October 22, 2008
“Is This Seat Taken?” debuts at Second City
Posted by Michael in : Uncategorized , 2comments
After a performance of "Is This Seat Taken?" in Second City’s Donny’s Skybox Theatre are, from left, actors Don Markus, Ashley Lobo, writer Michael Leathers, actors Julia Lippert, Jeff Daniel and director Tom Blandford.
It was a surreal evening for me to watch one of my sketches on a Second City stage in Chicago. "Is This Seat Taken?" was one of six 10-minute plays chosen by Chicago Dramatists and The Second City Training Center to be featured in an hour-long performance every Saturday in October. All four actors were energetic, played well off each other, and connected with the audience. The director, Tom Blandford, had a focused vision for the script and analyzed each performance for ways to push it to a stronger comedic level. It’s a privilege to be able to write something for the stage and hand it over to creative people who will breathe life into your work. (more…)
October 21, 2008
A story worth telling always has a point
Posted by Michael in : Writing , add a comment
Ken, a former college roommate from longer ago than I care to admit, e-mailed me about a week ago. He’s going to be writing for his church drama ministry and wanted a few pointers. Among some of the points that I emphasized with him was the importance of having a solid theme.
When it comes to writing a good script, the theme can be either the chicken or the egg. It may come first; it may come later. Eventually though, your story has to have a theme if it’s going to make a difference in the hearts and minds of your audience. And I’m at a point in my writing where I am more interested in hitting the heart — through tears or laughter — than I am the mind. (more…)
October 5, 2008
Making sure you prop up your actors
Posted by Michael in : Directing , add a comment
It’s been a long, long time since I’ve been on stage. Sure, there have been some exceptions over the years. I’ve filled in when needed for a sketch for the worship service, but only when it was absolutely necessary. I’ve also been in two community theatre productions, one of which I did not audition for. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Most of my acting was while I was a student at Judson University (back then it was Judson College) in Elgin, Illinois. I had a great director, Dave Larson, who taught me a lot. I will always remember Dave’s frequent instruction that “An actor can only act action.” You can’t ‘act’ happy or nervous or angry. You reveal these emotions to audiences through your facial expressions and body movements. You also reveal it through the way you handle props. (more…)
September 30, 2008
For dramas, it’s all a matter of perspective
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One of the most powerful strengths about drama is that it speaks 
to people in different ways. I’ve heard people say that songs speak to their listeners differently, and I think that’s even more true for drama. Two people can hear completely different messages from the same script because the story speaks to them where they’re living at that moment. This is the power of storytelling.
It’s like the old tale about the blind men and the elephant. It’s a story that has been told in several different traditions, but one of the most popular was a 19th century poem by John Godfrey Saxe. That’s him on the left. Each of the six men touched a different part of the elephant, and each formed different conclusions about what the elephant looked like. One touched the animal’s side and thought the elephant was like a wall; another touched its tusk and determined the elephant was like a spear. Each was right from their perspective. (more…)
August 22, 2008
Writers lay the foundation for director, actors
Posted by Michael in : Writing , add a comment
One of the reasons that I enjoy writing for the stage, whether it’s for the church or a mainstream venue, is the collaboration. It’s a thrill to write a great script and then be able to hand it off to talented directors and actors to take it to the next level. I was reminded of that on Saturday, Aug. 16, when I drove to Chicago to observe auditions for one of my comedies – “Is This Seat Taken?” – that will be performed by Second City in October.
As a writer, I’ve had to learn to be flexible on stage directions. When it comes right down to it, there’s no reason that I should insist in my script that an actor enters from stage left or stage right. That’s a level of detail that can be fleshed out by the director and actors as they block the script during rehearsals. Today, if I write a direction for an actor to pick up a prop or to cross to a certain part of the stage, it’s because I believe it’s vital to the story. (more…)
August 7, 2008
Great drama means taking time to cast
Posted by Michael in : Directing , 2comments
We can spend hours in rehearsal to make sure that the scripts we bring to life are at their best, but how much time do we give to our decision to cast the script? Casting can be half your battle, yet we may rush through this important part of the process by looking for any warm bodies who are free to show up at rehearsals.
It doesn’t matter whether it’s a five-minute comedy for your church’s worship service or a multi-million dollar historical movie for the masses, the right casting choices can make or break you. Just ask anyone who’s sat through 1956’s “The Conqueror” starring John Wayne as Genghis Khan.
July 13, 2008
We loved the drama, but what did they say?
Posted by Michael in : Directing , add a comment
If actors perform a sketch in the church and no one in the congregation can hear them, did they really minister?
One of the biggest challenges that I’ve faced in directing sketches for churches was getting amateur actors to project so they could be heard by the congregation, including those people in the back row. Of course, if your church budget’s big enough, this isn’t a problem. All the actors gets their own lapel mics, and they’re all plugged into the sound system. Not many churches, however, have this luxury. So what are our options? (more…)
July 5, 2008
Six tricks to writing dialogue that rings true
Posted by Michael in : Writing , add a comment
When you’re writing for the stage, dialogue is 98 percent of your work. If these words don’t ring true, there’s not much even the best actor can do to bring your script to life. What works for Data, the android who wants to be human in Star Trek: The Next Generation, will sound stilted and forced in your characters, unless they’re all aliens and androids and robots.
So how do you write dialogue that sounds genuine? A good place to start is after you finish that first draft. Let your script rest for a day or two. Get away from it. Then come back to it with a fresh perspective. This is a great time to polish your dialogue. Here are some of the things that I try to help my dialogue sound real. (more…)
May 28, 2008
Writer’s block? Get to know your characters
Posted by Michael in : Writing , add a comment
I stare at my computer monitor. It stares back. The cursor laughs at me. I look out the window. The sunlight’s alluring. Tree branches wave from the neighbor’s back yard, tempting me to leave my back-room cocoon and spread my wings outside. I gaze back at the monitor. During my mind’s wandering, nothing new has written itself on the page. I’ve wasted two more hours of my life. Who am I kidding? (more…)