Pam Webb

a writer's journey as a reader

Archive for the tag “Wizard of Oz”

29 Mar 2013
9 Comments

Playing Around with Words


The Script Frenzy logo

The Script Frenzy logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Writing is what I do.  I teach it. I read it. I aspire to it.  I’ve tried all forms of writing: picture books, poetry, novels (middle readers, YA, adult), non-fiction (essays, informational, reviews), oh yeah–blogs.  My latest foray into wordsmithing is plays.  I gave up on screenplays since the format and competition didn’t work for me.  Then I switched to stage plays.  Oooh, I do very much like them.  NaNoWriMo used to run Script Frenzy, a spring version of novel writing in a month that involved writing a play in 30 days.  I tried it and definitely find a new niche.

Even though Script Frenzy retired, I got inspired. So far I have created a contemporary version of Julius Caesar and the school’s drama teacher showed interest in it, as did one of my students who called the role of Anthony.  I’ll keep you posted of the world premiere. I also morphed Hamlet and Alice in Wonderland, mixing in a bit Wizard of Oz. It’s definitely a work in progress, as they say.

Since screenplays didn’t pan out for me, I am converting them into stageplays.  I hope to dive into my languishing pile of manuscripts and toss them around in my Celtx program and see if they Presto! into plays.

Gosh! I  love writing!  There is such a variety and formats to try out and play with.  It’s like dress up with words.

Any of you try out a new writing form with success?

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Posted in Blogging, creativity, Reflections, Writing and tagged , , ,
24 Apr 2012
7 Comments

Chilling about my Frenzy


Script Frenzy 

In the beginning of April I blithely announced I would be participating in ScriptFrenzy, that annual craziness involving writing 100 pages in 30 days.  So here it is April 23 and I have finished ScriptFrenzy.  No, I did not type 100 pages. I did type 37 and ended up with a one-act play which I am quite satisfied with. I know I won’t receive my nifty little completion certificate, and I will end up as one of those sideline statistics who did not complete the goal.  However, I must protest.  The intent was to write a play and I did.  I cannot see the point of overwriting a play just to meet the page requirements.  The logic sounds like something from Alice in Wonderland.

Speaking of Alice in Wonderland–that’s what my play is–an adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s most marvelous classic of comedy logic.  My play is actually part of the NaNoWriMo novel I wrote two years ago.  Initially it was supposed to be a short story, yet it slipped into a play bit by bit .  You can see why I like Alice; I seem to dwell in the land of illogicals.

The play is a mix of Hamlet, Alice in Wonderland, with a smidgen of Wizard of Oz. If you read the entire play the mix makes sense.  I shall not bog you down with all the details.  The short and quick: there two Alices–one is the narrator who is in a chair moderating her “dream” which what we watch on the stage.  “Stage Alice”  is the dream Alice and she has this terrible problem of speaking only in couplets (a bit of the Hamlet influence).  This portion is from the courtroom scene:

The Knave of Hearts, from a 1901 edition of Mo...

Stage lights open to a courtroom scene.  The King and Queen of Hearts sit on thrones. Stage right is a table with the KNAVE who is handcuffed next to a LAWYER.  Across at stage left is two rows of chairs, three in front and two in back, filled with an array of ANIMALS. The end chair is empty. Center stage is a small table with a plate of tarts. Stage Alice enters stage left and sits in the empty chair. Each animal is holding a DRY ERASE BOARD AND MARKER.  Stage Alice finds hers under her chair.

BAILIFF:  All rise.

The entire courtroom rises, except King and Queen.  Stage Alice reluctantly rises only at prodding from animal next to her.

We are gathered here today to hear the confession of the Knave, whom we know to have stolen the hearts, and we all know he will be sentenced accordingly.

STAGE ALICE: Well, that’s hardly fair and certainly not just,
I’d say this court room scene is most certainly a bust.

ANIMAL in front row turns around and hushes Stage Alice.  Stage Alice sticks tongue out when it turns around.  The ANIMAL besides her snickers.  The Bailiff(White Rabbit) walks over and bops snickering Animal on head with a BOPPER, a long-stick with a soft endpiece which could emit a funny noise for more comic relief.  The Animal winces and rubs head, even though bopper does not hurt.

QUEEN: And what has the defendant have to say for himself?

BAILIFF: (walks over to Knave) That’s you.  (whispers loudly) Stand up.

KNAVE: Well, your Majesty…

QUEEN: Thank you, that’s quite enough.  I find him guilty.

KING: Yes, I find him guilty too.

QUEEN: Then off with his head.

