A word of warning, not all the title are PG friendly. But they are all interesting. The three titles I clicked on were:

• Pork Counter
• untitled (Kraftwerk Jukebox Musical)
• Twenty Five Bamboo Shoots sitting in the sun

Watch the full slide show of pictures!

Beauty and the Bee is up first. The theatre is alive with noise, groups working on different sections. The Bee Muses get on their feet, they want to use that energy. I love the sound of positive noise! Lots of first reaction laughs.

The first act group read is great! Everyone loves the Dad in the tree moment. Fantastic energy.

I’m very happy.

The second act is hmmmmmm. And…. hmmmmm. The script needs something. Cuts. Oxygen. Hmmmmm. More salt. Can some of the first act be merged into the second? Hmmmmm.

Drum Taps is an adaptation of the Walt Whitman poems from the larger collection Leaves of Grass. I love Whitman and I am fascinated to see how this goes. Sometimes I create whole ‘What if’ worlds in my head - what if I theatricalized Walt Whitman, for example - and there’s always a moment of, will it work? Am I crazy (well, yes) Is this theatrical at all? Will it crash and burn?

And add to that, it’s all well and good to have this world in my head, but unless it works on the page and someone not in my head can translate it into live theatre it’s useless.

We start a bit wobbly. The after lunch confusion fog. The fact that it’s not as clear, or modern, or funny as Bee. I mean, it’s 1865, it’s poetry, and it’s about the civil war.

I’m not sure I can think of anything less ‘fun.’

A couple of pokes with the cattle prod, um I mean a couple of encouraging words, and we’re off. Clarify that character. Don’t say that line in that monotone poetry voice. Pull the words out of you like you’re ripping it out of your stomach. Who are you? Why are you here? You are a human being.

Yell like a charging football team!

And….. it works. I’ll be damned, it works. The pictures in my head, alive. The words, alive. The moments, alive. It works, whee! (insert picture of dancing playwright here) Alive!

Walt Whitman is, and I imagined he would be, thearical magic. It’s absolute magic.

It’s… Whoa! And… Damn! And.. Goosebumps!

This is exciting.

And, and, and, they like it - hey Mikey! My little gaggle of teenagers like Whitman. They’re inspired by Whitman. They want to continue working on Whitman. 1865. Poetry. Civil War.

That is really exciting.

Six hours…. is way too long for both teenagers and brain fried playwrights. We call it a day after five. That’s plenty to see what I’ve got and see where I have to go.

All in all, a great, great, day.

Let me think about that, of course! This particular play I knew would be a difficult road to the final draft: it takes place sort of in the real world,  but not really in the real world; it’s the next door, left turn to reality world. And the story deals with concepts that could easily go down the road of finger wagging which I definitely do not want.

There’s a group of Stepford-like girls with a scary amount of power, and another group who are literal garbage - they’ve been junked, thrown out with the trash. It’s somewhat stylized but then if there’s too much style it gets funky and I’m trying to find the right balance of everything.  Is that so much to ask? The right balance of everything?

I’ve been electronically part of the rehearsal process this fall, with the teacher passing along questions, floating set design concepts and keeping me in the loop. And then last week when I was in Florida I was able to go to a rehearsal and see what’s what.

Working with teens can sometimes be a slippery tightrope. You can’t start slashing lines in front of them, even if you know they should be cut, because it looks to the teen like they did a bad job. And it’s hard to explain that the reason I’m wearing a grim scary face is that I’m concentrating really hard - it has nothing to do with disliking the performance. And you have to always find something positive to say because even when they know they’ve not done their best, all they want is your love. And really, there’s lots of people out there who find it a thrill cutting teenagers off at the knees. It’s not my thing. I love working with teens and there’s nothing like being a part of their self-confidence.

But having said that, the purpose of this test production is to, you know, test it. This production is part of a process, it’s not a product yet. And by the end of the rehearsal it was clear to me some pretty big changes would have to be made. Eek.

Sometimes, you go over a play and you go over a play and you think you’re on the right track. But then you see it performed and you go, “Hmmmmm. That’s not right.” I can tell student writers till I’m blue in the face that the play on the page is different than the play on the stage (ever so catchy) but until it happens to you, it’s hard to believe.

I believe it and sometimes even I get surprised.

I thought I had worked through my issues with the Garbage Group, but in production they’re still not right. (NOT the actors, the characters!) What do you mean Ms Price? Sorry, can’t explain it. Well I can, there are the two different groups in the play and right now they’re written as if they’re in different ballparks. They’re written in two different styles and it’s abundantly clear in performance. And it doesn’t work. They’re not the same, but they have to be funhouse mirror images of each other, and thus in the same ball park. See, aren’t you glad you asked?

