Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Continuum (Measurement)..

Continuum theories or models explain variation as involving gradual quantitative transitions without abrupt changes or discontinuities. In contrast, categorical theories or models explain variation using qualitatively different states.

In physics

In physics, for example, the space-time continuum model describes space and time as part of the same continuum rather than as separate entities. A spectrum in physics, such as the electromagnetic spectrum, is often termed as either continuous (with energy at all wavelengths) or discrete (energy at only certain wavelengths).

In contrast, quantum mechanics uses quanta, certain defined amounts (i.e. categorical amounts) which are distinguished from continuous amounts.

In mathematics and philosophy

A good introduction to the philosophical issues involved is John Lane Bell's essay in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. A significant divide is provided by the law of excluded middle. It determines the divide between intuitionistic continua such as Brouwer's and Lawvere's, and classical ones such as Stevin's and Robinson's. Bell isolates two distinct historical conceptions of infinitesimal, one by Leibniz and one by Nieuwentijdt, and argues that Leibniz's conception was implemented in Robinson's hyperreal continuum, whereas Nieuwentijdt's, in Lawvere's smooth infinitesimal analysis, characterized by the presence of nilsquare infinitesimals: "It may be said that Leibniz recognized the need for the first, but not the second type of infinitesimal and Nieuwentijdt, vice-versa. It is of interest to note that Leibnizian infinitesimals (differentials) are realized in nonstandard analysis, and nilsquare infinitesimals in smooth infinitesimal analysis".

In social sciences (in general), psychology and psychiatry

In social sciences in general, psychology and psychiatry included, data about differences between individuals, like any data, can be collected and measured using different levels of measurement. Those levels include dichotomous (a person either has a personality trait or not) and non-dichotomous approaches. While the non-dichotomous approach allows for understanding that everyone lies somewhere on a particular personality dimension, the dichotomous (nominal categorical and ordinal) approaches only seek to confirm that a particular person either has or does not have a particular mental disorder.

Expert witnesses particularly are trained to help courts in translating the data into the legal (e.g. 'guilty' vs. 'innocent') dichotomy, which apply to law, sociology and ethics.

Linguistics

In linguistics, the range of dialects spoken over a geographical area that differ slightly between neighboring areas is known as a dialect continuum. A language continuum is a similar description for the merging of neighboring languages without a clear defined boundary. Examples of dialect or language continuums include the varieties of Italian or German; and the Romance languages, Arabic languages, or Bantu languages.

(Source Wikipedia)

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Essentials in Nonlinear Narrative!

Nonlinear narrative, disjointed narrative or disrupted narrative is a narrative technique, sometimes used in literature, film, hypertext websites and other narratives, where events are portrayed, for example out of chronological order, or in other ways where the narrative does not follow the direct causality pattern of the events featured, such as parallel distinctive plot lines, dream immersions or narrating another story inside the main plot-line. It is often used to mimic the structure and recall of human memory, but has been applied for other reasons as well.

(Source Wikipedia)

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Για τον Γκούντμαν, Εσωθέατρο!

Ο Κέννεθ Σώγερ Γκούντμαν (1883-1918) παρά το σύντομο βίο του, κατάφερε να μείνει στην ιστορία του θεάτρου: όχι μόνο μέσα από το έργο του αλλά κυρίως επειδή το παλαιότερο θέατρο του Σικάγο, φέρει σχεδόν έναν αιώνα τώρα, το όνομά του.
Ο Γκούντμαν έγραψε ένα μεγάλο αριθμό μονόπρακτων, αλλά επίσης και κάποια μεγάλα θεατρικά έργα μαζί με τον Μπέν Χέχτ και τον Τόμας Γούντ Στήβενς. Η «Σκόνη του δρόμου» (Dust of the road) είναι ένα από τα λίγα έργα του, που άντεξε στο χρόνο, ίσως γιατί  τα διλήμματα που θέτει δεν έχουν πάψει να απασχολούν τον άνθρωπο.
Η συγγραφική του δραστηριότητα τελειώνει με τον θάνατο του, το 1918, εξαιτίας μιας πνευμονίας, απότοκου γρίππης, στη διάρκεια του πρώτου παγκοσμίου πολέμου. Οι γονείς του Γουίλιαμ και Μαλβίνα, δωρίζουν στο Ινστιτούτο Τεχνών του Σικάγο το ποσό των 350.000 δολαρίων, εις μνήμη του γιου τους, προκειμένου να δημιουργηθεί εκεί, επαγγελματικό θέατρο και να λειτουργήσει δραματική σχολή ενώ παράλληλα αναθέτουν στον αρχιτέκτονα Χάουαρντ Βαν Ντόρεν Σω την υλοποίηση του έργου.
Στις 5 Ιανουαρίου του 1925 αρχίζει να λειτουργεί η σχολή ενώ στην εναρκτήρια τελετή για το θέατρο, στις 20 Οκτωβρίου 1925, θα παρουσιαστούν τρία έργα του Γκούνμταν : «Στην πίσω αυλή» (Back of the yards), «το πράσινο τραπεζομάντηλο» (The Green Scarf), και «η παρτίδα σκάκι» (The Game of Chess). Ο Τόμας Γουντ Στήβενς, σκηνοθέτης, στενός συνεργάτης και προσωπικός φίλος του Κέννεθ Γκούντμαν θα ηγηθεί τόσο του θεάτρου όσο και της δραματικής σχολής.
Η σχολή και το θέατρο ανέδειξε, καθόλη τη διάρκεια του 20ου αιώνα, ορισμένους από τους πλέον σημαντικούς αμερικανούς ηθοποιούς. Με το θέατρο αυτό λοιπόν, συνεργάζονται καταξιωμένοι συγγραφείς και σκηνοθέτες όπως για παράδειγμα ο Ντέϊβιντ Μάμμετ, ο «Αμερικάνικος Βούβαλος» του οποίου, κάνει παγκόσμια πρεμιέρα στο Goodman theatre, στη δεκαετία του 70. Πάνω από την είσοδο του θεάτρου Γκούντμαν, ο επισκέπτης μπορεί να διαβάσει: «Για να διατηρηθεί η παλιά πείρα και να αποκτηθεί νέα», μια φράση-έμπνευση για όλους τους ανθρώπους του θεάτρου και της τέχνης γενικότερα.

