October, 1996.
Still rehearsing NaziBoy at Broom Street theater.
Getting bolder.
Getting cockier.
Getting an idea.
I tell Joel that I can do a neat blood effect for the show.
Joel gives no answer that could be considered a postive comment.
With Joel Gersmann, you can't talk in concepts. He's got to see it, or it doesn't exist, and he forgets quickly.
I tell Bob Mocerro, who tells me, "just do it. He'll never even consider it unless you do it. That's the only way he'll belive it's real."
Will you help me show him, Bob?
"Oh, sure. This is gonna be fun."
The next day, Bob gets Joel's attention before the rehearsal.
Joel is cranky (like he's ever anything else), but the rest of the cast is interested, so he sits on the bleachers, and says:
"Okay, show me."
Bob?
Bob walks over to me.
Kneel, Bob, I say.
He does.
Bob: Tongue.
Bob sticks out his tongue as far as he can.
I pull out a straight razor.
I slice open Bob's tongue.
Blood sprays in a yard long stream, as Bob winces--there's so much fake blood coming out of the pump that Bob is surprised by it. His wince sells the bit even further.
This is a moment I will treasure forever.
The look on everyone's faces: Grossed out, yelling, applauding, laughing, screaming.
Joel is the most grossed out of them all.
He runs up to me, laughing.
"Can you get me eight of those knives?"
A week later he cuts the scene.
Part 4: That's Not A Fatal Wound.
Well, okay, he doesn't really cut the scene so much as he just never discusses it again.
This is another way things happen in a Joel Gersmann show.
You just sort of do or don't do things.
I have already improvised one more gunshot in the show than he has told me to do--I'm just sort of in the moment and it happens--but I figure he'll just tell me not to do it.
He never does.
This is often how you find out when Joel likes things you do. When he doesn't tell you.
The rehearsal goes on. Some general incidents:
One night there is an arguement between one member of the cast and the rest of us, in regard to the jewish dance we're all doing, or trying to do. I suggest that instead of jumping up and down as we dance in a circle, that it should be more of a walk.
The actor in question throws a hissy fit over this, and we have to take a break.
I show up late to one rehearsal, to discover that Joel has kept everybody from rehearsing until I get there--just so he can send them home when I finally arrive.
I invite a friend to the rehearsal, Rebecca Rosenak, and Joel responds back with, "It's okay for now, but if anyone else comes through that door that I don't know, they're red meat!"
Joel tells us that we will all be playing furniture in one scene. I offer to be the bear rug, thinking that this will be the easiest job. As I lie on my back, Joel tells me that that is not how bear rug lie. He changes it to me laying face down. With my eyes and mouth open.
Joel has a problem with Dan Konar's performance as Pastor Wessel, Horst Wessel's father. He has Konar do the scene repeatedly, forcing him to go offstage and come back on each time. One of the times, I have him throw me out the curtain, like in a western. Joel is not amused.
After taking a day to think about it, Joel decides the solution to Konar's performance is to cut all of the verbs out of all of his lines, so a typical line sounds like this: "Hitler. Germany. Now! I! Prayer!"
One rehearsal, Joel never shows up. He instead sends Konar to the theater with a note, telling us that the previous rehearsal "demoralized" him. We decide to rehearse anyway. Rick Vorndran tells me that this is standard operating procedure for Joel: he always refuses to come to at least one rehearsal. And things always go much smoother on the night when he's not there.
We open.
It's a show that hits audiences--for Gersmann, this is The Old Stuff. The heat is back, I tell people.
Callen Harty (who I don't really know all that well at this point) comes up to me and hugs me after the show, saying, "Ohhhh...beautiful."
One night, I have a sore throat so bad that I can barely talk--my bartender character sounds suspiciously like Moe The Bartender from The Simpsons. My lines end up being divided up amongst the cast. Rick Vorndran tells me that with hard work, we can completely erase any cast member.
Another night, my cousin Takeo comes into town all the way from New Jersey. Because of the flight schedule, I can't meet him at the airport, so the first time he sees me is when I come on stage.
He hasn't seen my hair yet.
I treasure that look on Takeo's face in my darkest hours.
