August 2006 Archives

I've been working on another humour article for the Edmonton Journal. This one is about my nightmare trip to Beijing a few years ago. I had mentioned that I had way more material than the 1,000 word limit for the article and she kindly offered an extra 200 words. However, I'm starting to think that I could really turn the article into a humour travel book about my Asia trip. I'll take the extra 200 words to beef up the article, and I may try to use the published version as a pitch to publishers.

I'm starting to realize that some ideas have legs, while others are better off as brief pieces. For example, my cat conversation article was perfect for a short piece, but I wouldn't want to over extend that piece because there isn't enough material to keep things interesting. With the travel piece, I have all the locations in China that I visited. I'm getting excited about the potential of the piece. Now I have to stop daydreaming and start writing.

I'm still plugging away at the manuscript. I'm loving the new way of tracking progress. Using word count instead of page count seems to make the day go easier. I'm setting a summer-ish pace of 1,000 words per day. Instead of taking all day to get to five pages, I can take an hour or two to write 300 or 400 words, then come back a little later to finish off my quota for the day. The big trick that I'm using is to celebrate the progress rather than kick myself for the days I might not get to my quota. As long as I move toward my goal of 35,000 words I'm happy. Back to work.

Last night, I saw Gerald Osborn's play, Adam Butterfly. Very funny play. It's a little hard to explain the plot without spoiling what happens. Let's just say it's Purple Rose of Cairo with a gay twist. I had a great time watching the show. The audiences ate up the jokes as well. I think the show was sold out, or close to sold out. There's some physical comedy that was hilarious. I swear the audience couldn't stop laughing at one scene that was all about some very funny poses. I think there are two performances left on the weekend.

My only warning is that this isn't a show for kids. There are some naughty words and mature themes.

Well, I had the meeting at the Citadel. The artistic director was very enthusiastic and encouraging about the development of the script. However, he raised a key point. Because the show calls for elements of acrobatics and Peking Opera styled movements, the skill level must be amazing. Anything below that level is going to stand out even more. It's my old motto of "go big, or go home." Unfortunately, to get people of this calibre costs money and this production is beyond the Citadel's current budget.

So that means I'm back to square one. Well, more like square one and a half. What I got out the meeting was that the Citadel could lend moral support or try to open doors to companies that would have the resources to commit, and the door was certainly open to something down the line. I'm in the classic situation where I have to convince one company to trigger the domino effect. As soon as one major player says they are willing to commit to a production, others will come on board. It's a matter of getting that first yes. So, now I have to put together a plan of attack to find that first yes.

What this means is that any kind of production won't be possible for another two or three years at the earliest. This writing game isn't a sprint; it's a marathon. The positive thing that I take from the meeting is that I now understand how writers can wait so long for their projects to take off. Not every rejection they receive is negative. It's the positive and encouraging rejections that give the fuel to keep going. I'm actually feeling quite good about the project, and I know I have to find the company that has the resources to go along with their passion for the script. Time to roll up my sleeves and get to work.

Today, I'm supposed to meet the Artistic Director at the Citadel about The Forbidden Phoenix. We're touching base about what was accomplished in an April workshop in Banff. I've been developing this play for close to 4 years now, and I feel like it is almost ready to go on stage. The Citadel has been great in supporting the development of the piece, but now I find out if they're going to stick with the ride or get off at this stop. I really hope they stick with me, but I'll understand if I have to find another partner for the project.

The reason why I'm blogging about this meeting is that I've heard other writers talk about how long it takes for their projects to get off the ground. I remember one children's author talking about waiting 29 years for her book to be published. She talked about how great it was to to finally get published, but she didn't really delve into what happened in the 29 years of frustration and waiting. I figure the real test of a writer's commitment is how they deal with the rejection and the waiting.

In my case, I'm hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. If I get a no thank you today, I'm going to have to revise my game plan and find other partners for the project, but it's not necessarily the end of the project. It must means I have to start the ball rolling somewhere else. Hmm, the image of Sisyphus springs to mind. Anyway, I'm off to the meeting. I'll report on it tomorrow.

Yesterday, I wandered the Fringe site and checked out a play, Back to Berlin. Actually, it was two plays in one. The first was Vern Thiessen's Back to Berlin, a touching reflection about a son's relationship with his father as they travel to Germany together. The other play featured Sharon Richardson in a piece called Back to Burlington, where an actor outlines her life and her relationship with her mother. Both shows were pretty effective and engaging.

Afterward, I headed to the performer's beer tent (the north side of the Transalta Arts Barns) and soaked in some sun and conversation. I enjoyed the company and the play, but I have to say that this year's Fringe food is a bit disappointing. Maybe another trip to the site may be in order. I'm going to check out Adam Butterfly on Thursday night. Maybe I'll hit a vendor after the show.

