I have figured out a way to adapt Murder at Vinnie's for the stage! I'm finalizing the stage version, and I'm very excited about it. I don't think we'll put it on ever, but I am planning to do things with it.
The ESU Contest is coming up and I've been trying to pick what monologue I'd like to do for it. I'm thinking of using Lady Percy's "Why aren't you in my pants?" speech or Lady Anne's "Why are you asking to be in my pants when you just killed all the important men in my life?" speech.
The Rudesby Dinner was this thursday, but like, no one went. Oh well. But we did manage to watch several episodes of The Monkees thanks to Massiel's undying love for them and somewhat discussed what project we should do next. Assuming we would stick to doing Shakespeare, here are some of the plays that were suggested at some point and what I think about producing them (by the way, Krystal and Aaron may join our cast, so we're keeping that in mind.)
Much Ado About Nothing
Pros: I think this is a really good choice because it's a likable play and it wouldn't be too hard to produce. Also, I'm very acquainted with it because I read it sophomore year for Decathlon. Without doubling up, we'd need about 23 people to pull this one off, and that's a pretty good number. There are about seven or eight characters that can probably be played by people not in those scenes, so I think we can manage this one. It's funny and it's not very long.
Cons: It's one of those plays where the sideplot is more interesting than the main plot (there are a lot of those, by the way) and that may or may not work for us. That could mean too much dependence on the Benedick-Beatrice relationship, meaning too much emphasis on Mark and myself, considering we're the only people who could pull off both ends of the BB chemistry. Also, we may not be able to full utilize all the talent we have and besides Marmer for Benetrice, which we're kind of forced into, there aren't many shoe-in parts.
As You Like It
Pros: From what I've heard, this would be a fun play, too. There are many 21-27 characters needed, so it isn't too bad. And it's not very long. Only a bit over 2610 lines.
Cons: I don't know anything about this play except one monologue by Phebe (thanks, Joelle.) =/ And pretty much every scene is "in the forest." I havent' read this, but just by looking at all the settings, it could possibly make movement monotonous considering our poor resources. It could make creating the set easy because it'll always be in the same place, but forests are potentially very annoying to make. It seems like a pastoral play, and I'm not sure if I dig that.
Hamlet (as a comedy, most likely.)
Pros: Well, it's a great play. And tragedies are easy to make fun of.
Cons: 4072 lines. The bulk of it considered to be some of Shakespeare's greatest work. It's too dominated by a singular character, and finding the right person for that role could be difficult. 34 characters. We're gonig to study this for AP English, and Miss Smith loves this play so she'll quite possibly go "mad in depth, yo," and we'll all be sick of it (we'll love it, but later, a few months later.) Also, thanks to Reduced Shakespeare, I'll be too tempted to do the whole thing backwards.
The Winter's Tale
Pros: It's got that great stage direction, "Exit, pursued by a bear." It has 19 characters (not counting the ones without a role written by them from the Open Source; otherwise, its 34.) It's 3470 which is a moderate length, and is doable with significant cuts.
Cons: I don't know anything about it. Making a bear could be complicated, even if its just a bunch of people dressed in brown. Look at what we had to do with the sea monster (a bunch of people in black with tape attached to their arms.) I mean, I originally planned to put a large sheet over them. Also, because I haven't read it, the cut from 3470 to something much shorter and the cut from 34 to 19 might not go as smoothly as we think.
Cymbeline
We shot this down after finding out it had 40 characters to start with.
Two Gentlemen of Verona
Pros: I had proposed this before. It has only 17 characters, I believe, which is a good number considering our cast. It's also one of his shortest plays if not the shortest (I don't remember.) It could prove quite easy to produce. Also, it's always nice to do a play you don't hear about a lot.
Cons: I don't know much about it. Also, we might not have enough characters with substance after cuts and such, and I don't want to do that to our lovely cast. Also, it names TWO gentlemen in its title, and of course, that means at least one girl character will probably be involved, but I just want to avoid any plays with major emphasis on any one to three characters. Twelfth Night had Viola, Orsino, and Olivia, but the subplot was pretty hefty and comfortably accomodated our cast.
I think that's it for Shakespeare stuff. I also suggested doing a bunch of short plays and just showing them right after another, which could make rehearsal easier and makes it more likely that everyone can feel like they're playing someone important. However, if we end up needing people to do multiple roles, that could seriously complicate things. Also, we might not be able to find enough content, although I do have Murder at Vinnie's the stage version now as well as Strawberry Fructose. And I am currently working on Moran, but that will most likely have to be seriously expanded.
I think the hardest thing will be accomodating our talent.
12/23/07
11/24/07
Selective Productivity
I have completed a story called, for now, "Take This Man." A woman and her fiance hire a wedding planner who is so gorgeous, pleasant, and perfect that the fiance might fall in love with her. The woman tries to keep the two from meeting, but they do and fall in love. In anger, the woman curses them and the effect of the curse is rather amusing....
It's a lighthearted little thing and I wanted it to be serial especially because it's a film serial in my head (not exactly a TV show.) However, production would be impossible because of a shortage of male thespians available to me, as well as actual production materials like cameras and editing software and such.
I wrote it first as a story then I was able to convert it to a screenplay (unfortunately, I had to resort to using a narrator. Fortunately, he's a good one.) If I ever produce it, it may need further modification, but I like the way it is now.
Murder at Vinnie's, as my murder mystery dinner show is now called, is going to be performed at my school by our Mock Trial team! This is my second work to actually be formally produced, so I'm excited! =D We're selling tickets, serving pizzas, and everything! Joelle Zigman will even be performing with Semira Woldmichael!
You will be attending the opening night of Vinnie's Pizzeria as well as attending his murder in cold cheese. With so many suspects--the son he neglected, the sisters he enslaved, the wife he cheated on, the mistress he wouldn't make his wife, the chef he cheated out of thousands of dollars and more--no one is sure who did it. But you can help solve the crime and eat pizza, too!
