Screenplay Hampered By Angry Ghost

Urbana, Maryland (SANEPR.com) April 10, 2007 -- You may have heard the rumors that President Lincoln consulted with clairvoyants; you may have seen the letter, sent by an anonymous clairvoyant, predicting President Lincoln’s assassination, on record at the Library of Congress.

What you haven’t heard is the first hand account of Atticus Fraud, Gen. Robert E. Lee’s personal clairvoyant.

“Confederacy of Illusion” is the story of Gen. Robert E. Lee and Atticus Fraud.

But the future of this cutting edge theatrical masterpiece, which is also the basis of a full-length feature film, is in serious doubt.

Writers Stephen Veneruso and Rob Sevin are having difficulty completing the final act. It's not creative differences or writer’s block that’s brought this project to a virtual stand still but rather an angry ghost. Sevin, who claims to get his ideas from the Ghost of Atticus Fraud, the story’s main character, has put a halt of the project because, according to Sevin, "Atticus isn’t happy with the current direction of the project.”

This has caused a rift between the two writers. "Initially it didn't bother me," says Veneruso. "While writing the first two acts, he (Sevin) had really great ideas, so I could have cared less if he claimed to have received them from the ghost of Atticus Fraud.” However, now, well into the final act, the creative differences have become explosive.

“At the core, the problem is that I’m a skeptic. I simply refuse to negotiate with a ghost,” says Veneruso in defense of his position. Sevin’s response is that, “he (Veneruso) can’t accept that my muse is Atticus himself.”


The conflict is complicated by the fact that Sevin sees himself as the mediator. “They’re both so passionate about their positions. Neither Veneruso nor the ghost Atticus will compromise.” Exhausted from Veneruso’s arguments in the day and what Sevin claims were “endless nights having to endure Atticus stomping through my house and inappropriately entering my dreams,” Sevin mediated a cooling off period between the two creative forces.

Flaming Angel Films President, Tara Veneruso, who holds the rights for a screenplay of the Atticus story, is hopeful that the conflict can be resolved amicably. “The creative process can be brutal at times. Conflict often breeds excellence in creative work. Of course, the passionate parties are normally both alive…” Asked about the ultimate outcome, Ms. Veneruso sounded confident, “I love what I’ve read so far; they’ll work it out in the end.” Referring to both the conflict and the play, she exclaimed heartily, “I can’t wait to see how it ends!”

About Confederacy of Illusion

If “Confederacy of Illusion” comes to fruition, it will be a cutting edge project which removes the boundaries normally associated with theatrical performances. Not limited to the traditional stage, in this production, the audience becomes part of the storytelling. For more information, visit www.confederacyofillusion.com