Nature / Writing

Monday July 15, 2013 Well, I didn't place in the Toronto Fringe Festival's 25 Hour Playwriting Contest, but hearty congratulations to the winners: Trevor Poelman with If It’s Not Too Much Trouble , Tia McGregor with Omniscient Ward , and Britta Johnson with Infinite Spirit. Unfortunately I couldn't be at last night's reading of Poelman's winning script, but I'm sure it was fantastic (if anyone reading this did attend, I'd love to hear about it!). Production News I do have some other somewhat-related news that I haven't written about properly yet: My one act play Flood Control will be produced this fall at Sarasvàti Production's FemFest 2013 festival in Winnipeg! The festival runs from Saturday September 14 to Saturday September 21, and there will be three performances of Flood Control during that time. FemFest showcases the work of female playwrights with no restrictions on subject matter; the shows are "Written by Women for E...

Sunday July 14, 2013 Like so many Glee fans, Steve and I were stunned this morning when we learned of Cory Monteith's passing. Of course the sadness felt by his fans will be nothing compared to the pain and grief of  his family, friends, and colleagues, and my heart goes out to all of them. But I also keep thinking about the younger fans of Glee . For many kids and even teens, this could be the first time they have to deal with the strange experience of trying to mourn for someone they feel a deep connection to, yet have never met. And as Glee: The 3D Concert Movie makes clear, Glee can have a special appeal for young people who feel lonely or excluded. But even for perfectly happy fans, Monteith's death could be very hard to process. Drumming on things from the kitchen. A screen grab from Cory Monteith's Glee audition tape. I'm not a parent or educator; I don't have any young Glee fans in my life. But if I did, I think I'd tell them the same t...

by Marilyn Anne Campbell Stage play: One-act, 1M/1W On the eve of his fortieth birthday, lonely Ray stands on a bridge over a swollen river, building up the nerve to end his life. He’s interrupted by Gina, a highly-organized woman who has come to kill herself simply because she has nothing else left to do. Read an excerpt from Flood Control Grant Burr and Elena Anciro Photo by Janet Shum © Sarasvàti Productions, 2013 Production Information: Flood Control  premiered in September 2013 as part of Sarasvàti Production 's "FemFest 2013: Revelation and Revolution" at the Asper Centre for Theatre and Film in Winnipeg, Manitoba. (Performance dates: Sept 15, 17, 19) Directed by Hope McIntyre Stage Manager: Sandy Klowak Assistant Stage Manager: Kaitlyn Kriss Featuring: Elena Anciro as Gina Grant Burr as Ray Read a review of the production by Kendra Jones , who said Flood Control  was "a smart and funny script, with lovely dark undertones." A ...

Friday July 5, 2013 At noon today I was in a panicked battle with Google Docs, being taunted by the site's astonishingly stubborn refusal to save any edits, even though everything on the wifi front was running perfectly. This could have easily been a blog post full of a sleep-deprived writer's regret, but by 1pm we'd settled the terms of our truce so I was able to send off my submission for the Toronto Fringe Festival's 25 Hour Playwriting Contest in time for the 2pm deadline. The Fringe holds this contest every year (it's usually 24 hours, but 2013 is the Fringe's 25th anniversary), and I've entered it and similar contests a handful of times. I never go in expecting to win; I simply like being motivated to hammer out a full draft of something brand new in a very short time. The way these things generally work is that writers register in advance and, at the designated start time, a list of things which much be included in the final script are announ...