Tuesday, April 10, 2007

My Next Verse Play

Seeing Valentino on stage at the New Works Festival last month convinced me that my verse style can work for an audience. They loved it. I'm eager to try it again, this time with a simpler story and a smaller cast.

I've just started writing a new verse play, and last night I finished a rough draft of the first scene. This one is a romantic tragedy in the vein of Romeo and Juliet.

I plan to finish by June 15, which is the deadline for a new verse drama contest sponsored by The Poetry Foundation.

(Sadly, Valentino is ineligible because it's already published.)

It took me three years to write Valentino.

I've got two months to write my new verse play.

Will I finish before the deadline? When will I sleep? Am I insane?

Stay tuned.

7 comments:

Laijon Liu said...

Hi David,

I am going to buy your Verse Drama.

But my Verse Drama is in Publishing right now, as you planned the Romantic Tragedy. And that is same as my Verse Drama. So I just let you know.

Poetry Play: The Footballer And His Apple


This Poetry Play, Poetry Theater, or Verse Drama is embeded in SITWOL - Soccer Is The Way Of Life

Word Count: 11100.
Genre: Romantic Tragedy, Fiction written in Pattern Poems, Poetry Play or Poetry Theater
role: 10
Story is about love, life, passion, courage, trickery, revenge, and death...

Note: Two young lovers found each other on soccer pitch, married on soccer pitch, and later died together on the soccer pitch; soccer started their journey of love and ended their journey of life. And their short journey is mixed in the living principals of life, love and faith; as the concept of four loves woven the whole drama. And their life is also struggled in the principals of world, such as bad timing, personal suffering, individual success, family values, world competitions, hatred, revenge and many others. And in the end, God wins all through His own unceasing efforts that He has freely given to the lovers and all His peoples, and He is the new beginning.

new poetry creative writing in poetry play, poetry theater or Verse Drama by Laijon Liu

I truly do admire your talents and respect your ability.

the following is my website:
http://www.geocities.com/laijon/

Peace

David Wisehart said...

Laijon:

Thanks in advance for your support. After you read Valentino, please let me know what you think.

I went to your website, and your play sounds very different than mine. Based on the posted prologue, it looks like your verse drama is modeled closely on Romeo and Juliet. My new verse play is in the same genre, but is otherwise quite different.

If your play is finished, you should consider submitting it to the Poetry Foundation Verse Drama contest before you publish it.

All the best,

- David

Laijon Liu said...

David,

Thanks!

I try to find some friends in Verse Drama group, it seems there are only us.

What makes you love to write VD?

I love and worship the classics, so most of the classics I read are VD.

I guess you have the same sickness as I do, no?

Now, do you plan to look some VD friends to invade the worldly stages, or garden stages?

Are you planning to do some Historical VD?

God bless you and your love ones!

Laijon Liu

David Wisehart said...

Verse drama is the only form of theater that avails itself of the full richness of the English language.

In prose drama, there's a constant concern for naturalism. What would a real person say?

I'm more interested in the best possible way to say something.

Hamlet can say anything, and say it well.

Willy Loman, not so much.

As for your question regarding historical dramas: yes, I suspect that all my verse plays will be historical. Valentino is set in the Italian Renaissance, and my next verse play is set in Medieval Italy.

- David

Laijon Liu said...

Great!

I will have your book by the end of this week.

And it seems you love to put on more work on Italian background plays.

Is there anything to share? I realized that many renaissance plays in Verse Drama, and many writers took Italian culture and geographical background to set their plays.

could you share some ideas on this. And I know early English drama all in verse, some translated from Latin, as to teach Bible.

Is it becuase of this?

Are you planning to write some Verse Drama about US Culture or History?

Laijon Liu said...

David,

You may want to take a rest. Coz I just finished writing VD. And I know how it tortures a writer to do this highly impossible thing.

Be healthy, and you've got great talents, Verse Drama Writers are just rare nowadays,

first: Ton's of Reading of Philo, Histo, and Classics;
second: poetry, prose, lyric essay, plays;
third: selective timeline and character research,
fourth: building concept, logic, plots,
five: enriching characters by living in multiple personality, sexual bridge studies, profession, historical background......

A man such as you is a endangered species, so if you do not live for God, at lease live well for Verse Drama.

Contest, well there always be another one. I am not sure those who sit on the judging sits could write an one act play in verse.

Your verse drama is a play for cool people, young college students, they are the best judge, and honor. If they love your play, then they love it purely.

David Wisehart said...

Laijon:

I don't have any plans to write a verse drama set in the U.S. The American Revolution might be a good setting, but most of the stories I'm considering are set in Europe.

As for resting between writing plays, I actually finished writing Valentino in 2003. It took four years to get it staged and published. So I've had some down time between projects, and I'm ready to tackle another one.

Thanks again for buying the book. It's nice to know there's someone else out there with an interest in verse drama.

- David