The dilemma of the writer:

Do I overwrite my stage directions to create the clearest picture, or underwrite them so the director and actors can make the piece their own with less suggestion?

Polishing my final draft right now. I can't wait to see the costumes.

Doug Willott- Writing play #1.

Play # 1: research mode

There's almost nothing I can tell you about this play that won't give the entire thing away.

But what I can tell you is that it's fairly research heavy. I've mostly been reading and watching stuff on YouTube so far. Still on page 1. I know where it's going...but...it's going to take me a while to get there.

We will get there. Doubtful that sleep will happen.

Coffee is pretty great right now.

Ok...back at it.

- Celene

Ohhhhhh SNAPPPPP!!!!

The inspiration for the play I'm about to write is thanks to:

1.) Tequila

2.) Annette Auger


Those two elements were key in the discovery of the idea this evening.

That is all I say for now...


- Celene "Hey look I'm blogging when I should be writing a script" Ramadan

Playwright update: Jim Jewell part 2

Email received 2:52 AM.

Staring at the clock and watching the minutes tick away. Frankly convinced that this completed play I have in front of me is too weird, dark and offensive to actually convey what I'd like it to, and so the process began anew at 2:30. 21 minutes later, and I've got nuthin', I tell ya.

Playwright Update: And now a little something from Erin Stewart

Email from Erin Stewart, 1448 Playwright. Received at 12:59 AM

I am 3 pages down, 3 to go. My head hurts. Thinking is hard. I don't know where this play is heading or how it will get there. Last night I was afraid because i finished really early. So the fact that I'm only half done at 1 is fine...right? Maybe it was my diet of Slurpee and Fritos that got me through last night. I am Miss Procrastination, USA. Nice to meet you. I've already peed twice, organized a playlist on my itunes, smoked 3 cigarettes, checked my email and dinked around facebook for a bit. Mama's gettin' tired and I need to cut the shit. Blarg. Not feeling it. Start over? Hmmm...

OK NO FOOLING, but Eye Of The Tiger just popped up on my itunes. No shit! I'm ready! Fark yes!

We're just getting started, kids.

Writer notes from Jim Jewell, 1448 Playwright. Email received 11:51 PM.

I heard from my director that they had a rough day, but the hard work paid off to my mind and I was very happy with the result. The best thing about the actors and directors ballsy enough to tackle 14/48 is how much better at this than I really am they make me look.

But, no good deed goes unpunished. Goddamned theme. This gig would be so fun without the fucking theme.

Midnight nears and I have an idea I neither know if I can pull off nor whether I should even try.

Which probably means I should. But, somewhere, four actors and a director just shuddered, as though someone walked over their grave.

You know what I didn't know existed? Diet Coke Tallboys. Yeah, fer real. I have one here next to my half-empty kombucha.

Do I seem unfocused? I feel unfoc... hey, wanna ride bikes?

Do you think he should go it? I sure as hell do. 1448 isn't for pussies! Go for it, Jim!

Letters from the middle of the night - part deux

I asked the playwrights to email me in the middle of the night, in the middle of the process or when they were done, to let me know how it had gone (reminder: the theme is Liquor is Quicker)

12:48am - Paul Mullin is done. He says it has no comedy in it at all. (We'll see.) "I had it mapped out by the time the bus dropped me off in Green Lake. It's so obvious in retrospect. We all know who the greatest alcoholic of all time is."

1:19am - Brian Neel and Paul Shipp were separated last night after the first show. "We're fine now. Midway on page two."

2:24am - Celene Ramadan writes to say started at about 11pm and she's done and she's happy with it. "I see it as something I'd like to film someday soon, which was a goal of mine for this weekend but nothing I wanted to force."

3:160am - Glenn Hergenhahn sends an email that he's finally finished. It's the second night he's finished by 3. "Too early to tell if it is intelligible, but there is a monster with horns and vikings (sort of) so how wrong could it go?"

