Years ago when I was writing plays as soon as actors knew I had written them they started to change them make adjustments and generally argue a lot. When I wrote plays as Tim Barcode, aside from the odd word, actors just did it. There was also a backstory that Tim Barcode was from Melbourne, so there was almost a reverance about the scripts.
It was when Playmarket told me they couldn't help me unless I went under my real name that I reverted to that for playwriting. Oddly I've been less successful since I took their advice.
13 September 2009
02 February 2009
Bill keep making those pots
I saw a TV doco recently where a talented potter had dramatically cut down his output as he was a committed green and didn't think the smoke from his kiln was acceptable. It was a clean burning kiln and in the interview he talked about having to get as close to a zero impact on the planet.
While lauding his sentiment it occurred to me that his foot print would be less if he just sat at home and ate as little as possible, so as to conserve energy.
The I realised it would be less if he was dead. In fact in his world view perhaps the true green thing to do would be to dig a hole, plant native seeds in it, and then kill himself on top of them.
Bill - thanks for thinking of the planet, but I think your pottery was worth it mate. Of course you won't see this as you don't believe computers can be justified either.
While lauding his sentiment it occurred to me that his foot print would be less if he just sat at home and ate as little as possible, so as to conserve energy.
The I realised it would be less if he was dead. In fact in his world view perhaps the true green thing to do would be to dig a hole, plant native seeds in it, and then kill himself on top of them.
Bill - thanks for thinking of the planet, but I think your pottery was worth it mate. Of course you won't see this as you don't believe computers can be justified either.
12 November 2008
Falling behind the play
Having spent a few months working on a play that deals with climate change, a meteorologist and other issues called 'Weather' I was a little upset to find today another play called 'Weather' dealing with climate change and with a meteorologist is being read at Circa Theatre in a few weeks.
This isn't the first time this has happened. My play Real - looking at Real Estate was in the bag and had been workshopped by Playmarket and was awaiting performance, when Geraldine Brophy toured a play called Real Estate with a grant from Creative NZ. The difference that time was the titles didn't quite match up and mine seemed to have been clearly written 3 years earlier than hers, just not produced AND I didn't get a grant from Creative NZ.
And then there was the time I had a play about a cafe performed in a cafe and 3 months later found some students from Drama school were doing a play about a cafe set in a cafe.
My problems is I'm falling behind. The cafe play I was ahead, the Real Estate play I was ahead but ended up at the same time and the latest one clearly John Smyth had his on the drawing board longer as mine now is only ready for workshopping and his is at the stage of a rehearsed reading.
I'm worried now the next play I write will have me sued for plagarism even though I have no idea what anyone else is up to.
This isn't the first time this has happened. My play Real - looking at Real Estate was in the bag and had been workshopped by Playmarket and was awaiting performance, when Geraldine Brophy toured a play called Real Estate with a grant from Creative NZ. The difference that time was the titles didn't quite match up and mine seemed to have been clearly written 3 years earlier than hers, just not produced AND I didn't get a grant from Creative NZ.
And then there was the time I had a play about a cafe performed in a cafe and 3 months later found some students from Drama school were doing a play about a cafe set in a cafe.
My problems is I'm falling behind. The cafe play I was ahead, the Real Estate play I was ahead but ended up at the same time and the latest one clearly John Smyth had his on the drawing board longer as mine now is only ready for workshopping and his is at the stage of a rehearsed reading.
I'm worried now the next play I write will have me sued for plagarism even though I have no idea what anyone else is up to.
11 November 2008
Starting again
Through a bizarre set of circumstances I am now full time looking after my 2 children and my career has been shot down in flames.
The city where I choose to live has too few jobs in my field and those that there are are closed shops AND eccentricity doesn't go so well in most organisations.
What I wanted to do all along was spend more time writing and find a more healthy lifestyle. Well following a very painful transition I seem to have both. So I've got where I wanted to go and I'm still pinching myself.
HA
Oh and ... I've given up coffee and I figured I don't need a cell phone anymore.
I've had about 27 cell phones since 1990 and I can't tell you how much coffee I've had and how many people I've rubbished who won't drink it.
Life is a a journey on an underfunded public bus service
The city where I choose to live has too few jobs in my field and those that there are are closed shops AND eccentricity doesn't go so well in most organisations.
What I wanted to do all along was spend more time writing and find a more healthy lifestyle. Well following a very painful transition I seem to have both. So I've got where I wanted to go and I'm still pinching myself.
