Don't let me be misunderstood.

Hello all.

There's much to report.

The biggest thing is, the first read through is tonight. I invited everyone to come and hear it, both because I wanted to read it in front of a group to hear how it works, and also because you know, if something is scary and hard, the best thing to do is to make it even more scary and hard by inviting everyone you know to come and watch you fail. Great plan, Elizabeth! Good thinking!

No, but seriously. It's no good telling stories to an empty room, and I wanted to invite people I know and love to come and be a part of it -- you know, community building and all that fruity hippie bullshit. Hopefully, the audience will keep me honest, and let me know if it is good, or if I should consider carefully and ignominiously slinking away.

It's been quite a haul to get ready for this first read -- the video is almost all totally ready (thanks Rachelle Beckerman!) and the script is in a good place (I think) and I've rigged up a whole system where I can operate the sound and the video at the same time as I read the script. I feel a little like a one man band with a harmonica in my mouth and cymbals on my knees, but it should be fun to watch me maneuver around, if nothing else.

I hope, I hope, I hope.

I keep thinking this is all going to get easier, but you know, it just doesn't. Not ever.

Good thing I like it when things are hard.

See you tonight.

xo

Bright Future in Sales

Got my venue assignment yesterday!

The show will be at The Actors' Playhouse, which is exactly across the street from Barrow Street Theatre in the West Village. Like, you can see it from the lobby.

So, since I'll be doing both shows at the same time, I'll finish one, cross the street, and do the other. I think this is hilarious and awesome.

Here's the theatre's website. I like how the "before and after" shots of the theatre renovation aren't really a one-to-one correlation.

www.nyactorsplayhouse.com/

One problem -- the theatre has 162 seats.

How am I going to fill 162 seats, 5 times?

I was kind of hoping that I would get a space with like, 40 seats, so I could fill it and sell out and feel good about myself.

Now I have to find, like 800 audience members. Or, like 500. 500 would do.

Oh god.

Please come to the show.

Love, Elizabeth

A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head

Hi everyone.

Sorry for the radio silence.

So, in the last week, I've been sitting on the script, and have delivered the video into the able hands of Rachelle Beckerman. While it was mildly traumatic to give up my computer, it's really fun to watch what someone else does with the stuff, and I find that I can get so much more done when I'm not farting around on the internet at night!

I was dragging my feet about memorizing the script, so I did what I know best. I made a little schedule with deadlines.

Then, I recorded the whole script into my little tape recorder. I did this in my car -- both because it's a private enclosed space that makes a pretty good sound booth, and also because I felt safe and invisible when I was sitting inside of it. I did this in between shows, when the car was parked on the street in Greenwich Village. I'm sure that people thought I was crazy. I'm also sure they saw crazier things on the street that day.

I drove down to the beach that night to visit a friend. And you know, every time I get in my car, I think about how all the alternate side parking, and car insurance, and hassle associated with having a car in New York just melts away as soon as I start driving away from the city. And I had that same feeling, you know, of "I could go anywhere tonight. I'm on my way to Avalon, NJ, but really, I could go anywhere from here." I don't know what that thing is, but it is strong with me.

Now, once I got to Avalon, NJ, I was very happy to be there and sad to leave. It was so nice and comfortable to sit on a big couch and drink wine and hold a baby. But I wondered if it was only so nice because I knew I had just the one day? It felt really good to be at rest and not in motion, though. But I'm still scared of being at rest in the wrong place. So I'm still in motion, looking for the very best place to be at rest.

What I'm telling you, is that the problem whose solution is is kind of the story of the show is actually still a problem. I haven't solved it at all and I am a fraud.

I feel fine about that.

xo
Elizabeth

The best imitation of myself

Hey you guys.

I totally forgot that I have to memorize it.

I got so excited about being accepted into the fringe, and then so swept up in finishing the writing, that I totally forgot that I'm going to have to remember what to say next for 80 minutes.

I have a pretty good memory, but I don't know about this. Shit. 80 minutes? That's a lot of minutes.

In other news, I met with my awesome production team, who are going to lift the technical and production worries off my shoulders and make everything wonderful.

I'm not totally happy with the music and the projections. There's a puzzle there, and I haven't figured it out, but it's not quite right. Rachelle Beckerman can help me, I'm sure of it.

xo
Elizabeth