bits n pieces of this n that

On Frogway
Had a great lengthy Skype call with Mike last night on how things were progressing. Apparently, it is going really well. Some pretty big names in the theatre circles in Malaysia are now attached to the project which has already created a hefty growing buzz about the show. There are some more revisions to the script that have been suggested that I am presently mulling over.
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On Selling The Rights To My Shows
There is interest with one at the moment though details have not been worked out yet. Hoping this can happen soon so that I can finally pay some bills and eat. If you are interested in owning exclusive rights to one of my shows email me at lecram@daplaysdathing.com . One Acts are priced at $2500 and Full Lengths at $5000.
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On My Next Creative Project
Not quite sure what it is yet. I do want to create something new for Rogue 08 that is a complete departure from what I fielded this year. To that end I'm mulling several options. Nothing has really grabbed me and shook me around yet... though it usually attacks when one is not really looking.
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Perhaps more bits and pieces later... or this and that
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EDIT: 9:32 PM

Solitaite Visits
Solitaire just left. She came by to drop off some equipment and hung out for a bit to chat. It's been a while since we have done that and was a welcomed change for me. We ended up watching Scotland PA... which I think she liked quite a bit... being a fan of the Bard and all. lol.

I don't get too many folk visiting these days as I used to. There are lots of factors governing this. They have their own lives, with the shifts in my life, my place is no longer the "hub" (random barbecues, etc...) and I guess it is generally felt that I may not be "useful" any longer. No matter. I knew the streak would end sometime. Though I think I'm just going through yet another re-invention of me. Happens every 5 years or so. It'll be interesting to see what emerges from the ashes.
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New Show Opens
My friends over at Theatre Ventoux opened their new show this weekend. If you are in the area of the Big NO... go see it. I think you'll be in for an entertaining evening. They are running for 2 more weekends. They even received an encouraging review from the local paper.
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FINI
That's good for now... don't you think?

This must be blood letting Sunday...

... or something close. First, I'm pulling clothes out of the washer to line dry them and something scrapes my middle finger breaking the skin. So I practice some ancient alchemy - suck on it and it will all be better. I hang the clothes on the line... no big deal. Figure they will be dry within 2 hours with the current sunshine beating down.

I head into the kitchen. Suddenly have a hankering for a baked potato drizzled with garlic, pepper and salt. OK, in reality it's really a microwaved potato - heck, three and a half minutes and it's done!

As I reach for a plate to put it on I feel something little and sharp puncture the underside of my foot. While balancing a plate with a potato on it I pull up my foot and see the crimson ooze begin to emerge. I hop over put the plate in, turn on the microwave and contemplate ancient alchemy once more. Though sucking on one's foot just didn't seem the right thing to do at the time.

I guess the best thing would be to clean the wound and apply pressure. The ooze finally coagulates and the ruby flow stops. I think I will remain as still as possible for the rest of the day just so the fates won't be tempted. Afterall, three times the charm, right?

I spent the better part of...

... this afternoon and tonight updating ONE PAGE of the Rogue Festival site. Yes, you read it right ONE PAGE! The Fringe Festival Year page. There were (and still may be) dead links there but I did add several more fringes from around the world. (Though I'm sure I still left some out.) Still, I do take pride that it is probably one of the most complete lists on the web. I was actually going to redesign the entire page... but I figured that updating it would be good for now. The expected response I will probably get from this... "Yeah, OK... so it's cool. But what about..."

Da Count - 22nd Horizon Awards

Thanks to those who came from far and near... those who couldn't... and even those who wouldn't. The real honor was the opportunity to have worked with you building it. Not much else to say... I'll let the pics speak for last night.

sometime in...

the AM... OK?

I get to receive an award...

... tomorrow for the Rogue. The 22nd edition of the Horizon Awards will be held at the council chambers of Fresno City Hall. (Yeah, it does look like a Klingon battle cruiser, doesn't it?) A pretty big affair and I'm supposed to give a short speech and all. (Lordy, lordy... oy vey!)