HA
Oh and ... I've given up coffee and I figured I don't need a cell phone anymore.
I've had about 27 cell phones since 1990 and I can't tell you how much coffee I've had and how many people I've rubbished who won't drink it.
Life is a a journey on an underfunded public bus service
Back to it
Blogged for a while about a play I was directing. Then nothing.
I've noticed lots of little cars called "Swifts" driven by very cautious slow drivers. Having followed a few of them going at 40ks I'm not sure they can be pedalled to 60ks say. Hmmm
I've noticed lots of little cars called "Swifts" driven by very cautious slow drivers. Having followed a few of them going at 40ks I'm not sure they can be pedalled to 60ks say. Hmmm
26 April 2008
I'm becoming immune to marketing
Recently, because it was on special, I bought some McCain oven fries. We sometimes have chips in the freezer and usually we have the cheapest ones.
Today I cooked them as part of dinner and my partner says 'they're really crunchy'. And they were nice.
I thought about it and realised that is the marketing line they have in their TV advertising. I hate the advertisements but I knew that was their line. And then I thought 'why haven't I bought these before in that case?"
Answer - I didn't believe the advert. In fact when i sat down and thought about it - I don't believe any adverts. The only thing I believe is price, and I have some feel for brand positioning, but if McCain has an ad saying it's chips are crunchier I assume they're just saying that. Same with most other ads I see.
Today I cooked them as part of dinner and my partner says 'they're really crunchy'. And they were nice.
I thought about it and realised that is the marketing line they have in their TV advertising. I hate the advertisements but I knew that was their line. And then I thought 'why haven't I bought these before in that case?"
Answer - I didn't believe the advert. In fact when i sat down and thought about it - I don't believe any adverts. The only thing I believe is price, and I have some feel for brand positioning, but if McCain has an ad saying it's chips are crunchier I assume they're just saying that. Same with most other ads I see.
19 March 2008
Obama on race
http://my.barackobama.com/page/invite/ownwords
Without a doubt the bravest political speech I have ever heard. The bravest speech (not political per se) I've ever listened to (albeit it many years after the event) was Winston Churchill's on the beaches. The silliest speech was by Saddam's Iraqi Information Minister insisting that they were repelling the US Invaders. The dumbest speeches I have ever heard are everytime I hear George W say anything. The best speeches - (and here just ones I have heard live) - Rob Muldoon Timaru 1985, Bill Clinton Christchurch NZ 1999, and Jim Anderton Wellington 1993. But the Barack speech today, which I watched when it was a couple of hours old - rates with these three.
Without a doubt the bravest political speech I have ever heard. The bravest speech (not political per se) I've ever listened to (albeit it many years after the event) was Winston Churchill's on the beaches. The silliest speech was by Saddam's Iraqi Information Minister insisting that they were repelling the US Invaders. The dumbest speeches I have ever heard are everytime I hear George W say anything. The best speeches - (and here just ones I have heard live) - Rob Muldoon Timaru 1985, Bill Clinton Christchurch NZ 1999, and Jim Anderton Wellington 1993. But the Barack speech today, which I watched when it was a couple of hours old - rates with these three.
Recycling Trash
None of us can escape the discussions around global warming, carbon emissions, rubbish, recycling, pollution, renewable energy issues.... I was taken some years ago by the idea of zero waste. What a great idea!
Try as I might I can't see how to reduce my rubbish to zero. I've been looking at the rubbish I throw out and I've come to two startling conclusions:
1 It's 50 percent packaging. Since the health Nazis began insisting everything is wrapped I seem to be buying packaging from the supermarket to throw out. In my father's youth biscuits were sold out of barrels and wrapped in paper for you, sweets were bought out of jars, and bread was in a roll of paper. Today everything comes in plastic and (apart from bread in the previous examples) wrapped in several layers. Did anyone in NZ ever die from germs on a boiled lolly that wasn't encased in plastic? I don't know but I'll bet none. So I have to pay for all this packaging and then feel guilty about having to throw it out.
2 Much of the stuff I buy - which isn't edible - is not made to last. It can't be repaired and even if it can it's much cheaper to biff it and buy a new one. Kitchen implements, buckets, garden tools, children's toys, shoes, you name it -it's cheaper to throw it out. (And it's all wrapped in plastic you need a disposable electric saw to open).
