Trodding the Boards Once Again...

I was an actor long before I called myself a writer.  I trained and I studied, and I'm still shelling out money to pay for graduate school, and yes I have a degree and everything that says I presumably know what I'm doing when I get up on stage.  So why haven't I gotten up on stage in ______ amount of years?  Because...well...because now I'm a writer and I don't have to.

I switched things up about ten years ago and I found as I got older, I liked being on the other side of the footlights.  I liked being behind the scenes as a writer, director, teacher and coach.  I still like it.  And sometimes I'm amazed when I recall the things I did in front of an audience.  It took a lot of courage and I suppose there was a time I felt fearless.  And then that feeling went away, and I metaphorically took out the cozy sweater with patches on the elbows, and the pipe and I sat behind my computer and wove my tales that I would allow others to tell onstage.  And I was comfortable with that.

Until now. GULP!

I have the opportunity to present a short play that I wrote a few years ago.  I love this piece.  It is so....ME.  And since it is so me, I have decided (with the director's blessing) that I will return to the stage and be part of the cast. Oy vey.  Just saying this out loud sends a flock of seagulls flapping their wings furiously inside my belly.  Do I really want to do this?  Yes.  No.  Yes. Is the return to acting just like riding a bicycle?  Yes. No. Yes.  No...I don't know.

First rehearsal is this weekend.  I'm tickled at the thought of performing again. Petrified at the thought of performing again.  But I'm going through with it.  I need to test my boundaries every now and then and push myself outside my comfort level.  That sweater with the patches is getting way too comfortable...so I'm challenging myself to return to my roots and see if the ol' gal still has it in her.

Let me know what you think.  Tell me I'm crazy.  Tell me I've lost my mind.  Or tell me to break a leg.  I would love to hear from you.

Keep Laughing If You Can...

"Comedy, is tragedy plus time."

~Woody Allen

It is very good to have a sense of humor in this life.  Otherwise, the world could really beat you down.  Translating that sense of humor into your creative life is even better.  I completely agree with Mr. Allen about the passage of time helping to illuminate the levity in certain situations.  We, as individuals, are constantly experiencing crises both large and small.  Some are of tragic proportions; others,  minor slips in the passages of our lives.

Depending upon the circumstances, we might be able to laugh at things that once seemed catastrophic.  Other times, the tragedies we have endured, can never be lightened by time.  Their memory may become bittersweet, or bring tears to our eyes, but some can often make us laugh when we recall an event we once thought was tragic and now is truly laughable.

Like the time I lied to my 2nd grade class and told them I had won a sweepstakes and I was going to have a walk-on part on a popular television show. My entire family and I were going to fly to Hollywood, California and I was going to be a star.

I basked in the attention.  I was glowing.  Until I arrived home to see my mother's stern face.  She asked me if I had something to tell her.  I said "No."  She said, "Really?  Because Mrs. Palouso called to congratulate us and wish us a safe trip to California."  Oops...Mom was pissed!

Of course, she made me go to school the next day even though I was convinced I was going to die from stomach pains.  She insisted I tell the class it was all a ruse...a flat-out lie...a call for attention.  I had made the whole thing up.  I could swear I saw my teacher smile as I copped to the truth.  I don't think my classmates were too mad.  I think they thought it was funny.  I thought it was tragic.  

But all these years later, I think it's hysterical.  I mean, let's put perspective on it, right?  At 8 years old, this was tragic.  To have to apologize to my entire 2nd grade class?  To have to stand before them and admit fraud?  I'm surprised I didn't grow up to be a politician!  But no...I am a writer.  So it's not surprising that my personal history includes making up far-fetched dramatic stories such as that one.

Comedy.  Tragedy plus time.  So if you're going through some difficulties right now, hold on.  Grin and bear it.  Because one day, you might be able to laugh at your sorrow.  And if nothing else, it might make a really good story!

phat girls

phat girls is the most personal piece I've ever written.  I never in a million years would have guessed that all these years later, it is still having major resonance for not only the women who perform the play, but the audiences who view it.

One of my former students, Chris Giordano, a senior at Pace University, was bound and determined to direct this play.  And his tenacity paid off!  Because now, in conjunction with the National Eating Disorders Association Awareness Week (February 26th-March 3rd), phat girls is going to be presented at Pace University to help commemorate NEDA's 25 years of raising awareness for these insidious disorders.

I had the pleasure of meeting the cast via Skype about a week ago, and I was so pleased and proud of these brave women who are willing to go onstage and be vulnerable and talk about things most people would rather keep hidden in the shadows.  Awareness has been raised, but the problem still very much exists in our society today among girls and women, boys and men. 

