👨🏿🦱
Showing posts with label EasterMUD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label EasterMUD. Show all posts
Ellis, a sleazy business executive and key member of Lily's pod[description:= White male, 35-45 years /// character:= team business analyst / econ whiz, nearly completely misreads how he comes across to others thus becoming unintentional comic relief, gateway drug
concept artwork is bing ai-generated, these are not prod. images
user, a late-life bloomer who schmoozes his way into opportunities yet is undeniably good at what he does]
concept artwork is bing ai-generated, these are not prod. images
Lily, daughter of Pascha[description:= λ White female, 40-42 years /// character:= single mother of (adopted) twin preschoolers, Antoney and Isabell Ndongo, on the cusp of 'finding' herself, an intelligence operative (= technical admin. + government liason) employed as a close business associate of Maundy, cutthroat, licentious, very calculated, fast-paced
concept artwork is bing ai-generated, these are not prod. images
MBA-type who - as team lead (pod = Lily, Gruber, Ellis) - is just as invested as her boss in making sure the company is in a secure position, super stressed, sides with her mother in despising her dad but would be unsure why if she did some self-introspection, clinically diagnosed with anxiety disorder and manic depression] concept artwork is bing ai-generated, these are not prod. images
🐇Bunny, understudy of Pascha[description:= White female, early-30s years, thicc build (5'6'', 150lbs.-- must really be able to "squeeze in them jeans"), strong features of her Greek/Mediterranean heritage (dark hair/eyes) /// character := on loan to the CGIS-Brandywine from NCIS-Quantico, she looks nice but she's not nice, comfortable with Negroes and their culture yet bigoted at her core, imposing and intimidating, sapiosexual, sly, bold, opportunistic, a cold and conniving dyke with a weird masculine-to-feminine quotient (60/40)]
concept artwork is bing ai-generated, these are not prod. images
"They ask us to be rational in an irrational world. That kind of tension inevitably creates a spark. Surely, you can understand. " - Bunny
concept artwork is bing ai-generated, these are not prod. images
Iggy Veracruz, Green SEAL special ops commander🪖 (20th Special Forces Group, Baltimore)[description:= Latino/Hispanic male, 40-45 years, Central American heritage /// character:= a Texas-bred, tough-as-nails/'hard ass'/commando field general]
concept artwork is bing ai-generated, these are not prod. images
So what gives? One of the big questions here is who or what kills Pascha? (Is this a spoiler alert? Not sure.) That answer is written as the penultimate mystery in the story. It's probably got to be somebody who wants or has wanted him dead. At every turn, we're reminded that he's got a great many enemies dating back to 1978; now he can add a plus-one to that list, courtesy orders of none other than the Secretary of Defense himself.
The opera's genre is classified as mystery, and not action. Still, reaction becomes a subset of the former precisely because of who our protagonist/antagonist is. We're reminded that people who have nothing to lose, well, have something to gain, and Pascha has been cornered into extreme conditions. He will be forced to rely on his past military training and experience, which in this case makes him forfeit any semblance of protagony, thereby relegating him to antagony. That side of his character is what is causing paramilitary-like city-wide destruction, and drawing the response of the United States armed forces led by special ops commander, Iggy "DOLPHIN SIX" Veracruz.
Iggy is an asshole, who revels in being an asshole. Through the years, he's been lauded, commemorated, decorated, and honored by his country for being an asshole as such. This imposing figure relishes his role. He lives for his next assignment. And even scarier is that he's entirely ready to die in combat, just as long as he can take others to the 'other side' with him. In his mind, no one is innocent (and never was). His orders are absolute. He leaves everything out on the battlefield, and expects those with whom he works to do the same. And now, that energy and his squadron have come searching for old man Pascha, the face of insurrection.
Pascha has proven himself time and time again to be no easy target🎯. His legend precedes him. Iggy is up for the challenge. This task and his bounty check come directly from the Pentagon: Pascha must be brought in dead or alive. They're coming to kill this motherfucker. Go, get em!
