The Blog

The Second Agreement of Comedy

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Did you put the book The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz on your bucket list like I suggested last week?

No?

Well, if you haven’t – go do it now. Stop reading this blog immediately and go add The Four Agreements to your bucket list. In fact, order the book today. Or better yet go to your local book store – you still have a local book store don’t you – and buy it there. Buy two. Get one for a friend. Pass it along.

The Four Agreements are powerful ways you can use to make your life much happier and peaceful.  The first agreement is to be impeccable with your word. Don’t lie. But as a comedy writer lies are the stock and trade of deception. And deception is a corner stone of comedy. You can check out last week’s blog about  The First Agreement of Comedy here.

So what’s the second agreement?  The second of the – lets make the world a better place to live agreements.

Agreement Two

  • Don’t take anything personally. Nothing others do is because of you.  What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream.  When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.*

So forget what the critics say. Good or bad. Well, unless it’s good. Good reviews help sell tickets, do they not? We are herd animals and we do seek out the opinions of others when it comes to our choice of entertainment.

But if you allow yourself to be happy or unhappy based on the actions and opinions of others every day will be an emotional roller coaster. Are you happy because the sun is out or unhappy because it’s raining? You shouldn’t be. We need the rain just as much as we need the sunshine – so don’t let the weather or the opinions of others rule how you feel.

Easier said than done, I know. Once spoken words can linger in our mind. They can occupy our thoughts. They can sabotage our feelings and self worth. They can hurt. And when they hurt we might feel the need to lash out. To seek revenge. And if you’re writing comedy, characters that are immune to the actions and opinions of others don’t offer you a lot to work with. So instead of not taking anything personally maybe your characters should take it personally.

Second Agreement of Comedy

  • Be Offended. Let the opinions and actions of others determine your actions.

Revenge, jealousy, and anger are just three of the many emotions your characters can feel when they are easily offended or feel wronged.  The pompous, the self-righteous, the fanatic are all characters fueled by their need to be right.  Those who are offended often want revenge and without revenge there would be no second pie thrown in a pie fight.  There would be no deadly games played by Milo Tindle and Andrew Wyke in Sleuth by Anthony Shaffer.  There would be no Larry, Moe, or Curly .  No Chaplin.  No Marx brothers.  No Duck Soup!  No Great Dictator!  No Disorder in the Court!  In comedy, when you turn the other cheek it usually gets slapped.

That’s the second rule. Third rule coming up next week. Of course if you want to read ahead you can just pick up a copy of The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz and write your own blog. Trust me, I won’t be offended if you do.

And I won’t be offended if you want to check out the four plays I currently have available for free download on my web site.

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*  The Four Agreements – A Toltec Wisdom Book – A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz  Amber-Allen Publishing San Rafael, California Copyright © 1977 by Miguel Angel Ruiz, M.D.

The First Agreement of Comedy

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I think the world would be a kinder, more peaceful, and happier place if we all lived by The Four Agreements as taught by Don Miguel Ruiz.

Have you heard about the four agreements? Do you know about Toltec Wisdom? If you haven’t – find out about it and give this little book a read.

The Four Agreements are four guiding principles by which you can live your life and reduce conflict, create peace of mind, and foster a better world. That sounds good, doesn’t it. But as a playwright, I believe the flip side of the four agreements offers some guiding principles for writing comedy.

So, what’s the first agreement? The first of the – lets make the world a better place agreements.

Agreement One

  • Be impeccable with your word. Speak with integrity.  Say only what you mean.  Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others.  Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love. *

Be truthful. I like that. I don’t always do it. Nobody does. But it’s a good thing to keep in mind because lies are insidious. They can transform us and change who we are. Of course, if you’re writing comedy you might want to consider turning that rule on its head.

First Agreement of Comedy

  • Lie.  Do not say what you mean.  Gossip.  Use the power of your word to be deceitful, jealous, and malevolent.

Is that any way to live?  Of course not.  But if you’re writing comedy lying is a useful device. Of course, it’s not just comedies that can employ deceitful characters.  Is Iago impeccable with his word?  No.  Does Long John Silver use the power of his words in the direction of truth and love?  Of course not.  Does Ralph Kramden always tell Alice what he’s up to in The Honeymooners?  Rarely.

