I met Janet about 8 years ago, we were working together for Crotched Mountain. Our main job was to entertain the people we were caring for. So we would do arts & crafts together. Janet also shared some of her writings, which opened me up to sharing some of my own. It wasn't until Janet quit working for Crotched Mountain that we began to hang out together. I recall calling her up one day, and sharing an idea for a "play." She really liked the idea and would come over to our house to act out the scenes together, and we would involve my children in the acting for larger scenes.
We started getting together and writing in our spare time. We were in no rush. It gave us something creative to do when we got together.
Then I recall checking out local events, when I saw that one of my abstract art teacher's was in a play at The Players Ring in Portsmouth NH. I called Janet and asked her if she would like to go with me, and check out some plays to gain some experience in writing for theater. So we went searching for a community theater the night my teacher Thorpe Fiedt would be performing.
I knew I was hooked, when we walked out of that small local theater. We had just
watched a performance of “Blithe Spirit,” a play written back in1945, about a man named Charles whom is haunted, by the ghost of his annoying first wife, Elvira. Elvira has nothing better to do, than to continually attempt to disrupt his marriage to his second wife, Ruth. To make matters more confusing, Ruth couldn’t see Elvira’s spirit, only Charles could. It wasn’t so much the performance that struck me so deeply. Actually, I had caught myself nodding off a few times during the moments it dragged on. Rather, it was the quaint intimate space we had just spent the last two hours in that intrigued me so. The small round stage surrounded by the old worn maroon faded cloth seats. They are the same style you would find in a movie theater, only these had worn marks or tears in the cloth, making each one look quite old, yet unique in character. The rows of seats were close enough to the stage to give you the feeling of being a part of the scene. The character of the old building, lingered in my mind for many years after this event.
I went online to check out their schedule a few times each year, to see what was playing. That’s when I noticed, “The Writer’s Competition!” I thought what an experience that would be, to enter the competition with an original performance! Our big debut! My friend Janet and I had been writing a play on and off, whenever we had some spare time. It all started out as a regular play that is until, my oldest daughter’s boyfriend brought over a CD of some original music, he had put together on his keyboard. “Take a listen when you get a chance,” he said, as he handed me the case. “I just put these together over the last few months, let me know what you think.” He said. I looked up at him a bit surprised, as I never knew he was into music, never mind played any instruments. In fact I didn’t know very much about him at all, as he was a very quiet young man. I thanked him, and later put it aside in my carry bag, forgetting about it until I was out driving in my car. I recalled it was still in my bag, and popped it into my CD player as I drove to work one day. I listened to the instrumentals and I could instantly picture each song telling the story of a different scene from our play! It was uncanny how each song portrayed the exact emotion that was going on from scene to scene! The oddest part of it all, was that my daughter’s boyfriend (at the time) didn’t know we were writing anything at all. So he couldn’t have planned this!
It was a feeling of ultimate spontaneity that went beyond anything I had ever encountered! I called my friend Janet and said, “Musical, the play needs to be a musical!” This was all I could manage to say. “Are you crazy woman?” “No I take that back, you are a crazy woman!” I assumed this was all she could say. I had blocked out the part where she had said, “Absolutely not!”
I insisted to Janet, that she just listen to the CD, and see for herself! When I finally convinced her to listen, she was just as amazed as I was, at how much the music went with the storyline. I guess this must be how I managed to convince her, that we were now writing a musical. Two years turned to four by the time we were finished. During this time I lost count of how many times I heard, “Well if it was a regular play it would have been done by now!” The due date was coming up, for all entries to be submitted for the competition at. The Players Ring, and we were ready (so I thought!) I went online to check the date for, “The Writer’s Competition,” and as I got to the page I had seen just last year, the one that advertised the competition and the deadline. I found in its place an explanation that there was no longer a competition! Instead, I found a notice, “Anyone wishing to be considered in the upcoming season as an original playwright, will need to bring three copies of their script to, The Director’s Meeting,” and make a presentation, which didn’t take place until February!
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