I am back in the country. Vacation is over.

Vincent’s Yellow is CAST.

Let me say that again and allow myself to celebrate one last time before the onslaught of everything else I have to do drowns out the sound.

I HAVE ACTORS! YIPPEEE!

It also looks like I have a co-choreographer, a props master, a media director, a technical director/co-costume designer, and a stage manager along with my lovely co-director. I know, it’s craziness. It’s good though, because let’s face it — as much as I’d like to do everything on this show myself, I need help. I wish I were a giant octopus who could design, direct, act, choreograph, produce, and make re-writes simultaneously (and still have one hand  free to make a living and put food into my mouth), but alas, alack, I am a terrestrial mammal with two arms. But let’s face it. It’d be hard to produce Vincent’s Yellow under water. And the good news is I’ve got a lot of  hands on deck now. Which is good cause this is a Big Boat.

I also heard the script aloud for the first time in our first rehearsal last night. (Also a Yippeee moment) So this is the first time in my life that I’ve sat down and written a script all by myself, and then heard it read aloud by actors. As a writer, it was indeed a bit more difficult than I anticipated (I already want to cut big chunks out of it, and will start doing so tonight), but it was also really awesome to discover new things about my story. Like, for instance — it’s got some laughs! I think my snarky sense of humor couldn’t help but pop in, but I was happy to hear some laughter from my cast.

Last thing I’m gonna tell you (later this week or maybe next week I’ll post the photos of my lovely actors) is that I bought a few things in Ecuador.

The first thing I was really looking for was just a huge amount of yellow fabric. I need it for…. you know. Well I can’t tell you! Come see the show if you want to know. It was really cheap in Ecuador so I got tons and tons.

I’m sure you understand that there was no other way to show it to you other than to put it on top of my head.

I got 35 meters. That’s about 120 feet. It’s very light-weight, translucent, and falls like a feather. It’s peeeerrrrrrty.

And, then there was one other thing I searched for…

Self-Portrait, 1887.

Thanks to vangoghgallery.com

And found…

teehee. I am pretty pleased with myself.

See you next week, fellow lovers!

Yes, yes, it is super duper exciting. And amazingly, it was the first space I looked at, and I just couldn’t find anything wrong with it. It is perfect.

Let’s first take a look at the location: it’s in the Loop.

The Loop is basically the heart of Chicago, in case you don’t know. All train lines connect from all directions and circle around the center of Chicago. The space is an apartment in a beautiful building inside the Loop, which means easy access for all visitors. It also means it’s blocks from The Art Institute of Chicago, where Vincent’s paintings are held in this city, which means frequent field trips with my cast during the rehearsal process, and that cross-promotions (which I absolutely plan on organizing) will be as easy as possible. YAY!

So, if you were paying attention, you perhaps noticed I said “an apartment”. I am indeed utilizing a living space for this show. Why, you ask? Because I want intimacy, and therefore a smaller space for a smaller audience, and let’s face it: it is always wonderful to have your rehearsal space be your performance space. With an apartment, I get the space for months, can schedule rehearsals whenever it’s convenient for the people involved, oh and yes, I get to keep all of the box office. No need to split it with the building. And I’m not paying for a sound system or lighting plot that I won’t be needing for this show. (It will be all live music and oil lamps)

And did I mention this particular apartment building is made up of converted dance studios? Which means the walls are thick, the floors are safe for bare feet, and basically it’s perfect for Yellow! Also, since it’s full of live/work spaces, the management approved my doing performances there (which not every building would be okay with).

Oh, yeah, and there’s this incredible rooftop garden with a jacuzzi, a small pool, a full bar, and I can rent it out for nothing more than a security deposit. Rooftop jacuzzi fundraiser party? Inevitable.

And the floor plan is Open Space. Perfect.

Pinning down rehearsal and performance space for a show is kinda the biggest step, it is one big fat leap and overall just incredibly important. And it also means that there’s no denying it now: the show will happen. In fact, I just signed the Leaseholder Change Agreement. Just now. And will fax it in shortly.

eeek!

I’ve also started conducting interviews with actors over the past week, which has been very exciting and intriguing. I’m doing interviews first because this show is my baby and I need the right people. I need the right hearts and the right minds.

After three years of researching and writing, I am so fucking excited!

See you next week…

PS My business cards look amazing. I wish I could give one to you right now.