V is for Victory

The Quote of the Day that inspired my A to Z Blogging Challenge theme -
A Word for the Day that takes on many meanings.

Quote of the Day: A writer lives in awe of words for they can be cruel or kind, and they can change their meanings right in front of you. They pick up flavors and odors like butter in a refrigerator. John Steinbeck


Word of the Day: Victory

n. pl. vic·to·ries

1. Defeat of an enemy or opponent.

2. Success in a struggle against difficulties or an obstacle.
3. The state of having triumphed.
Definitions according to freedictionary.com. One of the phrases they associate with victory is carry the day.

The success of my first original play Coffee Shop Confessions is a triumphant victory. Yes, I overcame obstacles to even write it, then to gather the cast, set the dates, rehearse, and all the while fight down self-doubt and artist angst. After seven sold-out shows, we truly did carry the day. I'm still carrying it with me. Maybe I'm in denial, but it doesn't feel over. Krista said, "It's not over. It's just the beginning." I'm going with that. Who knows what will happen next?

A friend asked me if this experience changed me life. Oh, yes. There is something wild and wonderful about being in a play. New relationships form. I've been the conductor on this creative train, inviting others to jump on board, and together we ride on to victory.

Look at this crew! The two cut-ups were like that at every rehearsal. It was like Evening at the Improv at the Senior Center, our rehearsal space. In this photo, we're waiting to go on for our final performance (for this run) at The Shante. What a joy this has been.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  Write about a victory. When did you carry the day?

Body Language and "The Artist"

Quote of the Day:  (I found all these quotes and many more great ones on body language at Psychology Today.)

Not only is her body language revealing, but so are her silences, which I find remarkable for an actress. It's how she doesn't say things verbally that I find exceedingly communicative. - Laurence Kardish (It didn't give the name of the actress he's describing.)

(I watched the Oscar winning movie The Artist yesterday and was fascinated by how much story is told through body language and facial expression, not to mention excellent camera work.)

What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

(I love this one by Emerson. I have felt this way in conversations with some people. What you're saying and what you're doing are not in sync. I learned to trust the non-verbal messages.)

Electric communication will never be a substitute for the face of someone who with their soul encourages another person to be brave and true. - Charles Dickens

(I read this one five times. Charles Dickens said these words, way before facebook.)

But behavior in the human being is sometimes a defense, a way of concealing motives and thoughts, as language can be a way of hiding your thoughts and preventing communication. - Abraham Maslow

(Do you know someone who enters a room and never stops talking? My therapist said that the person who does all the talking wants all the power. I wonder what they're trying to hide behind their mask of words.)

I had Kate take these photos while we rehearsed Coffee Shop Confessions at the Coco Moon. When I viewed them on my computer after rehearsal, I was struck by how expressive we are. You can imagine what is happening by our body language.

Love Jewell's face in this photo.

Do you think she's receptive to what Laura is telling her?

I typed up the words at the other end of this conversation and included them in the script, but the audience never hears them...or do they? When Jewell gets a call from her husband, the mood of the entire cast, and audience, changes. They leaned in. They held their collective breath. They felt the blows of his words.

What are we "hearing" and feeling in this scene?

In the movie The Artist, George Valentin is told to speak from the opening scene, which is an actor playing an actor in a scene in an old silent film. We watch the audience's response. I thought to myself, we're watching a movie about people watching a movie. There were so many parallels and mirror moments in this film. I thought, too, how we tell our stories, on stage and in real life, by our body language and facial expressions, by what we don't say, and by the actions we chose to take, or refuse to do.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  Do you know someone who dominates in a conversation? Do you read body language? Did you see "The Artist"?

Insecure Writer's Group in March

Quote of the Day:  Confession, alas, is the new handshake. Richard Rosen

Today is the first Wednesday of the month where we join other voices in sharing our insecurities. Click on the badge on the side for a list of more bloggers who have joined the Insecure Writer's Support Group started by blogger/author Alex J. Cavanaugh.

