I can’t delay it anymore. I’ll be directing a short play in the Short & Sweet Theatre Festival in late August here in Penang. It’s actually a piece that I have written called, “Words to Say at the End of the World.” I’ve directed before for Short & Sweet, but I specifically asked to direct my own this year, so I could take the complete and utter blame if it’s bad. Typically, in Short & Sweet, a playwright’s play is directed by someone else, as one of the organizers says, “so you can have someone else mess up your play.”

Honestly, I’m always a little cautious to allow others to direct my plays. I guess it’s because I have gotten used to directing, also, and as I write I usually have a visual sense of what I’d like to see done to produce the play. I’m sure my vision for my play isn’t always the best, but at least it’s mine, and I will satisfied with it if I produce it.

So I’ll be meeting this afternoon with the technical team for Short & Sweet, talking through my lighting plan and other technical issues such as:

• special lighting needs
• props
• sound effects

It’s a short play and a bare-bones set, but I’m excited because I love the script and I love the actors. The two actors are actually part of my drama group, The RLT Players. They are extremely talented and experienced. They performed this play before for a Forensics competition and brought home the top prize for their performances. Now I’m excited to give it a proper theatrical treatment as part of this festival.

The basic story is this: A mother is helping her daughter pack for college when a nuclear explosion goes off a short distance away. They re-live the memories of their lives in the fraction of a second after the explosion, finally coming to the realization of what words should be said at the end of the world. It’s funny. It’s believable. And it’s incredibly touching – if we do it right. Goal is simple: tears in audience.

I’ll have lots more coverage of the festival and my piece once it gets closer.

But now it’s time to get excited.