Thank you Chris for being so passionate about this project and seeing it through.  I feel so very honored and humbled!  For information regarding performances of phat girls on February 29th and March 1st, check out the listing in the New York Times. If you are in the area, I hope you are able to attend.

Stay healthy.  Stay happy.

Peace...

An Oldie but a Goodie!

I've been writing a lot lately about creativity, so I thought I would repost an entry from nearly two years ago.  It's a writing exercise that will help challenge your brain as well as being a lot of fun. 

So here is a post worth repeating; originally posted on March 29, 2010.  Enjoy!

Ernest Hemingway was once challenged to write a story in six words. His response?

"For sale: baby shoes, never used."

Wow, right? Six words was all he needed to paint a very powerful picture! So, I thought I would try this exercise and man, oh man, is it ever difficult. Sheesh! Tell a story in six words? Oy vey!

I finally wrote something that I was satisfied with. I wonder what Papa Hemingway would say? But for what it's worth, here's what I came up with:

Bankrupted woman seeks gun factory employment.

What do you think of my 6-word story?

Try it! It's very challenging...but it will give your brain a great workout. I truly believe that less is more. And I would love to hear what you come up with.

Creating...

Image by Josephine Wall

After the success of my Fertile Ground piece, I was all revved up to follow-through on another play I've been working on.  But then I got stuck.  I know why I got stuck...there are a variety of reasons.  The foremost being fear.  That's right.  I'm afraid of writing something shitty, so I wind up not writing anything at all.  That's a load of crap.  It's counter-productive.  And yet I seem to fall victim to it time and time again.  I need to get out of my head and just be and not think quite so much. Easy to say, hard to do for someone like me.

But last night my good friend Daniel, who is a musician, came over with all his equipment...keyboards, amp, microphone...the works.  And he said, "OK, let's write a song."  And I said, "I've never really done that before."  And he said, "So what?  Do it anyway."  And that's exactly what we did.  He asked me some questions about the type of song I wanted to hear, and then he laid down a melody line, and then we talked some more about the content of the song, and he started writing lyrics, and then I started writing lyrics, and lo and behold before the end of the evening, we had a pretty cool sounding song called "Lost." 

Nothing got in our way.  We wanted to create and we did.  No preconceived notions...no caring whether or not it would be good, or whether or not it would be perfect.  We just did it.  Is it a masterpiece?  Of course not.  But the lesson here is that it was all about the journey.  The journey of starting down the road of creation, and inevitably completing the journey.

I write a lot about this topic because it is what I do.  It is how I live every day.  I need to create every day.  And sometimes I think the inspiration isn't there. But you know what?  It's always there.  In the most unlikely of places.  In a friend's laugh.  Or an untuned guitar string. Or in a falafel sandwich.  Creativity is all around us.  If you can't see it, you're not looking...

Fertile Ground Festival 2012

The last 10 days of January will be a theatre-lovers dream here in Portland.  Fertile Ground is a festival of new works taking place January 19th-January 29th in venues all over town!  It is a veritable feast of theatre!

The performances range from fully-mounted productions to works-in-progress to staged readings and everything in between.  It is truly a smorgasbord of theatre delicacies and they all can be sampled by purchasing a festival pass or buying individual tickets for specific events.  Whatever you do, be sure to check out the calendar of events to find out what looks good to you.

 What a great way to kick off the new year with lots of inspiring new work from the eclectic group of artists here in Portland. I am excited to see the work of several friends who are involved with Fertile Ground.  Additionally, I am thrilled to participate in the festival this year with a reading of my short play "This is Temporary."

Nothing like a 10-day theatre festival to inspire and delight, and certainly put me in a good mood! Right on, Portland! Write on!

Just Do It...

by Paul Klee

Nike got it right when they told the world to just do it.  This can apply to everything.  When fear stops you in your tracks, take a deep breath and do it anyway.

As a writer, I face my fears everyday.  Of not being good enough...afraid that what I'm writing is crap or that I'll never have an interesting idea again.  And you know what?  I sit and face that dreaded blank page and take a deep breath and write anyway.  And you know what else?  Sometimes it's crap. So what!  You have to start somewhere.

I had the privilege of meeting local writer Sage Cohen at a writer's festival last year.  She has written an excellent article for Writer's Digest entitled "10 Ways to Harness Fear and Fuel Your Writing."  Everyone can benefit from reading this piece, whether you're a writer or not.  Art is life.  Life is art.  The process is the process no matter who you are or how you express yourself.

Thanks Sage for such sage advice (pardon the pun, but I couldn't help myself!)  Have a look at what she has to say and then go and plunk yourself down and have your way with the empty page.  Don't edit yourself...just do it!