Ο Άντον Τσέχωφ σχετικά με το Ταλέντο, Από το Δραματικό Στούντιο του Εσωθεάτρου!

Για να είναι κανείς καλός και προικισμένος με ταλέντο άνθρωπος, πρέπει απλά να γεννηθεί τέτοιος. Αυτό είναι ζήτημα της φύσης με τους νόμους της και την κληρονομικότητα. Μα για να είναι κανείς άξιος του δώρου της φύσης, για να μην μείνει ένας απλά προικισμένος άνθρωπος, αλλά για να γίνει ιδιοφυής παράγοντας πρέπει να διαπαιδαγωγήσει το ταλέντο του, να το δουλέψει. Ταλέντο είναι η καλλιέργεια του ταλέντου…. Όσο μεγαλύτερο είναι το ταλέντο τόσο περισσότερο κόπο απαιτεί.

(Αποσπάσματα από γράμματα του συγγραφέα προς τον αδερφό του, από το βιβλίο του Γ. Γληνού: «Ώρες σκηνής»)

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Έγκλημα και Τιμωρία, Εσωθέατρο

Το Σημείωμα του Σκηνοθέτη

Έτσι εξηγείται μάλλον η πρωτοφανής κοσμοσυρροή που σημειώθηκε στο Δημοτικό Θέατρο του Πειραιά, όταν ο Αλέκος Αλεξανδράκης πρωτόπαιξε στη δεκαετία του ’60 τον Ρασκόλνικωφ. Όλοι όσοι τρόμαζαν χρόνια και χρόνια στην ιδέα να καθίσουν να διαβάσουν οχτακόσιες σελίδες, πήγαν να μάθουν μέσα σε δυο ωρίτσες, τι στην ευχή ήθελε να τους πει αυτός ο Ντοστογιέφσκι. Είχαν περάσει εκατό χρόνια κι όμως, «αυτός ο Ντοστογιέφσκι» εξακολουθούσε –κι εξακολουθεί- να λέει πάρα πολλά. Γιατί μπορεί να άλλαξαν οι παραγωγικές σχέσεις, οι κοινωνικές συνθήκες, η κουλτούρα και η συμπεριφορά των ανθρώπων, μπορεί να προχώρησε η επιστήμη, να υποχώρησε η ανθρωπιά, να μετατοπίστηκαν πολλές φορές τα εθνικά σύνορα, να συγκεντρώθηκε ο πλούτος σε ακόμα λιγότερα χέρια, να μεγάλωσε η οικονομική ανισότητα και να επετεύχθη επιτέλους η απόλυτη ισότητα όλων μας στη μοναξιά αφότου πιάσαμε από ένα τηλεκοντρόλ  ο καθένας, αλλά…

