Monday, September 22, 2008

Yule County

This weekend I was inspired to finally write my Christmas-themed ten-minute play (and of course it prevented me from house-cleaning.) Although I guess I should really be writing an autumn equinox play today.

I had originally conceived of it as a short full-length, with the idea that I would produce it with the work of another playwright, who had also written a Christmas-themed piece. Well, one of many Christmas pieces he had written. Christmas was like half his entire oeuvre. Maybe because when he was growing up that was the only time he was allowed to go home from his crazy Scottish reform school.

I thought it would be fun if we inter-wove them a little, kind of like a ying-yang symbol.

He gave me a copy of the published playscript of this particular Christmas-themed play, inscribed: "Nancy, this play got published because of NYCPlaywrights and your personal input!" Soon afterwards we had a falling out and he has refused to communicate with me ever since, in spite of my attempts to pass the peace pipe. That's gratitude for you. Well, with my Christmas 10-minute, I figured I would do a little inter-weaving with his play anyway, since I was so instrumental, apparently, in its development. It's just a tiny bit really, a little shout-out at the end (the polka stuff) and certainly not actionable. And anyway, to sue me he'd actually have to acknowledge my existence, and I think that is against his religion. You can read Yule County here. My play is much darker than the other playwright's play, so I don't know if they would have gone so well together after all. Although maybe they would have been an agreeable counterpoint, like a full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon coupled with Wisconsin cheddar. (His play is definitely the cheese.) But we'll never know.

YULE COUNTY was also inspired by Dar William's song "The Christians and the Pagans" which, in addition to being a great song is also a perfect little short play in its own right too. Listen here - lyrics here.

And finally, I got the line about nature being in sympathy with us from Charlotte Bronte - specifically, JANE EYRE