On Saying Goodbye to Your Character and Your Play Family

Greetings, and welcome to Theater is a Sport, my own little place on the internet to talk about all things theatrical.  My name is Bobby Keniston, and I'm a playwright, an actor, and a director.  I'm also an all-around theater geek, and proud of it.

Recently, a production of The Jungle Book I directed for the Center Theatre, my hometown theater, came to an end.  It has me thinking about when a show ends, and that feeling of letdown that we in the theater experience when saying goodbye to a character and cast of people who have become your family.  So, that's what I'm going to talk about today.

First, I'd like to share this quote from Daniel Day-Lewis, arguably one of, if not the best film actor of the last thirty years or so, about disengaging from a character:

"There's a terrible sadness. The last day of shooting is surreal. Your mind, your body, your spirit are not in any way prepared to accept that this experience is coming to an end. In the months that follow the finish of a film, you feel profound emptiness. You've devoted so much of your time to unleashing, in an unconscious way, some sort of spiritual turmoil, and even if it's uncomfortable, no part of you wishes to leave that character behind. The sense of bereavement is such that it can take years before you can put it to rest."

Now, perhaps we don't all  invest as much of ourselves when we do a play for the community theater or a school show, but, to be honest, I do, and I think Mr. Day-Lewis has described the feeling in the best way I've ever heard it described.

When you are putting on a play, there are weeks of rehearsal, often with people you may not know, or, other times, with a gang of actors you've performed with many times before.  As days go by, you learn to depend on one another, trust one another, complain about one another, praise one another, and, yes, love each other.  You may not always like all of your cast mates, but I do think you grow an indescribable bond with each of them.  After all, you are a group of people who have come together with the purpose of creating.  The act of creation is a powerful one, not to be taken lightly.  For weeks, you have sacrificed time to focus your energy with this group of people.  You have been pretending to be someone else to tell a story.  You have thought what it would be like this character, and, to some extent, whether you are a method actor or not, you have been doing your best to become this character, if only for a few hours a night, for the sake of the audience.  You invest feelings and actions that come from you, explore "as ifs" that get you thinking about your own life on this planet.  

It ain't easy to just shake off.  At least, it's not for everyone.  It's absolutely fine if you are a person who can shake it off--- in fact, you may be one of the lucky ones.  

For those who are more like me, folks who feel a terrible loss after a show closes, here's a few tips I have found helpful...

--- SAY GOODBYE TO YOUR CHARACTER:  Start a personal ritual of how you can say goodbye to a character.  Don't be concerned if it would appear silly to others or not.  It doesn't matter.  It's not for other people, it's for you and your character.  How you say goodbye is a private matter.  

---ALLOW YOURSELF TO GRIEVE AND "MISS IT":  There's not shame in missing a play.  There's no shame in wishing you were still up on that stage, giving your lines, playing your actions... it's an exhilarating and joyful experience.  You've made new friends, possibly lifelong friends.  It's okay to miss spending this time creating with them.

--- GET SOME REST:  You deserve it.  Take it easy for a few days.  Pamper yourself as much as you can.  

--- JUMP INTO A NEW CREATIVE ENDEAVOR:  I have found this to be very helpful.  Try out for another play!  Write some poetry or a short story!  Bake!  Knit!  Sing!  Anything that feels creative and lovely to you.  

And most of all, remember--- these moments in time you shared with your cast and the audiences who watched you, this shared experience lasts forever.  Energy lasts forever, so do these moments.  

And chances are, if you live in a small community, you're going to be acting with these people again sooner than you think.  

Please feel free to comment below with your tips on saying goodbye to a show or character! 

Ten Minute Plays With Two Characters for Youth and High School Groups

Greetings everyone, and welcome to Theater is a Sport.  My name is Bobby Keniston, and this is my blog where I talk about all things having to do with theater.

Today, since it's Friday, and I have nothing better to do, I thought I would indulge in a little self-promotion.  When I first started getting my plays published in 2010, a whole new world was opened up to me by my editor at Brooklyn Publishers.  He encouraged me to write ten minute plays, duets for two characters, monologues for a single actor or actress, and skits involving 3 or more performers.  I had never focused on writing ten minute plays before, but there is a definite market for them.  It's relatively easy and cheap to produce an evening of ten minute plays and offer a great deal of variety for the audience.  And, of course, there are speech and forensic teams at high schools all across the country that are looking for ten minute monologues and duets.