Of course some people might say Shakespeare, Treasure Island, and The Honeymooners might not be the most contemporary examples I could have used. And they’d be right, but I think that illustrates that what has worked in the past – works in the present. Is Walter White impeccable with his word? No. Does Thomas Barrow from Downton Abbey use the power of his words in the direction of truth and love? Of course not. Does Phil Dunphy always tell Claire what he’s up to in Modern Family? Rarely.

So, let the half-truths, deceptions and lies power your story.  Just remember in fiction, as in life, the lies are usually discovered.  And there will be consequences. In tragedy that usually means a death or two.  In comedy that usually means a wedding or two.  For some, such consequences make comedies and tragedies not so very different.

That’s the first rule. Second rule coming up next week.

Now, if you haven’t put – read The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz on your bucket list – do it now. This is a gem of a book. A book worth reading and sharing. No lie.

Of course, you could always download a free copy of my  play What the Dickens! and see the agreements in action. What the Dickens! is the story of the Pine Tree Players disaster prone production of A Christmas Carol. It’s the old play within a play concept with a number of romantic entanglements and complications. A perfect holiday addition to any theatre season.

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*  The Four Agreements – A Toltec Wisdom Book – A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz  Amber-Allen Publishing San Rafael, California Copyright © 1977 by Miguel Angel Ruiz, M.D.

 

 

Thanksgiving and the Christmas Party of Canada

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Today is Thanksgiving in Canada. Our traditional harvest festival and national holiday.

Harvest festivals have deep roots and have been celebrated in one form or another for thousands of years throughout the world. It harkens back to our days as an agrarian nation and our dependence on a healthy crop in order to see us through the winter.

But it has also come to mean a day of giving thanks for the blessings in one’s life. The importance of family and friends and community.

And I think one of the things we should be thankful for is the fact that we live in a country that gives us the right to vote. And even if you don’t much like politics, it’s much better to have a system in place that replaces old corrupt political leaders with young corrupt political leaders in a peaceful way – and an election is a far less bloody way to do that than a revolution.

So come a week today, we Canadians are going to the polls. On October 19th we elect a new government.

And I know a lot of people say you shouldn’t discuss politics or religion or whether or not you like Star Wars better than Star Trek but to that I say, “Hogwash.” I say we should discuss politics and Star Trek and Star Wars. A healthy society has a diverse number of opinions. That’s how you protect everyone’s rights. All opinions matter.

So, with that in mind, I’ve decided to discuss my own political views and let you know that I’ll be casting my vote for The Christmas Party of Canada. It’s really the only party I can support. I mean, who doesn’t like a good Christmas Party? Rum punch for the adults, candy canes for the little ones, and presents for all. Now you might think I’m being facetious, but I don’t even know what facetious means so I don’t know if I am or not.

All I know is, the Christmas party believes in the same things I do: environmentally friendly reindeer power, stockings hung by the chimney with care to fuel our economy, and gingerbread in every house so that no one goes hungry. So, on October 19th, when you cast your vote, I hope you’ll give serious consideration to the type of future you want for Canada and give Kris Kringle and The Christmas Party of Canada your support. You can check out their entire party platform at www.christmaspartyofcanada.ho.ho.ho.ho

I also urge you to check out the other party platforms and your local candidates. See what they have to say about their vision for this country and how they want to run things. Do they seek to build or divide? Are they men and women of good character? Do their policies and rational make sense to you.

Come October 19th I’m voting, and I hope you will too.

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Recommended Reading: The Holy Man by Susan Trott

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the-holy-man-cover

Who hasn’t faced dark times? And when you’re facing dark times a lot of people have a favourite song or a book or a movie that they turn to. If you do, it’s because there’s something about that story that resonates. There’s something about that story that helps restore your balance and helps you get on with life.

For me one of those books is the The Holy Man by Susan Trott. I discovered this little gem in the discount rack at the Coles Book Store in the North Hill Mall one afternoon twenty or so years ago. I have read this little book on many occasions when my spirits have needed a lift.

The Holy Man is based on one of my favourite Zen stories about – you guessed it – a holy man. A holy man living on a mountain in a hermitage. I won’t tell you the Zen story here because that’s part of the book and I don’t want to spoil the surprise. Yes, there is a surprise. Or certainly a lesson. Many lessons, in fact. After all, Zen stories are meant to teach us something about life and this little book is certainly an examination of life.

