I’ve been holding my breath, afraid to talk about this here in my blog, for fear that somehow I’d jinx the whole thing.
But now that I’m breathing again, I can tell you what’s been going on in the life and times of this fledgling playwright.
If you’re a long-time reader of this blog, you know that in March I had my first two one-act plays produced by the Willapa Players (see link in sidebar) in the Hannan Theater in Raymond, Washington. What you don’t know, is that I wrote a third one-act play which was accepted to be produced by the Peninsula Players (see link in sidebar) in Ilwaco at the end of August.
This third play, “Motorcycle Mama,” is about Martha, a rather unassuming senior citizen, but still with plenty of spring in her step, who wants to learn to ride a motorcycle. It’s on her “bucket list” and she is eager to get on a bike for the first time in her life. She goes to a local motorcycle repair shop and asks for someone to teach her to ride. She is met with much opposition from the mechanics at the shop until she offers to pay for the instruction. Money talks, but first Martha must complete some menial maintenance tasks before Rawlin, the shop owner, will allow her to even sit on a bike. She agrees, and what transpires during her first “lesson” makes for a feel-good, heart-warming story.
All was well and good until three days before try-outs. The woman who was to direct my play had to unexpectedly resign, due to medical concerns. Suddenly, there was no one to direct the play. No one at all. Except, maybe, me.
ME??? But, but, but…
Well, there’s a first time for everything, and after quite a bit of deliberation, I decided to accept the challenge. And the first hurdle to jump, right off the bat, was to cast the play. I’d seen this done while I “observed” my first two plays being produced in Raymond. The problem here was that four one-act plays (one children’s theater and three plays for adult actors) are being done at the same time, and while we need 20-25 adult actors, we got less than half that number showing up for auditions.
So I started making “cold calls” to friends and suggested people who might have the time, energy and desire to be in a silly little one-act play this summer.
And lo and behold, after several false hopes, a savior appeared from among the friends I made with the Willapa Players, and now —ta-da!— I have a full cast!
Therefore, the show WILL go on! And you, dear blog reader, can look forward to hearing all about it as the adventure unfolds! Viva la live local theater!