GOD BLESS OTHER WRITERS

Some brilliant soul from writer's bloc '06 threw this at me a few days ago.

Imagine that you know the entire construct of the play...that Rustom is dead, that he has only so much time to do whatever he has to do and that such and such a thing is what will end his 'grace period' among the living. You know all this in detail. But don't ever tell us. Let it inform your writing without ever once telling us, the audience, what you know. Let us find out.

It was one of those penny dropping moments except that the entire fucking mint fell on top of my head and I saw the LIGHT and everything fell into PLACE.

I now have a play (hallelujah). And the play has an "OH FUCK!" ending.

The freeze is over.

Who would have thought.

Goerge Devine's Daughter

I'm loving the book although it's going very slowly...in between work and the play.
Ram thinks Harriet is 'such a gorgeous babe, maaan!'
Hmmm...

Look Back in Anger

at Blossoms yesterday, I bought a copy of 'Look Back in Anger'. for just hundred rupees.

SWAR has disappeared

According to the Indian Postal Service, you, Swar, are an NSP (No Such Person).

The parcel of books I sent you was returned with NSP scribbled all over it (the postman translated for me).

Where are you Swar? And were you, in fact, ever there at all? And if not, who drank all my Black Label in Vasind?

Such an interesting development this is.

Meanwhile, the plays I sent you (who?) are back with me.

"The Play's the Thing"

This is the title of a rather fascinating programme currently running on Channel 4. A very charismatic West End producer called Sonia Freidman has committed to producing a first play by a first-time writer in her theatre. They had 2000 submissions, weeded them down to a short list of 30, then 10, now 3. Winner will be announced on Monday, and the play actually opens next week, I think -- it must be being rehearsed in secrecy so as not to spoil the TV programme. The shortlisted ones have had workshops with a writer and teacher whose name now escapes me (although I have met him!) but who seemed pretty good, much in the style of Carl. I thought of you all as the people -- who had originally just submitted 3 scenes and a synopsis of the rest -- wrestled with the task of making that into a full-length play. The choice of the finalist was made more challenging in one sense since this is going on in the West End, not traditionally a venue for new or experimental work -- so the play has to be capable of pulling in the audiences. You really feel for those who are not chosen, especially the final 10 who have worked so hard and many of whom have written really interesting work -- hopefully they will get produced in studio theatres elsewhere in the UK.
You can read about it on the channel4 website http://www.channel4.com/culture/microsites/T/the_play/index.html
and in theory even watch it on your PC though I couldn't get this to work on mine.
Speaking of wrestling -- Maia, how's the freeze?

Stoppard

I went to the opening night of Tom Stoppard's new play, Rock and Roll, at the RCT a couple of days ago. The first play he has ever had done there -- I think he has generally been felt not to be a 'Royal Court writer', whatever that means. But he asked if he could have one put on for the 50th anniversary, and this was it. Star studded cast, directed by Trevor Nunn, incredibly starry audience -- I was inches from Mick Jagger at one point, and there were people there from Pink Floyd -- also Vaclav Havel and many other famous faces. Everyone clapped and cheered and roared their approval at the end and the critics have been raving about it, all the ones I've read, anyway. But alas, I did not like the play! I found it too long, too full of intellectual showing off just for the sake of it, and generally having a rather dodgy message which seemed to be -- Forget politics, rock and roll is much more important and valuable. Of course this is me being flippant,but it was an odd experience being among so much adulation and thinking, gosh, is it just me? Or is it a case of the emperor's new clothes?
The music was good, though -- lots of Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd, blasting out between scenes.
Reviews will soon appear on the RCT website and I will send (or bring!) a play text soon.

Shernaz's mail

Oi!
Did you all get Shernaz's email about Carl not being able to make it in August, but the workshop still being on perhaps with other senior writers filling in?
So I guess it's BAD news, all caps, and a bit of good news, lower case.
As Ram said when I boo hooed about this to him: we'll all just chillax by the pool, maaan!
Hmmm...

Kutumb's theatre festival

Ok, this is a call for HELP!!
Our NGO, Kutumb, is organising an evening of two plays--an adaptation of Charandas Chor by our kids and my first pay, Wave. The shows have been planned through July, and are basically meant to raise funds for Kutumb. For those who were interested to know more (and for those who weren't!) Kutumb is an NGO run totally by volunteers. We run an educational programme that has a flexible design to cater to the needs of children who live in slums and the streets of Delhi and who, variously, go to school, go occasionally to school or don't go at all. We have an open programme focusing on music, dance, theatre, craft and sports as much as it focuses on the 'R's. The idea is that people who would like to share their skills with these children come to our classes at the Junior Modern School and either do regular classes a few times a week or time-bound workshops. We have classes for two hours in the evening on weekdays and three hours on Saturdays. We also run a mentoring programme for young adults and a health programme through weekends that focuses on counselling in the basti in which most of our kids live.

The good news on the festival, which is called Hilley-ley...shake the world!, is that we've got a principal sponsor in Hutch and some amount of support from NSD (audi booking for two shows sponsored...this is for you Shernaz!) and some other people have promised to look into our appeal, but the fact is we're still seriously short of money. The first thing to happen if we fall short will be that my play will get totally screwed! I had to go and write a play that costs a bomb to produce and now I'm banging my head over it...

Anyway, moot point is...can you guys, any of you, help? Who are the people who sponsor theatre or are interested in amateur theatre, or whose CSR cell is based in Delhi? We got Hutch through a major contact, but no other corporate has come forward yet and we are running out of time. Any ideas, anyone?

For anyone planning a trip to Delhi around July/August, my play's on at Sri ram Centre on the 8th and 9th of July and at the India Habitat Centre Amphitheatre on the 15th and 16th of July (only if it doesn't rain!). It's supposed to happen somewhere on Delhi University's North Campus in August, in all probability the second weekend. (Can we please not keep the workshop around that time, Shernaz?)

Do come, if any of you can! And please spread the word around to your friends, acquaintances, strangers on the way, anyone in Delhi or remotely likely to come by, to come see the play!
And pray for me, guys!

wishing the blogfather

here's wishing ram, currently battling an energy crisis on the sandy monsoon shores of goa, a happy happy birthday.

have a super year

ANTI FREEZE PLEEZE

guys i'm buggered.

finished first draft almost a fortnight ago. sent it off to a few of my personal 'gurus'. in came the feedback, much of it lacerating, but lots of it extremely constructive and positive and useful.

one thing clear - huge amount of rewriting to be done. more frightening still, lots of NEW writing to be done. also, many fundamentals to be re-examined, the most notable among these being why the fuck am i hanging on to this finding of proof of love, when that is the one thing that seems to be strangling everything else like a big, ugly weed!

anyway, i gave it all time to sink in and gestate and germinate and whatever the hell else happens to these little maps of the way forward when you internalise them. they've cooked, good and proper. i know what it is i'm missing, i think i know what i need to do.

but i'm quite frozen. i can't go near my pc or my writing pad. and i'm having this psycho dream every other night of a production of proof of love that stops dead as the first actor enters. everyone looks at me as if to say, come on then, what next? and i don't have a clue what next and everyone wants their money back and shernaz (!!!) is really angry and gives me the cold shoulder.

i swear i'm not making this up. if it wasn't so scary it would be quite funny.

meanwhile, i read east is east again and oh boy! isn't it truly kickass.

any ideas on what might thaw this out? and ram, put those fucking brass knuckles away!