Otherwise

The first reading of the first draft of THE SADDEST GIRL IN THE WORLD occured some week and a half ago. I am happy to declare that it went splendidly. There were some tears shed (in character!), and afterwards, some great brainstorming and critique. I honestly love recieving critique about my playwriting, so I was very happy to walk away knowing some of how to make this piece even more astoundingly terrific. Many thanks to Dirk, Kathy and Alison for your creativity, insight, intelligence, passion and sensitivity!

Out of the changes needed, the most pressing is that of time and length. The reading went an hour and a half, without any action or movement, but there is only an hour of alloted time for my production at the Fringe Festivals. Considering that any on stage action or movement would add yet more time, I am currently working to edit my writing by half. I have already cut out some passages I truly love, but that are not necessary for the flow of story or plot, or as exposition to the nature of character. Sometimes I am more than happy to cut words, as I think “Oh well, this is pretty mediocre anyways”, but when the writing is really beautiful or powerful, it is difficult to chop, chop, chop. But necessary. So, I steel myself and exile some truly lovely or arresting images and phrases.

Maybe after all the performances of TSGW are finished and the production simply a memory (boooo!), I will post some of my favourite passages that were cut, like a film-maker posts their deleted scenes on a DVD.