OK, this is all pretty surreal to me. (I'm convinced this is going to be like traipsing through a Salvador Dali painting.) Yes, it is wonderful for the festival to be honored like this but dang it's weird. Mainly I guess because the festival was started in a "wait and see" town. There is still a wait and see attitude here... though it is slowly changing. Weird also because I'm not exactly an "award" kinda guy. (Gawd, I'm supposed to dress up for this thing? Can I just wear a sarong?) I suppose I'll blog about the experience on Friday.

We were supposed to have Suicide Lounge rehearsals tonight but the only other person to turn up was my replacement going to Shanghai. So we used the time to hang a bit and chat. Talking about all sorts of things. A very pleasant evening to be sure which took away some of the edge I was feeling earlier.

That's all for now.

i have mixed feelings about...

... the next couple of days. Extreme juxtaposed realities of my life are converging. On one end there is good cause for pride and celebration but on the other cause for worry and panic. I can only stand in the middle and attempt to breathe at the moment. (The high pollen count today is only adding to all of this.)

The meme in the last post was fun. It was a challenge coming up with the questions and I have been enjoying the answers. Some have chosen to be more candid than others but all have been revealing. I will continue to look forward to more as others chime in.

Perhaps there will be more to this post later... if I can manage to put a cogent thought together.

I was going to write a post about...

... the ironies about my present life but I decided to do a meme instead. I hadn't done one in a long time and figured... heck, why not?

Besides, the only irony that came to mind was the fact that the only exercise I get daily now is when I ride to the store for a pack of cigs. And irony upon irony... doing this is actually helping me to get my stamina back.

Anyway... it's an INTERVIEW MEME I saw this on the lovely Tish's blog. I responded and she sent me 5 questions. So, here they are along with my answers.

1. What is your favorite play and why? I don't know if I have a favorite play. Though the works of Beckett and Brecht still astound me to no end. Beckett for his preciseness (one of the few playwrights where you should actually pay attention to the punctuation) and powerful use of silence. Brecht for not only reminding us that theatre should be theatrical (really folks... thats what the whole "alienation" thing was all about) but also the sheer brilliance of his plays. OK... sue me because one was a manic-depressive and the other a commie socialist... it still doesn't take away that both were brilliant (and influential) theatre visionaries.
   
2. If you could magically transform yourself into any fictional character, who would it be and why? It used to be Scrooge McDuck... just the idea of swimming in money appealed to me. These days... yeah, it'll still have to be Scrooge McDuck.
3. How many hours of sleep per night do you require? I am at my best with about 5 hours of sleep. Not sure why but It's something I discovered in my 20's. It finds me at my most efficient.
   
4. Why did you originally start blogging? I actually started blogging to get my writing chops back up. The actual machenical action of writing is as important to the whole process as the ideas that spur it on. There is a scene in the movie "Finding Forrester" that touches on this. In a lot of ways blogging is sort of like going out for that daily jog to keep in shape. Since then, I've come to discover (and greatly enjoy) the interaction that comes with blogging. It has also provided opportunities as a creative outlet in more ways than one.
5. If you could meet any blogger in person, who would it be and why? That is a loaded question. lol. Actually all of of you. Through blogging I have met some pretty incredible folk and found out a bit about them through their blogs. Their joys their pain and above all their humanity. (Yeah, notice how I skirted around that one.)
   

If anyone would like to be interviewed, here's how to keep the meme going:

Leave me a comment saying "Interview me." I will respond by asking you five questions. I get to pick the questions. You will update your weblog with the answers to the questions, and let me know that you answered. If you don't have a blog, but would still like to play, I can send you the questions, and you can answer them in the comments. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Cheers!

EDIT: I will post interview questions right after I fix the fence that my dogs are escaping through.

this is what...

... I spent Sunday editing.

Flattering Glass - mini-doc
Uploaded by dathang

More in the AM.

