The Computer Pal's diary
by Hindi Brooks

April, 1994
My son, Josh, an actor living in New York, calls to say that he and his actress girlfriend are looking for a short play to do together. Do I have anything? No, but I’ll write one for him.

May, 1994
I write the play, Computer Pals. It’s about a man and a woman, both drab and near-sighted, who meet on the Internet, become friends, and lie extensively about how attractive they are. Then they decide to meet. Both try to live up to their false images by a change of clothes—falsies for her, an open shirt and gold chains for him—and without their eyeglasses. So they arrive at the pre-arranged place, can’t see each other and go back to their computers to end the relationship. Until they meet again by accident, the truth is out and they live happily ever after.

June, 1994
I bring the play to my workshop, The Playwrights Group, get valuable critique and rewrite.

July, 1994
I send the play to Josh. He loves it but he’s no longer with the actress girlfriend. Thanks anyway.

1994-1996
Rather phlegmatically, because I’m really more interested in other projects, I send the play a few places and gather an equal amount of rejections.

December, 1996
Computer Pals is a finalist at PlayWorks in West Virginia. They hold it until May and then choose a different winner.

January, 1997
The play is accepted by a college in Maryland for a production in April. And would I like to come at their expense, during the run, to lecture to the students?
I would, and I do.

The students, mistakenly believing that writers in Hollywood are important, fawn all over me. I stay in the charming home of an English teacher, and we talk theatre over tea and scones. I’m given a late model car to drive.

I go on my first ever ride in a tiny private plane—to have Sunday brunch with all the amateur pilots at an airport in a nearby town. I eat too much at an event in my honor and watch a student production of the play. Everyone there loves it; I cringe under my approving smiles.

November, 1997
I take the play to the Writers Workshop at Theatre 40. It’s accepted into FortyWorks, their upcoming one-act festival.

January, 1998
Howard Teichman, who has a background in Comedea Del’Arte, directs the play for FortyWorks. But first he helps me on a rewrite. The play is now a third shorter, has music and choreography, and is the hit of the production.

February, 1998
I send the play back to my publisher, I.E. Clark, who had rejected it earlier.

This time I send pictures and the positive reviews. He sends me a contract. But, at the same time, the play is accepted into the Love Creek Festival on Theatre Row in New York City. The winners of that one get published by Samuel French.

I explain that to I.E., who agrees to my holding off signing his contract and wishes me luck.

April, 1998
The play, with director and cast (Barbara Keegan and Jeffrey Winner) intact, goes to New York—each of us bringing along assorted family members. We visit friends and relatives, see some great theatre on and off-Broadway, do the show to a very receptive audience and then lose first place to a drama. Seems they already had enough comedies from the other nights of the festival.

July, 1998
Computer Pals is published by I.E. Clark with a cute picture of Barbara and Jeffrey at their computers.

September, 1998
I.E. tells me that the play is doing very well.

October, 1998
I receive my first royalty check. Computer Pals IS doing well. Very well.
Who says I’m not a playwright!