Folks from two nice websites interviewed me yesterday.
Angella Graff interviewed me here.
And Justin Bienvenue interviewed me here. (You might have to scroll down to get to me.)
We discussed various things, especially Earths in Space. Have you downloaded it yet?
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Monday, January 28, 2013
When life throws you bozos, write a play
My high school senior Homecoming resulted in my first original one-act play -- a farce.
The play, “The Play About Homecoming,” went over well with its high school audience, and my cast did great. The show brought considerable laughter to an auditorium full of teenagers. But what I and a few friends had to endure to get it…
I was very last-minute with the whole Homecoming thing. Three days before the dance, I learned one of my female friends was dateless, so I figured I’d swoop in and save the day.
She wasn’t the problem, and neither were her two best friends—but their dates left pretty much everything to be desired.
One was a 21-year-old guy who for some reason wanted to go to a high school Homecoming with a 17-year-old girl he barely knew. The other was our same age, but not our same level of hygiene, and he wore a tie-dyed shirt under some garish sportscoat.
I’ll withhold the names of the girls. They suffered enough. I don’t even remember the guys’ names at this point.
Neither fellow qualified as a gentleman. I’m not saying I was Mr. Wonderful, but I was at least Mr. Tolerable. However, Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum...no.
The play, “The Play About Homecoming,” went over well with its high school audience, and my cast did great. The show brought considerable laughter to an auditorium full of teenagers. But what I and a few friends had to endure to get it…
I was very last-minute with the whole Homecoming thing. Three days before the dance, I learned one of my female friends was dateless, so I figured I’d swoop in and save the day.
She wasn’t the problem, and neither were her two best friends—but their dates left pretty much everything to be desired.
One was a 21-year-old guy who for some reason wanted to go to a high school Homecoming with a 17-year-old girl he barely knew. The other was our same age, but not our same level of hygiene, and he wore a tie-dyed shirt under some garish sportscoat.
I’ll withhold the names of the girls. They suffered enough. I don’t even remember the guys’ names at this point.
Neither fellow qualified as a gentleman. I’m not saying I was Mr. Wonderful, but I was at least Mr. Tolerable. However, Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum...no.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Coming soon...
What's better than one ebook series? Two ebook series!
Coming soon...an episodic series of novelettes about ghosts. So, if you like sci-fi space travel, Earths in Space will continue, but if you prefer supernatural fantasy, I may have something for you later this year.
I'll announce the title and other details when I'm further along with revisions. For now, I'll leave you with this dialogue exchange:
“Do I have to worry about zombies, too?”
“I never met any.”
“Not really the firm answer I was hoping for.”
“I’ve only been dead a couple of years. What am I supposed to be, the Encyclopedia Brown of death? ... Was that the correct usage of Encyclopedia Brown?”
Coming soon...an episodic series of novelettes about ghosts. So, if you like sci-fi space travel, Earths in Space will continue, but if you prefer supernatural fantasy, I may have something for you later this year.
I'll announce the title and other details when I'm further along with revisions. For now, I'll leave you with this dialogue exchange:
“Do I have to worry about zombies, too?”
“I never met any.”
“Not really the firm answer I was hoping for.”
“I’ve only been dead a couple of years. What am I supposed to be, the Encyclopedia Brown of death? ... Was that the correct usage of Encyclopedia Brown?”
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Note-taking during auditions
Continuing the series on theatre education for high school students...
So you’re the director going into auditions to cast your wonderful show. You’ve got some excellent cold reading pieces picked out, and you’ve thought of some sample directions to throw at people. Plus, you know precisely what sort of actors you’re looking for.
You’ve got it all figured out...except for one thing.
While the actors are jumping through your hoops, what are you supposed to be doing?
Simple: Take notes. Good notes.
Different people have different styles. There’s no one right answer on what to do here. But here’s what I’ve done...
On some line paper, write down each actor’s name as they come in to audition. If it’s someone you don’t know, jot down some quick notes about what they’re wearing and what they look like--whatever will jog your memory and help you connect the name to the performance 30 auditions and two hours later.
So you’re the director going into auditions to cast your wonderful show. You’ve got some excellent cold reading pieces picked out, and you’ve thought of some sample directions to throw at people. Plus, you know precisely what sort of actors you’re looking for.
You’ve got it all figured out...except for one thing.