I woke up and just didn't...

... want to do it. It had started to rain last night and the bed was cozy warm. I turned over to look at the clock on the wall... 7:35 AM. Perhaps if I linger here a little longer just enjoying the sound of the rain outside. Just give in to me for a little while... perhaps then I can leave this sanctuary and do the dishes, laundry, cook and serve breakfast. The last time I lingered I found her on the ground unable to pick herself up after attempting to get things done for herself. I lasted all of 15 minutes. As much as I just wanted to just lay there... the day had to begin.

the tummy is a little...

... queasy this morning. I'm trying to decide if it was the scotch or the chicken quesedillas consumed last evening... or a combination of the two. Plus there is the cheese factor to consider since I am lactose intolerant. Yeah, thats a bitch since I love cheese. Oh well. Queasy is better than being doubled over in pain.

The evening was a pleasant one. Great company and fun conversation. It has been a while since I got out... just cuz. Though it was a little celebration for completing the rewrite. But just getting out for a bit was a very nice change for me. The weekend will be filled with web work and video editing... that actually will be fun and creative. So no complaints here... plus they are also money gigs.

Speaking of plays... to counter the mounting bills I have decided to sell ownership to some of my plays. Meaning that if you decide to own one of them, the copyright of said play will be transfered to you. You can then market them to other theatre companies for production and earn royalties from them. I will even facilitate a place for you to market the play. If you are interested send an email to me at lecram@daplaysdathing.com and I will furnish you with more details.

Have a grand weekend!

Oh, and here are a few Time Wasters to start it off.

• Need a custom coffin?
• Cake Art
• The Singles Map
  

Da Count - a "re-do"

At 9:50 PM tonight I completed a good working draft of a play that I first wrote 27 years ago. As some of my friends would claim (and they would be accurate) "Frogway began all this trouble with you." Revisiting this show was an interesting experience to say the least. It provided me with the opportunity to not only rework an earlier piece but also provide a backward peek into that personal telescope from whence I came.

When it was first created, I have and always acknowledged that at the time, I was riding on Mike's coat-tails. Really, the original play was barely a script. The production of the show was sold primarily on the music and a devil-may-care tenacity. Very soon after it was produced in Malaysia, I arrived on these shores. With suggestions from my mentors in college I reworked the script and it was staged here. Though it grew into a more credible script it was still Mike's marvelous score that really made the show.

While I was reworking it this time there was a temptation to throw everything out and start from scratch. Perhaps I would now finally be able to craft a slick and sophisticated piece that was deserving of the music. Instead, I took the tougher route. As I rewrote I paid special attention to preserving the original charm of the show yet tighten the plot and it's devices... more of a nip and tuck. I can walk away this time knowing that it is a tighter script. Will it still play to an audience today... I really don't know. What I do know is that having the opportunity to rework it has quelled my own long feelings of inadequacy I held all these years about it's original creation. That shadow has dissipated. The music is still wonderful and will still be the sparkle of the show... though now I think the script at least facilitates it better than before.

So my count today is the opportunity to re-do this show. And by doing so, coming to a resolution that it's not about wiping out what was... but knowing that improvement is always possible and attainable.

To find out what Da Count is about click the flashing sign above.

and the slog goes on.

Completed Act 1. I think I'll be able to finish Act 2 by tomorrow.

it was only half an allnighter...

... last night. So, I'm trying to make it up tonight.

The Virginia Tech situation is very sad.

If you haven't been watching America at a Crossroads on PBS... you should.

so, mum fell...

... again today. Kowboi has a real job and I could not call him for help. Mustang (who was ever so kind a couple of weeks ago to swing by to help) has always had a real job so that was out of the question. Finally, I called Steph who gallantly came by to help her up. Nothing serious... but once she is down the logic to get up does escape her. Thank you very much Steph... Mum was still talking (fondly) about you after you left.

