A New Year - New Plans to be revealed...soon!

Well, it certainly is a new year, and I haven't written on my blog since November! Wow, time does fly when you're traveling and performing shows...and, of course, having lots of fun!

My new show, The Naughty List, a children's re-telling of Dicken's A Christmas Carol, went really well! Such fun, traveling to schools here and there and everywhere, meeting kids and their teachers.  But, my very favorite place to perform, are the schools in small Texas towns. They are so welcoming and excited to meet me!

Next on my list...well, actually, next on my list will be to lay out my plans for this new year! I have three (3)...yes, THREE, new shows to write, book and perform!  I will lay those out, along with all the other crazy things going on here, in a day or two.

Please do check back!

Ciao for Niao.....Texas Playwright Chick

Birthday!

So, it is my birthday. Again. How does this keep happening? I'm now 30 years old (HA, FIFTY!).

Oh, my.....

Peace: Karen Stolz & Her World of Pies

World of Pies, by Karen Stolz is the BEST book I've read in a long time.  I read it in 2010 and loved it so much.  Myself, a playwright, I'm very particular - okay, I'm extremely FINICKY- about things like plots, characterization, believable dialogue, etc.  But Karen's book was truly marvelous... I decided to do something I don't often do - I went to the author's website to put in a comment about her work.  When I got there, the website was not current and thus, would not allow me leave a comment.  But, I did find an email for Karen Stolz there. 

So, I emailed her my comment.

So, she answered my email! 

I was stunned, truly amazed.  Never did I imagine she would take the time to reply to my comment on her wonderful read!  Not only did she reply, but she gave me her personal email address & we exchanged a couple of emails discussing writing.  She said that she was thrilled to receive my email, especially at that time, because she was working on a new project with a collaborator and was finding it difficult.  She said that my 'high praise' (seriously, I gushed in my original email to her - you have to read this book!) came at just the right time, she needed the encouragement.  Wow!

I wrote Karen that I had cried as I read the last chapter of World of Pies, not because something terrible was happening, but because the pages were coming to an end and I wanted it to go on!  She said she had cried while she was writing those last pages.  Funny, so connected to someone I've never met.

This is why I cried again last week when I found out that Karen had passed away on June 15th, 2011.  I cried for days, longing for someone that I've never met face-to-face, but that made a huge impact on me, nonetheless.  Ah, the Internet and the relationships it makes possible!  I had gone to her website to see if she'd completed her new novel....low and behold....*gulp*....there were birth & death dates! I got very still as I read about her, tears slipping down my cheeks as though I'd lost the very closest of friends.

I'm so sad that this marvelous author (and her future novels) are gone from our green earth!  I am also sad for her students and those future writers she would inspire (she was a teacher of creative writing and literature too). 

If you haven't read World of Pies (my favorite!) or Fanny and Sue by Karen Stolz - please read them. You will find in those pages, wonderful characters and a lovely world.

Peace be with you, Karen Stolz.

Ciao for Niao,
Playwright Chick

The Naughty List, Zelda Fitzgerald and Other Stuff!

It's great to be busy - especially doing what I love!  But, it does tend to keep me away from my blog a lot. So, just to catch up a bit...here are the top 5 things on my plate.

1)  I've been asked to speak about acting and playwriting at a local middle school in Houston!  I'm very excited about this, mostly because I LOVE LOVE LOVE to share what I do - and also, because I love to share what I do with kids.  They are fertile minds and keep me on my toes!  For me, playwriting and performing go hand in hand.  I simply cannot do one without the other - the creativity of one feeds the other and vice-versa.  The reason: because one idea grows into another!  Ideas breed ideas, it's just that simple.  

2)  I'm gearing up for my holiday show & I'm doing a whole new show this year too! Whew, lots of work to get it written, rehearsed, production values in place & out the door by Thanksgiving week, however it's always worth it.  This year, I'm writing a play called The Naughty List.  Here's my performance site:  http://www.storyplays.blogspot.com/  You can see the synopsis of the play on the left side.  IF you live in Texas and are interested in booking for your school, library or day care, contact info is on that site.

3)  Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald - I've spoken about her & my one woman play about her on my blog before HERE.  So, I'm finally getting to this script, and why?  Because there's a fantastic festival called New Seeds Festival.  Their mission:  To present art from female perspectives on socially relevant issues. To serve as a catalyst for a spirited dialogue between artist and audience. The festival is dedicated to providing an opportunity for female performing artists to showcase and collaborate their original work. Hello! This works so nicely for my Zelda script.  So, I'm off to the races, must prepare application, including a performance cutting of the script (which is still a WIP - work-in-progress for those that don't know) for youtube or send via a DVD for their Jury to view.  Deadline, Oct. 15th, so this is ambitious, but still, I really must make it work!

4)  Getting last two summer youth plays done at my summer gig, together for publishing.  Only, I'm going a different way this time....I'm going to try publishing them on Kindle.  This may be tricky, but there are other plays on Kindle.  Though I do LOVE my publisher very much, I want to experiment with Kindle...so, stay tuned.  I'll report on my experiences using Kindle publishing as I work on it - this should be interesting, to say the least!

5)  I'm still working on getting an agent strictly for my voice overs.  No word yet, shucks!

That's the top five things on my plate right now, a full plate!  You should see the full salad bowl sitting next to that plate! I'm busy, but I love it.

QUESTION:  WHAT'S ON YOUR PLATE - HOW ARE YOU STAYING BUSY & ENJOYING YOUR CREATIVE LIFE?

Ciao for Niao!  Texas Playwright Chick

Well, I'm Back....and BUSY!

It's good to be busy, yes it is!  Here's what I've been working on...(of course, that is in addition to getting SuperKid ready for school - whew!)...

My Voice Over Demo!  Cheryl Duffin Voice-Overs

Esperanza Summer Camp Theatre!   Esperanza Theatre

New Storytelling Performances!  Storytelling Plays for Kids

I'll check back in by the end of the week.

Ciao for Niao!  Playwright Chick

A Little Treat...

Last year, my husband, artist Stephen Duffin, painted a mural on the back of the stage where I teach a summer theatre class.  We do a play every year - luckily, the mural works for a couple of the scenes for this years play too!  Yippee!  Enjoy this, extremely short, video (I took it with photos on my iPhone!).
Ciao for Niao!  Playwright Chick!

Busy, Busy, Busy....

       This summer we moved to a new house.....still unpacking that!  And then my summer performances started - travel, perform, travel, perform!  And now in the throes of directing my show at the summer kids camp!  All fun - all great - all time consuming!

       I'll be back very soon though - for now, see a few of the photos of my kids rehearsing for the summer show by skipping on over to http://www.esperanzatheatre.blogspot.com/ to see what we're up to!

 Ciao for Niao!  Playwrightchick