After a week, I'm getting back to an Edmonton Journal article about a nightmare vacation. I had finished a first draft of the piece last week, but I wanted to take a little time away from the piece because I knew it needed a lot of work. This morning, I had some inspiration about how to tackle the article. I'm going to use a metaphor of the Godfather movies to describe my experiences. I don't know if I would have come up with this if I tried to cram the writing of the second draft too close to the writing of the first draft. That said, there's a fine line between letting an idea breathe and just procrastinating. I cross that line way too many times. However, in this case, I think the strategy paid off.

Check out this film if you have the chance. I saw it last night and loved it. The story is about a dysfunctional family trying to get their daughter to a Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant. Every actor is awesome. This is a true ensemble movie. Alan Arkin nearly steals the show, but my favourite is the little girl who has the same innocence as the Bee Girl from the Blind Melon video. Warning! This isn't a family movie; there are some scenes that may offend younger viewers. I howled at the climax (which I will not give away). Steve Carell proves he is a real actor in this movie, and Toni Colette just shines. I even liked Greg Kinnear, even though his character was supposed to be a jerk. And last but certainly not least, the boy who played the son who took a vow of silence will wring your heart and bust your gut at the same time.

Today's Edmonton Journal published my article about writing and producing plays at the Fringe. After I read the article, I realized that the editor hadn't put in a by-line about what I was doing at the Edmonton Fringe. The answer is nothing.

In my vain, self-obsessed, paranoid delusional state, I fear that readers of the article will think I have a show at the Fringe called Memoirs of a Fringe adrenaline junkie (the article headline). Let me set the record straight. I do NOT have a show at this year's Fringe. The reason is because the Fringe picks shows via a lottery system. If your name is drawn, you get in; if not, you're out. My show was drawn so late that it didn't even make it on to the waiting list for the waiting list.

Then in my neurotic, self-obsessed, paranoid delusional angst, I start to wonder if anyone even remembers that I used to do plays at the Fringe. This is my second year out of the Fringe loop. In fact, in the last two years, I've not had a play produced in the city. Maybe people have forgotten about the 13 plays I did over the last 15 years. Maybe I'm yesterday's news. Forget yesterday, I'm the continued on page A17 of yesterday's news that no one ever reads.

Oh, the angst. Maybe I'll write a one-man play about it and do it at next year's Fringe. Or maybe I'll tell myself what my wife always tells me: "Get over yourself!"

Anyway, I'm sad to miss the 25th Anniversary of the Fringe, but I'll probably be back (if I can rig the lottery). I'm sorry if my article created the impression that I do have something at the festival this year, and sent you looking for tickets for the show (or more likely, looking for how many stars the critics gave it before deciding to buy advance tickets or not).

If you're looking for a good show, I can suggest a few shows by people who I know have talent. Not all the shows I recommend are comedies, so do yourself a favour and read the description in the program before you decide to check out the shows I recommend.

Back To Berlin (Stage 1: TransAlta Arts Barns): Governor General Award winner Vern Thiessen penned two companion pieces for solo performers. If you saw Einstein's Gift, Shakespeare's Will or Apple, you'll be familiar with Vern's style. He's a great writer of subtle, socially relevant and poignant dramas.

My Morocco (Stage 2: Big Rock Telephone Museum): When I first heard about the inspiration of this Ken Cameron play, I knew it was going to be amazing. Ken is a Calgary playwright, who was in Morocco when he learned that his sister had suddenly passed away. This highly autobiographical one-man show received great reviews at the Winnipeg and Saskatoon Fringes. It's a dramatic piece; don't be looking for Bob Hope and Bing Crosby.

Letters in Wartime (Stage 7: Chianti Royal Canadian Legion): Is it just me, or does someone produce this play every Fringe? Well, this production is going to be great, considering that it is directed by one of the co-authors, Ken Brown. He's consistently brought great drama to the festival, and this classic is no exception.

Adam Butterfly (Stage 8: Coca Cola Varscona Theatre): Okay, you're thinking enough of the drama, where's the comedy. Where's the risque work that dares to make us laugh? Gerald Osborn (the author of the hit Scream Play) is at this year's Fringe with Adam Butterfly. This is not a family show! But Gerald's quirky sense of humour should make you laugh at a play about an aging gay porn star.

The Christian Brothers (Stage 8: Coca Cola Varscona Theatre): Wayne Paquette (Sterling Award winning director of last year's Afterplay) directs John Sproule in a one-man play. I'm a huge fan of Wayne's directing style, and John Sproule is an awesome actor, who is moving away from Edmonton after this Fringe. This may be your last chance to see John Sproule on stage, and you'd be kicking yourself if you missed him.

