 We are good. Everyone is coming in. Here we are. All right. New work development. Got the technology. We're here for you. We're here for you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. This is five o'clock. I'm just going to stop talking. I'm start talking. It's five o'clock. It's, this is watch me work. We are hosted by new work development at the public theater so we give love to new work development at the public theater. I'm Ritha and Joey. I'm Ritha. You're the director of new work development. You want to wave to everybody. Introduce yourself fabulous. I'm Ritha and she's you want to anything you want to say. I will just say hello everyone I'm so happy to join you I'm so happy to be here. I joined the public about a year and a half ago and it's been such a joy to be part of watch me work given that I used to I used to watch walk watch me work from other places spaces so excited excited for this journey we get to take. Thank you. Thank you. So he's on hazard hands on the controls to make sure I'm I'm here my camera is frozen so you get my lovely face. But but I'm here and I'm I'm very happy to to be here and yes, if you see my face this way I my face does move but my camera is not being cooperative. Fantastic. We love you. We love you. We love you. Okay, so we're going to do what we always do which is we're going to hang out, and we're going to work together and then I'm going to take questions from you about your work and your creative process the emphasis is on you, and your, and I'll do my best to answer your questions while we don't have time in this hour to talk to us, have you actually share your work, we do have plenty of time to talk about your work, and your creative process so if you have questions like how to get started how do I finish how do I stop what do I do next, those kinds of questions, and you'll be surprised I'm always surprised and and and my spirits are lifted. Because I realized that that some questions that some person might have our questions that we all share. So, please, you know, don't be shy when it comes time to question time. If you have a question, during the question time which will come after the 20 minutes of work time, Zoe, or Amritha will tell us how to get in touch. Yes, upon our time of question and answer if you could all please use the raise your hand button, then I will me or Amritha will call on your name and at that point you are welcome to unmute yourself and ask the question, please and thank you raise the hand button thank you. Fantastic. Okay, we're I'm going to set my, my timer to 20 minutes, and we're going to get started here we go. Okay, here we are. We've done some work for 20 minutes, hopefully, and now for the remainder of the rest of the hour will take questions about your work and your creative process anybody. Or we can sit in silence. Yes, please feel free to use the raise your hand function and we will be happy to call on your beautiful name. Yes, crystal, please feel free to unmute yourself. Well done, Zoe. Okay. I'm good. How are you doing. Just see you. How's it going. Oh, man. It's been crazy, you know. Well one congratulations on everything that's been happening with you. I, I didn't know I had surgery in my shoulder, and I, it was my second surgery and I had no idea that watch me work was happening through the summer. And the entire summer, I, I was so bummed I literally just found out like, before finding about this one. So I missed out I'm so sorry about that. So great to see you now how would show with shoulder and the right one. You like were you like throwing a punch what were you doing. You know, it's funny you say that it was in a boxing class yes. And then it went through here and it's been about like three years of like pain and surgery, more pain and then another surgery so diamond. It's okay. I can still write so there you go. These work, you know, right. Yeah, and, and we're looking at colleges for my daughter. Congratulations. She's, she's growing. Congratulations. Does she want to go somewhere near home. No. She wants to be in California. Oh, wow. Yeah. So yeah, so there's been a lot going on. Yeah, thank you. So I am starting a new play writing a new play pages in. And it's not, it's not based on a person, but the personality is based on a person he already knows, I'm writing it for him. Yes, he's about, he's a great friend of mine. He's about 84 years old or something. Oh, fantastic. He's like, got so much life in him. He's so funny. He makes me laugh he brings me a lots and lots of like laughs and I was like you there needs to be something for you. Yeah, so I was thinking about like, you know, what could a scenario be and so basically I have him as like one of the world, the oldest nurse in a hospital. And so that's like, so it's a comedy. And, and so like that's that's the setup. My struggle is I want it to be a comedy. You know, I want it to be funny. I wanted to really capture who he is as a person which is hilarious but also caring and heartwarming. I'm having trouble getting that on paper. I'm having trouble getting his sense of humor, sense of humor. I also am not, I'm not, I don't know how to write like, like one liners he's got a comedy that's from like, a time that I wasn't around and like, it's hilarious and it's you know, timeless, but I don't have that. I don't have that imagination I don't have that it just doesn't come to me. So I'm, I'm trying to figure out like, what, what can I do or what, what should I be doing to capture. I think I can capture him as a person but I can't capture