A Writer's Anxiety

When one writes a story, be it for print or for viewing on screen or stage, one is always a little anxious about how it will be received. I know full well that my works are not to everyone's taste. However, to date, my four scripts, -some staged, some filmed and some both,- have received quite positive reviews. Now, I also know that those who may not have enjoyed them, could well have been too polite to say so.

Desperately Seeking Samuel has only just been released. To date, there have been only a few replies. One couple, who have enjoyed my past works in theatres, lamented that they were on rural dial-up internet and could not view it. Another couple complained that they were luddites and were having trouble figuring out how to view it on their big screen TV. I have had a Well done. Applause, Applause, Applause. Sad though. And so it goes.

However, out of the blue, I received an email from someone whom I had not seen or thought of for ten or more years. The link to the film had been sent to her by someone else and, having viewed it, she immediately contacted me.

Now some praise is gratuitous. But Vlasta Van Kampen is an accomplished writer and illustrator and a wonderful artist. She is self-assured and did not need to contact me.

We met when I was running a retail store in the artisan village of Warkworth, Ontario. She had seen me perform on stage at the local theatre. She asked me if I would be interested in adapting a children's book of hers for the stage. I did. Then she asked me to direct it!

There was a sizeable cast. It meant corralling assorted shopkeepers and local residents, some who had acted before and most who had not, into hours of rehearsal and production efforts. The play, Marigolds Wings, was a huge success and children came from all around to view its several performances.

Vlasta wrote: You are A WONDER. I was so swept up with it, shed a few tears and related to the aging process that is already staring me in the face. It spoke to me on many different levels. BRAVO!

If no one else responds, this has made my day!

Comments

Samuel Benefit a Success

The sold out performance of Desperately Seeking Samuel was a success. The production raised $800 for the Champlain Elementary School breakfast and lunch programme. The cheque will be presented to the school at the end of month at the school assembly by request of the principal, Jan Ross. Paul Rapsey performed both the role of Samuel in the main play and of Marianna in the Epilogue. The powerful Epilogue was not in the film version. Audience members who had already seen the film, repeatedly said how different the play was from the film version. It had more energy and less darkness. Paul says that is because an actor feeds off an audience. An actor cannot do that in a film. In his brief introduction, Paul said the play was not a linear one. He described it as like a slow paced road trip of discovery. It starts off in the early morning darkness. Sometimes the road is smooth and straight. Sometimes one is dodging potholes. There are curves and bends. Sometimes the scenery is stunning...

One's Company Now a Film

I am not a filmmaker. But Covid has forced me to become one, to a degree. I decided to turn this stage play into a one-hour film in the "talking head" genre. I have not decided what if anything I will do with this film other than make it available to my few fans on YouTube. I am not sure exactly how to categorize this film. At 61 minutes, it seems too long to classify as a "short", and too short to classify as a "feature". As was Fiddelity , the film is made with no budget and very basic equipment. I am, essentially a story teller in the old sense. It is the words and the way I use and express them that are intended to ignite the imagination of the audience, rather than reliance on pyro-technics and the like. I was particularly touched by this comment by one viewer: " I watched One’s Company last night and loved it. A graceful insight into alone-ness. Am I not being understood….or is it I who misunderstands? Small worries looming large. The growth...

Playwright Turned Author

BOOK LAUNCH There is murder in the air in a sleepy, unsuspecting village on the banks of a tidal river in Nova Scotia. “ Murder on the Pony Express Way ” by Paul Rapsey, a resident of Granville Ferry, will be released in paperback format at a book launch at Bainton’s Mad Hatter Bookstore in Annapolis Royal on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. Stay on for Happy Hour at the Mad Hatter Wine Bar. The book is a whimsical murder mystery that takes place in the early 2020s. The historic village is located on the roadway travelled briefly by the mid-19 th century Pony Express riders carrying mail between Halifax and Victoria Beach in Nova Scotia. The characters may be flawed, but they are loveable. Although Paul has published other works, this is his first fictional novel. Josh Anderson at Amazon Books, which will be releasing the book for online purchases and e-readers in the late spring or early summer, wrote that the book is “ …a delightful read… W...

One Actor - Another Show

Search This Blog