This was posted up on my Facebook wall the other day with a simple message that read “Remember this?” It was a partial cast picture from a production of a musical I had co-written titled “Jack: Beyond The Beanstalk”. A fun little ditty that was re-written and remounted several years later restructured and with a stronger script.
At the time I was one of 2 playwrights-in-residence at the Fresno Children’s Playhouse. This picture came from the first production. (Yep, that’s me… bottom right.)
Looking at it brought a mixed smile to my face. Mixed because as much as it was a fun show, my life was undergoing a bit of an emotional turmoil at the time… which I confess found it’s way into the show’s creation. This was especially evident in lyrics that were composed. Though in it’s development I somehow managed to create something (in the end product that was) quite the opposite from the morose feelings I was personally experiencing at the time.
While looking at the picture I also began to recall the various and different lifetimes I have seemingly lived through. All of them seemed to originate from some catalyst whether it be a personal experience or random inkling or the odd eureka moment which developed into full blown “periods” that resulted in prolific creative output. The end products were as varied as the periods themselves…. not all of them were of a theatrical bent. And (before you come to any hard conclusions) most of them did not arise from angst or pain.
There have also been periods of stillness… but I guess that is to be expected. During these periods I would go through what my late Mum would simply refer to as “distractions”. Perhaps they were. I’d like to think they were periods of exploration when I would bounce from one thing to the other in search of the next catalyst. These were always periods of “great ideas”… a myriad of them that would never get off the ground… until something clicked.
Has a common theme or thread arisen from all of this? I can’t tell you because I’m still at it. All I can say is that it is still weird and wonderful. And who really knows what is around the corner?