Five newsletters in May? What a treat!
Friends—
It’s time for your every-couple-of-months writing update!
What am I working on?
It’s back to Drama for me!!
I’m working on a commission play for a friend—I’ve been doing lots of reading to inform my perspective. Any excuse to read is a good one, and my stack of books borrowed from various libraries is…impressive, to put it generously.
I’m still editing my manuscript (that never stops…).
I’ve revisited The Unforgettables to dust it off for this year’s Fringe. We have a slot! We’ll be doing shows all over Saskatoon! I need to actively piece the script together—add a lot of things, cut a few, make it flow with just the women (instead of two male characters who aren’t really needed), then send a draft to my A-Team (cast)!
Aaaand I’m part of Persephone Theatre’s first Theatre for Young Audiences playwriting unit!
That is so much laid out all end to end. Wow. I basically live in front of my computer.
Yet it’s a beautiful thing.
Writing has been on the periphery for so long, that to have it front and centre is a welcome change. The so-called experts are right: when you write every day, it becomes easier to write every day.
The pandemic has helped in a sort of round-about way. To have the space to breathe and to think about little things—little details like considering a flat-shoe option as well as a heel for my cast when it comes time to perform—feels great, but it’ll also really help. No longer are those the kinds of things we stay up late to do, or are forced to consider when there’s no other alternative. It means that we can actually pay attention to detail proactively.
That’s the normal I want to return to.
Let’s focus in on Fringe for a little while: this is my theatre company’s first full Fringe festival. There’s a lot to do, and I’m leaning on the support of my fellow company members to help get things off the ground. We had our first read of the script on the 19th, and it feels good to once again be making art that people will see. This is all you’ll likely hear me talk about for the next little while. I’ll pass along promotional information when we’ve got it, but for now, go “like” Fight or Flight Theatre on Facebook!
Today’s letter is short,
I’m headed back to smoothing out those plot gaps.
Big Love,
Erin.