Back Again!

Hello Everyone!  After an 18 month absence from blogging, I've decided to pick up where I left off.  Hopefully, if you were following in the past, you'll join me again.  If you're new to the blog, well, this is a great time to drop by and see what's up after my very long hiatus.

I'm honestly not sure why I stopped. I really love blogging. The last post was New Year's Eve 2012 and I thought I might take a break for a month or so.  And then I guess I got really busy.  Yeah.  It's not like I was twiddling my thumbs thinking, "Nah...I've got nothin' to say.  Not gonna write a blog post today."  On the contrary.  I think I got too busy and one month off turned into 18!  Yowza!  Time sure does know how to fly, fly, fly!

So what has been going on, you might ask?  Well...I've been doing what I do.  New plays have been written, new shows have been directed, new classes taught and I just keep on truckin' baby, and marching to the beat of my own drummer.  

The day I decided to return to the blog, there was an interesting turn of events.  I came home from a meeting and was having a little lunch when I heard this gurgling sound.  I looked in the kitchen sink.  Nothin'.  Went back to my sandwich.  Heard the gurgle again.  As I walked down the hallway I realized I was sloshing in a pool of water.  My shower was gushing like a geyser and it wasn't stopping anytime soon.  The bathroom mats were already floating about and the water was making it's way out of the bathroom and down the hallway into the bedroom and living room.

I quickly called my landlord who thankfully responded immediately.  The water was about 2 inches by the time the gushing seemed to stop.  I was flooded.  Scrambling to pick up electrical wires and everything else that was on the floor and in the path of the wetness, the first thing I grabbed was my computer.  Computer equals life!  Oh, did I mention that I had a pounding headache and my throat was on fire and all I wanted to do was take a nap?  Yeah, there was that too.

Cause:  There was blockage in the pipes.  Luckily it wasn't sewer water coming up from the drain.  If it had been, I wouldn't be laughing about this now.  (Am I laughing now?) My landlord was awesome.  Helped me hang all my rugs to dry and even threw my bathroom mats and towels in the washing machine for me.  I took off for the weekend and spent my time recuperating at my partner's house. (Yes, I have a partner now--13 months and going strong!) I came home 3 days later; the rugs were dry, the floors were dry and there was no mildew smell as I had kept the windows open and left the fans running the entire time I was gone.

So what is this watery metaphor?  I was purged?  My apartment was baptized?  I've been cleansed?  Oh, we could go on forever with this.  But needless to say, it's time to start fresh.  Time to start new.  Wash away the old and press forward.  I'm back to blogging.  It feels very, very good.  If it took a flooded apartment to get me back here, so be it.  I met amazing people the last time I was blogging.  I hope to meet them again and more.  I hope you'll stay for the ride! 

If you've been here before, drop me a comment; I'd love to hear from you.  If you're just finding me now, I'd love to know that too!  

Happy New Year!

2012 was a pretty good year.  No complaints. Excited to see what's in store. I started last year with one of my favorite quotes for the New Year, so I thought I'd do it again.  Happy New Year Everyone!  Wishing Peace, Love, Health, Prosperity and a Damn Good Time to all!!

"We will open the book.

Its pages are blank.

We are going to put words on them ourselves.

The book is called Opportunity

and its first chapter is New Year's Day."

~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Winding Down the Year

And suddenly it's December!  Yowza...where did this year go?  I've been so immersed in multiple projects that I turned around and realized I was looking down my nose at the holiday season.  2013 is just around the corner, and I'm  already filling my plate for the new year.  I am grateful!

And now it's time to write a play.  I've received commissions 3 years in a row now to write plays dealing with a variety of social issues.  The topics have included climate change, bullying and prescription drug abuse.  Now I'm working on a play that deals with dating violence among teens.  It has not been a pleasant subject to research, but it's a pervasive problem in our society and I'm doing my best to write a relevant and provocative piece.

This holiday month will find me hunkered down in my favorite coffee spot, hovering over my laptop and attempting to put words on paper for a first draft.  Ideas are surging; I just need to get out of my own way and WRITE!

Midway through the month, I will find the time to ring in some holiday cheer as I host my 2nd annual holiday party with a glorious group of amazing friends.  But then I'm immediately back to filling up the blank pages.  Not an easy feat, but an occupational hazard nevertheless.  I'm actually looking forward to the process.  I've been so busy teaching and directing this fall, this is the first time in a few months that I have the opportunity to work on my own playwrighting project.  It always starts off stressful, but once I get underway, it can be joyful (when it's not painful, of course!)