It's a common concept, but I enjoy it. I play one of the Kazakhstani sisters who were illegally imported. =) We're the waitresses, lol And it's a comedy, so this will be fun!
I've been working on college apps and homework etc. etc., but I've also been working on things to try to enter into competitions! =D
Plays: I have a play that is currently called, "Morán" after the fictional kingdom it takes place in (shoutout to Alfred! lol.) However I'll probably change the title to something that focuses more on the actual plot. There are wild political struggles in Morán that begin when a wild man, Rex Ramiro, deposes the current ruler by killing him and his wife. His soldiers are about to rape the former princess, Adela Ramiro, when another soldier, Vicente Decena, steps in and becomes her guardian. She lets Decena help her but hates him for rebelling against her father and resents him for being her guardian although he is a stranger only a few years older. However, she fails to realize that he is actually her childhood friend who has been in love with her since they were playmates.
It's a lot of action in 20 minutes and I have to read it over and over to make sure it works. Script competitions are so hard because many scripts wouldn't work without really good actors and so much is unspoken but you have to write them as if they would be produced and too much written direction is annoying and rude. Everything is Spanish and the kingdom was given a made-up name because I wanted to be temporally and geographically ambiguous--and what's more ambiguous than a Spanish-influenced country with political turmoil?
Also, I've been working on a 10-minute screenplay. It's so hard! It's the movie version of Grocery Shopping with My Girl, which works so much better as a movie because you'd see how Samuel (as I named him) reacts to everything the girl does. I'm afraid it's too much like My Sassy Girl. However, I changed the ending and it fits better now and makes the entire piece more significant. Now it actually asks the viewer a question! But I'm not quite satisfied with it yet.
Speaking of dissatisfaction, I have a lot to do and I'm so dissatisfied with myself despite what just sounded like productivity. It's selective, somewhat misplaced productivty.
Oh. And I have to write a newspaper article about the holidays. l. o. l.
I have found out more about how I write.
I get (the best) ideas while...
- Doing mundane things like walking place to place or, like everyone else, doing things in the bathroom.
- Feeling intense emotion. It's just not always easy to follow through on something as vague as emotion.
- Reading or viewing other works and being inspired.
- Being awake at night, either while lying on my bed or while sitting at my computer.
I work best...
- Writing an entire work in one sitting, or else I won't finish it. Which sometimes means working long stretches for long things like movie scripts or plays.
- On computers.
- Late at night.
- In absolute quiet. I can't even listen to music like I usually do.
- Writing the work as I go along rather than planned out--that is, if it's a first-time, original work.
- Using already-written stories or other materials, especially when writing scripts. It's just easier to adapt. This even applies to my stories.
Strengths...
- I can interrupt my train of thought to go do research on a name or something without breaking my flow.
- I have great friends who help me fill in gaps with random details.
- My affinity for food extends to my writing. Recently the distinctiveness and sight eccentricity in loving waffles with cheese has made it a convinient device, especially in love stories.
- Apparently I can capture moods and I can stumble on good lines.
Weaknesses...
- I can easily lose a storyline I love by working it out too far in advance in my mind.
- I really really suck at endings.
- I think my attempts at irony are too obvious.
- My characters' identities get lost in their roles sometimes...if that makes sense. - I wish I was better at titles. Seriously.
There are more things I found out, but I can't remember them now.
It's a lighthearted little thing and I wanted it to be serial especially because it's a film serial in my head (not exactly a TV show.) However, production would be impossible because of a shortage of male thespians available to me, as well as actual production materials like cameras and editing software and such.
I wrote it first as a story then I was able to convert it to a screenplay (unfortunately, I had to resort to using a narrator. Fortunately, he's a good one.) If I ever produce it, it may need further modification, but I like the way it is now.
Murder at Vinnie's, as my murder mystery dinner show is now called, is going to be performed at my school by our Mock Trial team! This is my second work to actually be formally produced, so I'm excited! =D We're selling tickets, serving pizzas, and everything! Joelle Zigman will even be performing with Semira Woldmichael!
You will be attending the opening night of Vinnie's Pizzeria as well as attending his murder in cold cheese. With so many suspects--the son he neglected, the sisters he enslaved, the wife he cheated on, the mistress he wouldn't make his wife, the chef he cheated out of thousands of dollars and more--no one is sure who did it. But you can help solve the crime and eat pizza, too!
It's a common concept, but I enjoy it. I play one of the Kazakhstani sisters who were illegally imported. =) We're the waitresses, lol And it's a comedy, so this will be fun!
I've been working on college apps and homework etc. etc., but I've also been working on things to try to enter into competitions! =D
Plays: I have a play that is currently called, "Morán" after the fictional kingdom it takes place in (shoutout to Alfred! lol.) However I'll probably change the title to something that focuses more on the actual plot. There are wild political struggles in Morán that begin when a wild man, Rex Ramiro, deposes the current ruler by killing him and his wife. His soldiers are about to rape the former princess, Adela Ramiro, when another soldier, Vicente Decena, steps in and becomes her guardian. She lets Decena help her but hates him for rebelling against her father and resents him for being her guardian although he is a stranger only a few years older. However, she fails to realize that he is actually her childhood friend who has been in love with her since they were playmates.
It's a lot of action in 20 minutes and I have to read it over and over to make sure it works. Script competitions are so hard because many scripts wouldn't work without really good actors and so much is unspoken but you have to write them as if they would be produced and too much written direction is annoying and rude. Everything is Spanish and the kingdom was given a made-up name because I wanted to be temporally and geographically ambiguous--and what's more ambiguous than a Spanish-influenced country with political turmoil?
