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The Trump Family Christmas, and other ideas


As I may have mentioned before, I do community theater. It is a pastime that mostly keeps me out of trouble. It does take time and work. For me it is fun, but it is also an art form, a craft. Most of those who do it with me take it seriously. We may all be amateurs, but we don’t want to look like amateurs. If we are in a good play (and we do it right), we can affect an audience. We can make them feel something. From an audience perspective, there is really nothing like live theater. It beats movies hands down.

So the other day I was in rehearsal for the next show I am going to be in. It is Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I am certain that this production will be unlike any production of MSND that has ever come before. That is mainly because of our director who also adapted the script (meaning she actually rewrote parts of the script) and adapted the music and is also the choreographer, as well as doing the marketing (okay, she is an over achiever). This show is so different because . . . nope . . . sorry, no spoilers here. If you want to know what happens, you will have to buy a ticket. Apologies to those who do not live near Newport, Oregon, USA. Maybe we will talk after it is over.

Anyway, while we were at rehearsal, our director asked me if I was going to be submitting a play for the Christmas show. Several weeks ago a call for submissions went out for one-act plays with a holiday theme that will be put into a show around Christmas. I saw the notice and thought about it for a while, but then I never had any brilliant play ideas flash into my head and it eventually slipped my mind. So when she asked me if I was going to be submitting, I said, “probably not.” She looked at me earnestly and said, “Please do. I only have one script that has come in that I like. There is another one I could use, if I can’t get anything better, and that’s it. All the rest are either terrible or they did not read the guidelines.” So then I am thinking, the need is there; I guess I had better write something. But what? I was still struggling with coming up with an idea when my wife said that she had a Christmas story that she had written years ago; perhaps I could adapt that. So I found her story and read it. It is a lovely story. It is charming. And there is no way that I can see to turn it into a play. Some stories are better left as stories. I have worked on script workshops before and I have seen short stories that have been modified into plays. Sometimes it works, and sometimes no matter how you force it, it just can’t make the transition from story to play, and everyone working on it is in a state of misery until you finally give up.

So I have come up with a start of a new play. At least I have some characters.  I am not sure if it is going anywhere or if I can finish it by the deadline, but I am working on it. But one of the ideas I came up with (and I rejected) would have been titled “The Trump Family Christmas.” The mind boggles at the possibilities of such a play with such a cast of characters. But alas, I don’t think it would fall within the guidelines of the project.  So maybe someone else will write “The Trump Family Christmas” for some other project.

(My novel Starliner, is now available as an ebook through Copypastapublishing.com, or Amazon.com. For those who like to turn physical pages, the paperback will be out in October).

(from a prior production of A Midsummer Night's Dream)


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