My Night at the Theatre

"Family quarrels are bitter things. They don't go by any rules. They're not like aches or wounds; they're more like splits in the skin that won't heal because there's not enough material." ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald

This past Wednesday, I went to see The Beauty Queen of Leenane at the Neptune Theatre. Written by Martin McDonagh and directed by Rosemary Dunsmore, this play delivers everything you could want. It’s a strangely twisted gem, blending comedy and drama in such a way that one moment you are laughing out loud, and the next you are gasping in horror and shock. Either way, both ends of the spectrum keep you riveted to the players on the stage.

Set in a small village in County Galway, Ireland, Maureen Folan (Laura deCarteret) - a bonafide 40 year old virgin, lives in a sparse little cottage with her mother Mag (Mary Colin Chisholm), a relentless harpy of an old woman. Maureen has been trapped playing caregiver for the past 20 years and as the play goes on, seeds of why that is are sown.

The two women share a completely dysfunctional relationship and it is clear Maureen wishes she could escape, but seems unable to do so. At least until a hint of romance begins with Pato Dooly (Hugh Thompson), a man from town who is bitter about having to constantly move away to England to work. It is his younger brother, Ray (played hilariously by Ryan Bondy), who delivers much of the comic relief, acting as messenger for his brother. And it is these messages that ultimately lead to tragedy and betrayal.

I don’t want to say too much about what the tragedy is or how it comes about; the not knowing is what keeps you perched on the edge of your seat. But I will say this, if you are in the area, buy a ticket and treat yourself to the experience. You won’t regret it. And if you are not in the area, and this play comes to your town, make sure you take the opportunity to check it out.

And that was my night at the theatre.

New York City Bound

"Jumping at several small opportunities may get us there more quickly than waiting for one big one to come along." ~ Hugh Allen

I’m getting excited about New York in June. I know I have a while to wait, but I can’t help it. I'm arriving in the Big Apple on Saturday before conference starts to spend a little time exploring the city with my two RWAC cohorts, Lilly Cain and our chapter prez, Annette Gallant. I’ve never been to NYC before, so while this is a work trip, it’s also a pleasure trip as well.

I love that we’re staying in the middle of the action. It’s a great central point. I plan on doing a little shopping, a whole lot of sightseeing, and a general wandering around. I’d love to take a run through Central Park too, though I have no idea how close the park is to our hotel. Time to break out the map.

The other thing I’m happy about is that I made the goal of going to the New York conference as a published author. Check and done. By the time conference rolls around, THE OUTLAW BRIDE will have been on the electronic shelves for two months. Where I don’t have a print book to allow me to do the literary signing, etc, I will have to get a little inventive on what promo materials to take with me to help get my name / book out there.

Would walking through the lobby of the hotel with a bullhorn be too much do you think? Perhaps so. A more subtle approach then.

Just as an aside, while I am typing this, my dog has his nose jammed under the register and is snorting up a storm. I don’t know what he thinks he’s going to find there other than a dust bunny or three…

Meanwhile, back in the everyday, this will be a busy week. My partial of Salvation Falls sent to Harlequin over a year ago, seems to have fallen through the cracks somewhere. So I need to resend it to the editor. I’m doing one final read through and then off it goes. Wish me luck.

I will be attending the Neptune Theatre this week to see The Beauty Queen of Leenane. My friend Julia Smith hooked me up with the theatre’s Word of Mouth evening. I was given two tickets to see the show, then will blog afterwards to promote it, hence the Word of Mouth. Or blog as it were. So stay tuned for next week’s blog to hear all about my night at the theatre and a recap on what went on this week.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go dislodge my dog’s nose from the register.

Thespian!!

Last year I took guitar lessons after eons of wanting to learn how to play. The course was great. I loved it. Sadly my time to practice what I learned dwindled to nothing between writing demands, work, and a new relationship that had me traveling back and forth between my place and the BF’s. By early next year however we should be under the same roof, my commute will be eliminated and we’ll have more time together on a daily basis, freeing me up to spend time on a few other things.

So what new creative endeavour am I contemplating now you may ask? An acting class put on by the city’s premiere theatre, The Neptune. The class falls on Tuesday evenings which works great since that is the evening the BF has his son. And the course I’m most interested in sounds like huge amounts of fun. Check it out:

Collective Creation for Adults
In this class students will work as actors and writers to create a short theatre piece based around a theme or story as decided by the group. Students will cover basic collective creation techniques including improvisation, collective scene creation and the writing of monologues. Students will be encouraged to develop their own stories in an always-creative and supportive environment.

The cost is $150 and it runs from September to November. I’m not sure if I can swing it this Fall, but if not, I’m hoping they have it again during the winter. I’m going to look into it. I think it would be a blast and I love learning new ways to be creative. Best of all, it seems to include a little writing into the mix.