Αλλά ο φόβος του θανάτου δεν ξεπεράστηκε. Εξακολουθεί να μας παρακινεί στο καλύτερο και στο χειρότερο. Να μας εμπνέει για να δημιουργήσουμε και ν’ αφήσουμε το χνάρι μας πάνω στη γη ή να μείνουμε αδρανείς μια που «όλα είναι μάταια». Να υποταχθούμε στη μοίρα μας ή να επιχειρήσουμε να την αλλάξουμε. Να αποδεχτούμε το ρόλο του θνητού που όσο ζει, κάποιος άλλος ρυθμίζει τα βήματά του ή να τολμήσουμε να γίνουμε θεοί, αποκτώντας δικαίωμα ζωής και θανάτου πάνω στους άλλους. Ο Κάιν και ο Άβελ. Ο Οιδίπους και  Λάιος. Ο δικτάτορας και o τυραννοκτόνος. Το στρατόπεδο Γκουαντανάμο και οι «τρομοκράτες». Ο Τζέκυλ και o Χάιντ. Ποιος είναι ο εγκληματίας και ποιος ο τιμωρός;

Σε μια εποχή που το θέατρο ξεχνά όλο και περισσότερο την καταγωγή του και την παιδευτική του αποστολή, προσχωρώντας στην ευτέλεια και τη συσκότιση, το ΕσωΘέατρο τολμά να θέτει ερωτήματα. Ελπίζω να βοήθησα να αναδυθεί όχι η απάντηση, αλλά η επιθυμία για την αναζήτησή της.

Γιάννης Καλατζόπουλος

Οι παραστάσεις

Το ΕσωΘέατρο μεταφέρει στο σανίδι το πασίγνωστο κλασσικό μυθιστόρημα «Έγκλημα και Τιμωρία» του Φιοντόρ Ντοστογιέφσκι. Ο συγγραφέας με ματιά διεισδυτική και πένα πυρφόρα, ορθοτομεί ψυχικά τους ανθρώπους της εποχής του·  ανθρώπους ικανούς για το καλύτερο μα... και για το χειρότερο.

Αγία Πετρούπολη, σωτήριον έτος 1866. Ένα διπλό φονικό διαπράττεται. Θύματα: μια γριά τοκογλύφος και η ανυπεράσπιστη αδερφή της. Δράστης: ο Ρασκόλνικωφ, ένας πρώην φοιτητής, που διακατέχεται από την ιδεοληψία ότι είναι «υπεράνθρωπος» και ότι δικαιούται να εγκληματήσει για το καλό της ανθρωπότητας… Η δράση φέρνει αντίδραση και το έγκλημα επισύρει τιμωρία. Ποια θα είναι τιμωρία του; Από πού θα προέλθει; Από το νόμο, με εκφραστή τον ανακριτή Πορφύρη  που υποπτεύεται τον ένοχο εξαρχής και τον κυκλώνει με δεξιοτεχνία ήρεμου γηραιού αιλουροειδούς;… ή από τη συνείδησή του, που θα τον καταβάλει όψιμα, μετά τη συνάντησή του με την πόρνη Σόνια, μια αγία αμαρτωλή; Η ομολογία του δράστη θα είναι αυτόβουλη· το αίτημα του παντεπόπτη οφθαλμού για δικαιοσύνη εκπληρώνεται κι επέρχεται η κάθαρση.

    Η διασκευή είναι του Τάσου Προύσαλη.
    Tην σκηνοθεσία και τους φωτισμούς υπογράφει ο Γιάννης Καλατζόπουλος,
    ενώ το σκηνικό και τα κοστούμια εποχής  έχει σχεδιάσει ο Κοσμάς Πανωρίδης.
    Η ζωγραφική εκτέλεση είναι του Στράτου Σαραντίδη.
    Η μουσική επιμέλεια είναι της Ναταλίας Τζήμα και
    η μίξη ήχων του Χριστόφορου Καρρά.
    Χρέη βοηθού σκηνοθέτη εκτέλεσε η Χρύσα Διαμαντάκη ενώ
    το φροντιστήριο επιμελήθηκε η Κρυσταλία Ιωαννίδου.

Η παράσταση «Έγκλημα και Τιμωρία» γνώρισε μεγάλη επιτυχία με σημαντική ζήτηση από το θεατρόφιλο κοινό. Έτσι παρουσιάστηκε για δύο συνεχόμενες θεατρικές περιόδους, αυτές του 2006-2007 και του 2007-2008, με διαφοροποιημένα σχήματα θιάσου.

                                          
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Saturday, June 1, 2013

Kick Ass, The Promise of The Premise, J Krueger!

KICK ASS! The Promise of the Premise
 
Kick Ass! Does Just That…


It’s rare that you see a big budget action movie that succeeds on as many levels as Kick Ass! Hilarious, high stakes action sequences, directorial vision, fabulous characters, bold acting choices, and more-fun-than-you-can-shake-a-nunchuck-at combine to make Kick Ass! the kind of action movie producers and audiences alike can salivate over. (The audience last night was literally cheering through the credits when the movie ended).