that his humor, his, like his jokes per se. Right. So these are, here's an idea. Okay. It's great because I was recently, recently, like for three hours ago, hanging out with a friend of mine who's a medical doctor and who knows a lot of medical doctors who like to write. And we were talking about ways in which we could, you know, anyone talk to them about they, but they write about their patients. And she, this doctor was like, that's kind of sus, in my opinion, I'm like, yeah, she's like because they never give their patients any credit for the story. So here's just an idea, maybe he's your friend, right? Yeah. What about like sharing authorship. Oh, that way, like you could get his one liners, they're his, you know, like, I you and him or him and you were written together, however you do the byline, I don't know, that's for the lawyers to decide but, you know, by you and him. You could hang out with them. And you could like, kind of interview him. And, and, and then you, you know, you take the, the material of the things he's saying and then you kind of judge it into a dramatic form, you know what I'm saying. So, so you totally give him credit. Okay. Would that be maybe fun. That would be loads of fun. Would he like that? Would he like it? I would, I would have to ask him. Yes, of course. Yeah. Yes, you wouldn't instead of like, sneak it in every time you're hanging your phone on, on the side table, you know, no, we're not talking that we're talking like a bug board. Yeah. That's definitely something I hadn't thought about. I could definitely see that. I haven't really done a core authorship of a work before. I mean, it would be different if you were both like, you know, writers and, you know, getting together to write about some third thing that you're both thinking, but this is kind of, you could say his story, you know, and then you make it into a play like, what was her name? I'm sorry. There's Emily Mann. There's a play called having our say in which Emily Mann, or Mon collaborated with the Delaney sisters to elderly, fabulous women. And they and, and, and while Emily is the awesome playwright and wrote the play it was it's very much their story. Their story had appeared in a book already, but I think she saw it more as a collaboration, I think, but anyway, you and your friend. Okay. Could be fun. Yeah. And if he's not into that then we'll think of something else. Okay. Okay. He could tell you all as one line as you could just write him down. Yeah. I like that idea. Sure. Sure. Yay. Great question. And really a new, a new way of writing for you. You might be collaborating with a friend that'd be fun. Yeah. Anybody else have a question. Yes, Jonathan, please unmute yourself. Thank you. I happen to be back. It's been a while. See you Jonathan. It's great to see you. Good to see you too. Very happy to be here. So I'm starting on a new project and you play, which is my first, my first two-hander, like baby's first two-hander. And it's about historic figures, which has so far been a really cool experience and I felt, I felt moderately in control as much as I could be. You know, the process, but I feel like I'm beginning to hit that, that wall with a two-hander where you have that moment where you're like, and then such and such comes into the room with whatever. So I'm just in that moment of struggling with that and there was a part of me at one point that wanted to allow myself to just go with that if random person just happens into the room. But I just felt like the nature of the play and the figures involved just feels like it wanted, for me it wants to be a two-hander, but I'm trying to now get past that wall or that block that feels like how do I keep these two people engaged with each other for, I don't know, not a hand gesture, sorry. Okay, it's a two-hander. It's a two-hander, oh my God. That's brilliant. That's my job. So okay, so a two-hander for everybody, you know, it's a two character play. Am I understanding you correctly Jonathan? Yes, you're talking about it. So you've got your two characters doing things and then you hit up, oh, you set a wall where you're like, now what? Mm-hmm. They have to be on stage the whole time? I mean, there were moments when there's one on stage and the other it's off. Okay. Yeah. Okay. Okay, and so now you were like, you got to feel that some other person walking to the room, some third person, is that correct? Yes, but I'm really trying to push against because I just, I really, you know what I mean, and yeah, I'm just trying to push against that. No, I hear you, or let's just say embrace the two-hander. Just like dig deeper into the two-hander. Okay, so you don't want the third person to come in the room, so don't let them in the room. You're like, well, what do we do next, right? Is that what you like? Yeah. But what else could you do? This third person, are they going to like change the, I mean, are they significant? Either of those characters know this third person? But in the world of the play, yes, they would. Although I'm really not, I'm not even really too sure on who that third person would be yet. And although I just said they would know that person, but I think that within the type of world they live in, they would know that person. And when you, when you ask the question about the extent to which the third person would shape or impact the story or change it in any way, I think that there is a possibility, possibility that they could. But I also feel like some, it's at that weird moment when you're in that kind of ambiguous state