True Stories on Youtube (& elsewhere)

I got this photo from True Stories in an email this week. It was taken by the wonderful Maria Möller when the show was up last fall. Christ Church Neighborhood House is using it in a bunch of their promo materials this season, which makes me feel incredibly proud and grateful.

Back with a vengeance. Or a show at least.

Hi guys.

I'm back.

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).

On costumes

"The show's actually coming along really well.  I can worry about things like the set and costumes."

"Skirts and t-shirts."

"I wear pants sometimes now!  I'm wearing pants right now!"

"I know.  That was the old Amelia."

Aw.

 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).

One person couldn't feel all that - they'd explode

You know what?  Maybe this whole story was actually inspired by Harry Potter.

Happy LisaFrankenstorm, kids.  Hope you're getting as much accomplished as I clearly am.

 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).

Free Preview Monday!

Can't wait till November to see the show?  Catch a free preview this Monday at Kelly Writers House.  Ilse Zoerb will do some excerpts; I'll laugh maniacally at my own jokes from the audience.

Monday, October 29, at 7:00 PM in the Arts Café
Kelly Writers House | 3805 Locust Walk
No registration required - this event is free & open to the public

If you can't make it, or if you need a refresher, it'll also be broadcast on WXPN Monday 11/5.

Ladies' Week

I've just realized that I've had the chance to hang out with a lot of amazing ladies this week - friends new and old, colleagues, conspirators.  In fact, this week is about to culminate in a whole party of ladies AND a Mural Arts sponsored panel about female MCs: Ladies First - Hip Hop Heretics.  In honor of all the amazing ladies, both this week and throughout my entire life, who have shared good times and great insights, a teeny excerpt:

She wrote back within a half hour, a whole email of good, solid advice, followed by a disclosure that it was just advice, that she’d support me, no matter what. I couldn’t help thinking of how many times she, I, all us women really, had been burned by giving good, solid advice to our friends.

Chicks before dicks, ladies.  Listen to your girlfriends.

 
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).

Wordmasters

Confession: I love words.  I know, shocking.  So I've gone through the script and picked out some of my favs: the ones that are real hinges in the story, the ones I really like, the ones I think you should know in advance.  For the pre-show pre-test.  Or, you know, for funsies.

For the 97% of you unfamiliar with Wordmasters, pretend that title says "Vocab Quiz" or "SAT Verbal Reasoning."  For the rest of you, holler.

Don't forget to check out the links for helpful images.

I've got something sweet for you & I don't care if it is more than you deserve

I'm in need of a few reminders today:

1. In fiction and in nonfiction, characters are not people.  And vice versa.
2. Figuring it out is not the same as forgiving.  Although lord do they both take work.
3. I do what is right for me, and I always have the power and option to change my mind.  (Infinite thanks, Coach.)

With that, another excerpt.  Fun fact: this one was written somewhat separately from the rest of The True Story, and almost didn't make it in.  Thank god for experimental what-the-heck moments.

Research = Popcorn

Here are a few of the movies/performances/shows I've been using as research over the past couple months (or at least as an excuse to make popcorn), and some brief thoughts I got from them:

Chekhov Lizardbrain

Groundhog Day

Rashomon

Run Lola Run

Tiny Furniture 

Real Talk: Rehearsals

The first time I heard my text read, it was like watching a toddler take her first steps - no joke. (Infinite thanks to the Bridal Salon at Painted Bride Art Center.)

One of my favorite pieces of feedback (granted, from my mom), was that you could hear my voice through the actresses' voices - which hopefully speaks to the writing, but also certainly to the wonderful ladies up on stage, who truly breathed life into this collicky creature.

As we started auditions this round, I told Meg, my director/constant-reassurer-of-all-good-things-to-come (or at least that there will be something on stage and that I will not die), that I would pretty much be useless at this point. "I just can't stop being excited to hear other people say my words. I like them all."

Meg assured me she'd be able to handle it (see above title), and here we are, a couple weeks into rehearsals. Doing what, you ask? Excellent question!

The Absolute Moron's Guide to Creative Communication

We had a moment in rehearsal this morning where I got to talk about the fact that I have no idea what theatre people are talking about most of the time. And then I found out that theatre people sometimes feel that way too. (Although sometimes they continue to do weird spinny jumpy warm-ups to "get into their bodies" out of sheer faith in one day getting it.)

As someone who's had the great misfortune pleasure of trying to converse on an understandable level with musicians, actors, and (as of today) dancers, I present to you some of the perhaps less-than-clear things I've written, said, & heard while working on this show.  Listed anonymously, because "It's like Vegas in here."

Advice for Sluts from a Pulitzer Prize Winning Author

Speaking of literary heroes, I've been spending a lot of time with Junot Diaz lately - okay, with his work more than with him per se, BUT I did get to meet him at the Free Library and awkwardly invite him to The True Story.  (His response: "This . . . is . . . a great flyer."  Fair enough, Junot Diaz.  Fair enough.)

like hearts on marble

I'll be posting more about the first rehearsals once I process a bit more, but one of the things that came up was the title of this story (aka the bane of my existence) and the quote I have on the current draft:

"The true story is vicious and multiple and untrue after all." - Margaret Atwood