The "Thespians" session in Ventnor yesterday turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. I had been to only one other meeting and didn't think I would continue. The leader, Jerry, was a bombastic type who offered only perfunctory guidance and the gathering seemed close to dull and pointless. I probably would not have gone except for the fact that (Betty's major and my minor) friend, Muckie, asked to meet me there.
Well, Jerry has left and a man with the glorious name of Ed Shakespeare conducted the session. Boy, what a contrast! He gave a short, but very to-the-point talk and distributed printed information on how plays should be formatted. I had known there's a certain setup that should be used (character names in the middle, stage directions separate, and so on), but hadn't paid much attention and didn't use the formula. There are reasons for it, though, which Ed pointed out, and I'm going to follow it henceforth.
Ed then handed out Oreo cookies to the group (about thirty people). This was to illustrate his recommendation for our critiques. He asked us to imagine the cookie parts as favorable comments on aspects of a play and the white part as negative ones. The audience/jury should try to praise first and last, with any critical comments sandwiched in the middle.
Five plays were presented, mine the third. I had brought The Return of Tootie! with some misgivings, thinking the little skit might be too silly for the crowd. Boy, was I mistaken.
Two of the other four were lo-o-o-g, deadly serious, and--hey, I'm sorry, but I speak the truth--boring ones. The first had the former queen of Hawaii ponderously discussing annexation with her cabinet members, which seemed to go on for days (oh, don't even ask). The other portrayed a man and woman who meet in a bar and ultimately hook up after engaging in what was met to be catchy repartee, but fell flat as a flatfoot's feet.
I read another, a clearly symbolic portrayal of a man and woman who chat while punching and stabbing each other. That, at least, had the virtue of being short. Other play was set in an assisted living facility and seemed to be a risque (for this crowd) one that featured extramarital sex among the doddering residents. I found it hard to follow the dialogue, plus it was pages two long.
As for my "Tootie" skit: As is evident in these entries, I am the soul of modesty, so I'll just say it was greeted with roars of laughter, hearty praise and congratulations, and was the hit of the day. Really. It's a silly, very slight thing that has bag-lady-turned-lottery-winner Tootie in the market for a house and her exchanges with a real estate broker. I asked Ed to play the broker and a woman named Linda be Tootie and they did a credible job. I also had Dayle (pronounced "Dale), one of the few good actors in the group (Ed is another) play the small part of receptionist, which she did very well. Anyway, it was a hit.
Meeting lasted until 4:00 and I dropped in on Betty after just for a few minutes because I wanted to get home before dark, which I did.
Really good, satisfying day. I had been much more interested in acting in, rather than writing plays, but this experience has revised my attitude and revived my enjoyment in writing. I'm sorry I won't be able to go to the December gathering, but it's on the day Mike and the rest of the London contingent come in. Will work on something for January.