So I began to write some ten minute plays.  At first, it was quite a challenge, as my mind seems to always stretch to half hour one acts or full-length stories, but, once I started getting the hang of it, I really began to enjoy writing these short, self-contained plays, and consider many of them to contain some of my best writing.

Below are a list of some of my ten minute works, followed by a little description.  I have decided to share only the duets today, as they tend to be my most popular ten minute works, and are all suitable for either productions or forensic competitions.  Please click on the title to learn more about each play, or to even order it if you're of the mind.

BIG BAD WOLF GETS BUSTED!
When the Big Bad Wolf meets Little Red Riding Hood on the way to her grandmother's house, he gets a whole lot more than he bargained for!  This ten minute duet is a twisted take on a classic story, perfect for middle schools and high schools.

COMPLAINT DEPARTMENT
Jeffrey Butter just wants to return his cell phone.  Unfortunately, the Returns Department is run by a very bizarre young woman named Helen, who insists on calling in the "Complaint Department".  But, hey, complaining is good for the soul, right?  Another duet.

CONFESSIONS OF THE EIGHTH DWARF:  A BEHIND THE FAIRY TALE EXCLUSIVE!
In this ten minute play, the eighth dwarf, known as Conspiracy Dwarf, is on the popular talk show, Behind the Fairy Tale.  He plans to tell the TRUE story of Snow White!

DEATH AND PEZ
This is one of my most popular ten minute duets.  Reggie is a hard-working high school student, and is busy studying when Death knocks on his door.  The Grim Reaper (or "Necessary Reaper" as he likes to be called), teaches Reggie a little lesson about living life to the fullest, while Reggie tries to bargain for his life with his Pez collection.

END OF THE MOVIE
At 17, Derek has had enough.  He plans to leap off the railroad trestle in his hometown.  That's when he meets Kelly, an unorthodox Angel-in-Training.  Here's a testimonial from Gail Wagner, who directed the play for the Reedy Point Players:  "Another winner from Bobby Keniston!  This play won our theatre One Act Festival and was awarded an Ensemble award at the state level"  By the way, this is my most widely produced ten minute duet.

A FORGETFUL REMEMBRANCE
Colin and Mya, an elderly couple, sit on a park bench, reminiscing about their married life together. While Colin is forgetful about many things, there is no doubt about the love he has for his wife.  This is another popular ten minute duet of mine.  Here's a testimonial from Laura L. Abuhl, director for Trinity Christian School:  "This piece is touching, emotion, and yet full of hope.  Thank you, Bobby, for writing it."

Well, that's all for today.  Some time I'll do another blog post about my ten minute monologues and my ten minute pieces with three or more characters.  Feels right to focus just on the duets today.

Thank you for reading and considering my work.  I hope you have a great weekend!

As always, please feel free to comment below...

Taking Matters in Your Own Hands: Self-Producing and its Benefits for Playwrights

The Original Cast of  The Re-Programming of Jeremy rehearsing

Greetings everyone, and welcome to Theater is a Sport.  Yesterday, I talked about writing a play with a message, and how and why I wrote my play The Re-Programming of Jeremy.  If you would like to read that post before reading this one, you can click HERE.  Today, is kind of a Part 2 about the life of a play of mine that means so much to me, and still remains unpublished.

So, to pick up:  I had written the first draft of Jeremy, and rather quickly.  I let a few special people read it, and then sent it to an editor of mine to see about publication.  Yes, I know that might seem strange--- in the professional theater, writers always seek productions long before publication.  I must confess, though, that, as a writer for the amateur market mostly (schools and community theater), most of my plays are published before there is ever a production of them.  It's just the nature of my little slice of the business.

In any case, the editor didn't want to publish it.  While he admitted it was a good play, he thought the subject matter a bit too dark, and way too controversial for the school market.  I disagreed, and still do--- gay teen suicide is something that happens. Bullying is something that happens. Misguided religious zealotry is something that happens.  And plays can be a great way to open up discussion about all of these matters.

I did have some doubts, though, not about the subject matter, but the play itself.  Did the structure work?  Would this series of monologues actually play, or would it drag?  And really, with questions such as these, there's only one way to find the answer.  You have to see it in production.