This role needs someone in excellent physical shape to play it because we're running around at night, swimming in a non-shallow dive, and carrying lots of weapons. Filming the war scenes is undoubtedly the most demanding. I had to learn a great deal of military science that went into the writing. Military brats want their hypothetical exercises to seem as realistic as possible, even though they never expect them to actually occur. My compromise was to settle for believability rather than realism (reality can be too expensive). I got into a few head-butting, fist-clenching arguments with these types because I thought a bomb-dropping would take care of most warfare, but was challenged on the tactics that leads up to munition acquisition and post-usage, to my chagrin. But they're called consultants for a good reason.
My aunt suggested Eddie George for the part (she and his mom had the occassional friendly run-in around town). {That's "I let him win the 🏈Heisman Trophy for me" winner Eddie George.😁}
I actually made this casting years ago, when things were first being pieced together. George brings a few things to the table that I am looking for for this role: he's a big guy (6'3''), fit, his phenotypic look is believable for someone whose heritage is supposed to be from the Mexican state of Veracruz (those people arrived via the TransAtlantic slave trade, hence the surname), and he has satisfactory acting + military (training) experience. It helps that he's a native Philadelphian, went to THE Ohio State University (greatest school in the world), and we're both fans of SWV.😉
concept artwork is bing ai-generated, these are not prod. images
So what gives? One of the big questions here is who or what kills Pascha? (Is this a spoiler alert? Not sure.) That answer is written as the penultimate mystery in the story. It's probably got to be somebody who wants or has wanted him dead. At every turn, we're reminded that he's got a great many enemies dating back to 1978; now he can add a plus-one to that list, courtesy orders of none other than the Secretary of Defense himself.
The opera's genre is classified as mystery, and not action. Still, reaction becomes a subset of the former precisely because of who our protagonist/antagonist is. We're reminded that people who have nothing to lose, well, have something to gain, and Pascha has been cornered into extreme conditions. He will be forced to rely on his past military training and experience, which in this case makes him forfeit any semblance of protagony, thereby relegating him to antagony. That side of his character is what is causing paramilitary-like city-wide destruction, and drawing the response of the United States armed forces led by special ops commander, Iggy "DOLPHIN SIX" Veracruz.
"It's only one guy, how hard can he be to kill? Take these moments to relax, soldiers, we're going to enjoy this. Bet, if I catch him first, I'll double your checks." - Iggy Veracruz
Iggy is an asshole, who revels in being an asshole. Through the years, he's been lauded, commemorated, decorated, and honored by his country for being an asshole as such. This imposing figure relishes his role. He lives for his next assignment. And even scarier is that he's entirely ready to die in combat, just as long as he can take others to the 'other side' with him. In his mind, no one is innocent (and never was). His orders are absolute. He leaves everything out on the battlefield, and expects those with whom he works to do the same. And now, that energy and his squadron have come searching for old man Pascha, the face of insurrection. Pascha has proven himself time and time again to be no easy target🎯. His legend precedes him. Iggy is up for the challenge. This task and his bounty check come directly from the Pentagon: Pascha must be brought in dead or alive. They're coming to kill this motherfucker. Go, get em!This role needs someone in excellent physical shape to play it because we're running around at night, swimming in a non-shallow dive, and carrying lots of weapons. Filming the war scenes is undoubtedly the most demanding. I had to learn a great deal of military science that went into the writing. Military brats want their hypothetical exercises to seem as realistic as possible, even though they never expect them to actually occur. My compromise was to settle for believability rather than realism (reality can be too expensive). I got into a few head-butting, fist-clenching arguments with these types because I thought a bomb-dropping would take care of most warfare, but was challenged on the tactics that leads up to munition acquisition and post-usage, to my chagrin. But they're called consultants for a good reason.
