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ONE
ONLY DREAMS OF MORE THAN ONE When you sit down to write a stage play; you must not lie to yourself. You must not wonder aloud that someone, somewhere, someplace -- perhaps in a far off land -- will speak the words that you barely mumbled alone at your desk each day. It will stifle you. It will crush you. The thought of it will freeze you from writing one single word because the odds of such a thing happening are so colossal. Having said that, "The Secret Nymph of New Hyde Park," produced this summer season at The American Renegade Theatre Company, represents the 33rd time that such an event will happen in my career. And, so, I am particularly nervous; and proud that my work has been seen by so many people. My first play was produced off-Broadway when I was nineteen years old. I was clearly too foolish to know what I was getting myself into. A life in the theater is one filled with a preponderance of disappointments and political intrigue. And thrown in for good measure: the highest of highs culminating in a show you are most proud of, and with a true purpose – to entertain, to make laugh, to make "feel", and to, hopefully, insult an audience. For, without indignity to human nature, high drama becomes sitcom. And if I wanted to write sitcom, I would take my brain out and write it. My last experience with The Renegade and its founder, David Cox, was a wonderful experience. In its former space, my play, "Belladonnas of the Court", was produced to rave reviews and a long run; and it was nominated for five Valley Theater League Awards. The Los Angeles Times called it, "A serious madcap comedy" and The Daily News, "A bright inventive script, 3 ½ Stars (out of 4)!" The Jewish News called it "Great!". It had an extended run and we were all ecstatic. This time out of the gate, I bring back my political farce, "The Secret Nymph of New Hyde Park." "Nymph" began its life almost ten years ago while I was living in my hometown of New York City. Like most writers, plays and stories are born from a place that, sort of, sneaks up on you. I was just mad at my girlfriend and was thinking of a way to get even with her for something that I am sure was my fault. I figured I would write about her in quite an unflattering way. She would never know I was writing about her, and I would get a play out of the deal! The whole experience got me thinking about devotion. What does it take to have consecration in a relationship? How far would people go? How far would you go? I wanted to delve into a world that I knew little about (another advantage of writing. For me it’s not about being entertained by my computer with games and such, it’s about me entertaining my computer with stories and tales). I asked myself, where is the line drawn in a love affair? What would my lead character, Marcia Green, do for an estranged husband -- busy with his own career, and lost in a world of political lies – but a man she still intimately loves? I was chatting with a friend recently (that’s what friends do now, they chat on-line. I don’t mind it, but what I do mind is when friends e-mail me asking me when it’s a good time to call. Why don’t they just call?). Anyway, I was chatting, and realized this play is even timelier today than when I wrote it. Hillary (does she still use Rodham or was that a political decision?) Clinton running for New York Senate… a slam-dunk run according to my spies back East. A New York director hooked up with me and we work-shopped the play back then. Ironically, the play was given a staged reading at Theatre-Studio in the heart of Broadway, where now, some ten years later, I have a show running in that exact space at the same time "Nymph" will be mounted. My play, "Peking Duck", opened in New York on May 24th, 2000. When you write, you are all alone. Suddenly, when you get the call that your play is being produced, you are faced with the notion of working with collaborators. A collaborating process, which I enjoy, is often a challenge. Working with a director on the play… preparing it for production. Choosing set designers and lighting designers… Since my sense of business is not of the Shubert heights, I often depend on friends and my relationships with various actors, directors or dramaturgy, to get my material into theaters. My friend, Mark Hattfield, brought the play to dramaturgy Barry Thompson, at the Renegade, and, soon, we had an opening night date. David Cox took to the material, and it didn’t hurt that the Democratic National Convention is in the city of Los Angeles this summer. As I have always said, timing is most important in being a writer. And although my watch is often slow, I might have hit the right button with this show this time. Choosing a director is not always easy (there’s scheduling and conflicts galore, like everywhere else in the theater), but I had wanted to work with Joel Colman for over a year now. We were scheduled to work together on another project that didn’t work out. It was at that time I gave him a copy of "Nymph" and we agreed to do it someday. Sure enough, when I called him, he immediately (even after a year) quoted lines from the script and I knew I had the right guy. The Renegade Theatre is a members company. This brings about the challenge of hiring actors from within. We are lucky, however. The Renegade is filled with talented and hard-working actors. That’s not so usual in Los Angeles, where actors are mostly interested in when their next sitcom audition is and how can they make their own feature film for seven dollars and four cents. The auditions and callbacks went as smoothly as expected for Joel and me. It didn’t hurt that our producer, Anthony R. Taylor, is about as sharp a producer I have ever worked with in my seventeen years as a playwright. Anthony knows something else about me. Not to strain my impending ulcer with issues that keep me awake at night. And everything keeps me awake at night. I like things to go smoothly… I am one of those writers who cannot watch his own show. Sam Shephard once said he has never sat through a full production of one of his plays, and neither have I. I can listen from the lobby or the parking lot… or if they have closed circuit TV – I’d love that. But actually sitting in the theater would never work for me -- just too nervous for that. I did it once, actually. In Los Angeles. My play, "Desperation". The actor went up on his lines (forget them) and made up about two pages. He did a wonderful job. Nobody knew he forgot what to say. The other actress had no problem keeping up. Big laughs. It was as if he never missed a beat. And I never sat in on a show of mine again. So with my cast in place, and a few understudies, I let Anthony and Joel, and my marvelous group of "Renegade" actors and crew, have a go at it. What do I do? Well, I sit back and hold my breath. I make sure the play is "tracking" correctly. I am in charge of any punch-ups or changes… and I’m in charge of the backslapping committee. Putting on a show, especially with a cast of nine, set designers, lighting designers, and original music written by the very talented David C. DiIorio, is quite an undertaking. As Anthony said to me one day… my work is done. I sweated it out ten years ago when I wrote the play -- and recently, in its updating of the material. But, basically, it’s Joel Colman’s vision now. But, of course, it’s teamwork that gets a show up. Starting with David Cox reading of the script until our preview nights and opening on July 21, 2000 (when my mother will fly in to add just a touch more to my nervousness), it’s everyone’s ballgame. I may have built the stadium, but I cannot possibly play all the bases AND the outfield. So I thank everyone who put in their time, including those who auditioned and didn’t get a part, and those who are helping backstage in those thankless jobs. These are things I could never do. And tip my hat to them. I have been a writer for theatre and film for a long time now. My plays have been produced around the world; Canada, Australia, even Idaho (and I don’t even know where Idaho is!); at The Attic Theater in Los Angeles, the Tiffany, and the Rose. And in New York: the Nat Horne, Theatre-Studio, the Westbeth and the 13th Street Repertory. I have received countless awards for my writing. And I have spent many nights listening to my words from the lobby (or the parking lot) and, yet, I still get a charge when the lights come down and someone steps out from the dark and utters words that I mumbled at my desk all those years earlier. These days, just to keep my mind off those words that I worry about like small children that are in my keep, I work in film, having sold screenplays to Columbia Pictures, MGM and Castle Rock Entertainment. I have written movies for Arnold Schwarzenneger and Tom Hanks. I’ve been a writing instructor at Learning Tree University, and in the writing department at Harbor College, as well as tutoring privately with writers. And… it’s on to the next project… and finding just that right combination of story and drama… of theme and direction… and perhaps, if I’m lucky, someone will say something to piss me off and I can turn it around and into a new play. Of course, without them knowing it’s about… them. Mark's e-mail: mmtbupkus@jps.net Web site: www.jps.net\mmtbupkus The "Secret Nymph of New Hyde Park" site: http://performanceart.net/secretnymph
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