tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12528054350764453742024-03-18T22:42:47.355-07:00Todd Wallinger - PlaywrightTodd Wallingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11308322697380268831noreply@blogger.comBlogger407125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252805435076445374.post-19788186112499894842024-02-23T20:24:00.084-07:002024-03-03T09:42:08.054-07:00Sign of support<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXRdxHYAIHs51dakq7UXZ5GNGq5_TM8yVimYIXcQKNzdnSeChOWv4ME9Eh3e9RrLlJJFruL1EToYNC5o8c2K9vO2tiU3KAs5UPLbueIBxJYNALOVlT6zpU4lXxqjCwCQBNWe9uRcDTAUAhGx2ogYCQOVS8uzLanrnYtwWonempZL7wqwbOJ9scNIIW4Bxj/s2048/425290309_10168378329910162_2599972502809164551_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1169" data-original-width="2048" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXRdxHYAIHs51dakq7UXZ5GNGq5_TM8yVimYIXcQKNzdnSeChOWv4ME9Eh3e9RrLlJJFruL1EToYNC5o8c2K9vO2tiU3KAs5UPLbueIBxJYNALOVlT6zpU4lXxqjCwCQBNWe9uRcDTAUAhGx2ogYCQOVS8uzLanrnYtwWonempZL7wqwbOJ9scNIIW4Bxj/w400-h229/425290309_10168378329910162_2599972502809164551_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>I think every playwright dreams of seeing their name in lights. Maybe that's silly. Few theaters outside of Broadway even have lighted marquees, and those that do usually just display the title of the play.</p><p>And that's fine. I mean, seriously, how many of us amateur-theater playwrights are famous enough that our names can sell tickets?</p><p>Pretty much none, I'd say.</p><p>But still we can dream, can't we?</p><p>Well, that dream became a kind of reality for me this week when I came across this photo in my Facebook feed. Greenwood Little Theatre of <a href="https://www.greenwoodms.com/" target="_blank">Greenwood, MS</a> is producing <i>The Enchanted Bookshop</i> next month, and to promote it, they took out an entire billboard.</p><p>Sure, my name is pretty small. In fact, you may not even be able to read it in the picture. But still, it's up there, hanging high above the tree-lined streets of Greenwood.</p><p>And besides, it's not about the playwright or even the play. It's about the people putting on the play. And that is one serious sign of support for a community theater that has survived and thrived for 68 years (second longest-running theater in the state!).</p><p>Well done, guys. I hope you sell a ton of tickets,</p>Todd Wallingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11308322697380268831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252805435076445374.post-6587390500742677142024-02-09T13:04:00.145-07:002024-03-03T09:46:32.403-07:00George Washington Ate My Homework to be published<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFya3Hbhqe1NFd6uq3pmogJl0hxvrknWz5pQLf36meFDwFSCmrxuW2J6hRpJbdiQ0vRi0TU1nCzFqaT2Uu7d8v-61Lz37A4jaUl1W58DwZmvj3Hsv4QzQVy6mKBjcQSWyhx3mGcCv_Mo-XetByDosVxizXs87BxinyL2DWMSNoje08t4jX8B9c0N04chJB/s424/Gilbert_Stuart_Williamstown_Portrait_of_George_Washington_Eyes_Only.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="76" data-original-width="424" height="71" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFya3Hbhqe1NFd6uq3pmogJl0hxvrknWz5pQLf36meFDwFSCmrxuW2J6hRpJbdiQ0vRi0TU1nCzFqaT2Uu7d8v-61Lz37A4jaUl1W58DwZmvj3Hsv4QzQVy6mKBjcQSWyhx3mGcCv_Mo-XetByDosVxizXs87BxinyL2DWMSNoje08t4jX8B9c0N04chJB/w400-h71/Gilbert_Stuart_Williamstown_Portrait_of_George_Washington_Eyes_Only.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>I have a file in my playwriting folder titled "Story Ideas." It's where I dump all the plots I've thought of but haven't been able to break yet.</p><p>Whenever I finish a play, I go through the file again to see if any of the ideas click.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Filed away</b></h3><p><i>Whole Latte Love</i> spent a couple of years in that file. It started out as a <i>You've Got Mail</i> wannabe, with a large unnamed coffee chain trying to put a smaller shop out of business. I played around with that concept for a long time, but I still couldn't break the story.</p><p>Then I thought maybe it would serve a magical coffee. That didn't help either, because I couldn't decide which magical spell to use.</p><p>It wasn't until I got the idea of having the shop serve six magical coffees which get mixed up by a newbie barista that the story took off.</p><p><i>It Happened on Route 66</i> also spent a lot of time in that file, back when I thought of it as a 1950's version of <i>Waiting for Godot.</i> The idea was that the denizens of a greasy diner were waiting for a rock star, but he never shows up so one of the soda jerks is drafted to pose as him.</p><p>The problem was that it was too close to the previously published Pioneer play <i>The Nifty Fifties</i>. The solution was to flip the conflict, making it revolve around a celebrity (now a movie star) who arrives by accident (he car breaks down(, doesn't want to be recognized, and is forced to pose as a waitress in order to escape the press.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Time passages</h3><p>But no idea spent as much time in that file as my time travel comedy. The concept was to make a historical <i>Enchanted Bookshop</i>, with several famous figures from history making their appearance and much of the humor coming from the anachronistic interaction among them.</p><p>There's one thing that all time travel stories have in common. They take place over several locations and several eras as our heroes travel through time fighting evil, righting wrongs, or just trying to get history back to the way it was before they screwed things up. And that was my approach too--at first.</p><p>But I soon realized such a play would be difficult to produce, requiring often cash-strapped schools to create dozens of sets and possibly dozens upon dozens of costumes (after all, those historical scenes would have to include at least a few background characters for authenticity). So I rejected it.</p><p>Besides, I prefer writing single-set plays. The format poses a fun challenge, and I love seeing the incredible detail theaters put into their sets when they only have to build one of them instead of dozens. </p><p>Of course, the fact that my single-set plays sell a lot better was also a huge plus.</p><p>But how can you make a time travel play single-set? I racked my brain. I scribbled ideas. I deleted those ideas. I scribbled some more.</p><p>Nothing worked.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Stormy weather</h3><p>Then one day I had a brainstorm. What if the entire play took place in a mad scientist's lab? What if the time machine he invented broke? And what if, as our result of that, our heroes timeport more and more historical figures into the present so that they have to figure out how to get them back?</p><p>There was still one problem. How would our heroes know they changed history if they're stuck in the lab?</p><p>That's when I had my second brainstorm. What if there's a hamburger restaurant upstairs and our heroes realize something's wrong when a couple of employees come downstairs to complain about the noise and it turns out the restaurant has become a very British fish-and-chip shop?</p><p>I loved it. There was plenty of conflict. The situation was a gold mine for humor. And it would be a piece of cake to produce, with a single-set centered around a simple, boxy time machine and period costumes required for just nine historical figures.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">A non-working title?</h3><p>But what would I call it? Well, my working title was <i>Hysterical Figures</i>, but I knew that was corny as heck and didn't really communicate the fact that it's a time travel story.</p><p>For a while I went with <i>Time Warped</i>, which gets across the time travel idea but doesn't let potential customers know that it involves historical figures. (It was also the title of a short-lived <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0813911/" target="_blank">Trey Parker show</a> in the 90's, but nobody remembers it so that wasn't a concern.)</p><p>Then I remembered a middle-grade novel I'd written in the early 2000's titled <i>George Washington Ate My Homework</i>. The book only had one historical figure travel through time--the titular President--but it never got published so I figured I was free to reuse it.</p><p>The title was perfect for the play. It tells you it's a time travel tale. It tells you that at least George Washington travels through time. And it passes the <a href="https://toddwallinger.blogspot.com/2016/09/on-naming-plays.html" target="_blank">smile test</a>. </p><p>And so, with the manuscript completed and a title selected, I sent it off to Pioneer and they accepted it 17 days later (second only to the 7 days it took <i>It's a Madhouse!</i> to get accepted).</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Science stuff</h3><p>There are so many good scenes, it's hard to decide which one to share with you. So let me give you an excerpt which shows how the three students who form the comical heart of the play find the time machine in the first place:</p><blockquote><p>NAOMI: So what does Dr. Bizwang have you doing? Cleaning up and stuff?</p><p>JUNIE: No, of course not! I have a lot of responsibilities around here. I'm--I'm his research assistant. </p><p>NAOM: His research assistant? What does that mean?</p><p>JUNIE: Well, um, it means I assist with his research. And stuff.</p><p>NAOMI: Stuff?</p><p>JUNIE: You know, like science stuff.</p><p>WARNER: So you understand what all these gadgets do?</p><p>JUNIE: Oh, yeah. Most definitely.</p><p>WARNER: All right. What does this thing do? (<i>Picks up a random gadget.</i>)</p><p>JUNIE: That? Uh, it's very technical. You wouldn't understand.</p><p>WARNER: Well, what does this thing do? (<i>Picks up another gadget.</i>)</p><p>JUNIE: Um, that's pretty technical too. You wouldn't understand.</p><p>WARNER: Is there anything I would understand?</p><p>JUNIE: Yes. Whatever you do, don't push the red button.</p><p>WARNER: What red button?</p><p>JUNIE: The one under the "Do Not Push the Red Button" sign.</p><p>WARNER: (<i>Turns to the time machine.</i>) Okay, you've got to know what this thing is!</p><p>JUNIE: I sure do. This happens to be a time machine.</p><p>WARNER: Whoa! You mean it can send us back in time?</p><p>JUNIE: Well, yeah. But I wouldn't recommend it.</p><p>WARNER: Oh, come on! We could skip surfing the web altogether! Do all our researching in person!</p><p>JUNIE: Listen to me, Warner. Last week, Dr. Bizwang tested the time machine by sending a mouse back to 1492 and it never returned. Do you know what that means?</p><p>WARNER: It found the world's biggest hunk of cheese?</p><p>JUNIE: No! The mouse is stuck in a time warp! Do you want to be stuck in a time warp, Warner?</p><p>WARNER: That depends. What's the cheese situation like?</p></blockquote><p></p><p>The play should be released in time for the new school year in the fall, if not sooner. In the meantime, you can read the synopsis and cast list by visiting the <a href="https://newplayexchange.org/plays/3195046/george-washington-ate-my-homework" target="_blank">play's web page</a> on the New Play Exchange.</p><p>And if, while you're there, you check out some of my other plays, I'm not going to complain.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfB9_wX5X0mrhKSNLVwYt3Mi1FEiaH6o9xXvW_UdccSB-bW8NVMWNTD4UXQuV663vvFZWAOw5nb8YhMdqhEFLaKrZieo4va2-mNl_32ilISJUzhok3FXgTVE00AtkSTOMHnO15psSkSJKNlnlrnYlHIvUkC6cYBli1TE-qQcmZ44ec4JS079GQpCkjHtfk/s526/timemachine.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="526" data-original-width="349" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfB9_wX5X0mrhKSNLVwYt3Mi1FEiaH6o9xXvW_UdccSB-bW8NVMWNTD4UXQuV663vvFZWAOw5nb8YhMdqhEFLaKrZieo4va2-mNl_32ilISJUzhok3FXgTVE00AtkSTOMHnO15psSkSJKNlnlrnYlHIvUkC6cYBli1TE-qQcmZ44ec4JS079GQpCkjHtfk/w265-h400/timemachine.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>Todd Wallingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11308322697380268831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252805435076445374.post-74303402901267115212024-02-03T11:39:00.681-07:002024-03-06T20:06:16.595-07:00A gem of a school<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJAmm2wylDiFx-lmVBuF2iNjhK3CUi3CQFQ2G3CRN6wWVf7bDaYEVr5ui6Qt2ZJDFZ8rtcpFeMlUvJwaU_xd_7GAds2-ZEBj9HVRnYkG62w0KoumVAqORVhC1nhWmGx6IlWsb81iPda9BD9Urh3iVM9xQSXVm_CehQ0QFVwmZRYmZAOrIgVZrF6lOfe2wD/s4032/PXL_20240131_193838591.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJAmm2wylDiFx-lmVBuF2iNjhK3CUi3CQFQ2G3CRN6wWVf7bDaYEVr5ui6Qt2ZJDFZ8rtcpFeMlUvJwaU_xd_7GAds2-ZEBj9HVRnYkG62w0KoumVAqORVhC1nhWmGx6IlWsb81iPda9BD9Urh3iVM9xQSXVm_CehQ0QFVwmZRYmZAOrIgVZrF6lOfe2wD/w400-h300/PXL_20240131_193838591.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>I've been to Idaho three times in my life.</p><p>The first time was around 1975 when I would have been 12 years old. Back then, the highlight of my year was the two-week camping trip I would take with my family. Each spring, my dad would spread out one of those humongo gas station road maps on a card table in our living room and pick the state that would be our destination that summer.</p><p>Sometimes we headed north or east from our home in Wisconsin (a couple times we even went to Canada), but usually, like Horace Greeley's young man, we headed west. And that year our destination was the Gem State.</p><p>Most of that trip is a blur now, but I do remember two things. The first is that we stayed at Craters of the Moon National Monument, and I have to say, to my twelve-year-old eyes, the rugged rock formations really did make it look like we were on the moon.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia5Bes03keFdueja2pz22e9FrzMWIDCRjVoHjedoWJTGR4DP-3u19GgfbLEBZmK4ryD76vA9GWM8xcY3SVgS6xRSa2790gpsbWvf4dHjhlWpCu_TEMZSauG-atxErGHtjM3l9GmIuTW-0tRMBiC2tAi1WgT4IjqwXT689_BZow9XyhZKpO6GXuEiQXIRdZ/s1430/Craters_of_the_Moon.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="805" data-original-width="1430" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia5Bes03keFdueja2pz22e9FrzMWIDCRjVoHjedoWJTGR4DP-3u19GgfbLEBZmK4ryD76vA9GWM8xcY3SVgS6xRSa2790gpsbWvf4dHjhlWpCu_TEMZSauG-atxErGHtjM3l9GmIuTW-0tRMBiC2tAi1WgT4IjqwXT689_BZow9XyhZKpO6GXuEiQXIRdZ/w400-h225/Craters_of_the_Moon.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>The second thing I remember was the Idaho Spud candy bar that we picked up at a grocery store. At the time I thought it was really made out of potatoes. It wasn't until I became an adult and Google was invented that I learned it only looks like a potato. It's actually made out of marshmallow, chocolate, and coconut flakes. But I still kind of wish it was made out of potatoes.</p><p></p><p>The next time I visited the Gem State was in 1991, after I was fired from the Company Which Must Not Be Named and I was looking for a new job. Micron Technology brought me up from Austin, where we were living at the time, and to this day, it was the only interview trip in which the company paid for my wife Tammy to go as well.</p><p>The plant was in Boise, and although we liked the combination of small city atmosphere and easy access to mountains, by the end of my interview I knew the company wasn't for me. The feeling seems to have been mutual because the company rejected me before I even left the building--the first and last time that's ever happened to me.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Third time's a charm</h3><p>Visit number three was this week, and I'm happy to say it was more memorable than the first trip and much more successful than the second. That's because I was there on special invitation of Adrian McCracken, the drama teacher at Hillcrest High School in Ammon, a suburb of Idaho Falls.</p><p>Adrian's students were performing my play <i>The Last Radio Show</i> and he wanted me to offer notes on their dress rehearsals.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidLKOUoSQ7GE0qm8DakHa2ybmudY_mEcd6wjWZI-UwXf09K_nfNFn8SkiNvHkZn4yAAirKMYByYEgaVKmSFEmj_cEgFYO71IKHNQclfFOA2hTd5W1SftZDQmtJFMhZD92pudQZIrLHY4Y_yWZYIIFtOBLFojnz4J8gbCt8Hu9hyphenhyphenT6zVFOoPA5bDXpMokWt/s4032/PXL_20240131_235353899.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidLKOUoSQ7GE0qm8DakHa2ybmudY_mEcd6wjWZI-UwXf09K_nfNFn8SkiNvHkZn4yAAirKMYByYEgaVKmSFEmj_cEgFYO71IKHNQclfFOA2hTd5W1SftZDQmtJFMhZD92pudQZIrLHY4Y_yWZYIIFtOBLFojnz4J8gbCt8Hu9hyphenhyphenT6zVFOoPA5bDXpMokWt/w400-h300/PXL_20240131_235353899.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>I couldn't wait. I'd directed the world premiere in 2016 but hadn't seen it since so I was excited to see what another producing group would do with it.</p><p>There was just one problem. The trip was in February, and although I grew up in Wisconsin and spent over twenty years in Colorado, I've spent enough time in Phoenix now that I've gotten really wimpy weatherwise.</p><p>Maybe wimpy isn't the right word. I mean, I can handle 115 degrees days as well as anyone. It's the cold I can't stand. A mid-winter blizzard was the last thing I wanted to deal with. </p><p>I needn't have worried. When I arrived in Idaho Falls on Wednesday, the temperature was a balmy (for them) 42 degrees and stayed close to that for the rest of my visit. I commended Adrian on his masterful management of the weather, but he turned the compliment around, crediting me with bringing the warm weather up from Arizona.</p><p>Either way, I'll take it.</p><p>I got in around 1pm, with the first rehearsal starting promptly at 5pm, so I had a few hours to check out the town and grab dinner. With a population of 67,000, Idaho Falls may not offer as many cultural and recreational activities as big cities do. But there are three things it has that Phoenix doesn't. Crystal clean air. A big gorgeous river running right through the middle of it (the mighty Snake). And this cold white stuff that covers the ground in clumpy patches.</p><p>Weird.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqxxrJYfJ8ODxezTcnaYegeolHTuNbxn_frocXkvKbCYmwh-IgyGCPlTpyd2YJAWXXMYD_elaxW0ZcqktNrjUv1vAGoZztcbreJdMpAVSm6SUA7_tVuTocw54CVfEC0iA-gGIgUazzzZ0KnmvfzbXIJiUrZgZd9TS_1r4YlbVYxrx4ouQleOZQRKZwlATg/s4032/PXL_20240131_200058758.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqxxrJYfJ8ODxezTcnaYegeolHTuNbxn_frocXkvKbCYmwh-IgyGCPlTpyd2YJAWXXMYD_elaxW0ZcqktNrjUv1vAGoZztcbreJdMpAVSm6SUA7_tVuTocw54CVfEC0iA-gGIgUazzzZ0KnmvfzbXIJiUrZgZd9TS_1r4YlbVYxrx4ouQleOZQRKZwlATg/w400-h300/PXL_20240131_200058758.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">First time all over again</h3><p>When I finally stepped into the school's auditorium, I was blown away. The space was huge, with seating for 1800 and, as I was later to learn, top-notch lighting and sound systems. Apparently, it was only a few years old. Idaho Falls, like most places in America, has long put sports first. But the principal at Hillcrest fought for and got the funding for a state-of-the-art performing arts center.</p><p>If only more high school principals were so forward-thinking...</p><p>I was just as impressed with the set, which was lovingly detailed and period-appropriate. It was also much more spacious than the cramped set I'd designed for the world premiere. Excited, I took a seat about six rows back to watch the first dress rehearsal.</p><p></p><p>A strange thing happens when you see one of your own plays for the first time in eight years. You forget plot points. You forget lines. Heck, you forget whole pages of dialogue. And you end up experiencing the play as though someone else had written it.</p><p>Which is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because I got to enjoy the gags as if they were fresh and new. A curse because the weaknesses of the play were all too painfully obvious to me (none of which I will elaborate on here). But overall it was a useful experience because I could see how to improve my writing in the future. </p><p>But that's not why I was there. I was there to help improve this production. So after I gave a disclaimed--that the director, not the playwright, is the boss--I offered my thoughts. </p><p></p><p>Across the board, the kids were well-rehearsed and extremely talented. And several of them had a real sense of comedic timing or came up with hilarious bits of physical humor. The big thing they had to work on was their delivery. Too many of them rushed their dialogue or didn't enunciate or project enough, which made it difficult to understand what they were saying. But then that's a common problem for young actors.</p><p>I also offered some tips on delivering their lines to make sure they get the maximum laughs. And I shared a couple things I'd learned in blocking my show that I felt would make their actions clearer.