I began writing "I Am Alpha & Omega" when I was twenty-one years of age. It started s a screenplay that Gene Roddenberry had read and liked. I was so excited that the creator of Star Trek liked what I had written, but I was almost embarrassed by it, because I knew that I had not achieved what I was trying to do with it. So I took it back to rewrite it and try to make it better. Circumstances being what they were in Hollywood, I ended up leaving and returning to Pennsylvania.
Shortly after my return, I made an attempt to convince The Moody Blues to write the music for A&O. That didn't work out, so I began producing music concerts and independent short films. Within a short time, I found myself wanting to write another story, and another, and another, until I settled in on writing a Medieval Romance and put "I am Alpha & Omega" aside, for the sake of improving my writing skills. I moved to Boston and explored the theatre & film scene there. I was given an office in the paramount Theatre to work on writing A&O. I worked in all the theatres in Boston, at MIT, Boston College and I was offered an Apprenticeship at Harvard, which, like a dope, I declined. I traveled around doing freelance technical theatre until, I secured another studio space in Pennsylvania where I could continue my writing, in particular screenplays and short stories.
Well "MiLady", as it was called, went through many years of rewrites, eventually becoming "Grael" and morphed into an epic tale. To shorten the story, I intended to go to England to work on that story and communicated with EMI/Sheperton Studios about it. This led to Paramount Pictures requesting that I pitch it to them. After months of consideration they decided that "LadyHawk" did not make enough money for them, so they passed on another piece in the genre. I had a researcher working for me at the time, to help in historically accurate aspects of this story, and I/we spent four and a half years writing that piece. At the time I was producing a number of short films for other people who wanted to use my film equipment. I was also "hitting the bricks" in New York on a regular basis, working in film, theatre and an occasional concert, but I never really settled in there.
Shortly after returning to Pennsylvania and creating "Grael" I became involved in a big political situation in Bucks County and I began a 16mm documentary film called "You're Not Getting The Point". It was a very complex situation that took up another four + years. I won't get into that now. I ended up getting married, which threw everything into a tailspin and had me moving back to Hollywood to try again.
Upon my return to Hollywood, I pitched "Grael" to Warner Brothers and they ended up offering me an office on their lot. There were circumstances that put me in a dilemma in that regard, so, regrettably I had to decline that offer, there were a few producers interested in that screenplay, including one in Paris. I pitched "You're Not Getting The Point" to New Line, who though they could reenact the events. I did not find that credible.
At that time, I began work on rewriting "I Am Alpha & Omega", only this time it became an entirely different type of project, for one, it became a theatre project and not film. Also the premise of the project changed, because by now I was involved with The General Church of the New Jerusalem and I had since experiences spiritual experiences that could not be denied and they greatly affected my perspective.
Showing the new script around and seeking opinions, one very strong opinion was that the third act of the play should become a separate play. After much consideration, that is what happened. That play is titled "Nunc Licet" and it took me twenty-five years to craft that play. It has been workshopped five times, including a public reading at a New Church Convention. That play was published in New Church Life and I am intending on producing it for film, here in my studio on the stage I am building.
The dilemma there is that Alpha & Omega was left without a third act. For twenty plus years I performed the role of John on the Isle of Patmos in a pageant that we do to convey the Book of Revelations. I recently retired from acting in that pageant, but in so doing I have had my mind enlightened to reveal that the third act of A&O will be an Opera based on the Apocalypse, known to many people as the Book of Revelations.
For three decades I have been writing another project titled "The Gnomes of New Hope; Zach & Zebby's Grand Adventure" and the point of that project was to make enough money so as to be able to produce "I Am Alpha & Omega". But all this writing and producing has distracted from writing on A&O. It has been necessary, for many reasons. But now I am realigning myself to begin rewrites on A&O. What will come of it ? I am not sure. But something good I hope.
AG
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