The Rest of RAW

The True Story is over (for now), but the rest of the First Person Arts Festival is still going strong.  Just a quick shout out to my fellow RAW artists, who I'll be seeing tomorrow and Friday.  Catch you there?

THANK YOU

Just a moment to give thanks:

To First Person Arts RAW, and all the wonderful First Person Arts staff, who made this show possible, and made me stick to my story.

What was that you were you saying, 13 MFA rejections?

chasin y'all dreams and what you got planned 
now I spit it so hot you got tanned

  
The True Story, or Vicious & Multiple & Untrue After All will premiere as part of First Person Arts RAW at the First Person Arts Festival (November 8-17, 2012).

(bring the truth home in) your handlebar basket

the truth will not come

finally crashing down;

the truth has not been

waiting all this time

for you to come to your senses.

the truth is down the block already

staring blearily into the bottom of

another empty glass.

A Selected Annotated Bibliography for The True Story

You've already heard me rant and rave about Junot Diaz and Margaret Atwood, but there are some other writers who've been influential, instrumental, and essential (you see what I did there?) in different ways throughout this piece and this process.  Some notes on them below, and a special thank you to all the folks who've connected me to all this wonderful writing.

Why this show is important to me (and why you should check it out)

Last Friday night after rehearsal, I went out for a drink with a bunch of my wonderful collaboratorettes.  (It's five days to showtime.  Just try to tell me that's not a word.)  We commandeered the upstairs game room of a South Philly drinkery and dragged bar stools around the pool table.  After some general chit chat, one by one, they all ended up sharing their own True Story.  (Collaboratorettes, have no fear - what happens in Watkins Upstairs stays in Watkins Upstairs.  No personal stories will be recounted.)

Five Lessons from the First Showings

1. The things I'm afraid of doing (and that I dislike in performance) are, in fact, the things I do.  Like throwing in all the things.  Darlings, you're dead to me.  Time to simplify, clarify, & elegance...ify?
2. Having the cast make eye contact (now that they're off-book) has an amazing impact on both their work and my ability to absorb it.
3. Making teeny-tiny changes can have HUGE impact.  I keep learning this in my writing as well, but it's surprising every time.
4. When I have to read for missing performers, I only sort of feel like an idiot.
5. I am not a sociopath.  (Long story.)

 The True Story, or Vicious & Multiple & Untrue After All will premiere as part of First Person Arts RAW at the First Person Arts Festival (November 8-17, 2012).