Benny and his friend Griffin at Ocean Beach in San Francisco.

Monday, March 27, 2006

The Land of Misfit Toys

If you click on the links to the right, you can learn about my two produced scripts. A 15-minute screenplay called "The Europa Society" was made in to a movie by Apprentice Films. It screened in Ann Arbor and Mt. Pleasant, both in Michigan.

The second is a 12-minute play called "The Video Game." This one is about two video game characters who stand around and chat while the gamer takes a break. Remember that old Looney Tunes cartoon, where the sheepdog and the coyote say "Hi, Frank" and "Hi, Ralph," then punch a time clock? Then the dog sits on a hill and the coyote tries to steal the sheep? It's kinda like that. Anyway, "The Video Game" will be performed June 24. I've got a director and a cast, and rehearsals start this month.

Usually when I think of my fiction projects, I often recall The Land of Misfit Toys from the "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" TV show. Santa created this island for screwed-up toys with square wheels, strange habits or tragically misguided name choices (remember "Charlie in the Box?")

My toys hide in obscure computer files or crumpled boxes from Kinko's. I've got a short story called "Happy Burger" and a 10-year-old play script titled"The Bats From Hell." My one-act play "The Europa Society" lives as a 40-page stage play and a 15-page screenplay. My short play "The Video Game" wears three separate hats: one where the Russian sentry lives, one where he dies and one where nobody knows. Glowering over all of them sit my two novels: "Secret Soldiers" and "Escaping Olympus."

My efforts at writing a full-length script have failed miserably so far. The first, called "Wake Up Winslow," was about a brother and sister hosting a local morning television show. Their older brother talked them into the show, then promptly disappeared after the first day. After Scene Four, the script crawled into a hole and still refuses to come out. Sometimes a story is smarter than I am.

##

1 comment:

Jenny said...

The best and fresh deals and offers available here at CouponAlbum, all the categories are available here including toys and games for children!!