Which one is it? Heck if I know. All I can say is that as I tap tap tap out screenplays and pilots all day, I also find the time to create newfangled attempts to synthesize religion and day-to-day los angeles life.
I am barely a Jew yet I am obsessed with Judaism, as evidenced by 9 out of 10 of these last posts. That's why I'm doing a show called Heaping Portion on February 3rd at the
UCB theater in Hollywood. You can go reserve tickets now, or reserve judgment until closer to the date.
For those who have seen
sit n spin, this show will be just like that (essays, music, even a comedy sketch here and there) except these things will be held together with the theme of the Torah Portion for that week.
For those who don't know what a torah portion is (I didn't a year ago) it's the chapters of the Old Testament (actually, Jews don't use the word Old because we consider it the Only) that we are "up to" at that point in the calendar. On Friday, February 3rd, temples all over the globe- as part of their shabbat service-- will be interpreting a Torah Portion called Bo.
And at 7pm, on Friday Feb 3rd me and a few friends will take the stage at the UCB as the sun drops and shabbat rises to figure out if we can make anything resonant/meaningful/funny/sad/deep/sacred/profane out of what's in that section of the bible.
The headlines: God told the Israelites to base their calendar around the moon. I find that pretty interesting. Plus it's the beginning of the passover story, the last 3 of the ten plagues (locusts darkness and killing of the first born). Could be something there. Who knows. If anyone reading this wants to comment in the comment section about anything related it would help me because right now it's all a bunch of hibberdy-dash to me.
It's Exodus 10-13 ish if you're playing along in your home bible. Why do we even read these stories in the first place? That's the depth of the ignorance from whence I write this post and take on this experiment in theater.
Also here is the artwork for the thing. Please come and see it.
6 comments:
The excerpt you posted made me think of menstruation, which can feel like a plague of sorts and also involves blood (like Passover) on a monthly, moon based schedule.
thank you maurinsky whoever you are for caring enough to make respond. and come back alexander, where ever you went. your beautiful long rambling post about women had to go because my long rambling post had to go. But maybe you can do a rambling post on the idea of darkness as a plague. As I've been writing on this topic I keep thinking about how clear things are in the middle of the night, in the moonlit dark, and how occluded things are in the hype of the day.
Well, precious, precious Jill, I never went anywhere. I think I check your blog at least twice a day, I just didn't want anyone to know that. But oh well... I guess the freak-boat has long sailed and I am its captain.
I remember my most terrifying dream, like ever, growing up. I was in this warm, humid room positioned against a rough wall and everything was black. You know when you close your eyes and there is like a strange, stardust-y static covering your vision? That was all I could see.
There was no sound. No presence. Only me and the darkness... No distraction, nothing to see except that strange, upsetting stardust.
That really freaked me out!
Darkness has always been one of those truly horrifying phenomenon that has plagued human kind throughout its history simply because we had no clue what was out there. Hence the Bible using it as a plague.
I think that the scary thing about darkness in these modern times when we don't fear trolls or demons is that you have nothing to see except yourself.
It is as if you lived in a room where every surface was a mirror and all you could do was to examine yourself...
That is, I think, a lot of the modern angst knitted to darkness, why murders happen in night, why rapes happen in night and, for some, why sex happens in night.
And yet, in night, sitting in front of my computer and writing, I fell this amazing, creative almost electric energy in the air.
it is as you say, this clarity that stems from the fact that there is nothing to see. Its like removing layers and layers, distractions and pains and relations and being left with only the simplest expression of the world...
I don't fear the darkness. There is nothing out there I haven't seen or heard. I don't have those nightmares any longer.
Now I hear the nocturnal lullabies, those still, beautifully expressive silences that spread and spread until the sun pops over the horizon.
I have no ramblings to make about darkness, but as the second oldest in my family, there have been times when I've been in favor of killing the first born.
Maureen
I just read through my own post and feel very pretentious. The most interesting idea I have about darkness is simply the fact that it is such a dual concept.
And also, a thing I just thought up, infants need darkness as a natural part of their development. That's a nice metaphor, I think.
Hi Jill,
I very much enjoy your work and I am very excited to be going to your latest All Jew Review tommorrow night!
The reason I'm writing is that I would like to send you a little email/letter about a possible interview/article I'd like to write about your work, women, comedy, and community.
I was going to send something through your agents, but this my request is neither a TV nor a book proposal, so I was unsure as to where/how to contact you.
If interested please contact me and I'll email you the letter.
Thanks,
Stacy
www.stacyelaine.com
(you can see my publications on this site)
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