Leigh's Thoughts (And Mine) On Going Into Moonbeam

Although I haven't been blogging in a while (I've been Tweeting, but that's different), I wanted to direct your attention to Captain Moonbeam & Lynchpin director Leigh Hile's blog entry on our impending first rehearsal and her thoughts on directing the show before the inherent chaos and madness ensues.

I for one can't wait to get started on the show proper (we've already laid all the administrative groundwork; now it's time to get this thing up on its feet).

Reading Leigh's entry makes me feeling increasingly confident and excited about our upcoming production. As I think I've mentioned before, this is a very odd (but I think very good) short play that seemed doomed to be orphaned and abandoned.

Ben VandenBoom and I had staged a truncated version of Captain Moonbeam for Vampire Cowboys' Revamped series back in 2006, and were very happy with the result and response. But aside from being part of that one-night-only event, it didn't look as though Nosedive would ever give it a full production.

Since we had already mapped out our next couple of seasons, since it's a pretty short one-act (that is to say, under 45 minutes and too short to present on its own), and since at the time, Nosedive Central co-pilot Pete didn't quite know what to make of it (though I think he liked our 2006 staging; at least he said he did), it looked as though our Revamped performance was going to be its one and only live presentation.

Still, it was (is) a script I really wanted to produce. It's a weirdly personal script (the reasons for why are hard to explain). It's a very odd play that's tough to describe yet somewhat to pitch (as it deals with comic books and superheroes, and is both funny, sad and violent, but it's not really a "superhero play" - or maybe it is). It engaged people at the Revamped show better than I could have imagined.

So, I found it incredibly fortuitous that the Brick decided to make its summer festival comic book-themed, and fortuitous still that they accepted our submission into said festival.

Like I said, I'm incredibly happy that this show has a chance to be presented in its entirety for a few performances. I'm also incredibly happy that Leigh is on board directing this show, giving it the fresh perspective it needs. (And judging from her blog entry, her perspective is quite fresh and insightful, exactly what this script needs.)

At any rate, I'll let you guys know how our first rehearsal goes when it happens. I'll also most likely offer more scattershot thoughts on the play itself (although I think Leigh seems may offer much more articulate and insightful observations).

Over at the other show we here at Nosedive entral are staging, rehearsals for The Blood Brothers present...FREAKS FROM THE MORGUE are already underway, and I plan to sit in on rehearsals for my two contributions, "Otty" and "Daddy's Bad Medicine," this weekend. I'll let y'all know what I think next week.

Anyway, have a good weekend, folks. I'll catch y'all on the flippety, provided the impending Rapture doesn't completely wipe out my weekend.

Having no time for no Goddamned Rapture,

James "Get Bent, Rapture" Comtois