Finalist

Last night, I went to a friend's house for Knitting Wednesday, which for me is Crocheting Wednesday (I am attempting to make a cowl...it may be a disaster...we shall see). My knitting friend (who also makes films and writes poetry and other cool things) is the girlfriend of one of my writing buddies. So I was standing in their living room when I got a phone call from an unknown number.

I am not someone who likes to answer my phone...even when it is a person I know. So the fact that I answered was a little out of left field for me.

When I answered, the person called me by my last name. For a moment, I wondered if it was a former student, which caused me to wonder which student it could be...so I completely missed the woman introducing herself.

What I did hear was where she worked. A theater. One of the theaters I submitted my play to at the end of October.

Then I was on edge. She was calling me at 7pm on a Wednesday night. That had to be good, right?

And it was good. Very good. My play is a finalist in the theater's playwriting competition. This means that an excerpt of my play will have a staged reading in NYC and has the chance of getting fully produced.

I may have screamed "REALLY?!" into the phone as I jumped up and down several times in my friend's living room. They must have thought I was a weirdo since they had no idea why I was jumping (I did get a high five after I told my writing buddy though).

Also, whatever coolness the woman calling me thought I had, was quickly replaced with dorkiness. I definitely felt like there was a moment when she regretted giving me the news. Now she thinks a 14 year old squealing girl is the playwright. Great. (It probably doesn't help that when she asked how to pronounce my name, I said, "Charlie. Like Charlie Brown". Great. Now she thinks I'm 10.)

I composed myself. And then spent 2 hours crocheting and 21 hours waiting for the email that said I was a finalist (because I am suspicious and tend to think that good things that come over the phone aren't real until I get an email or letter or something...with words...). I got that email an hour ago. So now I could write this post.

It feels good to know that someone, who doesn't know me, likes my play enough to say I am finalist worthy. Of course, I'd love to win and see my play fully produced, but I am also just happy to know that my nervous knots didn't get the best of me...and that I went ahead and put my play into the pile. And someone actually read it. Actually gave it the time of day. That to me is just, well, amazing. And you want to know the best part? This morning I started on another play.

More to come. You guys living in NYC, keep January 8th open. I'm going to need you in the audience.