Hi folks
It'd sort of be theatrical malpractice of me not to mention that today (Thursday 11/17/22) is Give to the Max Day here in Minnesota, where every worthy cause you can think of asks for your support (it's actually part of the much larger Give to the Max month of November - so they don't destroy their servers on one day as they've done in the past.)
Threshold Theater is asking for support, too, of course.
If you're finding this month-long series of writing prompts useful to your process, and you can afford to toss us a little more than the original $15 you put in the kitty to take part in this challenge, Threshold certainly wouldn't say no :)
(If you can’t, no worries. I know money’s tight, for writers more than most.)
And full disclosure: this is enlightened self-interest on my part. Helping the theater raise money (which I'm doing through our grant writing work as well) means that we get just a bit closer to being able to stage a full production of my play "Spellbound” in 2024.
So give if you can. Queer theater makers thank you.
Here's the link: https://www.givemn.org/story/Kssucf
Otherwise, just keep on writing, we’re over two weeks in, and over halfway completed overall. More fun statistics tomorrow.
Let’s get you that writing prompt…
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Challenge #18 - Games
Due: Saturday, November 19th, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)
Chess is overused in popular culture as a metaphor for competition, war, you name it.
Monopoly also gets a workout, of course.
Charades, also overused.
Poker, same note.
There are so many other games out there.
The Game of Life is pretty heteronormative, but because of that, could be fun, I should revisit it.
My grandmother, a wizard at solving crossword puzzles (which is probably what kept her brain so sharp right up until the age of 97 - crosswords, also an overused device), was ruthless at two things - Scrabble and Cribbage. She hated to lose, but she’d get madder if she thought you went easy on her (the latter was rarely the case, we were a competitive game playing family because of her influence.)
Scrabble always makes me think of the old ladies so intent on their Scrabble game in the movie Foul Play that they don’t notice Goldie Hawn out on the fire escape in the rain waving frantically for their help. It’s a foul-mouthed game of Scrabble, too, but only on the board :)
Not sure I’ve seen a lot of Cribbage in popular culture, to be honest. But man, my grandmother loved to skunk people, not just beat them but beat them by a lot.
Another card game my family got into playing for some reason was Flinch (which is a name I love just because it’s such a useful word).
The one game we could get my brother to play without complaint at holiday time was Parcheesi. Another good option for him was Yahtzee.
Candyland or Chutes and Ladders are useful for playing with kids who can’t read yet, or deal with an elaborate set of rules.
Perhaps the weirdest game in our front hall closet at home was the “Blizzard of ’77” game, based on the titular storm that made for a very snowy holiday season all up and down the Northeast part of the US. We’d get it out at least once a year because, hey, it’s a change of pace.
Anyone remember the Cootie game - where you build a bug?
Or Barrel of Monkeys?
What’s the oddest game you own?
What game might be fun to manifest onstage or make the metaphorical conflict under the actual conflict between characters in a scene - or whole play?
Have fun playing games? Or not.
Just write something.
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If you’re not interested in this prompt, you can try 2021’s challenge #18:
Words With No English Equivalent
Or, you know, just ignore the prompts altogether and write whatever you want - as long as you’re writing and turning it in by the deadline, that’s all that matters for the challenge :)
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Friendly Reminders - Answers To Common Questions:
(Follow the links to read me expounding on these items :)
Don’t Stress About Writing A Full Play
Don’t Stress About Sticking To The Writing Prompt
No. Really. I Mean It. Don’t Stress About Sticking To The Writing Prompt
Don’t Stress About Finishing An Idea (You Can Add Later)
Don’t Stress About Thanksgiving
Don’t Stress About “Succeeding” or “Failing”
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How to submit your work for Challenge #18
You have options. They are:
Save your script as a PDF or Word Doc and send as an attachment to an email sent to ThresholdWritingChallenge@gmail.com
OR
Copy and paste your script in the body of an email and send it to ThresholdWritingChallenge@gmail.com
OR
Post your script online (as a Google doc, or in a blog post, on your own personal website, etc.) - email a link to this script to ThresholdWritingChallenge@gmail.com
(If you’re going to Google doc route, just make sure to have the document public, or give permissions to our email address to open it)
When emailing us, make the subject line of your email - Challenge #18
(That just helps us sort through the email more quickly)
(Or, you know, just reply to this email if you want :)
OR
Post the link for the online document option above in the comments
section on this very blog post for this very challenge on the writing
challenge blog below
Again, this is: Due: Saturday, November 19th, 12pm noon Central Time
(1pm Eastern Time, 11am Mountain Time, 10am Western Time for the US Time Zones)
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And, just to reassure you, no, we are not going to be sticklers about you following these directions down to the minutest detail - the important thing is that you write, and then that you share it with us, so we can keep track of who’s writing every day.
Also, no, there is no penalty for finishing and submitting early - but it also isn’t a race, so give yourself all the time up til 12 noon Central Time on Saturday to write if you need it. When you’re done, you’re done.
Again, remember, it doesn’t need to be great, it doesn’t even need to be responding to this prompt (the prompt is just there so you’re not staring at a blank screen to start with no idea what to write about :)
Doesn't even need to be complete - you could have the beginning or the middle or the end of an idea, maybe two out of three but not all, that's still fine. This is all about getting things started, you can write more later. You have 12 more days to build on whatever you come up with today, if you want. Just get anything on the page, even if won't make sense to anyone else, as long as it make sense to you.
It just needs to be something.
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And that something can be:
Lights up.
Roll the dice. Build a bug.
Lights down.
The End
That’s always your escape hatch, every day.
That’s your base line.
Build on it.
Have fun.
Don’t stress.
Make an impulsive decision and run with it.
Breathe.
You’ve got the day.
Just write.
Matthew A. Everett
Literary Director
Threshold Theater
(he/him/his)
Coming Up:
Threshold Theater’s New Play Reading Series
A reading of “Leviathan” by Bethany Dickens Assaf
Saturday, November 19, 2022 - 7pm
The Black Hart of Saint Paul - 1415 University Avenue West in St. Paul
Our video recording of our third live play reading in the New Play Reading series, Sam Walsh's "The Visible," is up on our YouTube channel (available to stream through the end of November) -
Support Threshold Theater on Give to the Max Day, November 17th
Here's the link: https://www.givemn.org/story/Kssucf
"Write. Find a way to keep alive and write. There is nothing else to say."
- James Baldwin
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