Sometimes this happens and I don’t know where to go next. (The second act of Beauty and the Bee for example…) sometimes this happens and it’s like a fireworks show in my head. I see the problem and the answer (I shouldn’t get ahead of myself, it’s AN answer right now) presents itself. It’s a very cool feeling.

On the plane ride home I re-wrote twelve pages. And then I emailed the director at midnight and asked her not to kill me.

It’s one thing to throw twelve new pages at professional actors the week before they’re supposed to perform. It’s a whole different kettle of fish with teens. Because they have other things to worry about besides the play. Because they don’t have a background of on-the-spot change training. And ultimately, they think I’m changing the play because of something they did.

Luckily the teacher and I are on the same page (after she decided not to kill me), and she knows teens need the love and she’s giving the love and emphasizing that this is how plays come to be. They are part of the process. A very necessary process. I couldn’t do it without them.

And now, we wait and see……

There’s an unwritten rule when it comes to choosing plays for the catalogue: we must love it. We must be able to talk about it with enthusiasm and excitement. We must be able to suggest a play wholeheartedly to you, because we believe in it.

If you want to know why a certain play is in the Theatrefolk catalogue, click on the Spread the Love button on the front page of the website. There will be a new video each week.

And if there’s a Theatrefolk play you love, let everyone know! Send us a one minute video and we’ll spread the love for you.

I’ve had both a MySpace account and a Facebook account for over a year now. It’s interesting that over the year, the MySpace has remained more professional (although I do tend sometimes to get a little more cranky in my MySpace blog posts!) and my Facebook has moved into more of a private area. I like that on Facebook I currently have a small number of friends and I can keep track of what everyone is doing and I can post my goofy Disney pictures. But that’s not exactly what the Theatrefolk customer wants to see though, me posing goofily with Goofy.

To that end, we’re starting up a Theatrefolk Facebook page. This is the place to go to if you’re doing a Lindsay Price play (or any Theatrefolk play for that matter) and want to ask a question or pass along a comment. We’re going to be posting our photos and videos there. If you’re doing a show and want to advertise your dates, let us know and we’ll post it as an event.

Join us!

I taught two playwriting workshops earlier this week. One was for beginners where we explored Character and Conflict….

And then an advanced workshop where we explored the tools a Playwright needs at their disposal whatever the play, whatever the genre, whatever the draft.

One of my favourite things is watching student writers. Sometimes they can’t wait for me to stop talking so they can dive into another world. Sometimes they get frustrated when I ask them to hold or stop. They would write forever if they could.

The beginners are really reluctant to share. It’s still too fragile, this writing thing. Even though I stress that plays are meant to be seen and heard. The advanced writers volunteer to read aloud before I can even ask. They’re proud of their work. And I’m proud of them.

Thanks for the great day Atlantic High School!

This past weekend Franklin Academy took two plays to North Carolina Theatre Conference’s High School Festival, where they performed excellently.

The school’s play Body Body, which tackled the problem of bulimia, won awards for both “Best Ensemble” and “Best Play Dealing with Teen Issues.”

The lead in Tuna Fish Eulogy, a difficult play consisting of overlapping dialogue for an interesting choral display, senior Michael Hammett received an Outstanding Acting Award, following in the Franklin Academy alumnus John Lewis’s steps who was presented the same award last year.

High School Playwrights in the South East States! Here’s a playwriting contest for you…

Are you a high school student who writes? Or perhaps you’re a teacher who works with aspiring playwrights?

The SETC Playwriting Committee has created a new playwriting contest just for high school students. The winning student playwright receives a $250 prize and an invitation to attend the SETC Spring Convention. The winning script will be presented in a staged reading and receive a response from a distinguished panel of critics.

Who’s Eligible: Only high school student playwrights who are currently residing in the ten state SETC member region are eligible for consideration. These states include Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

Entry Window: Submissions accepted between October 1 and December 1

Entry Requirements: The script should be a one-act play that has not been published and has not been professionally produced. Only one play may be submitted by each playwright, and plays must be written by a single playwright - no collaborations.

Submission Format: All scripts must be typed. Hard copies sent via postal mail are preferred, although electronic submissions will be accepted. Scripts will not be returned.

Complete Guidelines and Application: http://www.setc.org/scholarship/hsnewplay.php

Send mail entries to:

Todd Ristau, Director
Graduate Program in Playwriting
Hollins University
PO Box 9602
Roanoke, VA 24020-1602

Questions: Contact Todd Ristau at tristau@hollins.edu or (540) 362-6386.