where you don't have quite all the information. But what you do believe that you know is that they could change the story, but in a way that's actually in a disservice to your two main characters and the story that you want to tell. Right. Yeah. Okay, right. Okay, okay, okay, so what about if the, what about if they were just like worrying about the third character, like for example, I'm going to give you an example. Okay, there are two characters in a room right. So they're, oh, there's a door in the room right. Yes, the door. I think there's two doors. Okay, great. Yeah, so, so one of the doors, the third character might come through right. And say right now to your, which is why you're asking the question they're on the threshold, right they're about to come in their hands like about to touch the door knob. Right. But you don't want them to. Right. So like roll away back. Like what if they because what if it was like just just bad right a bill collector. A bill collector is a book in the room right. Oh my God you don't want a third character in your play. So put the bill collector like in the next week. You see what I'm saying. Yeah, so does it start talking about the problem of the impending arrival of the bill collector. You see what I'm saying. I see I love it. Yeah. So if you have a third character, you have their sort of impending presence, like they'll be here next week, but they're not there now and it gives the two characters something to do until you think of something else to do. Does that make sense. Oh, or got it, or whichever. Yeah. So you just like make it not a person not an introduction of another character, but the introduction of another problem. That makes sense. Yeah. Right. Right. And there can be lots of problems introduced or issue not issues but problems, things, you know, you know, there can be you can introduce lots of things that they're worried about or concerned about without actually having a person walk in the room. Right. Right. Cool. Cool. Yeah, you know, it's Monday. It's Monday. For more days to go. For days and what, oh the week. Oh yeah. Yeah. Hopefully we got more than four days. Well, I mean, you know, I mean Monday to Friday, you know, I certainly, you know, in 10, you know, beyond that. Friday is yeah you're like my son he calls it Friday. Friday. Like Jesus Christ. Yeah. Anyway, it's Monday. Monday. I'm going to answer all questions today. Yes, Monday. Monday. Thank you so much. Good question Jonathan really good question. Thank you. Yes, Larry. Please unmute yourself. Hey SLP. I'm good thank you. I am. At the end I think of the last session. You had advised someone I think in the group that they were celebrating that they had kind of finished their work. And you were sort of like it's ready to pitch. And I remember getting off the session and thinking I wonder what. What, what do you think makes a good pitch. And I just was curious about that I know there's lots of variables and. I'm just interested to hear what your thoughts were about the qualities of a good pitch. Yeah, yeah, that's a great question. Larry because a lot of us yeah we write things and then we have to, we have to pitch them to our friends or other actors or artistic directors or producers and and people to get them interested and excited in our work and sometimes our work is longer than a page, you know, it helps to, you know, if our work if our play is 90 pages or our novel is 300 pages it does help our screenplays 120 pages does have to have a pitch, a way, an elevator pit like you can ride an elevator up 12 floors and explain the whole thing in that amount of time. I think what makes a good pitch great question Larry is enthusiasm. That's, that's a really important thing. If I can, if I'm enthusiastic about my, my new screenplay then I can convey that enthusiasm because enthusiasm is often contagious. I think also a great pitch is just clarity of story you don't have to tell every single nook and cranny in your, in your, in your story. The basics. Also, maybe what makes a good pitch is the personal connection why you wrote the dang thing. You know, that those three things help. I'm actually joined, ask, I'm with on this call this question Larry because I'm with us. They had a new work development or whatever I'm sorry the debut. You're right. What makes a good pitch you hear a lot of pitches I'm sure every day. I do know I love this question to thank you Larry and I agree with everything you said SLP I think those three elements around the personal journey that that a writer has had with the work is deeply meaningful to hear enthusiasm and a synopsis of the story. The other thing that I will offer is I love in a pitch to hear which sometimes can go into those parts of it. Why do you need to tell the story now what about this present moment is really connected to the storytelling and how it needs to live and breathe on the page and on the stage. So that's always something I get excited about hearing. That's a great thing to add and I'm asking. So he could you put those four things in the chat. Because maybe that would be super helpful for everybody. So you know, like, you know, for ingredients of a great pitch and just everybody know those aren't the only four ingredients that make a great pitch. There I'm sure there are many others. I love that the relevant why why now why why what's going to draw an audience to this story now. And, and I would also say what you know already Larry none of those four elements are more are more important than you having actually done the work on