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January 25, 2014:

OUTSIDE THE COMFORT ZONE

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, we had the final day of our little musical theatre workshop and it was great and grand fun for all of its three hours.  It began with about eight more people doing their songs, ones we hadn’t heard the day before.  Just before they began, I said how happy I was that everyone had just gotten up and done it and that the best thing about the entire workshop was that they allowed themselves to step out of their comfort zone, which is a wise and good thing always.  The eight people did their songs and got through them and I gave some minor notes as we went along.  Then I randomly picked people to go back up and give their song a second shot – they knew I’d be doing this.  I began with the girl who’d had the most problems the day before.  This time she did a simple song, Do Re Mi, and she got through it fine, hit her notes and felt so much better.  I then had everyone in the room sing it with her, and suddenly all these nervous people were singing loudly and with conviction and all on pitch – pure magic and they heard it and knew it instantly.  I gave more detailed notes, asked people to go back and repeat a section after taking the notes, and it was a really fun time for everyone.  So many of them came up after and said that they absolutely loved these four days and that, of course, made me very happy to see that kind of joy.  Lloyd Cooper was a rock and so helpful to these kids.  At the end of the session, I asked for a show of hands of the people who absolutely wanted to be in the show – and there wasn’t one hand that didn’t shoot up in the air.  I told them that as far as I was concerned they were all in, but that the ultimate fate of that was somewhat also up to the department in terms of their needs for the show that goes up prior to us.  Anyone in that show would have a difficult time being in both due to some close scheduling conflicts.  We’ll see how it all plays out, and I still have to come back and do one more session to see the folks who weren’t with us, probably between ten and fifteen people.  At that session I’ll probably read some people, too, but the way I think I’m going to do this is just cast everyone I want and then begin music rehearsals, during which I’ll begin assigning the roles.

Prior to the workshop, it was a crazy busy day (what else is new).  I was up at nine, futzed and finessed and then got the Muse Margaret call.  It was the best kind of call, full of effusiveness and specificity about what she loved, quoting whole speeches or prose.  She only asked for me to add one word to one line and to fix one typo.  Also, she felt that there was one little descriptive thing missing for one of the characters and as soon as I looked at it I could see it was missing a beat.  And she asked if I would add a really tiny thing earlier in the book – that’s something I’ll go back and do before giving her the next batch of pages.  Anyway, needless to say, I was extremely happy with the reaction.

I then added the descriptive thing she wanted, but it ended up being an entire page, and it really helped and I really loved writing it.  I then added just a few more things for that character in subsequent pages that Muse Margaret hasn’t seen yet.  I then called her and read her the new page and she thought it was just right.

Then Shelly Markham came over and we played through the Kritzerland songs, did the arrangements for the put-togethers and that was that – it’s a really good batch of songs.  By the time we finished, it was almost time to go to LACC, but I did manage to do a page and a half of new stuff (besides what I’d added) before we left.

After the workshop, Lloyd, one of the co-directors of another LACC show, and I went to Palermo for dinner where I ate way too much food, but boy was it good.  After that, I came home and began writing.  I ultimately did almost seven pages, finished a chapter and began a new one.  I also answered e-mails and caught up on other stuff.

Today, I shall write all the livelong day and night, with only occasional breaks for picking up packages, eating, and maybe relaxing and watching a motion picture.

Tomorrow is more of the same, and then we begin a long, hugely busy week, during which I may have to start getting up really early to get my writing in, because the days and evenings are all jam-packed.  There are the two Kritzerland rehearsals and the stumble-through, work sessions for the recording, a sitzprobe, a brush-up and put-in rehearsal for the revue, two very long days of recording, and then the Kritzerland show.  And the day after that, I shall not talk to anyone, nor do any work other than writing, and, in fact, that entire week will ONLY be that.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, write, hopefully pick up packages, eat, write, relax and write.  Today’s topic of discussion: In terms of what you do, what is the scariest thing you’ve ever had to do – no matter what line of work it was for.  Let’s have loads of lovely questions, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to know that all those wonderful kids survived being out of their comfort zone.

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