Feeling pretty prolific today... so, here's another post. I made a cryptic comment a few posts ago that several of you had enquired about. Here is Part 1.

1. "This is your first piece and you guys are writing a musical about a singing frog? I've been in the local theatre scene for years and I'll tell you why it will never work. One, this is Malaysia, man! Two, you don't have a big local name in it... OK, Mike is an emerging name... but that's in the jazz world! Three, a musical has never been written and produced by a couple of local boys - no one will pay money to see anything local!" - about "Frogway" circa August 1980, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia... over 2000 tickets sold for the 4 performance run.

2. "It's called "Frogway", it's about a singing frog and it's a musical? Well... the Experimental Theater Company is set up for our students to try out stuff and also allows for the luxury to fail... not really about big box-office. In fact, our productions over the last 4 years have hardly broken even. Oh, and you will get our standard production budget... $450." - about "Frogway" circa Spring 1982, California State University, Fresno... 3 sell-out performances over a 4 performance run.

3. (from an actor) "O.K... during that exorcism scene last night... I'm pretty damn sure I wasn't on stage but people keep telling me how good I was in it!" (actor listens to my explanation) "You're shitting me, right? That was not dramatic license... that's actually a real ceremony? Fuck! So, some... entity was using my body on stage???" - about "Wax Figures" circa Fall 1986, California State University, Fresno... Masters project in playwriting & directing.

4. "Let me get this straight... you've been commissioned to adapt the piece for the stage. You accepted the gig because you HATE the original. So, you've decided to take this much beloved Hans Christian Anderson story, set it in Fresno... where there's no snow... which is paramount to the story - girl freezes to death in the show? Hello? Now you're telling me that a major chunk of this adaptation of "The Little Match Girl" will be 2 kids on the stage talking about life and death... and in the plot you kill off 3 people. And this is a holiday show for children's theatre?" - about "A Bundle Of Wishes" circa sometime in 1988, Fresno Childrens Playhouse... where I was one of 2 playwrights in residence for the next 3 years.

more to come... sometime.