While the Bailiff begins to haul away the sobbing Knave, the courtroom is suddenly interrupted by the entrance of the WICKED WITCH

WICKED WITCH: Dorothy. You can’t escape me. I’ll get you yet, my pretty.  And your little dog, too.

She walks over to each of the jurors and inspects them one by one. They shiver and cower.

QUEEN: Off with her head!

WICKED WITCH: (turns around to Queen) Excuse me?  Whose head are you referring to?

QUEEN: (nervously) Her head (points to Stage Alice)

WICKED WITCH: Aha! Think you can hide out with all your little friends? Well I’ll show you. (cackles)

STAGE ALICE: No, I’ll show you (pulls out SQUIRT GUN and squirts Wicked Witch) You’re all wet, and your bullying is too.

Wicked Witch begins to shriek and runs out of courtroom, dropping off pieces of her costume on the floor.

WICKED WITCH: I’m melting! I’m melting!

BAILIFF : (Calls in on shirt cuff)Clean up on aisle three

WORKERS ONE AND TWO scurry in from stage left with MOPS AND BROOMS and clean up witch debri and quickly exit stage right

QUEEN: Now where were we?

KING: Before we go much further. I want to know why she (points to Stage Alice)knows a witch and a witch knows her.

The entire courtroom stares at Stage Alice who crosses her arms in defiance.

STAGE ALICE: Which witch I may ask of whom you inquire?
Press me further and a lawyer I shall hire.

KING: No need for that, my dear.  Just curious is all. (to Queen).  It looked like the witch knew her. (the Queen pats him in reassurance).  Bring on the next case.

BAILIFF: (calls out from a scroll) The Case of the Stolen Tarts by the Knave of Hearts

STAGE ALICE:But we just heard this case.
I cannot abide the ill-logic of this place.

ANIMAL NEXT  TO stage ALICE (whispers)Oh, there is perfect logic. What you saw first was the mock trial. We have to practice to get it write (points to whiteboard)so we can’t get it wrong.

STAGE ALICE: Getting it right is important indeed,
To practice justice, I understand; I see.

ANIMAL NEXT TO STAGE ALICE: (holds up whiteboard)No, no. Not “right”.  “Write” (makes writing motion)It takes us all such a long time to spell, that we have one or two trials before we get all our notes down.

Animal in fronts turns around and hushes Stage Alice.  She hushes Animal back.  Animal is shocked and turns around quickly.  Bailiff comes over and bops the hushing Animal.

KING: Read the case, Bailiff

BALIFF: (clears throat, reads from scroll)

The Queen of Hearts
She bought some tarts
On sale it was last Thursday

The Queen jumps up

QUEEN: I made those tarts from scratch, I’ll have you know

Bailiff clears throat and continues

BAILIFF:The Queen of Hearts
Says she baked some tarts
Perhaps it was last Thursday
The Queen nods her satisfaction, waves for him to continue

The Knave of Hearts he stole those tarts
And he ate them all on Friday

DEFENSE LAWYER: Objection!

KING: Proceed

DEFENSE LAWYER: My client could not have possibly taken those tarts and eaten them

KING: He must have–why else would he be here?

DEFENSE LAWYER: My client has a gluten allergy. He could not have eaten the tarts.

The King and Queen confer

KING: In that case he is dismissed.

BAILIFF: Mistrial.

The jury animals busily erase their whiteboard. Stage Alice stands up and clears her throat.

STAGE ALICE: Your honors, may I address the court?

QUEEN: No, you may not.

Stage Alice sits down with arms folded in a huff

KING: Bring on the witnesses.

STAGE ALICE: If the case is dismissed, then why are they calling for witnesses?They start one case, but it never finishes.

ANIMAL NEXT TO STAGE ALICE: (whispers loudly) If they like the witnesses they will create a case.

Animal in front row turns around to hush Stage Alice and she hushes him first

BAILIFF: (loudly calls out) First Witness!

The Hatter comes out sipping from a Starbucks container and eating a croissant

BAILIFF:No eating in the court!

The Hatter looks around and realizes the Bailiff is addressing him.  He lifts up top hat and puts cup and croissant on head and puts hat back on.

KING: Take your hat off in court!

HATTER: So many rules, my goodness! Besides, it’s not my hat.

KING: Aha! You stole it, didn’t you!

HATTER: Of course not.  I make hats.  If I make them how can I steal them?

KING: Where were you when the tarts were stolen?

HATTER: The tarts were stolen?

KING: Yes, that’s why you brought in as a witness. Who stole the tarts?

