Waiting for Godot

Though I could’ve read a Shakespeare play to brush up on the classics of theatre/drama, I instead opted for something more modern. I’m sure most people have heard of Waiting for Godot and have gotten the references — two men waiting for another who never shows up — but reading it turned out to be a much deeper, philosophical experience than I thought. The play calls itself a tragicomic, which surprised me even before reading (how could this play be tragic?).

I underestimated Mr. Beckett: that ending was depressing as hell. To be fair, I’ve really been considering moving to another city for a while now but haven’t really looked into it so that likely had something to do with it. Although I think the play is deceptively simple, it’s one of those that can definitely be interpreted in numerous ways. In my case, I felt it was about existentialism.

Ugh. Now I’m depressed thinking about it again.

Inspirational

How underrated is local/community theatre? As a writer, it is some of the easiest ways to get inspired. Watched six short plays written by creative writing student sand was thoroughly impressed. Bravo!

Laughing Wild and Baby with the Bathwater

A week ago, I was supposed to go in for an audition for a festival of short plays. In preparation, I had to look for two contrasting monologues, and since I had never auditioned with monologues before (or auditioned much, really), I looked for suggestions. One was this monologue about a baked potato from Christopher Durang’s play called Laughing Wild. The only available copy at the library also included another play, Baby with the Bathwater. I ended up reading Laughing Wild, which was good and so bizarre but funny, and then read Baby with the Bathwater.

I love Baby with the Bathwater. It’s by far the most hilarious play I’ve read; it’s witty, completely insane and ridiculous, and so goddamn funny, I had to stifle my laughter when reading it on the bus and the train. I really do need to read more plays.

Also, I’m trying this new thing out where I’m going to read different genres now, after last year’s Aaron Book Awards, so I don’t end up reading a ton of memoirs or graphic novels, and one children’s book. Speaking of children’s books, Swallows and Amazons should be arriving at the library for me any day now…

Which monologues to audition with?

I have an upcoming audition for a festival of short plays produced by a university (one that I graduated from last year). I am to prepare a monologue or possibly two, depending on time. I’m super stoked, but the only thing is that I’ve never auditioned for a play before (I did audition for a short film a few years ago), and haven’t seen or read too many so I’m not sure how to go about choosing a good monologue. If I had to prepare one, I feel like I should prepare a dramatic monologue over a comedic one.

Any suggestions?

To act or not to act?

Should I get involved with next year’s Brace New Play Rites Festival? It would be an interesting experience, but at the same time, I wonder if it’s a bit too much of an undertaking. It’d be really fun to do some acting, but at the same time, I don’t really have any acting experience (unless you count the times I read parts in the playwriting class last year, and the bit parts in elementary school plays). I don’t want to say yes and then be overwhelmed later, which is partly what I’m afraid of. At the same time, you never know, right?

Thoughts?

Writing in my mind

When people think of writing, they think of writing on a piece of paper, on a computer. But at least for me, ideas, stories, characters, structure — they’re all considered, sifted in my mind even before my fingers ever touch a keyboard or a pen. I’ve been pushing myself to come up with an idea for a one-act play by next week for the Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre’s MSG Lab and was stuck for a while. Then I came up with what I think is a pretty interesting idea, and certainly a somewhat controversial one, and have been figuring out how the story will unfold since yesterday — all the deliberations done in my head. At least for me, it helps a lot more to know what the story will be, generally, before I ever go and write. Last year, when I did NaNoWriMo, I had an idea for a novel I wanted to write but ultimately couldn’t get more than 200 or so words down because I didn’t know the characters, setting, and story well enough to know how it was supposed to go.

The biggest challenge for me is writing a complete one-act play, which I’ve never done before. I’m also in the process of writing a two/three-act play but even that was a struggle because I’m not used to writing longer forms. The longest play I wrote was just over ten pages and it was on the shorter side compared to the other plays at the Brave New Play Rites Festival earlier this year. I guess I feel like some of the pages in between the beginning and the end are filler pages, and I don’t want there to be any. Anyway, it’s my play and I should be able to do with it how I want. Now let’s see if I can knock off a draft or two before next week.

The Normal Heart

Read this one a while back but I accidentally returned it before I took a picture with it. Luckily, I now work at a library so going to get books is no longer a problem.

It’s been a while since I’ve read a play, but this one is really good. I can definitely hear how angry Larry Kramer is through his words. There isn’t really anything else I have to say about it except that it is a really, really good read. Some great writing in here. Now that I’ve seen the HBO TV movie as well as a stage production, it’s interesting to see how it carries over and how others have worked with the text. But no one wants to hear me blab on about that, so here’s a picture of me upside down.

End of Brave New Play Rites

Well, it’s been fun. I caught my play twice, and I’ll be attending the second program tonight for the first time. When I signed up for the class and even when I was told that my play would be produced for the festival, I didn’t really know what that looked like. To me, my play was still words on a page, even when there was a director attached to the project and it was being workshopped. It was really only when I sat there on Wednesday night, after the second play was finished and they began laying down the walls for the house that I had written in my play, that I realized my play was now real. It was when the actors wandered on stage, embodying the words that I written months ago.

I’m just really happy that play was chosen, especially when, at the time, I really didn’t know if it would be or not, since I didn’t feel all that confident about my writing. But as I watched the actors say the lines I had written, as they walked on stage and then off, as the play ended unhappily, I felt confident. I felt like I belonged, that I had worked hard to get to this point, and that my writing was good. I think that’s something I’ve been trying to get over, and it’s been a slow process, but watching my play — and all the other ones in the festival too — has helped with that, for sure.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to dress fancy for the last show and getting drunk at the closing party tonight. Yeeeeaah!

My Chernobyl

I wasn’t planning on reading this, but it was part of my homework for my playwriting class that I’m taking this summer. I actually had a class with Aaron Bushkowsky when I was at VFS and I remember when this was on the stage and some of my classmates went and saw the play. It was cool to read a work from someone I know, and I read it with Russian accents in mind (and for a short while, I mumbled the lines with a Russian accent because I was on the skytrain and didn’t want anyone else to hear, but I don’t think my accent was very good so whatever).

Anyway, now Aaron has this horrible picture of me trying to look like a douche to remember him by. Thanks for the fun read, Mr. Bushkowsky.

Goodbye, Ridge Theatre

I will always remember you.