Writing With Nancy

Lakeside News

Mary Scruggs, a long-standing member of Lakeside Studio wrote a story in the workshop about taking a trip with a group of Vietnam Veterans, which is now a full-length monologue. PLEASE come out and support this show. It's very, very good.

JEFF RECOMMENDED!

Written and performed by solo artist Mary Scruggs, Missing Man is based on a cross-country motorcycle trip Scruggs took with a group of Vietnam Veterans to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. It’s a story of one woman, 300 motorcycles and lots of emotional baggage. Directed by Edward Thomas-Herrera.

Missing Man

opens Thursday, January 24th, 2008.

Closes Sunday, March 2nd, 2008.

Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8pm; Sunday at 3pm.

Tickets are $20 on Friday and Saturday; $15 on Thursday and Sunday.

For reservations call (773) 871-1212.

Coming to the End

Since the Writing With Nancy show closed I’ve had a chance to sleep a lot these past two weeks. Once the set strike was complete, at like 8pm Sunday night) I got violently, wretchedly sick for a few days. A total purge. In that initial 72 hours it felt the way coming off a long road trip continues after the car has come to a standstill. I was heaving and dreaming, curled in a ball having acid flashbacks of the songs, monologues and moments of getting particular laughs etc. only to go deeply unconscious again. People have since mentioned that a stomach flu was going around; although I have not been sick like that in years. I think purging was part of completing this project, this period of my life, this stressful attempt to articulate and share my personal vision to date and TO GET IT OUT OF ME. There’s a reason people don’t act on their dreams. You make mistakes, you get a huge feedback buzz, (which includes disappointments & surprises–eek!) and to top it off you have explosive diarrhea while puking your guts out

Soon I was back up on emails and able to go to yoga and the gym. Then I fell into watching a little BBC television I’d missed. (Specifically, may I recommend the latest effort by Jennifer Saunders –of Ab Fab?– who has a new series titled, *Clatterford* that features an ensemble of 8 superb actors mostly in their 50s. Not to mention the special features commentary with Pedro Almodovar on his last film *Volver* talking with Penelope Cruz.) After a few days of that I called my friends and even had lunch one day with my bff, Denise just to feel slightly human again. Then I wrote a few more checks to pay for the show’s final production costs–including an HD video document of the performance, which I will be able to show to those out-of-towners who had wanted to see the show but couldn’t travel.

The question I have is: What is it like when you to complete something? You hear a lot of people talking about their plans or goals. Sometimes you hear people describing their creative process or even their latest accomplishments–like writing a contract on a piece of business. But it is rare in my experience to hear anybody talk about completion. Is it like death I wonder? In my case it is a multi-dimensional feeling of things coming OUT or being left behind. Got anything on that?

I can’t say I was all that motivated to celebrate the holiday this year although I have been drinking a cheap champagne from New Mexico called Gruet that’s awfully good.

Merry/Happy To All!

WALK THE WALK #6

As I approach the final weekend of performances of the Writing With Nancy show, I am stunned by how much energy it takes to perform. In the play I make mention of the parallels between teaching and performing–but I got news for ya, performing is a much more difficult task. The energy it takes to put yourself out there is only matched by the incredible feedback you get back. Performing requires you to be present at an extraordinary level. It reminds me of when my daughter was an infant and I would spend the days staring at her as she stared back at me and on and on. In those first months when the sun went down I would crawl into bed exhausted, not realizing that the strain of remaining present with this infant was kicking my ass. That’s sort of what the show is like–having a big baby that makes some pretty serious demands.

It’s been 20 years since I did a show; not coincidentally, when I became a mother I stopped working in the theatre and now that my daughter is at college, about to turn 19, I am putting my big toe back into the water. Who knew it would take me 20 years to finally outlive the stranglehold my straight theatre training has had on my artistic output? Twenty years ago I wrote plays that other people performed, but this show is me writing for myself and a few (paradoxically enough) improvisers to perform. That nexus pf writing for performance and improvisation is where my satisfaction lies in this project. I finally see how to create scenarios that can be left open here and there to allow for variation. And I like writing about true things in an abstracted, figurative way. That’s style AND content I’m talkin about baby.Bam. I’m going to be discussing this more, later.

Last 3 performances this Friday, Dec. 7th & Saturday, 8th @ 8pm and Sunday Dec. 9th @ 3pm. Don’t miss this landmark achievement of my career. Or DO miss it, but consider yourself properly reminded that this is it, there ain’t no more.

Words Of Mouths

I want to thank everybody who made the first two weekends of Writing With Nancy at Live Bait Theatre a success. I am gratified by your support and happy with the show as a whole—especially that my performance has improved—the Posse and Rebecca were great from the beginning. Thank goodness we didn’t perform over Thanksgiving because we really did need a rest—having thrown up the show in 3 weeks was stressful. But enough about me.

