passed the 50,000 word mark for NaNoWriMo and as such is an official NaNoWriMo winner!!! See the official count right here. She still has a little ways to go to finish the draft, but should hit that milestone soon as well, as she doesn't expect the draft to be more than 60,000 words. What can I say, I'm impressed!


We have a break for Greens for Thanksgiving, but kick it up into high gear tomorrow with our first tech rehearsal and sprint on towards opening night next Thursday. The whole process has gone fast, and as excited as I am to start performing for an audience, I will be sad to have the show over with.

The Hanging of the Greens at Lakeshore Players opens just one week from Thursday, so it's coming up fast! It's a little sad to think that it will all be over in less than a month, but it will be exciting to start performances. We're now in the phase where each rehearsal consists of a runthrough, plus working any specific bits that need it. We are adding more and more props each day, which also means figuring out when they go on and off. We are officially off book and so I feel that we're all able to interact more with each other, not having to be staring at scripts all the time. The relationships are really starting to come alive, in no small part due to how we've gotten to know each other's real life selves better over the course of the rehearsals. New things are still emerging, wonderful little moments which continue to add to the reality of the world. I am excited to get to the point of performances, though aware of the work that still needs to be done. Claudia has again been a great director to work with, kind in her praise and honest in her criticism, and focused on making this a great show. Normally this is the point in the production process where people start panicking, wondering if everything is going to pull together, but I haven't sensed any of this with Greens. I've found Lakeshore to be a well-run ship where people know what they need to do and do it well, so I have no worries! So if you're in the area, come join us for opening night on Thursday, December 4th at 7 PM (there's an opening night party afterwards, how can you say no to that?).

After Kelly passed the 45,000 word mark yesterday I managed to distract her from her NaNoWriMo goals long enough to finish reading the first draft of the one-man show. Kelly is usually my first filter for any writing project, as she's not shy about telling me when something is quite simply not very good. I consider this a good thing, not everyone is willing to be so honest when it means also being critical. But so long as the criticism I receive (from anyone, really) is constructive, I'm all for it. How else can you really know where things are going wrong? Kelly was an English literature major in college and is very insightful when it comes to critiquing a piece of writing and analyzing the themes, structure, and so on. And if she can effectively analyze Dostoevsky... well, my stuff is a little easier.


I had had a bit of an existential crisis in the middle of the piece, unsure if the overall shape of it was going in a good direction. I felt better about that by the end of the first draft, but still wasn't 100% certain. After hearing Kelly's comments I fell that the concept is sound, though the piece still needs a lot of work! But a first draft is intended to bring out the rough shape of a piece (Kelly's analogy is that of carving a piece of wood with a chainsaw), to know what needs to happen and when. The detail work can come later. I've had plenty of instances where I've spent way too much time on a line or a piece of a scene, only to cut the whole chunk later on. I would love of course if each line in the first draft came out perfect, but I'm learning that worrying about that kind of perfection too early can stifle a new piece. Having the first draft complete makes a piece more real to me. It's no long just an idea, it's now something with a complete form, imperfect as it might be. And that initial sense of completion helps motivate me to keep working on it and bring it to perfection.


So, one draft down, and now with some feedback to work from. The working title of the piece is Schrodinger's Cat Must Die!, which gets at the physics theme, grabs the attention (I hope), and is right in line with the primary conflict of the play. I've be re-reading John Gribbin's In Search of Schrodinger's Cat which is a nice introduction to quantum theory and where it came from without getting too bogged down in all the math (there's the science geek in me coming out). Anyway, there are still about 8 months to go before the opening of Fringe 2009 and with a rough draft complete I'm ahead of the curve!

Last night Kelly crossed the 40,000 word threshold in her NaNoWriMo quest for 50,000 words in 30 days. I'm really impressed with how she's kept at it everyday. She's kept it up steadily for 3 weeks now with just over one to go. At this pace my guess is she'll hit around 55,000 by the end. We're planning on hitting the coffee shop again today, which has been a fun Saturday tradition this month.

So while leaving the house this morning in a sleep-deprived stupor I had a crazy little idea that I decided to flesh out into a brief play. It is inspired by the true event of my dog Lucy recently taking on a squirrel... and getting the worst of it (don't worry, it's just a scratch, but she looked scared to death afterwards!).

(A backyard with several trees. Three squirrels, CHIP, NUTTY, and ZIPPY enter cautiously. Of the group CHIP is clearly the one in charge.)

NUTTY: Is she there? (CHIP scouts out ahead while NUTTY and ZIPPY cower in the background.)

CHIP: Looks like the coast is clear. Everyone remember the plan? (NUTTY and ZIPPY clearly are unsure.)

NUTTY: Well we, um... then we... No.