The Promise of the Premise

 
Every movie makes its audience a promise– what I like to call The Promise of the Premise. This promise is the built-in anticipation that convinces your viewers to pay their 12 bucks on your movie instead of some other flick.

Fulfill the promise of the premise, and your audience will be happy to appreciate your deep meaning, thoughts about the world, brilliant dialogue, and symbolic image systems right along with it. Fall short, and it doesn’t matter how brilliant your writing is, no one is going to make your movie.

Make The Promise of the Premise Work For You

 
Unless Brad Pitt is knocking down your door right now, when it comes to selling your script, The Promise of the Premise is the only thing the producer can depend on.

For writers, the adaptation and revision process has many aspects. But for producers, there’s really only one aspect that’s important: narrowing the gap between The Promise of the Premise, and what the script actually delivers.

As a writer who wants your work produced, you can harness this knowledge to focus your adaptation and revision process– whether that’s you’re adapting an idea for a movie into an actual script, revising a rough draft into more polished form, or creating a film version of a true life story, a novel, or a comic book like Kick Ass!

The best movies don’t just fulfill The Promise of the Premise. They exceed it.

Make YOUR Premise Kick Ass!

 
From the title alone, you know the promise of Kick Ass!: A tongue in cheek, goofy as hell, ass-kicking good time in which the least likely super heroes in the world will triumph over some serious bad guys.

But what makes Kick Ass! so successful is how it takes that promise and pushes it to the extreme, exaggerating both the comedy and the darkness of the main character’s journey, taking it further than he, or his audience, could ever have expected.

The result is a movie that is not only a rollicking good time, but also captures the best elements of the comic book form, to say something real about personal responsibility and how hard it is to actually take action against the things that are wrong in the world.

Stop Selling Out, and Sell In…


Young writers often think fulfilling The Promise of the Premise means selling out. They then make the mistake of either rejecting the promise of their own premise as an affront to their artistic integrity, or trying so desperately to write something “commercial” that they end up creating nothing but a hollow shell as a movie.

Whether you’re writing a hilarious action spoof like Kick Ass! or a deep character driven movie like A Prophet, your job as a screenwriter is to discover your premise and push it to the max.

But The Promise of The Premise isn’t something you impose on your script from the outside. It’s something that’s already there, suggested in every facet of your characters journey, and in every word you write, just waiting for you to discover it and bring it to the surface.

That’s not selling out. That’s the art of the screenwriter.

And the good news is, you can learn it.

 
If you’d like to learn how to harness the promise of your own premise, I invite you to join my upcoming screenwriting workshop. Whether you’re starting from scratch with a new idea, working on a screenplay adaptation, or revising an early draft of an existing screenplay, this class will forever change the way you look at screenwriting.

Monday, March 25, 2013

Leo Launches Initiative with World Wildlife Fund to Stop Wildlife Crime!

February 18, 2013 - Today, actor and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Board Member Leonardo DiCaprio helped launch WWF’s “Hands Off My Parts” initiative. The initiative represents a week-long effort tied to WWF’s Stop Wildlife Crime campaign to raise awareness and mobilize support to end the illegal trade of wildlife.

Wildlife crime has reached levels never seen before in WWF’s 50-year history. Rhinos, tigers, and elephants are being killed at alarming rates for their skins, bones, tusks, horns and other body parts.

Tens of thousands of elephants are being poached every year for their ivory. Thailand is home to the biggest unregulated ivory market in the world. Exploiting a legal loophole that permits the sale of ivory from Thailand’s domesticated elephants, criminals are getting away with selling massive amounts of illegally poached African ivory alongside legal ivory in the country.

In addition to raising awareness of this global crisis, the Hands Off My Parts initiative highlights what people can do to help, including spreading the word and signing a global petition calling on Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to ban all ivory trade in Thailand.

In support of this effort, DiCaprio sent a personal email to WWF supporters, celebrities and other influencers encouraging them to join the wildlife crime campaign and sign the petition.
“Illegal wildlife trade is the most urgent threat facing species like tigers, rhinos and elephants. These animals are being killed every day to feed an escalating demand for their body parts,” said Leonardo DiCaprio. “Whole populations are at risk of being wiped out if we don’t take immediate action to shut down this illicit trade. As a key step, I am joining WWF and others calling on Thailand’s government to show leadership on elephant conservation by shutting down its ivory market before the country hosts a meeting of 177 nations on wildlife trade in March 2013.”

"With knowledge comes the imperative to act,” said Carter Roberts, president & CEO of WWF. “This story needs to be told. We're grateful to Leonardo DiCaprio and others for being the voice for animals who cannot speak for themselves.”

