“Somewhere along the way I garnered the ability to describe each adventure.”
Imagination and the ability to write about it has been a real adventure, and one that is very rewarding. For some reason my early writings began with a poem, whether plays, songs or books. My first produced play, The Sandcrabs, was one such occasion:.
the sandcrab
behold the busy sandcrab
scratching tracks upon the sand,
his cautious gait, his measured skill,
his scurried efforts on the land.
and when his day is ended
and the sea recalls its brine,
the waves have left no worthwhile mark
upon the sands of time.
and though the mighty waves have rolled
his efforts out to sea,
and setting sun may shadows cast
upon his will to be
his highest goal was to survive
and look you see,
he’s still alive!
tom northam
“FAC ISTUD QUOD TEMPUS HONORABIT”
[“Make a mark that time will honor”]
One Friday afternoon, after sitting through a two-hour staff meeting, I returned to my office and pondered the result of it all. Substantively, nothing was accomplished! The navy personnel, at least at Port Hueneme, refer to civil service employees as “Sandcrabs.” From the poem I created a three-act comedy entitled “The Sandcrabs.” It is a comedy-satire on government bureaucracy and civil service. It was produced by The Plaza Players in Ventura, CA, and ran for twenty-seven performances. The Story: Trying to install a simple drinking water fountain within an organization established to reduce the inefficiencies in government. It took three years to get through the approval processes of the bureaucracy. The director told me he would do it if I didn’t step foot in the theatre for any of the rehearsals. I didn’t, and saw it on opening night with everyone else! To say I was apprehensive is an understatement! I was nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof! The audience loved it and it was that experience that taught me three important lessons:
- I had created real people in the minds of all who saw it. The characters become real to the viewer…I had created people who have never lived before.
- As a Playwright I had done my job… let the Director and Actors do theirs! If something is so important, make sure you have written it in the script.
- After you have seen the result of your writing, then make the necessary changes.
As an actor, I have been in plays where the writer has been involved…learn lines, unlearn lines and then learn new lines. It is awful and very frustrating, to say the least.
During my lifetime, I have been in more than 135 different plays including supporting or leading roles in the following musicals:
Camelot, South Pacific, Oklahoma, Oliver, The King And I, Cabaret, Company, A Little Night Music, Kiss Me Kate, The Music Man, Annie, Annie Get Your Gun, West Side Story, Mame, Pinnochio, Snow White, Babes In Toyland, The Rocky Horror Show, and others.
All plays are released through ArtAge Publications: CLICK HERE
ArtAge Publications 800-858-4998 bonniev@seniortheatre.com