CHIP: Good grief! All right, one more time then. Operation: Sudden Death.

NUTTY: I'm sorry, what?!?

CHIP: It's just a figure of speech. The target: the family dog, codename Bonehead. (ZIPPY giggles.) If you please! The mission: to establish our dominance once and for all over the backyard. The plan: to capture Bonehead. (ZIPPY and NUTTY gasp.)

ZIPPY: Impossible!

CHIP: Nevertheless, we will... or die trying.

NUTTY: Uh, Chip, when you say die...

CHIP: A figure of speech.

NUTTY: Can we stop using those?

CHIP: Now then, here's what we're going to do. Nutty, you will act as the bait.

NUTTY: Bait?!?

CHIP: (Not listening) Zippy, you will keep a lookout on the backdoor and give the signal once Bonehead is in the backyard. (ZIPPY laughs again.) Zippy! (ZIPPY stops.) Once Nutty has lured Bonehead into position, I will spring the trap. Have you got that?

NUTTY: About this whole bait thing...

CHIP: Private Nutty! (NUTTY stands at attention.)

NUTTY: Yes sir!

CHIP: Do you want to always be looking over your shoulder every time you dare to venture from the trees?

NUTTY: No sir!

CHIP: Do you want future generations of squirrels to be put through the terror that has become our daily existence?

NUTTY: No sir!

CHIP: Do you want to end up like Old Man No-tail?

NUTTY: No sir!

ZIPPY: (Echoing) No sir! (ZIPPY breaks down into a fit of giggles.)

CHIP: Then the proper execution of this plan is of the utmost importance! It is critical that Bonehead be lured into position or else our whole mission is naught.

NUTTY: Not what?

CHIP: Not not, naught! Pointless! Doomed to fail! You must ensure that Bonehead reaches this point here. (CHIP crosses to stand at the designated spot. NUTTY crosses to join CHIP.)

NUTTY: Right here. And once she does?

CHIP: Run like the wind!

NUTTY: (Nervously) Yeah, got it. (CHIP crosses to ZIPPY.)

CHIP: Zippy. (ZIPPY is still giggling.) Zippy! Your post is there, next to Nutty. Once Bonehead is in position you will spring the trap.

ZIPPY: What trap?

CHIP: Didn't you two pay any attention in the briefings?

NUTTY: Well, no, I was eating a nut.

CHIP: What?

NUTTY: It was a really good nut. A juicy little walnut at the peak of perfection.

CHIP: Nutty!

NUTTY: Sorry. I'm the bait, got it.

CHIP: When Bonehead is in the backyard I will give the signal, "Acorn."

ZIPPY: Acorn! Acorn!

CHIP: Not now!

ZIPPY: Acorn! Acorn! (CHIP grabs ZIPPY and puts him in his place.)

CHIP: Just take your position. It's almost dinner time and Bonehead is always let out just before dinner time.

NUTTY: So what happens once Bonehead gets here? (ZIPPY points to where he is standing.)

CHIP: Then Zippy throws the net.

NUTTY: We're squirrels, where'd we get a net?

CHIP: A secret team of operatives has been weaving it from grass and twigs for months.

NUTTY: We have secret operatives?

CHIP: Well actually we used chipmunk labor, but the point is it's finished and we're ready for action.

NUTTY: What are we going to do with Bonehead once we catch her?

CHIP: Everyone else is waiting in the trees and once she's secured, they pounce! Bonehead will never mess with us again. (NUTTY looks up in the trees at the invisible army of squirrels.)

NUTTY: How come they get to be up there and we're the ones down here?

CHIP: We drew the short straws. Now, both of you, get ready! (NUTTY and ZIPPY take their positions. CHIP exits briefly and returns with a net. CHIP takes position on the opposite side of the stage. Pause as they all wait.)

NUTTY: So, Zippy, gather enough nuts for the winter yet?

ZIPPY: Nuts! (ZIPPY suddenly runs away and offstage.)

NUTTY: What'd I say?

CHIP: Get back here, Zippy, Bonehead will be here any moment! (They run after ZIPPY and pull ZIPPY back onstage. ZIPPY carries a load of nuts.) What is that for?

ZIPPY: My winter nuts!

NUTTY: Hey, nice stash, buddy.

CHIP: Get rid of those, it's almost time! (CHIP manages to get everyone back in position. Pause.)

NUTTY: How long do we have to wait here?

CHIP: Shhh!!! I think I hear her! (Offstage we hear the sound of a dog. CHIP hides as the DOG enters. She is sniffing around the ground. To NUTTY, but not too loudly) Acorn! Acorn!

ZIPPY: Acorns? Acorns! (ZIPPY abandons the net and starts looking around for acorns. The DOG notices and starts to growl.)

DOG: Grrrrrrrr..... (She slowly advances on the unsuspecting ZIPPY.)