While the actors are jumping through your hoops, what are you supposed to be doing?
Simple: Take notes. Good notes.
Different people have different styles. There’s no one right answer on what to do here. But here’s what I’ve done...
On some line paper, write down each actor’s name as they come in to audition. If it’s someone you don’t know, jot down some quick notes about what they’re wearing and what they look like--whatever will jog your memory and help you connect the name to the performance 30 auditions and two hours later.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Cold readings
Continuing the series on theatre education for high school students...
I never liked auditioning as an actor, but the process is much more fun when you’re on the other side of the table.
Still, as the director, you need to have a plan going in.
Part of your job is to pick out excerpts from your script for cold readings. For those unfamiliar with the term, a cold reading is basically the opposite of a prepared monologue. A cold reading is an excerpt from the script handed to actors at an audition, and they have maybe a few minutes to prepare before they’re called to perform it in front of the director.
The cold reading will help you determine which actors can think on their feet and demonstrate creativity.
After they perform their initial reading, you can give them some direction. This is the most fun part.
The goal here is to see if the actors can take direction. The ideal actor can both develop his/her own ideas for the role and also incorporate your ideas. It’s the old saying: Two heads are better than one. Theatre is a collaborative art. A wild card actor or a tyrannical director might reduce the quality of the overall production.
I never liked auditioning as an actor, but the process is much more fun when you’re on the other side of the table.
Still, as the director, you need to have a plan going in.
Part of your job is to pick out excerpts from your script for cold readings. For those unfamiliar with the term, a cold reading is basically the opposite of a prepared monologue. A cold reading is an excerpt from the script handed to actors at an audition, and they have maybe a few minutes to prepare before they’re called to perform it in front of the director.
The cold reading will help you determine which actors can think on their feet and demonstrate creativity.
After they perform their initial reading, you can give them some direction. This is the most fun part.
The goal here is to see if the actors can take direction. The ideal actor can both develop his/her own ideas for the role and also incorporate your ideas. It’s the old saying: Two heads are better than one. Theatre is a collaborative art. A wild card actor or a tyrannical director might reduce the quality of the overall production.
Friday, January 18, 2013
Who was this John Hancock fellow anyway?
I saw a clip from Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? in which a woman was shocked to learn that Europe was a continent, not a country.
We all have lapses in common sense (some more than others, it seems), but we should at least have some shame when we do.
I was reminded of an incident from my retail days. I was an assistant manager at a store in an outlet mall. For reasons that were never sufficiently explained, whenever I completed a refund transaction, I had to get the signature of one of the other employees -- in addition to my own and to the customer’s, resulting in a most impressive triple-signature document.
One day I asked a 21-year-old co-worker to sign one of those receipts, and she said, “Alright, I’ll give you my John Hancock.” Then she stopped and thought for a moment, wondering aloud, “Why do they call a signature a John Hancock?”
I immediately responded, “John Hancock was the first person to sign the Declaration of Independence, and he signed it really large.”
She laughed, clearly not expecting anyone to actually know such a thing. “OK, nerd.”
 |
| John who? |
We all have lapses in common sense (some more than others, it seems), but we should at least have some shame when we do.
I was reminded of an incident from my retail days. I was an assistant manager at a store in an outlet mall. For reasons that were never sufficiently explained, whenever I completed a refund transaction, I had to get the signature of one of the other employees -- in addition to my own and to the customer’s, resulting in a most impressive triple-signature document.
One day I asked a 21-year-old co-worker to sign one of those receipts, and she said, “Alright, I’ll give you my John Hancock.” Then she stopped and thought for a moment, wondering aloud, “Why do they call a signature a John Hancock?”
I immediately responded, “John Hancock was the first person to sign the Declaration of Independence, and he signed it really large.”
She laughed, clearly not expecting anyone to actually know such a thing. “OK, nerd.”
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Ground plans
Continuing the series on theatre education for high school students...
Directors need to establish the framework in which their actors move around. That’s the ground plan.
After you read the script several times, sketch out what the stage will look like--but only generally. Don’t be picking out the color of the couch just yet. That’s irrelevant at this point. But do figure out where that couch will be located in relation to other prominent set pieces and props. Here, you’re focusing on what goes where.
As you do so, you have to keep two things in mind. First, how do you need the actors to move? Second, how would your ground plan compel the actors to move in the absence of your direction?
