September 2004 Archives

Well, I'm here at last. The city is incredibly humid, there are too many people, and I can't find silence anywhere. It's great! I arrived too late to see rehearsals, but I did talk to Tisa, the artistic producer, and it sounds like all is going well. My interview with the Asian American television program was postponed. I have to talk to the host to set up a new time. I have to go to her studio in Brooklyn to do the interview. That should be pretty cool.

Meanwhile, I've bought my Metro Pass and a Time Out Magazine, and I'm already navigating the city with little fear and a good sense of direction. The only down note happened when I walked by the theatre. It looks like there's some renos being done to the building and there are a few homeless people sleeping on the steps. It kind of reminds me of what it was like to see the show at the Firehall Arts Centre in Vancouver. Kind of seedy, kind of dangerous... isn't that where all theatre takes place? Where the rent is cheapest? Anyway, I'm just going to enjoy the experience for what it is. I'm going to walk around Times Square then head back to the hotel and try to sleep.

Later

I'm about halfway through the follow-up novel to Mystery of the Frozen Brains. At first, I thought I'd work on the manuscript while I was in New York, but with the recent discovery of high blood pressure (and now high cholesterol), I'm using the three weeks to enjoy the time away from my computer. I'll have enough to do with promoting Mom, Dad, I'm Living with a White Girl. I figure I don't need the added stress of trying to finish my book while I'm in the Big Apple. Already, I feel relieved about my decision. I can pick up where I left off when I come back to Edmonton, and I can actually focus on the play while I'm in New York. One more sleep to go.

My composer, Bob, has finished the music for two more songs of the play. They sound great. My Dream is Dying is this haunting melody that gives me shivers. Have Not Have is a pretty cool song with multiple voices building up to the climax. There are two more songs to go and the musical version of the play will be done. I'll be meeting with Bob when I get back to Edmonton. I'm feeling good about this project. I hope everyone else is feeling the same way.

You know I'm delirious with glee when I start quoting Christopher Cross songs. Anyway, there are three days before I fly to NYC. Rehearsals sound like they're going okay. I'm going off the production notes. I just wish I was there to be a part of the fun. Oh well, I guess I'll just show up and be surprised by what the cast and crew have concocted. I feel like I'm 7 years old again and it's three sleeps to Christmas day.

Whew! I just finished the polish of the Count of Monte Cristo. I'm handing it in today, so that I can have a free conscience this weekend. I've decided to put the book on hold while I deal with Mom, Dad, I'm Living with a White Girl. I might peck away at the manuscript while I'm in NYC, but I'm not going to stress myself out about the book. I found out that I have borderline high blood pressure, and I'm 99.999999 per cent sure that the culprit is the stress I've put on myself over the last six months. It all begins next week with the start of a three week vacation in NYC.

The stage manager for the New York production of Mom, Dad, I'm Living with New York sent the first set of production notes today. The production suddenly seems very real. I'm anxious and excited, thrilled and petrified. I'll send updates when I hit New York. If the blog is quiet, it just means I can't get to an Internet cafe. Only seven more sleeps before I take off for the Big Apple!

Great news! I just received a message from Allan Boss, the Arts and Entertainment Producer for CBC Radio in Alberta. My dramatic monologue, Turbulence, was one of the winners of the Alberta Anthology competition. I'm told that the piece will air sometime in the next month. I'll post the air date on my events page.

Great news. A librarian in BC has chosen The Mystery of the Frozen Brains to be a part of a reading challenge. About 100 students will participate in the challenge. I hope to get out to the area in the spring to do some readings. Maybe I'll be able to get firsthand feedback from the readers.

Well, it's ugly and painful to read, but the revision to Count of Monte Cristo is finished. I think I've slugged in all the broad strokes. There's a couple of scenes I need to flesh out, but that won't take long. I'll probably do a polish of the play this week and get it ready to deliver to the Citadel (the theatre which commissioned the adaptation) before I head to New York. Yay! I'm almost ready to go to the Big Apple with a clear conscience. Now I just have to finish the first draft of the second book. Gulp!

I spent three hours on the phone to my director, Ron, to go over his last set of notes on the play. Mostly cuts. A few line changes. Mostly painless. I think the script is in decent shape. Now the actors get to sink their teeth into it. I can't wait to see what they do with it. Ron reported that the audience loved the last reading, so I'm hoping the cast can carry the same energy into the production. Here we go!

Double duty on Count of Monte Cristo and the new book has stretched me too thin. I made decent progress on the book the last two days. Now I'm devoting the last three days of the week to the play. I hope to finish the second act by Friday, so that I can have the two weeks before I go to NYC to work on the book. I can't beat myself up over the fact that I can't work on the two projects at the same time. Each is pretty big and needs careful attention. Even if I just finish the play by the end of the month, that's still a worthy accomplishment. I've got to start setting more realistic expectations for myself.

Yesterday, I received the infamous "form rejection letter," for a submission to a radio play contest. These kinds of letters are great. They're generic and relative harmless on the ego. While there's always a sting when someone says no (think back to junior high when you asked someone to the prom and got shot down), I do like the fact that the letter said encouraging things, even if they were generic platitudes. At least, I didn't get the face to face rejection of a junior high drama -- "I like you as a friend" or "I'm sure you'll find someone that's worthy of you." I prefer the faceless rejection to the in-person put down any day.

Sad news. It looks like there's too much red tape to get the actor who played Li Fen in the Canadian tour. I was really hoping she could do the part, because she was great in the role. Plus, it would be fun to hang with a familiar face in New York. Pan Asian Repertory Theatre might have an actor in NYC who can do the role. I'm hoping she says yes. We're getting pretty close to the start of rehearsals. Tisa Chang, the artistic producer, joked that she'd put our director in drag as a last resort. Hmm, I wonder if Ron's willing to shave his legs.