Though it wasn't a major thing it did shoot out my day where writing was concerned. There was laundry, washing and cooking to take care of. Then APJ came over and we took care of some business that had to be taken care of... after which she kidnapped me for a scotch and some nachos.

I am back home now gearing up to get back to writing... or rewriting as the case may be. I'm a day and a half behind and will probably pull an all nighter just to meet the deadline. It all hinges on me right now. See ya on the other side.

EDIT: Er... who's generation? I hear the youngest in this group is 90.

rhyming couplets all day...

... was all I did yesterday. I was reworking a portion of the script that involved oodles of them. From song lyrics to chants to raps. By the time I hit the sack last night I was exhausted. Though I was also quite happy that I had gotten as far as I did with the script. I'm hoping to be finished with the rewrite and rework by sometime Monday. Then a couple of scan-throughs just to smooth out the bumps.

I also have to edit a video I shot for Theatre Ventoux's upcoming production of This Flattering Glass. It's a promotional video that I'm really looking forward to getting started on. (I really love editing. Of course it will be featured here as soon as I upload it to Daily Motion and YouTube. BTW... if you go to their site... there is a banner you can steal for your own blog or site. In fact, just click the banner below to go there.



The last couple of days have been overcast, rainy and dank... but it has been a welcome change. The rain washed out all the pollen from the air and I can literally breathe a lot easier because of it. Plus it really is perfect writing whether.

Perhaps there'll be more later in the day.

TIME WASTER
If you are in need to damn a soul for eternity... GO HERE.
And the Germans really know how to MAKE A STATEMENT.

EDIT:
I spent the day cutting this.

This Flattering Glass promo
Uploaded by dathang

I guess it's official now.

A neighbor alerted me to it this morning. Apparently the story was published in the Fresno Bee on the 7th. So much for paying attention to the news. READ STORY HERE.
.
EDIT: TIME WASTERS

• Click here to put your face on money.
• Graffiti from the Ukraine.
  

Da Count - sense of humor

Despite the challenges that life throws my way it has been my sense of humor that somehow has pulled me through. Sometimes light... sometimes dark. I think it is so essential to be able to laugh or smile and not take ourselves too seriously. It is also an acknowledgement that things could always be worse... and if it does somehow reach the state of worse... that it could only get better from there. So, my count is a sense of humor (which can be sick and wrong)... that often makes an appearance at (what often is considered) the most inappropriate times (often privately) that reminds me that the state of change is a constant.

To find out more about Da Count click the flashing sign above.

so, I'm not going to Shanghai...

... with Suicide Lounge. Circumstances and situations are keeping me at the homested. Though I would really like to go it is a decision I arrived at without regret. So, as not to hamper the group from taking the gig I suggested a replacement. We all met last night and I think it will all work out grandly. I am actually happy with the addition to the group. I can't think of anyone better who I would rather go in my stead. Besides, she will look a fair bit better in a chanteuse evening gown than I would.

And on other fronts...
The next 5 days will be taken up with cranking out the rewrites of Frogway... along with all the 10,000 things I have to do.

Perhaps there will be more later... or on Da Count post for tomorrow.

Cheers!

spent the day working on the lyrics...

... to a brand new song and completely overhauling an old one. It was exhilarating... especially working on the new one. It's been a while since I've written lyrics and there is also the challenge to keep the original charm of and unity of the piece as a whole. Don't really want the new song to stick out like a... new song, if you know what I mean. The overhaul on the old one was also a lot of fun. Both still need to be tweaked some more and I can't wait to Skype with Mike to get it in those in the bag. Though I am pretty happy with how they've come out overall.

Reworking this show after 27 years has been and continues to be a lot of fun. Though it has caused me to ponder about the cyclical nature of life. I mean, here is the first play I attempted. It was produced back then. Now Mike and I are readying it again for another possible production. We have chatted about this and what a strange wondrous journey between then and now our separate lives have been. (BTW... here is sampling of Mike's genius for your listening pleasure... and the gentleman he is "dueting" with is a cousin of mine. I think you'll agree both are total MOFO jazz musicians!)

