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So with the $400 sent into the Capital Fringe Festival (thank you again so, so much, Rude Mechanicals!) and the contract signed, THE HEFNER MONOLOGUES is/are officially underway! Well, I mean, Julianne at the Fringe said they got the money, but there's no word on if they successfully received the contract. Eh, the money's the more important part anyway. Right?
Barring unforeseen circumstances, I'll be performing THE HEFNER MONOLOGUES in a 35-seat space at the Warehouse Arts Theatre, Friday 7/20 at 5:30pm, Saturday 7/21 at 11:00pm, Tuesday 7/24 at 9:00pm, Friday 7/27 at 9:30pm, and Sunday 7/29 at 3:00pm. Not a terrible assortment of times, all things considered. The first Friday and Saturday present some problems, while the Tuesday is a good time on a tricky night.
Even for the good times, how am I going to get attention for this show? How can I fill a 35-seat space for five nights (beyond my usual circles of friends?) I have no idea what to do for posters/flyers/photos. Should I get my headshot photographer to do some publicity shots of me? If so, what should they be like? Pictures of me in the smoking jacket? Or rolling around in rose petals? And/or just me in my shiny blue suit busting a move?
Additionally, I'm thinking about offering punch and pie at my show. No, seriously. I'll put it right on the poster: "PUNCH AND PIE." Or maybe Mom will bake a cake. Or we'll give away spinach knishes. I dunno, something.
Dash it all, I'm no designer or ad-wizard, but I'm a-gonna need this stuff too. I know I should focus on the show itself first and foremost, which is frankly what I'd love to do, but the rest of this is gonna need consideration. For now, I just need to focus on writing and then performing the show.
So now it's just a matter of... figuring out what the hell I'm going to do.
I mean, there's the script itself. I need to make a complete show, not a stand-up routine of observations and anecdotes. So rather than just tell the Tammy story, I think the heart of the show will be about how I tell these stories to turn the painful parts of my life into entertainment. I'm a big ol' walking open wound, and the stories are my coping mechanism.
So the question becomes, for a show that'll roughly be about an hour and a half, just what Hefner Monologues should I include? Some stories like the "Wedding/Erection" story or the "Day in Traffic Court" story serve the narrative well, while other stories like "Drunk in Bath" would be excellent, but have no real relevance to the larger story.
What would make the strongest show? That's an obvious question, of course. When you're a long-winded bastard as I am, the question is harder than ever.
And going back to the whole "publicity" issue, there's the whole "Hefner" thing itself. Even if I don't tell the story of my visit to the Playboy Mansion (where would I find the room??), I have to start wondering just how much I'm going to want to ride the Hefner family name. Mom thinks I should milk my connection for all it's worth, that revealing how I'm Hugh Hefner's cousin (of sorts) is an easy attention-getter, and perfectly fine considering he's not in contact with me anyway. But then, she always has had more of a "whore oneself out there" mentality when it comes to making a name for oneself.
I suppose the Hefner connection would be unavoidable, especially for a show called THE HEFNER MONOLOGUES. But how much do I really want to ride on his coat-tails? My book is ultimately about me sorta allowing myself to get out from under his shadow; I recently discovered that most people who know me instantly think of me when they hear "Hef" instead of Hugh, which I thought was pretty cool.
Do I really want to re-enforce the notion that he's everything synonymous with the name, and that I'm just the "other" Hefner? Or would it be unwise, this early on in the game, to not play an easy attention-getting card? Is there a way I can have my cake and eat it too?
... Maybe that could be the basis for my second show. All the more reason I need my first to be a success!
Your constant constructive support is essential, folks. I wouldn't have gotten this far without it, nor will I get anywhere in this crazy world if y'all ever stopped. Know that it is always deeply, deeply appreciated.
Barring unforeseen circumstances, I'll be performing THE HEFNER MONOLOGUES in a 35-seat space at the Warehouse Arts Theatre, Friday 7/20 at 5:30pm, Saturday 7/21 at 11:00pm, Tuesday 7/24 at 9:00pm, Friday 7/27 at 9:30pm, and Sunday 7/29 at 3:00pm. Not a terrible assortment of times, all things considered. The first Friday and Saturday present some problems, while the Tuesday is a good time on a tricky night.
Even for the good times, how am I going to get attention for this show? How can I fill a 35-seat space for five nights (beyond my usual circles of friends?) I have no idea what to do for posters/flyers/photos. Should I get my headshot photographer to do some publicity shots of me? If so, what should they be like? Pictures of me in the smoking jacket? Or rolling around in rose petals? And/or just me in my shiny blue suit busting a move?
Additionally, I'm thinking about offering punch and pie at my show. No, seriously. I'll put it right on the poster: "PUNCH AND PIE." Or maybe Mom will bake a cake. Or we'll give away spinach knishes. I dunno, something.
Dash it all, I'm no designer or ad-wizard, but I'm a-gonna need this stuff too. I know I should focus on the show itself first and foremost, which is frankly what I'd love to do, but the rest of this is gonna need consideration. For now, I just need to focus on writing and then performing the show.
So now it's just a matter of... figuring out what the hell I'm going to do.
I mean, there's the script itself. I need to make a complete show, not a stand-up routine of observations and anecdotes. So rather than just tell the Tammy story, I think the heart of the show will be about how I tell these stories to turn the painful parts of my life into entertainment. I'm a big ol' walking open wound, and the stories are my coping mechanism.
So the question becomes, for a show that'll roughly be about an hour and a half, just what Hefner Monologues should I include? Some stories like the "Wedding/Erection" story or the "Day in Traffic Court" story serve the narrative well, while other stories like "Drunk in Bath" would be excellent, but have no real relevance to the larger story.
What would make the strongest show? That's an obvious question, of course. When you're a long-winded bastard as I am, the question is harder than ever.
And going back to the whole "publicity" issue, there's the whole "Hefner" thing itself. Even if I don't tell the story of my visit to the Playboy Mansion (where would I find the room??), I have to start wondering just how much I'm going to want to ride the Hefner family name. Mom thinks I should milk my connection for all it's worth, that revealing how I'm Hugh Hefner's cousin (of sorts) is an easy attention-getter, and perfectly fine considering he's not in contact with me anyway. But then, she always has had more of a "whore oneself out there" mentality when it comes to making a name for oneself.
I suppose the Hefner connection would be unavoidable, especially for a show called THE HEFNER MONOLOGUES. But how much do I really want to ride on his coat-tails? My book is ultimately about me sorta allowing myself to get out from under his shadow; I recently discovered that most people who know me instantly think of me when they hear "Hef" instead of Hugh, which I thought was pretty cool.
Do I really want to re-enforce the notion that he's everything synonymous with the name, and that I'm just the "other" Hefner? Or would it be unwise, this early on in the game, to not play an easy attention-getting card? Is there a way I can have my cake and eat it too?
... Maybe that could be the basis for my second show. All the more reason I need my first to be a success!
Your constant constructive support is essential, folks. I wouldn't have gotten this far without it, nor will I get anywhere in this crazy world if y'all ever stopped. Know that it is always deeply, deeply appreciated.
