by Carl Capotorto

(Page 3)

Sunday, October 8

It's a little harder to get Jennifer to focus her energy today. I think she thinks she's done. But she's motivated and responds to prodding. Painstakingly, the play is getting written, scene by scene. My job is to ask a lot of questions like, "What happens then? What does he say? What does he do then?" and to keep her focused and glued to the task. She's made a dent in the writing as we head for lunch.

No rain today so we're on for mini golf. I opt to hang back and enjoy the quiet. By the time everyone returns I am nicely chilled. We have a snack and break away for our last official work session.

Jennifer is really restless but knows we are up against it. I have to stay on her to keep her focused. We work for an extra half hour or so and end up pulling it off. She completes a draft of the play, rough indeed but a draft from beginning to end. I shake her hand and give her a big hug. She's beaming.

Sunday, October 8

That night after dinner, it's the big show. We all gather in the main parlor, a festive affair of yellow and white, for readings of the plays. Each kid gets to cast his or her play from the pool of adults who read it cold, right out of the notebook. This is always tremendous fun. The kids come up with consistently riotous, surprising, often moving material.

"Finally, Naturally Funny," Jennifer's play, the title of which comes from something I said to her, goes over well but it's clear that it's a little long and episodic. I talk to Jennifer about rewrites. She's not thrilled with the concept but has a worklike attitude about it. I also have to think about what my answer play will be. Perhaps a kind of epilogue that will succinctly help to pull a lot of things together and give the play a little kick. Jennifer is really curious about what I'm going to write. I don't know.

Tonight it's more fun and games plus laundry, cleaning, packing. Tomorrow after breakfast we're on the road back home.

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