My aunt suggested Eddie George for the part (she and his mom had the occassional friendly run-in around town). {That's "I let him win the 🏈Heisman Trophy for me" winner Eddie George.😁}
I actually made this casting years ago, when things were first being pieced together. George brings a few things to the table that I am looking for for this role: he's a big guy (6'3''), fit, his phenotypic look is believable for someone whose heritage is supposed to be from the Mexican state of Veracruz (those people arrived via the TransAtlantic slave trade, hence the surname), and he has satisfactory acting + military (training) experience. It helps that he's a native Philadelphian, went to THE Ohio State University (greatest school in the world), and we're both fans of SWV.😉
/🎭'Mr. Alphabet' (Dwight Mann) in Easter
Mr. Alphabet (Dwight Mann), mysterious leader of the conglomerate, Nile LLC[description:= White male, late 30s years, dark features /// character:= incredibly smart technologist who heads the world's most valuable company, of Ivy League (Princeton+Wharton) pedigree, always on the hunt for a good deal, his money makes him that much better-looking and he acts the part, has a mild fascination with East Asian cultures, vested interest in space colonization🚀, modeled after Jeff Bezos[i], Elon Musk[ii], and Robert Pera]
The greatest mystery in the Universe is figuring out who (or what) is pulling the strings. Something a little more palatable may be unmasking who is really responsible for the actions of the infamous One-Percent [class]. -- That answer is much more simple: every person is ultimately responsible for their own actions (as long as they can keep their behavior in-check). A better question may be: just how far is the reach of our planet's most resourceful? To help us answer this (which is actually the subject of derivative position paper📄) is the enigmatic Mr. Alphabet himself.
concept artwork is bing ai-generated, these are not prod. images
Nile, LLC (considering that Mann is a Bezos business clone, if you put a little bit of thought into it, you'll guess that it is a nomen à clef of Amazon.com, Inc. [AMZN]) is looking to expand to accommodate its rapid growth. And by 'expansion', we mean construct a second headquarters. Already headquartered in Portsmith, Oregon, the firm is bent on planting new roots on the East Coast of the United States. After a three year bidding war between major cities (ie. New York City, Baltimore, Boston, etc.), Brandywine was declared the winner. One might think that because Brandywine is America's poorest big city[p], Dwight Mann would seize this opportunity to make a very public altruistic splash for uplifting American hardship, but nope. He's not a philanthropist, and I doubt that he ever will be. His angle in this is all business; his business.
Being in cargo shipping, Nile is hoping to land some major government contracts where Washington is concerned in order to keep its freight division active overseas. Brandywine is a proxy that offers interesting ports at affordable prices (since the U.S. Navy abandoned the dock -- which is actually not entirely true, but works well in Easter's fictional storyline). To acquire it, lots of back door deals had to be made using the mysterious pseudonym "Mr. Alphabet", as prices undoubtedly would have rocketed had sellers known who the buyer actually was if the truth came to light. Instead, to preserve the deal (which involves a very, very large investment in the City over a five-year period), favors were called in by some unscrupulous individuals, as you can imagine.
/// To me, this is kind of reminiscent of the actions Walt Disney took in the 1960s to quietly purchase up grove land in central Florida in what would become Walt Disney World.
The greatest mystery in the Universe is figuring out who (or what) is pulling the strings. Something a little more palatable may be unmasking who is really responsible for the actions of the infamous One-Percent [class]. -- That answer is much more simple: every person is ultimately responsible for their own actions (as long as they can keep their behavior in-check). A better question may be: just how far is the reach of our planet's most resourceful? To help us answer this (which is actually the subject of derivative position paper📄) is the enigmatic Mr. Alphabet himself.
concept artwork is bing ai-generated, these are not prod. images
"Most things we want, we don't get, and the rest go somewhere else. But what we do get, is only what we need regardless of extravagance." - Dwight Mann
Nile, LLC (considering that Mann is a Bezos business clone, if you put a little bit of thought into it, you'll guess that it is a nomen à clef of Amazon.com, Inc. [AMZN]) is looking to expand to accommodate its rapid growth. And by 'expansion', we mean construct a second headquarters. Already headquartered in Portsmith, Oregon, the firm is bent on planting new roots on the East Coast of the United States. After a three year bidding war between major cities (ie. New York City, Baltimore, Boston, etc.), Brandywine was declared the winner. One might think that because Brandywine is America's poorest big city[p], Dwight Mann would seize this opportunity to make a very public altruistic splash for uplifting American hardship, but nope. He's not a philanthropist, and I doubt that he ever will be. His angle in this is all business; his business.
