Actually, the fireworks started in June, as we drove to Boulder, CO, for four readings of Co-Creation. These were snapped in Utah, and we had the pleasure of finding ourselves driving straight toward them until Hwy. 50 kindly swung south around the toasty mountain range.

The readings were a joy, three house parties and one bookstore, all arranged by our old Philadelphia friend Elena and new Boulder friend Victor. Earlier in the month, readings in Sebastopol, Berkeley, San Francisco, and Albion, CA (way up the North Coast).

We’re now doing a bit of performance at each reading—since we talk about theatre, we felt we should actually do it—sometimes an old stand-by sketch “Peace Negotiations,” sometimes the steamy parts of Inanna.

Our Book Tour…

Only one reading of Co-Creation scheduled in July, so we’re able to start serious rehearsal of Duo, to open in late November, most likely; to continue multiple writing projects; and to catch up with our rampant garden.

And bookings for our Eastern Co-Creation tour are galloping apace. As it stands now, our first gig is Sept. 15 in Brooklyn, our last in Lancaster, PA, Oct. 4, and hitting spots north to NH, south to Norfolk, VA—9 dates confirmed, 8 pending, some days still open. During the weeks before and after, we’ll be coming out & returning on I-80 and I-70, so we also hope to schedule a few dates en route.

So if you’re thereabouts and would like to host a great evening free, email us. Likewise if you’d like to be invited to a house party. Responses have been deeply fulfilling.

Our Novels…

Our first novel Realists continues to make the rounds of agents & publishers. We’ve accumulated about 12 rejections thus far, so we’ve got about six dozen more to go till we can truly think of ourselves as novelists. Meantime, it’s still undergoing our incessant tinkering

As reported last month, we’re well into the 2nd draft of Galahad’s Fool. The photo below bears distinct points of resemblance to the main character, though the two vehemently claim to be unrelated.

Peace & joy—

Conrad Bishop

•••

Quote of the month…

From Co-Creation…

In Paris, through the International Theatre Institute, we’d made an appointment to meet Ariane Mnouchkine, director of the renowned Theatre du Soleil, perhaps the premiere ensemble-oriented theater in the world. We arrived at their cavernous theatre, the Cartoucherie, couldn’t find the office, so we asked the cleaning lady who was mopping the lobby. The cleaning lady was Mnouchkine.

She was irritated that no one had told her of the appointment—“They always do that to me!”—but was gracious, saying only, “Wait, I have to finish mopping, it’s my turn.” We waited, then sat talking about her ensemble and their working process. But what we took away, precious beyond words, was that phrase, “It’s my turn.” The bottom line, for the artist, is simply to do what’s needed.