From Fantasy to Hollywood How I performed my play internationally without funding by JAMES TARIS   SCROLL DOWN FOR SAMPLE PAGES FROM THIS BOOK

James Taris
FROM FANTASY TO HOLLYWOOD
How I performed my play
internationally without funding

TESTIMONIAL AND REVIEW

Traditionally, the words “comedic” and “inspirational” are not grouped together, but in this context, it works wonderfully well. The play is upbeat and moves quickly, as you see through the characters’ eyes from the initial dilemma to the inspirational conclusion.

Each character, from a modern-day accountant, to 6 of Greek history’s most famous geniuses, comes alive in James’ portrayal of them. Observe the transformation of the protagonist, Demi, from hopeless and desperate to confident and inspired, as he is given the opportunity to see history unfold in a series of flashbacks around the building of the Parthenon in ancient Greece.

I have seen the play on three separate occasions and in three different venues and each time, I have been witness to the power of positive thinking.

The first time was at a local public library, where one member of the audience was so inspired, he requested that James perform the play for his sales team, as he understood the value of being able to present the message of believing in oneself.

The second time I saw the play was at this same gentleman’s offices, where James presented the play to a sales and marketing audience. After the performance, many of the attendees commented on how much impact the play had on them. One man mentioned that he could see how the play would be beneficial to anyone who was stuck “thinking inside the box”. The protagonist’s initial belief that he’s incapable of solving his company’s problem is replaced by a confidence that “everything is possible, if you truly believe”.

The third time I saw the production was in a church sanctuary in Welland, Ontario, to a mixed audience of young and old parishioners. The over-riding consensus was that the play imparted a sense of hope and strength in the midst of seemingly impossible circumstances.

I would recommend this play to anyone and everyone who wants to have their spirits lifted. Although loosely based on historical facts, the play’s genuine philosophy is to inspire through overcoming adversity, a message we all need to hear more often.

- Kit Anderson is a Stephen Minister with Bethany Evangelical Missionary Church, Kitchener, ON and Owner of Kit & Kaboodle Consulting, Kitchener, ON. She is also a Member of the Board of Directors, Kitchener-Waterloo Barterworks. A frequent contributor to our newsletter, Kit writes reviews and commentaries on arts and drama events in the Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge area.

C O N T E N T S

About this book James Taris was only nine when he fantasised about becoming an actor, but life got in the way and nothing happened for nearly forty years. By chance he saw an amateur theatre play and was so inspired to turn his childhood fantasy into reality that within six weeks he had written The Glory of Athens, a play that he performed twenty-nine times over the next twelve months – in nine countries, on five continents – while on a 400-day world tour. In this book, James goes into great detail explaining all the stages he went through to write, promote, produce and perform The Glory of Athens, his debut playwriting effort. It is an inspirational journey that will be enjoyed by budding writers and readers alike. Testimonials During the school holidays I had some time to read your book From Fantasy to Hollywood. Through reading your book, I had the opportunity to get to know and learn lots from you. Actually, you're a dedicated and well-organised person. I agree with lots of your points of view and very much appreciated how you are very open to the reader. I admire your spirit of striving to become a good writer. ... Lisa (Australia) *** James ? Ghia sou! I told you I’d write. My name is Quentin, we met after your presentation (great presentation if I may) at the Cegep of Granby [College near Montreal, Canada]. Just wanted to say, what you did and what you are doing is marvelous. The way you brought your ideas with humour, «good» humour as I call it, intelligent humour, is simply amazing. I’ve been trying to write plays of my own, and I must say, I never even came close to what you did! I hope everything is going well for you, mustn’t be that easy to travel the way you do. But keep it up, I think you shouldn't stop until everyone has witnessed The Glory Of Athens! ... Quentin, student at Cegep of Granby (Canada) *** It was our pleasure to host JamesTaris during November, 2003, for 5 days. In that short but event packed period we came to realise that James is very dedicated ... As a result, he is consumed with a passion for showing people how, by assuming active roles in life and learning and applying skills in innovative ways, they also can achieve whatever they dream they could achieve. This too is, I believe, the message which shines through the play he has written and performed ... The theme of self- empowerment, tempered by some very funny episodes, was very well received here and captured our attention from start to finish. The irony is, of course, that James, pursuing his adventurous world travels, is a living example of the hero, Odysseus, in his positive, thought provoking play. Michael Loxton, Kingsbridge LETS, Kingsbridge, Devon (England) Below you will find ... PERFORMANCE HISTORY SAMPLE PAGES FROM EBOOK and BOOKS