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRyIJ2WzNjwxPONfvr9nGGjD67AjSXRnSS1icXhc45gaRHA1jBihpv-7CVy_EGu1w6wo2_OwBu_eq9VoPQjO3ZTEjmPL9pJABj_FbSJ1Qlm9rlBG_ejuau59X-NJQNrSHfJSOwxbaXwKByDAFnjgjyJBl8eTWpsl2mqHgGPwJxPvjetrT3vOMUgGSTEGFI/s4032/PXL_20240201_200147476.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRyIJ2WzNjwxPONfvr9nGGjD67AjSXRnSS1icXhc45gaRHA1jBihpv-7CVy_EGu1w6wo2_OwBu_eq9VoPQjO3ZTEjmPL9pJABj_FbSJ1Qlm9rlBG_ejuau59X-NJQNrSHfJSOwxbaXwKByDAFnjgjyJBl8eTWpsl2mqHgGPwJxPvjetrT3vOMUgGSTEGFI/w400-h300/PXL_20240201_200147476.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">A packed day</h3><p>The next day was scheduled to the minute. It started with three hour-long workshops in the library. Attendance was heavy, with about 100 students and maybe a dozen teachers and administrators at each one.</p><p>My first workshop was <i>Five Ways to Punch Up Your Writing</i>, a workshop that I originally developed for the Colorado Thespian Conference in 2013. At that time, it focused on playwriting, but for this visit I adapted it to address all forms of fictional writing.</p><p>In it, I explained how things like defining a dominant personality for each character and adding hidden agendas subtext can make your story come alive. The workshop also includes several scenes from actual plays, allowing the students to flex their acting muscles.</p><p>The second workshop was <i>The Hero's Journey, Or Why Star Wars and Legally Blonde Are Really the Same Movie</i>. It's been my most popular talk at both the Colorado Thespian Conference and Arizona Thespian Festival, and it was no different here, with students eagerly asking questions and offering their own thoughts on the George Lucas blockbuster.</p><p>The energy of the audience dropped off dramatically, however, when we got to the Rese Witherspoon comedy, and it became clear that most of the students had never seen it or didn't remember much about it. Which is why in future versions of this workshop, I'm going to replace that film with one that's more contemporary and way more popular: <i>Barbie</i>.</p><p>My final workshop was <i>A Playwright's Journey, Or 48 Years to Overnight Success</i>. I originally developed this one for my visit to Kansas's Wichita County High School back in 2016, but I expanded it considerably for this visit. This talk is my personal one as I include cartoons, quotes, and trivia questions to share the lessons I learned during my decades-long struggle to get published.</p><p></p><p>After a relaxing lunch with Adrian at Red Robin, it was back to the school for a couple of question and answer sessions. The first was with the technical theater students, the second was with the cast and crew of <i>The Last Radio Show</i>. Both were extremely lively, with the kids firing an endless but very insightful barrage of questions at me and me doing my best to keep up. I also asked for their thoughts to help me solve a problem with my next play.</p><p>During the break that followed, I signed 26 posters for the cast and crew. Dinner was a delicious chicken alfredo provided by one of the theater parents. Then it was back to the stage for the second dress rehearsal.</p><p>The cast had made significant strides from the previous night, and I was pleased to see that they'd taken at least some of my notes to heart. A few of the actors still needed to slow down a bit, but with one more week of rehearsals ahead of them, I have every confidence in the world that they'll get there.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHbJrBTqqM3ZeFbE7MWI0Zxcg1O3RDLZ2HG6sFh3PP8nfho3QoOEMPR-SYRCW8iDUj5MrZTTmxZmo7fuFdDINiWb1eb0LVEWeEaNXqLka62gNqCpGZX88HrCbjgwO2KvsswDToiPSfnESUpcbd4SvbI9j1Yd8fqURNbSI1rvkUG92nBCaA7oNXZeefIkcs/s4032/IMG_5471.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHbJrBTqqM3ZeFbE7MWI0Zxcg1O3RDLZ2HG6sFh3PP8nfho3QoOEMPR-SYRCW8iDUj5MrZTTmxZmo7fuFdDINiWb1eb0LVEWeEaNXqLka62gNqCpGZX88HrCbjgwO2KvsswDToiPSfnESUpcbd4SvbI9j1Yd8fqURNbSI1rvkUG92nBCaA7oNXZeefIkcs/w400-h300/IMG_5471.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Wrapping up</h3><p>We finished at 8:30pm--exactly twelve hours after the start of my first workshop in the library. I said my goodbyes to Adrian and the kids, then headed back to my hotel room where I immediately collapsed on the bed.</p><p></p><p>It was a long day, and an exhausting one. But it was also one of the greatest, most meaningful days of my life. I met some great people. I learned a ton. The passion of the kids inspired and reenergized me.</p><p>Now I can't wait for my next school visit.</p><p>If you'd like to have me visit your school, I'm happy to provide a free, no-obligation quote. I charge $950 for a full day of workshops. Travel and accommodations are, of course, extra. </p><p>If that's too pricey for you, I can also do Zoom sessions for $100 per hour.</p><p>Complete details can be found on my <a href="https://toddwallinger.blogspot.com/p/school-visits.html" target="_blank">Work With Me</a> page. Or email me at <a href="mailto:todd.wallinger@gmail.com">todd.wallinger@gmail.com</a>.</p><p>I'm easy to work with. Even easier if candy is provided.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY89IVFmSkppWJ6YKWBChPlFlTiMWsK-xJTsIonjBUsBbz1eQgfS2bIivlq-Z8xXtIwdyEajl5RHVxd26G5tLP1HlHPrpNx-csz6FmZZTaFsn96phRIHJWTaV2KTdAIdGUN_NzU-Ih4VPTmsK6kYH6Y_hO4Ja72sSPfsN5wNZcTKt3DZFte8gVQeS3ZRpx/s4032/PXL_20240201_034851273.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY89IVFmSkppWJ6YKWBChPlFlTiMWsK-xJTsIonjBUsBbz1eQgfS2bIivlq-Z8xXtIwdyEajl5RHVxd26G5tLP1HlHPrpNx-csz6FmZZTaFsn96phRIHJWTaV2KTdAIdGUN_NzU-Ih4VPTmsK6kYH6Y_hO4Ja72sSPfsN5wNZcTKt3DZFte8gVQeS3ZRpx/w400-h300/PXL_20240201_034851273.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Todd Wallingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11308322697380268831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252805435076445374.post-19446451327133244262024-01-01T21:09:00.290-07:002024-01-09T18:23:47.989-07:00A look ahead to 2024<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg47i0O-LgtoG9vACMySTULRsL2dIQwKCUKzYs_nKT7fDNVcUATZmD_51TzkaHpbHclEy5IzDjGbcNiFZc42rZOfODQWUivcp2nLWBkpbP1k39RxNVjd8cQtL8L0Uw6YV6hUqRpFRugetZOM2FTO_h9v-B6FG4y521JRHovDfTQWyFdPcMHcXGxCK6T7PDN/s1280/2024b.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="393" data-original-width="1280" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg47i0O-LgtoG9vACMySTULRsL2dIQwKCUKzYs_nKT7fDNVcUATZmD_51TzkaHpbHclEy5IzDjGbcNiFZc42rZOfODQWUivcp2nLWBkpbP1k39RxNVjd8cQtL8L0Uw6YV6hUqRpFRugetZOM2FTO_h9v-B6FG4y521JRHovDfTQWyFdPcMHcXGxCK6T7PDN/w400-h122/2024b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>I've got to tell you, it's getting tougher and tougher to pick my goals for the new year. The problem (and I know it sounds like a first world one) is that I'm actually pretty happy with my life right now.</p><p>I eat healthy (not as much fish as I'd like--my wife hates the stuff and so refuses to make it--but I squeeze it in when I can). I meditate regularly, which has greatly reduced my stress levels. I'm getting my writing in every day. And, miracle of miracles, even my doctor is satisfied how much exercise I do.</p><p>But a big reason I got to this point is because I set goals for myself in the past. And so, if I want to continue to improve my career, my health, my quality of life, I've got to continue to challenge myself in all of those ways. So here we go:</p><p><b>1) Finish three plays</b></p><p>Of course, I've got to start with a writing goal. And this one is the most important one to keep my career on track (and my royalties growing!).</p><p>I'm almost my done with my latest play, a time travel comedy, which I'll tell you more about soon (don't touch that bat dial!). That gives me almost twelve months to finish two more plays.</p><p>Normally, it takes me about four months to write a play. Once I get going, that is. But I often struggle with the concept, beat myself up for a month or two while I try to make it work, then abandon it in a fit of boredom before moving on to another play. And that can waste a month or two in itself.</p><p>So I think finishing three plays is doable. I leave the next one for my stretch goal.</p><p><b>2) Publish three plays</b></p><p>Of course, the next step after writing a play is getting it published. And as I mentioned yesterday, I've got a head start on this goal because my climate change allegory <i><a href="https://newplayexchange.org/plays/1763037/real-reason-dinosaurs-went-extinct" target="_blank">The Real Reason Dinosaurs Went Extinct</a></i> should be coming out any day now.</p><p>There's also <i>Bringing Down the House</i>, my commissioned play which I finished in October. I can't submit it to my publisher yet, but I will after I see the premiere in March and give it one final polish.</p><p>And then there's that time travel comedy, which I'll submit for publication as soon as I finish it. If these last two get accepted for publication, then I'll reach the goal even without counting the new plays I'll be writing. I could be aggressive and set the goal at four, but nah. I'll be very, very happy if these three (or any three) get published.</p><p>After all, it'll represent a 300% increase from last year.</p><p><b>3) Travel to Hawaii</b></p><p>I know, I know. I made this a goal last year and failed. But it's going to happen this year, <i>ho'ohiki wau</i>.</p><p>We've set the dates. We've lined up a sitter for Honey the Wonder Dog (our ever helpful daughter Brooke). And we'll be booking the hotel soon. All we have to do is a little more <u><i>noi'i</i></u>.</p><p>Of course, we do have other travel plans for the year. Tammy and I will be traveling with our daughter Ashley to support her at her ultra-marathons in Flagstaff and some <a href="But if there's one thing I've learned from meditating over the last few years, it's this: The present moment is precious. It's sacred. And really, it's the only thing any of us really have. " target="_blank">rodent-inspired town</a> in southern Utah. And we always try to visit SoCal at least once a year, either San Diego or Palm Springs/</p><p>But of course, Hawaii is the one we're most excited for (I'm even starting to learn Hawaiian, can you tell?). We can't let this trip slip away again.</p><p><b>4) Be more present</b></p><p>This is a big one. My mind is usually buzzing with so many things that I often fail to focus on what's right in front of me, whether that's a conversation with my family, a movie, or a particularly tasty dinner.</p><p>But if there's one thing I've learned from my meditation app over the last few years, it's this: The present moment is precious. It's sacred. And really, it's the only thing any of us really have. So I really need to work on this.</p><p>There's just one problem. When December 31 rolls around, how will I know if I've met this goal? There's no app to count how many minutes I've spent being present. No bathroom scale to measure my focus.</p><p>So all I can do, when I come to my year-end wrap-up, is be honest myself whether I truly made an effort to be present and whether I saw any improvements in my life as a result.</p><p>And now that I look back, I see that I'd made this a goal for myself just two years ago. I guess I would have remembered that if only I had, you know, focused.</p>Todd Wallingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11308322697380268831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252805435076445374.post-2110508743553812023-12-31T13:58:00.386-07:002024-02-09T22:39:42.248-07:00A look back at 2023<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Jdn4frvaiVRuWdz_QDOKqO2UBYepxriRx2HYhHTHgYdnN7whb5bKE-35hwqmDeqQ-hGfLj3V7kJAvVCHqfj2rST54YhwFPySMn_C_pHUI6EKJbpTo8K8eU9uLdqUNQpCRAm8v_4h0tCYZhJfoTV-qBa07NQxtM_GekDZpG4sdhjcmkGflq-m71QaTLD3/s809/2023.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="809" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Jdn4frvaiVRuWdz_QDOKqO2UBYepxriRx2HYhHTHgYdnN7whb5bKE-35hwqmDeqQ-hGfLj3V7kJAvVCHqfj2rST54YhwFPySMn_C_pHUI6EKJbpTo8K8eU9uLdqUNQpCRAm8v_4h0tCYZhJfoTV-qBa07NQxtM_GekDZpG4sdhjcmkGflq-m71QaTLD3/w400-h268/2023.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div><p>Stop the world, I want to get off!</p><p>Or maybe just slow the spinning a little bit. I mean, seriously. I've made it through sixty of these solar revolutions now, and I swear this was the shortest one yet.</p><p>Still, I have nothing to complain about. Theater is back and bigger than ever, and my playwriting career is thriving.</p><p>But how did I do with my goals for the year, which I proudly posted on this page exactly 364 days ago and have long since forgotten? Let's take a look...</p><p> <b>1) Publish four new plays</b></p><p><b>No. </b>I ended up only publishing one, <i>How to Enchant a Bookshop</i>. And the only other play I finished writing this year (<i>Bringing Down the House</i>) was written on commission so I can't submit it to my publisher until after it premieres in March.</p><p>It's not that I haven't been writing. I have. In fact, I'm pretty sure I met my goal of writing 90 minutes every day. If there was a day when I knew I wouldn't be able to write (vacations, Christmas), I worked ahead to make sure I averaged 90 minutes per day.</p><p>And yes, sometimes that means writing in the back seat of the car while we're driving to our daughter's place in Tucson or a week at the beach in San Diego.</p><p>I just think I'm taking more time to write a play. I'm putting extra effort to develop my characters, and polish the dialogue, and make sure that everything flows in a natural way. I guess I like it that way.</p><p>In any case, I'm very close to finishing my latest play, a time travel comedy, so I'll soon have two plays in the publishing queue.</p><p>And then there's <i>The Real Reason Dinosaurs Went Extinct</i>. I finished that two years ago but it only got accepted for publication this year and won't actually be published until early 2024.</p><p>So I'm really excited for the new year. I may have fallen short in the number of new releases this year, but I've got a great head start on 2024.</p><p><b>2) Hit 10K Steps Every Day</b></p><p><b>Almost.</b> I missed only 25 days over the year and 7 of those came in January when my smartwatch was new and I was still getting used to tracking my steps. By the time December rolled around, I managed to have a perfect month, hitting 10,000 steps every day. And I ended up with an average of 11,405 steps per day for the entire year. Not bad.</p><p>My informal goal of hitting 250 steps per hour (out of 10 hours per day) has been a lot harder to achieve. I only had four perfect weeks during the year, but I quickly discovered that this goal is wildly unrealistic and can actually put a damper on your personal relationship (nothing like getting up from a restaurant meal with your wife to squeeze in those extra 100 steps you need before the hour runs out).</p><p> So while it's important to keep walking throughout the day, and has really helped me feel better and have more energy, I don't want to be obsessive about it either.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKabj2qKxAhLj25ZjrbvCVTIzSa4S9URaq6X_On0gTfY0saZ4i1lSbaPdfUNGJ1aVwETHcOC5tHDQXBp30MGv7laodxY1lkE__H6DDjsbChHPnTq3IcwXvtq330v0gkdm4Lumq19HLI90xgTSjDbS5zxKJXW9Y2LSmICE_kFkDKtmVKzG-0Gy_6DZyOMrv/s1920/tired-exhausted-man-walking-desert-footage-076462847_prevstill.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKabj2qKxAhLj25ZjrbvCVTIzSa4S9URaq6X_On0gTfY0saZ4i1lSbaPdfUNGJ1aVwETHcOC5tHDQXBp30MGv7laodxY1lkE__H6DDjsbChHPnTq3IcwXvtq330v0gkdm4Lumq19HLI90xgTSjDbS5zxKJXW9Y2LSmICE_kFkDKtmVKzG-0Gy_6DZyOMrv/w400-h225/tired-exhausted-man-walking-desert-footage-076462847_prevstill.webp" width="400" /></a></div><p><b>3) Work with an Online Italian Tutor</b></p><p><b>Not even close.</b> I just got too busy. It was impossible to a weekly session with a tutor.</p><p>Or at least that's what I tell myself. The real reason is I chickened out. I know in my heart that the only way to become truly fluent in a foreign language is to speak it a lot, especially with someone who's native to the language. I just can't get myself over the hump of actually committing to a particular tutor and meeting time.</p><p>But I did continue to develop my reading and listening skills by following a boatload of Italian Instagram accounts.</p><p><b>4) Travel to Hawaii</b></p><p><b>Nope. </b>It was a simple matter of money. I didn't have any.</p><p>But my plays are doing really well this year, and it looks like the royalty check I'll be getting in May will cover not only the usual debts I accrue over the previous twelve months and some desperately needed home improvements, but a week-long trip to the islands. (Thank you, Pioneer!)</p><p>We're now planning a trip to Oahu in September, when the weather is perfect and the tourists are largely gone. It's going to be <i>kupanaha</i>.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Wrapping up</h3><div><br />So I went 0 for 4--not a great year for goal reaching. But it's not all bad. That's because I managed to achieve two goals that I'd failed to achieve in 2022 and which I'd left off my list for this year.</div><div><br /></div><div>The first was leading a workshop at the <a href="https://arizonathespians.com/" target="_blank">Arizona Thespian Festival</a>. I don't know what changed, but after submitting my Hero's Journey workshop for several years and not getting any response, they finally gave me a big thumbs this year. I've reported on my experience <a href="https://toddwallinger.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-teachers-journey.html" target="_blank">elsewhere</a>, but let me just state for the record that it was well worth the wait.</div><div><br /></div><div>The second was to see more plays. Similar to my experience with the Thespian Festival, I'd applied to be an adjudicator with the <a href="https://www.arizoniawards.net/" target="_blank">ariZoni Theater Awards</a> last year with no response. Well, for whatever reason, I got accepted this yea. So far I've seen five productions, and while I'm not allowed to express my opinions on them here (the ariZonis are much stricter than Colorado's Henry Awards ever were), I can say that the experience has been a blast.</div><div><br /></div><div>I finally feel like I'm getting plugged in to the local theater scene. And that's what makes this year feel like a huge success instead of a letdown.</div><div><br /></div><div>Maybe I'm just bad at picking goals?</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhssN04jB_6yt70sJxPpsfViVSIWm-Rtf9eyPZhoaV9z0C1u8xx_GFEyDEOEKugO99fbdoAvJJLZ-46NR0GgHP8I77vXeQcD8MDQmQEgMP6WoN8SCzu7oqNi7YYyH50czJZSLAl3EEo5g10JQvo9OhOjfJhUxoXguDjq5oPTnSDM0Ay4NevU29TK8RQvPrD/s1107/missed_target.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="795" data-original-width="1107" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhssN04jB_6yt70sJxPpsfViVSIWm-Rtf9eyPZhoaV9z0C1u8xx_GFEyDEOEKugO99fbdoAvJJLZ-46NR0GgHP8I77vXeQcD8MDQmQEgMP6WoN8SCzu7oqNi7YYyH50czJZSLAl3EEo5g10JQvo9OhOjfJhUxoXguDjq5oPTnSDM0Ay4NevU29TK8RQvPrD/w400-h288/missed_target.png" width="400" /></a></div>Todd Wallingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11308322697380268831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252805435076445374.post-46944567609157656912023-12-02T20:32:00.144-07:002024-01-02T18:38:17.141-07:00Enter stage left<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCNltPCwmmInij3xJ_6kMSUDMqAQ5wxTrSyQrh6phYD7ilfSgrV4-1O7unwcbr8avX7-GFD7ZvficZeZC-c5IHNmhLLDbIJ3i-gG88HzWlE_gImgRbWd8zXpTcFrgdScRBO1G315VecopmmJfxaN7HWVEjbh2jkxG3FwpHSK0CyYu4D76teeckYedMkJqo/s4032/PXL_20231202_205331017.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCNltPCwmmInij3xJ_6kMSUDMqAQ5wxTrSyQrh6phYD7ilfSgrV4-1O7unwcbr8avX7-GFD7ZvficZeZC-c5IHNmhLLDbIJ3i-gG88HzWlE_gImgRbWd8zXpTcFrgdScRBO1G315VecopmmJfxaN7HWVEjbh2jkxG3FwpHSK0CyYu4D76teeckYedMkJqo/w400-h300/PXL_20231202_205331017.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>As I've mentioned before, it's rare when I get to see a production of one of my own plays. It's not that they're not being performed. Since I moved to the Phoenix area six years ago, there have been 21 productions of my plays here.</p><p>It's just that I don't want to insert myself in what is normally a private, educational experience. Most of my plays are performed by schools and, as I've been told many times by teachers, the presence of the playwright makes kids super nervous.</p><p>They don't need that kind of pressure, so I generally opt to skip those shows.