I have over the last couple of years noticed that I have been revisiting other past events, situations and people on a fairly regular basis. The only meaning I can derive from this is that (for some reason) I'm being afforded the opportunity to perhaps "do it right" this time around... or perhaps come to some resolve. With the play... I think falls into the "do it right" column... perhaps if nothing else to pacify the restlessness I've had with it over the years.

In this same two year period I've also had this inkling that there may be opportunities (exciting ones at that) up ahead. Major shifts. Yet at the present there also does exist a tense feeling... probably because of the financial uncertainty I presently face.

Energy is a strange, wonderful and scary thing, isn't it?

Found OCR software...

... to scan in the typed script of Frogway. Guess what I'm doing all evening?

so, the producers need...

... the current rewrite of Frogway in a week and a half. Other than outlining the changes that I want to be made I have not begun to work on it as yet. Though if the outlining that I've done works the way I want it to... it may be completed in 5 days. This is planned as a complete slash and burn rework. Of course, all of this is exasperated by the fact that a digital copy of the script doesn't exist. So, I guess I'll spend the rest of the evening scanning it all in.

Though I have to say that working with Mike again has been totally fun. We Skype once a day for about an hour or so. I managed to "acquire" a full working version of Sibelius (don't ask how) and that has made the process even easier. (Yes, my musician friends hold a mixture of awe and hate for me because I have a copy of it.) Makes rewriting and reworking the songs for the show half way around the world very easy. So, things are clipping along in that area. On top of that there is a sudden interest about mounting the show here as well... royalty money... good.

Plus, I have also been hired by Theatre Ventoux to shoot and cut a couple of promo videos for their upcoming production. (Yeah, this too has to be done way soon!) I went over to catch a rehearsal on Friday and think they have the promise of a really good show in the works. If you live in and around the big NO... make sure you catch it!

Then there is Jungle Webs... and marketing that... so that there will be a stream of income... so that we can eat. If you can shill that for me I may begin to get some more business... it would really help.

All of this plus tending to Mum's needs. So, it's safe to say that my eyeballs are floating at the moment. So, postings may be a little sporadic... just saying.

MY WEEKEND?
It was a good friend weekend. One came over on Friday to assist me with unplugging the john. Another, on Saturday morning responded within 15 minutes via a phone plea to help Mum up who had fallen. Yet another came over Saturday evening to "get my back" on some needed items around the house. And another came by after work "just to hang"... which is just what the doctor ordered. I've said it before and I'll say it again... one of the biggest blessings in my life are my friends. Thanks so much, guys!

Here's wishing your weekend starts off well.

Da Count - to breathe

It's that time of the year when I become acutely aware how we so often take this simple (yet essential) bodily function for granted. It is used as a metaphor in other areas of our lives as well... but the simple act of breathing is my count for today.

If you want to find out what Da Count is all about... click the flashing sign above.

BONUS: Click for a live version of Pink Floyd's "Breathe"

and...

Yeah, we've heard it for years... Dark Side Of The Moon and Wizard Of Oz... here is the first 7 and a half minutes (featuring "Breathe"). (Can't believe some one actually cut this together.)



OH HECK... here is the whole damn thing! Talk about a time waster! LOL!

extreme highs extreme lows

I was close to calling "uncle" today... but perhaps tomorrow will bring better. Best not to share or dwell at the moment.

I attempted to mow the yard today. Attempted because I got through a third and a bad attack of congestion hit me like a two by four to the side of my head. It took all my energy just to get back to my room to sit it out... for almost an hour before it let up. This season has been particularly bad in that aspect.

This may not be a great week for me to blog. Just in a funk. I've usually been able to muddle through to a solution (on pretty much anything - even my detractors will tell you that)... but it seems too elusive at the moment. Really, I haven't got through this far on good looks alone. lol. That's a joke... looks have never gotten me past the door. It's been tenacity, drive and lots of elbow grease. You know what I've been best at? Facilitating others.