Dan Konar and I start a before-show tradition: A freestyle human beatbox riff, loud enough for the audience to hear, which we call The Hitler Rap. Konar starts calling me "MC Sheeta." My new album, he says, will be called "Sheeta Ice."
During a car ride to Joel's house, Joel tells me that he never wants to do another Nazi show again. He later adds that he wants to do a show called "A Very Nazi Christmas." I react by telling him that I stand a better chance of not using guns in my writing than he does of not writing another Nazi play.
Think of your Japanese audience, man, I say. You should do other shows about other fascism in World War II.
"Like what?"
How about "Yoshi's Heroes?" Or "Leave It Toshiba?"
Joel laughs so hard he's near tears as I continue to crack him up.
On closing night, I get a little trigger happy. Joel's paying for the blanks--and he loves them. For the first time, I'm getting to fire my own guns on stage.
An actor--the same one who threw the hissy fit--tell me not to shoot so much, since the shell casings get all over and it's very loud when I shoot him.
I respond by popping two Beretta replicas off 22 times in under three seconds. I time it.
Another scene, where I'm supposed to shoot Konar offstage, goes something like this:
"Please! Don't kill me! No--"
BLAM!
"Ow, my kneecap!"
BLAM!
"Ow, my other kneecap!"
BLAM!
"Ow, that's not a fatal wound!"
BLAM! BLAM-BLAM-BLAM-BLAM-BLAM!!!"
"That'll do it!"
It gets a laugh.
Our last form of defiance comes at the end of the show, when we come out for a curtain call. Joel never does curtain calls. He doesn't believe in them.
We do ours singing "Deutschland, Uber Alles" to the tune of "On, Wisconsin." The lyrics fit better than you'd think.
After the show closes, Joel comes up to me.
"I want to do your show."
My show?
"Yoshi's Heroes! I can't do it. But you can! Do you want to direct during the 1998 season?"
Uh...
"We'll talk. It'll be like one of those mobster movies where we sit in a hot tub, smoking cigars! Do you want to do it?"
Yes. Yeah!
"Since you're our first minority director, do you mind if I play the race card?"
Vroom, vroom, baby.
Vroom, vroom.
(and for a special bonus prize, click here.)
posted by Rob on 8:22 AM |
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[ Monday, January 21, 2002 ]
I mentioned last week that Doug Reed read and critiqued "Welcome To The Terror Dome."
Here's what he emailed me:
This is an incoherent set of first thoughts based on a first read of "Welcome To The Terror Dome". I'd polish them more, but the good people of Wisconsin expect some work out of me today, and I hate to disappoint them. They've been through so much, what with Joe McCarthy and all.
Okay, I'll be upfront. I didn't like it. Which is not to say that it's not a well-crafted play, which it is. And I pictured Casey as Almo and Steve as Ives - for that extra-creepy touch. I had a visceral negative reaction to the setup, which only got stronger the farther I read. It's a horrifying play - in the moral and ethical sense of the word horror. The moral revulsion is stronger than the "thriller" aspect. Which is an acheivement considering that we've all seen "Misery", "Extremities", etc... So while we've all seen horrible acts committed to hostages, the sheer vacuum of reason or purpose is a real horror. Your play begs the question "What kind of society makes these kind of kids", and then slaps you upside the head with the answer "THE SOCIETY YOU LIVE IN RIGHT NOW, ASSHOLE".
I hate the characters. Polly, I don't know much about her except some biographical info and the fact that she's in this horrible situation. The kids don't even have the sense that Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold had. [It's here that Doug discusses aspects of the ending]
So, while I think it would be compelling viewing, it's not something I "want" to see. Keep in mind that I'm more of a Noel Coward kind of guy than a David Mamet kind of guy.
I emailed him back:
I want to talk more about this, but I'm in the same boat, job-wise.
Two quick things, though:
1) Thanks (and I don't mean that dismissively) for your honesty-it's an extreme script, and I'm getting tired of "yeah, I really liked it" comments.
2) I actually agree with what you're saying-but I also think that those are positive observations for anyone who would "want" to see this (all 3 of them).
He replied:
Keep in mind that what I "want" to see has been severely warped by parenthood. Given one or two nights a month to go out, I usually want to see something along the lines of My Fair Friggin' Lady, where I can just hum a couple of catchy goddamn tunes and go home. I'm not sure what this has done to my once-impeccable taste.