the script. When you're done the work and you're and you're and you're ready to pitch then these four elements are really going to help it find the right artistic home. That's great. I was thinking about it because I had, you know, I think I, when we, when you and I first met was that ACT many years ago. There were people coming into pitch to carry pearl off all the time. And the thing that used to get her goat was people would come in and they would have all this enthusiasm idea about their project, but they've known nothing about ACT at all. Or, you know, they hadn't done any research or why, you know, why are you pitching here. And so, I'll just add that to the list which is great. I think it's a great addition to the person you're pitching to. Yes, right right now your audience yes that is a great addition Larry yes yes yes yes why would that theater. Yes what makes the institution you're pitching to a wonderful home for your work that's really great and that works for, you know, screenplays TV shows, plays, novels. All kinds of things. That's great great addition Larry thank you. Thanks for answering the question it's great to get like a collection of points of view on that great. Thank you. So grace had their hand up as well so great please unmute yourself. Oh my god, I'm going to try my best like not to cry right now just because I really look up to you so much as a person so he like, I just, wow I mean, um, but you know unfortunately this is like a very like emotional question as well and so I'm really just trying to ground myself, and like just calm down. But, but yeah, I recently got into an argument with someone that I potentially was going to work on a creative project with a student film with, and I was really just sort of disgusted by just the way that they talked about a really serious issue, as if it was just some kind of like philosophical moral thing and it didn't like, you know, affect like real people like you know it was just in a way where sometimes it feels like, you know, people, maybe don't think much about stories and philosophy not understanding like, you know there's real people even behind the stories that people write but anyway, I, it just made me feel so uncomfortable and I asked him like and I was like why do you like make movies if you talk about these things like this way like this is like real like lives and a lot of times I really feel like, you know, maybe I'm not really meant to be a writer and because, you know, just because of a lot of things but one of it is just feeling so worried about kind of like losing myself and caring so much and I write because I, I really love people and I really care a lot about the world and, and you know ancestry and all of those things and I even like imagine the characters I write as real because they come from somewhere and I worry about sort of losing myself in that process and my work being institutionalized and, you know, that being like co opted to, you know, just further do you humanize people are feeling like I need to sort of sell out, but more so in, you know, grander way like I don't know like I just get really worried and like the whole thing just really scares me it makes me not even like I like we were just talking about pitching you know like sometimes I don't even know if I even want to begin to even do that just because of, I guess my convictions and then I also think maybe I'm just being too dramatic and, and I don't know I feel like this was a bad question. Okay, I'm just going to end it here. That's great it's great for me thank you so for being so open and for talking about like where you're at right now. It's an intense time. I think for everybody and the more we can sort of say hey this is where I really am this is really me in a in an open and kind hearted way. It's a real brave thing and I think we all are buoyed by your grace grace and buoyed by your just open heartedness and it's wonderful to hear your question. The first thing a friend who talks about something that is is more about real people to you and they're talking about it as if it's just one more headline on the news. That's really difficult to hear. It's really difficult to be friends with someone like that, you know. And, and I think, giving people grace, especially these days is a superpower. You know, so I'm not saying you need to work with that person. I'm not saying you need to, you know, you know, whatever thumbs up with her like give that person lots of likes or whatever not I'm not saying anything like that. I'm saying just give them grace. A lot of us out here are doing the very best we can with the tools we have. You know, and some people, people get into the arts for lots of different reasons. People get into writing for lots of different reasons. Most of us are doing the best we can with the tools we have. And I think it is important to say well this isn't this relationship this collaborative relationship isn't right for me so I'm going to step away from it. The less we can cancel somebody else. The fewer people we can, you know, you get through the day without canceling somebody that's good you can have strong opinions. You can say you know what I don't agree with you you can tell them so. But just realize that maybe they're just trying to make it in the best way they can. And not everybody is as clicked in as you are. Not everybody is as clicked in as I am, you know what I mean so hey I'm like hey you know, I'm just just go ahead, go ahead sweet. What do you mean I clicked in. I just mean aware, awake. You know, you know, a