Also, I've been working on a 10-minute screenplay. It's so hard! It's the movie version of Grocery Shopping with My Girl, which works so much better as a movie because you'd see how Samuel (as I named him) reacts to everything the girl does. I'm afraid it's too much like My Sassy Girl. However, I changed the ending and it fits better now and makes the entire piece more significant. Now it actually asks the viewer a question! But I'm not quite satisfied with it yet.
Speaking of dissatisfaction, I have a lot to do and I'm so dissatisfied with myself despite what just sounded like productivity. It's selective, somewhat misplaced productivty.
Oh. And I have to write a newspaper article about the holidays. l. o. l.
I have found out more about how I write.
I get (the best) ideas while...
- Doing mundane things like walking place to place or, like everyone else, doing things in the bathroom.
- Feeling intense emotion. It's just not always easy to follow through on something as vague as emotion.
- Reading or viewing other works and being inspired.
- Being awake at night, either while lying on my bed or while sitting at my computer.
I work best...
- Writing an entire work in one sitting, or else I won't finish it. Which sometimes means working long stretches for long things like movie scripts or plays.
- On computers.
- Late at night.
- In absolute quiet. I can't even listen to music like I usually do.
- Writing the work as I go along rather than planned out--that is, if it's a first-time, original work.
- Using already-written stories or other materials, especially when writing scripts. It's just easier to adapt. This even applies to my stories.
Strengths...
- I can interrupt my train of thought to go do research on a name or something without breaking my flow.
- I have great friends who help me fill in gaps with random details.
- My affinity for food extends to my writing. Recently the distinctiveness and sight eccentricity in loving waffles with cheese has made it a convinient device, especially in love stories.
- Apparently I can capture moods and I can stumble on good lines.
Weaknesses...
- I can easily lose a storyline I love by working it out too far in advance in my mind.
- I really really suck at endings.
- I think my attempts at irony are too obvious.
- My characters' identities get lost in their roles sometimes...if that makes sense. - I wish I was better at titles. Seriously.
There are more things I found out, but I can't remember them now.
11/10/07
And meanwhile....
so i've been planning things for the past few months.
rudesby definitely wants to do another project before we're all gone, and we're going to apply for funding. so we're juggling ideas for our next project. we may do an already-written play, maaaaybe shakespeare, but i think that will be a good last resort. i am (or should be) working on a stage version of red bull proposal, and we already have a concept for the adaptation--we changed parts of the main plot to make it more character-driven, and added a side plot.
but i also really really want to do a movie because that's where my script-writing really loves itself. stage is too...literal, or literal trying to be figurative. i don't know. i like stage because it's such a challenge and makes you find ways to innovate, but it's way too hard sometimes; my mind thinks in movies, so i can't always transfer my ideas to the stage.
i wish we were doing red bull as a movie. and i would also love to do some work with my latest project.
i realized i work best when i'm adapting a work--even my own. i write really good scripts when i'm working off a story i already wrote, probably because i already pretty much know where i'm going to go and it's almost just a change in format (it's more complicated than that, but you know.)
it's hard explaining my new story because it's a lot better to read or view. =) i wrote the story two days ago, the screenplay yesterday, and maybe the stage play tongiht if i can possibly bend it that way. i have a literal storyline that can drive the action on stage, but it'll be harder to establish background so i'll have to change a few things. i have the first part of the first scene figured out, but whatever.
if i do my job right, i'll have a hard time later deciding which version of the story i like best.
speaking of plays and such, i only have one homework assignment left: the last couple acts of Henry IV Part I. so, i'm off.
rudesby definitely wants to do another project before we're all gone, and we're going to apply for funding. so we're juggling ideas for our next project. we may do an already-written play, maaaaybe shakespeare, but i think that will be a good last resort. i am (or should be) working on a stage version of red bull proposal, and we already have a concept for the adaptation--we changed parts of the main plot to make it more character-driven, and added a side plot.
but i also really really want to do a movie because that's where my script-writing really loves itself. stage is too...literal, or literal trying to be figurative. i don't know. i like stage because it's such a challenge and makes you find ways to innovate, but it's way too hard sometimes; my mind thinks in movies, so i can't always transfer my ideas to the stage.
i wish we were doing red bull as a movie. and i would also love to do some work with my latest project.
i realized i work best when i'm adapting a work--even my own. i write really good scripts when i'm working off a story i already wrote, probably because i already pretty much know where i'm going to go and it's almost just a change in format (it's more complicated than that, but you know.)
it's hard explaining my new story because it's a lot better to read or view. =) i wrote the story two days ago, the screenplay yesterday, and maybe the stage play tongiht if i can possibly bend it that way. i have a literal storyline that can drive the action on stage, but it'll be harder to establish background so i'll have to change a few things. i have the first part of the first scene figured out, but whatever.
if i do my job right, i'll have a hard time later deciding which version of the story i like best.
speaking of plays and such, i only have one homework assignment left: the last couple acts of Henry IV Part I. so, i'm off.
9/16/07
finale!!!
yay! the play is over!! woo! =D
our finale was so fantastic and i loved it! all our improvisations played out well, and we didn't forget our lines or make any serious mistakes! =D
erica garcia videotaped it for us, so we will be selling dvds.
we also will ask our principal if we can have a performance at the school for people who couldn't go to the regular ones we had.
and our next project just might be a musical =)
i'll put up cast pictures soon.
thanks to everyone who supported us!!!
our finale was so fantastic and i loved it! all our improvisations played out well, and we didn't forget our lines or make any serious mistakes! =D
erica garcia videotaped it for us, so we will be selling dvds.
we also will ask our principal if we can have a performance at the school for people who couldn't go to the regular ones we had.
and our next project just might be a musical =)
i'll put up cast pictures soon.
thanks to everyone who supported us!!!
9/14/07
Today!