So I decided to produce the play myself.  Something I had never done before.  And, of course, I had no start up capital, and no real idea on how to go about it, but, what the heck?  I had to see the show on its feet, and do my best to get it in front of an audience.

My first step was to create a little production company, which was really a "Bobby Keniston Doing Business As" company.  I went to the Town Office and filled out the paperwork, so I could open a bank account for my "business".  I opened it with $25, the minimum amount out of my own pocket. And then I got to work.

I figured, since I had no money to pay anyone, I would direct the play myself.  I am blessed to have a great number of actor friends I have met over the years with my experiences in community theater, and I asked people to read the script and to be involved with the show.  I was elated that so many said yes.  The original cast was Alyson Saunders, Michael Pullen, Hannah Weston, Sue Burke, Lucas Bret Boffin, and Raelene Keniston (my mom).  I had difficulty finding someone to play the role of Jeremy's father, so, I wound up playing the part, because time was ticking away.

The theater I grew up at, which was literally my summer home all through my youth, and now, my adult years, is a beautiful, historic place called Lakewood Theater.  (You should CLICK HERE to learn more about them, after you read this post).   The general manager is Jeffrey Quinn, who has watched me grow up, and is a dear friend of mine.  Even still, I was nervous to approach him with a proposition.  You have to understand, one of the most expensive parts of mounting your own production can be rental fees for a stage or space.  And Lakewood Theater, which was designed way back in the day to be a Broadway style venue in Maine, would normally cost quite a bit of money to rent.  Much smaller venues, even in Maine, can charge up to $500 a night.  So, I was nervous about making my pitch to Jeff, which was basically, "Hey, Jeff, after Lakewood's last show of the season, can I use the space before you close up for the winter?  I'll split the door with you, 50/50."  He told me yes immediately.  I will always be grateful to him for that.

It helped tremendously that the play was simple to stage--- all we had to do was represent seven different spaces with a piece of furniture and a few props.  At the last minute, a cast member got a friend to run the spotlight for us, and we were good to go.

Though I had never done it before, I jumped into marketing.  I emailed someone I knew from the Morning Sentinel, a newspaper out of Central Maine, and he got me in touch with a reporter who came to one of our rehearsals and talked to us and took pictures (the photo above).  I expected a little story in a sidebar somewhere, and would have been happy with that, but, to my surprise, the story of my play was on the front page, the picture above the fold, with the headline:  "A Play For Our Times at Lakewood Theater".  Above the fold!  My cast and I couldn't believe it.  (I could believe a lot of the negative comments on the online article's page, though--- people writing in that the play was a "gay fluff piece", and that bullying wasn't really a problem.  I expected that.)

As with most low-no budget theater, the cast did far more than was expected of them, including securing their own costumes and many  of the props.  It is not hyperbole to say that each one of those wonderful people owned that first production just as much as I did.  It belonged to them, because they came to it with such love and belief in the story (and belief in me), and they will always be some of my favorite people in the world because of it.  I count them all as my friends, and something even more, something that can only happen when a group of people create something together.

During the rehearsal process, I decided that we waited too long to see Jeremy, the title character. He had one big monologue near the end.  I came up with the idea to have him almost "haunt" some of the other characters speeches, and even say lines with them.  I found this to have a poignant effect, and it got the wheels turning for a re-write.

We performed at Lakewood Theater September 30th-October 1st, 2011.  We had a good turnout, which included a Catholic youth group, and members from Equality, ME.  As advertised, after each performance, there was a discussion between cast and crew and audience, which was magical.  We talked about the issues of bullying, tolerance, acceptance,  The audience would ask questions and I would try to answer them as best as I could.  I was, once again, very impressed with my cast and how eloquently they answered questions directed at them, particularly the seventeen year old boy who played Jeremy.

After the success of those two shows at Lakewood, I brought Jeremy to my hometown theater, Center Theatre, in November of that same year, with most of the same cast.  Hannah was unable to reprise her role, but another excellent actress stepped in and took the part, by the name of Marisa Murray. Marisa immediately gelled with the cast, and her own take on the role, which, while different from Hannah's, was equally effective.

So...

