stephenschrum

Almost There…

There are 15 days until commencement: that’s my unofficial retirement date. The true date is at the end of the summer, 17 years from when I started. Meanwhile I head toward the end of the semester, waiting for overdue papers, papers that are still due, and a mountain of grading to get through before IContinue reading “Almost There…”

The Crush Is On

I am retiring at the end of this semester of teaching. People inevitably have two questions: 1) What will you do after retirement? and 2) Are you counting down the days? The first question is often asked with a slight negativity infused into it. I am a college professor; how could I possibly consider leavingContinue reading “The Crush Is On”

Multitracking

Maybe I should call this entry “multitasking” but a) I do that all day long, and b) I tend to think of my projects as different tracks, like in GarageBand: one starts, one stops, another starts, and then sometimes they run concurrently. A few months ago, Greensburg and Latrobe, PA installed new traffic and crosswalkContinue reading “Multitracking”

Watchers of the Dawn

A few years back, I had an idea for a novel. Using two NaNoWriMos (National Novel-Writing Months) and some meeting with students about some of my ideas, I fleshed out the narrative. I had originally hoped to create a graphic novel, but writing the actual novel made more sense at the time. I had thenContinue reading “Watchers of the Dawn”

Paperwork and Paperweights

The preparation for the show continues; I have created the beginnings of my prompt book, which I believe is a necessary part of pre-production for any director. I also created the rough rehearsal schedule, a character breakdown—which shows what characters are on which pages (it’s a small cast in a farce so by Act IIIContinue reading “Paperwork and Paperweights”

Collaboration is Key

I always say that the reason I love doing theatre is the chance to work with others in collaboration. I think I have some excellent and creative ideas, but when I work with others, the ideas get better. Case in point: working with a scenic designer. First of all, I should mention that I generallyContinue reading “Collaboration is Key”

Not an Endless Summer…

The summer of 2021 has been all about cleaning out a house and a garage, arranging a tool sale, and doing other online selling. Now, however, thoughts turn to a last minute vacation and, immediately following, the start of a new semester and academic year. Notably, I will retire at the end of this year,Continue reading “Not an Endless Summer…”

Where Am I?

Or perhaps more importantly, where can you find my podcast? I always say, “Wherever you listen to podcasts,” but apparently I need to supply direct links. So here’s the latest episode, the pilot of Kid Again on iHeartRadio and iTunes. Apparently I’m still on Spotify but you need to subscribe, and I have no ideaContinue reading “Where Am I?”

That’s A Wrap! (On Episode #1)

Last summer I wrote an audio drama series called Kid Again. I then did a GoFundMe, and got some support, not enough to finish the project, but enough to get us started with the pilot, or Episode #1. We have now finished recording the parts for the first Episode, and the sound files are headedContinue reading “That’s A Wrap! (On Episode #1)”

Next Vine, Please…

I often liken Life to being Tarzan swinging on vines through the jungle. We’re going along fine, and then suddenly, there’s no immediate vine. Forward motion stops. We are suddenly acutely aware of the world, and how we’d perhaps not been paying as much attention to living as we had been. This past weekend, myContinue reading “Next Vine, Please…”