feeling person, some people don't feel as deeply not everybody feels as deeply as you. Yeah, not everybody. Not everybody the root from the heart to the mouth to the head is as is as defined as it is with you. Not everybody can access their their deep feelings like you can. You know and that's because of the things they went through and the things that you know what I mean all those things. So that's the first thing, the more we can offer people grace or forgiveness. I'm not saying condone anything I'm not saying, you know, it's okay I'm just saying realize that some people, especially those people who are near and dear to us are probably doing the best they can with the tools they have. So it's kind of, it gets us sort of free out of that and gets us back into looking at ourselves and going okay so so how do I how do I make art in this world. Because as far as I know this is the only world we got right now to make art in to go like how do I, how do I keep going how do I make art in this world. And I think I just try to get through the day. Like, I'm going to do some writing. I'm going to maybe meet a friend I'm going to talk to some friends. I'm going to surround myself as much as I can with people who are kind hearted and hard working. And who I can have honest conversations with. We might not agree. But at least they're not going to like cancel me because my because I think something different from what they think you know I think we as a society have lost the ability to speak honestly and candidly about what we really feel if and be in disagreement. We've lost the ability to reach across the aisle I think that's a real problem. You know. So the more we can do that in our art, you know the more we can have difficult conversations with people and kind of butt heads but still come out going I respect that person. They had a really interesting thing to say about something, you know, instead of just go well, you're all my Christmas list or whatever you know my you're not coming to my holiday party ever again. You know that the canceling thing is a real something we all need to look at. Yeah, so, and to make art yeah you you're you're a sensitive feeling person you're a human being human. Writing, making art is the more you do it the more you'll see it's a it's a huge act of courage, you know. The thing that tells you if you should be doing it is you show up every day and you do it. You know, one person, I could say keep going, but you got to be going. You know I'm saying. So, I say come back here. Have you been to watch me work before. I'm just once. You know, come back keep coming back this is a wonderful community. Most of us have been here for a while we talk to each other we share things. Sometimes they're enormous amounts of people sometimes they're just a few, but we show up and we talk about process and it's really helpful and nurturing. So you're welcome to join. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks. We just have five, we have four minutes. Ask a question. Don't be shy. Don't be shy. Speak up. Your hands. My face is near but. Okay. I just want to know will we be able to meet for the next couple of weeks. Great question. Roll out the week, Zoe. Yes, yes, yes, yes. Our next meeting will be November 6, and then the meeting after that will be November 20, and then the one after that will be the 27. We will be meeting Monday except for November 13, we will be meeting on November and those sign up sheets should be going out in the next couple of days so please stay tuned. Great. Thank you because I enjoy and appreciate the session so very very much. And on the times that we can't meet, I may not say anything when I do meet with you guys. But on the days that we don't meet, I feel it. And I really miss it so thank you I appreciate you all. Thank you very much. Thank you. Likewise. Likewise. I started a few months ago I started to watch we work tip of the week and I then I realized last week that I'd forgotten to give one so I'm I'll give one next week though. Today. Just, well, I'll have one I mean it's a simple one I'll give a simple one. You know, in the bog of a Gita it says no effort is ever wasted. No effort is ever wasted. And that's an important thing to remember that sometimes we think oh what good is it what what I'm doing. I would just suggest that we show up every day for our work. Remember yourself. That thing you love to do. Sometimes it feels like it's the most difficult thing, because maybe you have a day job you have kids you have, you know, a boss who's crazy or toxic or whatever, or whatever. And you're the last person on your list. See if you can inch that up a little bit. That's not the we're taught you know don't be selfish don't be selfish, but I'm encouraging you to think of yourself a little bit. So. We have two minutes but we can we can all make funny faces. This is being recorded. My son went out my son who was 12, we live near Washington Square arch my son who was 12 on Saturday was very sunny day, and he called me after his violin lesson and said mom. I'm going to bust. I'm going to play my violin under Washington Square arch and he stood there for an hour in the sunshine all by himself and played his violin and made $51. Yeah. He can help with the rent. Anyway, so that's what I mean just do your thing. Do your thing is ever since I do your thing so that we may know you, you know, do your thing. Okay, but we'll see you we'll see you when so next week. See you next week. Same time, same channel. Love you guys. Bye. Thank you. Everyone. Thank you.