I would now like to challenge the next 20 people who buy tickets for this Friday night’s performance (Nov. 30^th) to get one ticket free for another day and time. Just email me when you want me to put aside your comp. Please consider asking a friend, neighbor, guy-who-goes-to-plays, writer, middle-aged woman, ex-student of mine, theatre major, book lover or sibling if they want to see a funny show. And then maybe they will invite somebody to join them.

You can buy tickets online http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/22585 

or you can tempt fate and wait until the performance and walk up to the box office one-half hour beforehand. You may also call an 800 number and make a credit card purchase over the phone if that feels better. If you are coordinating with somebody—just send them to my web site or here, and they can click the banner to the online service that way.

We have 6 more performances before we close Dec. 9^th. Please, please take a minute to decide when you can come and then book the tickets.

Btw: Shannon Cunningham is the winner of the French fries competition and may also redeem her comp pronto darling.

Thank you and again my thanks.

Please Come to Live Bait This Weekend

The opening weekend of Writing With Nancy was very successful. I have already made over half my goal for the run. Thank you to all the friends who have taken ads in the program to ensure my advanced ticket sales. You really got my back. Opening night I was seized with terror and went up on many lines. Saturday, somehow relieved of pressure, we killed. On Sunday afternoon, with only about 20 people in the house, Eileen Donohue, preggers, bravely went on stage for the first time in 10 years to replace Gillian Bellinger who took the day off for her birthday. Many well-wishers have brought flowers to the show and my house is filled with the aroma of roses and lillies and stuff I don’t know the name of.

When you come to the show why not bring along champaign or some non-alcoholic bubbly? Put a ziplock of ice in the bag to chill the bottle (Denise did this on opening night and it was fabulous) and I will provide us the paper cups. Let’s have a toast and chat each other up and celebrate on the couch in the lobby.

I’m glad to be finally doing the show and seeing what the whole thing is about and how it works. People adore the Posse. And given my rocky ability to retain the sequence of the show, I am so bloody grateful to be up on that stage with SOMEBODY ELSE to whom I can turn for support and guidance. Maybe that’s the ultimate lesson here: that without the support of others for what I do, I am lost. The people I have chosen to work with on this project, have supported me with kindness and generosity. I am having fun and realizing this dream is rewarding. Can't remember the last time I could say that.

We will be off for the Thanksgiving week, giving thanks, so please make a concerted effort to sell out my performances this coming weeked. And PLEASE tell a friend.

MEMORIZE THIS!

I have been memorizing lines for 2 weeks with limited success and yesterday I got on my feet and put down the script. With Denise prompting me, within 2 hours I had managed to get to page 18. That’s close to 2/3rds. Note to all sketch writers and playwrights especially:

Do yourself a favor before you die by memorizing the entirety of something you have written so you can immediately discover IT’S TOO DAMN LONG.

Not only is every one of my monologues too long but they’re convoluted. too. I seem to write things upside down and with lots of additional gee-gaws hanging off of it. My writing is saying something I want to say but my feelings about what I’m saying gob thing up with guk. It’s so annoying! Fortunately I can edit the play because I wrote it.

But I think a lot of sketch writers watch their scenes and think: Damn that actor! Why can’t they just pick up the pace? This scene is dragging and they just need to say the lines faster! Wrong and wrong. Andy Miara, one of my colleagues at Second City says dialogue should take up about 1/3 of the theatrical space. The other THIRD is for the gestures and exits and other blocking. The final third is for the audience to react–hopefully from time to time with laughter.

When I direct student shows, first-time writers lean in to me during the performance and whisper,

*Why aren’t they laughing?*

I always end up saying, *Because they’re too busy listening.*

LET'S TRY NOT TO HOG ALL THE THEATRICAL SPACE WITH WORDS FOLKS. I'm trying, I'm really trying. So putting up *Writing With Nancy* has already been an invaluable experience and we’re two weeks away from opening!

BTW: Opening night is already half sold so please buy tickets soon BY CLICKING THE BANNER ABOVE. I appreciate your support.

Everything with French Fries

Not since I wrote about sausage last year, have I felt so compelled to discuss another favorite food: french fries. You can have your chocolate and your cupcakes (although I do long for some pie now and again) my guilty pleasure is salt and fat--where the flavor is. And all summer I was known to be baking up some frozen ones alongside some sockeye salmon with mayo and balsamic vinegar and garlic okay, and some dill. Now that's what I'm talking about. I like french fries in the morning, when I prefer to eat dinner. By six o'clock I couldn't care less about cooking. Carb intake in recent years has been monopolized by pasta and of course bread. But the nutritional benefits of the potato should not be overlooked. So now the gauntlet has been thrown. I invite you all to step up and share where you get your favorite fries. If you can't remember the name of the place, please provide a street or intersection...because if you make me get lost trying to find the joint, that's on you. I'll start:

CrossRhodes: This long-standing greek diner in Evanston at the corner of Main & Chicago Aveenues has the most delicious, thick *Greek* fries you could ever want to eat. They are thick-cut with just the right ammount of oil and vinegar drizzled all over them and seasoned with rosemary. Another option is to order tzaki sauce for dipping too. OMG!