CHIP: Zippy! Ready the net! (ZIPPY doesn't pay attention.) Nutty, lure Bonehead!

NUTTY: But there's no trap!

CHIP: Do it!

NUTTY: (To the DOG) Yoohoo! Over here! (The DOG sees NUTTY and starts to bark and chase after him.) Ahhh!!!

CHIP: Get her in position! (CHIP crosses to ZIPPY.) Where's the net? (ZIPPY offers CHIP a nut.)

ZIPPY: Acorn?

CHIP: No! That was just the signal! (CHIP picks up the net and gives it to ZIPPY.) Get ready. (By now the DOG has NUTTY cornered behind a bush or tree.)

NUTTY: Chip!

CHIP: That's not the position.

NUTTY: It'll have to do!

CHIP: Allright, Zippy, now! The net! (ZIPPY throws the net over CHIP.) Get it off! (CHIP stumbles around and runs into the DOG. The DOG grabs CHIP and shakes him around.)

NUTTY: Chip, are you all right?

CHIP: Get her off me!

NUTTY: Zippy, think of something. (ZIPPY, who has been eating an acorn, offers one to NUTTY.)

ZIPPY: Acorn?

NUTTY: Zippy, that's brilliant. Gather the nuts!

ZIPPY: Nuts! (ZIPPY and NUTTY collect a number of nuts and start pelting the DOG with them. The DOG releases CHIP, growls, and goes after NUTTY and ZIPPY.)

NUTTY: Retreat! Retreat! (They run away and CHIP finally removes the net.)

CHIP: What's happening? (NUTTY and ZIPPY collide with CHIP and the DOG advances on them all.)

NUTTY: Is it too late to abort mission?

CHIP: Run! (The SQUIRRELS all run away while the DOG chases them. NUTTY and ZIPPY get away while CHIP runs offstage followed by the DOG.)

NUTTY: Run, Chip, run! (From offstage we hear the sound of squealing tires followed by a crash.) Ooooh, that can't be good...

ZIPPY: (Sadly) Bye Chip. (Pause and then CHIP re-enters, looking a little worse for the wear.)

NUTTY: Chip, you're OK! (CHIP crosses to NUTTY and grabs him.)

CHIP: The plan? What happened to the plan?!?

NUTTY: Well, first you recruited Zippy... (ZIPPY looks up from eating a nut, then returns to it.) But the plan worked, she won't be chasing us anymore. And thankfully squirrels can't be sued for property damage.

CHIP: I suppose, mission accomplished.

NUTTY: Though I do feel a little bad for the family kids. It's their dog, after all, their best friend.

CHIP: An unfortunate casualty. But future generations of squirrels will be able to live in peace and safety.

NUTTY: Yeah. A moment of silence for old Bonehead? (They all bow their heads for a moment of silence.) Back to the trees?

CHIP: Back to the trees. (The start to exit when we hear a barking sound, higher-pitched than the DOG's.)

NUTTY: Chip, what's that?

CHIP: It looks like... Oh no...

NUTTY: Is it a...?

CHIP: Yes.

ALL: Puppy!!! (They scream and dash offstage while we hear the sound of an excited puppy chasing them. Blackout.)

Yes, I know, it sounds really schmultzy, doesn't it? But it is true - after several weeks of rehearsing together, for many of us trying to portray a family onstage, we are as a cast becoming one. It is part of the magic of theater: you can start with a group of people who have never met, and by the end of the run it is hard to all say goodbye. Playing the father Briant in Greens it is I think natural that I feel closest to the members of my "family," but I feel that as a whole we are coming together. Onstage the interactions between family members are growing; offstage the relationships are as well. It is a joy to watch everyone develop in their part.


It has also been interesting to see the "behind the scenes" thoughts of others through their blogs. Writer and director Claudia writes here about the positive energy in the rehearsals. Jessica, who plays my wife Aleena, writes here about recent rehearsals, with some nice commentary by Will, who plays our neighbor Noel. And last but not least, Kate the Water Spririt Merrow writes here as well, including a very fitting haiku poem. It is humbling to read their words, and funny how others always seem to perceive my performance in a better light than I do! Anyway, what else to say but that this has been a wonderful experience so far and I look forward to tonight's rehearsal.

Kelly and I spent a little time yesterday morning at the Java Train, another of our local favorites, to continue on with our projects. (If nothing else, you will come away from this blog with a thorough knowledge of coffee and tea shops in the Saint Paul area.) Kelly knocked out another thousand words (she's now past 32,000) and I "finished" the rough draft of my one-man show. I put that in quotes as there are a few holes that still need to be filled in, but those are more a matter of figuring out some technical aspects than anything else. It is a good feeling to reach that first milestone, and especially to do so feeling that at least some of it is worth keeping.