Being in cargo shipping, Nile is hoping to land some major government contracts where Washington is concerned in order to keep its freight division active overseas. Brandywine is a proxy that offers interesting ports at affordable prices (since the U.S. Navy abandoned the dock -- which is actually not entirely true, but works well in Easter's fictional storyline). To acquire it, lots of back door deals had to be made using the mysterious pseudonym "Mr. Alphabet", as prices undoubtedly would have rocketed had sellers known who the buyer actually was if the truth came to light. Instead, to preserve the deal (which involves a very, very large investment in the City over a five-year period), favors were called in by some unscrupulous individuals, as you can imagine.
/// To me, this is kind of reminiscent of the actions Walt Disney took in the 1960s to quietly purchase up grove land in central Florida in what would become Walt Disney World.
/#Easteropera mixtape #1 - Eden's Cobby
Easter's overture is told in a series of stories |
Background
'Socks' is the streetname given to an understudy gangster serving in the illegitimate business of 'Theo/Roscoe' throughout Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is a Black male in his early-twenties in age. His chosen nickname comes from the irony that he (proudly) does not wear socks with his everyday attire.
These days, he has just gotten news from his girlfriend that they are to be expecting their second child, another daughter, in the coming months. Although he is usually a reliable companyman, he always resorts to / relies on his instinct and selfish ways in his business dealings, which makes him an untrustworthy person to a large degree.
He has been under the employ of Roscoe for approximately two (2) years, and has risen to the rank of lieutenant within the kingpin's organization. Keeping in mind that he only got into the drug game to make money and not friends, he prioritizes his life in such a way that his lifestyle comes first, then family, and maybe other extracurriculars down the line. In that order. Now with an expanding family, Socks wants out of the game completely; his plan is to do a few more jobs, collect his money, gather his family and then vanish.
A careless individual, he makes his living being 'that guy' who gets the dirty stuff done. He is not a nice person, having probably murdered 12-15 people in cold blood since being employed by the organization. We're learning now that he is also a thief. If he is to be successful in executing his escape plan, he’ll have to control his impulses, and also watch is back.
- Scene 1 {Eden's Cobby} -
[characters: Socks, Foot Soldier, d0x]-- Socks is alone, seated in a quiet place outside somewhere in the innercity. It is around mid-morning and he appears to be waiting for someone. It looks as if he is smoking a narcotic, but this could just as likely be tobacco cigarette. Someone approaches him from a short distance and they begin to converse. --
Foot Soldier: Uh.. Socks?
Socks: (looking up but not making direct eye contact) …Yeah.
Foot Soldier: I'm supposed to meet you -- (cut off)
Socks: -- What's your password?
Foot Soldier: 'zakee'.
Socks: Alright.
Foot Soldier: (reaches into his pocket and pulls out a bulky packaged envelope) Well, here it is. (he then starts to toss it before stepping closer to Socks and handing it to him instead) It's all there.
Socks: (nods)
Foot Soldier: I thought there were two (2) of you here?
Socks: That's right.
Foot Soldier: Where's the other -- (cut off)
Socks: The way this works is you deliver your bulk, and then pick up mine. (still puffing, he then points to a car at a distance) .. the black car over there.
Foot Soldier: Sario wants triple the manpower next time we have to make another move like this.
Socks: (making direct eye contact) I don't give a fuck about what Sario wants!
Foot Soldier: Tell that shit to Roscoe.
Socks: (chuckles)
Foot Soldier: Sario's concerned about Roz's call to axe that family last week without notice.
