What's in Store for Theatre Space

When I first entered the amateur theatre circuit in my local area, oh so many years ago, there were at best 4 or 5 groups in the city. Most of these groups were real "Mickey and Judy" type of community theatre troupes, as in: "Hey kids! Let's put on a show! We can use my Uncle's barn and my grandma can make some swell costumes!"

You know, that type of 'gung-ho, grin and show' community theatre.
All these years later, a dozen or more "new" theatre groups have emerged. Many of these new groups border on being classified as semi-professional troupes. That old mom n' pop community theatre spirit is a thing of the past. These new troupes wouldn't be caught dead producing old standards such as "Our Town", "Arsenic and Old Lace", "Blythe Spirit" or any other play that local high schools have long since worn holes in. No sir.
Most local productions now offer up Mamet, Sheppard, Albee, Durang and host of other plays written by contemporary playwrights. This trend is in fact bringing out a new audiences to live theatre as well as veteran audiences who have been numbed by a billion productions of "Bye Bye Birdie" and would love to see a play from this century.

But there's the Rub!

With so many groups springing up, the question of "space" has been an issue. One troupe may run for a season in church space only to loose it the next year. Some theatre troupes bounce from a coffee house to a school to a warehouse but never really planting roots in a given space. It's a tough existence.
At the same time, as a result of the recent economic hiccup, many local shopping malls flirted with the ambiance of "ghost towns". Vacant store after vacant store dotted the once vibrant, climate-controlled consumer landscape.
Somehow, the down trodden "Mall" collective and the Theatre group in search of a home, collided and found common ground. This common ground may have been where once people "Fell Into The Gap" but are now, filing in to see live theatre.
In fact, my own group is leasing a "store" space in a local mall and my new murder mystery play will premiere there. Yes, in the mall. Of course, they don't refer to these spaces as "mall", per se, no, they are "art spaces". Along with a host of live Theatre venues, other spaces feature Art work, pottery, photograph prints from local artists. So, yes it is an "Art Space".
In fact, another mall in a nearby suburb is also allowing Artists and Theatre groups to move into the vacant stores. Perhaps this idea will spread across the country and all the little orphaned theatre troupes will finally have a place to "play".
Mickey and Judy would be proud! Hey kids let's put on a show! We can use my Uncle's Mall!

More on Exposition: Show don't tell or don't show at all.

A standard rule you may hear in writing is "Show don't tell". Actually, you will hear this applied for stage or film writing. Essentially, it's easier for your audience to "see" what they need to know about a character or situation than it is to have a character describe something. Overstating the obvious can insult the intelligence of your audience.

In my previous post on exposition, I used the concept of "telling" about a character named Uncle Henry. The telling came through dialogue between two characters in the guise of a casual conversation. It was established that Henry drank, gambled and was injured during the war. Henry's character background was established before he ever entered the scene. Now, if I were writing a play or a film , I could save some of that 'exposition' by simply allowing his character to "show" some of those details. How? Well, Uncle Henry could enter the stage with a bottle of whiskey in his hand and he could slur his words as he spoke. He could walk with a limp or even use a cane to move about.(Henry drinks) He could be wearing an old army jacket or coat with the Purple Heart medal attached to it.(Henry was in the war) Henry could ask the other characters to loan him money because he was trouble with his 'bookie'.(Henry gambles) Any of these elements would "show" the audience detail of his character without needing to establish these facts in expositional dialogue.

As a writer, one question you may find yourself asking yourself is: what do I really need my audience to know? Do I have to "Show" or "Tell" them everything? What it important to the story and what is just fluff?
That is a question I wrestle with all the time. One great example of a major 'detail' being left out is in the Cohen Brothers film Barton Fink.
Halfway through the film, a female character is murdered and the head is missing from her body. Later on, Barton receives a mysterious package that appears to be a box. The audience is not told or shown that the victim's head is indeed, inside this box, it's only an unspoken idea the viewer 'assumes'.


This assumption carries all the way to the very end of the film, where Barton is sitting on a beach and nearby character asks him, "What's in the box?" and Barton replies, "I don't know." End of film. We never truly know.

A writer may choose to omit certain facts or details. Sometimes the audience's imagination is far more powerful than what it can be shown or told.
I personally think what made "The Blair Witch" frightening is what we didn't see. The great Japanese film director Yasujiro Ozu was famous for not "showing" or "telling" the audience certain details. For example, a story will lead you up to a Wedding and the very next scene will be years later, without the wedding ever being shown. It was implied, the viewer knew about it, why then waste time showing you what you all ready knew?

