LOOK WHO I MET LOOK WHO I MET.

I am one of the chummier playwrights at Blank. By this, I mean "chummy" as a synonym for "unprofessional." Which is to say I like hanging out with the cast and crew. Before the show, we were informed we had a pair of "celebrities" in the audience.

Wait for it.

Wait for it.

BEN AFFLECK AND JENNIFER GARNER.

THEY SAID THEY LIKED MY PLAY.

HERE I HAVE PICTURES TO PROVE I MET THEM.

BUT THAT'S NOT ALL. BECAUSE HEATHER MORRIS [Brittany from Glee] WAS ALSO THERE.

(This is a little more understandable because she is in week three of the festival.)

She's taller than I expected her to be.

ANYWAY HERE'S A PICTURE.

The end of the weekend is kind of bittersweet. While I was having a blast, I kept coming up with reasons to keep from leaving, because leaving means things have to go back to normal. In his closing monologue, Daniel Henning always says that the feeling of having people see our work and like it is what keeps us writing, and this year I really, really understand what he means.

I've got one more year of eligibility for Blank. I will definitely be trying to get back.

(One final cast and crew photo. Random people in the background for the win! I will crop that out at a later date.)

California Dreaming

Last night was opening night for Blank YPF and let me tell you it was AWESOME. I've always been thrilled with what gets done at Blank, and this year was just a perfect storm of cool stuff. I always aim for simple-to-no-sets, and this year finally managed to land a blank stage. (NO PUN INTENDED.) I've also got this thing for blue lights and neat goboes* (did I spell that right? I suspect I didn't), which I also got.

Also I really like talented actors. To say my cast is talented is the understatement of the century... Not that I've ever worked with anyone at Blank who wasn't brilliant, but they're just a terrific bunch. So yeah. Here's a picture:

Yours truly being the brown-haired girl second from the left, grinning like an idiot. Discounting me, from the left is Jessy, Dylan, Jay, and then our fantastic, fantastic director Kirsten. I always say that my Blank cast are my favorite people in the world during show week, but it's because I genuinely mean it.

Last night was seriously awesome. I was nervous going in... mostly because I was really, really aware that I had basically written a "teen suicide drama," which is a genre so overdone as to be done to death, and that I usually make fun of (because no one likes teen suicide dramas.) But I heard a lot of good things about the show, from people whose opinions I was really nervous about, even! So the next three nights should be easier. Of course it's always a bit scary each night with a new audience, but hey, anxiety is the spice of life!

Today, because my mother has a rental car, we decided to go for a drive up in the hills. Apparently Mulholland Drive is a designated scenic route - who knew?

We live in a beautiful world.

Appreciatively yours,

Leez.

*A gobo (correct spelling, I looked it up) is a metal stencil-type-thing that is placed over a stage light to project a pattern on to a surface. It is the saving grace of ugly curtains and can be used to create all kinds of neat effects!

REALLY I SHOULD BE BLOGGING BLANK.

FESTIVAL INFO I SHOULD HAVE POSTED: http://youngplaywrights.com/

Usually they put up opening night photos on Friday. Somehow I've managed to go through a week of practices without ever once posting on here about it. I guess I feel a bit conflicted about blogging about things involving other people, who have, you know, lives and careers to worry about, and this being a public blog... yeah.

Blank YPF is always such an awesome experience. This is my third year participating, and every year has been different. However I do write consistently small casts for characters roughly my age, and it winds up feeling like a really tight little family by the end of the week.

One of my worries with Bogus Ghost is constantly that if it's played the wrong way, it's a half hour of angst. It's meant to be a dark comedy, and the director and the actors totally get that, yay! Everyone working the show is hilarious, it's a laugh a second at rehearsals. I'm told they had to do comedy monologues for the audition, which is just so perfect. Anyway, it opens tomorrow, so I'll hopefully have pictures up sooner or later.

Also a friend told me to check out this band and you should check them out too: http://francisandthelights.com/

Also Allan is the guy from the AT&T commercial with the train. He's hilarious.

Also I lost my phone a few days ago, which sucked. But the less that is said about that, the better.

Yours from sunny California,

Leez.