More later.
So we talked a bit about it...and he had some really good suggestions and input--considering it's not really his thing. So far, what I've been liking about all the comments is that no one has complaied yet that it moved too slow, or that it's boring.
More when I hear from more people.
This is Mario twins. They look the same. I would say to them "you want ice cream cone?" They both say click here.
Shiggeti Shiggeti Shwa.
posted by Rob on 4:31 PM |
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[ Sunday, January 20, 2002 ]
Saturday's Wisconsin State Journal had Nadine Goff's review is out for Mercury Players' Computers In Love!
Oh, boy.
Oh, boy.
I'm really looking forward to this episode of...
(in which critics' mistakes are my piss-takes.)
Let's jump right in with the first paragraph:
For you Nadine Goff fans out there, the Fat-Ass-Dictionary Word for this review is tumult.
Okay, here's where she totally misses the point and rips apart "Sonata For Internet," the show I directed and Doug Reed wrote:
Um.
Okay, but she doesn't even mention the cast. What's up with that?
Oh.
(Wow, you know a critic likes it when they credit my dog puppet. By name.)
Okay, but now she's gonna totally rip apart "Tech," the show I wrote:
Oh.
I read a phrase like "Matsushita masterpiece" and my Ironic Detachment Generator gets all gooshy.
Uh...so she goes on:
Huh.
Well.
Ahem.
Uh...yeah.
Okay, I know what you're thinking.
"He's lot gonna let Nadine Goff off the hook just because she positively reviewed both of the shows with his name on it, is he?"
Well...
He is.
Oh, just click here and leave me alone, willya?!?
posted by Rob on 9:18 AM |
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[ Saturday, January 19, 2002 ]
This morning. 8:30 am.
What's that number? Oh, yeah...244-8338...
(dial, dial dial...)
(ring, ring, ring...)
(ring, ring, ring...)
"Hello?"
Joel?
"Yeah?"
It's Rob. I just wanted the time of the director's meeting.
"You want to what?"
The time of the meeting. When is it?
"Ten thirty."
Ten thirty?
"Yeah."
Okay, wasn't sure if it was ten or ten thirty.
"No. Ten thirty."
Okay. Thanks, Joel.
"Yeah, ten thirty. The twenty-sixth. See ya."
CLICK.
Hmm.
Hey, wait a minute.
(dial, dial, dial...)
(ring, ring, ring...)
(ring, ring, ring...)
CLICK-LUNK: "Hi! Joel Gersmann isn't here, but let me tell you what's going on down at Broom Street Theater...(CLICK) Hello?"
Joel? Me again. Did you just say the twenty-sixth?
"Yeah."
Because I have on my calendar that it's today.
"No, that's impossible."
That's what I have here. It's been here for months.
"Who told you that it was today?"
You did.
"No."
But I've had it on my calendar here.
"What day of the week is the twenty-sixth?"
It's a Saturday--
"Then it has to be then. We had to move everything around Q's schedule."
I've always had here that it's today.
"Who told you that?"
You did. And Scott.
"Scott told you that?"
You told me that.
"No."
I've had this on my calendar for months.
"I never would have said that. It's always been the twenty-sixth."
This is the first I'm hearing that.
"No, it's the twenty-sixth."
Then we have a problem. I work that day.
"That's a Saturday."
Nevertheless. I'm working.
"Well, we'll be meeting until noon, what's the big deal?"
I work from eight thirty to twelve thirty, Joel, I'm not gonna be able to make it.
"What is this, the bank job?"
Yes. The bank job. I work then. I changed around my whole schedule just to free up today.
"Well, I don't know what to tell you..."
So, I can't make the meeting. I'm sorry.
"Maybe it's something about the way I give out information, I don't know, but it's always been the twenty-sixth."
Okay, Joel.
"Sorry. I guess we'll have to do it without you."
I guess so.
"Goodbye."
Bye.
CLICK.
posted by Rob on 9:13 AM |
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[ Friday, January 18, 2002 ]
The Isthmus review is out for Mercury Players' Computers In Love.