When it comes to exposition and telling your audience what they need to know, deciding what they need to know or in some cases not know can be a sticky wicket.
The best way to determine this, is to ask yourself: does this detail add to the story? Does it help move everything forward? Or is it just you, the writer, showing off your descriptive skills. Does James Joyce really need three pages to describe a character walking around a corner? (Well, that's what made him James Joyce isn't it? He mastered the art of "telling" which is can be tiresome in a visual medium.)

When it comes to exposition, do we really need to know "What's in the box?"

I don't know.

Writing and dreading exposition

One of the aspects of writing that I really dread is 'exposition'. Yes, I do know exposition is very important to a story or play because it establishes bits of information the audience needs to know and/or understand who's who and what's what.
I have read and heard very bad deployment of exposition in plays and stories, sentences such as:

Beatrice: "Oh! Look! Here comes Uncle Henry up the pathway. Uncle Henry of whom the family rarely speaks about since he drinks too much and lost his fortune at the race track. He appears to be limping also. It must be that old war wound he received long ago when he saved his entire platoon during his time France."

For the sake of the story, we now know critical information about Uncle Henry. Details that will hopefully, move the plot along as well as define this "Henry" character.
But in terms of this exposition sounding like a natural sentence or something you would hear spoken in everyday conversation, not so much. It pretty much screams out "Oh! Look! Here comes some very awkward exposition up the pathway!"
So, how do you avoid it? How do you make it sound a little more natural?
One trick (or cheat) I employ to establish exposition and make it sound a tad more natural is to use an "outsider", or someone who doesn't know much about the other characters. For example, in this scene about Uncle Henry, I would have someone in the scene with Beatrice, perhaps a new neighbor or someone "outside" of the loop of information. That way, Beatrice can deliver the same information in a conversational manner. Such as:

BEATRICE: Oh No! Here comes Henry.
OUTSIDER: Why do you say "Oh No"?
BEATRICE: Because, my dear Uncle Henry is a bit of a problem.
OUTSIDER: A bit of a problem? Why?
BEATRICE: Well, he drinks for one thing.
OUTSIDER: Ah! I see. And?
BEATRICE: And he always wants to borrows money. Money that he just blows at the racetrack. In fact he's blown his whole fortune at the track.
OUTSIDER: That's a shame.
BEATRICE: What's really a shame is that he was a War Hero! Saved his whole platoon over in France and got injured in the process. Shrapnel in his leg. Received the Purple Heart. And now, look what has become of him. A limping, broke old drunk.


In this scene, the same exposition about Uncle Henry was established but sounded a bit more natural. I picked up this outsider "trick" many years ago when I was a fan of the old "Doctor Who" series. (the original Doctor Who that aired in the States on PBS, not the New Doctor on SyFy)
Anyway, the character of the Doctor, who was immensely intelligent, was always paired with a somewhat less intelligent companion. The main idea behind this pairing was to a way to introduce exposition in a natural manner. When the Doctor would ramble off scientific jargon or figure out some complex plot point, the (outsider) companion would simply ask, "What does that mean Doctor?" or "How did you figure that out Doctor?".

This is also very similar to the plot vehicle Sir Arthur Conan Doyle used in Sherlock Holmes. The character of Dr. Watson was outside the loop of Sherlock Holmes' deductive reasoning. Watson would ask questions of Holmes and the answers were simply points of exposition. In essence, this "outsider" is essentially a representative of the audience. Their role is ask questions out loud of the characters so that we might understand. It's a great tool for writers and helps everything flow in a natural way.

More exposition cheats, coming soon.

Calling all High School Playwrights

For any future playwright who is now in High school. Here is a great opportunity to shine. The Thespian Playworks contest with a chance to get published by Samuel French. Details here http://ping.fm/qp6ff

Irritation To A Murder is now available

My newest script "Irritation To A Murder" is now available. It's an updated take on the classic 1930's detective murder mystery with a dash of screwball comedy thrown in. Of course the title is a variation or twisting of the Rufus King, 1934 mystery melodrama play called "Invitation To A Murder".
The plot of "Irritation" is basically a tip of the hat to the old "Thin Man" mysteries from MGM, but set in the present day.