</p><p>But it was different a couple months ago when I learned that Stage Left Productions in Surprise--a northwest suburb of Phoenix--would be performing <i>An Enchanted Bookshop Christmas</i>.</p><p>For one thing, it was being performed by the youth theater arm of a highly regarded professional theater. For another thing, it was being performed by a mixed cast, with Margie the bookshop owner, her sister Ellen, and billionaire Philip being played by adults with a ton o' stage experience.</p><p>Oh, and one more thing. I'd never seen the play performed before.</p><p>So I contacted artistic director Cody Dull and he set me up with a pair of tickets for today's afternoon performance (even better, I was able to attend with my wife Tammy, who sees even fewer shows of mine).</p><p>A weird thing happens when a playwright sees one of their plays for the first time, especially if it's been a few years since they'd written it. They forget they wrote it.</p><p>Or maybe that's just me. Either way, I saw the play with entirely new eyes. I'd forgotten the plot. I'd forgotten most of the dialogue. I'd even forgotten the ending. So it was a very eye-opening experience. In a way, I got to experience the play the same way a lot of the audience did (except for the one guy who said he'd been to performance to date).</p><p>And I really liked it. Sure, there were some implausible parts. And some of the jokes fell flat. But overall--in my humblest, most objective opinion--I found it quite funny and heart-warming.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqgrcIIvywFzjxa20VVT8kVwp6Sj7O2zLJt0SMkKzu11tDZLoNbloF_h-x-n6qhAdMkUst5MhwJupbCMeZCNgptqvcaagrkp_DSOThGKduHRO95k5XT7TTr2fee101PtiI11Mn9LdV8UiYp6hfEFHB4xlPC3a4YDCFXS_TRvK1Gj0d_pXKueMWmA1PMts5/s1440/406394818_844458984354982_3115816433381160201_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqgrcIIvywFzjxa20VVT8kVwp6Sj7O2zLJt0SMkKzu11tDZLoNbloF_h-x-n6qhAdMkUst5MhwJupbCMeZCNgptqvcaagrkp_DSOThGKduHRO95k5XT7TTr2fee101PtiI11Mn9LdV8UiYp6hfEFHB4xlPC3a4YDCFXS_TRvK1Gj0d_pXKueMWmA1PMts5/s320/406394818_844458984354982_3115816433381160201_n.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><p>Of course, most of the credit for that went to the supremely talented cast. Every single one of them got a well-earned laugh from the audience, from Margie all the way down to the Little Match Girl. And the direction was top-notch, a particular challenge in a mixed cast like this. The pacing was perfection and the cast really played together like a team. I was especially impressed with how they managed so many characters on what I thought was a fairly small stage.</p><p>Interestingly, Cody announced before the beginning of the show that the play was being performed in repertory with Jones, Hope and Wooten's <i>Dashing Through the Snow</i>, since they could use the same set (the lobby of an inn in the JHW play, a bookshop in mine).</p><p>Anyway, I enjoyed the performance so much that when I ran into Cody after the show, I told him that I'd like to work with him in the future. He was surprised, since he'd assumed I'd already had a relationship with the East Valley Children's Theatre in Mesa.</p><p>I didn't tell him I'd submitted four different plays to their Aspiring Playwrights Contest over the years with not even an honorable mention to show for it. What I did tell him, in an email after our conversation, was that I had a new play that was almost done. Would be interested in looking at it?</p><p>Yes, he would be.</p><p>Oh, happy day. I would love to develop a relationship with a local theater. Of course, I'm currently working with Belmont Day School in Massachusetts on <i>Bringing Down the House</i>, but the development process is so much more effective when the playwright can sit in on rehearsals.</p><p>So I'm putting a final polish on that play now. If he decides to develop it, great. If not, I'm no worse off than if I'd never sent it.</p><p>I'm just glad I discovered am exciting new (for me) theater company.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ZrYoxgH1y34XF-XHQ2dOep5NhBG2azcvyx26QBtzC4VLyhOBxXAl9yGOI-QxncD-4r7sY-9zFGXncrFqL1S-Mshz90G4gVaDMga2ouTELhty3ebbzgTeUhrFiAwgoV8bLC7_HREECvFT1NFr5Jk2LnMNxcc2RAsErzdoyMEbznXPhouSeRkPlQRjdgXb/s1440/406252518_844458997688314_7593237671304740617_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ZrYoxgH1y34XF-XHQ2dOep5NhBG2azcvyx26QBtzC4VLyhOBxXAl9yGOI-QxncD-4r7sY-9zFGXncrFqL1S-Mshz90G4gVaDMga2ouTELhty3ebbzgTeUhrFiAwgoV8bLC7_HREECvFT1NFr5Jk2LnMNxcc2RAsErzdoyMEbznXPhouSeRkPlQRjdgXb/s320/406252518_844458997688314_7593237671304740617_n.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>Todd Wallingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11308322697380268831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252805435076445374.post-2483848149407147752023-11-12T21:15:00.015-07:002023-11-17T00:44:25.082-07:00The teacher's journey<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0wVTtljhsqIf-Gpd8nvYKnTT53uI9xPw9a_7PdGjaaRPuGVjNwErsNt6OHc_3l_hs3em8r31avPXnV-WUv0MjSwm8KoxwIdp56jWODeoBtlcrRKHmUUkdFwlUHrWCiJFaNlrgZ6MgUX1vHIsOMRdm7rkZJkvuR1RRuvgiqwUjdAuJE0BnFKMzo_xoc5oT/s714/AZ_Thespians_Logo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="714" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0wVTtljhsqIf-Gpd8nvYKnTT53uI9xPw9a_7PdGjaaRPuGVjNwErsNt6OHc_3l_hs3em8r31avPXnV-WUv0MjSwm8KoxwIdp56jWODeoBtlcrRKHmUUkdFwlUHrWCiJFaNlrgZ6MgUX1vHIsOMRdm7rkZJkvuR1RRuvgiqwUjdAuJE0BnFKMzo_xoc5oT/w400-h186/AZ_Thespians_Logo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>So yeah, I was a little nervous presenting my workshop on the Hero's Journey at the <a href="https://arizonathespians.com/festival-2/" target="_blank">Arizona Thespian Festival</a> on Saturday. As I mentioned in my last blog post, I hadn't presented it in seven years, and although I'd practiced it several times in the last couple weeks, I was worried something would go wrong. Either the projector wouldn't work, or the attendance would be next to nil, or the kids wouldn't be responsive.</p><p>It didn't help that the staff member who checked me in had me sign an agreement that said, in his words, I wouldn't hit any of the kids. (He added that if any of the kids acted up, I should report it to the staff--and they wouldn't hit them either.)</p><p>But like most things, the experience was not as bad as I had feared. Funny how life works out that way.</p><p>The first of my two sessions was fairly lightly attended, with only about 25 students and adults sitting toward the back (waaaay back) of a long, narrow room meant for 90. But then came the second session and it was completely different. The kids poured in and poured in and kept pouring in until nearly every seat was occupied and the latecomers had no choice but to sit at the front (mwah ha ha!).</p><p>The discussion was lively too, with both students and adults eagerly answering my questions, such as which event in Star Wars represents the catalyst?--and particularly fanatical Star Wars fans filling in details I'd forgotten, even though I just rewatched the movie last week. (I can never remember the name of the creatures that Luke Skywalker practiced his sharpshooting skills on.)</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCN1pRt-CPG-Wl6AX52YbzHV-QPntFddbUJ_oikiu4yKxU03oHXD88oAH-7HiIY3jc1HpyQBZQZ9K1qBWZN_PrdimVDkAqU4hJUiqRrGYnvu-9KlwUUlhkmF_hkq1BHqRUIIEaU16CTUec8RimQctaSdmWbO89Q6f2AKqav5WYmvBWnlL_xmpTVJlCx_7o/s961/womp_rat.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="694" data-original-width="961" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCN1pRt-CPG-Wl6AX52YbzHV-QPntFddbUJ_oikiu4yKxU03oHXD88oAH-7HiIY3jc1HpyQBZQZ9K1qBWZN_PrdimVDkAqU4hJUiqRrGYnvu-9KlwUUlhkmF_hkq1BHqRUIIEaU16CTUec8RimQctaSdmWbO89Q6f2AKqav5WYmvBWnlL_xmpTVJlCx_7o/s320/womp_rat.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />Womp rat</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The Q&A session that followed was especially lively, with lots of questions fired out me from all sorts of directions. My favorite question came from one girl who asked whether the Hero's Journey can be applied to an entire series of films--the MCU, for example. Huh, I replied. I'd never thought about that before.</p><p>After a brief thunk, I went on to say that you can certainly apply individual stages of the Hero's Journey to a series of films, (Stakes Are Raised perhaps, or All Is Lost), but that it would be very difficult to fit all 15 stages into the entire series as well as each film and it's really in the individual films where you want to make sure you follow the Hero's Journey.</p><p>But maybe someone has already done it. I'll have to do more research (i.e. bingeing the tube).</p><p>If I had any doubts about coming back next year, they all vanished a few minutes after my talk was finished. That's when a shy young student from Mesa approached me to say that she'd played the Book Fairy in her school's production of <i>The Enchanted Bookshop</i> four years ago and that experience is what made her fall in love with theater in the first place.</p><p>She even asked to take a selfie with me--a first. (Ryan Reynolds eat your heart out.)</p><p>You can't buy moments like that.</p><p>All in all, it was a fantastic experience and I would highly recommend other playwrights and theater artists to get involved with this wonderful conference.</p><p>As for my plans? I believe Ahnold said it best...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/B1ULWx0eflM" width="320" youtube-src-id="B1ULWx0eflM"></iframe></div>Todd Wallingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11308322697380268831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252805435076445374.post-16329689385671764002023-11-07T20:19:00.017-07:002024-03-02T00:03:31.898-07:00Belmont diary: The finish line<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6dgUzvQLRAzxeySd4ocEfM3dL2T2JUW3gmcDEzz2CBZ6XYkIC3TtuW3jt9BK0yQZk2h9KgSWuoIHyBpUquG4fabbvgY7xc6fYrCE7C05cPH8WPa6vsmPpqOXMBUzVK02GzvWO5_WVO9fLCj419F451TMacORBGT6mC5-9vcaUesR5-0zYYToOqGxLyZlG/s811/runningthroughtape.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="484" data-original-width="811" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6dgUzvQLRAzxeySd4ocEfM3dL2T2JUW3gmcDEzz2CBZ6XYkIC3TtuW3jt9BK0yQZk2h9KgSWuoIHyBpUquG4fabbvgY7xc6fYrCE7C05cPH8WPa6vsmPpqOXMBUzVK02GzvWO5_WVO9fLCj419F451TMacORBGT6mC5-9vcaUesR5-0zYYToOqGxLyZlG/w400-h239/runningthroughtape.png" width="400" /></a></div><p>So last week I received notes from director Christopher Parsons on my "final" revision of <i>Bringing Down the House</i>. I'm always a little nervous when I'm waiting for notes because I fear that the changes are going to be many and painful. You know, like juggling the order of events. Or changing the ending to something more uplifting. Or making the main character a goat instead of a duck.</p><p>Fortunately, that hasn't happened yet. And Chris's notes were especially benign, as he requested only 12 minor line edits. </p><p>I won't list all of the edits here, but there were a couple that I'd like to discuss as they raise some interesting issues with respect to theater and playwriting. </p><p>The first is that early in the play I had Sidney, the show-within-the-show's book writer complain about the theater they rented saying, "It looks like it hasn't seen a show since <i>Macbeth</i>. And by that, I mean the original production."</p><p>I thought that was a funny line. But beyond that, there's a lot of things that go wrong in the show-within-the-show, and my idea was that this violation of one of the theater world's most pervasive superstitions--the uttering of the word "Macbeth" onstage--was what set the bad luck in motion.</p><p>But Chris felt uncomfortable having the word said as part of the play, and it occurred to me that a lot of other directors might have the same objection. Besides, the line would be just as funny with the title of any other play that's known for being old. So I changed it to <i>Romeo and Juliet</i>.</p><p>No, I don't have a trigger now for all of the disasters that happen to our happy troupe, but I also won't have any directors passing on the play because of a single word.</p><p>And besides, I think the new line may be funnier.</p><p>The other note is that at a later point, I had Cameron, the temperamental director, address the cast with, "All right, listen up, guys." Now to me, "guys" is a gender neutral term. It refers to both males and females. But I grew up in the Midwest where that's common usage. And apparently it's heard in Southern California as well because <i>Legally Blonde: The Musical</i> has the song, "Omigod You Guys," which is something Elle says to her very female sorority sisters.</p><p>But Belmont School is in Massachusetts and that sense of the word may not be standard there. So no worries. I changed the script.</p><p>Still, I'm thinking of changing this and a couple other lines back before submitting the script to my publisher.</p><p>Oh, yes. There's another thing worth mentioning? The one line I thought for sure I'd have to change actually made it through the school's DEIB review.</p><p>It's when the show-within-a-show's lyricist Elliot informs Cameron that they're changing the show to a pirates vs. aliens thing. The new title? <i>Invasion of the Booty Snatchers.</i></p><p>Anyway, I accepted all of Chris's change requests so my work is now largely finished. All that's left is to wait for the production in March, and to make one final, final revision based on Chris's last batch of notes from actually mounting the show and on my own viewing of the play (nothing like audience reaction to learn which gags work and which don't).</p><p>But it feels really good to reach this milestone, and to provide a script that Chris and crew are now eager to produce.</p><p>Wish them luck.</p><p>Oops. scratch that. Wish them broken legs.</p><p>I've got to brush up on those theater superstitions.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJHUuFY3LNenQDOY0mG-iKy0SLbdYNQPME1fYZioNwErz9Kr0f14X7_6NuKRdc2jP1gaS6B12t9E-KqygNZ_o-oGY9GHmALFMskp3lead1J1053iatO2pJpMd8rknNlAS-GrJBaIGm4rg6x4peSaJ6Wf1GbWS1yeBcA1YrirkyzbzYRsC3qmlYwl5eE9Tx/s1920/broken-leg.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJHUuFY3LNenQDOY0mG-iKy0SLbdYNQPME1fYZioNwErz9Kr0f14X7_6NuKRdc2jP1gaS6B12t9E-KqygNZ_o-oGY9GHmALFMskp3lead1J1053iatO2pJpMd8rknNlAS-GrJBaIGm4rg6x4peSaJ6Wf1GbWS1yeBcA1YrirkyzbzYRsC3qmlYwl5eE9Tx/w400-h225/broken-leg.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Todd Wallingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11308322697380268831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252805435076445374.post-20975704432123057662023-11-03T19:21:00.005-07:002023-11-15T23:09:34.359-07:00May the Force be with me<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl97M_ce3z4MVtRRo8D5gqsOC7HqAsxILPmaXUerTmt9kOXwZEWCTUMjzmr66zzGp-R0rehyphenhyphenXv171MfFykt8Pma7CClLhIZVaAyGT6AZp09SwuvoEnHW1MSWIBO6qQUF-tdektIWZQ96qpC8zwjewN1wHEWAD3ZW1ho7Hsrvn1hfCuCwazOGYtyRRwNxcl/s780/luke_skywalker.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="438" data-original-width="780" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl97M_ce3z4MVtRRo8D5gqsOC7HqAsxILPmaXUerTmt9kOXwZEWCTUMjzmr66zzGp-R0rehyphenhyphenXv171MfFykt8Pma7CClLhIZVaAyGT6AZp09SwuvoEnHW1MSWIBO6qQUF-tdektIWZQ96qpC8zwjewN1wHEWAD3ZW1ho7Hsrvn1hfCuCwazOGYtyRRwNxcl/w400-h225/luke_skywalker.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>After two years of trying to get into the <a href="https://arizonathespians.com/festival-2/" target="_blank">Arizona Thespian Festival</a>, I'm pleased to announce that I finally got accepted this year. And I'll be presenting the same workshop that I did my last year at the Colorado Thespian Conference, all the way back in 2016.</p><p>It's titled <i>Plot 101: Playwriting Lessons from Star Wars.</i> In it, I talk about the Hero's Journey as first proposed by mythologist Joseph Campbell in 1949 and later expanded by Hollywood types <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Writers-Journey-Anniversary-Mythic-Structure/dp/1615933158/ref=sr_1_1?crid=39SVT5L3XXRUW&keywords=the+writers+journey+christopher+vogler&qid=1699332835&sprefix=the+writers+journey+christopher+vogler%2Caps%2C134&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Christopher Vogler</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00340ESIS?ref_=dbs_m_mng_rwt_calw_tkin_0&storeType=ebooks&qid=1699332587&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Blake Snyder</a>.</p><p>My version is a little simpler. Instead of 12 or 14 or 15 steps, I slim it down to just seven. I don't want to overwhelm beginning writers. And I want them to absorb the seven steps so that it quickly becomes a part of their writing DNA. That's hard to do with 15 steps.</p><p>The workshop was a hit in Colorado. I had asked for an extra large room, but even that wasn't enough. Over 100 students showed up, and most of them had to find places on the the tables or floor.</p><p>The best part? The students were really involved. Like passionately, emotionally involved. They love <i><a href="https://toddwallinger.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-heros-journey-in-star-wars.html" target="_blank">Star Wars</a></i> (and <a href="https://toddwallinger.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-heros-journey-in-legally-blonde.html" target="_blank">the other movie I discuss</a>) and they really wanted to understand how the story was put together.</p><p>This year, I'll be presenting the workshop in the last two slots of the festival, 1:15pm and 2:45pm on Saturday, November 11. If you're attending the festival, stop by and say hi. Or better yet, come and join us. I guarantee you'll have an out-of-this-world time.</p><p>Even if I can't guarantee you a chair.</p><p>Update: If you attended one of my workshops (or even if you didn't) and would like to download a copy of my you can find the one for <i>Star Wars</i> <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9W3-EkExUcRbTJrRGNGNlF6TU0/view?resourcekey=0-6rMzf9qYxeKokJfloAsV2g" target="_blank">here</a> and the one for that other movie <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RiOYGK-cIVa7Vv7wH0jIbcn2B6xg1anD/view" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>Todd Wallingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11308322697380268831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252805435076445374.post-1937097989514973892023-10-04T21:59:00.003-07:002023-11-05T18:42:13.571-07:00Okie Mummy on the tube<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOnwTux2OWj1OqvlFL7EELf2TFUI_qTREA1pZgdEmBA3YQjDY_gW3nBXg_f0mMtjFVLy1u7o5E2zBVTb451KNSmx-Jv3O4V2F-6_HQJkVi5x5Ko0MYqP3GKfKuYnAYSung-F2_Li7t6zVegs_9hd8yOXnKFO7imHPtwLLoAvq_rbbWAbyLrTHP44M4D8rj/s985/Screenshot%202023-10-03%20213944b.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="553" data-original-width="985" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOnwTux2OWj1OqvlFL7EELf2TFUI_qTREA1pZgdEmBA3YQjDY_gW3nBXg_f0mMtjFVLy1u7o5E2zBVTb451KNSmx-Jv3O4V2F-6_HQJkVi5x5Ko0MYqP3GKfKuYnAYSung-F2_Li7t6zVegs_9hd8yOXnKFO7imHPtwLLoAvq_rbbWAbyLrTHP44M4D8rj/w400-h225/Screenshot%202023-10-03%20213944b.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">A big shout-out to </span><a href="https://www.tulsaspotlighttheater.com/children-s-productions" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;" target="_blank">Spotlight Children's Theatre</a><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"> in Tulsa, Oklahoma for yesterday's interview on the local ABC affiliate. Three young actors from their upcoming production of <i><a href="https://www.pioneerdrama.com/SearchDetail.asp?pc=HOWIMETYOU&id=0" target="_blank">How I Met Your Mummy</a></i> participated in the interview and did a great job fielding the host's questions.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">To watch the entire interview, click <a href="https://ktul.com/good-day-tulsa/segments/spotlight-childrens-theatre-10-03-2023?fbclid=IwAR1gT0k29nDLxaj8TxcnBu6elL06BcyhjNr0d8n5NaGGdggKj_BcTFVWEXg" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">This same theater is performing <i><a href="https://www.pioneerdrama.com/searchdetail.asp?pc=ENCHANTEDC" target="_blank">An Enchanted Bookshop Christmas</a></i> in December. Can't wait to see your next TV spot!</span></p>Todd Wallingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11308322697380268831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252805435076445374.post-77095960739174616372023-09-29T19:36:00.800-07:002024-01-02T18:57:42.273-07:00Belmont diary: Three little words<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rHZCSYBNytk" width="320" youtube-src-id="rHZCSYBNytk"></iframe></div><div><br /></div>Oh, those words. The three little words that are the essence of beauty. The three little words that are the most magical in the world. The three little words that puts a catch to the breath, a flutter to the heart, and a flush to the cheeks.