To celebrate, I'd like to start a new segment called (da-da-da-tah!!):
(in which we critique the critics)
The critic is somebody new: Lue Allen. Or, at least, I will assume this person is new.
Here's a clip:
Slightly hackneyed open, but what are you going to do? The last sentence ("tempting to attempt too much") is a bit clunky--like Allen is trying to burn a few words before forming a real thought-out opinion.
And now, ladies and gentlemen...Doug Reed's reaction:
I don't know what the hell "overcomplicated" means. Either you can follow it, or you can't. From the review, it seems as though s/he followed it. (What the hell kind of name is Lue?) I'm not going to pander and spoon feed the message. Maybe "overcomplicated" means, "I had to do some thinking".
Indeed. Critics in town are loathe to have to figure anything out on their own.
What's strange about this is that Allen spends a deal of time on "Sonata," more or less praising it, but then pulls out just short of recommending it. Allen seems to get it, but never mentions whether or not the "overcomplicated" nature of the piece sinks it.
Allen goes on:
And so on.
What's interesting is that all of these other shows get a brief mention, but Sonata's clip takes up almost the same amount of space.
I'd like to think that this is because it was the most thought-provoking (reason enough for praise), but really, it's probably because Allen just ran out of room.
No real complaints, here, it seems to be a positive review, for the most part--but it's hard to tell.
Still, good first effort.
In other news, Doug Reed sent me his initial reaction to "Welcome To The Terror Dome," which, to boil it down, was a strong, virceral, ultimately negative reaction--which I'm cool with. He and I are going to talk about that tonight some more, but I will say that pretty much all of his points are valid: The characters are unlikable, and the story is disturbing.
This, admittedly, has been bothering me from the beginning--does that aspect sink it?
Diplomatically, he pointed out that his sense of style is more quirky and light--and mine is a whole lot darker.
We'll schmooze, we'll both feel better.
And now, click here for the most horrifying sights 1971 had to offer.
posted by Rob on 6:52 AM |
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[ Wednesday, January 16, 2002 ]
I saw the review that The Capital Times' Debra Neff Nathans wrote for Mercury Players' Computers In Love.
Some excerpts:
Which is pretty neat. A lot of people have been complimenting me on the show I wrote...which makes me feel bad as well as good, because I feel like if I accept the compliment, then I'm turning my back on the show I directed.
Anyway, then she said:
I should probably note at this point that I've been reviewed by Neff Nathans before.
Now, to be fair, she has liked everything I've done but one show--Meeting Jerry Springer--which she disliked so much that she felt the need to slam it again in her review for my next show.
I wish I could find the copy of that review, actually, so you could see what I'm talking about.
But she saw a really bad performance--arguably the worst performance of the run. It was a night where we were missing the actor who ran camera (Scott Feiner), and as a result, I ended up doing it--my own dumb idea--which ended up seriously hindering the show.
See, I was in the show as the "producer," and it was my job to keep things moving, and basically "direct" the improv as it happened.
When I was only half-involved, the show went spiralling out of control--what normally would have been a half hour improv turning into almost an hour and a half--and it wasn't funny or interesting. The audience (which included not only Neff, but the mother of a one of Jerry Springer's real-life crew, and my dad) was bored.
Anyway, back to the Computers In Love review:
Okay, let me be the first to point out that it is by no means the longest play in the show. I'd also like to point out that she does get the point of the piece--but doesn't get that we meant it.
She also compares it to another play in the show, called "Chat Room." Doug Reed, writer of "Sonata For Internet," (who Neff Nathans' never credited in the review) says this to that:
As a side note, I have come up with several ways that "Chat Room" and "Sonata For Internet" are "simliar in style and content"...
1) Both take place in the same theatre.
2) Both make frequent use of English words such as the, of, to, in, and and.
3) Both feature carbon-based mammals in leading roles.
4) Both take place in an oxygen-rich atmosphere capable of sustaining life. (At least, this is true of Chat Room's first ten minutes.)
5) The law of gravity is in effect for both shows.
Okay, so back to Neff Nathan's review of Springer. Since that show was about 60% improv, she said in the review that she suspected that I did it that way so that I didn't have to write as much of a script.
Um, no.
In fact, I had to write nearly three times as much script as I normally would have had to for a regular show.