Last Writes

I have completed a new murder mystery script called "Irritation To A Murder". A few blogs down you can read about the basic idea for the play and at the time of that posting, I was halfway finished. I am fortunate as playwright to have a theatre group willing to produce my plays as soon as they are complete. Actually, the group more or less "commissions" a new play from me and assigns a deadline, which I always try to meet. "Try" being the key word.

Yes, I admit, I work best under pressure. Ever since I can remember, it has been my "modus operandi". I can recall countless late nights as a kid in grade school, sitting at the kitchen table across from my grandmother, trying to squeak out a book report or an essay that was due the next day. My grandmother would constantly question my "last minute" writing habits and I never could supply a good answer other than, "I forgot about it."
If fact, I can even recall a few oral book reports, where I would have to stand in front of the class and tell everyone about a book I had read. I would always fail to mention that in actuality, I had only read some of the book. I developed a certain knack for 'filling' or 'stretching' certain aspects of the book and even "making up" subplots that didn't exist. I would talk until the teacher felt I was running too long and informed me my time was up. I believe this helped me later in my stage career to become adept at improvisation.


My creative powers seem to shine under the pressure of an impending deadline. I can only write with a 'Sword of Damocles' hanging over my head. I remember a composition class in college that further fueled my last minute tendencies, by providing actual proof that I produced better under pressure than with preparation. (sorry about the alliteration there.)
Anyway, for one essay I chose a topic and set about writing a paper in the 'proper fashion'.
I went to the library and did research. I compiled notes on 3x5 cards, formed an outline, spent several weeks writing, revising rough drafts into a first drafts into a second draft, until I created a worthwhile essay complete with footnotes, references and a bibliography all contained in a slick plastic binder. I got a "C" on it.
For our next assignment, we watched a short film in class and then were required to write a paper within the short time remaining. No preparation, no 3x5 index cards or drafts; just straight forward, stream of consciousness composition. Just like my hero at the time, Jack Kerouac. I got an "A" on it. Of course, I had to show my Grandmother that one.

So, as I was saying, I finished the new script. Most of the play was on paper, I would say 3/4th by the time my theatre group held auditions. I frequently hold off finishing a script for a few reasons, one is to prevent the auditioning actors from reading "how it ends" and the other reason to see what actors the director will select for the various roles. Sometimes, a selected actor will influence the script. On several occasions, I have refined a character in a play based on how a particular actor read for the role. I may have envisioned the character one way, but an actor takes it in a different, new and better direction.

So it seems, having said that, I have finally constructed a reason not to finish something on time. Although, I no longer sit at the kitchen table across from my grandmother frantically trying to finish, at least now I begin writing plays in advance and revised as I go. However, I leave just enough to bring Damocles' Sword into view above my head and get the creative juices to flow.
I sometimes pictures my grandmother up in Heaving sitting at a kitchen table across from Jack Kerouac asking him, "Why?".

"Anybody For Murder"

My friends at Exit Theatre in the the UK are premiering "Anybody For Murder" at The Charles Cryer Studio Theatre, Carshalton February 17th-20th 2010. Check out their website Exit Theatre.co.uk for more info. Here is the trailer:

Murder Mystery Double Feature - Twice

Recently I have had the honor of being a double feature, twice. What I mean, is that one theatre group has staged two of my plays at the same time. Last month, Lawrence High School in Lawrence Kansas ran Some Show (about a Murder) and Dead Air. One play takes place during a low budget cable TV show and the other takes place during a Radio broadcast. Charles Goolsby, theatre director at Lawrence High talked to me about the concept of doing both plays on the same set. I thought it was a great idea. Each show ran alternating nights. In essence, a double feature.

This month (December) it is happening again. West Valley High School in Hemet,California is featuring Death Of A Doornail and To Wake The Dead using the same basic set.

Here is a news article about the event:

By DIANE RHODES
Special to The Press-Enterprise

Murder and mayhem are not typical dinner table topics, unless you are a guest at the West Valley High School Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre.

As part of the event, guests will dine on roast turkey, mashed potatoes and vegetables from Greg's Catering in the banquet hall, which is the temporarily transformed band room.

