Petrograd Awaits

I've submitted Kiltartan Cross. Whatever happens, it'll get directed by someone interested in collaborating. Whether or not that's through IMF is someone else's decision to make.

At the moment, I'm trying to design an independent study course around Lenin's sealed train to Russia. I think I can sell it pretty well, and I'm kind of obsessed with the concept, but it's gonna be an ass-ton of reading. I've already identified 7 texts I'm going to start with.

History!

I've been a little inspired by Tom and Jeremy's historical play on the late-1930's Munich Post writers. I'm toying with doing a historical play of my own, most likely some telling of the Congress of Vienna of 1815, because Charles Maurice de Talleyrand is a stone-cold baddass.

Next Full-Length

Now that Once More has reached a near-final state, I figure I'll start brainstorming my next full-length. I'm getting closer and closer to identifying myself as "a playwright", in that I'm starting to feel like I need to be working on something at any given time.

I want my next play to be much more lighthearted than my last two. Once More is dramatic, and The Florentine was tragicomic, so I think I'm going to play around with a more farcical comedy. Again, I'll be using this blog to think out loud, and to work through roadblocks.

I think this next show will, again, be some metatheatre. I'm thinking in terms of a production that goes terribly awry due to backstage developments. This means the play within the play will need to be one very well-known, so the audience can pick up on points of departure. This will most likely end up being Shakespeare, probably Romeo + Juliet.

However, if I use Shakespeare, it needs to be an adaptation, specifically for only 4 or 5 actors. I'm leaning towards 4. This way, we get a lot of the farcical entrances and exits and quick costume changes.

The main source of real conflict, I think, will be a love triangle among the actors, with the fourth actor being the only decent person in the cast, but the one all the awful things happen to.

Thought: if the 'outsider' member of the cast plays Romeo? Then, the only person not involved in the conflict involving Juilet is Romeo.

I'm going to work on a plot structure for this, soon. I'll post it when I'm done.

EDIT: I've decided I don't particularly like this idea. It's a little too close to Kiss Me Kat (a play I don't like) and the work required doesn't match the emotional payoff.

The Silent Scene

Right. Here's my dialogue-free scene:

Nighttime. A motel room. BEN, a middle-aged man with a greying beard, is sitting on the edge of the bed. He’s been kept waiting for quite a while. He fidgets, checks his watch. Headlights shine through the windows. BEN gets up and walks quickly to the blinds drawn over the window and peeks through them. Whatever he expected to see, this isn’t it. He sits back down on the bed and flicks on the television. He watches restlessly for a minute or so before another set of headlights sweep across the blinds. BEN turns off the TV and quickly stands, rooted to the spot. For a long beat, nothing happens, but just as BEN is starting to relax, three sharp knocks are heard. BEN takes a few deep breaths, and walks slowly to the door and opens it. RICK is standing in the doorway, silhouetted by the headlamps of his car. BEN is not at all happy to see RICK. RICK is dressed smartly, and walks in without waiting for an invitation of any kind. As soon as his back is to BEN, BEN tackles RICK hard around the middle and pins him to the ground. RICK reaches for his coat pocket, but BEN grabs his hand and wrenches it behind RICK’s back. BEN reaches into RICK’s pocket, expecting to find a gun, but instead there is only a small, wrinkled photograph. Upon seeing the picture, BEN, in shock, releases RICK, who slowly stands and dusts himself off while BEN stares at the photo, stunned. BEN looks up at RICK in horror, and RICK motions for BEN to turn the photo over. Written on the back is a phone number. Numb, BEN dials the number on the motel phone while RICK calmly adjusts his tie and looks around the room. BEN doesn’t talk, merely listens to the voice on the other end of the line, occasionally offering a “uh-huh” or “mm-hmm”. BEN hangs up, turns to RICK, and nods. RICK tosses an envelope from his coat pocket to BEN. RICK lights a cigarette as BEN stares dumbly at the unopened envelope. BEN looks up at RICK, who blows smoke in his face as he counts off five hundred-dollar bills from a roll kept in his pocket. RICK looks at BEN, counts off three more bills, and tosses them on the bed. RICK exits. BEN stares at the envelope before walking to the phone and dialing a different number.

Fin

New Writing Assignment

Right, I know I've been bad at this. But I'm trying, Pops, I really am. Anyway, I've got an assignment for Playwriting class: write a scene that involves no dialogue in any way, shape, or form. We can use music, but the music must be devoid of lyrics. So, I'm gonna try 'thinking aloud', so to speak.

One possibility is a domestic abuse scene, the husband leaving for work in the morning. A lot of tension, lots of communication through glares and body language. On the downside, it feels a little overdramatic and depressing, and I want to have diversity of style, not just depressing bullshit.

Another would be a scene inspired by Le Samourai's opening ten minutes, sort of a deal being carried out without words being spoken.

A more humorous silent scene would involve music, sort of a man going through his morning routine, grooving to the music. When the music screeches to a halt, so does he. He doesn't quite know what's up, just that something's gone wrong.

At the moment, I think I like the Le Samourai variant. I'll work on that a little.