It was a huge success for me to produce my first original full-length play Coffee Shop Confessions this past weekend. I have written two novels that are in the proverbial drawer. I had rejections and set-backs, angst like the sun-dried dessert, and real fears of exposing my art. I was afraid of both the possible failure and success. It's like I'd be standing in front of the crowd completely naked, and I knew I couldn't do it alone. So, I shared my dream with my friend JeMA. I shared my work with a few trusted friends. I wrote on despite the negative voices in my head. I set a date for a read-through. I set a date for performance. I asked people to join my creative team, and this is what I got - a sell-out audience, applause, and request for more performances, not to mention a sense that I helped build community. Something has cracked in the universe.

Before our performances, we gathered in a circle to wish each other well and invite the creative spirit to enter and go out into the world.

We gather in a huddle

Our hands come together

like the spokes of a wheel

We close our fingers

over the hand of the other.

We are one,

A spiral of creative energy

as we shout:

Go. Create. Inspire!

My message to you on this March edition of the Insecure Writer's Support Group is to invite trusted friends into your circle. They will help you succeed.

Journaling Prompt:  Whom will you invite into your circle?

Successful Debut of Coffee Shop Confessions

Quote of the Day:  Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, and try to follow where they lead. Louisa May Alcott

This weekend, I did reach those high aspirations. I'm still up, way  past cloud 9. Can you see me? I'm that big, smiling sunshine. My original play Coffee Shop Confessions debuted at the Coco Moon coffee shop in downtown Brainerd to a sold-out audience both nights. Thanks to this amazing cast.

Here they are, the dream team cast of Coffee Shop Confessions!

Character names: Aubrey, Nick, Micki, Jewell, Roxy, Lolly, Sam, Laura, and Mary

Lorie had to run next door to the cafe to borrow more chairs!

More confessions as the audience waited for the "Confessions" play to start and all those coffee orders to be filled.

The women at this table are associated with the Mid-Minnesota Women's Center. When I announced that a portion of the ticket sales were going to the Center, they applauded. They also made a point of introducing themselves after the show and letting us know how well we told this story.

In the background of this photo is my hair-stylist (artist) Aubrey. She inspired the character I played. She gave me a make-over before the show. We had so much fun. I told her I felt like Meryl Streep. The camera man is my friend Pete Woit who drove over from Alexandria. He is a professional videographer at Woit Video Productions. Several groups of good friends were at the tables surrounding us. Opening night was the most exciting night of my life.  

Me with my friend and publicist Krista who knows how to make it happen at her Blue Cottage Agency!

Laura and Mary (Aubrey) before the show

These are just a few of the photos taken by Krista Rolfzen Soukup and Joey Halvorson from this weekend's performance. You'll see more highlights and insights from the show this week.

Here's how I ended my welcome speech: The first confession of the night, I am someone who hears voices from people that no one else can see. I see visions. I dream dreams, and this is what happens when you dare take the risk of letting others in and sharing them. Thank you for coming, and enjoy our "Coffee Shop Confessions."

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  Have you ever been at the debut of someone's work: art, drama, poetry, music, or a grand opening somewhere?

Coffee Shop Confessions Debuts Tonight!

Quote of the Day:  Opening night is the night before the play is ready to open. - George Jean Nathan

Laughed out loud when I read that one. Don't all casts and crew feel that way? "We're still tweaking it," we cry. "I don't have all my lines down," we moan. "I think I could fix this word or phrase, just let me rewrite that part," says the angst-filled playwright.

But, the date is set. The tickets are sold OUT! Ready or not, they're coming to the Coco Moon tonight. I believe that no matter what, we'll be entertaining. Not perfect. I never intended perfection. This is a play about real people in real time. It's always changing. Even last night, our dress rehearsal, had moments of ad lib, commentary, and spontaneous laughter, and real tears. 

Here's a teaser: a popcorn stained bra, a bottle of pills, a cellphone to use and abuse, and a group of actors/singers meeting to rehearse at a coffee shop. Drinks laced with laughter, tears, real-life stories, love, and joy.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  What degree of artist angst do you have today? Mine's off the charts. Cheers!

Life imitating Art imitating Life

Quote of the Day:  Oscar Wilde is noted as saying, Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life...the self-conscious aim of Life is to find expression, and that Art offers it certain beautiful forms through which it may realise that energy. source: Wikipedia.  I would argue that one influences the other, and that when one creates Art from Life, the response is a mirror to mirror image, ones that endlessly reflect the other.  Let me illustrate.