Other prominent voices joining this initiative include: Emily VanCamp, Josh Bowman, Stacy Keibler, Alyssa Milano, Ian Somerhalder, and Ethan Suplee.

“Hands Off My Parts” is the latest initiative in WWF’s global campaign to raise awareness about illicit wildlife trade as a serious crime with far-reaching implications for species and communities around the world.

TAKE ACTION: Tell Thailand to get tough on wildlife crime and ban their ivory trade.


To learn more and what you can do to help, please visit worldwildlife.org/wildlifecrime or http://www.handsoffmyparts.org. 

Friday, February 15, 2013

LeoDiCaprio Foundation on New Charitable Project with La Colombe about Lyon Coffee

We are delighted to present our latest masterpiece, Lyon, a first of its kind charitable alliance with Leonardo DiCaprio. Through purchases of Lyon, you will make a significant impact on projects that defend lands and oceans, protect clean water, help endangered species, aid disaster relief and support alternative and green energy efforts.

Blend Notes 


Velvety, nectar like and sweet, LYON is an extraordinary coffee with a cause, a masterpiece of taste achieved by blending directly sourced and sustainably grown coffees from the mountains of Haiti, Peru, Ethiopia, and Brazil.

Recommended For French Press, Espresso or Stove Top.

A.)    La Colombe Makes First of Its Kind Charitable Alliance with Leonardo DiCaprio - 100% of All Profits from Co-created LYON Donated to Charities Supported by The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation
 

"I am thrilled to be a part of this new project with La Colombe" says Leonardo DiCaprio.

“We are excited to be working with The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation and find it, as well as its namesake, uniquely qualified to carry out our hope, to make our planet a better place.” adds Todd Carmichael.

Velvety, nectar like and sweet, LYON is an extraordinary coffee with a cause, a masterpiece of taste achieved by blending directly sourced and sustainably grown coffees from the mountains of Haiti, Peru, Ethiopia, and Brazil.

Through purchases of LYON, consumers will make a significant impact on projects that defend lands and oceans, clean water, help endangered species, aid disaster relief and support alternative and green energy efforts.

B.)    100% of Profits from the sale of LYON coffee go to Environmental Charities Supported by The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation.
 

On February 1st, 2012, acclaimed coffee roaster, La Colombe Torrefaction, announced a charitable alliance with the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation to create a new, ultra high-end coffee line, LYON. Under the alliance one-hundred percent of the net profits from the sale of LYON will be donated to environmental charities supported by the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation.

“Raising awareness on the most pressing environmental issues of our time is more important than ever,” said Leonardo DiCaprio. “I am thrilled to be a part of this new project with La Colombe that will help aid the shift to a truly sustainable future for the planet and its inhabitants.”

“Coffee employs over 100 million people worldwide, most of which is slash and burn and sold cheaply,” said Todd Carmichael, CEO and Co-Founder of La Colombe. “Sustainable coffee – specifically, coffee that is traded above fair prices and grown using earth conscious methods – not only adds much needed global biodiversity, but provides support for millions of families and communities in the developing world. The impact we are having in Haiti alone, just to bring this coffee to market, has changed the lives of thousands of peasant farmers, as well as the landscape of the country. We are excited to be working with and supporting The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation and find it, as well as its namesake, uniquely qualified to carry out our hope, to make our planet a better place.”

“La Colombe’s commitment to pushing the envelope in environmental and social ethics makes the company unique, “said Alex Morgan, business development manager for the sustainable agriculture division of the Rainforest Alliance. “There are a number of coffee companies that take either quality or sustainability seriously, but they don’t necessarily combine the two of them. We commend La Colombe for promoting transparency throughout its supply chain, and for committing itself to this approach.”

LYON is available for purchase in select Williams Sonoma stores nationwide, La Colombe Cafes, select Whole Foods and online at www.lacolombe.com. With their purchase, consumers will make a significant impact on projects that defend lands and oceans, clean water, help endangered species, aid disaster relief and support alternative and green energy efforts.

Velvety, nectar like and sweet, LYON is an extraordinary coffee with a cause, a masterpiece of taste achieved by blending directly sourced and sustainably grown coffees from the mountains of Haiti, Peru, Ethiopia, and Brazil.
 

About La Colombe

For nearly two decades, La Colombe has been a leading proponent of ethical long-term trade with coffee growers as well as a key supporter of certification organizations such as Fair Trade Alliance, Rainforest Alliance, Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center and others. Most important, however, is our direct influence on the well being of our coffee growing communities - from water resource development and borehole drilling to building and maintaining schools which support hundreds of orphaned children with housing, health care and education. We recognize that as coffee roasters we occupy a unique place in the world, a spot on the narrow bridge between the developing world and some of the most affluent consumers on the planet. To us, this role is more than a responsibility, more than a popular philanthropic logo but a rare privilege seldom afforded. At La Colombe, we intend to make the most out of this opportunity.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

The Cold Cuts Amazing Atmosphere by Jacob Krueger

(The picture is taken from Jacob Krueger's website. He's the one attending with the hat!)

