Circa 2004.
It has been nearly a decade since I began blogging. At that time I believed the exercise of keeping a regular online journal was a fad which would pass very quickly. Maybe I was right and I never noticed.
The I HATE THIS blog began when the show was tapped for the 2003 Minnesota Fringe Festival. There wasn't much to share apart from the festival itself ... I mean, if the blog was dedicated to the progress of the production of a very personal play about my experiences with stillbirth, then what else would be appropriate to put there? I tried adding articles of relevance, but those were few and far between.
There was the 2004 New York Fringe, Chicago in 2006 and Great Britain in 2007. It was all hit-and-miss, because by that point I had started other specialty blogs -- it was never my intention to blog about my daily life, my feelings, what events I was attending. Those things were mentioned, sure, but it's not what the blog was for.
The last activity for the I Hate This blog was the 2011 production at Cleveland Public Theatre. Last week I was a featured speaker at a bioethics grand rounds at the Cleveland Clinic, but I didn't feel I had anything to add to that blog about it. It's there for people who are searching for connection after a loss, it's easy enough to get in touch with me through that.
At present, there is this blog, which began as a research project on Cleveland history, and has become my default playwriting blog. Then there's Daddy Runs Fast, which is about running, about physical and mental health. And two blogs is enough for anyone.
Any plans to put a digital or DVD copy of "I Hate This" for sale? You could probably work with the "Return to Zero" people, or the STILL Project people to get exposure. (Via Facebook, as they are extremely active there.) I know I would buy it. Connecting with other parents who have had a loss is all I can seem to think about at the moment. Especially for my husband, who, simply by being a man, is often forgotten about when it come to the grieving process.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this comment, Janina. I have avoided producing any kind of video, because I did not have the funding to create a version which I felt would satisfy the emotional immediacy of the live performance. However, given today's "crowdsource" funding climate, perhaps I should take advantage of the widespread interest in a professionally-produced version of the show on video.
ReplyDeleteIn the meantime, anyone can experience one version of the show, for free, any time they like. The radio drama edition is available for streaming from WCPN 90.3 FM ideastream:
http://www.ideastream.org/an/entry/14084
Maybe your husband would like to hear it, I'd like to remind him he's not alone. Thanks for being in touch!
Thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteI can understand the need to represent the experience in the way that you feel is best. Both as an artist, and as a parent preserving the memory of his child.
(Although to be honest, I was absolutely mesmerized with even the short clip offered on "Applause" via your Youtube channel.)
I wish you the greatest of luck with your endeavors~.
Well, there you go -- that was produced in a world-class, professional television station, to promote a rebroadcast of the radio drama. If I had the backing to produce the whole show in that studio, edited by those people, I believe I would.
ReplyDelete... and thank you very much for the kind words!