Doomsday - The Beginning

Okay so I thought it would be interesting to blog about the whole process of staging a play from the concept through writing the script, auditions, rehearsals and the actual staging of the play. A little history, I have been part of a theater company from it's inception in 2003 until now. It's called the First Light Players. Cathy Holbrook, the managing director, and her husband Bill have been dear friends for many years. What we're trying to do is present productions that are both entertaining and have something meaningful to say. Currently, we're on out 13th production, Cotton Alley, an amazing Southern Play written by Olivia Gowan who is part of our ever expanding family. For the last several productions, we've been presenting them at the Actor's Workout Studio in North Hollywood. If anyone reads this, the play runs again this weekend into next weekend, and it is worth seeing! Plus I'm standing in for one of the leads on Saturday, August 2nd. Come see me!

But for the upcoming show, I originally wanted to do a script I had written quite awhile ago. Originally called "Resurrection Day", I wrote it when Cathy and I were still doing church plays and, if you can't tell, it was written as an Easter play. It's about a billionaire who has a near death experience and recovers with a mission to sell everything he owns to the poor. Of course this plays hell with all those around him who have been living off his billions for years, so they try to stop him. So anyway, I was originally wanting to do that as our next production. At the same time, I've been wanting to delve into the idea of the "end of the world" and how that would play out and affect the average joe. NOT one of those cheesy "end times" movies, but something more metaphorical. Where the characters are facing the end of the world generally, and the end of the world in their own personal lives. So the seed of "Doomsday" took root.

Then, Cathy's father passed away a couple months ago. After the funeral and all the things that go with it, we had a chance to talk. I ran the idea of Doomsday by her and she liked it. Plus, she added, she wasn't sure she was ready to produce and direct the Resurrection Day script, now called "Eye of a Needle" in that it has to do with issues relating to death which I think would've been a lot for her to deal with. So Doomsday it was.

I'm the type of writer who starts with an outline, then changes the entire story in his head as I think about it. So that was the process. My time is so limited in that I have a full time job that I procrastinate at. I am an assistant producer for the First Light. Diana and I have loads of family which, translated, is younger people whom we've adopted who are a tremendous part of our lives. We also help run a prayer and ministry meeting with our dear friend Dan Sneed, a Foursquare Pastor. It's called Second Saturday and is held in Hollywood on the second Saturday of the month. So my schedule is quite full. I don't know why, but it always seems like I have to write these scripts the last minute right before we are ready for auditions and rehearsals, so there's no workshopping or series of read-throughs. It's got to work by the 3rd draft. Hmm, no pressure. And so Doomsday was no different.

I got the 1st draft done last week. And scheduled a read-through for last Sunday. Almost immediately, I started getting the criticism. I thought, for writing the 92 page script in 6 days, I did a pretty decent job. Sure, things needed work, but maybe not much. Then, I got Cathy's notes. Yikes! Maybe it wasn't as good as I thought. Maybe, it was CRAP! So where I was looking forward to the read-through, I began to stress out big time. Plus, Olivia skimmed through the play and had the same concerns. In fact, she told me "if it takes 6 months to get it in shape, then so be it." 6 MONTHS!!! We had already posted the auditions on Nowcasting! Oh man! Now I was screwed! Diana read it an liked it, but she's my wife and has that bias (although she would tell me if it didn't work and I do trust her, but I also know she loves me). Lainee read part of it and had changes she suggested. So I just wasn't sure.

So the read through came up last Sunday. We had it at Olivia's and scheduled it after the matinee for Cotton Alley. I invited Josh, Mattie and Cy -- all of whom are in Cotton Alley and are outstanding actors. As well as our usual suspects, Trista (who is also the lead in Cotton Alley), Liv, Lainee, Jenice, Ang, Leslie, Scott and Damaris. I invitd my buddy Christina as well who has a very studio executive sensibility. And, of course, Diana and Cathy. Everyone did a great job reading and I was pleased because what I heard was not as bad as I thought it was. So I could breathe a sigh of relief. Great read. Great suggestions. I was thankful for everyone.

We held our first round of auditions last night and I walked away feeling even better about the script. Some of our auditioning actors did a great job bringing the characters to life and I felt Cathy was really getting on board with the story. She's funny sometimes. Usually, the first draft she hates and wants everything changed. Then when it comes down to it, there's only a few things athat bother her and are much more fixable than rewriting the whole script.

So I'm looking forward to getting the 2nd draft done by next week. I know there will be at least 3 drafts, plus a little fine tuning through rehearsals. That's usually the case. But I thought it would be interesting to bring you along with me for the journey. To share with you the ups, the downs, the thrills and the tears of staging this story. Oh, what is the story about? Okay:

It takes place in the near future. At a dive bar in the downtown section of a non-descript city during a power outage and a full scale riot outside. The bar owner and go-go dancer are holed up trying to protect the bar. One by one, they are joined by a disparate group of strangers all looking for refuge. A couple in the city to meet with an adoption agency, members of a police riot squad, one of whom has been shot, an older lady who has lost her family to a Katrina-like disaster, a wealthy real estate heiress and a looter who has been injured. It's a story about finding hope in the midst of chaos.

It'll be an interesting journey. I'll keep you posted. I'd love your comments!

Cheers!