<div><div><br /></div><div>I'm speaking, of course, about the words "END OF PLAY." (Why? What did you think I meant?) And I got to type those words today as I completed the script for <i>Bringing Down the House</i>, the large-cast comedy commissioned by Belmont Day School in Massachusetts.</div><div><div><br /></div><div><div>Okay, so I actually typed those words a couple of months ago when I completed the first draft of the script. But today the play really is at an end because I just finished the final draft. All those months of hard work, all those months of staring at the screen and wracking my brain and typing and deleting and typing again, are done.</div></div><div><div><br /></div><div>And boy, does it feel good.</div><div><br /></div><div>The play is about a theatrical troupe that rents an abandoned theater so they can rehearse their brand new musical, only to learn that the building is going to be demolished the next day. In a flash, their rehearsal time is cut from six weeks to four hours, and craziness ensues as one interruption after another threatens to prevent them from mounting the one performance that could save the show.</div><div><br /></div><div>And it's a monster. I'd say it was the biggest, most complex play I've ever written except for the fact that the last play the school commissioned from me was just as big and only slightly less complex (I guess they like them that way).</div><div><br /></div><div>Like the last play, this one has a whopping 38 speaking parts. Unlike the last play, this one was required to include a dance number as well as a swordfight with real swords (I threw in an extra swordfight--this one with sledgehammers and protest signs--for good measure).</div><div><br /></div><div>How do you get a handle on such a monster? Simple. You write an outline.</div><div><br /></div><div>So that's what I did. And it helped. A lot. But well into the first draft, I still didn't know how to end the thing. I wanted a finale that was funny, of course, but it also had to be emotionally satisfying and--the toughest part of all--plausible.</div><div><br /></div><div>I was stuck.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEw7Y3ntPP25KzOVkoVR9s3eGpeUFpSMEn_-316dfdhq-fI-9GSTcvrwqOk1myU_UeYT3ehH5aZ24bvW3Kz00N5TMvZT2SBYh_r7aKKvGx96iX5GSQWDZft-iad3I_K0tBvI9JkiZtXg-T8oKBL5mnJLvslWGbjEMI8nPFiO5fjNUjShhoVXcahC0tlcuZ/s375/glue.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="291" data-original-width="375" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEw7Y3ntPP25KzOVkoVR9s3eGpeUFpSMEn_-316dfdhq-fI-9GSTcvrwqOk1myU_UeYT3ehH5aZ24bvW3Kz00N5TMvZT2SBYh_r7aKKvGx96iX5GSQWDZft-iad3I_K0tBvI9JkiZtXg-T8oKBL5mnJLvslWGbjEMI8nPFiO5fjNUjShhoVXcahC0tlcuZ/s320/glue.png" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The characters, on the other hand, came easily. There's the upbeat composer who sees the world through rose-colored glasses. The gloomy book writer who only wears ash-colored glasses. The inept agent who talks a good game but never seems to deliver. The highly-strung director who's more concerned about his caramel macchiato than the suddenly truncated rehearsal schedule. And a whole slew of actors, from the coddled Hollywood star to the pretentious British veterans to the ever-hopeful chorus members.</div><div><br /></div><div>I even included an annoying child star named Karlee who desperately wants a part in the show. I didn't plan to do much with her. I just thought she would be funny. So I threw her onstage, gave her a lively exchange with the director, then shuffled her off. Bing bang boom, she was gone.</div><div><br /></div><div>Only she wouldn't stay gone. Karlee, as characters often do, took charge of her narrative and insisted on playing a bigger role in the play. </div><div><br /></div><div>I still wasn't sure what exactly. But that didn't matter. Karlee knew. As it turns out, what she really wanted to do was save the show. So I let her.</div><div><br /></div><div>And just like that, I had my ending.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy0ZRNJd2yVr3ML5kBP-Xtu5tpkeBti0WWl3NZjRByhgKb9PA12W2THRPFnCtHJW87-09c0vAFV_5YF9uPbLV6VmzVZA3dw0i2xbeyHjnm46hXBAq6iJK2OYNf6BKVTbQqINpm5dH8Hf8Vj348v6xaqtLGhTqy30NXkq3UxeKNq8JVMQ5CoaXeIuTxPj4r/s1000/the_end.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy0ZRNJd2yVr3ML5kBP-Xtu5tpkeBti0WWl3NZjRByhgKb9PA12W2THRPFnCtHJW87-09c0vAFV_5YF9uPbLV6VmzVZA3dw0i2xbeyHjnm46hXBAq6iJK2OYNf6BKVTbQqINpm5dH8Hf8Vj348v6xaqtLGhTqy30NXkq3UxeKNq8JVMQ5CoaXeIuTxPj4r/s320/the_end.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div>I can't say any more about that because I want to maintain the surprise for those of you who might want to read it. But I can share the scene in which she first appears along with the mother of all stage mothers, Sharon. Here it is:</div><div></div><blockquote><div>KARLEE: Hey there, Mr. Davies!</div><div><br /></div><div>CAMERON: Um, who are you?</div><div><br /></div><div>KARLEE: Me? Why, I'm Karlee Keene and I'm here for my audition!</div><div><br /></div><div>SHARON: Here are Karlee's headshot and resume. She's been in dozens of shows. Just dozens.</div><div><br /></div><div>CAMERON: Sorry, kid--</div><div><br /></div><div>SHARON: I'm not done. Here's a letter of recommendation from her voice teacher, a photo album with all her media clippings, a thumb drive with videos of her greatest dance performances, and her first baby tooth.</div><div><br /></div><div>CAMERON: Ew.</div><div><br /></div><div>KARLEE: I've got to be in your show, Mr. Davies! I've just got to!</div><div><br /></div><div>CAMERON: Sorry, kid, but the auditions are over. I've already cast it.</div><div><br /></div><div>SHARON: Oh, but that's not fair! You haven't given Karlee a chance!</div><div><br /></div><div>KARLEE: Who's playing the scrappy young orphan who brings joy to every heart with a smile and a song?</div><div><br /></div><div>CAMERON: There is no scrappy young orphan.</div><div><br /></div><div>KARLEE: Is there a scrappy old orphan?</div><div><br /></div><div>SHARON: I'm telling you, Mr. Davies, you're missing the chance of a lifetime if you don't put Karlee in your show. She's going to be a star.</div><div><br /></div><div>CAMERON: Look, lady, I'm sure you're kid's really talented, but there's no room for her in the cast. All the characters are adults.</div><div><br /></div><div>SHARON: Oh, that's no problem. Karlee can play any age from three months...</div><div><br /></div><div>KARLEE: <i>(Acts like a baby.)</i> Googoo gaga.</div><div><br /></div><div>SHARON: To ninety-three.</div><div><br /></div><div>KARLEE: <i>(Hunches over and speaks in a croaky voice.)</i> Now where did I put my reading glasses?</div><div><br /></div><div>SHARON: A huge star, I'm telling you. Huge.</div><div><br /></div><div>KARLEE: You've heard of a quadruple threat? Well, I'm a quintuple threat! I can sing, dance, act, and play two kazoos at the same time! <i>(Pulls out the kazoos and plays them loudly and obnoxiously.)</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>CAMERON: Stop! Stop! Stop! <i>(KARLEE does.)</i> I'll tell you what. Give me your name and number and I'll call you the next time I do a kid's show.</div><div><br /></div><div>KARLEE: Oh, but it's got to be this show, Mr. Davies. My childhood is slipping away as we speak!</div><div><br /></div><div>SHARON: Why don't you song your audition song, Karlee? Show him what you can do.</div><div><br /></div><div>KARLEE: All right. This is a little dittie called "Tomorrow" from <i>Annie</i>. <i>(Poses and opens her mouth to sing.)</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>CAMERON: Nooooo!</div><div><br /></div><div>KARLEE: What's the matter?</div><div><br /></div><div>CAMERON: You've got the part! Just don't sing that song. Never never never ever.</div><div><br /></div><div>KARLEE: Gee, thanks, Mr, Davies! </div></blockquote><div>Karlee ended up being my favorite character in the play, and she wasn't even in my original outline.</div><div><br /></div><div>That's the thing about outlines. Sometimes they can be useful. If nothing else, they give your story a sense of forward momentum.</div><div><br /></div><div>But you should never feel tied to them. Let the story grow. Let the characters take the wheel, if they want.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sometimes it doesn't work out. If so, just delete that part.</div><div><br /></div><div>But sometimes, the things you add late in the game end up being the best part of the play. Sometimes a new character will swoop in and take charge of the whole thing.</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>If they're any good, let them. The writing is easier when your characters do it for you.</div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQtRsWKu3NvqKyJmW16_0N3ZyDVgQ9Tak0TbnjzcKkkRXLtm8AJ3uGSCkfLVoGU4WikfwyDU8wLSZQn3rJ9BfahHlFwNKzxh__gDbH0hwhfbBeARlXyGYDt1PG5x9L1wok-3j06mIj6VpNdnzhz1phcMEIVNY1lNDgnayOtktUdjoKMqdInLyAFDGmeV-J/s1123/boy_typing_on_laptop.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="832" data-original-width="1123" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQtRsWKu3NvqKyJmW16_0N3ZyDVgQ9Tak0TbnjzcKkkRXLtm8AJ3uGSCkfLVoGU4WikfwyDU8wLSZQn3rJ9BfahHlFwNKzxh__gDbH0hwhfbBeARlXyGYDt1PG5x9L1wok-3j06mIj6VpNdnzhz1phcMEIVNY1lNDgnayOtktUdjoKMqdInLyAFDGmeV-J/s320/boy_typing_on_laptop.png" width="320" /></a></div>Todd Wallingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11308322697380268831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252805435076445374.post-49031268703595911882023-08-16T20:24:00.024-07:002023-08-29T11:23:43.511-07:00How to Enchant a Bookshop is now available!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsYn28xLMLPM-sIDNEFU6q31vl7bmBdA4_XMee_BWmTi9ajI1gjBE0In5CH-7dAwSXgp1Nd5CBJ4QAPeg4UGDW3nCehdAQru8irgzgGd9K3M_sVgdr-m4XreeC1JaUxrwaVkJHjS_XZpVVPswOxOt0o6NRODUgq83u1TdxfMY3Q5rWq_ZwSlKEx-Oy-r3y/s450/HOWTOENCHA.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="176" data-original-width="450" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsYn28xLMLPM-sIDNEFU6q31vl7bmBdA4_XMee_BWmTi9ajI1gjBE0In5CH-7dAwSXgp1Nd5CBJ4QAPeg4UGDW3nCehdAQru8irgzgGd9K3M_sVgdr-m4XreeC1JaUxrwaVkJHjS_XZpVVPswOxOt0o6NRODUgq83u1TdxfMY3Q5rWq_ZwSlKEx-Oy-r3y/w400-h156/HOWTOENCHA.png" width="400" /></a></div><p>Just in time for the new school year, Pioneer Drama Service has released my 24th play, <i>How to Enchant a Bookshop</i>. Set in the same world as <i>The Enchanted Bookshop</i> and <i>An Enchanted Bookshop Christmas </i>(not to mention <i>The Enchanted Bookshop Musical</i>), it tells the story of how Margie's beloved bookshop became enchanted in the first place.</p><p>At 45 minutes, it's the shortest play of the three, making it perfect for classroom use, an evening of one-acts, or pairing with one of the other Enchanted Bookshop plays for a full evening of entertainment. It also requires a smaller cast (6M, 8F, 4 either) and is even easier to produce than those other plays (no need to destroy books here!).</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Brain drizzling</h3><p>I had a ton of fun writing this play. But coming up with the title was a real bear. In just a few words, I had to communicate to potential customers that:</p><p>1) The play is a part of the Enchanted Bookshop universe.</p><p>2) It represents the origin story of that universe.</p><p>3) It stands alone, with no need to have seen the other two plays. </p><p>I brainstormed for weeks, but I kept coming up with the same few problematic titles. Here are some of them and the reasons why I rejected them.</p><p><i>Enchanting the Bookshop</i>--Too close to the original.</p><p><i>The Enchanted Bookshop Begins</i>--Sounds like you need to see the original.</p><div><p><i>The Fairy Who Enchanted a Bookshop</i>--Wrong focus.</p></div><div><div><p><i>An Enchanted Grand Opening</i>--No connection to the bookshop.</p></div><div></div></div><div><p><i>An Enchanted Bookshop Grand Opening</i>--Too clunky.</p><p><i>An Enchanted Bookshop Opening</i>--Too close to the original.</p><p></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><p></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><p><i>The Bookshop that Became Enchanted</i>--Too clunky.</p></div><p><i>How Bookshops Become Enchanted</i>--Too general.</p></div><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><div></div><p></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><p></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><p><i>Please Don't Enchant the Bookshop!</i>--Sounds like some weird anti-play.</p></div><div><i>An Unlikely Story</i>--Unclear connection to the original.</div><div><br /></div><div>Nope. The only real option was the one I ended up with, <i>How to Enchant a Bookshop</i>. That title ties it to the other plays, makes it clear that it's a different play, and even though it doesn't spell out that it's the first play of the trilogy, I'm sure Pioneer customers are smart enough to figure that out.</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Something old, something new</h3><p>One of my goals with the Enchanted Bookshop plays was to keep a core of returning characters for continuity. So this play again includes audience favorites Dorothy Gale, Tom Sawyer, and Pollyanna, not to mention the beating heart of the bookshop, Margie herself (or would that be Bombalurina?).</p><p>But I also wanted to introduce a few new characters in each play in order to keep things fresh. For this play, that includes Cinderella, my all-time favorite fictional character Don Quixote, and the ravenous rodents from Beatrix Potter's <i>The Tale of Two Bad Mice</i>.</p><p>I'm surprised it took me this long to include characters from Potter's oeuvre. I never read her books as a young'un--I was more of a Dr. Seuss kid--but I discovered them when my daughters were young and quickly fell in love with them, particularly the muted beauty of the watercolors and the understated humor of the text.</p><p>As anyone who follow this blog knows, I often <a href="https://toddwallinger.blogspot.com/2023/08/belmont-diary-h-word.html" target="_blank">struggle with my writing</a>, but those two mice were a piece of cake to write for (no pun intended)--and so much fun! Their elevated language flowed out of my fingers and I always knew what to have them talk about: food! I'm sure audiences will eat them up (pun fully intended).</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">An auspicious start</h3><p>Will <i>How to Enchant a Bookshop</i> be as successful as the other plays? I sure hope so. It has certainly charged out of the starting gate, booking its first production the same day it was released (it normally takes two to three weeks for a new play to accomplish that).</p><p>Want to check it out yourself? Just head over to the <a href="https://www.pioneerdrama.com/SearchDetail.asp?pc=HOWTOENCHA&id=16" target="_blank">play's web page</a> where you can read a sample or order your own perusal copy.</p><p>Or take a leap and book the second production. You'll make two little mice very happy.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ8k9UZSHMM1y21Xbge2Zlec574Lx6NTT8S1jGMjvaVdCCIA3lb9HoL4rOPnGo_CMlrR-W3vc2kxz8dmh5t771A5E20hZOI-btbvx8KYKRp7OzKdC8mTugOxh_YC5cV7zlE6tbwxBkShw782HV15i0H7YIsat7-nkPoSt1xMAyaDZ_b43xTRDyCBfgnYKK/s540/two_mice_and_cheese_heart.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="540" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ8k9UZSHMM1y21Xbge2Zlec574Lx6NTT8S1jGMjvaVdCCIA3lb9HoL4rOPnGo_CMlrR-W3vc2kxz8dmh5t771A5E20hZOI-btbvx8KYKRp7OzKdC8mTugOxh_YC5cV7zlE6tbwxBkShw782HV15i0H7YIsat7-nkPoSt1xMAyaDZ_b43xTRDyCBfgnYKK/w400-h266/two_mice_and_cheese_heart.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Todd Wallingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11308322697380268831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252805435076445374.post-3894007302561290302023-08-09T19:34:00.206-07:002023-08-18T09:44:03.724-07:00Belmont diary: The H word<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYS3t3xHTZAd_3vEGrdiD_OozO-K3TfOvczuvbLT9UBWbgWRPe52X793V7KKTFfmk8ffZcqm54n3_y2Ct_IODn-1cTZNPnjljy6DIDQSVkyTPOWo-AJf4hzNaBrl8BtW-e0fNfoZBNqAM4xP3JrPCKA3HfT7y34tr2vbkvvLKcqq06xwLYiG3sR1T0IFBp/s524/no_love_symbol.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="524" data-original-width="522" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYS3t3xHTZAd_3vEGrdiD_OozO-K3TfOvczuvbLT9UBWbgWRPe52X793V7KKTFfmk8ffZcqm54n3_y2Ct_IODn-1cTZNPnjljy6DIDQSVkyTPOWo-AJf4hzNaBrl8BtW-e0fNfoZBNqAM4xP3JrPCKA3HfT7y34tr2vbkvvLKcqq06xwLYiG3sR1T0IFBp/s320/no_love_symbol.jpg" width="319" /></a></div><p>I hate writing.</p><p>Well, maybe not at first. I always love starting a new play. I love thinking up characters. I love brainstorming action scenes and the broad strokes of the plot.</p><p>But then I start the script itself. And I almost always immediately get bogged down in the dialogue and the entrances and exits and the finer points of the plot.</p><p>You know, the actual writing.</p><p>This hating phase is the worst. Because it makes the whole process such a chore. You dread opening up your laptop. You dread looking at the words you wrote the previous day. You dread racking your brain to think up new words.</p><p>But eventually--hopefully--things turn. That can happen any time in the writing process but it most often seems to happen when you finally break the story. When you figure out where the story is going, how it needs to end, and what path it has to take to get there. When that happens, you just open your brain and let the words pour out onto the page.</p><p>And you learn to love writing again.</p><p>This is all a very roundabout way of saying that last night, after weeks of wrestling with the story and fighting with the characters and generally just hating my play <i>Bringing Down the House</i>, I finally figured out the ending. Within an hour, the last couple of scenes magically fell into place, and I wrote write the three sweetest words in the English language: END OF PLAY.</p><p>Oh, there's still a lot of work to be done. As I expected, I missed the school's target for lines per role, and even though it was only intended to be a guideline, I'm going to try hard to beef up the smaller roles.</p><p>I also have several scenes that are really just sketches at this point. Those will need to be nailed down and cleaned up.</p><p>And then I have to figure out what to do with that pesky dynamite.</p><p>But the story has a backbone now. And the work is a joy. Every evening, I can't wait to open up my laptop. I can't wait to read what I wrote the previous day. I can't wait to polish those words to a glimmering sheen.</p><p>And I love loving writing again.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK6I7stVzyn58eKiPymtanvS7FHbqgLWuTJeJYYOqJYl7o-2trevozYHy-_LswHeiVdCl9MO-YRY2uXkrKvHANAZgeIRdFym4lS8r1oKWYU4L74pu9Qk4-uvcK4GQ4m9eS1SRqturrOFfUG4h8dIn-bG6nm0H9iXV7sYbzF_E6j5EMQLFVlAcQ7f6dF_n7/s1023/dynamite.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1023" data-original-width="667" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK6I7stVzyn58eKiPymtanvS7FHbqgLWuTJeJYYOqJYl7o-2trevozYHy-_LswHeiVdCl9MO-YRY2uXkrKvHANAZgeIRdFym4lS8r1oKWYU4L74pu9Qk4-uvcK4GQ4m9eS1SRqturrOFfUG4h8dIn-bG6nm0H9iXV7sYbzF_E6j5EMQLFVlAcQ7f6dF_n7/s320/dynamite.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>Todd Wallingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11308322697380268831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252805435076445374.post-16790820645333776892023-08-04T21:41:00.312-07:002023-08-18T09:45:34.058-07:00The Real Reason Dinosaurs Went Extinct to be published<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjshvKEPnMBEkzuVUfTU0pbSvkLoDe1ENK1lq9DOrc7vaSKLXEfJkFdyHyX4Van4582ZVtQtRLLh7eAIJQNq-YYaCLDhbFlXNQYkcOplxhb5w6dw6lnY1XJT-wbe5MNFkpET9KqsZRnv5m-3t5Pyx_H0upAe28wdSzU_ZkmPLbZAZRPwDpRJ9ibE_4SdfSG/s1240/dinosaurs_on_beach.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="1240" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjshvKEPnMBEkzuVUfTU0pbSvkLoDe1ENK1lq9DOrc7vaSKLXEfJkFdyHyX4Van4582ZVtQtRLLh7eAIJQNq-YYaCLDhbFlXNQYkcOplxhb5w6dw6lnY1XJT-wbe5MNFkpET9KqsZRnv5m-3t5Pyx_H0upAe28wdSzU_ZkmPLbZAZRPwDpRJ9ibE_4SdfSG/w400-h240/dinosaurs_on_beach.