Serious Progress!

Friday was awesome.

First of all, the weather is absolutely stunning, day after day!

Second, my friend Beth’s feedback about my script inspired me to do another rewrite and I could not be happier. Keeping Beth’s points in mind, I’ve been going through it carefully and slowly. Colin is going to get a much smoother and less-repetitive script.

But the greatest thing about today was the amount of work I got done on the defiant dress. I started at 5:30 am and I worked right through the day and evening until 10:30 pm, eating on my feet and never leaving the house except to go to Eddie’s to get a mannequin (it took only twenty minutes). 

Next: The breastplate and back pieces. It’s not going to take two more months if I continue to obsess.

I went to bed absolutely exhausted, right after a reward: A big bowl of ice cream.

This morning, I am still pooped so it’s desk work and rest today.

I have actually started on the next dress: The fortune cookie dress. I’m finding Chinese sayings in English and then learning how to write them in simplified Chinese characters. I figure I need maybe fifty and some can repeat. I plan to have a fortune in each cookie that the audience can pull, read and then leave behind (for returning to the cookies).

Today I might go for a walk to buy the paper I need to make the fortune cookies. Just for something to do. I need a break from the defiant dress before I start the upper portions.

Friday Night 9:00 PM

Like I said: not pretty. But an excellent prop for my play. The dark little circles are cigarette burns. They are in the story that goes with the piece. And the handprints are there because two people held the girl I honour in this piece underwater and drowned her. It's a horrific story.

How ReACT Works

What a day yesterday!

Bruce’s sister wrote to update my about my friend’s health. His condition is rather frightening to think about; his temperature is up again. He’s the hospital in Ravenna, Italy, after having a stroke three weeks ago, tomorrow. I write him long emails every day.

I made incredible progress on the defiant dress. I am doing the back of the skirt now and I really like it; even though it isn’t very pretty, it’s moving when you know the story.

And Beth wrote to praise aspects of my script and to point out deficiencies that I will address today — I’ll go back to dressmaking for periodic breaks from writing.

And I know what I’m going to do for dress number eleven. I’ve got to go and buy another mannequin to do it but I’ll be making the dress with cheap paper. After this epic defiant dress, I needed to do one that’s simpler — so I’m doing a fortune cookie dress. I plan to make it so that people can pull out fortunes (and then leave them in a basket for re-loading).

And finally, my friend Camille said that ReACT happens in January. Rachel works with the selected playwrights to get the scripts as good as possible and then actors are hired to do a reading. They rehearse for two days with Rachel and the playwright and then on the third day there’s a public read through.

Afterwards there’s a Q&A and that’s it. Then they choose which of the read plays to take into production, so I should know about production possibilities of my script at the Arts Club early next year. That’s not too long to wait.

Structural Confidence

The weather continues to be stunning.

Today I start the back of the skirt. It’s like starting over because it basically involves everything that I’ve been doing during the past month all over again — but with a different design and armed with the knowledge gained to date.

The load feels light because I feel the script is as far as I can take it without some thoughtful feedback. I will revise the words forever, but I think the plot points are in place; I think there’s adequate tension and enough novelty to overcome the absence of wit (so far).

There’s one thing in my script that I think is effective: Very early in the script, the protagonist threatens Royce, who’s against her plans, by saying: “I have two words for you, Royce: The apron.” And he immediately changes his behavior.

Later, the apron is used again as a threat and then it’s part of the big confrontation/resolution scene at the end of the play. That’s good structure, like a recurring joke. At least I have that to feel confident about.

Finished My Draft

Wow! I finished. My script has gone to Beth to read and I’ve sent the text of the letters to friends scattered about, asking them to write them out and mail them to me so I can use letters that betray different habits and text in the show. I’ll have postal franks from across the country.

I’ve, of course, no idea of what I have in this play — whether it works or not. It’s bland right now, I think. Not a roaring comedy; just a mild amusement with cleverness in the properties.

But I have a gut feeling that there’s worth in it. It’s topical for a city with a sparkling new art gallery about to open on the North Van waterfront (and that I founded) and with the VAG planning on a huge relocation project. And it’s different, being part exhibition.

So back to working on dress number ten. I’m lining the edges of the skirt I’m finishing, fastening the batting onto the back. I was going to start building the bodice front next (that I’ve decided will be detached) but I’ve changed my mind. I’m going to do the back of the skirt because it provides depth to the unfinished piece. It’s thematically in contrast to the front of the skirt, whereas the front bodice maintains the theme of the skirt front.