Cold Cuts is a free monthly reading series designed to give students the instant gratification and experience of hearing their work performed out-loud in-front of a live audience within days, hours, minutes of writing it.
Writers bring in 8 – 10 pages from their latest screenplay and trained actors get cast on the spot.
Cold Cuts takes place the first Thursday of every month at 8pm @ CSV Center 107 Suffolk St, NYC map

Get Involved
 

Writers
Cold Cuts is open to anyone currently enrolled in a class* at Jacob Krueger Studio.  Sign up for classes now! Simply show up, put your name in the hat, and if your name is called then next month your pages will be read!
 

Actors
Cold Cuts is always on the lookout for smart actors who enjoy developing new work. If this sounds like you please submit your head shot and resume below and you will be contacted shortly.

Frequently Asked Questions
 

Who Can Participate?
1.) Anyone Can Attend For Free
2.) To Submit Work You Must Be Currently Enrolled in a Screenwriting Workshop or    Master Class at Jacob Krueger Studio.
3.) Seminar Attendees are Not Eligible

What About Casting & Rehearsal?
1.) Your Work Will Be Read By Our Troupe of Professional NYC Actors.
2.) This is a Cold Reading Series Which Means There Is No Rehearsal or Auditions.
3.) All Scenes Are Cast On The Spot The Day of the Event.
4.) You Can Submit Your Pages Weeks, Days, or Even Minutes Before Your Performance.

Why Cold Readings?
Cold readings are often far more valuable for writers than readings that have been directed and rehearsed.  That’s because they give you a sense of how readers are interpreting your work and your characters with the turn of each page—just like a producer will do when they read your script..  Often, by following their impulses, actors will reveal hidden layers in your script that you didn’t even know were there.  And even elements that get misinterpreted can open doors for your writing, showing you new pathways to explore, or confusions to address in your next draft.

Can You Cast Your Own Actors?
If you have a highly specialized role that requires a specific actor, you are welcome to do your own casting.  Just let us know in advance.  We encourage you NOT to hold rehearsals or to coach your actors so you can get the full benefit of the cold reading experience.

Should You Invite Producers
You are welcome to invite anyone you want to your reading.  However please remember that the main goal of Cold Cuts is not to present perfectly polished work, but to help you develop your screenplay, by understanding how an audience reacts to an early draft.

I’ve Never Done a Reading Before.  What if My Scene Isn’t Good?
Bring us your tired, your poor!   Cold Cuts welcomes your great scenes, but it’s also a place to try out the stuff you’re struggling with, the scenes that you’re not sure about, and the ones that take huge risks and either fail or succeed boldly.  By watching the audience and listening to the actors, you’ll learn what really works and what really doesn’t.  And some of the answers may surprise you.

Do I Have To Pay The Actors?
All of our actors are volunteering their time and their talent.  There is no need for financial compensation, but they sure appreciate it if you buy them a drink!

Want To Participate as an Actor?
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Friday, January 27, 2012

