Saturday, May 26, 2007

May Day Play Day: noodling

Okay, it's 11:20pm and I'm back home from the theatre. I got to meet my actors and director, all of whom are fairly young, in their 20s. Promising bunch. The actors each did a monologue for us, which was helpful. I've got one who can speak Italian, another can play guitar, and a third can stand on her head, box, and speak French. Hm. I remembered to bring my camera and took photos and short videos of each, which is very helpful. Once the actors left, the playwrights spent time poking around the space, looking at props and entrances/exits.

The item we were given for inspiration is a Salvador Dali image--melting clocks on a dessert and beach. Hm.

I have until 8am to come up with a script, and I'm supposed to meet with my director at 9, the actors at 9:30.

Right now I only have a few pretty vague ideas and no definite characters in my head just yet. There are a bunch of props that I really like--empty liquor bottles, a box of umbrellas, a fishing pole, cinder blocks, a ladder, that have caught my interest. For some reason, water is really on my mind, though that seems to be awfully serious, and I'd prefer something comic. I have an idea floating around in my head, about islands and stranding and floods, but I'm worried that it all leads to a very static stage, so I'm resisting.

I figure I need to actually be typing pages by midnight and better have most of a play by 2am or 3am. This is a very frightening thought.

I've got a can of Red Bull in the fridge, two dark chocolate candy bars (already ate one), and a loaf of bread for PB&J.

Time to go stare at the blank screen for a while.

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