My Novel About Community Theatre is Out!

Greetings, loyal blog readers!

I have been away a while, as is often the case when I am not in the middle of a play. But this blog, and certainly theatre are not forgotten in my life between performances. In fact, I want to announce the launch of novel, Flowers of Dionysus in ebook form. Available for download for $2.99, this tale of theatre adventure and love of performing should speak to theatre geek everywhere.

It's the story of Matt Blackwell, an exhausted theatre guy who feels it's time to turn in his scripts and give up theatre acting for good. It just isn't what it used to be for him. But, reluctantly he agrees to join the cast of a dear friend's summer production at the local playhouse, more as a favor to her than anything else.

Things don't go smoothly for the production. There are delays, missing actors, mechanical problems and intrusive board members. More than once the production is in trouble. Yet through it all, our friend Matt hears about and finally experiences some unexplained phenomena in and around the playhouse.

He's not sure what's going on, but he is sure that it's going to be no ordinary summer for him and some of his new friends. His views on theatre and himself may change before all is said and done.

I've posted a list of places to buy this fun fantasy over on my other blog. Here's a link to that post.

I hope you will purchase it, read and enjoy it, as both a theatre lover and as a follower of adventures. Theatre geeks will recognize many of the people in this place, but those who have not done theatre will recognize how life has magic in it, if we are willing to seek it out.

If you like it, do leave a review at your preferred location.

Thanks to all, and I hope to by on stage again soon, with more updates and thoughts on same!

More Mish Mash

In my effort to continue posting here once a month or so, to my loyal blog readers I have not given up on this end of my online universe, I present two things of interest today.

To begin with, I will soon be assuming responsibilities as house/facilities manager at the recent opened Black Box Arts Center in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. This facility used to house the now defunct Full Circle Company, at which I did the lion's share of my acting in the last several years. FCTC had various issues and was, in short, forced to dissolve. But I have high hopes for this new endeavor in the building. (Which will be open to not just theater but other sorts of arts-oriented activities. I will post updates about some of my adventures there here on the blog.

I will in fact probably be posting a bit more content on theatre related activities that are not strictly reflections on my experience as an actor in a show. Though that has always been the backbone of this blog over the years, I have, (as I mentioned in my last entry) always meant to at some point slightly expand the scope. Theatre being the umbrella still, but including perspectives, polls, and other content that can make the blog more sustainable when I go through a drought of performances, as I am now. So do check back, as always.

Secondly, I went to a used book sale about two weeks ago, and came across a book for acting students in a pile in the back room. It's kind of old, but I bought it anyway. I finished it today. Here's my Goodreads review of it. (I'm only the second person on Goodreads to have ever read it, and the first to write a review.) Go check it out, and let me know if you've ever read it as well.

I'm also getting closer to revising and finishing my series of short stories that take place in the same fictional theater. I plan to publish that in e-book form sometime next year. It will be a bit of a prelude to my novel that takes place in the same fictional theater, which I hope to either shop to agents, or publish myself next year as well.

I'm proud of the stories. They need some work, and perhaps won't appeal to the broadest of audiences. But anyone who has spent any time in a theatre will, I feel, recognize the sorts of characters and situations presented in this short-fiction collection. I can't wait to get that off and running, so I can offer it to the theatre-minded folks out there.

Finally, my one-man Shakespeare show continues to evolve. I'm no where near performing it yet, but if the edits and the test reciting i have done be myself continue to progress, I wouldn't be surprised if it could go up sometimes in the fall of 2014. I'm excited about that as well.

So that's where I am in the theatre world as it stands now. I am by now means out of theatre, and in many ways will hopefully be back into it head long very soon, and will have more to say more often here on the blog again, between shows.

Until next time, loyal blog readers.

Novel Ideas

Literally. For though this blog is not about my writing adventures, I did think it was particularly appropriate to mention this piece of writing news here on my acting blog.

For you see, loyal blog readers, for the last 15 months, or thereabouts, I have been writing the rough draft of a novel that takes place inside a community theatre production. And by the next time you read a post from me on Always Off Book, it will at long last be completed! It is exciting and hard to believe news all at the same time.

My story revolves as I said around a community theatre production of a fictitious play. It has it's ups and downs, this production. Until really weird encounters begin to take place. And maybe some messages from above are being delivered to certain people. So it's theatre, it's magic, it's passion. Actually theatre is nothing without a lot of passion and a little magic, as I have been recently reminded. It's also about redemption, in a way, which is often a thread in the good stories.

And I have been amused at how often the same muscles of imagination or flexed when writing as when acting. Being a writer doesn't make you an actor and vice-verca, don't get me wrong. I am just one of the people crazy enough to be both. But the process of delving into a character, giving them nuance and habits, finding ways to reveal their inner workings and their history without spelling everything out for everyone. It may be like comparing arena football with the NFL, but the similarities between acting and writing are undeniable. Only in writing, you are in fact performing every character, and not just one. And usually at the same time.

And of course an author acts as director, set designer, costume person, and so on.

So it has been a very interesting, frustrating, but rewarding and at times even eye opening experience, honing my writing craft while drawing on my knowledge of my theatre adventures and passions.

And not just the knowledge, but the feelings and emotions and thoughts of various kinds of actors in the midst of a rehearsal and a show. If in the end this novel manages to adequately describe to a third party how it sometimes feels to be involved in theatre, my job will be half done already.

Tonight I will write the final chapter, and that too will be familiar to actors; something into which a lot of emotion and time have been poured will be suddenly over. Though of course unlike the stage that is just the first step. There is second revisions. And third revisions. Not to mention the long road to publication. But first things first, and nothing will ever feel quite so visceral as the creation of a first draft, where you breath new life into a story, ex nihilo. And as I said, that aspect comes to an end tonight, and I thought I would share that with you, my loyal blog readers of Always Off Book.