a Warring Absence, a play by Jody Duncan

One of the published in various places agenda items I had for the Graceada Park Peformance Art Project, I published should take place, is a presentation in Modesto of my friend Jody Duncan's play, A Warring Absence, 2 act award winning drama concerning Caitlin and Dylan Thomas.  To get over my stage fright, and going through differences in relationship with dancer friend Jenifer Austin, ( who thought at time she might be pregnant with a Dylan or Anna Lee, is a poet herself) I proposed we star in the lead roles, to be done at the then as yet unremodeled, in need of restoration and repair, perhaps like the Covell to be lost, State Theater.  That was in 1994. 

Jody, the playwright, an old friend, girlfriend, and person well versed in theater from an early age, primarily on stage, or directing, and this her University thesis in dramatic writing, done during our third go around as lovers, won the University playwright award, played Kennedy Center in Washington, D.D. as a result, and over Thanksgiving, got an input from me, boyfriend versed in scene painting, set design, theater goferism, for a transition scene that was included in her final rewrite.  I did the poster design, seen above in my business card for me design, in 1989 when Jody finished the play, and I've seen it three times in production.  Part of my proposal for production, to have the playwright see her work in production with someone else in the starring role, something that has happened since I suggested I'd do it.

I picked Jenifer in part for likeness to Caitlin Thomas, her own interest in drama, which included me doing a one man reading or her one woman play based on her life.  The drama has six other characters, including the key, "new girlfriend", bar maid, bartenders, and guy on a bike. 

Recanting rants and raves, blogs, and whacked out ideas of lunacy origin for me these days is standard procedure, and while doing set design and stage writing for the mythical Blog Character comic character Mij on my myspace.com blog, sometimes with Nej, and eilluj, I had this idea of following up my addition of the google.com search results from the actual search website, making it interactive on Search for Kathy Griffin, opening comedy act for the newly refurbished for the second time since 1994 State Theater, I manically, offered up the role of "new girlfriend" to Kathy Griffin, as she's on the D list, and its a small part, nearly cameo, with me as director, Jen as Jenifer Smith, (maiden name, I didn't know for the past nine years her married name since 1997,) in star role, me as Dylan as I was surprised I remembered key Dylan character speech, jullie as bar maid, as unlikely she'd have reason to talk to me after faux pas in prior blog without incentive of 2 week run in Modesto, as she has children and husband in So. Cal like Kathy.  And Dave Hanley as guy on bike, friend Myles O'Reilly of the HOly Grail and O'Reilly's Irish Pub, to give it celtic feel, though hardly Welsh, to get Myles over for a visit.  All really grand, thought it'd be a nice opening of a theatrical live drama event at the State.

Or.....since I had taken tickets at Seasons for JB Presents, let John Sell tickets to "my show" suggested we do it as dinner theater at Seasons (http://www.gotoSeasons.com ) where Ron the bartender could play the bartender, Seasons could try out a new concept, or at least talk to Kathy Griffin about playing their venue since they do comedy, and still if Hanley not on tour, getting more CD sales for Gift Horse and his other bookings this summer, play, the guy on the bike, who again only appears briefly to open the play. 

Crazy as this sounds, it is typical of some of the items I suggested we do in the community of Graceada Park, CA (modesto) and I don't need to be a part of it.  Performance Art in many cases is merely the suggestion, or performance to get you to think of alternatives, of what you might do, can be done here, when you might think you can't.

It didn't hurt to ask anyway.  If Kathy couldn't do it, my former employer was owed money on a house they did for Morgan Fairchild, and why not ask him, or former Modestan James Marsters, beginning to close in on Dylan's age during the time of the play, 51, my age now, or of course, sit and have dinner replacing Dave Hanley as the guy on the bike.

I don't think Jody's play, 2 acts, set primarily in bar, and hotel, has been played as dinner theater, something she herself has played and directed in other productions, and Seasons, with its Rosewood Bar, and upstairs room with staircase leading to the bar, exits to either side of bar, large dance floor, seating for 300, available caterers of prime rib or other delights, their main business being catering, seemed like  a perfect site for this.

So I suggested it. 

Nothing came of it, but also suggested it for Prospect Theater as a play, independent and award winner, worth seeing, my opinion, a place recently opened for music, with of all people Dave Hanley band as an opening act.  That Hanley guy is getting around. 

I don't need to play it.  GPPAP member Ray Tunkel looks a bit more like curly haired bit shorter than me Dylan Thomas, plenty of real talent besides D lister Kathy Griffin to play the part but I'm sure wasting time calling attention to her, may have actually caused a look at it.

The graphic I did, from famous picture by Nora Summersby, friend of Dylan and Caitlin, is the official playbill graphic of the play when it first opened.  It has played as close to Modesto as Fresno State.

Jen might re submit her own personal play somewhere, likely better off writing some more for What the Testers thought, and get a real person of drama note from excellent Drama dept. at Stanislaus State, or MJC. 

As for the playwright, Jody still lives in Riverside, noted writer, and been editor in chief of our friend ( her former husband Don Shay) of Cinefex, the bible of Cinemagraphic special effects.  Unlikely you can find a copy of her play on Amazon, but many of her books on how to make the Terminator, other high tech special effect movies of Spielberg, Cameron, Lucas are available on amazon.

It doesn't hurt to suggest, so I put this up in blog suggestion again, for others to note, perhaps consider seeing if a production of A Warring Absence worth doing where they live.

Jim Christiansen, sometimes a friend of the playwright. 

Modesto, CA