Socks: It wasn't Roscoe's call. He knew a little too much, .. our names, faces. (litters by flicking the butt of what he was puffing on)
Foot Soldier: Execution-style? Man, if that was you, somebody's got to let us know because Sario's the connect for that side of Olney.
Socks: Somebody did just let you know.
Foot Soldier: You work alone?
Socks: (pulls gun from under jacket and places it on bench next to him) Nope. Like I said, there are two of us.
Foot Soldier: Okay. (short pause) Looks like we're finished here. (begins to walk from where he came) Behind the back tire, right?
Socks: Yeah.
The Foot Soldier makes it to the car parked about seventy (70) yards away. Just as he searches for the suspected package in question, he is shot from behind. Minutes later, Socks makes a call to d0x, the organization’s technician and business intelligence, presumably to inform him of the ongoings. The actual meeting took place at 9:00am local time, but Socks told his superiors that it was scheduled for 9:30am.
Socks: (leaning on the side of his car after putting the wounded body of the Foot Soldier in the trunk) Hey, they never showed.
d0x: What?!
Socks: I've been here for like five (5) minutes. This was only supposed to be a one-minute deal. These people are making me nervous, man. I don't even know if we can trust this Mario motherfucker!
d0x: Hm. This is twice this month.
Socks: Did you give him the right place?
d0x: Yes! Coordinates back in Cobbs Creek, like we said.
Socks: Well, the motherfucker ain't here! This could be some sort of an ambush or something. I'm moving out.
d0x: Meet at the barbershop on 38th & Lansdowne.
Socks: Bet. I'm going to grab something to eat. I'll be there in twenty (20).
d0x: Make it ten (10).
Socks closes the call, opens his driver-side door, gets in the car, and drives off. We are to believe that he killed the Foot Soldier, placed his dead body in the trunk, and has stolen the loot.- End Scene 1 {Eden's Cobby} -
(see also #Easteropera mixtape #2)
Dominique Noah, neighborhood imam[description:= Black male, mid-60s years (20s years in 1978 flashback) /// character:= he can preach until the moon turns blue, but secretly is deep-down tired of the choir itself, embittered, lately finds himself babysitting Tharbis' kids, originally from Newport News but 'caught up' in Pennsylvania, he's been waiting for someone like Egg - who he views as a prophet - to come along .. perhaps as a means to hide his own dark past, hardcore, a real G who can get whatever you need as long as you don't ask how he got it, modeled (indirectly) after the myth of the Brothers Stewart]
Moving along...
In my opera, Easter, we have an overarching plot with a lot of smaller substories. And in those substories are front-facing characters with tie-ins to real-world happenings. Basically, what this amounts to is me trying to say that I couldn't tell the story of Easter without a ritornello.
What may be confusing to some people is that the prelude, Die, Detective!, is in itself a backstory, so to speak (sort of like a roman à clef), that sets up the remaining four (4) chords (you'll see). But, as it stands, this actual first chord features a number of times where the protagonist/antagonist must revisit his past in order (for the audience) to piece together present-day clues. Take, for instance, August 1978, where we find a young Montana-grown Joseph, full of hope+aspirations, caught between his military friend's personal strife, and his own ambitions of perhaps someday becoming a renown comedian.
That Summer (Labor Day weekend), Philadelphia's famed Uptown Theater is closing its doors due to increasing blight in the north part of town*; the neighborhood is no longer as safe and vibrant as it was just a decade prior. The African-American community is still feeling the effects of the Civil Rights Movement, compounded with first Chief of Police and then-Mayor Frank Rizzo's antics and policies frozen in place during that decade. Turning inward, the Community becomes increasingly activist, self-destructive, and simulataneously self-expressive [in my opinion, some of the most beautiful music from that era came directly out of Philly]. In the middle of all this we have some blue-eyed soul, a young Pascha who is also struggling to find his place in the world as he chases his dreams, follows his heart, and succumbs to destiny. This part of the story (fictitiously what transpires in the aftermath of the Amateur Night held on Saturday August 5, 1978) is the most pivotal in telling because the events define who and what our eponym is (to become).The venue's
Again, in bringing this flashback to life, there was a lot of second-hand study done during my research, but I had a few allies here. There are people still around who can vividly recall the days when acts such as The Supremes were booked to perform at the venue on the cheap (relatively speaking, $400 for a 10-day residency!!!🤯). Uptown Theater was also a staple on the so-called Chitlin' Circuit. Many of the acts (colored or otherwise) over a period of time were brought in courtesy of Georgie Woods, himself a voice (literally, he worked in radio🎙️📻) instrumental in getting other voices in the Community heard at a time when the work to do so was still greater than the payoff. As they say, old habits die hard. In Die, Detective!, Woods is portrayed (an indirect representation) by native Philadelphia personality, Rock Hefner, who - as Bobbe Penn (the name was his pick) - brings his own individuality to the role.