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>This summer has been brutal. Temperature records have been shattered all over the world. Here in Phoenix, we just ended a streak of 31 days above 110 degrees F (the previous record was 18!). And saguaros--those giant cactuses that evolved to thrive in the Arizona heat--<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/27/us/phoenix-arizona-heat-saguaro-cactuses/index.html" target="_blank">are dying because it's too hot</a> even for them.</p><p>Climate change is real, people. We need to do something about it. And we need to teach the next generation about it too.</p><p>Which is why I'm excited that after almost two years of seeking a publisher for my play <i>The Real Reason Dinosaurs Went Extinct</i>, I finally snagged one.</p><p>Brooklyn Publishers, which also publishes my Hollywood mystery <i><a href="https://www.brookpub.com/default.aspx?pg=sd&p=27031" target="_blank">Lights! Camera! Murder!</a></i>, will release this large-cast comedy climate change allegory in 2024. And even though this is my 25th play to be published, I'm just as excited now as I was when I learned that my first play, <i><a href="https://www.pioneerdrama.com/SearchDetail.asp?pc=URLOINEDLE&id=0" target="_blank">The _urloined Letter</a></i>, would be published. (Has it really been twelve years?)</p><p>When I finished writing the play in December 2021, I was worried that it was dead on arrival. Why? Because that was the exact same month that a little Netflix movie named <i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11286314/" target="_blank">Don't Look Up</a></i> came out.</p><p>It had a lot of similarities. Both are about a massive space object headed toward earth (a comet in the film). Both center around a pair of scientists striving to warn the public about the imminent threat. And both are thinly veiled allegories for climate change.</p><p>But there are a lot of differences too. My play is less preachy. My play is also less dark, featuring a funny, light-hearted tone that's perfect for young audiences. And my play features the animals that kids love the most: dinosaurs!</p><p>Oh, yeah. And my play really happened (okay, not the talking dinosaur part, but definitely the <a href="https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/how-an-asteroid-caused-extinction-of-dinosaurs.html" target="_blank">deadly asteroid part</a>).</p><p>Anyway, the hubbub around the movie (and it was <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/archive/2022/01/dont-look-up-satire/621256/" target="_blank">extremely controversial</a>) has died down, and <i>Don't Look Up</i> hasn't become one of those flicks that gets <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0415306/" target="_blank">replayed endlessly on cable TV</a>. So I feel that now is the perfect time to bring the play to life.</p><p>To give you a taste of it, let me share the scene when the scientists, Professor Broadbeak and Doctor Duckbill, and their young friend Snaggleclaw go to warn the citizens about the asteroid: </p><p></p><blockquote><p>PROFESSOR: Mayor Spiketail, I'm glad you're here! We have some very important news to share with the townsfolk.</p><p>MAYOR: Well, I'm sorry but we're all very busy right now. Can't you come back in, oh, three or four years?</p><p>PROFESSOR: I wish we could, Mayor, but we can't. We have to tell them now.</p><p>MAYOR: Oh, no, you don't. We've had enough of your ridiculous warnings and predictions. Unless this one means the end of life as we know it, we simply don't care.</p><p>SNAGGLECLAW: Ha ha. Funny you should mention that.</p><p>PROFESSOR: It does mean the end of life as we know it.</p><p>MAYOR: What?!</p><p>DOCTOR: We don't mean to alarm you, Mayor, but an asteroid is hurtling toward us at a very high rate of speed.</p><p>MAYOR: And what, pray tell, is an asteroid?</p><p>DOCTOR: It's basically a rock in space.</p><p>GRAYTOOTH: Get a load of the "scientists," everyone! They're afraid of a little rock.</p><p>(The PLANT EATERS laugh.)</p><p>DOCTOR: But it isn't a little rock. It's actually quite large, about five or six miles across.</p><p>JABBERJAW: Well, which is it, Doctor? It can't possible be both!</p><p>DOCTOR: Look, its precise size isn't important. What's important is that it's headed directly toward the earth!</p><p>LOFTYNOSE: Well, even if it does strike the earth, what are the chances it'll strike one of us?</p><p>DOCTOR: That's not the point. If the asteroid strikes the earth at all, it'll cause massive devastation.</p><p>PROFESSOR: Earthquakes! Tsunamis! Shock waves! Wildfires! Thermal radiation!</p><p>SHARPTONGUE: Oh, come on, now. You're sensationalizing things!</p><p>JABBERJAW: It couldn't possibly be that bad!</p><p>(The PLANT EATERS laugh.)</p><p>PROFESSOR: Fine. If you don't believe us, take a look for yourselves. Our telescope will show you.</p><p>GRAYTOOTH: Nothing doing. If I can't see it with my own two eyes, it doesn't exist.</p></blockquote><p></p><p>As you might have guessed, the play is crammed full of scientific details about how dinosaurs of the late Cretaceous Period lived--and the impact that the asteroid had on the earth. For this reason, I<span> hope </span>to offer teachers a free study guide that reviews these facts and poses questions for classroom discussion. Brooklyn Publishers is considering that suggestion now. Stay tuned.</p><p>Climate change isn't going to be solved piecemeal. We, the citizens of the world, have to work together to make fundamental changes to our way of life.</p><p>That's why this play is the most important one I've ever written. No, it's not going to change the world. It may not even change any minds. But maybe, just maybe, it will some young person think about things in a different way.</p><p>At least now it will get that chance.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFyCHAwYGC_srneztze2yjiiimxWAHC1QRd4J5WAty9wAJLIzcVX8515v35x-GA5x1PpmQ8mxzcCkD3_UZQEY4v0YDgoAYygItMQqaj-cHoSmseromExl_qOZmeiQf6swXK-9mfOuNaK2YHUhclmT5h0z2x65dZ6AALxdy_4pQzLtxjOCv3snpa2sVLn2L/s960/dinosaurs_and_asteroid.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="960" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFyCHAwYGC_srneztze2yjiiimxWAHC1QRd4J5WAty9wAJLIzcVX8515v35x-GA5x1PpmQ8mxzcCkD3_UZQEY4v0YDgoAYygItMQqaj-cHoSmseromExl_qOZmeiQf6swXK-9mfOuNaK2YHUhclmT5h0z2x65dZ6AALxdy_4pQzLtxjOCv3snpa2sVLn2L/w400-h280/dinosaurs_and_asteroid.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Todd Wallingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11308322697380268831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252805435076445374.post-75652766925442824432023-07-07T19:12:00.266-07:002023-08-10T13:29:03.563-07:00Belmont diary: The story takes shape<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNCBhPJwgB2SSYjwVN1NqNNbeC4JtVWrcGeX1IXDthOXU17oc15_iaKSclW4kBfNpfKLnfJlMGyiLTG0eoZwxSijWI2ZOnerI2_CwuR0Ou1QVCGGi9d0hlFn72D1am7f-OY4yY71C5-XgH5xFjeuoTQ8PAYjf2v3jFzSqp3ye-rCelL-LiXE0E4z97lfbk/s1225/breathing-life-into-characters.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="1225" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNCBhPJwgB2SSYjwVN1NqNNbeC4JtVWrcGeX1IXDthOXU17oc15_iaKSclW4kBfNpfKLnfJlMGyiLTG0eoZwxSijWI2ZOnerI2_CwuR0Ou1QVCGGi9d0hlFn72D1am7f-OY4yY71C5-XgH5xFjeuoTQ8PAYjf2v3jFzSqp3ye-rCelL-LiXE0E4z97lfbk/w400-h261/breathing-life-into-characters.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>The biggest challenge in fulfilling a play commission is balancing the needs of the school with the needs of the story. Anyone who's ever written a play, a book, a screenplay--anything fictional, really--is familiar with that point when the characters come to life on the page and start hijacking the story for their own purposes.</p><p>That's when the writing is fun, when the characters take on a life of their own and tell you where they want the story to go. But that's not always where the school or other commissioning body wants it to go.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">What's Opera, Doc?</h3><p>I'm at that point with <a href="https://toddwallinger.blogspot.com/2023/06/belmont-diary-we-begin-again.html" target="_blank">my latest commission</a>, the backstage comedy I'm writing for Belmont Day School. As I explained in my previous post about the play, one of the requirements was that the play-within-a-play needed to have a magical/fantasy theme. But they also wanted it to include a swordfight. What would it be about?</p><p>Well, my first thought was a medieval-type fairy tale. There's a lot you can do with them. The problem is that they're overdone. And there's nothing inherently funny about them So I racked my brain a little more. Who has swords, believes in magic, and are inherently funny?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu4uFEz_0YvI-sA-XZNWdVffCFwrP3scWSut7CdQZ09YV2blLO-R1gu7hRIFHOJWtcD7OpiDy1wOjl42Uyh5Hr_geBdOSj-oZtHL0MYJNt7QoOlG5Y8PkCyJQt4TpczYHSp-VeLRPU8_8fFSk9tcmXwlih45mE_Vv6aEWMtGv6TvesQbTsTDPP3df7kWH_/s1920/viking_guy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu4uFEz_0YvI-sA-XZNWdVffCFwrP3scWSut7CdQZ09YV2blLO-R1gu7hRIFHOJWtcD7OpiDy1wOjl42Uyh5Hr_geBdOSj-oZtHL0MYJNt7QoOlG5Y8PkCyJQt4TpczYHSp-VeLRPU8_8fFSk9tcmXwlih45mE_Vv6aEWMtGv6TvesQbTsTDPP3df7kWH_/w400-h225/viking_guy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>That's when the idea came to me. Vikings! They used massive broadswords, but they're still swords. I could easily include some sorcery or a dragon. And come on. Those horned hats? Hilarious! And, other than that <a href="https://vimeo.com/444002896" target="_blank">Wagner opera that Bugs Bunny made fun of</a>, there really hasn't been any stage musicals set in that long ago era.</p><p>So I ran my idea past Chris, the theater director who commissioned the play. And he ran it past the school's DEI director. And she responded that they would prefer that I not go in that direction as it could be interpreted as mocking Nordic people.</p><p>Which is true, and shows how carefully we have to tread to not single out any particular ethnic group for mockery. Although I thought in this case it might be acceptable because all those Andersens and Hansens and Larsens are often the first to make fun of their Viking forebears. (And I should know. I'm almost a quarter Nordic myself.)</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">A new idea</h3><p>Chris responded with a suggestion of his own: aliens. Which I liked, except that aliens don't typically use swords. <i>But someone they fought against might.</i> And that led to my next brainstorm: Pirates vs. Aliens. Kind of like that 2012 movie <i>Cowboys and Aliens.</i></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7cKir-gvn2lj-HWC3J3XZL29G1YWbvbhr-YiUoAtDTV2eXfVt5mgH5uV6wGtW4q6uOhzcIRc5i2j4mN_ucReWh-A6UBgU7N_CayQtnVHa3icv12Mq6ZENuRbab0YDerg13IstoPWwy7O_8ugVNZEcEFUHz5ZRBh2sTTBSVUmOIRjDohXzCdHcGsQ4KLXv/s740/740-cowboys-aliens-daniel-craig.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="740" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7cKir-gvn2lj-HWC3J3XZL29G1YWbvbhr-YiUoAtDTV2eXfVt5mgH5uV6wGtW4q6uOhzcIRc5i2j4mN_ucReWh-A6UBgU7N_CayQtnVHa3icv12Mq6ZENuRbab0YDerg13IstoPWwy7O_8ugVNZEcEFUHz5ZRBh2sTTBSVUmOIRjDohXzCdHcGsQ4KLXv/w400-h228/740-cowboys-aliens-daniel-craig.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>The difference is that the movie, despite being based on an exceedingly silly premise, was presented in a serious, straightforward manner, whereas my Caribbean-set version will be very silly indeed.</p><p>Besides, pirates don't make fun of any particular ethnic group, do they?</p><p>I even came up with a fantastic title for that play within a play. But that'll have to wait for another blog post....</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Stanislavsky who?</h3><p>Another challenge with this commission is that the school is very specific about the number of lines per part. That's because they've already lined up their cast and asked each of the kids how many lines they want to have.</p><p>As it turns out, they asked for 11 large roles (50 lines or more), 17 medium roles (20 to 50 lines) and 7 small roles (fewer than 20 lines). But there has to be a total of 38-39 roles, so I need to add 4-5 roles to those categories.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDfGEI9zT6k8ynvgNIShXfgsHylO-qusMbi67MWi-COSPEyk6QNPXkMhiJXeR1SNQJGf9uNtS3cwjD2d8PUqJq9vacJTerx_gSgGHNqp15VDbmGajAteD1Ox7_K_vkKrwOHdG6KJf5p_l-LAG2y3GP4QrOxdxGTiwQ8cTt66HugU_MUcfRllvs74GwYC6r/s850/stanislavski_quote.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="850" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDfGEI9zT6k8ynvgNIShXfgsHylO-qusMbi67MWi-COSPEyk6QNPXkMhiJXeR1SNQJGf9uNtS3cwjD2d8PUqJq9vacJTerx_gSgGHNqp15VDbmGajAteD1Ox7_K_vkKrwOHdG6KJf5p_l-LAG2y3GP4QrOxdxGTiwQ8cTt66HugU_MUcfRllvs74GwYC6r/w400-h189/stanislavski_quote.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>The problem is that a well-written story can't have 11 heroes. You really need to center the story around a single protagonist who drives the narrative. Otherwise the audience will lose track of the goal and you'll lose any sense of forward momentum.</p><p>At least, that's what they tell you in screenwriting. In theater, however, you can cheat a little. Because, let's face it, theater audiences don't expect as tight a story as movie audiences do. By splitting the role among a trio of characters who created the musical (a composer, a lyricist, and a book writer), I can sort of have three protagonists. The director of the musical also has a major role, and by having him quit halfway through the story, I can justify bringing in a second director.</p><p>But the story can't be a mess either. Five protagonists is as far as I can stretch things. And those five will get the bulk of the lines, leaving fewer for the rest of the roles.</p><p>So what do I do? Simple. Build up those other roles so even if they're not big, they're entertaining to the audience and a whole lot of fun to play.</p><p>Well, maybe that's no simple. But that's part of the job. And one I look forward to tackling.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRw4_1wcREQVWWPYmnWOaUNkdPL5AZ0Ho4XLlx6wPe-R320ppsqvwnhFXvWW5pVNzrwVIMgIufSHpyXnAi2a0RbB4uP5ucNOC_X0frRXQRwCMTbTBu7_8wsBPVFBZ7ivtArgyxgQ-APeEkoccEucYQQlTFUkG5JJMXTGlkRLjsIz_NZAvGTVlKTcjEtYos/s700/football-player-tackling-cartoon-football-players-700x490.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="700" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRw4_1wcREQVWWPYmnWOaUNkdPL5AZ0Ho4XLlx6wPe-R320ppsqvwnhFXvWW5pVNzrwVIMgIufSHpyXnAi2a0RbB4uP5ucNOC_X0frRXQRwCMTbTBu7_8wsBPVFBZ7ivtArgyxgQ-APeEkoccEucYQQlTFUkG5JJMXTGlkRLjsIz_NZAvGTVlKTcjEtYos/w400-h280/football-player-tackling-cartoon-football-players-700x490.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Todd Wallingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11308322697380268831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252805435076445374.post-78342927974672144972023-06-24T20:28:00.068-07:002023-07-13T22:12:18.553-07:00Production news roundup<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRYbjSlZZ9VNGbgHjBUQs_lmuZjtGMRflHkFkfc-L_Q2lYdxfC1GA2zOYySzq25yXxIV5eseg684wiwyo8b60VvnzyJQQ-5kpAERUCXO-KZTfMwmtW13BEOeNAmOa07gw59nhN7_iBxCFAxWuHRe4eAj5esbVXQfbyIOey7qtT0GgGbu8TsUFPfSjpV_9d/s612/newsboy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="516" data-original-width="612" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRYbjSlZZ9VNGbgHjBUQs_lmuZjtGMRflHkFkfc-L_Q2lYdxfC1GA2zOYySzq25yXxIV5eseg684wiwyo8b60VvnzyJQQ-5kpAERUCXO-KZTfMwmtW13BEOeNAmOa07gw59nhN7_iBxCFAxWuHRe4eAj5esbVXQfbyIOey7qtT0GgGbu8TsUFPfSjpV_9d/s320/newsboy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Summer's usually the dry season for me--both weatherwise here in the <a href="https://www.visitphoenix.com/" target="_blank">Blast Furnace of America</a> and playwise around the country. With schools taking a two- to three-month break, the number of productions drops off dramatically.</p><p>But it can also be an exciting time. For summer is the season when community theaters often do their annual all-youth show, or <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CufMbiQvLzX/?hl=en" target="_blank">give special outdoor performances in parks</a> and other interesting places.</p><p>That's especially the case this year, as I'm getting a healthy number of productions in this sunniest of seasons and at least three of them got big write-ups in the local media.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Kiwi kraziness</span></h3><p>The first is for a production of <i>Madhouse!</i> by Stratford High School in Stratford, New Zealand, where it's not summer but winter and schools are fully in session. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5v9XkBG6cxRk-YYJdqJpA4AdtwDdJvFOosfgeivA77vXpB603QAWhTz2eiWyq4TqBTvi4FgIMObjwOXeOzpnkmGRZ1wdsbyUaihNMi_Y4K-1eb3lPQDBcd6NCC6JSG4gf0Ch-jIzeWcWKKYSF_igKBhHRXAfQrtPu5VCG4bIxRZQ9-Pke4VDfQagjz3V5/s1440/24JRCKO6KJATJBBVJLXTCOJTUQ.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1440" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5v9XkBG6cxRk-YYJdqJpA4AdtwDdJvFOosfgeivA77vXpB603QAWhTz2eiWyq4TqBTvi4FgIMObjwOXeOzpnkmGRZ1wdsbyUaihNMi_Y4K-1eb3lPQDBcd6NCC6JSG4gf0Ch-jIzeWcWKKYSF_igKBhHRXAfQrtPu5VCG4bIxRZQ9-Pke4VDfQagjz3V5/w400-h225/24JRCKO6KJATJBBVJLXTCOJTUQ.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Instead of a preview article, the <i>Stratford Press</i> gave the show a full-blown review and it was an <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/stratford-press/news/review-stratford-high-schools-madhouse-is-a-sleek-and-seamless-madcap-show/AK3I3DPIJJAJHKAXKWTUALO7IQ/" target="_blank">all-thumbs-up rave</a>. Writer Ilona Hanne sends a nice compliment my way by describing the script as "a great read on its own," but saves her greatest praise (as she should) for the cast.</p><p>"With characters mainly aged over 18," she writes, "and a cast mainly under that, it's particularly impressive just how well the actors portray their characters, but in some cases actually draw their characters out to be much more than the lines alone allow for."</p><p>Which warms this old playwright's heart greatly, for I've always felt that theater is the most collaborative of the arts, and I count on the director, actors, and designers to put their own twist on the show and really make it their own. (The article also taught me a <a href="https://www.tpk.govt.nz/en/nga-putea-me-nga-ratonga/rangatahi" target="_blank">new Maori word</a>.)</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Iowa improv</span></h3><p>Players Workshop Theater of Burlington, IA got an <a href="https://www.mississippivalleypublishing.com/the_hawk_eye/players-workshops-fanciful-the-enchanted-bookshop-features-excellent-young-actors/article_2148f742-1066-11ee-ad45-77b8ad06c5a1.html" target="_blank">equally positive review</a> from <i>The Hawk Eye</i> ("Iowa's Oldest Newspaper") for their production of <i>The Enchanted Bookshop</i>, which has become something of a staple for summer theaters.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb-rYto47STblrtqoU6bGPGf9ZPlMtS9-4nnQ3FErdWyqlt0Cn0AKZjXuppHoTa7pn5XzItLaGSJTWEq5aeOR_aDW2aAzKHVaMtWw-ilm5dLE9jGTxee_im1PgYNrDoIh-QK9lDLvHB-NBJ-2MVAQsomzBgvxXxv5cPFGpoJI86V-1ILqvwFBricyAwAzs/s500/64934a0079dc3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb-rYto47STblrtqoU6bGPGf9ZPlMtS9-4nnQ3FErdWyqlt0Cn0AKZjXuppHoTa7pn5XzItLaGSJTWEq5aeOR_aDW2aAzKHVaMtWw-ilm5dLE9jGTxee_im1PgYNrDoIh-QK9lDLvHB-NBJ-2MVAQsomzBgvxXxv5cPFGpoJI86V-1ILqvwFBricyAwAzs/s320/64934a0079dc3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Margie is of course the lead in that show, and the literary characters who come to life also play key roles in the story, but in this production it was none other than Margie's sassy cat Bombalurina who stole the show, "uttering only sighs, meows and so on", as writer Bob Saar puts it. In fact, Saar goes on to write that the best line in the play was Bombalurina's "perfect catlike response" to a request from Margie: "Nowww?"--a line that I didn't even write!</p><p>Saar offers one more note, a spoiler alert as he puts it. "You who are faint of heart may want to cover your eyes during the scene where the burglars tear pages out of real books. Ouch!"</p><p>I've read many, many reviews of <i>The Enchanted Bookshop</i> over the years, and it seems that nearly all theaters opt for a tamer take on the scene. Either the actors merely throw the books on the ground or they pull pre-torn sheets of paper out of the books.</p><p>I get it. As a book lover, it hurts me to see books damaged in this way (almost as much as it hurt to write this scene!). But for maximum emotional impact--and for hammering home just how precious books are--I urge producing groups to actually destroy the books. You can always buy already damaged books from thrift shops or library clearance sales.