The Thorn Birds

The epic begins with Meghann "Meggie" Cleary, a four-year-old girl living in New Zealand in the early twentieth century, the only daughter of Paddy, an Irish farm labourer, and Fee, his harassed but aristocratic wife. Although Meggie is a beautiful child with curly red-gold hair, she receives little coddling and must struggle to hold her own against her numerous older brothers. Of these brothers, her favourite is the eldest, Frank, a rebellious young man who is unwillingly preparing himself for the blacksmith's trade. He is much shorter than his brothers, but very strong; also, unlike the other Clearys, he has black hair and eyes.
Paddy is poor, but has a wealthy sister, Mary Carson, who lives in Australia on an enormous sheep station called Drogheda. One day, Paddy receives a letter from Mary offering him a job on her estate. He accepts, and the whole family moves to the Outback.
Here Meggie meets Father Ralph de Bricassart, a young, capable, and ambitious priest who, as punishment for insulting a bishop, has been relegated to a remote parish in the town of Gillanbone, near Drogheda. Ralph has befriended Mary, hoping a hefty enough bequest from her to the Catholic church might liberate him from his exile. Ralph is strikingly handsome; "a beautiful man"; and Mary, who doesn't bother to conceal her desire for him, often goes to great lengths to see if he can be induced to break his vows. Ralph blandly shrugs off these attentions and continues his visits. Meanwhile, he cares for all the Clearys and soon learns to cherish beautiful but forlorn little Meggie. Meggie, in return, makes Ralph the centre of her life.
Frank's relationship with his father, Paddy, has never been peaceful. The two vie for Fee's attention, and Frank resents the many pregnancies Paddy makes her endure. One day, after Fee, now in her forties, reveals she is again pregnant, the two men quarrel violently and Paddy blurts out the truth about Frank: he is not Paddy's son. Long ago, Fee had been the adored only daughter of a prominent citizen. Then, she had an affair with a married politician, and the result, Frank,was already eighteen months old when her mortified father married her off to Paddy. Because he resembles her lost love, Fee has always loved Frank more than her other children. To the sorrow of Meggie and Fee, when Frank learns that Paddy is not his father, he runs away to become a boxer. Fee later gives birth to twin boys, James and Patrick (Jims and Patsy), but shows little interest in them. Shortly afterward, Meggie's beloved little brother, Hal, dies.
With Frank gone and Hal dead, Meggie clings to Ralph more than ever. This goes largely unnoticed because Ralph has now been her mentor for several years; however, as she ripens into womanhood, some begin to question their close relationship, including Ralph and Meggie themselves. Mary Carson has also noticed their changing relationship, and from motives of jealousy mingled with Machiavellian cruelty, she devises a plan to separate Ralph from Meggie by tempting him with his heart's desire: a high place in the Church hierarchy. Although her will of record leaves the bulk of her estate to Paddy, she quietly writes a new one, making the Roman Catholic Church the main beneficiary and Ralph the executor.
In the new will, the true magnitude of Mary's wealth is finally revealed. Drogheda is not the centre of her fortune as Ralph and Paddy have long believed but is merely a "hobby", a diversion from her true financial interests. Mary's wealth is derived from a vast multi-national financial empire worth over thirteen million Pounds (about A$200 million in modern terms). The sheer size of Mary's bequest will virtually guarantee Ralph's rapid rise in the church. She also makes sure that after she dies only Ralph, at first, will know of the new will — forcing him to choose between Meggie and his own ambition. She also provides for her disinherited brother, promising him and all his grandchildren a home on Drogheda as long as any of them live.
At Mary's seventy-second birthday party, Ralph goes to great lengths to avoid Meggie, now seventeen and dressed in a beautiful rose-pink evening gown; later, he explains that others might not see his attention as innocent. Mary dies in the night. Ralph duly learns of the new will. He sees at once the subtle genius of Mary's plan and, although he weeps and calls her "a disgusting old spider" he takes the new will to her lawyer without delay. The lawyer, scandalised, urges Ralph to destroy the will, but to no avail. The bequest of thirteen million pounds works its expected magic, and Ralph soon leaves to begin his rapid advance in the Church.
Before he leaves, Meggie confesses her love for him; after the birthday party, Ralph finds her crying in the family cemetery and they share a passionate kiss, but Ralph refuses her because of his duties as a priest and begs Meggie to find someone to love and marry.
The Clearys learn that Frank has been convicted of murder after killing someone in a fight. He spends three decades in prison.
Paddy and his son Stuart are killed; Paddy dies in a lightning fire, and Stu is killed by a wild boar shortly after finding his father's body. Meanwhile, Ralph, unaware of Paddy and Stu's deaths, is on his way to Drogheda and suffers minor injuries when his plane bogs in the mud. As Meggie tends his wounds, she tries to seduce him and is rebuffed. Ralph remains at Drogheda only long enough to conduct the funerals.
Three years later, a new ranch worker named Luke O'Neill begins to court Meggie. Although his motives are more mercenary than romantic, she marries him because he looks a little bit like Ralph, but mainly because he is not Catholic and wants little to do with religion-her own way of getting back at Ralph. She soon realises her mistake. After a brief honeymoon, Luke, a skinflint who regards women as sex objects and prefers the company of men, finds Meggie a live-in job with a kindly couple, the Muellers, and leaves to join a gang of itinerant sugarcane cutters in North Queensland. Before he leaves, he appropriates all Meggie's savings and arranges to have her wages paid directly to him. He tells her he's saving money to buy a homestead; however, he quickly becomes obsessed with the competitive toil of cane-cutting and has no real intention of giving it up. Hoping to change Luke's ambition and settle him down, Meggie deliberately thwarts his usual contraception and bears Luke a red-haired daughter, Justine. The new baby, however, makes little impression on Luke.
Father Ralph visits Meggie during her difficult labour; he has come to say goodbye, as he is leaving Australia for Rome. He sees Meggie's unhappiness for himself, and pities her. Justine proves to be a fractious baby, so the Muellers send Meggie to an isolated island resort for a rest. Father Ralph returns to Australia, learns of Meggie's whereabouts from Anne Mueller, and joins her for several days. There, at last, the lovers consummate their passion, and Ralph realises that despite his ambition to be the perfect priest, his desire for Meggie makes him a man like other men. Father Ralph returns to the Church, and Meggie, pregnant with Ralph's child, decides to separate from Luke. She tells Luke what she really thinks of him, and returns to Drogheda, leaving him to his cane-cutting.
Back home, she gives birth to a beautiful boy whom she names Dane. Fee, who has had experience in such matters, notices Dane's resemblance to Ralph as soon as he is born. The relationship between Meggie and Fee takes a turn for the better. Justine grows into an independent, keenly intelligent girl who loves her brother dearly; however, she has little use for anyone else, and calmly rebuffs Meggie's overtures of motherly affection.
None of Meggie's other surviving brothers ever marry, and Drogheda gradually becomes a place filled with old people.
Ralph visits Drogheda after a long absence and meets Dane for the first time; and although he finds himself strangely drawn to the boy, he fails to recognize that they are father and son. Dane grows up and decides, to Meggie's dismay, to become a priest. Fee tells Meggie that what she stole from God, she must now give back. Justine, meanwhile, decides to become an actress and leaves Australia to seek her dream in England. Ralph, now a Cardinal, becomes a mentor to Dane, but still blinds himself to the fact that the young man is his own son. Dane is also unaware of their true relationship. Ralph takes great care of him, and because of their resemblance people mistake them for uncle and nephew. Ralph and Dane encourage the rumour. Justine and her brother remain close, although he is often shocked at her sexual adventures and free-wheeling lifestyle. She befriends Rainer Hartheim, a German politician who is a great friend of both Dane and Ralph's-- unbeknownst to her, he falls deeply in love with her. Their friendship becomes the most important in her life, and is on the verge of becoming something more when tragedy strikes.
Dane, who has just become a priest, is vacationing in Greece. While there, he goes swimming one day and dies while rescuing two women from a dangerous current. Meggie reveals before Dane's funeral that Dane is Ralph's son. Ralph dies in Meggie's arms after the funeral.
Justine breaks off all communications with Rainer and falls into a depressed, hum-drum existence. Eventually, they renew their acquaintance on strictly platonic terms, until Rainer visits Drogheda alone in order to urge Meggie to help him pursue Justine's hand in marriage.
Justine, now the sole surviving grandchild of Fee and Paddy Cleary, finally accepts her true feelings for Rainer. They marry, but have no plans to live on Drogheda.
The book's title refers to a mythical bird that searches for thorn trees from the day it is hatched. When it finds the perfect thorn, it impales itself, and sings the most beautiful song ever heard as it dies.
(from Wikipedia, the novel)