Happy Holiday friends!  As 2012 winds down, be good to yourselves, be good to others and replenish and refresh for a brand new year ahead!

Ephemory

It's all about the play I'm directing these days, folks.  Ephemory written by Miriam Feder opens Friday, November 9th.

Heading into tech week and the countdown has begun.  Wanted to share an article from The Oregonian about Miriam, me and the show.  Click here to read the interview.

That's all for now.  Once the show opens, I'll be back to blogging regularly. I hope.

If you're in Portland, I hope to see you at the theater!

It's Fall!

And what a bountiful fall it is!  The weather has been perfect here in the Pacific Northwest, and since I haven't written since August 1st, it may be clear that I have been one busy lass!  Thank you Universe! Busy is good!

I am blessed to be doing everything I love to do.  I am teaching, writing, and directing a lovely new work by playwright Miriam Feder.  I was fortunate enough to celebrate a fun-filled birthday with a group of fantastic friends. I was surrounded by great food, lots of love and laughter and 2 birthday cakes!  It was a grand evening!

And now for the plug of shameless self-promotion!  

Opening November 9th at the Headwaters Theatre and running 3 weekends is "Ephemory" a new play by Miriam Feder and directed by yours truly. "Ephemory" is a coming of age/falling through age story about memory, legacy, family, immigration, war and love. Tickets are on sale now, so if you're in the Portland area in November, please come out and see this heart-warming piece of theatre.

After the show opens, I'll be concentrating on writing 2 new plays of my own based upon commissions I received this past summer.  Yes indeed, I am one busy woman, but so very grateful for all the opportunities that have opened up for me.  If you don't hear from me until December, you'll know why, but I will try to blog again soon!

Thanks to all for reading and for your support.  Have a wonderful fall everyone!

It's a Quiet Thing...

Today was a long day.  Taught a lot of little kids a little about acting.  Then I taught some older kids a lot about acting.  And because it was the last day of class for my older students, their parents came in to watch them strut their stuff.  It wasn't a performance; it was a presentation.  Extremely informal.  But they played some theater games and did some monologues, and they had fun and the parents were pleased because their children were laughing.  Sometimes it isn't easy teaching a lot to a little kid, or teaching a little to an older kid, but it's always worth it.

When I got home, I had a large piece of mail.  It was the new 10-minute play anthology published by Smith and Kraus entitled The Best 10-Minute Plays 2011 edited by Lawrence Harbison.  One of my plays is included in this anthology.  Yes, I knew it was coming, but frankly I forgot.  And I will never get over the thrill of holding a book in my hand, and seeing my name in print.  


So here I am, holding the new anthology, skimming through it, feeling very pleased that more of my written work is out in the world, and the lyrics to the Kander & Ebb song came floating through my mind:

"When it all comes true

Just the way you planned

It's funny but the bells don't ring,

It's a Quiet Thing..."

I've been getting a lot of accolades lately.  That will never get old.  I've been getting positive feedback for my writing, my teaching, and now, on this day, I am holding in my hand something tangible that makes it all worthwhile.  It's not earth-shattering...the world won't change because of it.  But it's mine. It's my little success story.  And yes, it's a quiet thing.  But it's also an incredibly satisfying thing! 

Thanks for letting me share this with you!

JAW 2012: A Playwright's Festival

I am delighted and excited for the upcoming JAW Festival at Portland Center Stage.

JAW focuses on the playwright and on new work and last year was my first time experiencing the festival.  It was fantastic. And the admission is free.  So it's a theater-lovers dream!

And this year...well, my friends, this year, I am privileged to be a part of the festival.

To kick off the festivities, there will be the Made in Oregon Festival where 8 Oregon playwrights (including myself) were commissioned to write a short play based on the theme Just Add Water (JAW). That event takes place at 8pm on Thursday, July 26th.  If you're in town, come on down to the Gerding Theatre.  It's going to be a real treat to see what these 8 playwrights have concocted!

And then, for the remainder of the weekend, from Friday, July 27th through Sunday, July 29th, there will be readings of  six brand new full-length plays by some amazing playwrights.  Click here for the full schedule of readings.  

There will also be plays written by the Promising Playwrights.  These are high school students who participated in the Visions and Voices program through PCS (which was taught by the fantastic Matt Zrebski and myself).  These short plays written by these extraordinary young writers will be featured prior to some of the full-length readings.

Be sure to check out this terrific festival if you're in Portland July 26th through July 29th.  I'll be there.  Come say hello!