Before the Overture

Across the Line I Go Once More

stagecraft — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 18:52:59 +0000

For the sixth year in a row, I have completed Script Frenzy. The glorious moment came yesterday afternoon when I clocked 100 pages on The Incredible Jason Connor. I’m not quite done with the show yet, there’s still about a scene and a half left to write, but I’m very proud to continue to be able to say I’ve won every single Script Frenzy. There’s not much left to tell outside of that. I’m taking today off and I plan on finishing the show tomorrow.

The Hero’s Home Stretch, or What Will I Do Now?

stagecraft — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:04:44 +0000

We’re now officially into the final week of Script Frenzy and I’m just a tad behind schedule. Life has been a little crazy this past week and my writing time got curbed a little bit, but I’m still in the running to finish this thing! All I have to do is write seven pages per day and I can actually finish ahead of schedule on Friday!

The writing itself has been a blast this year. Jason Connor hasn’t really been a project that I’ve had to bash my head against the wall with; it’s all just sort of come to me. I’m the first to admit that this first draft needs quite a bit of TLC after I’m done, but I think what’s going to be the best way to tackle this is to step away from the world of Central City for a little bit so that I can come back with a fresh pair of eyes.

In the meantime, once Script Frenzy is complete, I’m going to work on a darker project that’s been boiling in my brain for a little while now. I don’t want to say too much about it right now, but I will tell you that it’s a musical entitled “The Wood” and it’s a ghost story set in the very early 20th century. Beyond that, well, you’ll just have to wait and see.

This April has been possibly the easiest Script Frenzy I’ve gone through, and I’m pretty sure it has to do with the material that I’m working on. Or maybe I’m just growing as a writer. Or maybe it’s a little bit of both. Either way, it’s been a fantastic year, and the best part? My computer didn’t crash!

Approaching the Half

stagecraft — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 16:30:40 +0000

It’s hard to believe how quickly Script Frenzy is going this year! Usually, my writing process is really laborious and drawn out, but this year it’s all just flying out of me. There’s something really natural about this show, for me. As of right now, I stand at 36 pages; only 14 away from the 50 page mark that denotes the halfway point to the goal. Within these 14 pages, I’ll be winding down with the first act and heading into the second. There’s still a lot of ground to cover in the second half of the show, but if it’s anything like the first act then it’s going to shape up to be a really spectacular piece.

I think the best thing so far has been the book-writing. The special thing about Jason Connor is that it gives me this open highway to make these comments and references to some of my favorite comic books. It’s been really enjoyable to write a book that has this incredibly high quality of geek to it. I don’t know, there’s something kind of endearing about it to me. It gives the show this unique voice.

Into the City

stagecraft — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 18:33:18 +0000

Script Frenzy 2012 has kicked off, and in two days I’m already up to 10 pages. All of which comprise the first scene. It’s funny, really; I was hoping to go for a more average length musical this year, but part of me is starting to wonder if that’s going to pan out. There is one saving grace about the whole thing that sets that part of me at ease; Jason Connor is a lot more dialogue heavy than the stuff I usually write.

For those who don’t know, I typically write in upwards of 30 or 40 songs in a show, but The Incredible Jason Connor’s outline clocked in with a song count of 20. Dead on. Not 21, not 19, 20. This means I’ll be writing a much more substantial book than I have in the past. Daunting? Hardly. I love writing dialogue; in fact, I tend to find out more about my characters and their personalities through what they say. It’s like a boot camp for character development.

I don’t have much else to report right now. I just wanted to get a post up about the status of Jason Connor. It’s going to be a great month!

Incredible

stagecraft — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 13:28:33 +0000

It’s hard to believe that we’re so close to April! I just wanted to check in an say that I completed the outline for “The Incredible Jason Connor” last week. And in 3 days, no less! I’m really not sure what happened; I’ve never finished an outline that quickly for anything. It just kind of started pouring out of me and there was nothing I could do to stop it. This seems like a pretty good sign, in my book. Now comes the hard part; waiting until April 1st so I can start writing this show!

