Please select a question Who writes the plays? In GOCA, why did you ignore the beat of the pentameter so often? Will there be more authors featured in the future? Where are they filmed? How are they filmed? Who is your director? How do you find your actors? Will there ever be a true audition? If so, will it be open? How can I contact an actor? How did Grey nearly get electrocuted? Who stabbed her? Did she have it coming? Who designed the Web Site? What is the best way to watch the plays?  What do I need to achieve the best overall quality experience? Why won't the Flash Player control bar go away while I'm watching a scene? How can I avoid "tiling", where the graphics on a page appear more than once? Will the plays ever be made available for sale?

Q: Who writes the plays?

A: The first five or six, depending upon the length of the last, are written by Michael S. Crawford, a possibly psuedonymous playwright who lives in Houston, Texas.

Q: In GOCA, why did you ignore the beat of the pentameter so often?

A: Two reasons: since all of Man's speeches are iambic, to hear a pronounced beat on every second syllable was at best unnecessary, and at worst soporific.  Also, using the beat to occasionally accent the most important or telling lines seemed far more effective than beating the audience over the head, as it were, with the fact the speeches are in pentameter.

Q: Will there be more authors featured in the future?

A: More than likely.  Once the five we have on deck are filmed, a call for scripts will be prominent on the site. 

Q: Where are the plays filmed?

A: God's Own Cartoon Anvil and Writing a Woman were filmed in Houston, at a location whose contract forbids mention of their involvement. Wonderful stage and great people, though. 

Q: How are they filmed?

A: The plays are filmed using one camera, from one perspective, rendering a genuine theatrical experience: one point of view that never changes.

Q: Who is your director?

A: For GOCA, its author, to his surprise.  The original, alleged director drifted away, never to be seen again. For WAW, Brian Hamlin, who has expressed interest in also directing our next play, Confession...(A Hell of a Thing).

Q: How did you find your actors?

A: Heath, Grey, Taavi and Marlowe were all in the original 2003 production of GOCA at Stages Theater in Houston.  Many of the others have worked together in the past with members of this group. As of this writing, we have yet to need to hold a true audition.

Q: Will there ever be a true audition? If so, will it be open?

A: There is no way of knowing at this point. If an open call is ever made, it will be hard to miss on PlaysInPerpetuity.com.

Q: How can I contact an actor?

A: Each actor has their own e-mail address on the site (HeathHarper@playsinperpetuity.com, for example). Our actors lead busy lives, but try to answer their mail.

Q: I read the Mission Statement. How did Grey nearly get electrocuted? Who stabbed her? Did she have it coming?

A: No. Someone decided to use a real knife onstage, with obvious results. Apparently there were blocking issues. As far as electricity goes,

"[Grey] was sitting in the wings watching the show & was in charge of the telephone ring.  Well, they had taken an old rotary phone & screwed it onto some plywood (minus the plastic cover) and next to it was a light switch.  When I manually flicked the light switch, I was in control of the ringing. I was sitting at a desk chair and was facing the stage watching the show & didn't realize that my elbow was so close to the open phone.  So I got attached to it for about 10 seconds or so."

Q: Who designed the Web Site?

A: T Squared Design in Houston, Texas.

Q: What is the best way to watch the plays?  What do I need to achieve the best overall quality experience?

A: Adobe's Flashplayer is required, and is the only viewing option.  We decided a 98% market penetration, coupled with a quick and easy download, made the most sense.

This is hard to write, given the plays were composed on a Mac, edited on a Mac, and rendered and uploaded on a Mac, but there is a problem with Flash files on the new Intel-based Macs.  Fortunately, there is a fix.

http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash 

The limitations of individual computers have to be considered as well.  If you encounter bumpy performance (stops and starts, etc.), try closing any other open applications which might be using up available resources, and, again, make sure you have the latest version of Flashplayer.

The Large files are the highest quality Flash can offer; this naturally requires the most of a computer and its service provider.  If the Large files can't be made to work, the Small will hopefully suffice.

Q: Why won't the Flash Player control bar go away while I'm watching a scene?

A:  Pass your mouse over it.  The control bar should vanish.

Q: How can I avoid "tiling", where the graphics on a page appear more than once?

A:  Adjust the size of your browser window. Grab the bottom right corner with the mouse, and shrink the window until the repeated graphics are no longer seen.

Q: Will the plays ever be made available for sale?

A:  If there is enough interest, something might be arranged.

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