Notes on a Play: Stupid is Just 4 2day

Stupid is Just 4 2day is a brand new script and the 2nd of three new plays I worked out during my recent trip to Florida in April.

The idea behind the play is pretty simple: Every human being on the planet says something stupid, or does something stupid, or is stupid at some point, oh pretty much every day.

I don’t usually incorporate my own life into my work. This is a question that comes up again and again:

• Where do the characters in your plays come from?
• Are they based on someone you know?
• Are they based on you?
• Does the story come from your life?

And the answer, time and time again is, usually, no, no and no. I make it all up. It all comes out of my brain. It’s all fictional. Which doesn’t say too much for the stability of my brain. What can I say, it pays the mortgage.

But for this play, I really didn’t need to look too much further than my own front door. For I am a stupid junkie. Always have been. I live and breathe stupid acts all day, every day. I say dumb things. I’m clumsy. I think remarkably stupid thoughts.

It used to really bung up my entire existence the stupid stuff I do. Freeze me in my tracks and sadden me for days. Now, probably because I’m old and probably because I never seem to outgrow being stupid, I can deal with it. Most days. OK some days. I still over react, but tomorrow is another day with no mistakes. A clean slate. There’s always another day. You can’t be stupid in the future, you know?

Nonetheless, it was pretty easy to write this play. Not a lot of endless days and nights at the computer, and frankly an embarrassment of riches in terms of story. Cause I got me lots of source material:

• The rhino in a scooter? That was me.
• The kid who’s trying to sass the teacher and ends up looking stupid? Me.
• Orange juice in the cheerios? Me.
• Telling a boy he should be a model? Me again.

Like I said. Lots of source material. And there’s more. Much, much more. But you’ll have to read the play to see for yourself…..