2 Hours Into Spring

It’s late Friday afternoon. Spring is officially two hours old and I am sitting in my office beside two cases of champagne for my party. I have had 25 positive RSVPs already and six people have all expressed enthusiasm for the “dress up” nature of the event. I think my party is going to be a success.

The photo above is of me in that office and I got the poster on the wall today from the printer. It cost a fortune—$48—but it will be the record I keep of the costumes because they will be destroyed during the run of the play. And I am happy about that. I want to make some more and need the dress forms on which they are stored.

But I have another reason for wanting the poster. I am a whore and the poster is going to help me attract some customers. I am in full on marketing mode today. I ordered 150 more postcards with which to market my play and 25 small posters.

My “Smart Party” will have my costumes as decoration consistent with the elegance of fancy dress and champagne. Everyone will notice them and it will, I hope, create some buzz about the show. And on May 6^th, I am doing a gig with The Flame—that is what the poster is for. It is an audio visual aid for my story.

And today, Presentation House got the residents of PAL, the charity I do work for, a special discount. They will be able to see my show for only $15.

And I am going to write to Opus, for whom I wrote for 27 years, hoping they will put notice of my show in their newsletter. I wonder how many other playwrights work as hard as I do for Presentation House.

Besides the marketing initiatives, I raised $3,200 for them. With an average ticket price of $20, that is the equivalent of one sold-out full house. Not a bad beginning before we even open.