On Saturday, late in the afternoon, several of the cast members gathered at Coco Moon to rehearse. We ended up singing through the songs, just as the characters in Coffee Shop Confessions do. We sang. We discussed. We fussed about parts, who's singing what. We added in real life chatter. We got worked up, and we enjoyed ourselves to the fullest. We created a scene during business hours at the shop, and one of the workers came over and said, "You guys sound great."  Joey just happened to have her camera along, so she took a few photos.

A tense moment. Who's in charge? What are we doing?

Laura needs a piano. David comes through with a one-octave app on his Kindle Fire.

Note the mirror in the background.

Guy needed to write three drafts of his bio.

Joey told one crazy story after the other and told me to write it.

Isn't it great how we're all different!

I came home and thought, what happened at our rehearsal could be another scene in the play...or is it already there?

At the end of the week, this Friday and Saturday, we will perform to a packed coffee house! Holy smokes! Look what happens when you hear voices, see visions, and dream dreams. They really do come true...with a little help from your friends.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  How have Life and Art been mirroring each other in your world?

Rehearsing "Confessions" at the Coco Moon

Quote of the Day:  You're building community. words from friends as they offer support and encouragement for my play

Rehearsing a moment with Roxy and the Moxie Mamas

Remember how that Self-doubt Committee had planned a meeting in my head? Then, I told them to meet some other place. I needed a little help from my friends to make them shut up, and here they are rehearsing my play right there at the Coco Moon just as I'd imagined it would be, and so much more.

Laura describing a kiss.

Some of our scenes are funny. Others are tender, and still more bring out fear and anger. This is a phenomenal cast. They have been enjoying the script through every rehearsal and care about how it's presented. We've been rehearsing at the Senior Center, because it's free, and we will pay them back by performing for their dinner on April 9, a Monday, open to the public.  It's another opportunity to see the play as all the tickets are sold out for the two shows we're doing next week at the Coco Moon.

Subtle eavesdropping on Jewell's conversation

"Mary" getting a call from home

Lolly & Sam giving Micki encouragement

Laura telling Jewell to sing the lead

Nick making a connection with the Moxie Mamas

I've been dreaming about being on a creative team. While I was writing this play, I sat in this coffee shop, surrounded by creative spirit. Then, I invited in the actors and the support people. The energy grew, and now, look at us. We're providing a unique experience for the folks in the Brainerd area, and I am so grateful for the people who joined this team, and the ones who are willing to take a risk on something new.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  Look around you. What is one new thing you could do in your community to draw people in and inspire them?

Kate & Kim playing Micki & Me

Quote of the Day:  I've never known anyone who did their art for a living, and now look at all of you. Look at us! I'd love to be in your play! Micki's line from Coffee Shop Confessions when she meets the writer, Mary, at the shop.

Kimbery Dwinnell-Dillon and Kate Hauble

Having fun during rehearsal of Coffee Shop Confessions

This is pretty much how it is during every rehearsal.

Kate is the same age as my oldest son, Bobby. I met Kate at church and got to know her when I helped with Confirmation. I've also recommended her to friends as a terrific babysitter. She's a wonderful young woman, fun to be around, and has a gorgeous alto voice. This is her first time acting in a play. She said YES as soon as I asked her to be in my show. Thanks, Kate!

Kim and Mary

Kim plays me in the show.

When I was sitting in the Coco Moon, writing this play, I wrote myself in as a customer, drinking coffee, observing (eavesdropping), and writing. I gave myself a few lines. I figured I'd be there anyway, why not be part of the show. Plus, it made for a fun ending. However, I ended up taking the role of Aubrey for this performance. I was talking to Kim at a swim meet. She said that she'd always wanted to be in a play. I asked if she'd want a small part, playing a writer - me. She said, YES! It's great. Although her part is small, she's at every rehearsal. She fills in for people when they have to miss, and she does a great "Mary." Thanks, Kim, for your enthusiasm for my play!

Rehearsals are going well. We laugh and fool around and enjoy each other's creative wit. We're rehearsing at the Senior Center. It's a large, quiet space, and it's free. In return, we'll perform the play for their dinner on April. 9. It's open to the public, too, in case you didn't get tickets for the Coco Moon performances. I think we're sold out!

A few shots from rehearsal.

