How I started something new this week
Oh, hi friends!
I’m starting a new thing, because that’s what happens when I hear myself repeating the same complaints again and again in increasing levels of desperation and annoyance. I need to workshop some plays. Why can’t I workshop my plays. Won’t someone pls read my plays. Plays plays plays plays plays.
So! Last night was the inaugural edition of my informal new workshop series Pizzapages, featuring the wonderfully clever and talented actors Stacey Raymond and, of course, my brother Eric. They read pages I wrote (a new 10-minute play called "Did You See?", an excerpt of another play "Trader Joepocalyse," and a monologue called "This Bitter Toast") and we ate pizza and talked about ideas. The original purpose was to hold myself accountable to produce more, but the greater purpose is to collaborate and connect with actors and understand the stories they want to tell. Pizzapages was great. It was by far the highlight of my week.
But the highlight of my week very easily couldn’t have happened. Stacey could have said no. Eric could have been busy. I could have thought not one of those 900+ pages saved on my desktop was worthy of being printed. Whatever.
The point is…the point is you have to ask. And try. And believe. You don’t even need to do all three at once. Pick one. And don’t forget to order a pizza.
“I’m sure there are a lot of more talented filmmakers than me, with really great ideas, who just haven’t followed through.”
From this Ken Burns interview, in which he admits he works on 7 films at once, and thinks 14 films ahead. <insert head exploding emoji>
Things I Like That You Might Enjoy
How convenient: there’s a Pizza Run in Fort Greene Park on Sept. 17. Who’s in?
Heard all the buzz about Moviepass this week? For $10 a month you can see one movie every day in theaters. Get on this now before the theater chains all run away screaming.
I’m never complaining about anything ever again. A 2:15 Alarm, 2 Trains and a Bus Get Her to Work by 7 A.M.
Remarkable reporting on the secret life of the city banana.
Patreon is a new way for creators to get funded—by creating membership businesses for their fans. Very intrigued. (h/t Chris Anderson)
Tom Hanks loves typewriters so much he created a typewriter app. Hanx Writer is so fun. (h/t Selina Zhong)
Thank you for reading.
Love, Kara