Secret Blog #?4?

There's me in the back at my first Square Dance dance since High School. The other guy almost as big as me is a mathematician from RAND. The caller was doing silly stuff and we were sort of doing a conga line, if you can do a conga line in a square dance. Good exercise. The entire group is older than we are, so it makes you feel young. Or maybe I just think that they are older than we are. I'm still only 22.
Some of the stuff they teach us, requires good engineering skills to pull off.

Stupid Parent Tricks #2

One of the bears was doing AP Art in High School. I decided I needed to discuss "Significant Form" with her and made her cry. Took her out on the back deck at night and discussed how to capture the essence of things. It was really about my own problems I've had with my own ability to paint anything meaningful. I also kibitzed through on a piece of artwork she was working on and added my own twist to it. Never do any of this at home.

And one should probably not read books about the theory of art written by someone who is not an artist.
But what do I know- painting has always been very difficult for me. (I was born with an older brother who had more talent than I did, although he never did anything with it.) This was the bear with the natural eye for "Significant Form."

The littlest biker

It's funny the way thing turn out. The one that I didn't ever get taught how to ride a bike, is the only one that does it as a grown thing. Hours and trips to different parks and practice and different approaches and none of it worked. And then one day, long after I gave up, she walks out and starts teaching herself how to ride the bike. I need to get her a bigger bike.

The Actor's Studio

The Actor's Studio West

Well, I finally hooked up with the guy. Apparently, every Monday might, there is a staged, directed reading of members' plays before a group of writers and directors and you get feedback. And of course this is for very experienced writers with very experienced work and he dropped a couple of recognizable movie director names. I told him I was looking for a group of actors to work with. That I've already passed up a similar group in Santa Monica which was the same concept (thou on a much smaller scale) and the play has already been work-shopped with writers. Actually I did belong to a group that met over in the valley very similar to the concept but finally gave up because they were a bunch of idiots with nothing much to say of value about my stuff and you were expected to appear every week, if you wanted to see your stuff done once a month. At that rate, you might finish one project in 5 years. I told him I would pass.

Onward.

Submitting the play- round two

Sarah,

Thanks for your patience. I did about seven on-line submissions yesterday, thinking that I'd start with those first. I am still mulling over the ending and haven't written a synopsis as of yet. I really want to work in a cooperative setting with actors where the play could earn its molding and accents. I've been told by someone that has not read the play that I've written a play about a child molester. Should I decide I need to do a synopsis and submit it formally like so many theater companies seem to want, I may resubmit it to you. At this point it feels like a self-fulfilling prophecy-  I know what your readers reaction will be to the synopsis, so why bother?

The characters need to speak to the audience or the readers, no?

Thanks again

Dan McNay

On 3/23/2011 2:02 PM, The Blank Office Manager wrote:

Hi Dan,

I am sorry, but because we receive so many submissions each week, we request
that the submission package include those 3 items. We do not dismiss
anything because of a synopsis, rather, it helps our readers have an
understanding of the play since they are only reading 20 pages. 

Sarah A. Bauer
Office Manager
info@theblank.com 

The Blank Theatre Company
P.O. BOX 38756
Hollywood, CA 90038
(323) 871-8018 office
(323) 661-9827 ticket line
www.TheBlank.com

Submitting The Play

Blank Theater Company 

 

I was sending the play out yesterday to groups that would accept email submissions. There were quite a few that wanted what these folks want. I've been doing this crap with my novel for the last year without success and am beginning to think the process is warped and unkind to the author. This is the play that a friend has told me (without reading it, of course) that I have written a play about a child molester.  

The Actor's Studio West info says to call so and so to get information about submission guidelines. I leave a message. He calls me back and I miss him and he leaves me a message. Now we have connected twice and both times, he has told me he will call me back, but then doesn't do so when he says he will and calls me right after 12:00 when most folks go to lunch. I'll keep you posted on this one.

 

 

Dear Sarah,

I am reticent to provide a synopsis of the play because I think the subject matter will lend itself to a quick dismissal of the work. Please accept that there is a character list at the beginning of the play and if you decide after five-ten pages, you don't like it, so be it. If you don't want to review it in this fashion, please discard it and let me know. I am really interested in work-shopping this with actors at this point and can assist in production work with your theater since I'm a carpenter and a fine artist as well. The play is very strong.

Thanks

Dan McNay

On 3/23/2011 1:17 PM, The Blank Office Manager wrote:

Dear Dan,

Thank you for submitting your script to The Blank Theatre Company.

Due to the high volume of script submissions that we receive, we request
that you first send us a submission package with the following:

.    a one to two page synopsis of your play (story and themes)
.    a character breakdown list (including ages and gender)
.    twenty-page writing sample (representative/best ten pages of the
play and first ten pages)

Please e-mail your submission package as a Word or PDF fiile to:
info@theblank.com.
The synopsis need not include every plot detail, but it should cover the
setup, what's at stake, and how the story resolves in the last act.

The work submitted must be entirely the property of the author. Reworks or
adaptations of plays by other authors will be considered only if you control
the rights or if the material is in the public domain. No phone calls or
personal deliveries will be accepted.

If your material looks right for us, we will then read the full manuscript.

Thanks and good luck!

Sincerely,
Sarah Bauer
Script Submission Coordinator
The Blank Theatre Company


_____________________
Office Manager
info@theblank.com

The Blank Theatre Company
P.O. BOX 38756
Hollywood, CA 90038
(323) 871-8018 office
(323) 661-9827 ticket line
www.TheBlank.com


-----Original Message-----
From: Dan McNay [mailto:mcnay@mosis.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March 22, 2011 3:13 PM
To: info@theblank.com
Subject: Submission of "Spoonful Of Sugar"

Dear Sir/ Madam,

I'm submitting my full length play "Spoonful of Sugar" for your
consideration. It is designed for a low budget production and only requires
two sets. (And could be produced in the courtyard of any stucco apartment
building in Los Angeles.) I would love to workshop this into the real world.

Thanks

Dan McNay
310-448-8215
310-337-7229

mcnay@usc.edu
mcnay@mosis.com

Dan McNay <mcnay@mosis.com> Business Manager/ Export Manager The MOSIS Service

Saturday's Adventure

In Long Beach across from the Queen Mary. We had lunch here.

 

On the ferry to Balboa Island

 

Where we started from- behind the Lutheran Church in Westchester. Three flat tires and a few scrapes and a pedal that keep falling off. Ten guys and four great white leaders. Left at 9 and got there at 6:30. Had pizza and sleep in tents on the lagoon beach and got picked up in the morning just as a deluge began that lasted all day Sunday. 54 miles. A drop in the bucket.