October 22, 2009 by maureen.ulrich.

You’ll recall that Sam Spud: Private Eye arrived in the mail last week.

Yesterday I received an email from Baker’s Plays indicating they would be willing to publish The Banes of Darkwood Hall AKA A Splash of Horror.  A contract will arrive shortly, and when it does, I will submit ANOTHER play when I return the contract – as I did last time. This seems to help speed up the process.

So – what play will I submit? Or plays?

I am thinking A Pirate’s Tale or possibly one of my Christmas productions – like The Swensons’ Christmas or Follow That Star.

So by this time next year I could have doubled my number of published works to four.

Now that’s definitely made my week.

I have to say, I do not care for the title — The Banes of Darkwood. I am definitely open to suggestion on this one. 

I did presentations at Loreburn Central School and John Cuelenaere Public Library in Prince Albert today and yesterday.

When people ask me if I miss teaching, I always say the book presentations help make up for it. But after talking to Grade 7 and 8 students on these two occasions, I have to say – I really miss being in the classroom. No, I don’t miss the marking and the prep and the staff meetings and the bells, but I do miss interacting with all those runaway hormones.

But, back to writing . . .

For the next few months, I am going to turn my attention to marketing some plays – and that will mean making revisions to them to reduce the number of characters. Most theatre companies – whether amateur or professional are looking for smaller casts. At one time we had no difficulty getting 16 – 18 adults out for our community theatre production. Now we struggle to find 9.

Mitch’s Crossroads Café goes on stage in nearly two weeks. And it looks like it’ll be sold out for the dinner theatres on Friday and Saturday night. We can’t wait!

Posted in On Student Productions, On Community Theatre, On Writing | No Comments »

October 16, 2009 by maureen.ulrich.

A long awaited parcel arrived in the mail today.

Sam Spud: Private Eye — AKA Splash of Mystery for those of you who remember EJH productions from yesteryear – has finally been published by Baker Plays out of New York. Baker is affiliated with Samuel French in Canada.

This brings my official publication list to . . .

. . . two items.

I sent Baker a second manuscript a year ago – The Banes of Darkwood AKA  Splash of Horror. We’ll see how that one fares.

Rehearsals for Mitch’s Crossroads Café are going well. We have five left before Play Week, which entails three dress rehearsals and three performances. Our plans for set are coming together – with minimal expense. There’s great satisfaction to be gained from making things out of nothing for little or no money.

So, the posters are up, the advertising is out, the T-shirts and anniversary mugs are on the press, and now the search for our audience begins. We know our loyal supporters will find their way to their seats, but it wouldn’t matter if we performed for just a handful of them. We’ve learned over the years that we are truly doing this for ourselves . . .

And to help support the Lampman High School drama club . . .

And the Lampman Hospital Auxiliary . . .

And the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency . . .

So let’s hope for a good turnout!

Posted in On Student Productions, On Community Theatre, On Writing | 1 Comment »

May 8, 2008 by maureen.ulrich.

The clock ticks. Only one week to my last school production – for a while at least.

The sarcophagus is built  (and the painting nearly completed), the bedouins are clothed, and the Grade 5/7 and Grade 6 classes are choreographed. My To-Do list is growing shorter by the day.

About the only thing left is to acquire a headpiece for King Tut – and make some changes to my “cheesy slideshow.”

One small glitch — we are still picking up the local radio station with our new overhead mics. But hopefully that problem will be rectified before May 15.

We are really excited about bringing this production to the stage. There are many, many kids involved, and they are PUMPED! We have a number of cross-dressing boys this year – two of which have even consented to take up belly-dancing.

If this play is anything — it is FUN. 

And speaking of fun . . .

Last Friday I spoke at Estevan Comprehensive School to two groups of Grade 11 and 12 students. It was nice to have around 15 – 20 kids in each group who had attended either EJH orPleasantdale. The presentations went very well. This was the first time that I tried using a power point – and I think the visuals really helped. I will definitely take more pictures of Estevan, the prairies, and our farm to include in my power point when I visit Yellowknife this September.

At the university women’s supper that evening, I got to sit with Robert Currie, the retired high school teacher and writer  from Moose Jaw who edited Power Plays. He is absolutely just as nice in person – as he is on paper. If I manage to complete a sequel, and if Coteau does decide to publish it, I do hope that Bob will be my editor again. He is a real gem.

