u/Starraberry

I’ve spent almost 4 years writing and rewriting and revising a full length play and it’s finally being produced in April! It’s just a local community theatre but they put a lot of effort into their promotion. And every step of the way, I still can’t believe this is happening.

Seeing the Facebook promotion and logos. Signing the contract. Being part of the production meetings and seeing what goes into a show before the rehearsal process even starts. Recently I introduced myself to someone in the theatre community and she said “Oh, you’re the writer of (name of my show)!”. Yesterday a friend sent me a picture of her standing by a flag with the logo on it. Apparently there’s going to be merch too.

And every time something new happens I am genuinely shocked. I wanted this and worked so hard for it but everyone told me it would likely never be produced unless I did it myself, and after 10/15/20 submissions I started to believe that too. But I kept networking and kept submitting and kept tightening the script and it happened!

Tell me your stories about the first time you were produced. What did it feel like? Do you still feel that way with subsequent productions?

(For what it’s worth, I had a ten minute play produced last year, but I directed it myself and it was cool, but it didn’t feel like THIS. Having my full-length produced is giving me a warm fuzzy feeling all over!)

Hi everyone, I wrote a play where the main character has schizophrenia and his family is trying to find ways to help him. At its core, it’s a love story, as he hallucinates about his wife who passed away. This play is being performed next April and I want to make sure I’m being accurate and respectful to the mental health community, while still showing the conflict that mental illness can cause in a family.

I’m looking for someone who has an interest in theatre/dramatic writing as well as personal experience with schizophrenic hallucinations, who can read this play and let me know their thoughts. Keep in mind, it’s long (100 pages, it will probably take about an hour to read through it) and could potentially be triggering to some people. (If you have specific triggers, you can let me know in a DM and I’ll let you know if they’re present in the play before you read it)

In the theatre community, we say “never let the facts get in the way of a good story”, but at the same time, I feel that mental health should be presented in ways that show their depth and complexity, and not fall prey to stereotypes or misconceptions.

Please let me know if you would be interested in reading this play and sharing your feedback!

My company made everyone take an LGBTQ-in-the-workplace training, and one of the recommendations was “display a rainbow pin so you can show your consumers that you are supportive”.

I am fully supportive of companies displaying Pride logos on their websites, brochures, badges, etc. Especially for a social services organization like mine, it’s important to show that you support clients equally regardless of their background.

However I also know that pride badges are most commonly used for signaling to others in the community.

What do we think about this advice? As a queer person I have my own opinions about it, but I’m wondering what your thoughts are too.

(Just for debate‘s sake, let’s exclude situations such as Pride month, Pride events, true allies that have queer loved ones and actively advocate, people who are curious/questioning, etc. Let’s assume the person is just a straight, cis, non-questioning person who does not contribute to the queer community besides just being open minded and wearing the pin)

I’m looking for a Reddit where I can just smile and have a good wholesome laugh. Where funny people get together and just build on each others jokes.

I do not want a Reddit full of funny videos. I would prefer text-based content.

Ideally, the whole community gets together with funny responses, rather than just the first post being funny.

I have been told by many that they would rather sleep on the street than sleep in a shelter, because the experience in shelters is terrible. Can anyone elaborate on why they are so bad and give examples, based on your actual lived experience?

I wrote a poem about the emotions I have been feeling about this conflict, and I wanted to share it with you all. I am open to feedback but that’s not my reason for posting, I really just wanted this poem to reach a small audience so it doesn’t stay forever unread in my notebook.

(Please do not post this anywhere without my express permission via DM - respect me as a writer and let me maintain control over how my work gets distributed)

-

The Weight of Injustice

it’s heavy
the weight of one-sided walls
that separate temple from mosque

it’s heavy
the shells that shoot through the sky
that leave only rubble and loss

it’s heavy
the stacks of stones in the street
that used to teach children to read

it’s heavy
the boxes of bandages blown up
while the people of Gaza bleed

it’s heavy
to hear my homeland pour fuel on the fire
and swear the flames wont reach my skin

I’m afraid
that one day I’ll be the one in the cage
and the war will be waged from within

I wrote a poem that I’m rather proud of and would like to share it with people who would appreciate it. Is there a reddit specifically for geopolitical art/creative writing, or something similar?

The Promotion

Maybe there’s another world where magic does exist

With a genie I can call upon who grants my every wish

I’ll never have to wonder if luck is on my side

I’ll walk right in, take what I need, I name it and it’s mine

But today an open door led to the dream I’d wanted

It felt safe to get my hopes up. I thought my ground was solid

I worked hard. I earned it. I didn’t need a magic spell

They said the path was made for me, so why did they choose someone else?

I don’t know what happened. Was I blinded by ambition?

Was I lacking in some way? Was there too much competition?

Was I fed false promises? Was this all a waste of time?

Maybe I’m not wanted here. Should I just resign?

Or maybe I just need to breathe and give myself some grace

Because maybe I was meant to take root in a different place

Maybe twenty years from now I’ll look back on this day

And see how much my life has changed, and with gratitude, I’ll say:

“I’m glad I don’t live in a world where every wish is granted

Because this road has led me here, and I bloomed where I was planted”

Previous Feedback:

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/comments/1uchu0a/theres_something_off_about_this_poem_help/

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/comments/1uc7tnl/working_class_addict/

I will be directing my original full length play (that I wrote) for a local community theatre. I am looking for resources (ideally books or videos but also open to other formats) that might help break down everything I need to do. I have stage managed several community theatre productions and assistant directed one, so I have a basic understanding of the process, but I need it broken down so I can be sure I’m not forgetting anything.

Note: I’m not looking for advice here, I’m looking for resources. What books have been the most helpful to you as a director?

I submitted my full-length play to a local community theatre and it was accepted for their slot that’s reserved for original works. The production is in a little less than a year.

What advice do you have for me at this point? I plan to do some more readings/development on my own over the next 6 months. I may end up directing it (I have a little experience in that but not much) but I haven’t discussed the specifics yet. Any advice you can share on the development process or on directing an original work?

What questions should I ask when I speak to them on the phone about specifics?

I’m quite skilled with Excel and data cleanup, data analysis, building dashboards, quality improvement, etc. I already do it full-time for work but I’m salary so there’s no opportunities for overtime. I’ve done a lot of work with local nonprofits so organizing a mess is my niche skill set. I would love to help small businesses or other nonprofits make sense of their data or teach people some beginner skills and efficiency tricks. Are there opportunities out there that are legitimate and pay at least $30/hour?

I have considered reaching out to local small businesses but that seems like a lot of up-front setup for no guaranteed work. I’d rather work for someone else since it’s just a side gig.