I had performed the play four times, and had some ideas.  I let a few more people read the script.  A good playwright friend of mine named Bradley Hayward (you should check him out by CLICKING HERE) read it, and said he liked it a lot, but was wondering if there were a way to make Jeremy more active.  I agreed.

I wrote subsequent drafts, and started the play with Jeremy, talking directly to the audience. This improved the play's structure as well.  Now, we had a Jeremy who WANTED something.  He wanted to know who he was, he wanted to hear his story through others' mouths, so that he could put it all to rest.  This made a big difference.

This revised draft sat on a shelf for a while, until I was contacted by David Valdes of St. Paul's School in New Hampshire, who wanted to read the script.  He had somehow heard of the play through the different articles written about it in Maine newspapers. He read the script, asked if he could produce it with his high school group, and I had the pleasure of travelling down to see it.  St. Paul's was very kind to me, providing me a lovely guest room, and the opportunity to talk to some amazing students who worked really hard in bringing my play to life.

Since then, there has been interest in The Re-Programming of Jeremy in other places and media. Some wonderful folks in Delaware are trying to raise money to make an independent feature film of it.  I adapted the play into a screenplay, and found the opportunity to address other concerns about the piece.  I had received criticism that the play was against religion because of the extreme character of Rev. Becky Martin.  I never intended this, of course, as I actually identify myself as a Christian.  So I added the part of Pastor Tom, who was only mentioned in the original script, as a more compassionate view of Christianity, and, I added the character of the Vice Principal at Jeremy's high school, again, only referred to in the original, to take some of the heat off of Rev. Becky, by being someone who truly didn't care for Jeremy.  I incorporated a great deal of these changes into the stage play as well.

Right now, I feel, after five years and several rewrites, that The Re-Programming of Jeremy is in great shape, and, it remains a play that I am very proud of.  Had I never produced it myself, I may have never been able to make it the best play that it could be.  This is why I encourage playwrights who are frustrated to find ways to produce their own work.  It teaches you so much, and, you get to see first hand what works and what could be stronger in your script.  It also gives you the joy of seeing your creation come to fruition, and you can't really put a dollar sign on that.

So, while it's true that the play has never been published, The Re-Programming of Jeremy has taken on its own life, and is a play that has effected audiences.  If you're a producer for community theater or school drama, and would be interested in reading the script, feel free to drop me a line at theater.is.a.sport@gmail.com.  The licensing fees are negotiable, as it is a play that I would love to see reach more an more audiences.

Thanks for taking the time to read my post.  Have a great day.

THE TRUTH ABOUT MAKING MONEY WRITING PLAYS FOR THE AMATEUR THEATER MARKET or PLEASE DON'T RIP OFF PLAYWRIGHTS

WRITING PLAYS = $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Whoa!  Slow down.  As much as I would love to have you believe that I can teach you how to earn fat stacks of cash by writing plays, I really can't.  I'd like to, honest.  But first, I would have to be proficient in making fat stacks of cash by writing plays, and, though I'm happy and grateful for all the successes I have achieved, I do not make a living writing plays.

Welcome to Theater is a Sport.  My name is Bobby Keniston, and this is my little piece of the internet that I use to write about theater.  Thanks for stopping by.

Today I want to talk about writing plays for the amateur market (schools, community theaters, etc.), and the truth about how the money works.  If you're looking for the financial possibilities for a playwright who has a play on Broadway, you've come to the wrong place.  Sorry.

There's an old expression, credited to Robert Anderson, that says you can make a killing on Broadway, but you can't make a living.  And it's true--- many of the top playwrights working today supplement their income working for the movies.  Which really means, these screenwriters supplement their income writing plays.

The late Tim Kelly, who published over 350 plays for the amateur market, once gave  talk describing how one could make a living writing for the amateur market, the way way way way way way off-Broadway stages.  Mr. Kelly admitted that writing for this market wasn't going to bring you critical acclaim, or glitz and glamour, but you could make a living.

By and large, I think Mr. Kelly is right.  But it's not easy.  If you've ever glanced through school and community theater catalogs for plays, you might notice that a playwright's name shows up many many times.  In the five years since I've first been published, I know have 33 plays with four different publishers, and have been called prolific by some people.  This might seems like a lot, but I would appear practically blocked next to many of my colleagues.  To make headway in the school and community theater markets, you need to write and focus on output.  However, you must also focus on quality, so that you'll be published and produced in the first place.

