PROM 2009

Nothing like a bit of theatrical inspiration to get your day off to the right start.

Yesterday, in the midst of pretending to redraft my play whilst actually procrastinating and checking the F-book (Youtwitface! That joke comes courtesy of Conan O'Brien via my mom - good work, mom!) I got a nice text from a new friend from overseas.

It is terrible with a piece when you begin having trouble seeing the forest for the trees - that, combined with those mean little demons that sit around on couches in everyone's head, eating ice cream, watching old episodes of the Who's The Boss?, doing very little other than occasionally looking up to remind you that you aren't as good as you think you are, well of course, trying to ignore the insecurity demons who have made themselves oh - so - comfortable on the brain couch, combined with actually trying to be hard on myself and redraft a very long play with some gusto, meant that there could be nothing better than doing something completely... different.

That's where meeting the lovely Lee Ann Etzold came as such a refreshing breath of air in a day of working/not working. Lee has just moved to the UK from Philadelphia, where it sounds like she was doing just the kind of work that excites me. Namely - Prom. This is a show done with Teenagers about awkwardness, social clicks, the whole darned thing that culminates in Prom. It has started me thinking all sorts of exciting things about American culture and American High School + Theatre in general. But I can't go into it now, that could ruin everything. Eitherway, it's oddly nice after having spent/not spent a couple of frustrating days with a script, to think about the "other" kind of theatre that gets my toes curling up with joy. Next comes - trying to combine the two.

*In Canada we don't have a prom, we have a formal. And I... didn't go. My high school ex went to at least 3 formals with other ladies. Although we remain forever friendos, this is one issue on which I will also remain forever slightly bitter and slightly proud. I didn't go to my high school graduation either. How bad*ss was I? (But I did read out announcements over the P.A. Oh man. Almost forgot all about that one.)