This weekend I am off to a writers’ retreat at the Inn of the Seven Sisters in Forget to work on said sequel. I really need to get away from other distractions for a while and focus on “serious” writing. It would be nice if the retreat landed AFTER Wave 2008, but since I pushed the production back one week, it was not to be. I think Shannon and Dave Shakotko will take very good care of the seven of us – all of whom are staying overnight. This is the first time we have used Forget for a retreat – and I think all of us will miss the horses that were just over the neighbour’s fence at the Feathertick Inn. Still, I’m sure it will be a productive weekend for all of us.

I’ll let you know more about Wave 2008 and the retreat — and my upcoming trip to the Big Apple (no, not Stoughton — New York!) next week.

Posted in On Student Productions, On Writing | 1 Comment »

April 15, 2008 by maureen.ulrich.

This past weekend Lampman School hosted the Region One Drama Festival.

Four schools participated – Lampman, McNaughton High (Moosomin), Oxbow Prairie Heights, and Redvers High.

Moosomin came out on top – as usual. Their immaculate performance of “Two Small Fries to Go” earned them first place in all the major award categories. They will move on to the provincial festival in Regina in early May.

Lampman’s performance of “Excuse Me While I Kiss the Sky” (my play!) was runner-up in most of these categories.

The idea for this play was born on New Years Day. The high school Theatre Arts teacher Chris  and her family came out to our farm for a little “Guitar Hero” and “Monkey Bomb.” Since we had two guitars, we could play some duets, and one of my favourite moments was playing “When You Were Young” with a certain young lady, who also adores The Killers.

The next day I phoned Chris and said, “How about doing a play based on ‘Guitar Hero’ for festival ?” The rest, as they say, is history!

Students in the Theatre Arts program gave their input and helped with the development of characters and plot. They were really sold on the idea of a dream sequence or a play-within-a-play. They also brainstormed names of songs, bands, and game systems.

I think EMWIKTS ranks as my favourite student play – ever! Thanks to the students of Lampman School, it evolved into a spectacular, creative, and highly original production.

During the second half of the play the audience is taken on a trip to Rock ‘n Roll Purgatory, that “little crack in time between F and G, the eternal stage of the warm-up act” (Luc Fender) “where you can end up playing five coloured notes for an eternity” (Callie).

On a deeper level, the play is about the conflict between good and evil. Gabe (representing the archangel Gabriel) battles Luc (Lucifer) Fender – the Reaper. Much of the play also concerns the way that musicians sell their souls. Gabe resists when he is faced with the dilemma of whether or not to compromise his musical talent by learning to play a “Fisher Price toy.”

Christine and the students  stretched their creativity to the limit to recreate elements of the Guitar Hero/Legend game on stage – the synchronized lights on the screen, the audience meter, the rock personas that game players adopt. 

And – truth to tell – we are already thinking about next year’s festival play.

But that’s a topic for another day now, isn’t it?!

Posted in On Student Productions, On Writing | 1 Comment »

April 3, 2008 by maureen.ulrich.

Wave 2008 Walk Like An Egyptian is well underway. This will take the stage on May 15th at Pleasantdale School in Estevan.

Rehearsals have been phenomenal this year, with kids really THINKING about their characters and problem solving and staying in their roles even when they DON’T have lines. And memorizing their scripts! My goodness, I have never seen so many students abandoning their scripts this early in the game.

That means I need to come up with props – and a sarcophagus very soon!
With six weeks left until Wave 2008, there’s still lots of opportunity to do some fine-tuning.

Of course, it really helps to be working with a play that isn’t so word heavy. Previous productions were simply too wordy for kids to memorize quickly. And it’s easier for them to deliver a short line with confidence and volume.

Although I’ve written at least thirty plays, I guess I’m still learning!

Here’s a plot summary:

Dick Carter and his assistant Jane Potts are determined to get funding from the London Historical Society to finance an expedition to Egypt. Dick is certain he knows the location of Cleopatra’s tomb, and nothing will stop him. Canada’s newest popstar Aphrodite plans to shoot a music video in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. Her artistic director Johnny Francois has his own ideas about how to get the most out of Aphrodite’s back-up dancers.
Meanwhile Ms. Montoya and her personal secretary Abigail Ross are busy planning a business trip to Cairo. Abigail soon finds herself saddled with the responsibility of entertaining Ms. Montoya’s annoying niece Sally and nephew Jeremy. What happens when these three groups meet up with tribal Bedouins led by Baboo, Scourge of the Desert – and henpecked by his wife Fatima? Or mysterious mummies that emerge from an equally mysterious sarcophagus?