4:59am (ouch!) - Brian Neel writes to say that he and Paul Shipp had each, in their separation, written some ideas and sketches. When they reunited "we shoved our material together and discovered that Mr. Neel forgot to include our fifth character. Hurdle number one." Once again, a photo (above) from the boys. I'm thinking that co-writer thing sounds a little dicey after all.

6:11am - Jerry Kraft actually finished his writing by 2am but was up early reviewing it and reflecting on the previous night's performance and tonight's. "The fact that my show will be the first up tonight actually helped me focus on the kind of thing I wanted to do, and since the style is more presentational than last night's play, it was easier to compose."

The emails give a glimpse into the war zone of the Friday night writing process. It doesn't really tell anything except how hard it is to do. And perhaps Brian Neel sums it up best when he says, "Take heed: do not seek perspective in the blur of creativity at four in the morning."

See you soon!

Becky Hellyer

Letters from the middle of the night

I asked the writers (the writers I managed to track down!) to email me during the night and let me know how it all went. Or how it was going.

10:00pm - Jerry Kraft emails from Edmonds to say that he thought about his two men and one woman on the drive up and "now I need to settle on exactly what the threat is, and to whom, and what has to be done to neutralize it."

1:00am - Celene Ramadan emails to say she is done. She says she started by asking herself some questions: "what is the threat? Are the two men in my play opponents or on the same team? What style and mood do I want?" (Ya gotta love it that the writers are actually EMBRACING and WRITING ABOUT the theme, don't you?) Celene "made decisions and decided to just commit 100% to them" and now she's wondering if she should write another one - just in case. 100% commitment to 100% doubt at 1:00am. Yup, absolutely.

2:00am - Jerry emails to say he's done. He's going to go to bed and get up early to look it over and see what he thinks. And then he speaks the familiar phrase - that mantra of the 14/48 writer - "I have no idea if it's any good." Amen, brother.

3:00am - Brian Neel emails that he and Paul Shipp walked the streets of downtown Seattle riffing on the theme until they came up with an idea and then went to Paul's place to bang it out. It "flowed smoothly until about three quarters of the way through when two prominent concepts didn't take hold." They struggled with it until they had to just scrap the concepts and finish without them. "Right now, as I fade away, I just miss that doll's head. (I know it could have worked.)" We'll ALL miss the doll's head, baby! They send the above photo - "taken upon completion of script, one shot of whiskey toast." Kind of makes you want to try that co-writer thing, doesn't it?

No other emails from the middle of the night. We'll have to assume the playwrights all survived and that the scripts are on their digital journeys to ACT to find their directors and actors and come to life tonight. Can't wait!

Becky Hellyer

Talk to me, writers

My heart is with the writers. It always is. In some ways the entire festival is about the writers - they create stories overnight. In other ways, the weekend belongs to everyone but the writers. For instance, every non-writer at the Artists Meeting is chatting and laughing - they're a little nervous, sure. But they're having fun. The writers, on the other hand, normally confident, gregarious people, are not having fun. They pace. They glare. They clench their jaws. They laugh loudly and then go silent. They are like spouses in the maternity ward. And in the morning they will deliver the scripts into the hands of the directors and actors and then go home. No one will really want them around. Tonight, while we sleep, the writers will be having their shining moments. Alone. So, I ask the writers to email me tonight - when they're done or as they're working through their plots, developing their characters, struggling with what to say. "Just tell me anything," I say. Paul Mullin and virgin writer Jerry Kraft say they will email me. Brian Neel says, "Sure!" So does his writing partner, Paul Shipp. Anita Montgomery (also a virgin) looks doubtfully at me as I stop her on her way out the door to explain that I'm blogging and I'd like to hear from her - but she takes the piece of paper with my email address. I've missed Louis Broom and Glen Hergenhahn - they slipped out - I'll get them tomorrow. But Celene Ramadan is still here - lingering with friends. She also takes the paper from me. And then all the writers are gone and the directors are still meeting. Everyone else is drinking beer and talking quietly. As I head off to sleep, I'm thinking about our dear writers and I'm wondering what kinds of emails will be waiting for me in the morning. I'll let you know.

Becky Hellyer