Today's performance was awesome! Everyone did a very good job! =D I'll elaborate more later. Right now, I'll shower and sleep. =)
9/12/07
premiere!
so like, i'm mega stressed.
we had our premiere and only a few people came, probably because most people came on short notice (a lot of people are saying that they're coming on saturday, though.) we already got feedback.
it's so frustrating. since we could hardly get everyone together at once, we only did the final scene a couple times before the performance and in the second half of the play, many people were missing their cues. however, the first part of the play was very strong.
most everyone was excellent, but a few of us have to work on our lines and cues more, and everyone has to work on volume and connecting to the audience.
i tried my best, and i still am. =) we have more performances on friday and saturday, and we have to practice tomorrow ahhh. everyone better come or i'll cry.
everyone seems to be coming on saturday, as i said. richard, who is recording the performance; my co-workers; JROTC heads; etc.
i'm taking applied journalism so i'll be doing articles and stuff too, yay! and amanda and i are going to do an article on rudesby because what we're doing is uhm, kind of important.
dr. solberg came last saturday! ahhh! and i was going crazy lol. i almost broke down, and john kept messing up and/or adlibbing too much and throwing me off from our scene. ugh. well, i'm hoping we get better. everyone better know their lines!
sorry, no pictures! =( although should really have some. oh, we saw what we thought was a UFO while we were on the balcony (it was a blimp) and uhm, it was generally fun, just very exhausting and stressful.
we had our premiere and only a few people came, probably because most people came on short notice (a lot of people are saying that they're coming on saturday, though.) we already got feedback.
it's so frustrating. since we could hardly get everyone together at once, we only did the final scene a couple times before the performance and in the second half of the play, many people were missing their cues. however, the first part of the play was very strong.
most everyone was excellent, but a few of us have to work on our lines and cues more, and everyone has to work on volume and connecting to the audience.
i tried my best, and i still am. =) we have more performances on friday and saturday, and we have to practice tomorrow ahhh. everyone better come or i'll cry.
everyone seems to be coming on saturday, as i said. richard, who is recording the performance; my co-workers; JROTC heads; etc.
i'm taking applied journalism so i'll be doing articles and stuff too, yay! and amanda and i are going to do an article on rudesby because what we're doing is uhm, kind of important.
dr. solberg came last saturday! ahhh! and i was going crazy lol. i almost broke down, and john kept messing up and/or adlibbing too much and throwing me off from our scene. ugh. well, i'm hoping we get better. everyone better know their lines!
sorry, no pictures! =( although should really have some. oh, we saw what we thought was a UFO while we were on the balcony (it was a blimp) and uhm, it was generally fun, just very exhausting and stressful.
8/31/07
the clock is ticking! =O
we have the postcards, art house stage manager jack helped us, and we're getting a lot done.
we just have to get everyone to memorize their lines, and our costumes and props together. =O and our prop man is in canada, lol
here's the performance information:
ART HOUSE PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS
The Rudesby Algorithm in
SHAKESPEARE'S TWELFTH NIGHT
Sneak Preview -- September 7
----Exclusive Mini-concert featuring Joelle Zigman!: 7:00 PM
----Performance: 8:00 PM
Opening Night -- September 8
----Performance: 7:00 PM
September 14
----Performance: 7:00 PM
----Performance: 7:00 PM
Closing Night -- September 15
----Performance: 7:00 PM
----Performance: 7:00 PM
Prices: Regular: $10
Students or seniors (with ID): $6
(Portion of proceeds with go to charity.)
For reservations, call: 201-915-9911
Art House Productions
Hamilton Square
1 McWilliams Place, Roof
Jersey City, NJ 07302
(SE Corner of Hamilton Park, near Erie/8th St.)
Made possible by Exeter Properties and Hamilton Square
8/13/07
scheduling =O
It's hard to schedule rehearsals.
There's one tomorrow at 1 PM but I don't know if I can go because I have to get my mom's medical records, look at an apartment, and go to work.
Being busy during the summer sometimes sucks.
Today was my first day of work and my training started.
That, my friends, is Mark looking his best.
There's one tomorrow at 1 PM but I don't know if I can go because I have to get my mom's medical records, look at an apartment, and go to work.
Being busy during the summer sometimes sucks.
Today was my first day of work and my training started.
Oh, and here are some pictures taken by the lovely Amanda Pickering of our rehearsal in the library.
That, my friends, is Mark looking his best.
8/9/07
Hot like me
Because my name is Summer. Get it? Yeah.
I've been doing a horrible job acting as Feste because I haven't had time to study the lines. I have my final exam for my music class tomorrow, so I'm really more concerned about that. I have to find time to focus on being Feste, though.
I'm going to say it again because my best friend said it today--I'm sick of comedy. I want drama. I'm also sick of this play. I am going to admit it. I love Twelfth Night, but I'm tired of this.
Today it was so hot, we had to ask the library if we could rehearse there, and they were nice enough to give us their upper level. =D We also rehearsed in the space and succeeded in choreographing the shipwreck scene.
I was hoping we'd be able to sell our play as a real work of art not just something cute because teenagers did it, but I'm not feeling very confident.
We'll see.
I've been doing a horrible job acting as Feste because I haven't had time to study the lines. I have my final exam for my music class tomorrow, so I'm really more concerned about that. I have to find time to focus on being Feste, though.
I'm going to say it again because my best friend said it today--I'm sick of comedy. I want drama. I'm also sick of this play. I am going to admit it. I love Twelfth Night, but I'm tired of this.
Today it was so hot, we had to ask the library if we could rehearse there, and they were nice enough to give us their upper level. =D We also rehearsed in the space and succeeded in choreographing the shipwreck scene.
I was hoping we'd be able to sell our play as a real work of art not just something cute because teenagers did it, but I'm not feeling very confident.
We'll see.