Then, they will be escorted to the theater to watch the first half of an interactive murder mystery. During intermission, guests return to the banquet hall for dessert and coffee and a chance to discuss all the clues they have witnessed. After returning to the theater, they will be able to question the suspects and try to name the killer. Prizes will be given for correct guesses based on a random drawing from a basket of all correct answers.

"This production was the idea of band and technical director TJ Hepburn," said Stacey Bailey, who is directing the program.

"He will be turning his band room into a mysterious banqueting hall reminiscent of the Haunted Mansion."

"Wake the Dead" is set at an Irish wake and "Death of a Doornail" takes place in a British drawing room setting.

Each play has about 12 characters and will be presented on alternating nights.

Christopher Malandrinos is dual cast and said his characters are pretty different.

"You have to really know your role and stay in character with accents and everything," said Christopher, 15. His role of Edward requires a British accent and Chief Wambaugh is Irish.

Students had to learn improvisation skills along with their lines so they can stay in character while answering audience questions and casting suspicion on their fellow actors.

"I've never done dinner theater before but I like it because it's straight up drama -- singing is not my strong suit," said Sarah Pettis, 15, who plays Inspector Bukowski in "Death of a Doornail."

Sara Barnes plays the exotic dancer and suspected killer Peaches Crabtree in "Wake."

"I'm a big fan of mysteries," said Sara, 15. "I like musicals a lot but with my passion for acting I just couldn't pass this up. It's a lot of work but it's worth it."

"I did a lot of research to find two plays that allowed me to use the same basic set," said Bailey. She said Hepburn, with help from Joe Hameister and Patty Chavez, designed a set for the banquet hall that is "over the top" and can seat 180 people.

Bailey hopes local businesses and organizations will use the whodunit as a holiday celebration -- a way to reward their staff and have fun together. A 10 percent discount is given for 10 or more tickets.

Cost is $25 per person or $45 for two people. All guests receive a complimentary copy of the production's memory book, which is a $15 value.

Performances are at 6 p.m. today, Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the school's theater at 3401 Mustang Way in Hemet.

Information and reservations: 951-765-6420.

New Mystery in the Works

My local theatre group Affton CenterStage contacted me earlier in the year about writing a new murder mystery for them. I had been kicking around a few ideas so I decided it was time to nail one of the ideas down on paper.
Before I start writing, I begin with a long mental process. As an example, I was inspired by watching a few old movies on TV. One was His Girl Friday made back in 1940 with Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell. It's more or less a wacky screwball comedy with snappy dialogue and rapid fire one liners. I've always had a soft spot in my funny bone for witty word play. I blame the Marx Brothers and Monty Python for that. Not too long after watching that film, I saw The Thin Man on TV. Another old favorite of mine from 1934, which was based on Dashiell Hammett's story. Another fast paced witty story with Nick and Nora Charles as the detective team - sipping martini's and figuring out who the killer was - I thought to myself, I would love to write something along those lines. Where the detective is not so serious and the solving of the crime seems to be an afterthought. "Oh and by the way, the butler did it."
So the mental process began. I refer to it as simmering or fermenting. I take a few vague ideas and let them ferment into something solid. The initial idea was to set a murder mystery in the 40's and have it take place in a Manhattan Penthouse similar to "The Thin Man". Blended with the idea to utilize the witty dialogue as in "His Girl Friday". The more I thought about it, (or let it simmer) the more I felt I needed to make it my own and not just re-do something already done. In one sense I wanted to pay a homage to that 1930/1940's style of witty word play but again, I felt it should be different. In essence, I needed create something new and not to re-do.
I kept the idea of an urban detective story filled with wacky characters, similar to the old movies and carried them forward into the present day. I thought, "What if the characters of Nick and Nora Charles were around today, what would they be like? Would Nick Charles use modern technology and the internet to help solve the crime? Would he Twitter about the case?"
Running with that idea and blending a few modern day events: a villain who is a greedy, corporate tycoon along the lines of Bernie Madoff named "Gatewood" (which was the name of the greedy banker in the 1939 film Stagecoach) and few other assorted screwball characters a solid idea finally presented itself. The mental task of idea fermenting finally was ready to emerge on paper. The process of writing "Irritation To A Murder" has started. In a few weeks... I will know if it's ready.

"Death of A Doornail " and "To Wake The Dead" in San Jacinto

Republished From San Jacinto California Vally Chronicle:

Whodunit? Audience will have to guess

VALERIE DEW / The Valley Chronicle
West Valley High School’s drama department will present ‘To Wake the Dead,’ which takes places at an Irish wake.