The cast of characters includes thousands of pilgrims who line up each summer to see the Holy Man. There are also seven monks who live at the hermitage. And of course there is the holy man himself.

Each pilgrim comes to the mountain seeking answers about some aspect of his or her life. There’s the angry man, the drunkard, and the killer amongst others. Trott examines addiction, vanity, and jealousy through each character’s quest. But one of the things I like most about the book is the fact that not everyone comes away having learned his or her lesson. Some remain as deluded and unenlightened as when they started their journey.

I always come away from reading the holy man with a sense of gratitude. That whatever troubles I face in life, I have a choice about how to live my life. I can be grateful and appreciate each day or I can be blind to the blessings that each day brings. And what I have learned is that blessings come in many forms. Often our troubles and battles are the things which help to form our character. Life is about learning how to live with failure and defeat not just victory and success.

So, if you’re in need of some inspiration or just a fun and delightful read check out The Holy Man by Susan Trott.

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Priceless

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I believe that you should share your work. But don’t ever think that you’re giving it away for free. You’re not.

Even if there is no money being exchanged it certainly isn’t free.

You’re asking for something.

You’re asking for time. And time is life. So appreciate your audience when they take the time to read your novel or see your play or listen to your music. Time is precious and anyone willing to give you their time deserves your best.

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Distraction – Pleasure – Truth

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I think one of the reasons we go to the theatre is to experience genuine moments of truth. And that’s not easy to achieve. It’s something that’s hard to achieve in life let alone on the stage.

As for myself, I’m terrible at living in the moment – and yet I’ve had moments – I’m sure we all have – and when they happen there is clarity in the world – we are at peace with existence – everything makes sense.

The thing is we live in a culture of distraction. We are glued to our phones. Our minds are bombarded with messages both internal and external. Instead of focusing on the now we sabotage our own lives with thoughts of the future and regrets from the past.

And I’m not saying we should give up our smart phones or disconnect from the world. I don’t want to do that. I don’t want you to do that. It’s not a matter of getting rid of technology or going back to the way things were because I don’t think this is a new problem. I just think there are more shiny objects in the world than ever before and it’s hard to ignore them.

Can you excuse me for a minute while I take a selfie. Check my e-mail. Send a text. And look at Facebook.

Okay that wasn’t very realistic – was it. I mean who asks for permission anymore? Half the time while we’re talking to someone they’re checking their phone or we’re checking ours.

And yet for all our distraction this is also a culture dedicated to pleasure. And yet ironically to really experience pleasure you need to focus on the moment. You can’t be on the outside looking in. You can’t be thinking about that meeting you have the next day or what your sister said to you last week or how much you’d like to tell off that colleague who makes your life a living hell. Those thoughts must be banished from your mind if you’re truly going to live in the experience.

And I think that means when you go to the school concert to see your child perform you shouldn’t spend the entire concert recording it on your phone. Sure take a picture. Maybe even some video, but after you’ve got your digital media put the phone down and actually watch your child on stage and live the experience – don’t just record it.

And if you’re going to eat, and I love eating – don’t gobble down your food – taste it – savour it – even if it’s just a sandwich enjoy each bite.

And don’t make love like you’re trying to chug a glass of beer – connect with your partner or your wife or you lover or your husband or any combination of the above and take your time – touch – slow down – shut out the world. Focus on the now. Be present.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, we get it – slow down – live in the moment – we know that already. But knowing something and doing something are often two different things. We don’t always do what’s best for us. We eat the wrong foods. We don’t take our medicine when we should. We smoke. We stay up too late. We fight with our partners. We gossip. We do all kinds of things that aren’t good for us physically, mentally or spiritually. We’re flawed. We’re lazy. We’re human.

So what does all this talk about living in the moment have to do with acting? Well, acting is life. Acting is emotion. Acting is tough. It’s tough because we’re asking the actor to seek out the genuine emotional experience of the character and create a moment of truth that reveals something about what it means to be alive.

