More on Ben Franklin

Just about a month ago I wrapped up performances of my one-man play - BEN FRANKLIN: AN INGENIOUS LIFE at PACA in Erie, PA. The play was well received, and since I was back in a community where I had spent a chunk of my life, it was great to see so many friends.

This marked only the second time that I'd been able to do performances of the show. It was a different kind of experience for me. The first time I'd done it, in May of 2014, I was concerned about a lot of the technical aspects of the show. This included whether or not I'd be able to learn the 9,000 word script that kept me on stage for about 90 minutes. Although I'd previously done a workshop performance (which involved reading much of the material) and knew that those audiences had been pleased, it was still a bit daunting to see how the material would work with a regular audience.

I didn't need to have any fear. It all worked. And since I'd done talk backs following each performance to field questions about the play, Franklin, or whatever else the audience might have on their mind, I felt that I had a good grasp of audience expectations.

As I approached this second series of performances I felt I had a better idea of what worked well, and specifically how (as an actor) I might be able to "punch" a line for better effect. All of this held me in good stead, and the performances went well.

A live play involves interaction between the actor and the audience. Some of that is very obvious, such as when the audience laughs or applauds, but quite often I could hear a audience member's subtle reaction (a gasp) or a comment made to the person next to them. Or sometimes, just hearing an "ah" in response to one of Franklin's timeless aphorisms.

All in all, doing the play again was a fun experience. I look forward to more performance opportunities of the play in the future.

Irony

Mystery writers like to keep their readers in suspense and do the equivalent of pulling a rabbit out of the hat with a surprise ending. I'm no exception. I enjoy writing a nice twist to the end of the story (hopefully one the reader did not anticipate) as well as reading authors who accomplish the same.

I also enjoy the use of situational irony in my writing. When I wrote BLOOD PORN, I introduced the character of Oliver. He was a probation officer with whom Sharon had briefly worked before she joined Brad's detective agency. I got the idea for the character from a guy who had lived next door to me in my college dorm. He had lost his sight from birth, but enjoyed enhanced use of all of his other senses.

Fellow students would try to trick him, for example sneaking into his room, but he had come to know our footsteps and frequently called us out (to our amazement, I might add) when we were attempting to fool him.

The irony of Oliver's involvement in BLOOD PORN, was that in spite of all of the "sighted" people who had viewed an illegal porn video in an effort to determine where it might have been filmed, Oliver "heard" a distinctive background noise. This led to solving the case.

In another irony, I turned that same character into a love interest for Sharon. As to their future, I can only say, "stay tuned." Because Life's a Mystery.

Celebrating Four Generations

I have returned from a trip to Pennsylvania, which included a visit to see my mother. She is in a nursing home located near the Pittsburgh airport. It is always good to visit her, but this time our visit coincided with a trip made by my sister, her oldest daughter, and the newest member of the family - Arthur - at age four months.

My mother was particularly excited to see her great grandchild (one of three). The visit created an opportunity to capture a photograph of four generations of family members, which I have posted above.

I was also reflecting on the fact that (in addition to those pictured), in my lifetime I knew my mother's father and his mother, my great grandmother. So in my lifetime, I've witnessed six generations of family members whose birth extends back to the 1860s.

Life's a mystery! I can't help but think about how our memory of family keeps them alive in our hearts even when they are no longer with us. When he is old enough to appreciate it, I'm sure Arthur will be shown this photo and reminded of who all those people are. Their lives will become embedded in his consciousness, and he will go on to tell future generations about his mother, grandmother and great grandmother (and maybe even his great uncle, Ray.

I realize this blog post is more personal than some, but I wanted to share it with you.

Wishing you happy memories of your own family members!