What's really dumb is that hers was the only negative review for that show--all the other critics raved about it.
So, I did the only mature thing...I named a character in Irish Lesbian Vampire 2 after her and killed her. For those of you who've seen the show, it was "Sister Neff," the nun who gets her tongue sliced in half and is then forced to go down on a female vampire.
Yes, yes, I know.
That show I expected to get panned--I pretty much named every character who gets killed after a critic in town. But I did play fair--I included critics who've never reviewed me and even some who have reviewed me favorably.
But, yeah, I was pretty much daring them to slam me.
After that, I was pretty okay with it. While I disagree with Neff Nathans often, and gleefully acknowledge her time-to-time blunders (she once complained about what she thought was a local reference to the Capital Building in a production of Sweeney Todd--without taking into account that the play is sort of set in London, and that there might be more than one dome-shaped building in the world) I will say that I do respect that she does pay to see every show she goes to, doesn't annouce herself like some critics do, and never engages the artists one-on-one. Plus, you can actually tell whether or not she likes a show (Nadine Goff, take note).
Oh, yeah, and if any theater critics are reading this now, be aware of one thing when you come and review my next show:
Yes, I am watching you. I am checking to see if you actually enjoy the show. Because some reviewers--and I'm talking to you, Jessica Berson--will see a show, laughing and enjoying it...and then slam it in the review.
My friend Bill Hagen (who also didn't really like or understand Meeting Jerry Springer) once said that reviews are kind of pointless in the scheme of things--that if you don't find worth in the bad reviews then you shouldn't pay attention to the good ones either. To this I say:
1) Good point.
and
2) Jesus, cheer up, dude.
Although, really, Doug Reed put it best, when he said:
Neff is a slack-jawed, six-toed, drooling moron.
I'll get off my high horse about critics when I meet one who can write better than I can.
Of course, that's just my opinion, and I'm never wrong.
Hey, you! Don't click that--click this.
posted by Rob on 11:04 AM |
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[ Tuesday, January 15, 2002 ]
So last weekend I went to the Sunday performance of Mercury Players' Computers In Love. I brought my digital camera, for the purpose of taking pictures of the cast and putting them up here, but in typical Rob Matsushita-fashion, the battery decided to suddenly be out of power when the show started and I didn't think to bring the AC adaptor.
Argh.
At any rate, I'm gonna be on WORT 89.9 FM today at 7:30 pm for an interview on the show Creative Agenda. So if you live in the Madison area, listen in, or tape it, or create a dance mix from my annoying voice.
"Do you expect me to talk?"
"No, Mister Bond, I expect you to click here."
posted by Rob on 11:28 AM |
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[ Monday, January 14, 2002 ]
I got some more script notes on "Welcome To The Terror Dome" from some friends.
Brandon, one of my co-workers read it and told me he "couldn't put it down," so that's cool.
Another friend (a fellow WilWheaton.net crony), Misty Mills, had this to say:
If I didn't know you had a warped mind already, I'd wonder what the hell was wrong with you. :)
I get that a lot.
Actually, it's pretty damn good. I liked it. Aside from a typo on the top of page 62, I just have comments of how much I enjoyed it.
Woo-hoo!
Nyx is a loon. She reminds me of my ex-roommate, actually. I guess it's a good thing she isn't my roommate anymore. ;)
To explain for folks who haven't read the script, Nyx is a character in the script; she's a sad, deranged, teenage girl who may or may not have been having affair with the husband of Polly, the main character.
More comments as they come.
I also got and interesting email from Jesse, a fellow writer, about "where ideas come from," and whether or not to outline.
What I told him was:
There are scriptwriters who refuse to use outlines. These people rarely finish scripts.
Here's how I usually write (this is copied verbatum from my email, but there you go):
Usually, I come up with a lot of ideas at once…I had an image of a woman in a chair, flanked by two men carrying shotguns, then of a teenage girl with a Polaroid camera, then I had some general ideas about teenage violence, and such…
I write all these down and then I start.
Once I start, I can tell if I want to keep going with it. If I do, then I outline.
My outlines usually look like this:
- I. Intro
- A. Hero dies.
- B. Hero’s wife runs
- 1. into car lot
- 2. followed
- 3. by who?