Performance History
I wrote The Glory Of Athens in June, 2003, while I was in Shanghai, China, at the beginning of my 400-Day World Tour. And I've since given quite a number of readings and performances - in theatres, halls, offices and homes - to the public and groups that have hosted me all over the world.
Date	City/Country	Solo/7 cast	Reading/ Performance	Venue Type
Jul 17, 2003	Athens, GREECE	Solo	Reading	Outdoor
Jul 24, 2003	Helsinki, FINLAND	Solo	Reading	Loungeroom
Jul 28, 2003	Stockholm, SWEDEN	Solo	Reading	Loungeroom
Jul 30, 2003	Goteborg, SWEDEN	Solo	Reading	Loungeroom
Aug 26, 2003	Sisteron, FRANCE	Solo	Performance	Loungeroom
Sep 12, 2003	Bressuire, FRANCE	Solo	Performance	Hall
Sep 30, 2003	Amsterdam, HOLLAND	Solo	Performance	Theatre
Nov 9, 2003	Kingsbridge, ENGLAND	Solo	Performance	Hall
Nov 21, 2003	Bridgend, WALES	Solo	Performance	Loungeroom
Nov 24-25, 2003	London, ENGLAND	Solo	Performance	Theatre
Dec 14, 2003	Utrecht, HOLLAND	Solo	Performance	Loungeroom
Jan 9, 2004	Welland, CANADA	Solo	Performance	School
Jan 10, 2004	Welland, CANADA	Solo	Performance	Loungeroom
Jan 22, 2004	Kitchener, CANADA	Solo	Performance	Library
Jan 30, 2004	Welland, CANADA	Solo	Performance	Church
Feb 2, 2004	Kitchener, CANADA	Solo	Performance	Office
Mar 5-6, 2004	Montreal, CANADA	Solo	Performance	Loungeroom
Mar 7, 2004	Granby, CANADA	Solo	Performance	School
Apr 11-12, 2004	Kitchener, CANADA	Solo	Performance	Loungeroom
Apr 15, 2004	Ottawa, CANADA	Solo	Performance	Hall
Apr 30 and May1-2, 2004	Kitchener, CANADA	Solo	Performance	Loungeroom
May 17, 2004	San Francisco, USA	Solo	Performance	Loungeroom
May 22, 2004	Los Angeles, USA	Solo	Performance	Theatre
Jun 16, 2004	Brisbane, AUSTRALIA	Solo	Reading	Loungeroom

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HOME < ... > INTRO C O N T E N T S INTRODUCTION – The Fantasy Begins I get hooked on theatre A seed of greatness is planted Andy’s fifteen minutes of fame Ch.1 – Finding The Magic Ingredient To Write How I finally began writing How I got inspired to write my play What should I write about? My first email to London theatres Ch.2 – Facing My First Audience Preparing my props My first reading in Athens My second email to London theatres Stricter than a Swede Ch.3 – Polishing Up My Act Learning my lines The daily rehearsal grind Performing without a script Filmed for Chinese TV Getting tips from my audience Ch.4 – Building Interest In My Play Writing my own promotional material Promoting The Glory of Athens Performing monologue segments Toastmasters previews Ch.5 – My Best Promoter Welcome to TheGloryOfAthens.com Testimonials Performance history Ch.6 – Free Venues That Launched My Play Lounge-room theatre Multi-night performances My youngest fan Ch.7 – Performing Anywhere And Everywhere A variety of venue types Schools Churches, halls, libraries and offices Ch.8 – Finally On Stage World premier in Amsterdam UK premier in London Ch.9 – Miracles Do Happen My fairy godmother finds me Father John My Hollywood producer Ch.10 – Hollywood Here I Am Hollywood here I come Hollywood and Universal Studios Lee Strasberg Theatre Disneyland Hellenic Views TV interview The Glory of Athens in Hollywood   HOME < ... > INTRO © . J A M E S . T A R I S . 2 0 0 5

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	Pub Date: 12/2005 170 pages Hard cover size: ... 15.5cm x 21cm ... 6" x 8-1/4" ... 375g ... (13.2oz) Soft cover size: ... 14.5cm x 20.4cm ... 5-3/4" x 8" ... 240g ... (8.4oz) eBook size: ... 1,603 kb (HTML file only suitable for PC users) 28 photos!	PURCHASE BONUSES ... for Books ... for eBooks FREE eBook ... for you to download and read while you are waiting for your book delivery. 28 FREE photos ... not included in bound books. Hard cover $39.99 + postage / handling / insurance Soft cover $29.99 + postage / handling / insurance eBook $9.99 Download immediately!
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