So while I'm sympathetic guilt-tripping ordinary consumers is just trash.
Try as I might I can't see how to reduce my rubbish to zero. I've been looking at the rubbish I throw out and I've come to two startling conclusions:
1 It's 50 percent packaging. Since the health Nazis began insisting everything is wrapped I seem to be buying packaging from the supermarket to throw out. In my father's youth biscuits were sold out of barrels and wrapped in paper for you, sweets were bought out of jars, and bread was in a roll of paper. Today everything comes in plastic and (apart from bread in the previous examples) wrapped in several layers. Did anyone in NZ ever die from germs on a boiled lolly that wasn't encased in plastic? I don't know but I'll bet none. So I have to pay for all this packaging and then feel guilty about having to throw it out.
2 Much of the stuff I buy - which isn't edible - is not made to last. It can't be repaired and even if it can it's much cheaper to biff it and buy a new one. Kitchen implements, buckets, garden tools, children's toys, shoes, you name it -it's cheaper to throw it out. (And it's all wrapped in plastic you need a disposable electric saw to open).
So while I'm sympathetic guilt-tripping ordinary consumers is just trash.
03 March 2008
02 March 2008
Out organised - the story of a political defeat
For those of us following the US election the interesting issue is how long Clinton can survive. She is playing the HDDVD to Obama's Blu-ray.
When the whole campaign is dissected I think the key issues that will emerge and nasty politics from Clinton and poor campaign organisation.
Clinton hired her friend Patti Solis Doyle was hired as campaign manager. She did win over the latino vote but didn't do many other things, like organise internet fundraising or ensuring that the on-the-ground organisation in some states was up to it.
While Obama's campaign raised huge sums on the internet the Clinton campaign ran out of money, the staff started to forego wages and Hillary had to lend her own campaign $5m. That was when Solis Doyle 'resigned'.
Tellingly though it seems from what I read that the Obama campaign is just better organised. clinically so.
The latest thing is this - Hillary puts an ad out (3am) questioning who would the US want in the Whitehouse if the phone goes at 3am because there's something going on.
The Obama campaign - recreated a very closely similar ad and had it on air in about 12 hours!!!!!!
http://slate.com/blogs/blogs/trailhead/archive/2008/02/29/daaamn-that-was-fast.aspx
When the whole campaign is dissected I think the key issues that will emerge and nasty politics from Clinton and poor campaign organisation.
Clinton hired her friend Patti Solis Doyle was hired as campaign manager. She did win over the latino vote but didn't do many other things, like organise internet fundraising or ensuring that the on-the-ground organisation in some states was up to it.
While Obama's campaign raised huge sums on the internet the Clinton campaign ran out of money, the staff started to forego wages and Hillary had to lend her own campaign $5m. That was when Solis Doyle 'resigned'.
Tellingly though it seems from what I read that the Obama campaign is just better organised. clinically so.
The latest thing is this - Hillary puts an ad out (3am) questioning who would the US want in the Whitehouse if the phone goes at 3am because there's something going on.
The Obama campaign - recreated a very closely similar ad and had it on air in about 12 hours!!!!!!
http://slate.com/blogs/blogs/trailhead/archive/2008/02/29/daaamn-that-was-fast.aspx
01 March 2008
Reviews
I have a play on in Wellington at the moment and it is the best, deepest, most layered and polished play I have written and it is being screwed by one or two critics. They can't separate the script from the performance.
Anyway the good news is that I don't have revenge fantasies anymore. I would write a play about murdering play reviewers, but it's been done (The Real Inspector Hound by Stoppard for one). I think about banning reviewers from my plays (been done, by Fo I think). I think about laughing it off - ho ho ho.
In one play about a play about a play I wrote I had fake reviews in the front of house. Just for prosterity here are the surviving ones
“Macbeth” by William Shakespeare
Reviewed by Alan Smithee – Katipo Times
A nice modern tale transported back to 12th century Scotland. Clearly though the plot is clumsily modeled on recent developments in the National Party. Despite this the story has promise.
This promise was lost, however, in a similar way to Shakespeare’s other recent outings; the Beckham’s transported back to Italy as star-struck lovers; or the story of Jonah Lomu badly disguised as a jealous general; or the earlier plots of Shortland Street renamed “Much Ado about nothing”.
All of these plays are far too obvious and a little unbelievable. This is made worse by their excessive length; there is no reason why a modern play cannot be wrapped up in 90 minutes.
