Tuesday, March 4, 2008

After attending numerous performances throughtout this year's Writers Week, I must admit, this year, by far, contained the most memborable speakers.

Billy Lombardo had to be my most favorite because I had already seen him the previous year. However, instead of reading some of his old pieces, or even anything reminiscent of them, he read some really creatively different yet enjoying pieces. I really enjoyed "The First Time You Were Punched" because it was one of the short stories that fell into that "completely innovative" category. Rather than speaking in the first person, Mr. Lombardo wrote it in the second person, directly addressing his audience as "you." But what I found more interesting was how even with the use of "you," he made the story sound as if it were about him and his own experiences. In addition to his innovative pieces, I enjoyed specific lines he shared with the audience. Before reading "How to Remember a Day With Your Son," Mr. Lombardo mentioned how he "thinks it's funny naming your cat 'sad,'" which happens to be depressing in the real world. But what was even more funny was when he admitted that his "favorite friends are really smart and don't write" and "really smart and don't read." In both cases, Mr. Lombardo told the audience that these particular friends made writing much easier because they would always give him a story, yet little had to be modified because he knew that they wouldn't write their own stories, and some may not even read these stories (giving him permission to not change the names).

Two performances that were completely new to me from the Fremd auditorium were the two musical performances: Scott Woldman and the cast of Speed Dating and Daphne Willis and Co. Both had different approaches in that one was humorous while the other had better music. After watching a couple scenes from Speed Dating, my abdomins were aching from laughing so hard. The highlight of the show had to be the sexually charged woman. While a little inappropriate for our G-rated high school, it was absolutely hilarious watching the woman purr out "feisty" and sexually harass Fremd's very own Mr. Schaefer. But what was more interesting was how Scott Woldman, the screen player writer, was also funny stating that his inspiration for writing this musical was because he had "a lot of unhappy single friends." On the flip side, I also enjoyed watching a completely different musical approach performed by Daphne Willis and Co. Instead of being the cast members of a musical, Daphne Willis and Co. was an actual band. Although it was unfortunate to hear that they weren't signed, I was really glad they were able to make it to Fremd's Writers Week. Daphne Willis had a Norah Jones-esque voice that was raspy yet relaxing, perfect for any type of weather and any type of emotion. Moreover, I was surprised when I saw the drummer playing three instruments (top hat, snare, tambourine) at one time during the song "What's It Gonna Be." That being said, my ultimate conclusion of this band is how immensely talented they are. I'm hoping them the best of luck so that they may be more widely exposed to the entire country.

This year, I believe Fremd kept the best for last. Marc Smith was the last performer to perform, but he was definitely one of the most memorable. He not only got the audience to participate but also made us believe in the characters he was performing. It was incredible to see the range of characters he could perform and mimic their voices. I don't remember the poem title, but I loved his raspy voice when he said, "The coat used to fit him well, it fits me now." All I could imagine was a Sin City-esque scene in which Bruce Willis was sporting a long tailored coat, something one would see in a suspensful mystery movie. But I grew really excited when he stard reciting "Richard Cory." My freshman year of high school, I remember Mrs. Gilkey assigning us to read certain poems aloud. My group was assigned "Richard Cory" but never did I thought I would read, or see it again, performed so well that it was rightfully commemorating the author of the poem.

Despite the overall plethora of excellent performances, I was disappointed in Bill Kelly's speech, which happened to be anything but one. Instead of sharing his experiences, he forced the audience to create questions for him to answer. While it may be beneficial in the fact that we are only listening to information that we want, I still felt as if Mr. Kelly could've added something to his performance that would have made it extraordinary, rather than satisfactory. Although I was kind of hyped to see, in person, the screen pley writer of Enchanted and Blast From the Past, two excellent films that I have enjoyed watching, he reminded me of Terrence Coli's performance last year: boring. My mistake was getting overexcited for a famous writer rather than researching a writer that is new and less successful in the writing community. While Bill Kelly had some interesting and humorous things to say, such as, "hi-yah!" and "take the exalted writer and inverse it into pond scum, that's what I am," I feel that I could've learned so much more from such a successful writer.

But ultimately, despite the criticism, I loved Writers Week, especially the free food that was provided to the performers. The speakers Fremd invited were all so talented and many of the student speakers were also suprisingly very good. For these reasons, I am glad I am a junior so that I may relive this experience once again as a senior.
:D

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