No One Ever Calls

In the glitz and glamor that can be Palm Springs, there are a lot of very lonely people.

Unlike many other small towns and communities, this city and its surrounding Coachella Valley seems to attract a wide range of folks seeking something they can’t find in their own neighbor-hood back home. On the surface, it’s probably the clear blue skies, turquoise swimming pools and lush green golf courses. A mirage, really, that continues to perpetuate this image of the rich and famous and want-to-be. But a lot of folks seem to be looking for something more substantial…. companionship, love, affection, and the attention of someone else.

The predominance of gay singles and couples, along with a straight population, does nothing to change that equation. Loneliness can creep into anyone’s life. Palm Springs, even more so than like communities along the coast, is a melting pot of individuals all of whom bring their own unique blend of life stories to the mix. Over the years, Sharon and I have gotten to know some of those folks.

The first question usually asked of a new single or couple in town is simply: “Where are you from?” It seems that almost no one is from here. That’s where the similarity to our neighbors back in Minnesota takes a sharp turn from normal and average to the uniqueness of this place.

The good folks at Palm Springs Tourism bless their heart; do their best to promote the many attractions of the Valley. Truth be told, it’s a great place to visit and enjoy. But living here alone and burdened by past life events, doesn’t make the skies any bluer or the mountains any more appealing.

Since Sharon and I have been coming here for over twenty years, we’ve met, interacted with and lost track of a lot of folks over the years. Some are still great friends and others have moved on with their lives. Reflecting back on that plethora of individuals, I can’t help but be struck by the number that carry some kind of baggage with them.

Yet on the surface, most folks would never guess this is the case. Homes and hovels, cars and carriages aside, these individuals all carry the burden of past life stories with them in their daily lives. Holidays seem to bring a lot of that sadness to the surface. So on any given holiday, these folks are grateful to be invited along and not left behind to spend the day alone.

Sharon and I have, on a number of occasions, held holiday celebrations and made a point of inviting single neighbors or friends or acquaintances over to share a meal with us. We’ve also invited folks over to celebrate birthdays and other anniversaries at our house.

Unlike our neighborhood back in Apple Valley, this place is another kind of repository of lost souls, people seeking something in their lives and others just looking for a smile in return. It’s different from back in Minnesota but the folks here are just as real, just as genuine, and just as in need of that little something else; be it a gesture of kindness or a willingness to just listen.

I hope to oblige.

Save the Last Dance for Me

Last season, I was fortunate enough to write three new plays while in the desert. The intent was to workshop all three back in Minnesota. COVID-19 put a stop to that great idea. Now I’m back in the desert with every intention of finally getting a ‘reading’ for one of those plays, ‘Widow’s Waltz.’ 

Sharon and I have been in the Valley, on and off, for over twenty years. During that time, we’ve made a lot of friends in the gay community. Most of our gay friends here we’ve always known as couples. However, it came to my attention a while back that there is another segment of that population that is seldom talked about. 

I always thought ‘Widow’s Waltz’ would be especially relevant to the Coachella Valley because of its large gay population and a subject matter that is seldom addressed here. That is the plight of single gay seniors in the Valley.

The idea for ‘Widow’s Waltz’ evolved after we took a cruise to Cuba several years ago. On the cruise were a number of single gay men instead of the usual couples we knew. I got to thinking about the lifestyle of those men who lived outside of a normal couple’s routine I was so familiar with here in the desert. More research on the subject brought up a number of articles talking about the plight of the single gay men entering their senior years all alone.

Riot at Sage Corner

Simply stated, they’re older, single gay men without a partner or significant other. Often times there’s no family to speak of. While on the surface, their challenges seem much like of straight singles, I’ve found from research that the challenges are far greater for gay individuals than straight ones.

A survey in the United States has found that most gay men over the age of 45 are single. The findings, released by AARP, surveyed almost 2000 LGBT people across all 50 states. It found that 57% of gay men over 45 were single as compared to 39% of lesbians and 48% of bisexual men and women.

I realized that this is a subject matter outside of my comfort gone and familiarity. Research alone would never help me get to the core of the issues or create a storyline true to their predicament. That is where our friends in the gay community can provide me with honest, heart-felt advice and suggestions to make the play honest and true to their ‘real world.’

It’ll probably be a challenge to present such a play written by a straight author to those appropriate venues here in the Valley. Nevertheless, I’m hoping the honesty of the storyline will grab their attention and an honest evaluation. I’m also looking for some fellow artists to help champion the script for me and open stage doors.

The Last Sentinel

The script has been written and rewritten several times over. Now the hard part begins. After workshopping the play, I’ll probably have to pound out a second or third draft until I have a product ready for theatrical evaluation. Overall, it will be an arduous and challenging task but I hope, one that results in an interesting story, engaging characters and something worthy of my audience’s time and attention.

