Jay,

When i hear you speak so passionately about your desire to become a 'successful playwright' it almost makes me feel like a fraud and that i should withdraw my entry (NVAJD?).

quote:

And how did you like the Liberace museum?

Swann - one of my best friends outside the UK is Kris Hayden, Marketing Manager of Liberace!

Hi and welcome to Sadie Sadie; to Swann 1719.

My entry for TPTT was my 2nd full length offering for the theatre. (1st still unperformed).

One play for TV (uncommissioned)

3 for radio (uncommissioned)

2 Sitcom pilots (uncommissioned)

1 and half novels (unpublished)

Elsewhere on this forum, MsMinxy writes about
- one's work being obviously Sh 1t, if no one is prepared to commission/publish it.

Why go on?

Why indeed?
I don't know, perhaps because among the rejection slips there are a few lines of encouragement from people who've detected a spark of ability or originality in the work.

And also...
it'll be one in the eye for all those, who've sniggered at my futile efforts over the years, if just one of mine is published or performed.

Seriously, given the competitive nature of theatre and publishing, this is not, I would suggest an environment for the faint hearted.
One needs talent, one needs to work at one's craft, but above all, I think perseverance - the sheer bloody-mindedness to go on on long after most rational people would have called it a day is necessary.

As far as I'm concerned until 00.00 on 01/10/05; there is still time for the pumpkin to turn into a golden coach
Oh, and I think the ability to laugh at one's folly helps.

Well, you can see this for yourselves, just read any of the threads on this forum!

quote:

it almost makes me feel like a fraud

Why a fraud? If you want to have your play produced and have the audience love it as much as you do - then you are after exactly the same thing as me.

While I don't feel a fraud...
I'm not sure I have the same passion about the theatre and writing as you, Jays - well not every hour of every day.

I do find your passion inspiring though -
if only a little daunting!

See, thats what i was trying to say i told you i wasn't a writer!

Sez who?

Come on, playfull, if some one like me; with the self-esteem of a lamprey and the social skills of a biscuit - has the temerity to call himself a writer...
well then it's an open market, that's all I've got to say!

I've seen loads of 'nothing published, nothing performed' posts here. A bit of advice.

Write a comedy stand-up routine.

If you can perform it, brilliant. If not, go to a Comedy Club (mine if you like, A Bit Blue In the Green, Playhouse Theatre Cheltenham, 7.30pm first Sunday every month, the beer's on me), pitch up to a comic and offer it to them.

There's nothing better than seeing 100 people wiping the tears from their eyes and holding their sides as they enjoy your work.

Except, maybe, being on stage and delivering it as well - that's better than any drug!

Jay - when were you offering that 10min Open Mike slot for me? I'll match you minute-for-minute!

A little belatedly may I add my 'welcome to the madhouse' to Sadie and Swann. (Sorry been working all day)

Interesting question for you - We all consider ourselves to be writers with varing degrees of sucess but most of us do other things to earn money/keep families etc. But do we consider ourselves writers first and other things second?

My perspective is that I am a writer who does other things until such time as I can live off my writing. I dont write every day but when I have a story or a play that is ready I have to write and will put everything asided to finish it. Until those characters are out of my head and on paper I can't concentrate on anything else.

Swann - I was lucky, I wrote my first play as a bit of fun for my daughter to cut her teeth on producing at the local arts centre theatre. She preferred to go with some unknown called Samuel Beckett for some reason, however a local director/drama coach decided to give it a go and I was able to sit in in all the stages from first read through to final performance and boy did I learn a lot from that. And yess I agree there is nothing like the thrill of seeing your worked performed - it is one of the few situations where you get an immediate and genuine feedback from your audience.

My second play was performed ealier this year at the same venue and was even more fun as I played one of the lead characters.

The TPTT submission is my third (and I hope best to date) which I finished a couple of days ago despite being in the middle of a house move.

I will continue to write because so far people have enjoyed what I have written and certainly I have some wonderful memories connected with each project - this one especially, having 'met' many new people on this forum. So even in the likely event that I don't get through I will still have a very big 'positive' from the hours put in the writing. Also in this game I think that you can only learn and improve by actually putting words on paper.