7/29/07
cut! that's a wrap!
no, we're not done, lol but i made lots of cuts to the script, and we might have to make more, especially accomodating joelle, michelle, etc. some of our actors haven't been able to make it to a rehearsal yet!
and we decided what the fight scene should be.
i'm going to find out what i want feste to be today, i'm already starting to get ideas, and i am printing out the new script and i'm going to envision more scenes.
and we decided what the fight scene should be.
i'm going to find out what i want feste to be today, i'm already starting to get ideas, and i am printing out the new script and i'm going to envision more scenes.
7/28/07
adjusting to circumstances.
we had rehearsal again today and it was fun because JOHN CAME. YAY. finally we got to the malvolio scenes and made very important decision. i am hoping to direct the living rudesby out of this thing.
also, john is going to pick samantha up the way he did tracy at extravaganza. =) i want to get a picture of it. haha. that's the best way to meet someone. "hello." "hey." "i'm going to pick you up now."
also we made many cuts, but massiel and i could not do everything together so i did what i'm supposed to do as director anyway and i went through the thing and made some cuts. i'll probably make some more tomorrow. i cut off a lot =O i added some direction and stuff, but as it is now, the script is only 20 pages long! (in 6.5 font and in two columns.) i'd put it in three columns like jennie did, but i'm kind of scared lol i might try it tomorrow and see how it looks, though.
soon we will be able to have michelle and mark with us. =) yay sebastian and andrew.
i'm still not sure how to be feste so tomorrow i'm going to run through the script over and over until i decide how i want feste to be. feste is concrete in my mind, but in my mind, i don't picture myself as feste. i have to find a way to unite my image with feste. i sort of wish i was less actor, more director. much more director, especially because it's difficult for me to assist massiel with producing so this will be my part. if i'm going to have to do shakespeare, i'm going to do it with all my might, darn it!
the rehearsals and performances are so going to complicate my schedule. i won't do a big project like this again for a while. i think we'll have a much smaller company at the end of this. not sure if samantha will want to be in it a lot especially because she goes to a different school and that might be difficult.
perhaps we can do a collection of short skits for something.
at least we have amanda as treasurer and jennie as stage manager. we need to solicit people to get an initial budget! ahhh! we spent too much time on the giftbaskets and made the mistake of spending our own money for it. massiel is going to have to pay herself back with part of the money we get from our first one.
i think we should've tried to find 100% profit fundraisers before starting the niceby algorithm.
btw, it's getting really hard to explain this whole business while writing things for colleges or scholarships especially when they have word limits which i abhor.
also, john is going to pick samantha up the way he did tracy at extravaganza. =) i want to get a picture of it. haha. that's the best way to meet someone. "hello." "hey." "i'm going to pick you up now."
also we made many cuts, but massiel and i could not do everything together so i did what i'm supposed to do as director anyway and i went through the thing and made some cuts. i'll probably make some more tomorrow. i cut off a lot =O i added some direction and stuff, but as it is now, the script is only 20 pages long! (in 6.5 font and in two columns.) i'd put it in three columns like jennie did, but i'm kind of scared lol i might try it tomorrow and see how it looks, though.
soon we will be able to have michelle and mark with us. =) yay sebastian and andrew.
i'm still not sure how to be feste so tomorrow i'm going to run through the script over and over until i decide how i want feste to be. feste is concrete in my mind, but in my mind, i don't picture myself as feste. i have to find a way to unite my image with feste. i sort of wish i was less actor, more director. much more director, especially because it's difficult for me to assist massiel with producing so this will be my part. if i'm going to have to do shakespeare, i'm going to do it with all my might, darn it!
the rehearsals and performances are so going to complicate my schedule. i won't do a big project like this again for a while. i think we'll have a much smaller company at the end of this. not sure if samantha will want to be in it a lot especially because she goes to a different school and that might be difficult.
perhaps we can do a collection of short skits for something.
at least we have amanda as treasurer and jennie as stage manager. we need to solicit people to get an initial budget! ahhh! we spent too much time on the giftbaskets and made the mistake of spending our own money for it. massiel is going to have to pay herself back with part of the money we get from our first one.
i think we should've tried to find 100% profit fundraisers before starting the niceby algorithm.
btw, it's getting really hard to explain this whole business while writing things for colleges or scholarships especially when they have word limits which i abhor.
7/25/07
alas, orsino!
today was our most productive rehearsal yet, especially because my eighth grade friend samantha joined our cast as orsino! =D she's still mucking about the script trying to figure out what to do, but she'll be fine. also, john has returned so he can do rehearsals now.
we have to cut a lot. =/ we've already cut a ton of orsino lines, especially because samantha doesn't have lots of time to memorize this.
i met the lady from art house, the place helping us put on the show and giving us a venue, christine. i also looked at the venue and figured out the mechanics and choreography of several scenes, especially relating to the space. we even figured out how we want the opening scene to work. =) too bad there are no pictures of us figuring out how to make a sea monster.
7/16/07
Empezamos!
We've started to have rehearsals, and we've done three scenes already with me, Massiel, Mark, Amanda, Jennie, with Mackenzie watching. Yay. We've already started putting finishing touches on the scenes, adding more specific direction, etc.
It's good progress. Also, we have a new advertising/fund raising idea, a side business called The Niceby Algorithm, and I'll post more details on it later. =D I'll give you a hint: it's quite a gift.
It's good progress. Also, we have a new advertising/fund raising idea, a side business called The Niceby Algorithm, and I'll post more details on it later. =D I'll give you a hint: it's quite a gift.
7/9/07
Status: Developing Like An Eleven-year-old Girl Unfortunate Enough to Not Be Like Me
I am going to try entering the play contest again next year, especially since they encouraged me to keep writing. I'm going to at least try. And how wonderful it would be to win twice! But anyway, I'm trying to come up with ideas.
A "sequel" to Strawberry based on one of the actual story sequels like Asmodeus Sunday or Kingdom Macabre might be a good idea, but it would take a lot of tweaks and such, and it would have to also be an outrageous comedy, and I want to at least try doing drama because I'm getting sick of comedy for everything, even if I'm good at it.
