One Week till GUTS is OUT!

"I can feel it. I can touch it... I'm here!"
Though this is a quote from GUTS, it also describes how I am feeling today, exactly one week before the vision of GUTS materializes.
Yes, I am here. A couple of years back (and forgive me for the cheesy moment....) I read 4 lines from my diary to my mentor, Gregory Simmons, and he said "You must create a play out of this!"....
"What?! Who? Where? How?.....No way! That's a crazy thought!", I responded... Plus, it's my personal "stuff"! 
Mr. Simmons insisted that there is something very universal in my messages, he urged me to keep writing, he urged me to get out of my comfort zone, he urged me to develop a play because what I had to say was bigger than me...
I resisted. I resisted A LOT....But what kept me going (other than Mr. Simmons' incessant support and faith in this project) was that deep inside I knew that GUTS could make a difference. At first I didn't know exactly what kind of "difference", but I'm more clear about it these days. 
The name GUTS came to me one day, not too long ago, after quite a while of working on a nameless play. It immediately felt like "the one". Made so much sense to me. I had somehow known that the name would come when it's ready to come, and it did... All the associations of the word GUTS exist in this play, though the word is not used even once. 


Cut to where we are now.....


That diary, which I always liked personalizing (I tend to personalize things....), became Mr. Diary; fiction was added; Middle Eastern dance, an agent in telling the story of Hellthy, was added; multimedia was added; many drafts were created over and over...And then I found my superwoman director/producer, Shoshona Currier, and she put together an incredible team, gifted award-winning designers, passionate artists, who amaze me every day. I couldn't have asked for more. 
GUTS, my surreal dramdey, my multi-media fantasia, is going to hit the stage in one week! What began as a personal story of triumph, something a private person like me did NOT want to share with the world, is about to materialize as a theatrical piece. Now, that alone seems surreal to me....But like my mentor said, it's a lot bigger than me, and I am beyond honored to be the GUTS' vessel.


Here's a lil something from yesterday's costume fitting (Sydney Maresca, our costume designer, is a wizard...):

My GUTS

I don't quite understand why I've been so neglectful of my blog. It's rude. Please forgive me, Mr. Blog.  I may have been focusing too much on developing a play (GUTS) based on my Diary, and so Blog didn't have much room to grow....

Now, just to be clear, GUTS is NOT my diary! It's actually a fictionalized version of my story...But its original seed was a diary that was written during a very pivotal time of my life, not too long ago. 

So here I am, trying to make peace with you, Mr. Blog, asking for your forgiveness. I didn't mean to desert you. I am back now! I am back now, straight from our first rehearsal of GUTS.  

It's so incredibly exhilarating, hard to put it in words....

Opening night is November 3rd! (and yes, there WILL BE belly dancing...). Sooo pumped! We have the most talented team on earth! (Yes, on earth!) and I have to pinch myself to believe that this is finally happening. GUTS.

I'm leaving you with a glimpse from last weekend, which was designed for memorizing all of Hellthy's lines (that's my character's name, and it's not a spelling mistake) somewhere......in Massachusetts....Enjoy! I will see you back here, VERY soon! Oh, and thank you for not giving up on me...I'll totally make it up to you, I promise!

Shana Tova, Blog (and my Jewish readers too.....)

My Visitor

I have just spent intense 10 days with my dear childhood friend from Israel.
It's amazing how much you can learn in such a short time about yourself, about where you come from and where you're going. This was her first adult visit to NY, first time she came to visit me here. The cultural differences adding up throughout the years have smacked us on the face. It was strange. We grew up in the same place and yet it feels like I've always been here in NY. I've realized that more than ever during her visit with me. I can't help it, my identity has changed a lot throughout the years. It's actually fascinating to me every time I realize that. For the first time in my life I am accepting the fluidity of my identity, and that is a very rewarding sensation. To know who you are and to accept that. Even if it's a bit complicated on the cultural level. Being born and raised in Israel. Spending all of my adult life in New York City.

Anyway, my very dear friend got sucked into the shopping hysteria here and there was nothing I could do to pull her out. Hours and hours of running around (and not finding anything to buy most of the time- Go figure! New York's vast selection was not sufficient for her...), overwhelmed by the huge crowds, the noise and the insanity of New York City, but not letting it stop her. I got flustered by it, I stopped joining her on her shopping missions. It worked for both of us...

I wanted to take her to the calm places, to the Cloisters, to all the beautiful parks, to walk by the Hudson, one of my favorite things to do here.
But no, most of it didn't happen. I only got to share with her a small percentage of my NY, and her visit is over already.
She's leaving tomorrow. Oh, yes, I did share my New York night life with her. At least that.

So now we have to wait for next time. Hopefully then I'll be able to squeeze in the real magic of New York City, its enchanting vicinity and the best kept secrets of the best town in the world.