Die-Nasty (Stage 8: Coca Cola Varscona Theatre): I'd be a fool not to mention this Fringe classic. An improvised soap opera that uses the Fringe Festival as the setting for storylines, this production offers a new show every night. Where else can you see the best of Edmonton's theatre scene on stage? Go see this midnight madness. It's on every night.

Mules (Stage 9: Sutton Walterdale Playhouse): Daniela Vlaskalic and Beth Graham are back with a new play. They are up and coming playwrights and incredibly talented actors. Their break-out hit, The Drowning Girls, won a Sterling for Best New Fringe Play. This time, they've penned a comedy (according to the Fringe program).

The White Guy (Stage 10: Ovation Catering Yardbird Suite): A one-man comedy/drama by Stephen Hunt. This is the one play that I've seen so far. The writing is great. In fact, it got the attention of producer Quincy Jones, who optioned the play to develop into a sitcom. I saw the show on opening night, and the actor Mark Jenkins was a bit nervous, but I think he'll be more confident and relaxed as the run continues. The script is strong enough to engage you for the 40 minutes that the play runs.

Zombies (Stage 11: CISN King Edward Academy): Anyone who knows me knows my infatuation with all things zombie, so it's only natural that I recommend this show. Oh, and the producers are Screwed and Clued, who are incredibly funny performers who've come all the way from the UK. I don't know what the show is about, but if it has the living dead, I'm there.

Neo-Nancies: Hitler's Kickline (BYOV C Bar Wild): The title alone makes the play worth checking out. Plus, it doesn't hurt that Fringe fav Darrin Hagen wrote the show for his Guys in Disguise company. I have no doubt you'll see men in drag in a very funny play.

The Raven and the Writing Desk (BYOV D Holy Trinity Church): From the Fringe workhorse, David Belke, comes another comedy. This sequel to Red King's Dream features one of my favourite improvisers in Edmonton - Mark Meer. David Belke is always known for his consistent comedies. You can't go wrong picking this play for Fringe newcomers.

There you have it. You'll have a pretty good chance of getting your money's worth with these shows. However, if none of these suit your fancy, then I suggest you pick the greatest on-going show at the Fringe. Hang out at the performer's beer tent on the north side of the Arts Barns and eavesdrop on all the conversations. You'll hear Fringe fans talk about shows they loved and shows they thought sucked. You'll hear Fringe artists talk about audiences they loved and audiences they thought sucked. You'll have at least five Fringe artists try to tell you about their show or give you a flyer, promising that their show is the best at the festival. And most important of all, there's beer!

Edmonton's Old Strathcona area turns into a 10-day theatre party today, as the Edmonton Fringe Festival kicks off with performances tonight. The great thing about the Fringe is that if you have a play idea and the resources to put up your show, you can do it (provided you get a Fringe slot through their lottery system or find your own venue). This year, my application was not drawn in the lottery, and I didn't feel like I had the energy to find a venue and prep it for the festival, so I'm civilian.

A few shows caught my interest. There's The White Guy, which is a one-man show that was optioned by Quincy Jones. There's also a Chinese clown show. I'm intrigued by The Christian Brothers, the second directorial effort by Wayne Paquette, who won a Sterling last year for Afterplay. As usual, there are the regular suspects at the Fringe: Theatresports, David Belke, Ken Brown and Die-Nasty. About halfway through the festival, the fans will start buzzing about some unknown Fringe artist who has a must-see show that no one will be able to see because the tickets will sell out faster than you can say "Green Onion Cake."

I wrote an article for the Edmonton Journal about my past shows at the Fringe, and I think it's coming out either this Friday or next Friday. Watch for it.

Grrrr, I hate my new "progressive" lenses. These glasses are basically bifocals without the line in the middle. The lenses are way thicker than my older glasses, which means the frame sits heavier on my face. I keep having to shove the glasses up the bridge of my nose, and I feel self-conscious about the size of the glasses. I can see better close up, but now I find that I have to adjust my nose to point at what I want to look at or else my vision will be blurry. I never thought I'd be vain, but in my life I've only had six pairs of glasses (I've worn glasses since I was 7), so when I get a pair I don't change them for a very long time. I'll give these new glasses a few weeks before I give the final verdict, but you can bet that I'll be switching between my old pair and the new pair a lot.

I'm loving the HBO series, Entourage, which is basically about the rise of a Hollywood celebrity and his New York buddies who tag along for the ride. The characters are hilarious and the stories skewer a lot of Hollywood types from potshots at actors to one very funny and satirical portrayal of a movie producer who bears similar traits to Hollywood movie mogul, Harvey Weinstein. A friend of mine recommended the series to me, and I ran out to get the first two seasons on DVD. Now I want to check out season 3.