My AP English reading assignments are 1984 and Lord of the Flies, so my mind is flooded with dystopian stuff and I might want to try that, but I'm not exactly sure what statement I want to make. I think many things are wrong with society, but I'm not sure which thing I want to zero in on.
I'm also thinking of just doing some simple drama. I'm not sure. I'm just starting to get into this play stuff.
Speaking of play stuff, Massiel is back from England and we met today and straightened some stuff up for Shakespeare. However, we're going to have scheduling difficulties because I'm looking for a job and I'm not sure when I will and won't be working yet, Sarah's in Utah, John's in China, everyone's uber busy, Joelle and a few others have work, etc. So this complicates things severely.
I have a Survey of Music class tomorrow with Mark. For four hours. How exciting. Speaking of music, I picked up Commodore Matthew Perry Poppins (whose name eluded me for a second) yesterday and played a few songs and I'm not as rusty as I thought, but I'm still pretty bad. =D lol
That's it for now. I wish I was being more productive. (Ignore the fact that I just got monstrous amounts of summer hw done in a few hours.)
A "sequel" to Strawberry based on one of the actual story sequels like Asmodeus Sunday or Kingdom Macabre might be a good idea, but it would take a lot of tweaks and such, and it would have to also be an outrageous comedy, and I want to at least try doing drama because I'm getting sick of comedy for everything, even if I'm good at it.
My AP English reading assignments are 1984 and Lord of the Flies, so my mind is flooded with dystopian stuff and I might want to try that, but I'm not exactly sure what statement I want to make. I think many things are wrong with society, but I'm not sure which thing I want to zero in on.
I'm also thinking of just doing some simple drama. I'm not sure. I'm just starting to get into this play stuff.
Speaking of play stuff, Massiel is back from England and we met today and straightened some stuff up for Shakespeare. However, we're going to have scheduling difficulties because I'm looking for a job and I'm not sure when I will and won't be working yet, Sarah's in Utah, John's in China, everyone's uber busy, Joelle and a few others have work, etc. So this complicates things severely.
I have a Survey of Music class tomorrow with Mark. For four hours. How exciting. Speaking of music, I picked up Commodore Matthew Perry Poppins (whose name eluded me for a second) yesterday and played a few songs and I'm not as rusty as I thought, but I'm still pretty bad. =D lol
That's it for now. I wish I was being more productive. (Ignore the fact that I just got monstrous amounts of summer hw done in a few hours.)
7/6/07
terminé!
I forgot to say this, but I finished the script yesterday! In time for John to go to China! lol It has minimal stage direction because most of the goodness will come from out actual acting, but I added things where I definitely wanted something to happen. This way, I don't have to talk so much and direct so much.
Yay Twelfth Night. It was a nice way of reading it over again.
However, with my schedule, rehearsals are going to be impossible.
Massiel returns on the 7th.
Yay Twelfth Night. It was a nice way of reading it over again.
However, with my schedule, rehearsals are going to be impossible.
Massiel returns on the 7th.
6/28/07
an update on my life. minimal arts news.
Massiel and I have been making very very slow progress on the script. Mostly life and my motivation keep getting in the way, I think. I'm always tired.
I just finished reading 1984 and I'm inspired to write all sorts of things, and I want to do some projects someday with my best friend, but I have so much to do. I have to find a job and then I want to volunteer, hopefully for Make-A-Wish Foundation and Liberty Science Center.
My aunt is dying. Everyone's got cancer, including people close to me. Recently I've been wondering if God is calling me to do cancer research or something.
This isn't really about arts, but it's about my life, and I'm updating this blog because the rest of my life affects my art.
Oh, the lit mag was printed! It's nice. =D I learned a lot from it as far as editing, especially content-wise. It's also motivated me to learn Photoshop so I can help Massiel. And, uhm, I like the pieces I included in it. If you know me, hit me up if you want to read them.
The first, Grocery Shopping With My Girl, is about a guy who goes uhm, grocery shopping with his girl who is totally rude and a horrible person, but he doesn't really care because he loves her anyway.
The second is equally tender but with less offensive characters (I think they're charming, actually.) Two people on a train bonding while one sleeps, etc. etc., it's just overall sweet. =)
What else? Oh, I've taken to using PSP to design greeting cards =D
This is the one for my aunt.
I just finished reading 1984 and I'm inspired to write all sorts of things, and I want to do some projects someday with my best friend, but I have so much to do. I have to find a job and then I want to volunteer, hopefully for Make-A-Wish Foundation and Liberty Science Center.
My aunt is dying. Everyone's got cancer, including people close to me. Recently I've been wondering if God is calling me to do cancer research or something.
This isn't really about arts, but it's about my life, and I'm updating this blog because the rest of my life affects my art.
Oh, the lit mag was printed! It's nice. =D I learned a lot from it as far as editing, especially content-wise. It's also motivated me to learn Photoshop so I can help Massiel. And, uhm, I like the pieces I included in it. If you know me, hit me up if you want to read them.
The first, Grocery Shopping With My Girl, is about a guy who goes uhm, grocery shopping with his girl who is totally rude and a horrible person, but he doesn't really care because he loves her anyway.
The second is equally tender but with less offensive characters (I think they're charming, actually.) Two people on a train bonding while one sleeps, etc. etc., it's just overall sweet. =)
What else? Oh, I've taken to using PSP to design greeting cards =D
This is the one for my aunt.
I changed the words around, but this is the general layout. I'm very proud of the flowers. And actually, I've liked what it's said through all its revisions.
I'm taking a summer course at NJCU for Survey of Music so I can learn more about it, yay! =D I'm taking it with my best friend, Mark.
