I am Completely incompetent, and have missed my blog post for at least the second time.

Whoooosh.  I'm going to get over it, and try to refrain from being a failure.

So, I got to see 16 of the new pieces that were part of the festival, and was really, REALLY inspired by everything.  I think it's really gutsy to put something that isn't completely polished out there for people to see- I'm that really annoying perfectionist who is bossy and unrealistic, and don't feel like I could've done that.  So I think it's a big deal to have presented something last week, and an even bigger deal if people loved it in its unfinished form.

I ended up voting for Footprints, Problem Box, and 101 Ways (before I even saw it...yes).

Footprints because I truly believe that it's not finished, and that there is so much more that it has to offer than what we were able to provide for New Works.  That, and I love Jenn and Lindsay, and think that they deserve to share their vision on a larger scale. 

I LOVED Problem Box because I thought the writing was genius.  I mean, I was thinking that I was going to be really bored, kind of like "Chekov told this short story already... snooze."  But I was completely floored- the idea of the box helping you sort out your life (employed by some and forced on others) automatically made the story more interesting than I thought it would be.  Bill is such an ass hole that you WANT to see him turn his life around, to feel remorse and start over.  And I had rejoiced when he and his wife got back together... but audibly gasped when I found out it was all just a trick of the box.  Great idea.  Great writing.  I want to see it again.

101 Ways took on a big responsibility.  I feel like the topics of body image, beauty, sex and relationships, and self-confidence are really touchy for both genders.  101 Ways responsibly broke down the materials that we read on a daily basis, extracting the truth, and analyzing the affects of these fashion magazines on their audience.  And, while this show was hilarious, I have to say that my favorite moments were the more serious monologue segments.  Tim and Jenny's in particular held some special resonance for me, and I thought that it was really... brave?  I guess?  to just put it all out there like that.  It meant a lot to me on a personal level, and I have a lot of respect for that entire cast.  I would love to see this project evolve into something even bigger.

On another note, I was absent the day we did the second full class clinic of everyone's plays!  I just realized this!  I would love to read anything that anyone wants to send me, and offer some constructive criticism.  I really enjoyed the first one.  (juliagytri@yahoo.com)

Can't wait to start long play sessions!

Wooooooo!

Julia :)