The thing that struck me the most about the series is how authentic it feels. Some of the story lines have the feel of being drawn from real life experiences. For example, there's one plot line where Vince, the celebrity, wants to do an indie flick with an egomaniac director, who revises a script that Vince loved. Rather than confront the director himself, he gets his best friend/manager to deal with the problem. In another storyline, Turtle, the foul-mouthed brat of the entourage uses Vince's star power to sell tickets to a party (promising that Vince will be there). While Vince's publicist freaks out about the bad exposure, Vince lets his pal get away with it, because they need some spending money for a jaunt to New York.

There are tons of celeb cameos but my favourite is James Cameron who plays himself. He is signed on to direct a big budget super hero movie, Aquaman, with Vince as the lead. I've only caught the episode where they have started shooting with Mandy Moore as Aquagirl, Vince's sidekick and love interest. I can't wait to see where they take this story line.

I noticed in the credits that Mark Wahlberg was executive producer. I'm wondering if he contributed some ideas based on his experiences in Hollywood. Anyway, the series is great and worth checking out. Oh, and in case you think I'm recommending this as a good viewing for kids, notice that this is an HBO series. Definitely something you want to watch well after the kids have gone to bed.

Robert Muchamore has this CHERUB series which is basically about pre-teen spies. Orphaned kids are trained to go undercover on info finding missions. The protagonist, James, is a guy who came from a life of crime and still has a rebellious streak in him. In Class A, he tackles a drug kingpin by getting friendly with the guy's children. To get close, he has to sell drugs, beat up a guy, steal a car, and he almost takes drugs himself. The clincher is in the climax when James has to make a life and death decision with a gun in his hand. I won't spoil the ending, but let's just say this is a book for older readers. There's a lot of action and some good characters, but I definitely wouldn't recommend this book for younger readers. I'd say it is aimed at 12 years and up. I enjoyed reading the book, but less so for the violence and more so for the awkward interplay between James and Kerry, the girl he has a crush on. This made James seem more human and less like a "James Bond" super spy.

My Edmonton Journal article came out today. The photo is hilarious. John Luca snapped a shot of me looking over a beer-can chicken. Mmm, beer-can chicken. If you're in Edmonton, go out and grab a copy of the paper. If you're not, you'll probably be able to get the article off the Journal's Life Section website.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow's Edmonton Journal. My barbecue humour article comes out in the Life section. I can't wait to see it. The photographer snapped a goofy picture of me, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it turned out. The editor said it looked funny, so I'm hoping that she meant that the picture was funny and not I was funny looking. Anyway, the article is all about how I am a barbecue snob and how I got put in my place when I tried to fly to close to the barbecue sun. Ironically, the article runs the very same day that I'm barbecuing for 25 of my brother's friends.

And on a side note, I just heard from very cool news from CBC Radio. I can't give details, but just listen to the station over the next few weeks for a special announcement.

I stalled out on the outline today, so I decided to write the first draft to flesh out the scenes that I already knew that I wanted to be in the book. Normally, I'd set a pace of 5 new pages per day, but I talked to a writer at a retreat in Banff earlier this year. He set his writing pace according to word count. I have to worry about word count when I write articles, and I figured what the heck. Maybe a change would be good. So now I have to write 1,300 words a day. And do you know what? The new math is helping. I'm about 400 words away from my quota for today, and I'm feeling way less stress. I'll see if I can keep this up through the week. At the rate that I've set myself, I should have a first draft (about 35,000) words in four weeks. Wish me luck.

I blew up the old outline and picked up the pieces to create a stronger story. After rereading my old outline, I kept thinking that the kids were getting older and wouldn't be so naive as to believe the weird theories they did in the first book. However, I also didn't want to go into the territory of the second book with teenagers. I kind of missed the adult conflict that was in the first book, and I figured if I could find a more plausible conflict then I'd go down that road. The antagonist will definitely be the mad science teacher and I'm seeing something to do with a new girl who has diabetes, but the kids think her insulin pen is something else. Not sure about the exact details yet, but already the first chapter seems like it has promise for getting a good story going.

Always trust a young reader's opinions. My web designer recommended two books that his son loved. They're both by Jeanne DuPrau, and they were awesome reads. Very timely for today's warring societies. Basically, the City of Ember and The People of Sparks are one book with two parts. They outline how easily people can be driven to war. Her characters were believable and well developed. The theme was perfectly executed. I know a story is good when it has me wanting to shout at the characters for the stupid things they do. I really enjoyed the two books, but if I had to choose one over the other, I'd pick The People of Sparks.

Ugh, I just heard from my optometrist that my new prescription lenses won't be in for another 2 weeks. I'm getting pounding headaches from trying to read small print on my computer screen, and I desperately need my new progressive lenses (a step up from bifocals). This getting older thing is not what the brochure promised!