10 down, 90 to go
Tips, tricks, inspiration, and encouragement for storytellers of all stripes
Greetings from Harbor Beach, Michigan—
The Hyde Park Pack Michigan Adventure ™ is off to a grand start.
Sure, it took 23 hours in the car, over two days, but morning runs by Lake Huron and getting to spend time with family and waking up to temps in the 60s…
Sublime.
Plus a bunch of puppy cousins got to meet and frolick in Grandma and Grandpa Harp’s back yard!
At one point a neighbor dog on the other side of the white fence woofed a loud “hello!”—or maybe it was a “who the heck are you??”—and all our beloved four-legged furbabies went into “Avengers assemble!” mode.
I don’t have an in-depth tip for you this week, partly due to all the puppy avenging, but mostly because I’ve been hard at work on the newest Ibis Books offering!
Next Monday, as you’ll see below, the 10th episode of my podcast mega-series 100 PLAYS: LESSONS LEARNED TELLING STORIES FROM THE STAGE will hit your inboxes.
I have taken the transcripts of those first 10 episodes, given them a tidy little edit, and will be releasing them as an ebook, paperback, and audiobook.
Check it out—
The ebook and audiobook will be available over at my online bookstore, the paperback will be print-on-demand at Amazon, and the audiobook will also be available pretty much anywhere you get audiobooks.
Wanna read the blurb? Oh I got a blurb—
From backstage blunders to standing ovations, 100 PLAYS is part memoir, part love letter to the theatre, and part inspirational handbook.
Actor, director, and playwright Jason Cannon draws on nearly three decades in the professional theatre to share true stories from real productions—and the lessons they taught him about craft, connection, and courage.
Whether you’re a seasoned artist or a curious audience member, welcome to this journey through 100 PLAYS—and all the lessons they carry.
Volume 1 contains Plays 1-10:
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
No Exit
Snow White
A Clockwork Orange
Touch
Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story
Doubt: A Parable
Henry IV Part 1
The Great Adventures of Spencer
Million Dollar Quartet
Official drop date… Wednesday, August 13!
I’ll send you a special, Page&Stage readers-only kick-off deal morning of.
100 Plays
The next episode of 100 PLAYS will hit your inboxes first thing Monday!
In this episode, I talk about the pitfalls of jukebox musicals, the emptiness of perfection, and playing a piano so well people think you're faking it.
You can listen on the Substack App, and all episodes are also available on Apple or Spotify.
Or, if you want to put a face with a voice, the video version will be available on YouTube.
Quick reminder that you are welcome to comment on this newsletter. I do my absolute best to respond to every comment, so if something I’ve offered above tickles that question/comment/complaint nerve in your reader-brain, I’d love to hear about it.
And if there’s a storytelling topic or issue you’d like me to address—writing, acting, directing, speaking, whatever—email me directly at jason@jasoncannon.art. If I don’t have a ready answer, I’ll make it my mission to go find one.
Thanks as always for reading, and have a great weekend—
Jason “did I really just commit to nine more volumes??” Cannon