Author: Sean Abley

GAY OF THE DEAD – Documentarian Jeffrey Schwarz

Here is my three-part interview with my friend Jeffrey Schwarz, out documentarian and producer of such cool docs a SPINE TINGLER! THE WILLIAM CASTLE STORY and JACK WRANGER: ANATOMY OF AN ICON. These are part of my Gay of the Dead blog for Fangoria.

Part One – SPINE TINGLER, FRIDAY THE 13TH and NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET.
Part Two – New Line, indie film, Divine!
Part Three – Remakes, Collin Farrell, porn stars, and FRIGHT NIGHT!



KATIE’S CORNER: LIVE! in Chicago

I’m in Chicago. The trip began as a weekend booking for KATIE’S CORNER: LIVE!, and metamorphosed into a vacation with my husband for a week. I love Chicago – I spent about 9 years here, the last five as part of a theater company I co-founded called The Factory Theater (celebration its 20th anniversary this season!) The last time we did KATIE’S CORNER: LIVE! here, it was a smashing success, and my fingers are crossed it will be this time as well.

I love, love, love this city, and miss it terribly. Every time I come back (which is about once a year), I’m reminded of the things I miss – the theater scene (best in the country, and yes I include NYC in that statement), public transit, being among people on a daily basis (In LA I’m either at my destination or in my car. Hardly the social transit of Chicago…), and the weather. I miss weather! I want to wear sweaters and jackets again…

I also miss some things I didn’t have when I was here, but would have if I moved back, so I guess that could be called pre-missing things? Missing in absentia? First on the list is affordable real estate. My husband and I could buy a house right this minute here, in a great part of the city, even considering my under-employed artist status.

We’ve talked about moving here someday, but I think that plan has slowly eroded. Matt loves Los Angeles for all it has to offer, as do I, and he’s only been here 5 years (compared to my 15. God, 15 years. Where did it go?) It would be tough to insist we leave so soon. For all that we would gain moving to Chicago, we’d lose quite a bit as well. The plan for our future we’re building is like a big puzzle, with cost of living +/- social situation +/- where we would live in each city +/- when we could actually put this plan into motion +/- a million other things. Compromises, compromises. Math. Thinking. In the meantime, I remind myself Chicago is dessert when you’re only here a week out of the year. The main course would be much more difficult…and cold…

Carrot and Stick

I finished the first draft of THE END OF THE WORLD (WITH PROM TO FOLLOW) yesterday after mentally whipping myself constantly, all day long. I have this thing, this…syndrome? Writer’s disease? Where I know what I want to write, I know the exact words and where the conversation is going to go, but I flee from the computer. Weird. Fear of success? Fear of completion? It’s almost like I’m too excited about having all the puzzle pieces, so I have to take a break and calm down. Sort of like cat when you’re scratching him, and he’s loving it, but then he gets too wrapped up in the pleasure of it and has to freak out and scratch you.

Anyway…My carrot yesterday leaving the house for fast-food dinner if I finished the first draft. Yes, if you know me, you know I love fast food, but in the past year or so my consumption of same has dropped drastically – like 90%. So a double with cheese, mayo, mustard, ketchup and pickles, fries, and a Junior Bacon Cheeseburger with no tomatoes + a Diet Rite was the perfect carrot.

Today’s carrot – write for a couple hours on CHRISTMAS REUNITED before leaving my Desert Hot Springs retreat and get a trip to the Morongo Casino buffet…

WRITER’S RETREAT

So I’m in Desert Hot Springs at my friend Terry’s house on a self-enforced writer’s retreat. I have two commissions due for my Plays to Order clients. THE END OF THE WORLD (WITH PROM TO FOLLOW) is a two-act drama with comedic elements about the last teenagers on Earth. CHRISTMAS REUNITED is a wacky comedy about Christmas being taken over by a corporation. Very different, and using very different parts of my writer brain.

So far, so good – it’s incredibly quiet here (except for the unexpected thunderstorms this morning – yay!), and most distractions are a bit of a drive away in Palm Springs. So…fingers crossed. The first draft of END OF THE WORLD… is due Monday, and I’m just starting Act Two. I’m not worried – my secret super power is really solid first drafts – but it will be a race to the finish.