The one-man show, which I may not have previously mentioned, is intended to be a fusion of physics and theater. As a writer, actor, and physicist (no joke, my thesis can be found in the Univeristy of Minnesota science and engineeering library) this is my way to finally bring all the disparate parts of my nature into one cohesive whole. What exactly that will look like is the question I am currently wrestling with. I want the show to be a true piece of theater (not simply a science demo show, a very different thing) but also contain some real science. Oh yes, and it all has to be performed by one person (i.e. me) and done within the confines of what can realistically be done at the Fringe. No problem right?

Kelly and I had a very relaxing afternoon sitting and working on our respective projects. We spent the afternoon at the Tea Source, which we've been going to together for as long as we've known each other. They have two locations now, one in Saint Anthony and one in the Highland Park area of Saint Paul which we prefer. Kelly was of course working on her NaNoWriMo novel and by the time we left had passed 30,000 words. I first spent awhile with my script for The Hanging of the Greens, working on character and so forth, and then turned to my one-man show.


I'm still in the process of taking my various bits and ideas and putting them together into a cohesive, if still rough, draft. As of this afternoon I'm getting close. Lately I started to have some doubts about whether the piece was going in the right direction and if the current structure is the right one. In part I think I was getting a little daunted by the idea of not only being responsible for writing the script, but also performing it. Kelly had the excellent idea to picture someone else in the role as a way to put the performing part of it aside for now. That was helpful this afternoon, and I'm feeling good again about the progress I'm making.


So it was a delightful afternoon as we sit and drank tea, relaxed, and had some time to be creative. I'm impressed with how far Kelly has already gone towards the goal of 50,000 words. My word count is not as high, but thankfully it doesn't take as many words to create a one-hour show. Which reminds me, applications for the 2009 Minnesota Fringe Festival came out yesterday. This is my goal for the one-man show: to perform it at the 2009 Fringe. I have until the end of January to apply, then comes the lottery in February. Fortunately, even if I don't get in at first, mine will be an easy show to still mount if I make it in later on the waiting list. I find it very helpful to have a deadline, so it's nice to have this to shoot for. So I still have just over 8 months to finish the script, rehearse the show, and promote it. So mark your calendars now for July 30th, 2009, and hopefully I'll see you there!

Last night was our first full runthrough (or "stumblethrough" as Claudia calls it) for The Hanging of the Greens. I thought it went very well, a little rough of course but pretty good for a first run. Having not previously seen several of the scenes it was fun to see the bits I'm not in. It's also fun to be at the point of rehearsals where the whole cast is there nearly every night. I'm still amazed at the level of talent and dedication all these kids have, not to mention their energy! It's fun to see the new things that come out each night and get to know the kids better. I have learned, for example, that despite having a web site and finally entering the blogosphere I am still behind the times by lack of a Facebook page. (Though I did promise Kate to blog about last night's rehearsal.)


Anyway, new things continued to emerge last night. For example, at the beginning of the play my character, Briant, tells his kids the story of Pinella the witch and last night a wonderful interaction started to develop between Briant and Tierney, who of all the kids is most into the story. It was a fun give and take and made the whole moment a lot more fun.


I have the weekend off from rehearsals (we don't rehearse on Fridays as another show, 70, Girls, 70 is currently running at Lakeshore) and plan to use that time to continue to work on character and physicality. We open in just under 3 weeks!

As I've been working on my own projects both as an actor and a writer I've also been of course watching the progess of both Kelly and our friend Tim on National Novel Writing Month (affectionately referred to as NaNoWriMo). Last night Kelly crossed the 23,000 word threshold, which puts her several thousand words ahead and is an average of just over 2000 words a day. (Tim is already over 30,000, but he's something of an over-achiever so that's hardly typical ) I think this is a very impressive achievement, it takes a lot to keep up that sort of pace, especially when you have to work a full-time job on top of it. It's also a great exercise in not self-editing too much on the first draft. It's easy to get bogged down on the little parts at the expense of actually getting out a complete draft. There's something psychological about that achievement, however much work the piece might need. You've made it to a very definite goalpost, and once you have that first draft I find that there's more motivation to take it and turn it into a finished work. After all, you've made it that far, why not go the rest of the way and make all that effort really count? A half-finished draft, on the other hand, never seems to carry with it that same sense of obligation, especially if it doesn't yet feel like it's going anywhere.


So I find the whole NaNoWriMo concept very inspring, and it makes me want to sit down and start another book (shameless plug: my first book is on sale here). The idea that you can start at zero and in a month have a draft... well, it makes it all feel more doable. So perhaps when The Hanging of the Greens is over and I have a draft of the one-man show that needs to sit for a bit, maybe the time will be right.