And realize this: Copyright law dictates that you follow the script’s dialogue exactly as it’s written, but you are free to ignore the stage directions. (I’m no lawyer, of course, but that’s what I was taught.)
So, the actors have to say all the lines in the script as written. When you’re designing the ground plan and blocking the show, think of the script’s stage directions more as suggested guidelines, but do whatever works for your production. (After all, the playwright doesn’t know what performance space you’re working with.)
Directors need to establish the framework in which their actors move around. That’s the ground plan.
After you read the script several times, sketch out what the stage will look like--but only generally. Don’t be picking out the color of the couch just yet. That’s irrelevant at this point. But do figure out where that couch will be located in relation to other prominent set pieces and props. Here, you’re focusing on what goes where.
As you do so, you have to keep two things in mind. First, how do you need the actors to move? Second, how would your ground plan compel the actors to move in the absence of your direction?
And realize this: Copyright law dictates that you follow the script’s dialogue exactly as it’s written, but you are free to ignore the stage directions. (I’m no lawyer, of course, but that’s what I was taught.)
So, the actors have to say all the lines in the script as written. When you’re designing the ground plan and blocking the show, think of the script’s stage directions more as suggested guidelines, but do whatever works for your production. (After all, the playwright doesn’t know what performance space you’re working with.)
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Preparing to direct
Continuing the theatre education series for high school students...
When you’re the director, you have to do several things before you step foot into the first rehearsal. Otherwise, your leadership may amount to little more than “Okay, actors--go!” and “Okay, actors--stop!”
After you find the script you want to direct, you need to re-read it several times. Each time, have a different focus. Here are four important topics to consider:
1.) You want to define in your mind the purpose of the play. Is it just a simple comedy designed to make people laugh, and that’s it? Is it trying to provoke thought? Does it have a theme you want to emphasize?
The production needs a reason to exist beyond “Well, I felt like directing a play my senior year, so...yeah...I’m doing this one...”
 |
| Photo courtesy: www.stockfreeimages.com |
After you find the script you want to direct, you need to re-read it several times. Each time, have a different focus. Here are four important topics to consider:
1.) You want to define in your mind the purpose of the play. Is it just a simple comedy designed to make people laugh, and that’s it? Is it trying to provoke thought? Does it have a theme you want to emphasize?
The production needs a reason to exist beyond “Well, I felt like directing a play my senior year, so...yeah...I’m doing this one...”
Monday, January 14, 2013
Why theatre?
A few years ago, I wrote some theatre education articles for another website. I'll gradually transfer them over here for whoever happens to be interested. Here's the first:
With so many forms of media in existence, what’s the point of continuing to do theatre? After all, theatre is old enough for Sophocles to have taken part. Ancient Greece had no television, movies, CDs, iPods, or anything of the sort to keep them entertained. They didn’t even have the printing press back in the day.
It’s clear why theatre appealed to people in ancient times. Their options for artistic recreation were limited. But why do we continue thousands of years later?
Just because something is old doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with it. Theatre can do things no other medium can.
A few years ago, I wrote some theatre education articles for another website. I'll gradually transfer them over here for whoever happens to be interested. Here's the first:
 |
| Every city needs a theatre district. |
It’s clear why theatre appealed to people in ancient times. Their options for artistic recreation were limited. But why do we continue thousands of years later?
Just because something is old doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with it. Theatre can do things no other medium can.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Meet Amena, the whimsical realist
Presenting...the lead character of the Earths in Space series...Amena Wharry!
Amena has one true love: exploration.
She just wants to find something amazing...and then something else amazing...and something else...
Okay, so she really wants to find everything that’s amazing. Best way to do that? Find everything. After all, how could you possibly assess a thing’s amazingness if you’ve never once come across it?
Amena, a 29-year-old whimsical realist, leads an elite team of space travelers. The official mission is to scope out these alien planets and make sure none pose a threat to the Earth.
It turns out they’re all Earths, so they only meet aliens in the foreign sense, which sure is disappointing. A whole gigantic universe, and only one sentient species? It couldn’t muster any more variety than that? What’s the universe’s problem?
Amena has one true love: exploration.
She just wants to find something amazing...and then something else amazing...and something else...
