Last Chance at Spooky Action

Last week I made a journey down to Texas to attack my writing (I’m getting tired of “retreats” so I will begin calling my focused writing times attacks/offensives) at the Spooky Action Ranch outside of Austin, Texas in hill country. Founded by Dawn Youngs and Kurt Hildebrand, Spooky Action Ranch’s home, garden, and land were a marvelous place to spend time.

I spent four days at the Ranch, walking, writing in the wild, getting a bit too much sun, writing inside, prepping for readings of four episodes of Last Chance: tales from a broken heartland.  Last Chance is a theatre serial about life in rural America (probably the Ozarks).  There are twelve episodes in the series and after giving me the time, focus, and opportunity to sink my teeth into revising and imagining we presented two episodes a night over two nights at The Vortex and The Hideout.  

Night one at the Vortex Trash and Cut Once were read in the Vortex’s courtyard by Sergio Alvaredo (Bob), Zac Crofford (Stage Directions), Barbara Chrisholm Faires (Dottie), Robert Faires (Winter), Judd Farris (Stage Directions), Kayla Olsen (Melissa), Dawn Youngs (Jo Beth).

Night two at the HIdeout Ninjas & Squirrels and Measure Twice were read by Sergio Alvaredo (Palmer), Zac Crofford (Blam), Barbara Chrisholm Faires (Stage Directions), Robert Faires (Winter), Judd Farris (Sexton), Michelle Keffer (Amanda), Dawn Youngs (Jo Beth), and a guest stage directions read by yours truly.

The thoughts, feedback, and encouragement I received from the artists and audiences in Austin helped to stoke my interest in bringing Last Chance  to life as theatre? as a podcast series? as an immersive experience?  Thanks for showing me that this work should be given voice, no matter what the form.