By VALERIE DEW/The Valley Chronicle

A man falls out of a window and dies. Or did he jump? Or, better yet, was he pushed?

A scorned wife’s husband is missing. Did she finish him off for cheating on her with Bambi Candy? Or was the girlfriend after his loot? Could it have been the maid?

It’s up to the audience to decide — and if they decide right, there could be a prize in it for them.

West Valley High School’s drama department is bringing its first-ever murder-mystery dinner to the San Jacinto Valley.

For years, Stacy Bailey, the school’s theater teacher, has been putting on murder-mystery dinners for her thespians.

“It’s their favorite party all year,” Bailey said.

This year, the group decided to go public with the mystery.

One of two shows will be presented each night Dec. 2, 3, 4, and 5.

Bailey said they are not telling which show is on which night because they don’t want people who have already seen it to ruin it for others. With a prize given to an audience member who guesses the killer, the actors are being tight-lipped on the whodunit.

One show, “Death of a Doornail,” is a spoof on the old drawing-room murder mysteries.

Bailey said the show is cast with “stock characters,” such as the girlfriend of the dead man, Candy Bambi; the gangster and best friend of the victim, Sal Carbone; and the inspector on the case, Inspector Bukowski.

Shannon Walsh, who plays Candy Bambi, said the show is hilarious, especially her character.

“My character is super smartastical!” Shannon said. “I’m playing the dumbest character I’ve ever played. I’m insane, and it’s hilarious to watch me be crazy on purpose.”

Mrs. Abigail Doornail — the dead man’s wife — is played by Ashley Hassell.

Abigail said her character is over dramatic, which adds to the hilarity.

“I put my hand on my head a lot and say ‘Why, I never!’” Ashley said.

Sarah Pettis, who plays inspector Bukowski, said she enjoys interrogating the others because she does it in such a sarcastic manner.

Joey Gallardo, who plays Sal Carbone, said his character is obnoxious and that adds to the humor of the show.

The second show is “To Wake the Dead.”

It takes place at an Irish wake. The man who died jumped out of a window. Or fell. Or was pushed.

The cast tries to figure out which one of them did the deed, if, indeed, the deed was foul.

Bailey said she worked a lot with the cast on casting their suspicions on one another.

Sydni Bailey, who plays Deena Koontze, said her favorite part of the show is when it is revealed what happened.

Each show has four parts.

The audience will first eat a dinner of salad, smoked turkey, mashed potatoes, and vegetables in the band room, which will be transformed into a banquet hall with a fireplace and creepy pictures.

After the meal, the audience will be ushered into the theater, where they will watch the production.

At intermission, the audience will go back into the banquet hall for coffee and desert.

When they return to the theater, the audience will have a chance to ask the cast questions to help solve the mystery.

Bailey said the cast will answer every question in character, so it’s an improv.

After the question-and-answer session, the audience will cast votes on whom they think the killer is. They will be broken up into groups depending on whom they picked.

Then the killer will be revealed.

After the mystery is solved, a cast member will pick a name out of the group of people who voted correctly. The person whose name is drawn will win a gift basket worth about $100.

Elizabeth Crowley, who plays Stephanie King, said the improv is what she is most looking forward to.

“I like to see who the audience thinks did it,” Crowley said.

Patricia Ayala, who plays Agatha C. Fletcher in “To Wake the Dead,” said she can’t wait for the characters interact with the audience.

“The characters have no idea who the murderer is,” Patricia said.

Sarah Barnes, who plays Peaches Marie Crabtree in “To Wake the Dead,” said her favorite part of the show is the question-and-answer session.

“I got my character down,” she said when asked if she was nervous about answering questions.

Bailey said the two-story set will resemble a haunted mansion.

T.J. Hepburn, West Valley’s band director, is pulling double duty as the set designer.

Tickets cost $25 or $45 for two. Bailey said reservations must be made at least three days before the show a person wants to attend.

During Thanksgiving week, no one will be available to answer the phone, but Bailey said messages will be checked for reservations.

Bailey said the murder-mystery dinner would be a perfect event for an office to attend as a holiday party. Groups of 10 or more will receive 10 percent off of the price.

Shows are at 6 p.m. Dec. 2, 3, 4, and 5.

For information, call the box office at 765-6420.