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Buckeye boldness</span></h3><p>Finally, there's Thompson Square Community Theater of Thompson, OH, whose production of <i>The Enchanted Bookshop</i> got a <a href="https://www.news-herald.com/2023/06/22/summer-arrives-with-more-seasonal-productions-young-thespians/" target="_blank">nice preview article</a> in the <i>News-Herald.</i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwhQmR1cU_t_R2NPo_YG9mKzBvymwoT9adUQANYMAQ1wGszgC46EeeoEFPRdcMZR_1eahETRpTuZys5kVITfiNcrtSIe82ETsrKNxbTweRh45Yxr4I3gTWgCjlBNpH1W6UEM3f8oWUchspYbyF3LSUudstmJH8j0wLsg_u-iUJDmrpo92BFcIIfa0W9dBU/s960/355263091_653903573446414_4853435553277171224_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwhQmR1cU_t_R2NPo_YG9mKzBvymwoT9adUQANYMAQ1wGszgC46EeeoEFPRdcMZR_1eahETRpTuZys5kVITfiNcrtSIe82ETsrKNxbTweRh45Yxr4I3gTWgCjlBNpH1W6UEM3f8oWUchspYbyF3LSUudstmJH8j0wLsg_u-iUJDmrpo92BFcIIfa0W9dBU/w400-h300/355263091_653903573446414_4853435553277171224_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 16.5px; letter-spacing: -0.165px;">Reporter Steve Couch took a different and very fun tack here, asking many of the cast members what they thought of their roles. My favorite quote came from Seri Buckner. “I enjoy playing Dorothy because she is pretty bossy and sassy in this show!” says the young actor. “My favorite scene is one where I get to yell at Robin Hood. I get to tell off a lot of people in the show.”</span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 16.5px; letter-spacing: -0.165px;">But it sounds like all of the kids in this show had a great time. As Breanna Toth, who plays Heidi, says, "I really hope the audience can see how hard we worked on this play but also see how much fun we had at the same time. This was such a fun play to work on and I really hope it shows to the audience."</span></p><p>It's not the sunny weather or the break from school or even the summer productions themselves that make this season so special. It's the attitude of kids like these, who give up their coveted time off to take to the stage and make magic happen.</p><p>A great big kudos to all you summertime (and in the southern hemisphere, wintertime) actors!</p>Todd Wallingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11308322697380268831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252805435076445374.post-10187989022962240672023-06-13T00:42:00.261-07:002023-06-22T23:37:39.462-07:00Belmont diary: We begin again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUlDja7RZ_T0jx9AibN5nntO-nQxOy7PxHe85amgusAjxBOXHnmkvApclWpE3R3r3OR6ibqC3tjC31GLJYPrb13GXdwx_7pguFvQ6vlvhq2nCDMbhVs62Bl9Ws7aAtK4uG2u5X2MLCDL6Tr2sLI-vAGOrnavIpESK0aJeomqtQN6W0JoFjK2ZcNoymgw1v/s900/demolition.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="900" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUlDja7RZ_T0jx9AibN5nntO-nQxOy7PxHe85amgusAjxBOXHnmkvApclWpE3R3r3OR6ibqC3tjC31GLJYPrb13GXdwx_7pguFvQ6vlvhq2nCDMbhVs62Bl9Ws7aAtK4uG2u5X2MLCDL6Tr2sLI-vAGOrnavIpESK0aJeomqtQN6W0JoFjK2ZcNoymgw1v/w400-h271/demolition.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Loyal followers of this blog (all three of you) know that a couple of years ago, Belmont Day School in Belmont, MA commissioned me to write a play. Why commission a play at all? Well, it turned out they couldn't find any plays that met their DEI standards. They wanted the play to avoid gender-specific roles as much as possible and not include any gender, cultural, or racial stereotypes. </p><p>Equally important was that the play had to be set in a creepy mansion feature meaningful roles for 40 students. Not big roles, necessarily, but meaty ones that really allowed the students to sink their teeth in.</p><p>What I came up with was <i><a href="https://www.pioneerdrama.com/SearchDetail.asp?pc=ITSAMADHOU&id=0" target="_blank">It's a Madhouse!</a></i>, a full/length comedy/mystery revolving around a race to find the hidden inheritance of a best-selling mystery author. It was published by Pioneer Drama Service last year and was a hit from the start, garnering 19 productions in just a few months. That success convinced Pioneer to publish a one-act adaptation so I cut the script's length from 80 to 60 minutes and the cast from that whopping 40 to 28. The much more succinctly titled <a href="https://www.pioneerdrama.com/SearchDetail.asp?pc=MADHOUSE&id=0" target="_blank">Madhouse!</a> has also been doing well, getting 7 productions.</p><p>So last week I was thrilled to hear from Christopher Parsons, the head of the school's theater department, with another commission offer. They again wanted a large cast play--38 to 39 parts--but this time they'd come up with a unique concept.</p><p>Essentially the play is to be a musical without songs. The idea is that the story needs to center around the performance of an original musical, either in Hollywood or on Broadway, but every time the performers open their mouths to sing, they get interrupted.</p><p>Now you may think that such strict requirements might squash creativity, but the opposite is usually the case. "Art consists in limitation." Or so <a href="https://www.chesterton.org/who-is-this-guy/" target="_blank">G. K. Chesterton</a> said.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizOz7wK4pY816hdoC4J9HLqhvnJHIMSOc-zwdV5aVBmisaKKl0Zyu5fHC41qVwbA0aD9UxyCAimrqvBGSBzNqTOb3WUXiX1aFzC_NZwMfa_M8qezzfAXeReX0Vyd5bl7TX7Nlk3c-1YKeFLZcZBUM2-ItlxeZqgxSGpz6Ag8DVVGsn7BeIvau3xaXraswZ/s1200/GKC_Writing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizOz7wK4pY816hdoC4J9HLqhvnJHIMSOc-zwdV5aVBmisaKKl0Zyu5fHC41qVwbA0aD9UxyCAimrqvBGSBzNqTOb3WUXiX1aFzC_NZwMfa_M8qezzfAXeReX0Vyd5bl7TX7Nlk3c-1YKeFLZcZBUM2-ItlxeZqgxSGpz6Ag8DVVGsn7BeIvau3xaXraswZ/w400-h266/GKC_Writing.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>This case was no different. My mind immediately stared buzzing with ideas. To me, the play had to be set during the rehearsal for a Broadway workshop performance. And I started brainstorming ideas as to what could cause the interruptions. One of my favorite ideas was having a construction team come in and interrupt the performance with their noisy and very annoying work.</p><p>It was a good idea. But not good enough. That's when my primary collaborator--also known as my wife Tammy--saved the day.</p><p>I mentioned the idea to her over dinner and she immediately came up with a tweak that made all the difference. Change the construction team to a demolition team that's preparing to dynamite the building the next day. Being a connoisseur of fine puns, Tammy also came up with the perfect title: <i>Bringing Down the House</i>.</p><p>I put a detailed synopsis together--including the efforts of an historical preservationist and several protesters to save the building--and sent it to Chris, who loved it. So I'm off and running. I've got until October 1 to complete the 80- to 90-page script, but I have no doubt I'll make it. If I ever get stuck, I can always pull in my collaborator.</p><p>AI, eat your heart out.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR5fmraa4xQIBkJxqQXCH30u-r9MwWW3D8HfKR0ImIlpeAYm8aksPOnu_SXMwvjLWfLLF9Ho9eEsHfgXFjxcd5eQn6P7v9Yj8zRodDV-f3gWupbxWSZhivAf0twLWAsfrpqs63T9836gzFa6j9z43fcsrQ4n0WDIpyQJriTM-SPpZ6TnfBE9BfXiLTYR69/s1800/Robot-AI-machine-learning-hero.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="1800" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR5fmraa4xQIBkJxqQXCH30u-r9MwWW3D8HfKR0ImIlpeAYm8aksPOnu_SXMwvjLWfLLF9Ho9eEsHfgXFjxcd5eQn6P7v9Yj8zRodDV-f3gWupbxWSZhivAf0twLWAsfrpqs63T9836gzFa6j9z43fcsrQ4n0WDIpyQJriTM-SPpZ6TnfBE9BfXiLTYR69/w400-h250/Robot-AI-machine-learning-hero.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Todd Wallingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11308322697380268831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252805435076445374.post-61498876556733913202023-06-07T19:25:00.386-07:002023-08-31T22:33:13.318-07:00Why I quit Duolingo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-8bo5ESzsNGOE2XFcaEyIlZ8ZvIvkziplDiEurOzSG4MJ5q_Pl--c_Hmq8XFheusOjEYMfGCUjGePd7gWp4heSpPXX7kDGdjY2KzbZAe0VFPZWUmRWzhaVMCC7pOeFwy-V0t9iu2LbJwY_f6kk8O1MOU9eNd5-yuXJoUjHtWWiH08tQJwDILNxIzjOw/s631/Duolingo_1001_Day_Streak.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="471" data-original-width="631" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-8bo5ESzsNGOE2XFcaEyIlZ8ZvIvkziplDiEurOzSG4MJ5q_Pl--c_Hmq8XFheusOjEYMfGCUjGePd7gWp4heSpPXX7kDGdjY2KzbZAe0VFPZWUmRWzhaVMCC7pOeFwy-V0t9iu2LbJwY_f6kk8O1MOU9eNd5-yuXJoUjHtWWiH08tQJwDILNxIzjOw/w400-h299/Duolingo_1001_Day_Streak.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">After 1001 consecutive days--almost three years of studying--I quit Duolingo.</span></p><p>Okay, so it wasn't quite consecutive. Anyone who's used Duolingo long enough knows that after a certain number of lessons, they allow you to buy streak freezes. Break your streak for just a day or two and they'll keep it going the day after that.</p><p>Still, over the last three years, I think I've only used streak freezes three times. So yeah, that's a lot of studying.</p><p>I started with Spanish, but quickly switched over to my true <i>lingua amata</i>, Italian. It took me two years to complete all the lessons, which at the time was arranged in the shape of a tree (you could choose lessons from several units in the next level, but you had to complete a minimum number of lessons in any one level before moving on to the next). And then I went through the entire tree again to earn the Legendary trophy for each unit.</p><p>Meanwhile, I also played around with other languages, either because of earlier interest, as with German (I passed my fourth-year German class in college--just barely--and now remember almost none of it), or because of newly gained passions (Greek, French, Norwegian).</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Dissing Duo</h3><p>Duolingo gets slammed a lot. Some critics say its instructional format leads to poor retention of the language you're learning. That may be true, but then that's true of all language tools if you don't use them.</p><p>Others complain that the sentences are useless in practical situations. Who can forget <i>Non so se lei abbia usato un coltello o una bottiglia.</i> or, in English, <i>I don't know whether she used a knife or a bottle </i>(compared to the other languages, the Italian unit has a disturbingly large number of sentences like this). </p><p>This is also true. But the point of learning a language isn't to memorize a list of common phrases that you think you'll use again and again. It's to learn how the language works and to be able to form sentences--any sentences--that you might need.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">In praise of the owl</h3><p>On the other hand, Duolingo doesn't get nearly enough credit for the things it does well. First of all, it's completely free. Yes, they hit you up for a paid membership, but its benefits are minimal and you can access every one of their languages and lessons without it and without any annoying advertising.</p><p>And let's admit it. Duolingo is a lot of fun. The short lessons, the gamified format, and yes, those goofy sentences, all lead to a truly enjoyable learning experience, one I looked forward to every day.</p><p>Finally, Duolingo is effective. After completing the Italian course, I found I was able to understand 30% of the written language (at least the simplified Italian of websites and blogs) and maybe 10% of the spoken language. Nowhere near fluent, but it was a start.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">The competition</h3><p>In comparison, Babbel is boring and repetitive, making you prove you've learned a single word or phrase through a seemingly endless array of exercises before moving onto new words or phrases (never to return again). Pimsleur only seems to care about how the pronounce the words. Rosetta Stone doesn't even offer a free trial.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdSh3w2PHTQCMUvBvlPVnOl6oBYXUv40diXJkDXXD0qjuVhpThrn2svNKMHSFYVo8NYvwyY51DMQ2Nl7UtUDhnptZu_6b1h1KwgqUEbJiUMwJNKDiOrkdbBa-6ZGMjnfEGJpU02Jv25HHXV2dJDK1hAqD6OoUQV2v3uIFRNY5mHUGcCxpLao4b87-oJw/s640/duolingo-vs-babbel-4.png.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdSh3w2PHTQCMUvBvlPVnOl6oBYXUv40diXJkDXXD0qjuVhpThrn2svNKMHSFYVo8NYvwyY51DMQ2Nl7UtUDhnptZu_6b1h1KwgqUEbJiUMwJNKDiOrkdbBa-6ZGMjnfEGJpU02Jv25HHXV2dJDK1hAqD6OoUQV2v3uIFRNY5mHUGcCxpLao4b87-oJw/w400-h268/duolingo-vs-babbel-4.png.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>Of all the competitors, the little-known <a href="https://www.busuu.com/en?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=US_EN_Web_Exa_Brand&utm_group=US_EN_Web_Exa_Brand&utm_term=busuu&gclid=CjwKCAjwyqWkBhBMEiwAp2yUFlGZz2OzkxGTyo4DLnoW1fxpVPoqBz0CDgmstBEbRvw9OSaOqeX-sxoC6UUQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds" target="_blank">Busuu</a> is the closest to Duolingo in providing a fun, effective way to learn a language. The lessons are short, offer an interesting array of topics, and get you into real-life conversations quickly. And you can access 100% of their material for free--as long as you're willing to watch one brief video ad per unit.</p><p>The one drawback to the app is that it's fairly buggy. I guess sometimes you do get what you pay for. </p><p>Test driving these other tools opened my eyes to one important and widely overlooked fact. <b>Duolingo is the only major language tool that has you translate new, complete sentences into your target language.</b> There are hundreds of them and they are repeated at random and infrequent intervals so that you can't rely on your short-term memory to recall them. You have to understand how the language works.</p><p>It's also the only tool that fully explains the grammar rules behind the sentences. And it's the only tool that provides forums where language learners can ask questions about vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation and have hem answered by other learners as well as native speakers.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Scratch that...</h3><p>Duolingo <i>was</i> the only tool that offered those last two benefits. But earlier in this year, they decided to drop their original lesson structure--in which you could choose which aspect of the language you wanted to study (e.g pronouns, adverbs, the past perfect tense)--to a single path from which you could not deviate and which scattered those specific aspects around in a seemingly haphazard fashion. They also grossly slimmed down most of their tutorials.</p><p>That's why I quit.</p><p>I don't know why they made those changes. I think they wanted to copy their competitors, but in doing so, they got rid of the things that made them better, and it made me mad. It made a lot of Duolingo loyalists mad. Some of them even started a petition in an attempt to force them to return to the previous format.</p><p>And a lot of of them, like me, quit.</p><p>Besides which, Duolingo is all about becoming minimally conversant in a large number of languages. It really doesn't provide the tools or the motivation to improve your competency in a particular language once you've completed its track. </p><p>Well before I quit Duolingo, I'd spread out to other tools, and hose have enabled me to boost my reading and listening comprehension rates to 90% and 50%. Here are the best:</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>1) Coffee Break Languages Podcasts</b></h3><p>There are a ton of language learning podcasts out there, but <a href="https://coffeebreaklanguages.com/" target="_blank">Coffee Break Languages</a> is head and shoulders above the rest. What sets it apart is that it avoids the didactic approach of other podcasts, in which a single teacher recites phrases which you're expected to repeat and memorize.</p><p>Instead each 30-minute episode of this Scotland-based podcast is a conversation among three people: a language learner (Katy in the first season of the Italian podcast, Isla in the second), a teacher (native speaker Francesca), and a facilitator (Mark, the founder of Coffee Break Languages), who keeps things loose and very, very lively. They start from zero, with the learner knowing nothing about Italian, but soon has her--and you--participating in simple conversations.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiSmYlhsSPNDHUg9r4CAsjqhIWqJr7hUqgDLzUhhsOAO88jbREjHH8mHhiPflJHwb31BtwTjWDQTXtSHT30e3CCeVWrX1hcMGTVoCKqrv32or4G4q6SM-LYgpaWkPAejW3foDJrJUAOp5QiFlH-cvCAamim_g5Iec_A2fyXq_FwgB66062XQTCCOvAiw/s1170/Coffee%20Break%20Italian.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="1170" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiSmYlhsSPNDHUg9r4CAsjqhIWqJr7hUqgDLzUhhsOAO88jbREjHH8mHhiPflJHwb31BtwTjWDQTXtSHT30e3CCeVWrX1hcMGTVoCKqrv32or4G4q6SM-LYgpaWkPAejW3foDJrJUAOp5QiFlH-cvCAamim_g5Iec_A2fyXq_FwgB66062XQTCCOvAiw/w400-h195/Coffee%20Break%20Italian.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>Later seasons dump the learner and focus on Francesca and Mark, which allows them to cover more advanced topics (e.g. the dreaded subjunctive!).</p><p>Currently, Coffee Break offers just eight languages (the major European languages plus Mandarin and Gaelic), but their coverage of those languages is surprisingly deep. If you want, you can buy a full subscription to the website, which gives you access to a wealth of additional learning materials such as lesson notes and videos.</p><p>But if you're cheap like me and you opt out, you'll still learn a lot.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">2) Instagram</h3><p style="text-align: left;">One of the best things about social media is the huge number of native speakers in any language (and I do mean any language) who've been able to carve out a full-time gig for themselves teaching their language to others.</p><div>Some speak slowly so that beginning learners can practice their listening comprehension skills. Others speak faster to provide a challenge for more advanced learners. And almost all of them provide subtitles, although whether you want them in English or just your target language will depend on where you are in your own journey.</div><div><br /></div><div>In Italian, my current favorites are <a href="https://www.instagram.com/pera_toons/" target="_blank">Peratoons</a>, a series of short, jokey animated cartoons, and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/paola_colombo_italian/?hl=en" target="_blank">BRAVO! Italian with Paola</a>, in which the oh-so-charming host offers a humorous approach to some of the quirks of the Italian language.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiifF0OuulA-KBwPcpOqnUVlFaU8UKx52sUL9Fu2MAFdmnXZLGugSi2IlJS7SslfwQF3-C5H3J0Sbju-TJ5_KgDfTHHZ9ZmZrxUX6iOLENeIKRnRqC6B8Vd5O_3OroNp5EblYXuSTfpD6rjYeAYQFJienilPXxDkHkrs5xW0hnrd4lxNgop3Lkj2sq--A/s481/peratoons2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="436" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiifF0OuulA-KBwPcpOqnUVlFaU8UKx52sUL9Fu2MAFdmnXZLGugSi2IlJS7SslfwQF3-C5H3J0Sbju-TJ5_KgDfTHHZ9ZmZrxUX6iOLENeIKRnRqC6B8Vd5O_3OroNp5EblYXuSTfpD6rjYeAYQFJienilPXxDkHkrs5xW0hnrd4lxNgop3Lkj2sq--A/s320/peratoons2.jpg" width="290" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div></div><div>Try a bunch of them. Like everything on Instagram, it's as easy to unfollow as it is to follow. And the more you do follow, the more will be recommended to you.</div><div><br /></div><div>Many of the accounts also offer private online lessons for a moderate fee ($30 to $50 a month).</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Of all the tools, these have helped me boost my listening comprehension the most.</div></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>3) Other podcasts</b></h3><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Now that I've caught up to the hundred and somethingth episode of Coffee Break Italian, I've branched out into other podcasts which are presented 100% in <i>la bella lingua</i>. Like the Instagram accounts, they cover a variety of topics of interest to language learners, but with their episodes running twenty to thirty minutes, they can cover a lot more ground and in a lot more detail.</span></p><div>Lately, I've been listening to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/italianoconamore/" target="_blank">Italian Con Amore</a> on my drive to work because I find Eleonora, the host, extremely engaging as she covers a wide variety of topics, everything from coffee shop etiquette to Italian cinema, gardening in Italy to the country's constitution. My one complaint? She talks super fast!