Walt McGough
Playwright and Collaborative Storyteller
Stupidity at High Speeds
Not a whole lot meaningful to say this Friday, so instead I’ll just share this, because it’s delightful:
I’m sure there’s a metaphor in there about building up an audience’s anticipation, and delivering with a good climax, and expectations vs. outcome, and all that, but y’know what? Those guys just set a roman candle off inside a house. And filmed it in slo-mo! What more do you need?
Dear George Lucas
Please be aware that, because of the prequels, this moment is possible in spite of you, not because of you.
If it weren’t so freaking adorable, I’d be mad right now.
(via i09)
Supplemented Show Promotion: Opening Weekend!
Requisite Plug: Opening weekend for The Farm has been a blast. Good friends, old friends, new friends, and an awesome show. Of course, if you’re looking to learn more about it, you can just read this preview in the Boston Globe. Choice quote:
[McGough]’s other works are humorous and often fantastical. “The Farm’’ is a departure, but not as much of one as he thought, McGough says. Working with Gammons and the cast, “We’ve been discovering that it’s a little simpler than the other stuff I’ve written, it’s a little less crazy and out-there, but it’s definitely not realism.’’
Of course, having an audience this weekend was a nice reminder that there’s funny stuff in there, too. We’re all about balance here on The Farm.
Requisite Link to Buy Tickets
They can be yours!
Fun Stuff:
For today’s show-promotion supplement, you have two options. You can watch this adorable short film that won a competition where the theme was “Love Mondays”:
Or, if you’re more into the whole brevity thing, you can just check out this awesome picture of a pug going down a slide, and reacting appropriately:
Somewhere along the line, this blog became very pug-heavy. I see you no problem with that.
Supplemented Show Promotion
An experiment in enjoyable advertising.
It's about spies! What's not to love?
So, it’s that time again. I have a show going up! And you’ll all be happy to know that it’s going to be really, really good. Tech week is proceeding apace, and there are sounds and lights and spies and fight choreography and all sorts of awesomeness to see. Plus: a ghost!
Of course, the impending opening of The Farm means that it’s time, once again, to make this blog less of a random-thoughts-repository and more of a round-the-clock-media-saturation-machine. Which is a bummer. But also necessary! Because selling tickets is a good thing.
The thing is, I always feel kind of disappointed when artists’ websites are only used to hock their particular product. I mean, it’s good and it’s important and yay new media and audience interaction and all, but it’s not really the kind of thing that inspires repeat visitors. So, I’ve been thinking about how to do this as painlessly as possible, and here’s the deal.
I am going to advertise you. I am going to keep it as interesting as possible. But I am also going to entertain. From here on in, every post you see pitching The Farm, or giving information on The Farm, or linking to an interview about The Farm, will also be supplemented by something non-Farm-related. It will be something fun, or fascinating, or even freaky. But not Farmish. And it will hopefully make it worth reading to the end of each post.
Is it a deal? Great! Let’s get started.
Plug of the day: I did a guest blog post over at Playwrights Perspective (the BPT blog), regarding the particular genre that The Farm occupies. Or, rather, genres. Spoiler alert: it gets messy. Go check it out!
Requisite Link to Buy Tickets
Go buy! Go buy now!
Supplemental Fun Thing: This is what it looks like when someone gets hit in the face with a water balloon and the balloon doesn’t pop. In SUPER SLOW MOTION.
Seriously, you guys. That’s a real thing. It’s like the smurfs and T-1000 had a baby and then launched that baby out of a cannon at his face. That exists in the world. And now you know.
The Things We Do for Art
So, this book comes out today, in case you hadn’t heard. However, due to both the wonderful fact that I’ve got lots of projects right now, and the less wonderful fact that I have historically terrible self-control, I can’t allow myself to purchase the book until August. Because the second I do, man. It’s all over.
So in the meantime, I get to try to avoid the rampant spoilers that are already being posted upon the internet. Which is fine. I mean, it’s not like Martin is known for sudden and dramatic deaths, or anything.
Anyway, this is really all just an excuse to post this discussion I had this morning, with a friend who doesn’t have the same scheduling issues as I.
Tom: i have read the first chapter
me: I was afraid to ask.me: They’re all dead, aren’t they.Tom: oh most definitelyme: I knew it.Tom: they were all in the same carTom: and tyrion was driving drunkTom: and right as they were about to hit a treeTom: their planet plunged into the sun
Walt McGough 