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I have done it

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I have written a pageant. A Christmas pageant; God help us. Especially because it's going to earn me at least a million dollars. Yes. I'll tithe.

It's called Christmas P.M., like “P.M” instead of “Eve”, but something else, too. OK, here's a hint: it's a shout-out to Monstro, DH extraordinaire, who's writing his PhD comps essays all this week except when he's teaching/grading his four classes. He's superhuman.

He shrugs it off. “Can't hurt steel.” But I'm really proud of him and all he's accomplished, and continues to accomplish.

Boy-o and I were out of the house from 8:30a.m. until ten last night, except for naptime. I had an evening unstaged reading — the second Pioneer Valley reading — of Toby's play Standards of Care. It's mostly about people who are transgendered and the people who love them. Believe me when I say I play the female lead, though there's an ingenue, too. Toby is hoping to get it staged around here and although pretty much only I have read the part of Nancy, I couldn't do it on stage because there's a *really* sexy, fly-touching scene in it. And the only man I've kissed since I met Monstro (five years now) is Monstro; I don't want to, uh, blow the curve.

why not?

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Well, seeing as I've already sent plays to two contests within the past 12 hours, I figured why not make it a third? and sent Bible Study and Lindsay Lohan's Birkin to the WEST Coast Ten-Minute Play Contest, which is run through CalActors in Irvine. But then, after I put it in my mailbox, I spent a few more minutes on the Web site and found out 1) they didn't do the contest last year and 2) it doesn't look good for this year, either. So much for being Janey-on-the-spot!

Done!

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I just sent Bible Study to the National 10-Minute Play Contest in Louisville, and also sent it and Lindsay Lohan's Birkin to Live Girls! Theater in Seattle, WA for their 2008 Quickies festival of one-acts. Whoot!

last night's Lab

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… for Bible Study went totally great, probably the most excited AND insightful they've been about anything I've shared with them. They agreed with me that it should start on page three, an edit resulting in a 10-page total, the most allowed for either contest (I'm entering two this season).

Lab members were very helpful about differentiating the hero/villain with a distinct body movement, which was actually left out of my first draft (the prophets of Baal do this hobble-step dance), so that was easy enough. And although just one person understood the ending, we figured out how to expand and clarify it. I do not want the audience to be left in the dark when the houselights come up.

Toby raised the point that it's hard to effectively stage a two-scene one-act, but I stand firm behind that choice. It will give the audience ten seconds to internalize what they just saw, and lets the actors take a breath before spending the second scene unpacking and paying off the first scene. Toby also gave me an amazing joke that fits right in and will get the biggest laugh of the show; thanks, dude.

Think ten-minute Godot, but with happenings.

To have a religion play fly in a room with at least one Jew, one unschooled, a U.C.C.er, a Methodist, etc. is, in my mind, a good thing. Who am I kidding? I'm stoked.

Time to edit and send it out: one's due Nov. first, one on Nov. 15th. In the meanwhile, if you want to read it or maybe produce Motormouth's new one-act play, Bible Study, or her Humana Contest finalist Lindsay Lohan's Birkin, send an e-mail via www.motormouth.com. Thank you very much!

Lynne asked me last night, “where do you get the time?” I told her that I always feel like when a really good idea hits me, I'm obligated to write it down as immediately as possible or never get another idea ever again. “Yee haw,” says The Boy!