Sam holding up Roxy's painting, titled: Inner Beauty
The painting is by my friend JeMA. Art by JeMA.

Laura, Roxy, Sam & Lolly

Sam serves Lolly her tea with extra sugar.

Guy, helping direct.

I'm in too many scenes to get a good perspective.

Plus, he's brilliant.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  How have you used your creativity lately?

David playing Sam

Quote of the Day: On acting; I don't understand what could be so important or life-changing about impersonating someone else or creating a character out of thin air and presenting him as very real. But it is, to me. And again last night I felt that deep, emotional outpouring that comes from deep within. I guess acting allows me to live at a different and richer level than normal life, if that makes sense. And the more familiar I become with this script, the more envious I become because I didn't write it. Very well done. - David Allan Pundt, who is playing Sam, the Barista, in my play Coffee Shop Confessions.

David and Elvis

Love me Tender, or You Ain't Nothin' but a Hound dog?

David sent the above quote to me yesterday when I told him that I'd like to feature him on my blog today as I'm introducing the cast of my play. I did not hold auditions, which is traditionally how it's done in theatre, because I wasn't sure who'd even show up. I'm a no-name, never-heard-of play, and really, I wanted to invite people into this art who would be open to trying something new. I needed people who are willing to take a risk. I knew David enjoyed theatre. We met when he was on the board of a kids drama program in the area. I was directing the youngest kids. I've seen him in several shows in the area, and he directed Peter Pan a couple summers ago. I thought he might bite. He said YES even before he read the script. We chatted on the phone. He asked a couple questions. I told him the main premise of the play, and he was in. I was overjoyed!

The first night that we gathered and read through the play, David explained that once he was bitten by the acting bug, he's been hooked for life. Once a show is done, he grieves it, and after a few months can't eat or sleep until he has another show to prepare for. I said, "I'm glad that we can keep you from starving." And, I'm so glad he's part of the show. He adds a gentleness to this male character who is both part of the set as the owner, and an encouraging and kind male voice in a world of women who are hurting. He gets the importance of this story and wants to be part of its telling.

Here's my response to David's above quote:

Oh, David, thank you so much. My heart is overflowing. And, there I was, filled with artist angst, yet surrounded by creative spirits who lift me up.

 Thank you so much for your generous time and talent. You are an actor. You love bringing the story to life. Acting is funny, we're both someone else and more of ourselves.

Go. Create. Inspire!

I don't know what it was about Monday night's rehearsal. It was a full moon. We were all a little "punchy" from the weekend. Or, maybe it was the dye in the lollipops that I brought for props, that got eaten by the cast. But, we were on a humorous role. Sometimes, I think that rehearsals are for the actors to get the giggles out, to enjoy the script and each other before we get serious and reveal it to others. Either way, I was surrounded by the electricity of many creative spirits, and my heart sang.

Journaling Prompt:  Have you ever experienced a yes that felt like pure trust and acceptance? Does the full moon effect you?

The Creative Train

Quote of the Day: 

Start with your own money and value your intuition. It's all about endurance in the beginning. Your dream and passion to succeed must be stronger than your fear of failure.

~Terri Bowersock

It's really happening. I had a dream to write a play in a coffee shop, set in a coffee shop, to be performed in a coffee shop. I heard the characters' voices talking in my head. I saw visions of them interacting and having complex lives and stories. I knew their relationships. I had to let them out, or they'd devour me. Now, I've released them to the actors. They're becoming even more amazing and interesting than I'd imagined. And, as the momentum grows, more people get involved. It's like they all want to hop on board this creative train. Whoo Whoo, hear we go! There's no turning back. You can't stop a train.

But, I might be just a weensy bit nervous. Who am I to ask all these people to take time from their busy lives to ride my train? Maybe, just maybe, it's just the ride the've been waiting for.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  Have you ever started a project that seemed to gain momentum until it grew to something even bigger than you imagined?

Guy playing Nick

Today is Insecure Writer's Support Group. Thanks to Alex J. Cavanaugh and his brilliant blog. I call the self-doubt voices "The Committee." I am forming a team to fight them. Guy is leading the charge.  Read on.

Quote of the Day: And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt. - Sylvia Plath

My play, a swim meet, and one good Guy.

