2005 in review

I'll be the first to admit that the minor successes of 2004 probably surprised me more than anyone. I had toiled away in the fiction world for years, garnering rejections, before I ever saw print. So I've continued to be amazed at how well received I have been in a form that I've only been practicing for just three years. But before '04 was out, I'd seen my plays done in venues around the country. Again, that was surprising enough. But to have it continue through '05 and, as of this writing, nicely on into '06, I continue to give thanks for this astonishing blessing.

For me as a playwright, 2005 really began in February. That's when the Peabody Veteran's Memorial High School Performing Arts Department showed me that yes, indeed, "Bob's Date" could be done well by a high school. Directed by Richard Carey, who played Nerves in the Curtain Call Theater version, these kids took their vision of Bob--set in a locker room--from the school auditorium all the way to the finals of the Mass. High School Drama Guild Festival. The kids were wonderful, and audiences ate it up. It was also the first of the several word-of-mouth-driven productions BD would get this year.

The second came in March, when the Henderson County Performing Arts Center in Athens, TX, put on their version of the show. It was the first time I'd ever heard my words rolled out tinged with a Texas twang, and it was a hoot. Director Dennis Gilmore had seen the EMACT show and was actually the first person to ask to produce the play after that. Glad he did!

At the end of March I introduced One Before Forty to the general public at a staged reading at Curtain Call Theater. The actors I chose for that reading, I have to say, remain my ideal cast. The response to the play was superb--lots of solid laughs in all the right places, and that wonderful reverent quiet that rolls over the crowd when you hit the heart of the thing. And that was without full staging, lighting, props, etc. I'm very much looking forward to putting this on fully in April '06. (It will also be seen in May '06 and likely in the fall as well--but more on that later.)

My first stage foray of the year came in April when I played Sydney Carlysle Cockerell in the magnificent pieceThe Best of Friends at the Medway Players with two of my very dear friends, Lorna Noguiera and Mike Legge. This is truly an actor's play, with big chunks of epistolary-driven monologues. Mike, knowing that dramas don't draw all that well in Medway, cut the room in half, leaving us with a very intimate connection to an audience that numbered 30, tops. The closeness of the audience and the intense emotion of the piece made for a very memorable show.

Had my best show of the year on April 16 when I married the former Stacey Erikson. I have pictures.

April also saw the completion of "The Worst Possible Time for Writer's Block," my first new piece of the year.

May brought EMACT and the Camelot Players of Lowell's versions of "Owen & George Play Chess" and "Waiting for the End of the World." I was hoping for the sort of subsequent attention that accompanied "Bob's Date" the year before, but it didn't happen. Still, they did a great job with the plays. I was genuinely surprised at the outright laughter "Owen & George" got. I once again offer hearty congrats to Peter Ambler and John DePew, as well as director JulieAnn Govang, for "getting it." I also really enjoyed their version of "Waiting."

My short play "Grievance" debuted at the New England Academy of Theater's Short and NEAT Fest in June. Stacey and I drove down to New Haven, CT, for the show. I was especially pleased because the artistic director had set "Grievance"--which he reserved for himself to direct--as the closer on the night's card. While I wasn't entirely thrilled with his decision to have God appear only in voice over (despite said voice belonging to a well-known CT radio personality), the performance of Anthony LaPenta as Dennis Kavanaugh simply blew me away. Alone onstage, Anthony carried the piece with all the requisite humor and angst. To be very honest, I was in tears by the end. It was that good.

The very next weekend I was in Barnstable, MA, for the Barnstable Comedy Club's "Bob's Date." This had come about through a friend mentioning the show to the director, who hadn't seen it before. A very good performance featuring probably the largest Libido the stage may ever see--and a Nerves that finally got "the Nerves noise" just the way the playwright intended.

Also during the summer I spent one fine day on set for the Jodom Pictures short, "The Burn Book." Always a good time working with Mike Amato and his crew. Plus, there's always good food.

In July I was lucky enough to be cast in Mansfield Music and Arts Society's production of "The Boys Next Door," which went up in October. I hadn't been familiar with the play; Stacey had directed and loved it. Me, I was just happy that it was close to where my son lives, so I had a good reason to sneak in a few extra visits there. As it turns out, it was one of the best theater experiences I've ever had. The script is amazing, the cast was top-notch, and we all just clicked beautifully. In addition, through contacts I made during that show, I ended up with possible venues for both Dinner for Several and One Before Forty in 2006.

During September I actively involved myself in the Playwright Binge, a marketing exercise where you try to submit scripts to 30 different places in 30 days. It could be contests, readings, or just querying community or regional theaters to get them to do your show. I managed to submit to 23 different places, and it's paid off. In November I learned that "Writer's Block" will get two productions in January 2006: a full staging by Acme Theater and a reading by Theatre Cooperative as part of their "Ritalin Readings" series.

A burst of inspiration in the fall brought about the creation of my second finished (and new) short piece of the year, another dialogue entitled "brushstroke." As yet it's untested, but it's also been sent out as part of the Binge, and I have strong hopes for it.

My final acting note for the year is a special one. My son and I were both cast in a local production of "Christmas Carol." It's his first time in a full-fledged production, and he's having a wonderful time. And me, I'm enjoying watching him enjoy himself. It's just another of the gifts this playwriting/acting madness has brought to me.

As always, I would try to name each and every one of the people whose paths I feel blessed to have been part of, but it's a big ol' list that grows each year. It's the nature of this thing we do that many of us only see each other in shows; we're lucky if we get to spend time together twice a year--and at that, we know that in six weeks it'll be gone. Sometimes we're lucky enough to form a bond that transcends the bounds of the stage. Regardless, each point of connection, each acquaintance or relationship, however brief, is a gift, and I thank you all for making this year so very memorable.

Peace & power / Om namah Shivaya

John