6/19/07
the one where summer had conflicts and too much to do.
this was a weird day. it's finals week or whatever, but i'm still doing a million things like the NHS program, getting stuff together concerning my play for miss telmany, and finishing up literary mag (although massiel's been doing most of it lately because i don't know photoshop =[ ) and i had a job interview for goldman sachs which i hope i'm getting.
but yeah, bad news.
we have no camera to film my movie so that had to be put off, and most of us haven't been able to practice for Strawberry for legitmate reasons (most of us anyway) and i found out that thursday is boscobel, friday is miss gibney's thing, saturday and sunday aren't possible, monday is exit day, and tuesday is graduation. there is no time left to do it. =( we can't even do it during blocks 1 and 2 on thursday because choir is having a concert. ahh! grr! and why is the spring concert so late anyway? whatever. it's like, on-the-verge-of-being-summer concert. it's literally a day away from being a summer concert.
on a better note, i performed "paper bag" by fiona apple at open mic with my best friend joelle. =) and christine and i finished the mock trial mystery dinner show plans and hopefully we'll be able to pull that off. we get to be waitresses. =) yay. and we serve pizza. yay. and uhm...yeah that's pretty much it.
i must study for spanish finals. and rsvp to the njcu thing, and start my summer assignments, and finish compiling play-related things, and finish the exit day programs....
but yeah, bad news.
we have no camera to film my movie so that had to be put off, and most of us haven't been able to practice for Strawberry for legitmate reasons (most of us anyway) and i found out that thursday is boscobel, friday is miss gibney's thing, saturday and sunday aren't possible, monday is exit day, and tuesday is graduation. there is no time left to do it. =( we can't even do it during blocks 1 and 2 on thursday because choir is having a concert. ahh! grr! and why is the spring concert so late anyway? whatever. it's like, on-the-verge-of-being-summer concert. it's literally a day away from being a summer concert.
on a better note, i performed "paper bag" by fiona apple at open mic with my best friend joelle. =) and christine and i finished the mock trial mystery dinner show plans and hopefully we'll be able to pull that off. we get to be waitresses. =) yay. and we serve pizza. yay. and uhm...yeah that's pretty much it.
i must study for spanish finals. and rsvp to the njcu thing, and start my summer assignments, and finish compiling play-related things, and finish the exit day programs....
5/26/07
Pow! Bam! Wa-cha!
So today I met up with Massiel and Mark and we actually choreographed the fight scene for my Asian movie parody. =) Yay! I can't believe we actually got it done. We were able to stick to the plot, put in some funny elements, and throw each other around quite a bit. I end up on the floor a lot, lol But I do hold up quite well as Aya. =)
I wish Rab, Mark, and Hong Ju were there so we could actually practice the scene in its entirety. And we realized we need large and/or strong people to help us pull off some of the stunts because we don't have cables. =) And although we've secured Massiel's old school as our location, we might be able to use our own if I ask nicely.
Massiel was dressed in a Qing-Jao-like dress (although she did have her ROFLMAO shirt on...) and she said the pants I was wearing looked like Aya pants. How great it is to be in character!
We've also started the Twelfth Night script. I'll need to start looking over the Strawberry script again.
I wish Rab, Mark, and Hong Ju were there so we could actually practice the scene in its entirety. And we realized we need large and/or strong people to help us pull off some of the stunts because we don't have cables. =) And although we've secured Massiel's old school as our location, we might be able to use our own if I ask nicely.
Massiel was dressed in a Qing-Jao-like dress (although she did have her ROFLMAO shirt on...) and she said the pants I was wearing looked like Aya pants. How great it is to be in character!
We've also started the Twelfth Night script. I'll need to start looking over the Strawberry script again.
5/9/07
making things up!
pictures from the kean performance of strawberry! thanks, massiel! (and for some parts, marguz for taking the pics and marton for not making weird faces, thank goodness)
today i was mentioned in the star ledger because of the play. aw, i feel warm and fuzzy inside. praise the Lord for my win! also, tidbits of my reflections on the whole thing might be in the playwrights theatre new jersey's e-newsletter. =)
massiel and i have done a lot today for the literary magazine. we harassed tons of people for their art, short stories, essays, etc. and we already have a few submissions! =D a lot of people promised to have things tomorrow, and if they all come through we'll have a ton of stuff! i'm so excited. i even made us an email address, mahsliterarymag@yahoo.com i already have something to submit ("Slumber"), but i'm also trying to write something new specifically for the magazine. i have a lot of writing to do!
i'm also going to write a plot for our mock trial fundraiser. i suggested having a murder mystery dinner show, and if we're successful, to possibly follow it up with a literal mock trial. we're all going to act in it and such, and we'll have to get food or some sort of refreshments. i hope i can get everyone's input. the members i told so far all liked the idea, so this will be exciting. also, my best friend martón said he would help and we always thought he would be a charming addition to our team. yay! it's not him joining, but yay it'll be fun. =)
and this isn't directly arts related, but i'm going through a personal change right now and i know it'll impact my work. so let this be the official documentation for the cause of any change. =P
and i have APs for the next two weeks, including my English Lanaguage (Writing) test. =O
massiel and i have done a lot today for the literary magazine. we harassed tons of people for their art, short stories, essays, etc. and we already have a few submissions! =D a lot of people promised to have things tomorrow, and if they all come through we'll have a ton of stuff! i'm so excited. i even made us an email address, mahsliterarymag@yahoo.com i already have something to submit ("Slumber"), but i'm also trying to write something new specifically for the magazine. i have a lot of writing to do!
i'm also going to write a plot for our mock trial fundraiser. i suggested having a murder mystery dinner show, and if we're successful, to possibly follow it up with a literal mock trial. we're all going to act in it and such, and we'll have to get food or some sort of refreshments. i hope i can get everyone's input. the members i told so far all liked the idea, so this will be exciting. also, my best friend martón said he would help and we always thought he would be a charming addition to our team. yay! it's not him joining, but yay it'll be fun. =)
and this isn't directly arts related, but i'm going through a personal change right now and i know it'll impact my work. so let this be the official documentation for the cause of any change. =P
and i have APs for the next two weeks, including my English Lanaguage (Writing) test. =O
5/1/07
First Post! And more importantly, documentation of the New Jersey Young Playwrights Festival
As Miss Smith recommended, I will make a blog to document my creative arts activities.
