New Projects!

With the new school year (our Fall programming at work starts today) come so many new opportunities! I'll be working on a year-long project at work, as well as embarking on some extra-curricular projects.

This year, I'm going to dramaturg Speak-Out On Stage (SOOS) Sr. again, this time with a new director & playwright. Auditions were awesome--it looks like we'll have a great team of 11 seventh-twelfth graders. Rehearsals start tomorrow evening.

I'm also meeting some folks from The Inkwell, a company that encourages new play development, and provides programming for directors, playwrights, and dramaturgs. I'm starting work on a new play in a couple of weeks, and I'm hoping to go to a couple of master classes.

AND! The study guide for our first show of the season, Ferdinand the Bull, should be up on the web within the week. Lots of new things a-brewin'!

Filling in the Gaps

I did it: I've officially committed to filling in the gaps of my literary education. I've made a list of the 100 books I'm reading over the next five years--you can find them over on the sidebar there. There's only one non-fiction book on the list (Julia Child's My Life in France), so I'll probably be reading books other than those on the list, as well. I've never read any of these books, and I'm really excited to be doing so. Just the kick in the ass I need to re-up my fiction-reading.

I'm starting with The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. It's great so far!

I'm Back!

Hello from the fuuuuuuturrrre! OK, no, not really, but it has been about 7 months since I last blogged, so let's chalk this up to a new beginning.

I have some new dramaturgy/writing projects coming up, and I'm excited to start blogging about them. And there's too much good food being cooked and consumed at our place (and outside of the apartment) to miss mention.

And also, I'm seriously thinking about joining the Fill in the Gaps 100 Project. In my post-grad school life, I've veered a little bit from reading as many books as I'd like to. With this project, I'd make a list of 100 books I feel like I need to read, and vow to have them finished in five years. I'm really excited at this prospect, and will keep you posted on my progress...including when I'm actually starting!

Happy reading; I'll see you again soon.

Updates

We've been doing some great work on the SOOS project (still as yet untitled), and we're almost ready to present a final script! The kids have a draft to work with in rehearsals, but they need to start memorizing soon, and we're hoping they'll have the finished product in their hands next week.

It's been a labor of love for the two facilitators, and I'm so glad to have been a part of the process--and to continue to be part of the process. Over Winter vacation, Meg and Diane worked hard to compile the kids' words into a script with an actual arc, and I helped them out by reading pieces along the way and giving critiques, as well as making myself available for meetings. We sat in the boardroom at work, markers poised on the whiteboard, making notes and hashing scenes out.

We were in a very good place when the kids got their scripts for the first time last week, and it's so interesting to listen to a table read for the first time. I came away with two pages of dramaturgical notes, which Meg shared with the kids in their next rehearsal. We're still working through them, in order to make concrete decisions.

Most of my dramaturgical work has been with existing scripts, and it's been so interesting to work on a new script, particularly since it's a devised piece in an educational setting. The show goes up in mid-March, and I'm looking forward to continuing with the process!

Here it is, folks. It's funny and inside joke-y, but the truth is that theatres and arts organizations all over the country are struggling right now. Donate to your favorite arts organization when you can.

Happy New Year!

Hope you enjoyed! Have a great 2009.