In my opera, Easter, we have an overarching plot with a lot of smaller substories. And in those substories are front-facing characters with tie-ins to real-world happenings. Basically, what this amounts to is me trying to say that I couldn't tell the story of Easter without a ritornello.
What may be confusing to some people is that the prelude, Die, Detective!, is in itself a backstory, so to speak (sort of like a roman à clef), that sets up the remaining four (4) chords (you'll see). But, as it stands, this actual first chord features a number of times where the protagonist/antagonist must revisit his past in order (for the audience) to piece together present-day clues. Take, for instance, August 1978, where we find a young Montana-grown Joseph, full of hope+aspirations, caught between his military friend's personal strife, and his own ambitions of perhaps someday becoming a renown comedian.
Note (+): The comedian angle for Pascha is reminiscent of me. Part of my own biography is that I was a touring stand-up comic during my teenage years. I retired from the craft February 14, 2009, but I *think* I still have some funnies left. In this chord, pretty much all of the jokes spoken are mine. I consider it a natural extension of what Bruce Willis brought to the John McClane role, where he would make wisecracks throughout. Also, Philadelphians (particularly folks from West Philly) have a special kind of humor that I'm excited to showcase here.🤪 |
That Summer (Labor Day weekend), Philadelphia's famed Uptown Theater is closing its doors due to increasing blight in the north part of town*; the neighborhood is no longer as safe and vibrant as it was just a decade prior. The African-American community is still feeling the effects of the Civil Rights Movement, compounded with first Chief of Police and then-Mayor Frank Rizzo's antics and policies frozen in place during that decade. Turning inward, the Community becomes increasingly activist, self-destructive, and simulataneously self-expressive [in my opinion, some of the most beautiful music from that era came directly out of Philly]. In the middle of all this we have some blue-eyed soul, a young Pascha who is also struggling to find his place in the world as he chases his dreams, follows his heart, and succumbs to destiny. This part of the story (fictitiously what transpires in the aftermath of the Amateur Night held on Saturday August 5, 1978) is the most pivotal in telling because the events define who and what our eponym is (to become).The venue's
closure🔒 part is factual, but the date(s) may not be accurate.
The significance of the Uptown Theater cannot be understated here (it was added to the National Registry of Historic Places in 1982). Factually, Georgie Woods ceased to produce shows in/by 1972, not 1978. I, of course, am |
Again, in bringing this flashback to life, there was a lot of second-hand study done during my research, but I had a few allies here. There are people still around who can vividly recall the days when acts such as The Supremes were booked to perform at the venue on the cheap (relatively speaking, $400 for a 10-day residency!!!🤯). Uptown Theater was also a staple on the so-called Chitlin' Circuit. Many of the acts (colored or otherwise) over a period of time were brought in courtesy of Georgie Woods, himself a voice (literally, he worked in radio🎙️📻) instrumental in getting other voices in the Community heard at a time when the work to do so was still greater than the payoff. As they say, old habits die hard. In Die, Detective!, Woods is portrayed (an indirect representation) by native Philadelphia personality, Rock Hefner, who - as Bobbe Penn (the name was his pick) - brings his own individuality to the role.