That’s pretty cool. And when that happens we get to share in the experience. We get to live in the moment. And even more incredible we get to share that experience with an audience. A group of strangers that comes together to share a collective moment of clarity. That’s powerful. That’s theatre. That’s life.

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Codes of Behaviour – Rule of Law – Power – QUOTA and the 2015 Warner International Playwrights Festival

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“All societies are based on codes of behaviour and when someone deviates from that code there has to be a way to handle the situation otherwise chaos would reign supreme and we don’t want that now do we. We want everything nice and tidy. All the socks in the sock drawer and all the undies in the undie drawer.”

That’s a line from my play QUOTA. It’s what Dave Dixon gets told by Kathie, the Civic Census taker, after he gets flagged for corrective action.

I wrote QUOTA last year while I was doing a little research about the internment camps that the Canadian government ran during World War One and World War Two. It’s always bothered me that we were fighting dictatorships that put people in camps while we were doing the same thing. Of course our camps weren’t concentration camps but once you have a different set of laws and rules applied to one group in your society – how do you keep it from going to the extreme?

Maybe you keep it from going to the extreme by making sure the rule of law applies to everyone equally regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or ethnicity.

Of course that’s only if you believe that everyone is equal. Not everyone believes this. And if you’ve seen Avenue Q you know that we’re all a little bit racist. We’re all human and we make assumptions and have distorted beliefs about people and sometimes we’re not even aware of our own prejudice. But that’s a lot different than laws being enforced by a government that are intended to limit the rights and freedoms of a particular group simply because of of that group’s differences.

But governments are not composed of robots. Governments and Prime Ministers and Presidents and Kings and Dictators are all people. And so I have to wonder what kind of people are they? Are they good leaders? I think not if they allow such laws to be passed and enforced.

But what makes a good leader? I think good leaders don’t seek power for themselves but instead seek to empower others. Bad leaders are afraid of diversity. They’re afraid of others having power. They see the cup as half full and they want what’s in the cup all for themselves. And while I know there are lots of different definitions of leadership I think great leaders enlarge the world they don’t limit it. They share.

You know one of the purposes of theatre and story is to provoke discussion. Discussion about politics, morality, relationships, love, religion, and power. And comedy allows us to shine a light on attitudes and behaviours in a way that drama doesn’t. That’s why I wrote QUOTA. I wanted to take a look at how individuals go from being a member of society to becoming an identified minority and having their rights violated.

So, I’m pleased to announce that this October QUOTA will be given it’s world premiere as one of the winning plays presented at the 2015 Warner International Playwrights Festival.

QUOTA is the story of  Dave Dixon who – while looking for a job on-line – is interrupted by the Metro City Census Taker.  This is unlike any census Dixon has ever taken and when he’s asked whether or not he was spanked as a child he refuses to answer. That causes the Census taker to call for police back up and Dixon finds himself being targeted for corrective action because of his unemployment and the fact that he’s left handed. When a 2 kilo bag of white sugar is found on the premises and Dixon is facing jail time for trafficking he has to make a choice between naming names and protecting himself.

The Warner International Playwrights Festival recognizes the work of emerging and established playwrights from across the country and around the globe. The Festival gives playwrights a forum for production of their one-act plays that engage and entertain audiences through exploration of the human experience and the human spirit.

The 2015 festival takes place at the Nancy Marine Studio Theatre in Torrington, Connecticut from Thursday October 15th to Saturday October 17th. Tickets and complete festival information is available at: www.warnertheatre.org

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Winning Plays 2015 Warner International Playwrights Festival

Program: PASTICHE – Thursday October 15, 2015

  • QUOTA by James Hutchison – Alberta, Canada
  • CAFÉ UNIQUE by Michéle Raper Rittenhouse – New York
  • KITTY & TOY by Julie Weinberg – New York
  • WHAT IS GAINED: A Muse on Consequences by Evan Guilford-Blake – Georgia

Program: MOMENTS – Friday October 16, 2015

  • GOLDEN YEARS by Cynthia Chapman – Massachusetts
  • FAMILY MARKERS by Faye Sholiton – Ohio
  • FACING BACKWARDS by George W. Kelly – New Hampshire
  • THE SOOTHSAYER by Steven Young – Texas

Program: DUET – Saturday October 17, 2015

  • JOANIE & FREDDIE ON VALENTINES DAY by Charlene Donaghy – Connecticut
  • ONE THREE TWO by Michael Weems – Texas
  • DAD’S VISION by Benjamin V. Marshall – New Jersey
  • NOT ENOUGH by Chip Bolcik – California
  • TWO by Eugenie Carabatsos – New York

Check out some of my other blog posts below:

Here’s Johnny!