</div><div><br /></div><div>(Hint: If you have problems understanding your favorite language learning podcast, just decrease the playback speed in your podcast app.)</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">4) Quizlet</h3><div><br /></div><div>At some point, you're going to understand all of the basic grammar rules of your target language, and the only way to become fully fluent is to learn new words. A lot of them. Like four or five thousand.</div><p>How can you do this quickly and (relatively) painlessly? With this flash card app. It's free, but it does bombard you with a lot of useless notifications.</p><p>I haven't signed up for the paid version, but this is one that may be worth it as it's relatively cheap ($3 a month) and gives you access to different games that promise to make learning even more fun.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Wrapping it up</h3><p>So there you have it. Four ways to help you learn your favorite new language. And you don't even need to spend any money. All you really need is time and a strong enough passion for your target language so that you won't give up when the going gets tough. Because you know it will.</p><p>Stupid subjunctive.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRbcCcXa0AB9v06_LkVfJ1ryx9yzKiuRywZHDHUMy9ZHzt_YmrraCkYU6PPP97vhp_rsbx9DyGSmxxn9ORg9NKHH8jePpQSDekR4dDwhbImnHIFiJi4oimqvwFjsWWVVw9ameESRQ-cUPAFQRozflVahjdjedM7OJw8807zKcxfvae0_nDuNHVQBy5mg/s684/duolingo_owl_mad2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="508" data-original-width="684" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRbcCcXa0AB9v06_LkVfJ1ryx9yzKiuRywZHDHUMy9ZHzt_YmrraCkYU6PPP97vhp_rsbx9DyGSmxxn9ORg9NKHH8jePpQSDekR4dDwhbImnHIFiJi4oimqvwFjsWWVVw9ameESRQ-cUPAFQRozflVahjdjedM7OJw8807zKcxfvae0_nDuNHVQBy5mg/s320/duolingo_owl_mad2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">UPDATE: On August 31, Duolingo updated many of the courses, adding new sentences throughout the path but in turn removing much of the progress students have made. In Italian, that had the effect of kicking me back to the end of 34 units out of 43. That could be frustrating, but it does mean I can start again from where it kicked me back, making the rest of the path seem fresh and new again. I'm excited!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I mean, sure a lot of the sentences are the same. But it never hurts to review a language you're learning (especially since I still get one or two sentences per unit wrong). And seeing the progress I make each day--in my knowledge of the language as well as in the little colored steps on the path--is a nice motivator.</div>Todd Wallingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11308322697380268831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252805435076445374.post-13194847198275002162023-06-01T21:38:00.001-07:002023-06-10T01:44:35.787-07:00Why Mrs. Maisel was wrong<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8iIdR00GS68CTHSnaebTppKY-rAN7LPnUGqCEYfdDdmgvlznb7VQEfjtJkD54YtR99yOeFUKfEUEMsosGEnOw3H7l6sLA0i_XS2313asxoxwvb97mPOVxE8srRwjikaQzbSZfEBO9r4hf4WRc2TIn75Vj2qRq_65WTXUmnyS_dMsyEtUQC9jwwPyZTw/s640/mrs_maisel4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="355" data-original-width="640" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8iIdR00GS68CTHSnaebTppKY-rAN7LPnUGqCEYfdDdmgvlznb7VQEfjtJkD54YtR99yOeFUKfEUEMsosGEnOw3H7l6sLA0i_XS2313asxoxwvb97mPOVxE8srRwjikaQzbSZfEBO9r4hf4WRc2TIn75Vj2qRq_65WTXUmnyS_dMsyEtUQC9jwwPyZTw/w400-h223/mrs_maisel4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i><div><i><br /></i></div>Warning: This post contains minor spoilers for Season Five of </i>The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel<i>.</i></div><div><br /></div>Peak TV may be the best thing that ever happened to comedy. While the big screen has largely given up on the funny, instead churning out an endless array of comic book movies, streamers like Netflix and Hulu have filled the gap with a wealth of sitcoms. <i>Ted Lasso</i>. <i>Barry</i> (at least that one started out a comedy--what it ended up as was brilliant). <i>What We Do in the Shadows. Hacks. </i>And what may be my personal favorite (depending on what day you ask me), <i>The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel</i>.<div><br /></div><div>But these shows aren't just funny. They're also smart. Prestigious. Groundbreaking in a whole host of ways. And they have a lot to say about, well, stuff.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"I know funny"</b></span></div><div><br /></div><div>Mrs. Maisel is definitely one of those shows with something to say. A lot of ink (pixels?) have been spilled about its portrayal of feminism, especially with regards to Midge Maisel's struggle to find her place in a male-dominated field. And that's wonderful. But I also love what it has to say about making comedy.</div><div><br /></div><div>All through the first four seasons, we watched Midge slowly build her career around a new concept in stand-up: making the jokes about your own life, in your own voice, about your own experiences.</div><div><br /></div><div>But Midge's career took a significant detour in season five, episode two ("It's a Man, Man, Man, Man, Man World") when she lands a gig as a staff writer for Gordon Ford, a Jack Paar-like talk show host.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPypPrejmiZKmUdveB1lYLgyQhr46ne7J33KAlfLgelR_IViHcdGesehSS_U5ZzdHjKKXGQAptQLhMhvv7lBhvFssvbqBNXxDAUx9_JHEXmuSe5x_YK3F26LIaXirYQ-dPDBbkIphASPYeeaju-LYox2qh2Rfbrp6zkiJn6W6q6NmqtMZVWr2L98tY1g/s800/mrs_maisel2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="800" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPypPrejmiZKmUdveB1lYLgyQhr46ne7J33KAlfLgelR_IViHcdGesehSS_U5ZzdHjKKXGQAptQLhMhvv7lBhvFssvbqBNXxDAUx9_JHEXmuSe5x_YK3F26LIaXirYQ-dPDBbkIphASPYeeaju-LYox2qh2Rfbrp6zkiJn6W6q6NmqtMZVWr2L98tY1g/w400-h210/mrs_maisel2.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>At first, she struggles to switch her comedy style from personal anecdotes to topical gags, but before long, she comes up with what she's convinced is a sure-fire hit and she pitches it to the other writers:</div><div></div><blockquote><div>MIDGE: There's going to be a baby in the White House, little JFK, Jr. It'll be a clean transition. White House staff already learned how to change diapers with Eisenhower.</div><div><br /></div><div>ALVIN: "A" for effort. Cec?</div><div><br /></div><div>MIDGE: Oh, now wait a minute.</div><div><br /></div><div>ALVIN: Yeah?</div><div><br /></div><div>MIDGE: I'm sorry, but that last one was funny.</div><div><br /></div><div>ADAM: No, it wasn't.</div><div><br /></div><div>MIDGE: Yes, it was.</div><div><br /></div><div>MEL: No one laughed.</div><div><br /></div><div>MIDGE: I think the audience would, and it's topical. He wants topical.</div><div><br /></div><div>CECIL: A joke is not funny just because you say it's funny.</div><div><br /></div><div>MIDGE: No, it's not funny because I say it's funny. It's funny because it's funny.</div><div><br /></div><div>MEL: And you know funny?</div><div><br /></div><div>MIDGE: Yeah, I know funny.</div></blockquote><div>Those last couple lines of dialogue don't capture the mounting hostility between Midge and the other writers. But it was definitely there. And that's where Midge was wrong.</div><div><br /></div><div>Not because the joke isn't funny. I think it is. Midge is wrong because she "knows" it's funny.</div><div><br /></div><div>Humor is the most subjective thing in the world. Whether something is funny depends on a thousand variables. The flow of the joke. The timing of its delivery. The person delivering it. The time period in which it's told. Recent current events (nothing was funny immediately after September 11). And perhaps most of all, who it's being delivered to. and the identity and mood of the people.</div><div><br /></div><div>Because of all of these variables, nobody--not even an experienced comic--can know whether a joke is funny. You have to test it out, and then see if people laugh. If they do, it's funny. If they don't, then it's not, at least not in that time and place.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-size: large;">The wrong joke</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div>A perfect example of this is a joke she wrote in episode three, "Typos and Torsos." Here she came up with another joke, and it became the first of hers to make it to air:</div><div><br /></div><div>"Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny, was recently in a car accident. He's recovering nicely, though authorities are still questioning the voice of Elmer Fudd."</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTCxKC176SYDTYlYTqJ3Etnc7NSwItZmiCJ3SzYxAXyiP6TVfQSRqMRCZAIYQcoNwnZeInjJXzufr_4t1dNqAbDwxkXamFt43R0Bin1gzs3LsyRV9CvqkGott9ly9KJgr7jFWwhKE7EAcX4INACmB7XB6dotJxtvSQb6WjulWBhoRIF890ExnLH5ubCA/s1064/elmer-fudd-gun-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1064" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTCxKC176SYDTYlYTqJ3Etnc7NSwItZmiCJ3SzYxAXyiP6TVfQSRqMRCZAIYQcoNwnZeInjJXzufr_4t1dNqAbDwxkXamFt43R0Bin1gzs3LsyRV9CvqkGott9ly9KJgr7jFWwhKE7EAcX4INACmB7XB6dotJxtvSQb6WjulWBhoRIF890ExnLH5ubCA/w400-h266/elmer-fudd-gun-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>This one doesn't work at all. Why? Because Elmer Fudd's unique speech habits aren't primarily noted for being slow. They're noted because of his speech impediment--that whole "wascaly wabbit" thing.</div><div><br /></div><div>A better choice? Porky Pig. His stammer made him take forever to finish a sentence.</div><div><br /></div><div>Gordon seems to have agreed that the joke didn't work, because he purposely fumbled it during his monologue. After the show, Midge confronts him about it.</div><div></div><blockquote><div>MIDGE: You blew the joke. It's okay.</div><div><br /></div><div>GORDON: I did that on purpose.</div><div><br /></div><div>MIDGE: You blew a perfectly good joke so you could point out to the audience that you blew a perfectly good laugh?</div><div><br /></div><div>GORDON: Yes. They love that. It makes me human, and I got a laugh.</div><div><br /></div><div>MIDGE: Yeah, but it was the wrong laugh.</div><div><br /></div><div>GORDON: A laugh is a laugh. There is no wrong laugh.</div></blockquote><div>Maybe I don't know as much about comedy as an experienced stand-up comic, but I do know that joke was never going to get a laugh. It was the wrong joke.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-size: large;">Flawed heroes</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div>But I don't want be too hard on Midge. The media has been hard enough, with essays and editorials slamming her for everything from being an absentee mom to outing her boss when it was a possible death sentence to do so.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here's the thing. I don't think series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino intended Midge to be a paragon of virtue or someone we should all seek to emulate. And why do we need her to be? She's deeply flawed, something we've seen a ton of male protagonists be without feeling the need to trash them (Calling Tony Soprano! And Walter White! And Barry Berkman!). But somehow, when the protagonist is a woman, it's cardinal sin to be less than perfect.</div><div><br /></div><div>No, the whole point about Midge being brash and outspoken and obsessively focused on her career is to show that that's what it took to succeed in a man's world.</div><div><br /></div><div>In a lot of ways, it still is.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOi_1DNEOFj1G6TuozBK0bdOmpmcxgoSUgFZDsXtPNhK68ePXo7wH2KjpFabm3dC1NZQXtc6DVWSJmEhg2sjNazeV1UsVJDHZtBfsxgCjGsWC_dr470WHgT7tcxyNU2TqXJlDDQ6e8GsTt1NM8RxOF7PYgWoevOtCiT03Z9hAC6qKTTwQDbKakKXCmww/s1200/mrs_maisel.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOi_1DNEOFj1G6TuozBK0bdOmpmcxgoSUgFZDsXtPNhK68ePXo7wH2KjpFabm3dC1NZQXtc6DVWSJmEhg2sjNazeV1UsVJDHZtBfsxgCjGsWC_dr470WHgT7tcxyNU2TqXJlDDQ6e8GsTt1NM8RxOF7PYgWoevOtCiT03Z9hAC6qKTTwQDbKakKXCmww/w400-h266/mrs_maisel.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div></div>Todd Wallingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11308322697380268831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252805435076445374.post-30294162502514796782023-05-26T22:42:00.099-07:002023-05-26T23:35:04.556-07:00On intelligence--artificial and otherwise<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKhiPMfIAi05Nm1ITOvDiKTzuV4xxAXoRNif_g3NdEtEjjxxJFPZgNzOe_gRBA_INr8SWqW1dHitH8et1BqzTxtNAFNbTQ5HDwuwBXZRrXd5Mj4IF9bZwwfFdBLAOP8bC1_ZpvA6lWxHUkCTBKSG3aUGx9QbRkiX4Bb5SVL89pLQPf2EQ_tAItNoNUwg/s800/artificial_intelligence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKhiPMfIAi05Nm1ITOvDiKTzuV4xxAXoRNif_g3NdEtEjjxxJFPZgNzOe_gRBA_INr8SWqW1dHitH8et1BqzTxtNAFNbTQ5HDwuwBXZRrXd5Mj4IF9bZwwfFdBLAOP8bC1_ZpvA6lWxHUkCTBKSG3aUGx9QbRkiX4Bb5SVL89pLQPf2EQ_tAItNoNUwg/s320/artificial_intelligence.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>There's been a lot of talk about artificial intelligence lately. Your local news show tries to explain what it is. The financial media talks about all the industries it'll disrupt. Trade journals warn about the jobs it'll eliminate. Heck, the Writers Guild of America is currently on strike because of it.</p><p>But is it really as bad as people say?</p><p>Well, yes and no.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">A test case</span></h3><p>At least that's the conclusion I came to after reading a <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/ai-writes-30-rock-scene-1235479266/?fbclid=IwAR1rt5sOoa9gLUbhAvfaaZecMRcOHrR1-hV4gBatEEUYKf0LP72GVK1U1m4" target="_blank">fascinating article</a> in <i>The Hollywood Reporter</i>. In it, reporter Lesley Goldberg asked ChatGPT to write a scene for the sitcom <i>30 Rock</i>.</p><p>Goldberg gave the chatbot simple instructions. Write a scene about four of the characters from the show going on strike and how it impacts the show-within-the-show that they work on.</p><p>As it turns out, the plot it came up with was pretty good. There was plenty of conflict and the narrative flow made sense.</p><p>But there were two major flaws with the script. One, all of the characters sounded the same. This is a biggie. Every story, every TV show, every movie has to give each character a unique voice or the writing will came out flatter.</p><p>And two, it didn't come up with a single gag. Obviously, this is an even bigger biggie.</p><p>I'm not surprised. AI engineers have yet to figure out how to impart a creative spark to their chatbots. All they can do is scrounge the internet looking for patterns and then rearrange those patterns into a poor semblance of originality.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">The real danger</span></h3><p>I'm not worried that AI will replace writers. It won't and I honestly don't think it ever will. Creativity doesn't come from dumping existing works in an electronic blender. It comes from creating something new.</p><p>No, my worry is that Hollywood producers will think AI can replace writers--and act accordingly.</p><p>I support the striking writers. They need--no, they deserve--guaranteed more money and longer employment terms. But I think they took the wrong tack on this vitally important issue.</p><p>Of course, they want to prevent producers from using AI on their own to generate story ideas and write scripts without the input of, you know, actual human writers. But they also want to protect their right to use AI in <i>their</i> writing. And not to share any credit with it.</p><p>I don't understand why any writer would ever want to use AI. If I reach the point where I'm that hard up for ideas that I need to rely on a computer to provide them, I'll quit writing.</p><p>Plus it sets a bad precedent. If writers can use AI, why shouldn't producers also be allowed to use it?</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Not all bad</span></h3><p>Sure, if you're an office drone putting together a financial presentation, go ahead. Use AI to make your job easier.</p><p>Or if you're the only reporter on a small-town newspaper and you just don't have time to fill those pages every day, fine. Newspaper articles are supposed to have a uniform voice anyway.</p><p>But in a creative field, where you're paid to be creative, original, to really say something? Never. Never. Never ever. And the WGA writers need to get that in, well, writing. Now.</p><p>If they don't, then I fear for our future. Not just because thousands of writers will be out of work, but a much more dismal fate. That all of our entertainment will be bland and unfunny as that <i>30 Rock</i> scene.</p><p>We can't let that happen. Not now. Not ever.</p><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s" style="background-color: #e7f3ff; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"></div>Todd Wallingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11308322697380268831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252805435076445374.post-28648548750304417042023-05-09T20:37:00.136-07:002023-05-22T22:44:56.678-07:00My 12th year sales<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZo3pZ8LUSW0omUNhsjrAi-ce94ZLsu5iIhPuSLEbtF2zXdJ5BsN3Dtp5Q_tsir3mNBHXFJT3jJiBg5pZkWML974CmgYnaQzehmGHA4ypIvo1vvHsN7jnfaPPXzhOQ12aXjT_IAtNhiOIF5daj2EcwKz3_2rPiynMhw5PGvIv_ZXt4XlGuWnKirIDj-Q/s500/12a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="332" data-original-width="500" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZo3pZ8LUSW0omUNhsjrAi-ce94ZLsu5iIhPuSLEbtF2zXdJ5BsN3Dtp5Q_tsir3mNBHXFJT3jJiBg5pZkWML974CmgYnaQzehmGHA4ypIvo1vvHsN7jnfaPPXzhOQ12aXjT_IAtNhiOIF5daj2EcwKz3_2rPiynMhw5PGvIv_ZXt4XlGuWnKirIDj-Q/w400-h265/12a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Gangbusters. That's the best word to describe this, my 12th year of publication. After three down years, theater is back--and bigger than ever.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">It was a very good year</span></h3><p>My total revenues were 19% higher than my previous best year, the just-before-COVID theater season of 2018-2019. Weirdly though, this wasn't my best year in terms of the number of productions. I had a total of 328 productions vs. 361 in that now long-ago record-setting year, a 9% drop.</p><p>So how did I make more money on fewer shows? Did Pioneer raise their royalty rates and script prices? Not that I know of.</p><p>Did the mix of plays produced skew more toward the pricier big-cast plays? Maybe. It's hard to tell.</p><p>Did I get more performances per play? Quite possibly. I had a 15-show booking, a 10-show booking, and an 8-show booking (all for <i>The Enchanted Bookshop</i>), which is much higher than I've ever seen before. I also had several 6-show bookings.</p><p>Also, streaming has become a popular addition for a lot of schools and that may have boosted my average number of performances per production as well.</p><p>Whatever the reason, I'll take it.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">The top five</span></h3><p><i>The Enchanted Bookshop</i> was my best-selling play for the sixth year with 107 productions. That's down 31% from the 156 it got in 2018-2019, but it's still triple digits and should be enough to kept it on top of Pioneer's list of top-selling full-length plays. I already have 35 productions booked for next year and I even have one production booked the year after that (talk about planning ahead!).</p><p>Second place was shared by two plays: my new coffee shop comedy, <i>Whole Latte Love</i>, and my perennially popular collection of driver's ed skits, <i>You're Driving Me Crazy!</i>, both at 28 productions. What's more, <i>You're Driving Me Crazy!</i> gave me my 21st country with the International School of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia doing a show in December (it's also been done in South Korea, The Philippines, Panama, the UK, and Australia). </p><p>My restaurant farce <i>Million Dollar Meatballs</i> continues to do amazingly well, snagging 26 productions to come in third. Not bad for an eight-year-old-play.</p><p>Placing fourth was another one of my new plays, <i>It's a Madhouse!</i>, which got 19 productions. That makes me very happy. <span style="text-align: center;">After a few dry years with my new plays, it seems that I've finally figured out what producing groups are looking for. For that reason, I'm veering away from multi-set genre plays (<i>The Stinky Feet Gang</i>, <i>Wicked Is As Wicked Does</i>, and <i>Real Pirates Don't Wear Tiaras</i> all had disappointing results) to focus more on single-set contemporary or near contemporary comedies (The 1950's setting of <i>It Happened on Route 66</i> counts, right?).