Heroes and idols, whether they are parents or friends, celebrities or other famous people, hold special places in the hearts of those looking up to them.
Sam Shepard was not only someone who stylistically left an impression on me, but a man who entertained me as well.
Shepard passed away last month. It's odd, as I climb the stairs of life, to watch so many people who I've idolized or looked up to pass on to their next journey. It's an inevitable part of the journey, yes, but one which is always surprising.
One of the first playwrights I became enamored with when I decided to pursue being a playwright was Shepard. The play was Simpatico. And I read that play probably close to fifty times. It's not even a play that comes to mind when talked among Shepard's greats, but I still loved it.
When I went to go grab it from my shelf after learning of his passing, I discovered the play to be missing. Inevitably it was lost among my many moves over the years or, as is the case with many of the theater majors and theater lovers I know, the book was borrowed and never returned. The book is one I will need to re-acquire, though the bent pages and creased covers will take some time to rebuild.
Shepard was also an outstanding actor and sometimes musician. I most recently enjoyed him in the Netflix show Bloodline and even joked over the years I always turned off The Notebook after his *spoiler alert* death.
He will live on through his stories, of which there are plenty.
August was a fairly quiet month as far as updates go. Much of my time was focused on editing and preparing a couple of screenplays I've previously written. There are a couple of opportunities that have popped up so I wanted to fine tune them before sending the pages out into the world.
The pilot I've written, The Path(s) of Andy Wilson, recently made it to the semi-finals of the BlueCat Screenwriting Competition. Pretty exciting for me to make it to the top 47 of over 1,300 pilot entries. Now it's time for some editing and looking at the notes I'd received in the early rounds of the competition.
I am also working with the Boise Film Workout on developing a script in September for a short film that, in association with the JUMP program here in Boise, will be filmed in October.
September should also keep me occupied with theater, as I will hopefully be co-directing a show for Alley Repertory Theater. More info as it becomes available.
College football is upon us which means more articles over at Bronco Nation News. Boise State took care of business in their first game and head to Washington State with a 1-0 record.
This time of year, once the weather cools down, is my favorite time of year. Per usual, there will be a lot to keep me occupied. I am working on editing The Blue Gem, have a new play ready to start and one I'm continuing, and am even shooting to have a little story I've been working on sporadically over the past 15 years self-published by the end of the year.
Keep up to date on this site or, in case you missed the post from a few weeks back, my monthly newsletter. This newsletter will be launching in a few weeks.
Thanks for stopping by. Be bold. Be kind.