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There’s been a lot of changes in the late-night world of television over the last year and this week Stephen Colbert takes over the Late Show on CBS. And that has me thinking about late night television. I don’t watch it much anymore, but when I was a teen I’d watch The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson and then the Tomorrow show with Tom Snyder.

In those days Carson’s show was 90 minutes and Snyder’s 60 and there was no way of skipping commercials.

What made matters worse was I lived in Calgary which was on Mountain Standard Time and our  NBC cable feed was from Spokane which was on Pacific Standard Time.  That meant Carson didn’t start until 12:35 A.M. local time and if I watched all of Snyder that meant I’d be up until 3:00 in the morning.

There were many a day in high school where by the end of the week I was fighting to keep my eyes open. Sleep deprivation was a way of life. All because I loved late night TV.

So, why would I stay up so late?

Well, one of the reasons was because I liked Johnny Carson.  He knew when to step back and let the guest take the spot light. “But Carson comes from a different era,” you might argue, “the audience wasn’t split into a thousand fragments and there was far less choice than there is now.”

That’s all true, but I can’t help but feel that one of the major reasons for Carson’s success was his ability to be a gracious host.

He didn’t compete with his guests and he was always prepared and able to step in and save an interview when it went off the rails.

And whether his guest was Orson Welles, or Bob Hope, or Carl Sagan, or some farmer from the mid-west Carson’s secret was knowing when to play the straight man and let his guest get all the laughs and applause.

That’s why I miss Johnny Carson.

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So, a lot has happened since I wrote this blog post. Colbert took over the Late Show but stumbled and a year later the critics were gleefully reporting his demise. Then Donald Trump became President and Colbert’s political humour struck a chord with American audiences and now he dominates late night ratings. And while I was talking to a friend about this very topic I said funny how nobody is talking about the demise of Jimmy Fallon. And then this week I read about the demise of Jimmy Fallon. I really dislike the way discussions regarding ratings are handled by television critics. What about Jimmy Kimmel? Nobody seems to be saying his time is up. The tone of the discussion is heavily influenced by the media and the media, I think, handles that discussion in a very slanted manner. This is an old problem. One around long before the internet.

Anyway, enjoy your late night entertainment and forget the critics. That I think is good advice.

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Updated May 30, 2019

Who is Shaila Abdullah?

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So, my website has been up and running for a few years and if I was to launch my website today I’d certainly do a lot of things differently. One of the things that changed about six months after I had my website built is that the DIY design software made huge leaps. When I was originally looking at the DIY websites they looked amateur and unprofessional. But the tools have changed – and that means writers and photographers and restaurant owners can now create terrific looking websites on their own. So, right now I’m in the process of doing some research and in the next six months or so I will be relaunching my website. I just thought I’d provide this update at the start of this blog post since this blog post was written three years ago when things were very different.

James Hutchison – August 26, 2018

When People Come to Your Website

When people come to your website what is it you want them to do? Do you want them to sign up for your blog? Do you want them to visit your store? Do you want them to download your music? Your web site should be designed with one primary purpose. Yes, it can talk about your history and the management team and how you always knew you wanted to be the world’s best builder of gingerbread houses since you were eight years old and your grandmother taught you her secret gingerbread recipe but those are the extras. They are the background. They should not be front and center.

Go take a look at Stephen King’s website. What’s the first thing you notice? The new book, right? Front and center is the new book. Not a picture of Stephen King. Not a photograph of his cat. Not a google ad. His website is dedicated to his work. Yes, you can find out about Stephen King, and lots of people are interested in Stephen King, but King and his team know that the purpose of his website is to promote and sell his books, movies and television programs. So, learn a lesson from Stephen King. Your website isn’t about you. It’s about your work.