Enough of this. Go HERE to read something a little more up.

not particularly in a writing mood tonight...

... just sort of in a blah mood. (O.K. truth be told I've been severely congested today from all the schmutz in the air that I'm just a little out of it.)

What I said I would write (a couple of posts down) on the TJ Blog is UP... posted it yesterday. It's slightly snarky but ends on a positive note. There is also THIS & THIS.

Perhaps later or in the AM... I'll be more inspired. I guess it can't all be up all the time, can it?

EDIT: Here is a bonus time waster to make up for my blah

looks like the show is a go...

... Frogway, that is. Skyped with my friend Mike last evening and he filled me in on the details of the meeting between him and the producers of the show. Of course, all of this is dependent on the rewrites. When the project was first proposed I agreed to it on condition that we both rework the show before it was to be remounted. Afterall, it has been 27 years since it was first produced and it was the first outing for both of us. Neither of us really knew what we were doing at the time.

It was heartening to hear that these producers felt the same way. (The show is being envisioned as a more compact production that may be designed to tour.) Not only that but many of the suggestions they have made are right up where I think the show needs to be re-sculpted. So, now all I have to do is outline the changes and start cranking on the write. Everything is hinging on me and what I spew forth for them now. There is going to be another Skype meeting today. Technology... you gotta love it.... we are writing together halfway across the world.

On other fronts...

I'm nearly up to the 500 "friend" mark where the Jungle Webs MySpace push is concerned. (Some really cool and interesting theatrical groups on the friend list now.) I am really hoping that this particular push will create more business.

Not much else at the moment... more on other fronts later perhaps. (Yeah Jay... I was quite the sleepy wuss last night. lol.)

new post sometime in the AM

Time to hit the sack. zzzzzzzzz

I did mention this...

... from last Sunday, didn't I? Someone was kind enough to scan it for me... since it hasn't been posted online. This was the Central Valley's People's Choice Award for Hidden Gem. Cool, huh? (Go ahead, click it for a bigger readable version.)

Bet you are sick of hearing/reading about the Rogue by now. Though there has seemed to be a never-ending stream of related stories in the local press about it of late. (Yeah Lecram... will you shuttup about it already?!)

For instance today... there was yet another related story in the papers with a huge photo spread in the entertainment section. (Oh Lordy... when will he stop???) I read it this evening and am happy and excited as the writer is about the developments... but I'll take minor issue with a couple of points in it... not here... but over at the TJ Site. Check for it... it may be posted later when I work up the guile to compose it. (Like this wasn't enough.)

Once again... there may be updates or edits to this post at a later time (at least one telling you that the post on the TJ Site is up)... or not.

EDIT: My friend, Generik posted some GREAT PICS of his outing at the St. Stupid's Day Parade.

Stay tuned... there could be more edits to come... maybe.

EDIT 2: OK... the new post is up on the TJ Site.

i've been a myspace ho...

... of late "friending" all sorts of folk for Jungle Webs (yeah, Jungle Webs has a MySpace page as well. If you have one... go ahead and friend it.) "Networking" is not something I had cared to do not that long ago. But thats the name of the game if you want to push a product... be it a new play or web solution products. I've been actively "friending" anywhere between 120 to 160 myspacers a day and getting about 50 to 70 "adds" from each session... not a bad average.

The cleanup that was planned for yesterday didn't happen... so today will have to be the make up for it. If I can get the office and the yard into shape today... at least that would be something.

Putting THIS LINK on here just because I feel like having a whale on my desktop. Reminds me of a show Kamotion and I caught once at the SF Fringe where (as part to the show... an absurdist musical about the food chain) a whale actually appeared on stage as part of the final scene.

Who knows... there may be more later in the day... or not.

EDIT: BTW... just wrote a new article which is posted HERE.