VICTORY!!!

[half_double]

The reading of was nothing short of miraculous. In more official terms:

Gay Subtext was read at The Playwrights' Center's General Members Roundtable on October 8th, 2003. The cast was as follows:

TOMMY DORR/JEFFREY DUVALL: Benjamin Latz
WADE MCINNIS/CARLYLE BRINKS: Steve Shroer
GLORIA ESTANZA: Laura Wiebers
HALIFAX SINCLAIR: Matthew Everett

Comments

[gnomi]

May I say "Woo!" and "Hoo!"? Yay you!

:-)

--N
(who would honestly be frightened if there were guys in a box under her desk; but maybe that's just me)

(oh - and to justify the use of my shiny new icon, I shall point out the convergence of the exclamation point, end quote, and question mark above.)

[half_double]

Thank you very much! The guys under the desk behave themselves very well (& we take very good care of them), so no worries there.

I love your shiny new icon. I've always known you were a proscriptivist hardass, but it's nice to have verification. Very nice sentence, too. ;-)

[roseseule]

That's GREAT!

I can't even imagine other people reading what I have written outloud. I tried when someone bought a few of my jokes for standup here in the Cities and I just cringed because it was SO different than how I would have delivered them. I think if I wrote a play, I would hide under the bed and not come out until it closed.

[half_double]

It is nervewracking, yes. But it's so cool, too, because you see things from an entirely new perspective & go, "Wow. I didn't know that part meant that." Though I admit there were several cringe-worthy moments where I kept thinking, 'That joke was so much funnier in my head.'

Hiding

[tradeluke]

I hear you. I can't imagine being present, either. Is that becasue you love your view of the language so much you don't think anyone can say it how you want? I kind of feel that way. I had a friend read some dialogue aloud from a short story I wrote. I felt very uneasy.

Re: Hiding

[half_double]

Is that becasue you love your view of the language so much you don't think anyone can say it how you want?

One of the most important lessons I've learned as a playwright is not to have a way I 'want' the dialogue said (unless it's really, really important, in which case I'll throw in a notation. But I've found that if the actor can't figure out some acceptable way to read a line, 9 times out of 10 the fault lies with the line, not the actor). Everyone has a different interpretation of language, & finding the beauty in each one is a wonderful experience. It's one of the things I like best about readings like this - hearing how each actor who plays a role takes the character & the character's words & makes that their own.

I can't speak for roseseule, but for me, any hiding is done out of a fear that the language that, in my head sounds so beautiful, will turn out actually to blow, & everyone - myself included - will be embarrassed for me/by it.

[sky_dark]

Ah wow! I am so happy for you, I'm squeeing with your success! you are a brave soul, I think it was mentioned in the post before mine, but people reading your stuff aloud? I would go into apoplexy. You are a courageous talent and I can't wait to see your name in lights! :)

[half_double]

My name in lights, you say? Well, I hope you have a good oxygen supply, 'cause you're gonna be holding your breath for a loooong time on that one. ;-)

Thanks much for the squeeing!

Re: I missed it!!!!

[half_double]

'Sokay. I wasn't reminding people that it was going on (because I was expecting death & destruction & didn't want my friends witnessing my humilation).

Thank you much for the kind words. I do, in fact, have high hopes that this one can get produced some day in the not entirely distant future. And when that happens, you'll be there if I have to come to your place of employment & drag you away myself.

Congrats!

[ludimagist]

I surfed in from dramaproject to say congradulations :)

What's the projected next step for this play? (after the impending rewrites of course)

Re: Congrats!

[half_double]

Oh, man. I'm not sure. It's a very, very gay play, so hopefully I'll be able to take advantage of some of the very, very gay production companies in the area. But that's a bit in the future yet.