</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">Final thoughts</span></h3><p><span style="text-align: center;">All of my plays had at least one production, although the still struggling </span><i style="text-align: center;">Babka Without Borders</i><span style="text-align: center;"> got exactly one. A few months ago, I discussed a possible title change with my editor. I may need to start thinking about that again.</span></p><p><span style="text-align: center;">One last point. Virtual plays were all the rage during the height of the pandemic. For obvious reasons, of course. The thought then was that they'd remain popular even after the pandemic ended as an easy-to-product alternative for schools that don't have that much money to spend on their theater programs.</span></p><p><span style="text-align: center;">Well, it didn't turn out that way. In fact, the</span><span style="text-align: center;"> bottom seems to have fallen out of the virtual play market. Or maybe that's just me. In any case, my only virtual play </span><i style="text-align: center;">You're Virtually Driving Me Crazy!</i><span style="text-align: center;"> dropped from a very respectable 21 productions in its first year two years ago to one lonely production this year.</span></p><p>But the rest of the play market is on fire, and I'm here for it. A very big and heartfelt thanks to all of you who've helped make this my best year yet. Your support means the world to me.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1LXhrf64PFuFu7Eq_ZeruCmYNVrMiAps9m7gmk-9QYsC2NfeebaCLsD8eayneaU7LxWXkL0yfZycrRpQFD-wnGVAkh2jLPbvgDBSuHs3RgFrzRt_42O6VRDdvfNr2qQwsZnblQu2105fe6STQwucXTDcto3A3yc0WHtdVSigFHeCLxQQZ7Z2nSwJV4g/s564/Thank_You.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbDDMsrp2lbIZJzLprIqFziIQhy53SEs5f9VS32hLbppsFRP4yJ6n4kRQToQcITdEN7H54YI5M8cUzSbn7JREogWefC6Z57DIY0-ZVc-xHo0eNWJ0kUOlyx6UXFrBMT6YqHqy-icIQaglOZPP3Zyv7lLSPP8rBKPVxK0bVl4nr5MVZNppvm_1hu-rRqQ/s564/Thank_You.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="564" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbDDMsrp2lbIZJzLprIqFziIQhy53SEs5f9VS32hLbppsFRP4yJ6n4kRQToQcITdEN7H54YI5M8cUzSbn7JREogWefC6Z57DIY0-ZVc-xHo0eNWJ0kUOlyx6UXFrBMT6YqHqy-icIQaglOZPP3Zyv7lLSPP8rBKPVxK0bVl4nr5MVZNppvm_1hu-rRqQ/w400-h170/Thank_You.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Todd Wallingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11308322697380268831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252805435076445374.post-64775021899166380752023-04-24T22:33:00.037-07:002023-05-22T21:34:44.744-07:00On laptops and Goldilocks and repair scams<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy5VWczjNTLKupuCt0zOb0G9z8AIpTDhYn-8gys1ksfN5MmktIdwVDkhb3MHrs0ev_xhcwah1ZXXcOuNehmPnOJg8Mb2GkNrKeKOevm3XX9Auk8HKbeb4XnQ7L8LBfhQXtiCaSJnxvwJZ_UZFJeX8UIK-3t5IxaSGWkjbMsvVdEnrX1VNKFBiX6g1GRg/s300/computer-dead-300x287.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="287" data-original-width="300" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy5VWczjNTLKupuCt0zOb0G9z8AIpTDhYn-8gys1ksfN5MmktIdwVDkhb3MHrs0ev_xhcwah1ZXXcOuNehmPnOJg8Mb2GkNrKeKOevm3XX9Auk8HKbeb4XnQ7L8LBfhQXtiCaSJnxvwJZ_UZFJeX8UIK-3t5IxaSGWkjbMsvVdEnrX1VNKFBiX6g1GRg/s1600/computer-dead-300x287.png" width="300" /></a></div><p>I'm not one of those writers who can write longhand. I live and die by my laptop. If it's not working, I'm not working.</p><h3><span style="font-size: large;">A writer's best friend</span></h3><p>Which is why I was devastated a couple months ago when my three-year-old Lenovo died. Or maybe I should say it was wounded. The laptop still powered on. It still let me open Word and stuff. But it wouldn't talk to the internet. It didn't even see my home wifi network.</p><p>In fact, just before it broke the little window that pops up showing you what networks are available started freaking out, flashing though all of them, one by one, until in a spectacular display of pixels, it crashed.</p><p>Okay, I made that pixel part up. But the laptop was totally incommunicado, at least where the Internet is concerned. I assumed the network card had blown, which could be a very pricey fix. Even just having a technician open a laptop to take a look inside can run into hundreds of dollars.</p><p>Did you ever open one up? A long time ago, on another laptop far far away, I thought I could fix a loose power cord socket. Boy, was I wrong. I was able to open the laptop, all right, but as soon as I did, the guts spilled out all over the places: cables and cords and teeny tiny chips. It's crazy how much stuff they cram inside on of those things. And even crazier for me to think that I'd be able to cram it all back in. Spoiler alert: I didn't.</p><p>But I digress.</p><p>The point is, I had no internet connection. And without the internet, I lost access to Movie Magic Screenwriter, the software I use to write my plays. (Don't get me started on Final Draft.) I needed to do something. </p><h3><span style="font-size: large;">Trial and (lots of) error</span></h3><p>So I started looking for a new one. And like Goldilocks, I tried two before settling on the third. The first one, a 15.6" Lenovo, was too big. The keyboard was just a lot, and when you spend hours a day typing, typing, typing, the feel of the keys are, well, key. So back to Amazon it went.</p><p>The second, a 14" Lenovo, was the right size and the keyboard felt good, but it wasn't a touchscreen, even though Amazon said it was. And that was a showstopper. After just an hour of playing around with it, my fingers ached from using the touchpad to move the cursor around. Back that one went as well.</p><p>For the third one, I tried something radical. I went to an actual store--my local Best Buy--to try out their selection of laptops before committing to one, and I ended up taking home a 14" HP (apparently, Lenovo no longer offers a 14" laptop with a touchscreen). I'd never had an HP before, and it felt pretty good under my fingers, even though the keys were a little clunky. At the store, I practiced typing for what must have been an hour and it seemed like something I could get used to. I was sure what few typos I made would stop once I got familiar with the layout. So I bought it.</p><p>But after two months of daily usage, I was still making a lot of typos--the keyboard just never felt quite right--and I was starting to miss my Lenovo. The keys on that laptop were nearly flush with the surface and required only a very light touch. Seriously, typing on that baby made your me feel like they were gliding across a velvet cloud. </p><p>So I decided to take the Lenovo to my nearest Data Doctors and at least find out what it would cost to fix it.</p><p style="text-align: left;">After the obligatory patronizing advice ("It could be your home network") and then confirming that the problem was in fact with the laptop, the Data Doctors guy said they'd charge me $60 to diagnose it and would offer me a little something they called...</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">"Options"</span></h3><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">Despite the ominous sound of that, I thought it was a reasonable deal and accepted it.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div>A day later, the guy calls me and says they don't know what the problem is, but they think it may be the driver and they can fix it for $250 membership which includes one year of repairs, their own cloud service (which I don't know what it is), and their own anti-virus software (ditto). I said no, I just want them to fix problem that, you know, I brought it in for. They said sorry, that was one option they didn't offer. </div><div><br /></div><div>So I took my laptop home. And guess what? The problem was gone. As soon as I fired it up, the Lenovo saw my home network and connected to it. Apparently the problem had been the driver, of all things, and Data Doctors happened to fix it while they ran their diagnostics. A potentially serious problem taken care of for a relatively paltry $60.</div><div><br /></div><div>Which leads to two possibilities: 1) Data Doctors knew they'd already fixed the problem, in which case they were completely shady by attempting to strong-arm me into paying another $250 for essentially nothing, or 2) they didn't know they'd already fixed it, in which case they were completely incompetent.</div><div><br /></div><div>I don't know which is worse.</div><div><br /></div><div>But the bottom line is I now have two working laptops: my beloved Lenovo, and a reasonable backup in case that one crashes again.</div><div><br /></div><div>Eat your heart out, Goldilocks.</div><p></p>Todd Wallingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11308322697380268831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252805435076445374.post-49406561499257650922023-04-20T20:15:00.075-07:002023-04-23T09:32:53.390-07:00Gopher State Bookshop welcomes all<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_A4SeL8GqrI1XFl7Jzl-BS1ZrReMgScnEgHRipnxyM01Oa-jK_AWKwR6S2bRBcj4BCuXeQJZOTCkrzHix-NpimP9ufJTpUEX5WMTZXM1_6C9qolVOj5nI6fglKdj2euGJ4SnUtvSE8LSrHu4XBiriJq3Rzaox4OX0_Rwr1FNiols0WEC9hyVp_cd80g/s874/643dc2e52e11d.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="874" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_A4SeL8GqrI1XFl7Jzl-BS1ZrReMgScnEgHRipnxyM01Oa-jK_AWKwR6S2bRBcj4BCuXeQJZOTCkrzHix-NpimP9ufJTpUEX5WMTZXM1_6C9qolVOj5nI6fglKdj2euGJ4SnUtvSE8LSrHu4XBiriJq3Rzaox4OX0_Rwr1FNiols0WEC9hyVp_cd80g/w400-h229/643dc2e52e11d.webp" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I love this time of year. Not because of the warm weather or the flowers blooming in the garden or the birds singing in the trees (although they are nice).<div><br /></div><div>No. I love this time of year because of all the spring productions.</div><div><br /></div><div>In <a href="https://www.southernminn.com/the_kenyon_leader/news/full-length-plays-to-return-to-kwms/article_17d74440-dd65-11ed-bc18-4f3db871cc6f.html" target="_blank">still another article</a> from the Gopher State, the <i>Kenyon Leader</i> of wonderful Wanamingo reports that after a four-year break, Kenyon-Wanamingo Middle School will be putting on a show next weekend. </div><div><br /></div><div>What show, might you ask? Well, none other than <i>The Enchanted Bookshop</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div>The kids are excited. Not just because they get to show off their acting skills once again, but because it provides an opportunity to rekindle friendships. Friendships that were formed four years ago during their last production.</div><div><br /></div><div>"We did a group of about six tiny, 10-minute plays," says actor Gunner Carlstrom, remembering that long-ago show. "So I mean, that's when I really got to meet them. And so after that, our bond kind of strengthened. Nowadays, I could consider a few of them my good friends."</div><div><br /></div><div>Co-director Blair Reynolds echoes the sentiment. "The theater department is always a place where anyone can feel welcome. It's one of the few places where kids feel like they belong, which is a great thing."</div><div><br /></div><div>Sunny days. Songbirds. Flowers bursting out all over. And friendships, both new and old.</div><div><br /></div><div>Looks like it's going to be a great spring. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNEiDjgSEN4zyg0a_DKjCFD8JkzI7MxAglfdy12rcP_rVNp3LxE62RzgKvkUvteWqz5wLxs5j-O8J9OuPOO3dRNz78_s9ZRaX6wgQwoiZ_tfB3WeCLMe-TmJqynHPfyb8AIaCT20o38UfKZXQByWA2ysnYBb9UXxe32EIrr40JUsOrJpE2KQCnUQ72fw/s947/643dc2d44623b.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="947" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNEiDjgSEN4zyg0a_DKjCFD8JkzI7MxAglfdy12rcP_rVNp3LxE62RzgKvkUvteWqz5wLxs5j-O8J9OuPOO3dRNz78_s9ZRaX6wgQwoiZ_tfB3WeCLMe-TmJqynHPfyb8AIaCT20o38UfKZXQByWA2ysnYBb9UXxe32EIrr40JUsOrJpE2KQCnUQ72fw/w400-h211/643dc2d44623b.webp" width="400" /></a></div></div>Todd Wallingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11308322697380268831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252805435076445374.post-25156216615134050212023-04-12T20:08:00.066-07:002023-08-17T20:06:55.209-07:00How to Enchant a Bookshop to be published<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyDnTd12On4NSzOrvIrB2ruRmhQxR_U2XP5H5Ens6f5LFkRNeKWSN5c4cTNQ37L6tS3nvhiWNFOm5krBdw4PY2c0TXWEcrZUrm96HvF95EZp4zYLP3zBChKRxj0FS2soGkO6Z5_9iDASMQHUgDeEKr7KUkuFHwLhsIvDkaHeA8PAIA3XnoTgdWT8a0vw/s1280/two_mice.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyDnTd12On4NSzOrvIrB2ruRmhQxR_U2XP5H5Ens6f5LFkRNeKWSN5c4cTNQ37L6tS3nvhiWNFOm5krBdw4PY2c0TXWEcrZUrm96HvF95EZp4zYLP3zBChKRxj0FS2soGkO6Z5_9iDASMQHUgDeEKr7KUkuFHwLhsIvDkaHeA8PAIA3XnoTgdWT8a0vw/w400-h225/two_mice.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Every story needs a beginning, a middle, and an end. That's true even when the story sprawls across several plays.<p></p><p><i>The Enchanted Bookshop</i> was the end of the story (spoiler alert!). Of course, the play ends with the book characters disappearing into their books as they sacrifice themselves in order to save the shop. No possibility of a follow-up there.</p><p><i>An Enchanted Bookshop Christmas</i> was the middle. It takes place before the original play, and although everyone knows the characters won't disappear, there's still plenty of tension as the audience wonders how the missing bookmark will be found.</p><p>But both of these plays hinted at a mysterious beginning, the story of how A Likely Story became enchanted in the first place. Sure, in the original play, Book Fairy provided a vague explanation of why she gave the gift of life to that beloved band of literary characters. But she never explained how she did it. Or how she learned the spell. Or who those first characters she brought to life were.</p><p>Which is why I wrote <i>How to Enchant a Bookshop</i>. Call it the origin story of the Enchanted Bookshop universe.</p><p>And that leads to an interesting story. I don't think I'm giving anything away by admitting that Pioneer Drama Service originally rejected the script. They were worried it would water down the stories I already had. And I get that. I was a little worried about that too.</p><p>But I told them I felt it was a story that to be told. Again, the beginning to the wildly popular middle and end. And they were generous enough to reconsider it.</p><p>Under one condition. That I revise it as a one-act play.</p><p>It made a lot of sense. Although <i>The Enchanted Bookshop</i> is relatively short for a full-length play, at sixty minutes it's too long to perform during one class period or as part of an evening of short plays. Making it a one-act would allow me to complete A Likely Story's story while opening a whole new market for Margie and friends.</p><p>The editing turned out to be a slam dunk. I cut two characters. The first was a customer who satirized those who prefer buying their books online rather than from a friendly, knowledgeable bookseller but didn't advance the plot. The second was none other that Cosette from <i>Les Miserables</i>, who was an interesting addition but never came alive for me on the page.</p><p>More importantly, I cut 16 pages, slimming the script from a plump 63 pages to a much more svelte 47. It wasn't as hard as you might think. Cutting those two characters accounted for about 5 of the pages and the rest came from deleting gags that didn't work (I had way too many of those!).</p><p>The result? A tight, charming, and hilarious play (if I do say so myself) that's perfect for elementary schools, not just because of its length but also because the story is lighter in tone and most of the new literary characters I added would appeal more to younger folk.</p><p>Who are those kid-skewing characters? Well, one is Cinderella, who's described in the script as "not the Disney version". The other two are the answer to that question I posed earlier: who were the first characters to be brought to life in Margie's bookshop?</p><p>And here they are:</p><blockquote><p>TOM THUMB: Oh, Hunca Munca! Have you ever seen such a glorious sight?</p><p>HUNCA MUNCA: What is this place, Tom Thumb? It certainly doesn't look like the dollhouse.</p><p>TOM THUMB: No, indeed. Why, if I ventured a guess, I would say that we're in a bookshop.</p><p>HUNCA MUNCA: A bookshop? What, pray tell, is a bookshop?</p><p>TOM THUMB: A bookshop is a place where humans store books so that mice like us may dine upon them.</p><p>HUNCA MUNCA: Oh, Tom! I should so like to sample these books! They look simply scrumptious!</p><p>TOM THUMB: And so many of them! I should think we should feast for weeks!</p></blockquote><p></p><p>Give up? They're the titular characters from the Beatrix Potter story, <i>The Tale of Two Bad Mice</i>. And boy, are they hungry!</p><p>I'm hoping some schools and community theaters will see the benefit of performing both <i>How to Enchant a Bookshop</i> and <i>The Enchanted Bookshop</i> in a single afternoon or evening. After all, the total playing time will be around an hour and 40 minutes, comparable to a normal full-length play. And they offer roles for two whole sets of casts, adding up to a whopping 41 parts!</p><p>I'm excited to see how this new play fares. Look for it to be available for the new school year this fall.</p>Todd Wallingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11308322697380268831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252805435076445374.post-23372155174227637272023-03-30T16:34:00.137-07:002023-04-14T21:28:26.550-07:00Minnesota university brings Bookshop to schools<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvxxR5T-rl7EouVAPMETpojgrHEjxbBnKuIIl_huCxTiYK8GxjvzeoC8Tdw8mZVm-wFuGowb87ks0EZ8mrq578cvbpnKlJfVxFDb8BU4JK2nTnGJFVkLXeshxBh2z6k98mH-ZCj1H_dMOS7r5rT8mthxZHUGIPe76XHTBgUUO92ca5CfwmF6FEUYr6rg/s1100/bookshop-play-copyweb-1100x732.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="1100" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvxxR5T-rl7EouVAPMETpojgrHEjxbBnKuIIl_huCxTiYK8GxjvzeoC8Tdw8mZVm-wFuGowb87ks0EZ8mrq578cvbpnKlJfVxFDb8BU4JK2nTnGJFVkLXeshxBh2z6k98mH-ZCj1H_dMOS7r5rT8mthxZHUGIPe76XHTBgUUO92ca5CfwmF6FEUYr6rg/w400-h266/bookshop-play-copyweb-1100x732.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><div>If the groups producing my plays were a pie, the biggest piece--about 90%--would be elementary, middle, and high schools. The rest would be community theaters, except for one tiny sliver representing colleges and universities.</div><div><br /></div><div>So it's always a nice surprise when one of those university productions comes across my radar, especially when it's targeted for younger audiences.</div><div><br /></div><div>That's the case with Southwest Minnesota State University's production of <i>The Enchanted Bookshop</i> (another Gopher State hit!). As reported in this <a href="https://www.marshallindependent.com/news/local-news/2023/03/getting-into-a-good-book/?fbclid=IwAR3Ek_kH_KTZk0P8gLwTGJw2yl0-fOZ57dkfQCSA0I6Q6JIdj7OF5eqVMZk" target="_blank"><i>Marshall Independent</i> article</a>, the university is presenting four shows to the general public this weekend. But they're also offering special weekday shows for elementary school classes.</div><div><br /></div><div>The cast members, some of them first-time actors, are having a lot of fun exploring their characters. </div><div><br /></div><div>"She's a lot less timid in this play," says senior Tailer Benson about her character, Dorothy Gale. "She's standing up for people, and standing up for herself, in a way."</div><div><br /></div><div>But with close to 600 kids expected to attend the show, that's not the greatest reward from performing. It's the reaction of the audience.</div><div><br /></div><div>"I love how their faces light up when something happens," says Alyster Schmidt, who plays Tom Sawyer.</div><div><br /></div><div>My face lights up just hearing that. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4aPvwe2q7IhXgJ7XHKLERidUaf6ti1Vrr3OknWOSQhOV6LxsLPcnVJ_NuvHcDEh8V6QiZtQ-wHHE8EbPfewXj4OOlCs8su6u0cBrggkpVqRFjH-WiSJnzqhFArdUw233Pa-1lL970EfTJFIdcmwxSfBtDNihJPlNlnUVkDMvqk4tSKD4suKBsH8qCkA/s2048/339844582_797016668707373_5242065889346826991_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4aPvwe2q7IhXgJ7XHKLERidUaf6ti1Vrr3OknWOSQhOV6LxsLPcnVJ_NuvHcDEh8V6QiZtQ-wHHE8EbPfewXj4OOlCs8su6u0cBrggkpVqRFjH-WiSJnzqhFArdUw233Pa-1lL970EfTJFIdcmwxSfBtDNihJPlNlnUVkDMvqk4tSKD4suKBsH8qCkA/w400-h266/339844582_797016668707373_5242065889346826991_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Todd Wallingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11308322697380268831noreply@blogger.com0