Moleskine

At rehearsal last week, Bobby noted that the small notebook I was using reminded him of when we taught summer arts camp together back in 2008.

We were part of Smart In The City, a Cleveland-wide camp at several locations, ours on the West Side in the former St. Mel School space. Bobby was our music instructor, and I was the creative writing instructor.

I felt that each student should have a notebook that they might want to actually keep. At the art supply store I was introduced to Moleskine, they do make such neat little books.

Some kids did keep theirs, others had no interest in writing and were unimpressed by the books and there were several left over.

Bobby was correct, the notebook I have been using in rehearsal for Seven Ages is, in fact, the exact same book I used during Smart camp, participating in the same writing exercises I was assigning to the campers.

That was six years ago, so obviously I have not used it a lot, usually as a travel notebook, when I remember to bring it with me. A quick inventory reveals:

• Exercises from Smart In The City
• To Do Lists
• Ideas for various plays
• The formative idea for the play I am writing right now
• Rumination on a workshop from Kirk Wood Bromley
• Notes taken in the Performing Arts Library, NYC
• Notes taken in the Cleveland Public Library
• Titles of books I have since read
• Code keys
• Directions to the Highline
• Ideas for plays I hope to eventually write
• Notes from a symposium at Cleveland Public Theatre
• Crossed out items that were accomplished
• Notes from a meeting about "Slumberland"
• Song list from GLT's 80s "Shrew"
• Notes for a Belgian accent
• Copious noites on "These Are The Times"
• Financial planning
• Residency notes
• Notes on a driving trip to Maine
• Grocery lists
• Notes from a tour of the Maltz Museum
• Recent creative writing
• License plate game
• Free-writing for "Seven Ages"