Macbeth also suffers from being too obvious. Spurred on by his wife (Gerry Brownlee, ho ho) decides to kill the king (surprise surprise). He gets caught, and brought to justice.
The predictability was lessened with the use of some novel ideas. These included a camouflaged army, a metaphor for the secret plotting of politicians, a device that this reviewer felt failed. This was overshadowed by some non medical nonsense suggesting that someone born via a caesarian is not of woman born. While this assertion about the primacy of natural childbirth was interesting it was totally irrelevant.
The funniest if not the most insulting aspect to the play was portraying the media and the parliamentary press gallery as three old witches. Not the best way to make friends.
Finally though the most telling problem – lots of words and no action. All the action takes place off stage; the murder of Bill English, the battles, and most of the conflict occur off stage.
“The Caretaker” by Harold Pinter
Review by J Browne in the ComPost
This is the latest of Pinter’s plays performed in Wellington and really it should be the last.
Long pauses ensure the action is never fully realized. The internal structure is hampered by slow and repetitive slow revelation of both character and plot.
Mr Pinter has clearly not learnt from comments made by this reviewer and others during the Birthday Party on the need for clear exposition and dialogue. While one actor did his best the other mumbled and paused his way through.
The play drools to a painful conclusion an hour later than the five minutes of plot deserved. Honks like a goose.
“Art” by Christina Rezos
Reviewed by Leslie Locke in the Listener.
A promising premise. Three friends divided over a piece of modern art. A chance to explore the views on modern art.
Although there is plenty of talking, nothing much happens. Gone are the days when plays can be just talking heads. More action is required.
Worse still it turns out the painting itself is simply white, disappointing as it is clearly implausible.
Anyway the good news is that I don't have revenge fantasies anymore. I would write a play about murdering play reviewers, but it's been done (The Real Inspector Hound by Stoppard for one). I think about banning reviewers from my plays (been done, by Fo I think). I think about laughing it off - ho ho ho.
In one play about a play about a play I wrote I had fake reviews in the front of house. Just for prosterity here are the surviving ones
“Macbeth” by William Shakespeare
Reviewed by Alan Smithee – Katipo Times
A nice modern tale transported back to 12th century Scotland. Clearly though the plot is clumsily modeled on recent developments in the National Party. Despite this the story has promise.
This promise was lost, however, in a similar way to Shakespeare’s other recent outings; the Beckham’s transported back to Italy as star-struck lovers; or the story of Jonah Lomu badly disguised as a jealous general; or the earlier plots of Shortland Street renamed “Much Ado about nothing”.
All of these plays are far too obvious and a little unbelievable. This is made worse by their excessive length; there is no reason why a modern play cannot be wrapped up in 90 minutes.
Macbeth also suffers from being too obvious. Spurred on by his wife (Gerry Brownlee, ho ho) decides to kill the king (surprise surprise). He gets caught, and brought to justice.
The predictability was lessened with the use of some novel ideas. These included a camouflaged army, a metaphor for the secret plotting of politicians, a device that this reviewer felt failed. This was overshadowed by some non medical nonsense suggesting that someone born via a caesarian is not of woman born. While this assertion about the primacy of natural childbirth was interesting it was totally irrelevant.
The funniest if not the most insulting aspect to the play was portraying the media and the parliamentary press gallery as three old witches. Not the best way to make friends.
Finally though the most telling problem – lots of words and no action. All the action takes place off stage; the murder of Bill English, the battles, and most of the conflict occur off stage.
“The Caretaker” by Harold Pinter
Review by J Browne in the ComPost
This is the latest of Pinter’s plays performed in Wellington and really it should be the last.
Long pauses ensure the action is never fully realized. The internal structure is hampered by slow and repetitive slow revelation of both character and plot.
Mr Pinter has clearly not learnt from comments made by this reviewer and others during the Birthday Party on the need for clear exposition and dialogue. While one actor did his best the other mumbled and paused his way through.
The play drools to a painful conclusion an hour later than the five minutes of plot deserved. Honks like a goose.
“Art” by Christina Rezos
Reviewed by Leslie Locke in the Listener.
A promising premise. Three friends divided over a piece of modern art. A chance to explore the views on modern art.
Although there is plenty of talking, nothing much happens. Gone are the days when plays can be just talking heads. More action is required.
Worse still it turns out the painting itself is simply white, disappointing as it is clearly implausible.
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