Believe it or not, some people have already booked their venue for the 2016 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
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Believe it or not, some people have already booked their venue for the 2016 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. They could be bringing a successful show back for an encore (some shows have a very long shelf life, and come back year after year), or they could be a theatre company that brings a new show there every year, or they might just be super efficient. The kind of folks that plan ahead and prepare. You know... the people who date food before they put it in the freezer, or have a list of yearly chores they consult daily, which means their house is clean and organized. The kind of people that have no junk drawer(s), or three large plastic tubs of random scrapbooking supplies and photographs that have been sitting in their garage since 2007.

I struggle to plan ahead, although the idea of being successful and organized does appeal to me. I'm plan challenged. I often work best with a last minute assignment and a firm deadline. For example, my friend MaryJo needed a small chair, one that might fit a 2 year old, for a show she wrote, which opened last week (One Across, My Life as a Former Crossword Puzzle Clue). I sprang to action on her behalf, stopping at a St. Paul Goodwill store, with less than 10 minutes to browse. Not only did I find the perfect munchkin sized plaid club chair, it was marked two dollars. Assignment, deadline and success.

My writing is often spurred on by outside forces. Things like being included in a storytelling event and having only a week or so to craft a new monologue on a specific topic. Or my bridal dress dilemma which led to the creation of Macaroni on a Hotdog. I try and give myself imaginary deadlines, but life often intervenes. Pedestrian details, (like earning money) means huge chunks of time are spoken for, and then there's parental responsibilities, household dust and other chores, and before you know it, your writing assignment is relegated to 15 minutes in your car when there's road construction delays and you're lucky enough to have paper, pencil and an inspiration.

Lately in my daydreams I envision the next twelve shows I could bring to Edinburgh. Some of them self-penned, and others would be adaptations of material I love. Costumes, venue, staging and cost won't be an issue, because these are daydream shows. It would definitely be cool to be flown in from the wings, or roller skate across the stage, or it might be nice to redefine modern theatre as we know it.

Since cost isn't an issue, I'll tempt people to work with me, that I admire. Carol Burnett and Catharine O'Hara are at the top of my list. We could do Chekov (The Three Sisters), Kevin Kline and I would do Same Time, Next Year and of course The Taming of the Shrew, with Alan Rickman (I'd play Kate). As much as I loathe reality shows, it would be a perfect vehicle for a reality show. Each week would feature a stage production, with at least one star, and then an unknown (me), in another lead role. The star gets to choose a director and venue, and then the final result is aired live (or streamed live), with the public voting to choose a winner. (There always has to be a winner on those shows.) There are predictable elements on reality shows, but with this one, the final product should be good entertainment and the viewing audience might get creatively energized by watching the artistic process unfold. Whichever production loses, those actor(s) have to get punched in the face. That way we can use the title I just thought up, Stagestruck!

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