- 1. into car lot
- A. Hero dies.
- II. Honey, I’m home
- A. Wife comes home
- 1. Hero there waiting
- a. ZOMBIE!!
- b. Now eeeeeevil...
- a. ZOMBIE!!
- 2. Wife's gets brain eaten
- a. takes up knitting
- b. and bowling.
- a. takes up knitting
- 1. Hero there waiting
- A. Wife comes home
…you get the idea.
With “Terror Dome,” I did it different.
I actually tried writing without an outline—but then decided that that was dumb—so I just started a new kind of outline, that went page-by-page.
The following is a section of my actual outline for "Welcome To The Terror Dome:"
Pg. 58—Almo heads to bathroom.
Pg. 59—Masks of BadAss start to slip.
Pg. 60—“Why’d you say all that stuff?”
Pg. 61—Futility of Education.
Pg. 62—“Why stay with your husband?”
Pg. 63—“Why is Almo so loyal?”
Pg. 64— Ives and Almo: How We Met.
Pg. 65—Nyx Returns.
Pg. 66—Almo: “I took a quick trip to the can, and when I got back, we were surrounded.”
Pg. 67—“Everyone leave now.” Takes ALMO’S shotgun. Ives to Almo: “I’ll give you mine.”
Pg. 68—Ooh, what she did.
Pg. 69—Poloroids.
Pg. 70—Choking.
Pg. 71—At this point, anything can happen.
I left a point in the outline that gave me a wild card.
I’ve heard friends give all sorts of reasons why they can’t outline—my favorite one is “but then I’m stuck having to write what’s on the outline!”
Who says?
“But then I have to change the outline… (whine)”
Whatever, dude. Like it’s SO much work.
And if you kids don't shut up back there, I'm turing this car around and nobody gets to click here.
posted by Rob on 3:21 PM |
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[ Saturday, January 12, 2002 ]
These things are really getting out of hand, but...
 I am an Asteroid.I am a drifter. I go where life leads, which makes me usually a very calm and content sort of person. That or thoroughly apathetic. Usually I keep on doing whatever I'm doing, and it takes something special to make me change my mind. What Video Game Character Are You? |
Oh, but that's not all...
Take the Affliction Test Today!
Yeah. And suck on this:
 | Merry Brandybuck If I were a character in The Lord of the Rings, I would be Merry, Hobbit, heir of the Brandybucks and a friend of Frodo's. In the movie, I am played by Dominic Monaghan. Who would you be? |
I actually saw the movie. Well, most of it. Well, okay, not even that.
I FELL ALSEEP, ALRIGHT?!?!? I don't even know who Cate Blanchet played in the movie, or what happened to Gandalf, or...
Argh.
Anyway, moving on...
I am 37.5% British, just like
Madonna
Just as happy in LA or London. Aren't the narrow roads in the UK quaint.
Take the Brit Quiz at
www.darrenlondon.tripod.com/britquiz1.htm
Quiz written by Daz
What pisses me off about that one is that there's no pretty picture to go with it.
On the other hand...
Which Evil Criminal are You?
Okay, that's just creepy. Broom Street people don't have to ask why.
So with that, I'll stop.
That's right. I have nothing else to post today.
Mulder, are you saying that I should click here?
posted by Rob on 8:58 PM |
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[ Friday, January 11, 2002 ]
Hey.
I got nailed at work again for spending more time doing this page than working (which wasn't really the case, but I won't get into that) so I'm not really going to post anything but this entry today.
Computers In Love has opened. I really enjoyed it--people really seemed charged by the show I wrote--Jen Quale, our most excellent stage manager told me that it was the one everyone seemed to be talking about.
That's a good thing, but I really like "Sonata For Internet," (Doug Reed's show that I directed) too. It's a weird play, in that it moves so fast that the audience barely has any time to react. It did get a good audience reaction, though, and that makes me happy.
Well, pretty good. I mean, we had some blank stares, but we expected that. But I've noticed that people who see it more than once seem to like it more.
If I had any criticism of the show overall (meaning all the plays), it's that I wish it were faster--but that's a problem that will fix itself during the run.
As for me, I admit that it feels great that my work is done. I can relax, now...
