Australian producers are hoping to bring a musical version of King Kong to Broadway by 2013. They’ve been working diligently to insure their 23 foot Kong creation is in good working order to carry off a show, and feel the spectacle of having him in a contained space could be something that will draw in audiences.
Though it sounds exciting, and their bet might pay off, I’m not sure how long lived something like that might be — and it will need to be to recoup, especially considering how expensive it will be to not only keep Kong in working order (which will have a hefty union contract attached to it), but also keep a hefty weekly payroll going for the proposed 40 actors (and understudies) they want to cast. And then consider all the costumes for all those actors. The list goes on and on…
I’m all for thinking big, I just wonder how this will pan out…
Teens are getting the opportunity to play theatre critic in Florida’s Broward County.
The program is tuning into enthusiasm for shows like Glee, but more importantly, they are asking teens to share their critiques with their peers through their social networks like facebook.
In addition to giving the next generation an outlet for expressing themselves, it’s also a way to help get the next generation involved on a community level — while giving them the opportunity to be leaders in their own communities.
Forward thinking programs like this one, which not only benefit the teens involved, but their immediate and extended communities as well, is the future of keeping the arts alive and vital beyond Broadway — in the hearts and minds of everyone.
I’ve been asked more than a few times how one knows when to “put a song” into a musical. My simplest answer is when a character is so overcome with emotion that he or she has no other choice but to sing.
Any occasion or circumstance can bring it on at any point of the story, but it’s usually emotion that drives a song.
In the video above, Lin-Manuel Miranda of In the Heights fame proves that point. Enjoy, and L’Chaim!
Today was another slash and burn session… Cutting away at lines with my mechanical pencil like a machete through the thick brush in the deep deep forests. (I even have the bug bites to boot, but I think those are from apple picking this past weekend.)
As necessary as this is, it is sometimes challenging. Today’s challenge was reading dialogue that was painfully bad and wondering how I committed those words to a page (and then had those words read aloud and heard by my peers).
And so, once my critic was done with her shtick, my higher self (the part that knows better), said a few simple words… words I’ve been carrying around since grad school: “Write it down today, get it right tomorrow.”
In an instant I realized, it wasn’t the words being cut away, it was my ego… and there’s no room for that if I want this work to be what I know it can be.
There’s nothing like sitting down with a good book. It engages all your senses… sight reading the words, hearing and touch turning the pages, even smell (especially an older book) — and since I usually drink a nice cup of tea with a book, even taste.
Unfortunately, as presented with great humor in this children’s book by Lane Smith, this humble pastime might not be one newer generations, and even some of us in this generation, might not get to enjoy to the fullest due to technological advancement.
Sometimes the most wonderful pleasures in life are the simplest.
Today marks the first day of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashannah. “Rosh” means head, and “hashannah” means year. The rosh part is important, especially in Judaism, since we’re preparing to think and reflect on the year ahead… as well as looking back on the year that has just passed.
I’ve spent much of the past year focused inward, physically, emotionally, and in terms of my work… I’ve spent a lot of time refining — focusing on making the work the best I possibly can. …And I’m still working towards that end.
I feel so blessed and grateful to have the support to do this, but soon, it will be time again to put my work out into the world… to ride the wave and see where I land. This upcoming year, I will once again venture out with my work.
I spent a good part of yesterday in a funk. No matter what I did, I couldn’t shake it. My husband, luckily, helped me shift my perspective. Once I was able to see things a bit differently, I was able to get the words out on paper.
I’m sure I’ve mentioned it on this blog before, but on a gut level, I have to feel “it” to write it… That funk was a mirror of what my character is currently going through. And even her perspective shift in the story is close to what my shift was. (That isn’t usually or necessarily the case, it just happened to work out this time.)
Though there are days when it is draining, like yesterday was, it’s gratifying to get it down on paper — and know it’s right.
As I rework this act, I am constantly asking myself “Where do I go from here?” The answer is always in front of me, but I don’t always see it. It’s not about adding more, it’s usually about working with what’s already there, and trusting that.
As I’ve begun writing again, I’ve been reflecting on the feedback I got a few weeks ago about this piece. An actress who was a guest at our retreat totally got the concept, style, tone, and the bigger picture.
I was happy to have her there, not only for her feedback, but because I could see clearly that I was onto something from how expressive and animated she was when we spoke.
Part of her feedback was keeping the tension going by keeping things “on the surface”. And on the surface, the advice might not sound logical… but I understood what she meant. She was telling me not to give it all away. To let the characters hold things close to the chest, especially since these characters had been isolated for so long.
Though this rewrite is anything but a “surface” edit… I am mindful of having the characters dip their toes in the water before diving in deep.
Today was spent teetering… on the brink of toppling over at any second in my endeavor to write this second act yet again.
Like any baby learning to walk, holding on to furniture, people, or anything that could support its weight, I held on to the few lines of dialogue I knew were salvageable, and built the rest of the scene around it.
I was patient, and at times waited for what seemed like long stretches to get my footing. But it’s a start… and though I’m no where close to off and running, at least I’m off!
Australian producers are hoping to bring a musical version of King Kong to Broadway by 2013. They’ve been working diligently to insure their 23 foot Kong creation is in good working order to carry off a show, and feel the spectacle of having him in a contained space could be something that will draw in audiences.