I am director of our amateur acting company, The Rudesby Algorithm (hence radirector--R.A. director.) I also act in plays, and movies with extremely low budgets. I admit, I've written most of the things I've acted in, and maybe I'll post bits of screenplays and such. So yeah, a lot of the posts here will have to do with our company's endeavors.
My sister blog is run by our producer Massiel at http://www.raproducer.blogspot.com
Today me and all my best friends went to the New Jersey Young Playwrights Festival to see my play The Not-So-Lovely Tale of Strawberry Fructose! I was one of five high school division winners of the Young Playwrights Contest. The other plays were really good too, especially Constantine Lignos's Apotheosis. My play was well-received, and the actors were so amazing, especially Ben Clawson as Johnny and the Dog, Diane Limon as Maeve, Paul Reisman (!!!) as the Lion and Mr. Fructose, and Erikka Walsh as the Wicked Witch of the Unspecified Direction. And I realized how skilled my director, Michael-David Gordon was when I saw the finished product. I was absolutely delighted!
Me and my classmates plan to put on our own production of Strawberry by converting one of our teacher's classrooms into "Zen Theatre." Here's the cast:
Narrator - Mark L.
Mr. Fructose - Angie
Mrs. Fructose - Jennie
Wicked Witch of the Unspecified Direction - Michelle
Strawberry Fructose - Moi
Dog - John C.
Johnny - Joelle
Bird - Mark D.
Maeve - Amanda P.
Lion - Tony/Massiel
It's a good cast and I think we have potential to make our production even better. It will take work, but we can definitely do it. It will be difficult with Gordon's version setting the bar very high, and I will do my best. My version will obviously be much closer to my vision of the story, but frankly, Gordon's version made me realize how colorful the story could be (it's actually much tamer in my mind) and I may liven it up a bit.
I'm considering submitting "The Not-So-Lovely Tale of Strawberry Fructose", as in the original story, to the Literary Magazine since there's so much interest in it. The editors are all right with the idea (then again the editors are me and Miss Producer), but I'm going to check with Mr. O'Shaughnessy who is our advisor.
I'm also supposed to be shooting my Asian parody movie soon, but our leading man is not as inspired to do it, and we're all having schedule difficulties. I really want to do it, but I'll have to bend space and time to get everything done. Leading man says he'll do the movie for me anyway, and suggests that we just "make movies!" and he wants to make music videos. It's a novel idea and I'd love to do it, but I'd like to actually finish this project first.
Anyway, it's been a fabulous day overall! It's so rewarding and beautiful to see your work come to life. I really really loved it and I slightly felt guilty for being a fan of the performance, haha. The actors and all other people involved were so great, they made me fall back in love with something I came up with three years ago and got bored with.
I am director of our amateur acting company, The Rudesby Algorithm (hence radirector--R.A. director.) I also act in plays, and movies with extremely low budgets. I admit, I've written most of the things I've acted in, and maybe I'll post bits of screenplays and such. So yeah, a lot of the posts here will have to do with our company's endeavors.
My sister blog is run by our producer Massiel at http://www.raproducer.blogspot.com
Today me and all my best friends went to the New Jersey Young Playwrights Festival to see my play The Not-So-Lovely Tale of Strawberry Fructose! I was one of five high school division winners of the Young Playwrights Contest. The other plays were really good too, especially Constantine Lignos's Apotheosis. My play was well-received, and the actors were so amazing, especially Ben Clawson as Johnny and the Dog, Diane Limon as Maeve, Paul Reisman (!!!) as the Lion and Mr. Fructose, and Erikka Walsh as the Wicked Witch of the Unspecified Direction. And I realized how skilled my director, Michael-David Gordon was when I saw the finished product. I was absolutely delighted!
Me and my classmates plan to put on our own production of Strawberry by converting one of our teacher's classrooms into "Zen Theatre." Here's the cast:
Narrator - Mark L.
Mr. Fructose - Angie
Mrs. Fructose - Jennie
Wicked Witch of the Unspecified Direction - Michelle
Strawberry Fructose - Moi
Dog - John C.
Johnny - Joelle
Bird - Mark D.
Maeve - Amanda P.
Lion - Tony/Massiel
It's a good cast and I think we have potential to make our production even better. It will take work, but we can definitely do it. It will be difficult with Gordon's version setting the bar very high, and I will do my best. My version will obviously be much closer to my vision of the story, but frankly, Gordon's version made me realize how colorful the story could be (it's actually much tamer in my mind) and I may liven it up a bit.
I'm considering submitting "The Not-So-Lovely Tale of Strawberry Fructose", as in the original story, to the Literary Magazine since there's so much interest in it. The editors are all right with the idea (then again the editors are me and Miss Producer), but I'm going to check with Mr. O'Shaughnessy who is our advisor.
I'm also supposed to be shooting my Asian parody movie soon, but our leading man is not as inspired to do it, and we're all having schedule difficulties. I really want to do it, but I'll have to bend space and time to get everything done. Leading man says he'll do the movie for me anyway, and suggests that we just "make movies!" and he wants to make music videos. It's a novel idea and I'd love to do it, but I'd like to actually finish this project first.
Anyway, it's been a fabulous day overall! It's so rewarding and beautiful to see your work come to life. I really really loved it and I slightly felt guilty for being a fan of the performance, haha. The actors and all other people involved were so great, they made me fall back in love with something I came up with three years ago and got bored with.
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