In the end, isn’t that what every playwright is striving for; to tell a good story and entertain an audience?

I know I am.

Giving Birth Three Times Over

My goal for this season in Palm Springs was to write three plays. Going into it last fall, I had no illusions that the plays themselves, if completed, would be anything beyond a good first draft. In other words, I wanted to create three plays with enough sound story structure and character potential that I had something solid with which to continue their growth and development. Then the idea was to workshop them back in Minnesota. Well, I accomplished my goal even though (figuratively speaking) it damn near killed me.

Two of the plays were musicals although I have absolutely no musical talent or skills beyond knowing what kind of music I like. The third would be a drama based on the emotional turmoil a gay man finds himself in as he reaches middle age; single and alone in the world. Yup, you guessed it. I’m about as straight as a Robin Hood arrow. In retrospect, I guess my lack of musical knowledge and gender persuasion probably had a lot to do with the stress I faced in my quest to write three plays in six months. But they’re finally done and I ‘think they work.’

Since two of these plays have music, I had to plot out where the songs might fit in the storyline. I’ve got a title for each song and a good idea of the message I want to convey there. But it’s the exact type of song (ballad, upbeat, etc) and the lyrics that are the most challenging. My hope is to find a musician/s that I can work with to create music to fit the lyrics that I’ve written for each song.

During the season, I was also revisiting PTV to add more drama to it before a second approach to the Minnesota History Theater for their interest. Then I had ‘Polly’sAmorous Adventures’ which I was promoting to the Art Theaters in the Twin Cities along with my other plays to the Community Theaters there. My weekly blog feed demanded a lot of my attention with multiple rewrites. In November, I had to write a new play for the grandchildren to perform.

It was a rather busy six months sequestered in my desert office.

The first play ‘Wake; the Musical’ had been percolating around in my brain for a long time. ‘Wake’ is a play about death, redemption, acceptance of man’s fragility and burying past hurts to open the future for possibilities. Attendants come together to celebrate the life and past of a man named John Moses. What they all come to realize pretty quickly is that John Moses is a chameleon; very different to so many ways to some many different people. Past secrets are revealed and truth intentions exposed. Musical interludes are an important part of the storytelling here.

The second play ‘Tangled Roots’ took shape and form last summer. I imagined it to be a combination of folk music and the story of a man’s struggle to find fulfillment and satisfaction in his retirement. Beyond the surface of ‘what to do with the rest of one’s life,’ it would also be an examination of life’s purpose and being true to oneself.

Many folks my age find themselves facing an uncertain future in retirement. They’re limited by their economic, physical and social resources. Their past is past and nothing on the horizon looks promising. So it’s not surprising that a lot of folks in that predicament turn back in time to their past and try, in one fashion or another, to relive, revive and review segments of their history that brought them pleasure and pleasant memories.

Folk music or more aptly called ‘Americana music’ is as old as this country itself and before that the counties where our forefathers came from. It embodies the American spirit, the Great Depression, riding the rails, an awareness of civil and social causes long before the general public was able to grasp those attacks on freedom and liberty for all.

This new kind of play would be an intermingling of singing, musical demonstration and an intriguing background storyline for the characters involved. It would be a concert, musical theory class and coming-of-old-age saga wrapped up in a small theater. Black Box would be perfect.

The third play ‘Widow’s Waltz’ evolved after a couple of seasons here in Palm Springs as Sharon and I met more members of the gay community. Many of them seemed to fit the profile of my main characters in the play.

Photo Credit:  Riot at Sage Corner

They’re older, single gay men without a partner or significant other. While on the surface, their challenges seem much like of straight singles, I’ve found from research that the challenges are far greater for gay individuals than straight ones.

Research alone will never help me get to the core of the issues or create a storyline true to their predicament. That is where our friends in the gay community can provide me with honest, heart-felt advice and suggestions to make the play honest and true to their ‘real world.’

It’ll probably be a challenge to present such a play written by a straight author to those appropriate venues here in the Valley but I’m hoping the honesty of the storyline will grab their attention and honest evaluation.

The three plays have been written. Now the hard part begins. I plan to workshop all three back in Minnesota and then pound out a second or third or fourth draft until such time that I have a product ready for the next step. Upon completion of a draft that has withstood the workshops, editing, revisions and changes each play will require then two of them will be ready for the musical portion of the mix. Overall, it will be an arduous and challenging task but, I hope, one that results in an interesting story, engaging characters and something worthy of an audience’s time and attention. In the end, isn’t that what every playwright is striving for; to tell a story and entertain an audience. I know I am.