A Friend to Write With...

Introducing Miles... he loves to hang out when I'm working... sits on the keyboard causing a little trouble here and there... chasing my fingers on the keyboard. But when he's had enough of work he enjoys the window sill, where he can keep an eye on the birds in the neighborhood while still keeping an eye on my progress.

NY

summer starts in NY wiith a humid 100 degrees, green lightning storms all night long and wind, oh wind!!!!

the endless river of faces on sidewalks and crowded trains, become dotted with perspiration,



42 st. station after audition, loud multi cultural drum circle in the tunnel pounding ancient tribal rhythms, frenetic, yet in deep cooperation, matches the infinite river of faces from tribes around the world pouring out of the rush hour A train to the beat of the drums, like gears we mesh- the in and the out- the tides of travelers, some with children in tow, me with my guitar and groceries....

walking to the river to compose on the bank, I run into top broadway producers, from previous projects they know me by name.... i am surprised and delighted, we talk of ONE and how well it is going, they are genuinely enthusiastic and I gratefully head to the Hudson to play.... glad to be in NYC....

Preferences...

---

Morning or Night?
Wade: Crepuscular, Liminal moments ie: Dawn, Dusk, the inbetweens....
Kristin: Morning

Ocean or River?
Wade: Ocean
Kristin: Ocean

Hot or Cold?
Wade: Hot springs in the snow, or icy water on a hot day.....
Kristin: Just right

Coffee or Tea?
Wade: Tea.
Kristin: Coffee

Jazz or Opera?
Wade: Jazz...Jopera?
Kristin: Jazz

Yoga or Aerobics?
Wade: Guess.....:) OM
Kristin: Yoga

Green or Yellow?
Wade: Green!!!!
Kristin: Blue

Cloud or Sun?
Wade: Rainbows....
Kristin: If it's April after a long winter, sun. If it's October after a long, hot summer, cloud.

Sunrise or Sunset?
Wade: Crepuscular! Yay, I got to use that obscure word twice in one post!!! Sunrise all the way, from the rose garden in Portland.... wow.
Kristin: I like the feeling of sunrise, but the lighting category award certainly goes to sunset.

Water or Mountain?
Wade: Water....I'm a pisces.
Kristin: Mountain

More Questions...

What are you currently reading?

"Commentaries on the the Dhammapada" the Mother, and "Savitri" the epic poem by Sri Aurobindo


What musician are you listening to the most these days?

Ravi Coltrane, saw him live the other night, wow.... Jazz amazingness, harp, piano, tabla, sitar, bass, drums and of course ravi on sax.... he played all Alice Coltrane originals,super spiritual blends of jazz, east indian music and hymns..... yummmm....


What piece of technology do you rely on the most?

my subway card :)


Last play you saw?

"Top Girls" by Caryl Churchill on Broadway, two nights ago, sooooo good!! Starring Marissa Tomei, Martha Plimpton, etc.... some really incredible performances....


I would recommend...

On Broadway: Passing Strange, August: Osage county, Spring Awakening, Top Girls....
On Film: I'm not there, the story of the weeping camel, William Gazecki Documentaries



Something yummy... Dried Gooseberries!!! Blueberries!!!!


Favorite place to read a book...
By the Hudson, near the George Washington Bridge and the little red light house... there is a perfect patch of grass next to the river where all you can see is trees and flowers and river, and hear no cars.....


What were you doing yesterday at noon?

Writing Music.

Wade... on writing music

Having fun. Yesterday I worked from 10am til 5am last night, wild.... I dreamt about it all night long, B flat over F, playing scales, working it out...

What are you up to right now... Kristin?

What are you currently reading?
"Hakawati" by Rabih Alameddine

What is your favorite blog?
I've been reading a lot of "The Dish," Andrew Sullivan's blog for "The Atlantic"... I also laugh a lot at "Stuff White People Like" and that I do is a likely entry for the site...

What musician are you listening to the most these days?
Charlie Parker

What piece of technology do you rely on the most?
The printing press... when in doubt, there's nothing better than heading to the books for an education

I would recommend...
Julian Schnabel's "The Diving Bell and The Butterfly"
Todd Haynes "I'm Not There"
...as for eating in Portland... dinner at Toro Bravo and brunch at Beast.

Last play you saw?
"A Midsummer Night's Dream" at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival... they got an actual VW bus on stage...


Photo of Oberon & Puck in OSF - Midsummer Nights Dream

Exploring the story...

Why rewrite the book you might ask?

An ancient Sanskrit treatise on art, the Natya Shastra, suggests that all good theatre accomplishes three tasks simultaneously:
1. It entertains the drunk
2. It answers the question “how to live”
3. It answers the question “how does the universe work?”

I want this to be true for ONE.

I want ONE to be accessible to those who sincerely want just good entertainment, but I also want it to have many layers that audiences can choose to engage with. If someone wants to engage with the larger thematic elements and philosophical musings we are embedding ONE with, they can dig and dig.

While on one hand there is great wisdom in the continual lesson of impermanence and letting go of things you have devoted your meticulous intentions to, there is also something in me that yearns to create expressions that last beyond me. To create something that endures the ever-shifting tides of fashion and perspectives, rides the evolving waves of political and social complexities, and lives to heal and hearten.

ONE can be an enduring creation if we tap the collective chords of human drama and articulate them in an accessible and entertaining way. Many enduring dramas look back in order to look at the present and into the future, and this show does just that. It reaches into our not so distant past and looks at a poetic soul making mistakes and rebelling against the formulae of his era in order to find his own path.

Introducing my collaborator...

Kristin Steele

Writer
Teacher
Friend
Seeker
Dreamer

Catching Up

In 2005 we produced our largest staged production to date of ONE The Musical, and at that time, I saw so much more that I wanted to do with the show… so I went on a journey… to work on the story, discover, rewrite, and continue to explore.

The essential thread that has tied all of the incarnations of ONE together is: UNITY. Despite our apparent separation, we are one people, expressing ourselves in brilliant diversity. The manifestations of this musical have been different, yet this fundamental thread has remained the same.

After several months in re-write mode, I felt like I was writing on a hamster wheel, coming up against the same problems and still lacking the tools to solve them.

That is when I sought out a book writer and brought on Kristin Steele. She had worked intimately with ONE since 2004 and has her Master’s in creative writing. She is a woman who understands the workings of a story loom, and understands how to weave a web of conflicts and arcs leading toward resolution. She understands this story from the inside and has helped weave an altogether magnificent script.

So now together we take this journey… and the discovery is beautiful. I hope you will join us in our creative process… we intend to post as often as possible and look forward to having you along for this crazy thing called art.