Monday, January 18, 2010

No, not the Unicorn..

This is it. My brainchild. My big break. This… is Charlie.

To set the stage for you, Charlie is the name of my school auditorium's poltergeist. Although he doesn't really exist, his 'presence' is made known by a set of lights that occasionally flicker in the back of the auditorium. They cannot be controlled, and nobody knows why they flicker – probably faulty wiring. Anyway, somebody down the line made up the story that it's a ghost named Charlie that makes the lights flicker. Many people simply ignore it, while some of us playfully interact with 'Charlie'. I, on the other hand, have decided to bring him to life through a play!

Here’s the story so far: Windsor High School has been haunted by Charlie, an old student who unintentionally hung himself in the auditorium, for 50 years. A new kid moves into the town of Windsor. He tries out and gets the lead role for the school's play. He doesn't believe in Charlie, and likes to make fun of those that do. After a while, two seniors get fed up with the new kid and dare him to stay the night in the auditorium – on Halloween, of all nights. The kid, not wanting to look like a wimp, accepts the challenge… but the next morning, he is gone. Police are searching, the seniors are paranoid, the director might have to shut down the production… but the day before the play, the kid shows up again, laughing. He explains it was all a joke, that Charlie didn't do anything, and that he ISN'T REAL. As everyone leaves the auditorium, they suspect that maybe the kid was right, and Charlie was just in their imaginations.

However, once everyone is gone and the only person left is the new kid… Charlie shows up. And teaches him a lesson.


Now, I can’t take all the credit for this. One of my very best friends, Crystal, gave me the idea in the first place, as well as some fantastic specifics. I just put in some filler.

At the current moment, this is what I’m focusing on. I plan to spend at least a little bit of time each day on 'Charlie' so that I don't end up losing interest and giving up on such a wonderful prospect. Crystal and I are planning to spend some time today getting a LOT of work done on it. Any ideas we come up with – I’ll post right here for your waiting eyes.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Take a Breath

Another one of my ideas, which came to me just a little while ago, is a musical about Cystic Fibrosis. For those of you who don't know, Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disease that affects your respiratory, digestive, and reproductive systems. I was born with CF, and it's been a handicap of mine. Anyway, recently I was listening to my iPod, and a couple different songs came on that got me thinking about it. My thoughts got to roaming, and I wondered aloud, "Why not make a musical about CF?"

So that's what I'm doing. The basic story is a boy's transformation to a man, while dealing with problems like school, relationships, and most importantly, his Cystic Fibrosis. When he dies at a young age, his family and friends realize that they should live their lives as he did, loving every minute - because you never know when your time will be up.

At the moment, I am taking a hiatus from working on "Breathe". I am trying to focus on my most prominent piece right now, but I will most definitely finish "Breathe".

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

WWIIssical Inspiration

So, one of my major ideas has been a revamp of Seussical!, the Dr. Seuss musical. We performed it at my school just this past fall, and during practice one day, inspiration struck. They were singing the song "Here on Who", which talks about the Whos' lives. It goes:

WE'RE WHOS HERE
WE ARE WHOS HERE
STRUGGLING TO STAY ALIVE
EACH GUST
PROPELS OUR DUST
OH, HOW THE HECK DO WHOS SURVIVE?

So, I was listening to the cast as they were practicing. They weren't exactly "fantastic", so they had to go over the song quite a bit. As I heard the song over and over and OVER and OVER, my mind started mixing up the song and (somehow) my head changed the word Whos.

To Jews.

Don't ask me how, or why, but it just did. As this entered my mind, I had two thoughts: "Why would I think 'Jews'?" and more importantly, "How could I change the song to fit that?"

And then, it came to me. The Jews are struggling to stay alive... because of the NAZIS!! It's so simple! How could nobody have never thought of that before?!

So, with this in mind, I rewrote the ENTIRE song "Here on Who", as well as "Alone in the Universe" (into "Alone in my Racist Thoughts") and "It's Possible", a song about imagination (into "He's Possible, about who might be Jewish). My friends have caught me singing them, and think they're hilarious.

At the moment, I'm taking a short break from "WWIIssical". While I definitely want to develop it fully, I'm trying to focus on other plays right now. ;)

Monday, January 11, 2010

Obligatory Intro

Hello to whoever may be reading this. My name is David. At the time of this post, I am a junior in high school with a lot of options for my future. Besides playing video games and acting onstage, one of my favorite hobbies is writing. Now, I'm not talking about the English-class, topic-chosen-for-you writing; I'm referring to the stories in our own heads, created by years of childhood imagination. I used to make up tear-jerking songs on my way home from first grade. My friend Patrick, his sister, and I created an entire story one afternoon on his swing set. I thought up entire movie scripts, complete with special effects, plot twists, and sequel potential, all before I graduated middle school.

I'm unsure what I want to do as a career: act in movies or on the stage, design video games, or maybe even teach. But one thing that has always been a desire of mine has been to write plays for a living. Though it may not become my profession, I could always write on the side. Over the past few years, I've processed many of my ideas, and I plan on working on them extensively. I plan to share my ideas with you as I progress in age and ability. Although many might pass over this, hopefully a lucky few will stick around long enough to humor a simple playwright.