Okay, so she really wants to find everything that’s amazing. Best way to do that? Find everything. After all, how could you possibly assess a thing’s amazingness if you’ve never once come across it?
Amena, a 29-year-old whimsical realist, leads an elite team of space travelers. The official mission is to scope out these alien planets and make sure none pose a threat to the Earth.
It turns out they’re all Earths, so they only meet aliens in the foreign sense, which sure is disappointing. A whole gigantic universe, and only one sentient species? It couldn’t muster any more variety than that? What’s the universe’s problem?
Monday, January 7, 2013
Earths in Space: Episode Two teaser
There is another.
Here's the opening of Episode Two: "The End of an Earth."
All text copyright Daniel R. Sherrier. Do not use without permission. However, feel free to share this link far and wide.
TEASER
The
world was going to explode in ninety minutes. Onella simply needed to wait.
She
lounged on a thick branch more than ten stories above the ground, but still
well below the tree’s highest extremities. She gazed through healthy leaves at
the deceptively clear sky. It seemed so peaceful, and the red sun cast a
surreal tint that would have fascinated her way back when. The younger Onella
would have wanted to freeze time and study it forever before moving on to the
next, even more fascinating discovery. The older Onella was glad she only had
ninety minutes.
Friday, January 4, 2013
Earths in Space update
To your NOOK! Quick!
Earths in Space vol. 1: Where Are the Little Green Men? is now available at Barnes & Noble!
And that's not all! It's on Kobo!
It's showing up in the system at Gardners Books, so if you're in the UK, ask your bookstore about its availability.
Here's a place where you can learn more about the book. That site also serves as a venue for posting reviews, if you feel so inclined after reading.
You can also read about the book here on this blog, including a teaser excerpt.
Reading is good for your brain.
Earths in Space vol. 1: Where Are the Little Green Men? is now available at Barnes & Noble!
And that's not all! It's on Kobo!
It's showing up in the system at Gardners Books, so if you're in the UK, ask your bookstore about its availability.
Here's a place where you can learn more about the book. That site also serves as a venue for posting reviews, if you feel so inclined after reading.
You can also read about the book here on this blog, including a teaser excerpt.
Reading is good for your brain.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
The Night of the Pink Sweater
Rules sometimes lead to ridiculousness—like that time I visited a Williamsburg nightclub.
Yes, I was also surprised to learn that “Williamsburg nightclub” was not an oxymoron, but that wasn’t the most ridiculous thing that night.
This was back in 2005. My time at the College of William & Mary was nearing its end. Classes were over. I completed all my exams. I was free and directionless.
One night, a friend invited me to join her and couple of others at this nightclub. Clubs have never been my thing, but I figured a change of pace wouldn’t hurt.
So three young women and I journeyed to the non-colonial part of Williamsburg and arrived at the nightclub, only to encounter…a bouncer. (You can be gainfully employed in Williamsburg, Va. as a bouncer. Who knew?)
The bouncer politely informed me that my attire did not adhere to the club’s dress code. I was wearing a T-shirt and jeans. Apparently, I was supposed to wear either a collared shirt or a sweater.
Yes, I was also surprised to learn that “Williamsburg nightclub” was not an oxymoron, but that wasn’t the most ridiculous thing that night.
This was back in 2005. My time at the College of William & Mary was nearing its end. Classes were over. I completed all my exams. I was free and directionless.
One night, a friend invited me to join her and couple of others at this nightclub. Clubs have never been my thing, but I figured a change of pace wouldn’t hurt.
So three young women and I journeyed to the non-colonial part of Williamsburg and arrived at the nightclub, only to encounter…a bouncer. (You can be gainfully employed in Williamsburg, Va. as a bouncer. Who knew?)
The bouncer politely informed me that my attire did not adhere to the club’s dress code. I was wearing a T-shirt and jeans. Apparently, I was supposed to wear either a collared shirt or a sweater.
Authors, promote your book for free!
For any other authors out there with books on Amazon...
I stumbled across this website that offers free book promotion. It's called Ask David.
There's a waiting list of at least six weeks, but it costs nothing. So, I figure it can't hurt to try it out. Extra visibility is generally a plus.
I stumbled across this website that offers free book promotion. It's called Ask David.
There's a waiting list of at least six weeks, but it costs nothing. So, I figure it can't hurt to try it out. Extra visibility is generally a plus.
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