...and do more work on my next show.
Oh, yeah. I'm an addict.
*sigh*
Yet again, I wish that this were the only job I had. I really want to write professionally, and not have to 9 to 5 it just to be able to make ends meet. (Now there's a dependable cliché)
I don't really want to get too much into that, because it's, well, predictable and whiny--and could easily take over this whole blog, if I really got into it.
I will add, however, that Betsy got me a copy of the 2002 Writer's Market for Christmas, which (I only now realise) is one of the most indespensable items you can own as a writer. So now I've got all this energy and and all these tools to go and actively try to Reach For That Dream...but none of the time.
See, last year, I took some time off after I quit my job just to give a serious try at really being a writer. I was very happy with what I wrote, but what I only figured out now is that I really misused all that time.
What I should have invested more time in was shopping myself a bit; try to get stuff sold, published, or whatever--I was working so hard at being a writer that I didn't do enough work to keep myself a writer.
Financially, Betsy and I are only now starting to recover...but it was both of our choice.
But I did fuck it up.
At least I 'm at a point now where I'm not as worried that it was my last chance. The time will come again.
In the meantime, if you don't click here, then the terrorists truly win.
posted by Rob on 12:48 AM |
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[ Thursday, January 10, 2002 ]
As if I haven't plugged it enough on the page, but Computers In Love opens tonight. I watched the final dress yesterday, and I'm very happy with it.
"Sonata For Internet," the play Doug Reed wrote and I directed, is one of those odd little pieces that I'm guessing audiences will need to see twice to fully get...but last night people seemed to really respond to it.
As for "Tech," the short play I wrote and Bob Moccero directed, I was very happy with the production and the response.
Dave Durbin (who you may remember from Whatever Happened To Bette And Joan? or my wedding) confirmed for me something I'd been wondering--his performance in it is an impression of me, or at least, he's adapting some of my mannerisms. I'd been wondering if anyone would ever do this to me (since I've done it to so many), and I'm actually flattered by it.
Particularly when he told me: "The second you told me how much of the story was true--like the email--I just said: 'Oh, yeah. I'm gonna be Rob. Totally gonna do the whole acerbic, sarcastic, dead-pan, 'someone just shoot me' delivery.' Oh, yeah."
Which is really cool, considering I was still working at Sitel when I was directing Whatever Happened To Bette and Joan.
In "Welcome To The Terror Dome" news, Steve Van Haren of RoundHill mentioned to me that we "may have a venue" for it.
It seems Madison Theatre Guild wants to start an "After Hours" series of shows to be put on after one of their shows. They had a decent success with their last one, and want to continue it.
"But," he added sheepishly, "They're going to want to read it first."
Oh, I said.
"Oh, sure, I think it'd play well after Harvey," Casey Grimm added ironically.
No idea if it'll go anywhere, but hey. The second I find out, you find out.
Oh, and if you know what's good for you, you'll click here.
posted by Rob on 10:06 AM |
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[ Wednesday, January 09, 2002 ]
So, Joel Gersmann's been calling me all week, leaving messages on my machine about something being "very important."
This is the curse of being a Broom Street Theater director.
We've got some director's meeting coming up--which is a big deal because we normally only have one a year, where we say what show we're doing and what slot we want. The upside is total creative freedom, the down side is that the right hand doesn't know what the left foot is doing.
Hence, the meeting.
So now Joel's been calling me.
If you know Joel, then you usually don't want to talk on the phone with him.
So when I was out the day before yesterday for a Computers In Love rehearsal, he called virtually very half hour (according to my wife) looking for me.
He finally left a pissy message saying "I can only assume you're out of town, but this is very important."
You may wonder why I didn't call back, if you've never talked to Joel. Okay, maybe even if you have.
It's because I know this is probably only a reminder about the meeting.
Never mind that it was a conversation with Scott Feiner (first-time director and long time friend) that inspired this goddamn meeting.
So, anyway, he keeps calling, he keeps calling, so I finally call him up--get the fucking machine (of course)--and mention that I'm only home until seven (it was then six), so he of course calls me at 6:40 and keeps me on until 7:10.
So.
What's the big important thing?
What did he have to ask me?
What was so important he couldn't leave the subject on my machine?