Note (+): At first, I had Bobbe Penn as part of a duo that was supposedly modeled after the music production team, Gamble & Huff, from that era. They were called 'GO' from 'Todd G' and 'Warren O'. There was a scheduling error with the would-be partner of one of the actors, so I went ahead with just making the producer solo. I then decided that music production (having to create 1970s-style R&B tunes) just for a solo act would be too costly, and wouldn't really add anything outside of a soundtrack. |
Ethel, Lily's girlfriend[description:= White female, 30-35 years /// character:= her relationship is tricky, as she is romantically involved with an always
Newcomer, Laura Stetman[i], has been cast as Porbst "Ethel" Collins in my 🧼opera, Easter. Ethel starts out as a bit character in the piece, but as it progresses, so does the importance of her role.
At one point early-on, I wanted Stetman to play a young version of Palm (aka Karen) in the flashback scenes of Die, Detective! (the first chord), but that idea was soon discarded after further thought and factoring in a few details. The younger Ms. Gennaro's story must be told, as it is essential in understanding the character arc of Joe Leland, but the realization I had when writing her was that, since Easter is peppered with (the notion of) premonition - where Joey Leland is the ultimate sufferer of déjà rêvé, there would be an inevitable revisit of a guy named 'Leland' who is delicately balancing work and an intense amorous relationship.
Ethel Porbst is a young professional in the Washington, DC area. She very much enjoys her job as an actuary for the federal government, yet can't seem to shake the feeling of not being able to fit in with the local culture of the District. Is it because she is a tried-and-true small-town Southern belle from Wickliffe, Kentucky? Is she just too serious for her own good? Will her personality and uniform upbringing yield to the necessary multi-cultural and ethic shifts that the DC area demands? These are questions she asks herself five days a week. The other two days, she finds herself wrestling with the make believe bliss of being in a relationship with Egg (Joey Leland), who, on paper looks like a great match. In reality, his job as a field operative of a prominent intelligence agency is leaving him weary, distrusting, and second-guessing his ability to devote the right amount of time to their romance. She shares similar concerns, but, at her age (28), there's a glaring truth that being single and having to start over again sucks. So, she is patient.
on-call operative, but it's relatively new and she is patient, an actuary by trade]
Newcomer, Laura Stetman[i], has been cast as Porbst "Ethel" Collins in my 🧼opera, Easter. Ethel starts out as a bit character in the piece, but as it progresses, so does the importance of her role.At one point early-on, I wanted Stetman to play a young version of Palm (aka Karen) in the flashback scenes of Die, Detective! (the first chord), but that idea was soon discarded after further thought and factoring in a few details. The younger Ms. Gennaro's story must be told, as it is essential in understanding the character arc of Joe Leland, but the realization I had when writing her was that, since Easter is peppered with (the notion of) premonition - where Joey Leland is the ultimate sufferer of déjà rêvé, there would be an inevitable revisit of a guy named 'Leland' who is delicately balancing work and an intense amorous relationship.
Ethel Porbst is a young professional in the Washington, DC area. She very much enjoys her job as an actuary for the federal government, yet can't seem to shake the feeling of not being able to fit in with the local culture of the District. Is it because she is a tried-and-true small-town Southern belle from Wickliffe, Kentucky? Is she just too serious for her own good? Will her personality and uniform upbringing yield to the necessary multi-cultural and ethic shifts that the DC area demands? These are questions she asks herself five days a week. The other two days, she finds herself wrestling with the make believe bliss of being in a relationship with Egg (Joey Leland), who, on paper looks like a great match. In reality, his job as a field operative of a prominent intelligence agency is leaving him weary, distrusting, and second-guessing his ability to devote the right amount of time to their romance. She shares similar concerns, but, at her age (28), there's a glaring truth that being single and having to start over again sucks. So, she is patient.
/#EasterMUD - Vine Memorial Baptist Church exterior
We now have an official subscription/subscriber page on the Patreon platform. It took me awhile to discern its importance in these new models of digital crowdfunding, but I see now that fans are interested in content creation as it happens.