Sunday, September 11, 2011

The Day that Changed Our World!

                                            In Memory of Victims!

Monday, November 16, 2009

Δημιουργικότητα!


Αγαπητοί μου φίλοι οι πρώτες μου εμπειρίες από τη συγγραφή και το νέο μου βιβλιαράκι που βλέπετε παραπάνω με έχουν γεμίσει ενθουσιασμό και διάθεση για δημιουργικότητα. Ας τα πάρουμε όμως τα πράγματα από την αρχή. Σίγουρα ένα βιβλίο δημιουργικής συγγραφής μπορεί να αξιοποιηθεί ποικιλοτρόπως αλλά και για διαφορετικά προβλήματα ανά περίπτωση. Η προσωπική μου γνώμη είναι πως πρέπει να έχεις κάτι στα χέρια σου πρωτού ξεκινήσεις να χρησιμοποιείς τέτοιο βιβλίο. Το βιβλιαράκι μου με αντικείμενο τη δημιουργική συγγραφή έχει την παρακάτω δομή:
Workbook
Part 1: The Creative Process
Part 2: Writing Fiction
Part 3: Writing Poetry
Part 4: Life Writing
Part 5: Going Public
Readings (Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
Το βιβλιαράκι περιλαμβάνει θεωρία, πρακτική εξάσκηση, activities, discussions αλλά και homework, ποικίλης ύλης. Σίγουρα μπορείτε να μάθετε και άλλα πράγματα από το Amazon εγώ όμως σήμερα πριν το μάθημα θέλω να παίξω με τα νοήματα, τις περιγραφές και τα φανταστικά στοιχεία. Ίσως έτσι όπως έχω διαμορφώσει το πρόγραμμά μου να μπορέσω να μάθω κάποια πράγματα παραπάνω.
Και σαφώς κανείς δεν γνωρίζει τι θα προκύψει στο επόμενο κεφάλαιο...;) Να περνάτε καλά αγαπητοί μου φίλοι!!