HATTER: How should I know?  I never touch them.  Croissants yes, tarts no.

KING: Avoiding the question, are you?

HATTER: Yes, I would like to avoid the question.  I never associate myself with questions I don’t have the answer to.  Do you have a question I might have the answer to?

Silly stuff, I know.  Carroll’s Alice is wonderful and punderfull, just like I like it.  I like Alice for its silliness, odd logic, and madcap tomfoolery.  If I caught but a twisp of it my day has been made.

So for those of you who are freaking about it being April 23 and knowing you won’t finish your ScriptFrenzy commitment–chillax.  The ScriptoFrenzo Police squad won’t take you out and publicly humiliate you.  That’s only a rumor.  They are only a figment of your writer’s block.  If you haven’t completed your writing goal don’t worry, be happy.

Posted in Books, Reading, Writing and tagged , , , , ,
24 Mar 2012
2 Comments

A Little Lost in Translation: Part One–“It’s Greek to me”


March may be madness for basketball fans, but here in the English courts I am knee-deep in teaching the nuances of Homer and Hamlet and Caesar (oh, my).  Freshmen get to sail the seas with the wandering Odysseus, while sophomores figure out if they would have followed Brutus or Antony after those stirring funeral speeches, and the seniors decide the course of tragic hero Hamlet.  No matter how I teach it:  lively YouTube clips, polished PowerPoints, thought-provoking pair share activities, or No Fear Shakespeare helps, something gets a little lost in translation.

For instance, working with freshmen is tricky.  Most are on the cusp of maturity, and often senselessly slip into giggling fits of pubescent behavior at the mere mention of certain subjects.  Especially when they drift into PG-13. I’ve always wondered how to best approach the subject of Odysseus’ habit of dallying with those goddesses.  I mean, honestly, Penelope is keeping the home fires burning and keeping true to her man while raising their son, crushing the olives, and staving off lascivious suitors while Odysseus keeps company with the likes of Circe and Calypso.  Willing prisoner, my foot.  The guy couldn’t figure a way off the island for seven years?  We read about him crying during the day facing the sea, his heart breaking for Ithaca and Penelope, and we stir up a little bit of compassion.  At night?

A couple of years ago I asked my across-the-hall coworker how he explained the nighttime adventures of our lonely Greek epic hero.  Scrabble.  Excuse me?  He told me he would explain to his ninth graders that during the day Odysseus pined for Penelope, but at night he couldn’t resist playing Scrabble with Calypso.  Circe is another story.

So I borrowed the Scrabble euphemism and it worked well until two years ago.  A big backfire ensued.  A sweet girl who must have been preoccupied when I first began the lecture, brightened up when I mentioned Scrabble.  Popping up from her head-down reverie she exclaimed, “Scrabble?  I love Scrabble!  I’d play Scrabble every night if possible.”  Yup, pandemonium in the classroom.  It took about ten minutes to quell the masses of giggling hysteria, plus I had to smooth over the collateral damage to my naive student of the moment.

You think I would have learned my lesson.

This year once again I’m teaching freshmen and once again we cruise up to Calypso and her night time activities.  This year Yahtzee became the fill-in-the blank.  Oh, did they run with that.  I told them it didn’t qualify for an in-text citation reference in their unit essay.  I know they will sneak it in anyway.

Homerian values of men just gotta be men and women staying true make for decent discussion in terms of  how roles of heroes have changed over time and what values are esteemed in society. However,  our current textbook has sliced and diced The Odyssey’s twenty-two books into a pale, anemic handful of adventures, and even those are abridged to anorexic shadows.  Trying to make a cohesive unit out of hobbled material is definitely challenging.  It all works out though–we read a bit then watch a bit of the 1997 movie (a remake, please?) and I explain and translate the dissected textbook offerings  into everyday vernacular.  Even though it sounds a little erratic, by the time my little freshies are done with their three weeks with Odysseus they have the foundations of epic heroness down so when they get to senior English and face Beowulf there is something to dredge up and refer to.

Truthfully, The Odyssey is not my most favored unit; I’m not much into mythology, the whole gods/goddesses messing around with humans is irritating, to say the least. Nevertheless, the unit is a curriculum requirement, which means I do my best to make it enjoyable for my students.  They learn how to create a reader’s journal while duly noting epic hero characteristics and through the process discover how ancient literature can still transfer a thrill, but most of all they appreciate how it’s all about doing the right thing and that there is no place like home.  You did know Dorothy is an epic hero,  didn’t you?

Next stop: “The play’s the thing”– trying to get my seniors to groove on Hamlet

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