Note (+): This campaign lasts only through production.
On the page I created for the opera, Easter, visitors have two (2) choices in their helpalong: (1) a $1 pledge purchases a per-post subscription, or (2) a $10 pledge purchases a monthly subscription to the behind-the-scenes digest.
Note (+): This campaign lasts only through production.
On the page I created for the opera, Easter, visitors have two (2) choices in their helpalong: (1) a $1 pledge purchases a per-post subscription, or (2) a $10 pledge purchases a monthly subscription to the behind-the-scenes digest.
Video game entries aside, we last saw Sergeant Al Powell, in uniform, briefly in Die Hard 2 (1990). Well, the wait is over. Reginald VelJohnson will reprise his signature character, deuteragonist Alven, in my 🧼opera, Easter's, first chord, Die, Detective!.
/// Information supplied here has been valid since October 2017.
"This guy, lnq, is scary, Pascha. You're going to need my help, even if you don't want it." - Alven
Powell and Leland, now both retired, have actually become good friends since the fateful events of Nothing Lasts Forever, and are seasonal fishing buddies on the Clark Fork River. This happy-go-lucky guy is always there when you need him, and given Pascha's knack for bad timing, there's a not-so-slight chance his friend will come calling in this episode.
As an aside, I gave Powell the full first name of 'Alven', as it wasn't stated in Thorp's novel. Also, since the prelude leads up to the crescendo (ChordH), pay attention because we find that Alven has an idle nephew named 'Albert', who himself is strongly considering a career in law enforcement, possibly influenced by his "legendary" uncle. |
Ric Flair, world champion wrestling legend with a strange connection to Pascha[description:= White male, 70s years /// character:= athletic, brash, family man]
Wrestling superstar, "Nature Boy" Ric Flair, will feature in a series of short adverts ('Easter eggs') for the prelude to my opera, Easter. Flair, in addition to producing the segment, will star as himself, narrating portions of the overture in the company of Fer over a toast of Brown Hue, a fictional brand of huckleberry-flavored rum, which is Pascha's favorite drink in the storyline. (Drink responsibly.🥃)
Eight (8) sixty-second adverts (representing the Octave of Easter 'tones') are planned in the series. One (1) advert at a time will be released the middle of every other month on schedule when they're ready.
Wrestling superstar, "Nature Boy" Ric Flair, will feature in a series of short adverts ('Easter eggs') for the prelude to my opera, Easter. Flair, in addition to producing the segment, will star as himself, narrating portions of the overture in the company of Fer over a toast of Brown Hue, a fictional brand of huckleberry-flavored rum, which is Pascha's favorite drink in the storyline. (Drink responsibly.🥃)Eight (8) sixty-second adverts (representing the Octave of Easter 'tones') are planned in the series. One (1) advert at a time will be released the middle of every other month on schedule when they're ready.
One (1) year to go until the theatrical debut (+libretto) of Easter:Die, Detective! on December 21, 2018. Let's make this time count in the interim.
/'The Detective' reboot greenlit
The seventh installment of the original The Detective series is officially in pre-production/post-announcement stages. Recording is to commence in the Spring (March/April) of 2018, with a tentative Easter 2019 release date.
The movie, with a working title of '"Die hard, John McClane."', is based (in part) on the ballet, Easter by Link Starbureiy (+source characters by Roderick Thorp), and will be shot on location in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The usual suspects and others who hopefully will/may reprise their respective roles from previous installments in the franchise. 20th Century Fox might have (first) billing to distribute the picture during any international theatrical run.
The movie, with a working title of '"Die hard, John McClane."', is based (in part) on the ballet, Easter by Link Starbureiy (+source characters by Roderick Thorp), and will be shot on location in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The usual suspects and others who hopefully will/may reprise their respective roles from previous installments in the franchise. 20th Century Fox might have (first) billing to distribute the picture during any international theatrical run.
Notes (+): +This movie bears no relation to other announced so-called Die Hard projects, namely, Die Hard: Year One (Wiseman) or respective |