Perhaps I am luckier than some because if I don't get through on TPTT a group of us are going to Edinburgh next year with either this play or my next one which is now work in progress. And even failing that one or the other will be on at the arts centre.

I think we are all geting a bit de-mob happy so I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone success whether through TPTT or other projects in the future.

Geoff

End-of-term atmosphere, demob happy ... interesting that we writers (who should surely understand nuance - and if we don't, we're doomed Capt'n Mainwaring) have used these analogies to describe emotions at the current time.

Surely these are both times of elation?

Addy

I'm more positive than I have been in a long time. Just going through big changes at the moment with the move and everything so maybe getting a bit well . . . Hyped?

BTW E-mail sent you at tcworks.

quote:

Originally posted by Gravedigger:
Perhaps I am luckier than some because if I don't get through on TPTT a group of us are going to Edinburgh next year with either this play or my next one which is now work in progress.

Oooohh! I'm jealous I would love to produce/act/direct/be involved in an Edinburgh show.

In fact it's something I'm considering for 2007. Not sure what yet.

I was in a musical in ?1979? at the festival - it was called Judas.

It was a 'Jesus Christ Superstar' about ... well, Judas! ... written by a bloke in Cheltenham for the Youth Drama Theatre.

There we all were in our miners helmets on scaffolding, singing these appalling lyrics to some genuinely fantastic scores;

'Judas for you we prepare for war
Against the alien troops
We will make of you a superstar
Without the aid of props!

Take to the town our guns and arms
Secure them with our allies
Just for you and all as one
We will fight for right!'

On the third day (I think) this bloke appeared with a writ - the score was a complete copy, 100%, of some other famous 'Andrew Lloyd Webber' type of thing!

It was a miserable drive home in this blokes van ...

I'd do stand up if I was funny...I'd act if I wasn't a cowards...I'd write if I wasn't lazy...

I'll be quiet now shall I?

LML! Welcome Back! We missed you.

How's Uni?

I'm so jealous... You never forget the drinking binges that start at one in the afternoon you know...

quote:

You never forget the drinking binges that start at one in the afternoon you know...

I did! Everyone else had to tell me about them the day after!

It's good to be back, I've been so bored. When I've caught up here I'll update my blog with everything that's been going on.

Last night we had a drinking binge. Don't mix port with weird apple-flavour shot stuff. Actually, don't drink any weird apple-flavour shot stuff ever.

Nah - Cider + Fosters + Stella + Rum + Creme De Cassis.

Much more sensible.

Welcome back LML - P oxo zzz.

Welcome back, LML.

(A whole battery of up-beat smilies, just for you!
and one for luck!

I shall have little, round, yellow nightmares hehe

Sadie,

Did you, or would you, write yourself a role in your play?

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Lewes:
Sez who?


<wakes up yawning and stretching>

wassamatter?

Hey Playful

I'm ashamed to say that I did indeed write myself a role in a musical - which was designed to be a showcase for my writing partner and myself. It's so difficult to get casting directors and agents to come and see you in a show, so we really wanted to give ourselves good roles to play in a London venue. It paid off as we both got great new agents out of it, but we also wrote to every casting director in London and (in a month's run) only one turned up! Not only did we write to them with photos, CVs etc, we sent them all S.A.E.s...and only 2 of them bothered to use them!! See why I'm so bitter and twisted about the whole entertainment industry thang?

Aside from that project, I've never written a role for myself and wouldn't want to. I love the part where I get to sit and watch my play on its feet. Same thing applies to directing. I've directed one of my rehearsed play-readings, but much prefer it when someone else directs as I love the fact that they can come up with an interpretation that hadn't occured to me.

Having said all that, if (in my fantasy world) I'd got through TPTT, I'd have tried to negotiate playing a role in the final production. Think of the exposure...and the extra publicity for the play! 'Playwright puts every aspect of her career on the line for sake of TV show'!