I guess you’ll have to wait until May 15th to find out!
The Region One Drama Festival, which Lampman is hosting, is one week away. My play “Excuse Me While I Kiss the Sky” will be presented by the Lampman High School. I can’t wait to see it. I am helping out as stage coodinator, making sure tech rehearsals run smoothly for the three other schools competing – Oxbow, Redvers, and Moosomin. The winner will advance to the provincial festival in Regina in early May.
Randy and I were up in Saskatoon last weekend for the Huskie Salute. We were eager to see the girls again – and their parents. It was a different format from other years. Instead of supper, there were appetizers and a jazz trio. Very classy!
Steve Kook and Wayne Grund, the coaches of the female Huskies hockey team, took home the award for Coach of the Year.
Brian Towriss, the football coach, made some thought-provoking remarks at the close of the award ceremony. He pointed out that although 11 out of 15 Huskie teams made the play-offs, this is the first year U of S has not brought home a national title in at least ONE of the sports. He urged the athletes not to be satisfied with the “middle of the road.” Good advice. Complacency should have no place in sports at this level.
The award ceremony took only one hour, and then the athletes headed downtown for a post-award “social event.”
Hmm.
Can’t imagine what the itinerary was there.

Posted in On Sports, On Student Productions, On Writing | 1 Comment »

May 15, 2007 by maureen.ulrich.

Last weekend I attended our annual writers’ retreat at the Feathertick Inn, which is located just south of Estevan. It’s a beautiful bed and breakfast – loaded with character. I have added a link so you can visit Barb and Neil Collins’ website. They take such good care of us.

There are about six core members in my local writers’ group. We’re at the inn for 24 hours altogether. We arrive around 6:00 PM on Friday night, have supper, and do some writing. This year three of us stayed overnight, and three more joined the retreat on Saturday. I awaken early in the morning to do some more writing before brunch, which is typically served around 10:30 AM, followed by – of course – more writing. Supper is at 5:30 PM, and then we head home.

Writers’ retreats are a terrific way to refocus your energy on writing. I can accomplish so much more – without the distractions of phones, work, television, and the internet – not to mention cooking and cleaning (not that I do much of that anymore!) Our writers group pays $100 for the retreat fee, while I pay approximately the same amount for my room and three fabulous meals.

A special treat were the two foals – both under a week old – in the pasture next to the house. We tried to coax them to come over to the fence so we could pet them, but they – as well as their mothers – were too shy. Still, we got a very good look at them. Too cute.

I spent most of the weekend working on a play called Fast Food. I have a notion to perform it at the Saskatchewan Region 1 Drama Festival next March, which Lampman School is hosting. I think Pleasantdale’s middle years students would really benefit from the experience. I have written four short segments so far – one of which involves a drive-through church. Each segment is designed to show how we are not taking the time to properly feed our souls, bodies, and minds. It will have both humourous and dramatic moments.

My play – A Pirate’s Tale – was a huge success. Lots of eye candy. Colourful costumes and set. I do think that Angela Smeltzer’s 3-D backdrop was the best set I’ve ever had for a school production. The kids really rose to the occasion. I think I gave out a half dozen cues in three performances, which is amazing – considering how intimidated they were feeling the week before. I was very proud of all the cast and crew and dancers. The Grade 6/7 class’ presentation of “The Last Saskatchewan Pirate” was definitely a highlight.

Next year’s production will take place in Egypt. It will involve an archaeological expedition led by the great grandson of Howard Carter searching for the remains of Cleopatra. Naturally I will be using “Walk Like An Egyptian” by the Bangles for our Grade 8 dance troupe. Should be loads of fun.

Posted in On Student Productions, On Writing | 3 Comments »

May 7, 2007 by maureen.ulrich.

I am in the final week of production for a school play – A Pirate’s Tale, which will be performed at Pleasantdale on May 10th.

We performed the same play about nine years ago at the junior high, but I revamped it by adding some extra dialogue. It’s nearly an all-female production – with sixteen girls and five boys.

We are getting brilliant performances from this handful of Grade 6, 7, and 8 students – most of whom are scared to death of performing in front of their fears. Sometimes a director gets so wrapped up in the technical or logistical details that she forgets about one of her primary functions – being a cheerleader.

The last two weeks of rehearsal are always a stressful time for me. I spend most of my time hunting down and constructing props and costumes. Every little detail needs to be looked after. I’m not great at delegating, and consequently I end up feeling like the weight of the world – or at least the weight of the production – falls squarely on my shoulders.

Today I finally felt like I could sit back and watch the kids work. My cast and crew have been terrific. Many of them are already the world’s busiest kids – involved in music festival, confirmation, baseball, soccer, martial arts – you name it! I feel very fortunate that they all took time out of their busy schedules to fit in some drama.

Wish me luck! We have dress rehearsal tomorrow, and performances on Wednesday and Thursday. Arrrrgh!

Posted in On Student Productions | 2 Comments »