Favorite Frozen Fries: Alexia brand which can be found at most supermarkets, but especially Treasure Island are the best. There are upwards of 6 different varieties including the new Salt & Pepper. OooLaLa.

The Ticket Office Is Up!

Thanks to Justin Jones and Ashley Vinson taking turns passing the Mac back and forth last night while we ate Brushetta and Tomato Veggie soup--I now have an online box office for the *Writing With Nancy* show!  http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/22585  Please send your friends the link or direct them to my website www.writingwithnancy.com (which will allow them to click through) and encourage them to buy a few tickets. Anybody who sends 10 people (including themselves) may place an ad in the show's program. Consider becoming a sponsor of the show and reaching 1,000 writers and friends of writers. Why not represent your business or club or charity--or just post a picture of your cat or dog making a statement in support of Writing With Nancy? Get out your calendars and save the date today.

Greenlight

I have succeeded in finishing the script and getting John’s (my director) approval to have a reading of the draft which is coming up this Sunday at my house. The script is 30 pages long but the format is a little goofy so it will play longer than you might think–usually it’s about 2 minutes a page. There are three songs too. So John says the show will run about 80 minutes. Fine. But boy am I glad I cast the Posse to share the stage along side and behind me. I don’t think I’d care to be alone up there. The ending for the show was from an essay that I wrote about the beginning of my writing business. I wrote the piece about 2 years ago. In September, with 5 pages left to go, I kept thinking the end of the show should be different than the essay but when I finally opened up the file of the essay I saw that I was saying what I had wanted to say back then. It just took me 2 years to realize it. Oh well.

Last week I made an inquiry about renting the Live Bait Theatre for the show and as fate would have it, they just had a group cancel and they were looking for a show to replace it and offered the slot to me. Then this week, within 24hours I found a stage manager, lighting designer, set designer, graphic artist and publicist. So, what I’m trying to point out is that when things reach fruition, and sometimes that’s after YEARS, many other things fall into place almost at a ridiculously funny rate.

Not only is there no problem, but the project seems to be riding on a deserted city street that has nothing but green lights all the way. So we’re set to open Nov. 9^th and run Friday, Saturday and Sunday for 4 weeks (minus Thanksgiving) thru Dec. 9^th. So the next few weeks will be extra busy trying to rehearse everybody. Yesterday I called my friends Denise and Ginny to ask them for help memorizing the lines. Will I be able to memorize lines that I wrote? Without changing them? Well in the dialogues with the Posse I had damn well better. Maybe in the monologues I’ll have some wiggle room.

I am very happy and excited to be doing this show. It’s only taken me about 17 years to get it together. Hope you’re enjoying yourself, the weather and whatever part of the writing process you’re in. Stay tuned for more, more often from me.

Walk The Walk #5

I’m on page 25 of my show and it’s really taking shape. I have decided to have a slightly unusual writing class right on stage. Hey, that’s a pun, Write on Stage. Might be a good title too. The Posse is going to be my class but they are there (in the show) to learn some life lessons. In order to connect with the lessons they are going to be writing-on-the-fly. I had wanted to give audience members small pads of paper and have them jot a few things down throughout the show. Two weeks ago when I last met with my director, John, he had all these issues about having the audience interaction really work. John showed me that there was much less likelihood of the audience participation than I cared to think. He gave me several good reasons why I needed to re-consider this.

This is the value of a director in this writing stage of the game–they’re discerning. They don’t say yes when they are not sure; and, they say basic things over and over like: What is it you want to show the audience that you’ve learned? (Jeez he’s said that to me about 20 times at this point. That’s almost once for every page of script.)

When you’re creating something it’s embarrassing. I should say it’s humbling. But the truth is that you feel lost, blind, awkward–pick your word–and to stay in that place requires a certain amount of stamina and hope. You are exposed and you are also capable of failing. You have a life that requires your attention and other projects come swooping in and derail your efforts. So when you show people the work you need them to be straight with you but in a real basic way. Plus you require kindness. Lots and lots of kindness. When you’re creating something kindness is like rocket fuel. (I worry on my death bed that this single thing will haunt me. That I will shudder at the sobering recognition that I have not been nearly kind enough.) It’s only when a collaborater can be detached and yet still care, that you have any hope of hearing them.