Even though this is a theater blog, I'm going to do a little bit of math right now to demonstrate.  I'm often asked by people about the financial side of my career, not out of nosiness, but out of a genuine curiosity of how it works.  I know I didn't know much about it until I was published.  In fact, to be honest, I was a bit naive.  I thought a few plays doing well meant moolah city, but it's really not that simple.

So, that one act play you write for middle schools and high schools (and yes, you want it to be suitable for both if at all possible) has just been accepted for publication!  Congratulations!  You deserve to celebrate!  And this excitement is well-deserved... it's not easy to be a published playwright!  So feel free to dance around.  I'll bet you even get goosebumps when you sign that first contract.

Now, you're a person who's looking to make writing plays for schools and community theaters a full out career.  Please do not quit your job just yet after your first publication.  Unless you've got huge savings to draw from, or are independently wealthy, in which case, go for it.  But for the rest of us, stay employed.

So, most likely, if you've just got your first one act play published, your publisher will offer it out in their catalog for a licensing fee of anywhere between $35 and $45 a performance.  Of this sum, you, the playwright, will receive anywhere between 50-60%, sometimes more, depending on the company. A good number of my plays, I receive 60% of the performance royalty.  Others, I receive 50%.  It's important to not just look at this percentage, but also to the quality of the catalog, how often it's mailed out, it's reputation for handling plays, etc.

Okay, along with this percentage of the performance royalty, you will also (most likely) receive a 10% royalty on the book sales.  For a one act play, an individual script can cost anywhere between $5.95 and $7.99, depending on the publisher.  To be honest, it wasn't until I had a few plays published that I made sure I received a royalty on script sales, but it's important to have.

For the amateur market, it is very unlikely that you will get any kind of advance, like you might for a novel.  By and large, advances for playwrights go to the shows with the big New York runs and reviews.  I've heard of only one amateur market publisher who paid an advance, and it may very well have been due to the author's previous successes.

Now, on a special note, again, before you quit that day job... pay special attention to when royalties are paid out.  Some companies pay twice a year, a select few pay quarterly, and some only once a year.

So, you want to make a living.  Well, what's a living?  Let's look at something as simple as $20,000.  I should note, I have yet to make this much in a single year from my playwriting, but I do okay.

Let's split the difference, and say your one act play is licensed for a $40 royalty per performance, and your contract gives you 60%.  That means your cut for each performance is $24.  This means you would need to have your play performed 834 times to make $20,016 from a performance royalty.  Now, let's say that the average number of performances a school will license is 3.  You will need 278 productions of 3 performances each to make that money.

Now, factoring in book sales:  let's say that each school needs to order ten books, that are priced $6 a piece.  That gives you another $6 per production.  So $6 multiplied by 278 gives you another $1,668, for a grand total of $21,684.  Well that's not too bad for a one act play, now is it?

Unfortunately, you'd have to be the rarest of the rare, or luckiest of the luckiest to hope that your one act play received 278 productions in one year, for 834 performances.  It's a pretty full market.  The play catalogs are thick, after all.  Yours is but one name among hundreds.  You'd be pretty lucky to have your play receive 25 productions in its first year (much better than mine did).  And, even more likely, it will be lower than that.

(Starting to see why we publish a lot?)

I don't mean this example to be discouraging, but just honest.  It is often true in this market that the harder you work the more successful you become, so that's a good thing.  Try not to think of yourself as competing with other playwrights, because you're not, not really.   You're competing with yourself to keep creating quality work at a decent rate.

All I really wanted to show here is how playwrights for this market are compensated, and how, not licensing a production, or not paying for every performance, is truly stealing money from a playwright's pocket.  And it adds up.

I've been saying this a lot lately, but you can't claim to support the arts without paying the money to support artists.

Thanks for wandering through this little lesson in finance with me.  Again, it's all relative--- some folks are lucky and publish major hits that do get hundreds of productions a year.  And if you become one of them, good for you!  I hope to become one too, and that's why I keep telling my stories.

Until next time, thanks for reading Theater is a Sport.  You can learn more about my plays by clicking HERE,  HERE, HERE, or HERE.  Thanks for reading, and feel free to comment below.