I was trying to think of a good guy to play the part of Nick in my play, Coffee Shop Confessions. I remembered that Guy Kelm was a writer, has done some work with theatre, and he would fit the role nicely. So, I emailed him with a request and explanation of what I was doing.  I didn't hear from him, so I thought he might not have gotten my email or wasn't sure about it. His kids are on the swim team with my boys. When I saw him at the weekend swim meet, he gently turned me down to play the part, but said that he loves reading plays and would be happy to read mine.  Since I just happened to have it with me at the meet, I handed it to him, and let the day progress.

The Y swim meets are loooong suckers. It's a full day affair. I'd get up watch my swimmers for a few minutes, then come back to my chair, not far from Guy's. I'd peek up at him as he kept reading my script throughout the day. I thought it was a good sign that he didn't chuck it under his seat. At the end of the meet, he came up to me and said many wonderful things about my play.  I was flattered and thanked him. After he described his impression of the story and how Nick is an important character and what he does to challenge the other characters in the play, I said, "You get it." (I wanted him to play the part so badly at this point.)

He handed me back the script and said he was really interested in it. He paused and said, "Maybe."

On Tuesday morning, the self-doubt committee was planning a meeting in my head. I'd just heard that the timing didn't work for another actor, and I thought this still wasn't the right time to have my play performed. I put in a call to another actor, then sat down at the piano for a while. Just before I headed out to my weekly yoga class, I checked my email. Guy wrote to tell me that YES he'd like to take the role of Nick. I squealed a very happy thank you! (He probably heard it across town.) Then, went to yoga.

That same week, on Friday evening, I read over my script again, and of course, found places to tweak it. Between picking up my kids, feeding them, and cleaning up, I finally read the last act in bed. The self-doubt committee knew I was tired and that my defenses were down. I still had one more role to fill. As I read Act 3, I started to think it was terrible writing, so sappy.  Who would ever want to be in this play? People will role their eyes when they see it. 

I said, "Stop it." (to the committee) I reminded them how Guy was a no until he read the play, then changed to a YES! "Take that, committe!" I told them to get out of my head and out of my bed, it was time for me to go to sleep.

During our first rehearsal, Guy told his story, including that he is a theatre and music major. He is currently a second grade teacher. He really does get my play. When I try to make changes, he tells me why what is there is working. He asks the right questions. He gives me even more insight into the story that we're telling.

I am so grateful to have Guy on my team. Thank you so much. Your words and your YES are a strong defense against that awful self-doubt committee.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  Who's voice do you hear when you need to fight off the self-doubts?

Dare to Start

Quote of the Day:  Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary. ~ Cecil Beaton

Introducing the cast of Coffee Shop Confessions, my first full-length play. We will be performing it at the Coco Moon in downtown Brainerd on March 2 & 3, at 6:30 p.m. These adorable people all said Yes to my script and Yes to my request to be in the show. We started rehearsals this week. And, YES, I was giddy. I have a terrible head cold, which kept me from bouncing off the ceiling, but I was still extremely excited. And, they're all wonderful.  Here's the List:

                CAST OF CHARACTERS

SAM                      David Allan Pundt

LOLLY                    Joey Halvorson

LAURA                  Laura Oldham

AUBREY               Mary Aalgaard

ROXY                     Katie Maine

JEWELL                 Abbey Olmsted

MICKI                    Kate Hauble

NICK                      Guy Kelm

Yep, that's my name as one of the characters. I asked several people who would have been great in the role of Aubrey. They considered it, but the timing wasn't right for any of them. So, I guess it's meant to be that I take a role. Aubrey is the best choice for me. She's a hair-stylist, single, looking for Mr. Wonderful, online and otherwise. She's a bit outspoken and cares deeply for her friends. I played a beauty shop owner once before in a community theatre production of Steel Magnolias. I was Truvy. It's my biggest role so far, and I loved it. Now, I get to act again.

My hair-stylist, Aubrey, inspired the role, so I told her to make me look like a trendy stylist. Aren't the purple highlights fun?

So, we're off and running. We rehearsed the songs tonight, and I had a blast. Each step of the process is a thrill for me. My dream is becoming a reality. Thank you to the cast for bringing these characters to life.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  What is your vision to bring your art form and dreams to life?