Making Your Work Available to the World

When I started writing my plays one of the things I knew I wanted was a web page. A place in cyberspace where I could make my plays available to the world whether the world wanted them or not. And early on I decided that I would hire someone who could create a well-designed simple website that had a consistent look and feel. I found someone: Shaila Abdullah. It took me more than three years to find her but find her I did. It was a long journey. A journey where I did a lot of planning, thinking, and looking.

I looked at hundreds of author websites including Stephen King, Norm Foster,  Ken Ludwig and Theresa Rebeck, in order to see what they were doing. I also spent a lot of time thinking about the purpose of my website and how I wanted it to function and how I would use it as a marketing platform and how I would integrate social media and whether or not I should do a blog and if I do a blog how often should I blog and what should I blog about. And finally, I did some planning. I created a design document that outlined the purpose of my website and how I wanted it to function.

Then last fall I stumbled across a website called, Funds for Writers. I liked the look of it and saw that it was designed by Shaila Abdullah. Shaila is not only a designer but a writer. Yes, a writer! An award-winning writer. A writer of novels and short stories. And I thought – ah here’s someone who not only designs websites but understands the needs and challenges of being a writer and trying to get your work out into the world.

So I checked out her company: My House of Design and took a look at her portfolio. I loved her work. So, I revised my design document and contacted her for a quote. That was almost a year ago and in that time we’ve worked together to create jameshutchison.ca. It’s been a fantastic experience. I like working with Shaila because it’s her company and she’s the designer. When I send an e-mail or have a question I send it to her. She doesn’t have to check with anyone. She’s the boss – she’s the designer – she’s the one that gets back to me.

Shaila has offered suggestions and recommendations but always respected my wants and needs as a client. It’s been a complete pleasure working with her. She has a great eye for design and colour and consistency of brand. And her sense of humour and positive spirit has made the whole process a pleasure.

So, if you’ve written your novel or your play or your poem and you’re ready to build your website and make your work available to the world there’s no one I’d recommend more to help you with that task than Shaila Abdullah. She’s a terrific designer, highly professional, and extremely creative. And she does more than just writers. You can check out more of Shaila’s work at myhouseofdesign.com.

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Any Time or Place

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Cafe

In my last blog I talked about how important it is for you to set up a time and a place where you can write. That’s because when you have a time and a place for writing it helps you develop good writing habits.

I like to write at my desk. I like to write in the mornings. That works for me but it might not work for someone else. And sometimes our lives are too busy for us to have a specific time and place to write. We’re on the run – mobile: going from one appointment to another; juggling the demands of career and family; leaving little time for writing. So, if you can’t set up a place or a time to write then consider becoming the sort of writer who can write any time and any place.

I’m not very good at writing any place other than at my desk because I like my keyboard and my chair and my large monitor and I don’t like laptops. But my friend Ann-Louise is one of those amazing people who can work on anything anywhere at any time. She’s extraordinary. Smart energetic and productive. She never sees obstacles she only sees opportunities. And she’s always working at her job or on one of her other passions like her photography. She’s a visual thinker and a strategist and she always carries around scrapbooks that she uses to help her plan her next project.

So, I asked her how she learned to work any place at any time and she told me it was because she grew up in a large family.  There were nine children and there was no privacy and if you wanted to get your work done you just did it. It was a skill she learned early on and it has served her well all her life.

And so it was clear to me all I needed to do in order to learn how to work any place at any time was to grow up in a large family. My family wasn’t that large. I have one sister. She’s ten years older than me. She was out of the house by the time I was eleven. So, barring a time machine and a chance to go back and change my childhood I have been taking steps to learn how to work outside of the office. What I’m discovering is that although I can’t seem to work on new scenes I am able to work on the broader aspects of my projects: the plotting and planning and problem solving aspects.

So maybe being able to work any time and place, at least for me and maybe others, means finding those things you can work on away from your desk or your favourite writing nook. And I guess if I want to develop this skill further that means I should probably get a lap top. And then once I get the lap top it will probably mean learning how to write in coffee shops, restaurants, and on park benches so that I can be productive while being mobile. The only thing is there’s more to life than being productive. Even though Ann-Louise is one of the most productive people I know she always makes time to enjoy life. That’s because sometimes you need to put the lap top away and just enjoy the moment. Sometimes you need to go to the coffee shop just to drink coffee.

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