Secrets and Sound
The little play that could.
dictated but not read
Ten years ago this week, The Ferberizing of Coral made its world premiere at the Source Theatre (now closed) on 14th Street NW as part of CulturalDC Source Festival.
The Source Festival (now closed) was a curated summer festival of three new full-length plays and eighteen 10-minute plays (in three groups of six) that were thematically connected to one of the three new plays.
The call for these 10-minute plays went out after the full-lengths were announced. I had wanted to be part of this festival for a couple of years, so I made a calculated choice when I chose the theme under which I wanted to enter.
Secrets & Sound: seeking plays that explore a hidden truth or discovery. Your play must include a specific sound landscape or idea (such as cassette tapes, voicemail messages, vinyl, Suri, 8-track, etc), and be an active component of the play (as opposed to characters that happen to be musicians and play a drum on stage). (Inspired by STATIC [by Tom Horan].)
My choice was purely mathematical. It was by far the most difficult and specific of the three choices. I therefore posited that it would have the fewest entries and, therefore, the easiest one to get into.
I had the idea of a talking baby monitor for a while but no real clue what to do with it. But, after my son went to bed, I sat down and started typing. And it all came out. Like one of those awful stories you hear about people saying “it just came to me,” it just came to me. I looked up what the style of sleep-training I was lampooning was called and found the book Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems by Richard Ferber, which was the source of the “Ferber Method” of sleep-training. I typed “Ferberizing” and then “The Ferberizing of Coral.” No idea why she is named “Coral.”
It was not only accepted at Source but they also used during some of their events as an example of what they were doing. Everyone knew the show at the festival. The cast and director were excited. I made a couple of tweaks in rehearsal, but not many. It was well reviewed, and that was that.
Johnson and Ballinger are utterly convincing as the anxiety-drunk parents, and Flynn’s dialogue is spot-on. Anne Donnelly provides expert direction. (Coral is the name of the baby. I don’t know what Ferberizing is.) - Tim Treanor, DC Theatre Scene, 6/13/16
I thought that would be that. I mean, what do you do with a 10-minute play anyway? But then the next year, the Source people got in touch and wanted to mount a revival (of sorts) for a “Best of Source 10-minute Plays” they were mounting in 2017.
This got me thinking that I maybe had something here.
… [a] fabulous ten-minute distillation of parental anxiety. … Just when you think it couldn’t get worse — well, you’ll have to see it to believe it. The thing is that, thanks to Oge and DeSilva’s nuanced performances, you will be able to believe it. Director Elena Velasco should get some credit for that. - Tim Treanor, DC Theatre Scene, 6/19/17
And it was recommended that I submit the show to the Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival (now closed). I had just met Courtney Laine Self as she was coming on to direct my play Sheila and Moby at Flying V that fall. So she set up the production and we did the damn thing and won!
And now it’s a movie.
The only thing I’ve really learned from it is how much it captures a specific kind of parental anxiety in a bottle. That feeling that every tiny decision you make has HUGE future implications that you cannot even conceive of. How you have the incredible power to really fuck someone’s life completely up. It’s crippling and it’s ever-present and technological advances have NOT been helpful. And the only true thing I know is it’s less impossible if you’re not alone.
Thanks to Megan Westman, Jenny McConnell Frederick, Anne Donnelly, David Johnson, Rebecca Ballinger, Axandre Oge, Fabiolla Da Silva, Elena Velasco, Sam Tilles, Samm Carroll, Courtney Laine Self, Stephen Cyr, Jack Batman, Gene Dzielak, John Gallagher Jr, Mitzi Akaha, Theo Stockman, Maureen Monterubio, David Wardrick, Negin Farsad, Carly Ciarrocchi, Clint McElroy, Bobby & Maggie & Josie, and (especially) Kelley.
- Patrick, 6/17/26
Thanks for reading tales of the unknown penguin!
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pre-production
Can I Just Say?
Shooting is set for the second week of July. Props and set dressings have been acquired. The crew is assembled (I think). It’s happening!
Beatrice Likes the Dark
I can now officially share that I will be directing the world premiere of Dani Stoller’s new TYA play based on the book by April Genevieve Tucholke. Performances October 2 - November 1 at Adventure Theatre MTC in Glen Echo, MD. Blurb below.
From the acclaimed children’s book by April Genevieve Tucholke, Beatrice Likes the Dark is an imaginative production that blends magic, music, shadow play, and heartfelt storytelling in a celebration of curiosity, courage, and connection. When Beatrice casts a spell for endless darkness, she discovers that even the things we fear most can become beautiful when brought into the light. Overflowing with wonder, humor, and theatrical ingenuity, Beatrice Likes the Dark is a luminous reminder that families—and communities—shine brightest when every voice belongs.
live on stage
The Velveteen Rabbit: A Toy Story
available through Theatrical Rights Worldwide
Roanoke College (Salem, VA) - February 18-20, 2027
from the vault
The Original Cast - Courtney Laine Self / Crazy for You - Original Broadway Cast Recording (1992)
originally released November 14, 2018 - click the image to listen
Courtney Laine Self is a director/choreographer. She directed Sheila and Moby and wrote her thesis on Crazy for You. She also likes to push Patrick’s buttons. And the feeling is very mutual.
Topics include: Ken Ludwig (the man, not the poster), the interpretive power of dance, and Susan Stroman.
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Amen.