This City Needs a Hero

stagecraft — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 19:48:50 +0000

I began outlining “The Incredible Jason Connor” yesterday and I’m already into Act 2! It’s hard to believe how quickly I’m pushing through this outline; usually it takes me somewhere around a week and a half or two weeks to get one done. So far this feels like it’s going to be a ridiculously fun show to write- especially the music. What I love most about this musical is that it never gets too serious, so it’s kind of a minefield of comedic material. I can already tell that April is going to be a blast!

And This Year’s Script Frenzy Project Is…

stagecraft — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 18:37:19 +0000

With March almost upon us, the time has come for me to start planning out my project for Script Frenzy. This year, I’m working on a new musical called…

THE INCREDIBLE JASON CONNOR!

Here’s the basic gist of the show;

Central City is a city in danger, a city filled with terrified people, a city that needs a hero. Enter Jason Connor; a humble geek (he prefers the term “comic book aficionado”) who works at a juice bar called “The Squeeze”. Jason’s life seems to be on track to be pretty unremarkable until he’s struck by a bolt of radioactive lightning (thanks, in part, to a nuclear power plant on the edge of town) and becomes the superhero he always wanted to be. However, he quickly discovers that sometimes being a hero means sacrificing a lot. When his life begins to crumble down around him, Jason will have to decide if being a hero is worth giving up a life that’s starting to look pretty incredible.

It’s going to be a very self-referential show that’s chock-full of cliches (of both the musical and comic book form). I can’t wait to start working on it, it seems like it’s going to be a lot of fun!

A Mark in Time

stagecraft — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 21:21:37 +0000

Wow, I can’t believe I’ve let so much time pass in between posts. My scriptwriting endeavors after April never really took off. I didn’t get around to editing Variations…In fact, I didn’t even finish writing Act 1. So I’ve decided to regroup and start working on Variations again. I plan on tightening the focus of the story (that’s going to be a herculean task all on its own), revitalizing some of the characters and their plots, writing the music, basically everything I’ve really needed to do since last April. This is the first time that I’ve come back to a project after so long and actually wanted to work on it again, and I find that really encouraging. Anyway, I just wanted to check in and let everyone know that this show still has a pulse!

The Fifth Year

stagecraft — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 15:22:27 +0000

Only moments ago, I completed the first draft of Variations, which came in at exactly 100 pages. 41 songs, a hard drive crash, and a loss of 43 pages all led to me winning my fifth Script Frenzy. Of course, as I’ve said before, I didn’t go back and rewrite the 43 pages of Act 1 that I lost, but I still counted them. After all, I did do the work, and I think that has to count for something. Now comes the fun part, actually going back and reconstructing the first 43 pages.

All in all, though, this was such a wonderful experience. As I was writing the finale, I was actually feeling a little upset that this was over. Still, though, I’ve got editing to go through and everything, so it’s not like the story and these characters are out of my life forever.

For now, I’m not thinking about the reconstruction or the editing, I’m just reveling in the joy of winning five consecutive years of Script Frenzy!

Endgame

stagecraft — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 14:31:42 +0000

Today, I hit 86 pages total written this month (I’m still including the pages I lost in the crash. I mean, I did write them this month, they still count for Script Frenzy). Anyway, I was looking at my outline just now, I’ve still got about a quarter of Act II left to go. In fourteen pages. I’m starting to think this script may run about 105 pages, which still isn’t bad for a musical libretto. Not nearly as bad as the 150 page scripts I tackled the past two years. Seriously, what was I thinking? 150 pages? That’s, like, a four and a half hour show. August: Osage County is shorter than that.

Anyway, back to this year. Things are going really well, and I’m so excited about writing these last few scenes. Some really fun stuff happens here at the end which I won’t post the details of, but it’s going to be such a thrill to write it. The whole show kind of turns on its head in the last pages of the script, and I can’t wait to tackle the change. All in all, it’s been such a wonderful month and I’m really looking forward to continuing on with Variations!