"Uh, are you going to bring any food to the meeting?"
I would be pissed if I hadn't lied about having to be somewhere by seven.
Anyway.
Last night, after watching 24, my wife, Betsy, says to me: "I read your script."
I cringed a bit--Betsy's taste is different than mine (duh) and so frequently she'll take the diplomatic way out and point out that we "just have different tastes."
But she did say that she liked it, that it was "very powerful," but she agreed with Casey about "too much exposition, too fast."
Yeah, that's a no-brainer.
But she did say that considering I pounded it out in less than two weeks, it's pretty amazing. (This sounds backhanded, I know, but she meant it in a good way...)
I know what you're thinking: "She's your wife. What else is she gonna say?"
Believe me, she'd say if she hated it, trust me.
Meanwhile, my friend Jesse had this to say about it:
"Good stuff. Seems less 'cool line' packed or refined then other stuff i've read from you, but that's for the rewrites i guess. I really don't like the name..."
Jesse was never a big Public Enemy fan.
At any rate, I'm not gonna change it unless Chuck D asks me to. I love that sound of it too much.
Oh, for the love of all that's good and pure, click here.
posted by Rob on 9:42 AM |
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[ Tuesday, January 08, 2002 ]
Casey Grimm, co-founder of RoundHill Theatre Company, is, so far as I know, the first to read Welcome To The Terror Dome start to finish. Steven Van Haren, the other co-founder, is still reading it now--but he did give me a "Whoa," from what he read.
Initial reactions he had: Out side of a general look of horror, he did mention that he thought that it does work as a thriller. "It's very tense," He said, "and the dialogue works."
I told him that a scene involving a paper cut and a stapler is based on a true story.
"That's actually my favorite scene," he said, adding, "although, technically, the whole show is really one big scene."
That's true--it's 75 minutes of "real" time.
Some criticisms he had were that there were points where it moved too fast--that too much exposition is given too quickly.
I think he's right, at least in one area where the main character, Polly, talks about how she and her husband met. That's going to need more dialogue for sure.
The great thing about being at 75 pages is that I can add stuff without having to worry about the show getting too long--a problem I usually have when I write. (I'll get into the writing process in later posts.)
He also mentioned that it will "piss a lot of people off." Not something I'm gonna shy away from at this point. But keep in mind--it's a thriller.
Two more days until Computers In Love!
Oh, yeah, and for the love of god, click here.
posted by Rob on 11:53 AM |
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[ Monday, January 07, 2002 ]
Okay, so I finished the first draft of "Welcome To The Terror Dome."
It came in at 75 pages--which is a pretty respectable length.
I was so giddy, I sent copies via email to a few friends and fellow writers.
As the days progress, and I get more feedback, I'll put some of the comments and criticisms up here.
Actually, what I'd really like to do is document the whole process from script to stage--but there's no guarantee this will even go that far. I guess we'll all find out together.
Also, I'm hoping to get a new "Rock On, Sisterfriend" up here as soon as I can...hopefully by the end of this week.
posted by Rob on 11:46 AM |
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[ Friday, January 04, 2002 ]
Just recently, in the guestbook area (which I'm using for comments) someone (Shawnte') asked me for some contact information about my old friend and roommate Lenny Maki, (who I referenced in "Rock On, Sisterfriend").
I'm still looking, and I can't find a damn thing--even thought I just met up with him last year during one of my FACEvalue rehearsals.
What kills me is that now I want to get back in contact with him, and can't.
So.
If one of you out there has any information about Lenny Maki, (hell, maybe one of you righteous dudes out there is Lenny Maki) then please send me an email. I'd like to get back in contact with him again.
In other news, I'm on Page 66 of "Welcome To The Terror Dome," my latest play. So that means I'm about 9 pages from being done with the first draft.
Also, this weekend is tech weekend for Mercury Players' "Computers In Love." It opens on January 10th, so for the love of Christ, don't miss it.
Oh, speaking of Christ and theater, also opening that weekend is Broom Street Theater and Brian Wild's new show "Tales For A New Millenium." This is Brian's sequel to his 1997 show Tales For A Millenium, by the way.
So don't go missing that, either, kids.
posted by Rob on 9:37 AM |
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