John August

Projects

Apocalypse Now That Wasn’t So Bad

The Remnants

Like a good Onion article, Heather Havrilesky’s “Five Super-Easy Tips For Dealing with the Apocalypse!” pushes beyond the initial joke to an [even darker truth](http://www.theawl.com/2013/06/five-super-easy-tips-for-dealing-with-the-apocalypse-from-our-partners-at-living-lady-magazine):

> **Consider all the terrible stuff that will never happen now.** It’s never a good idea to fill your head with countless negative possibilities—unless you and everyone else in your life is about to get snuffed out like a light! Now is the time to unleash all of your worries about the future like never before. Since you have no future, that means that you won’t get cancer or die in a plane crash or get maimed in a freak accident like you always suspected. You also won’t get fired from your job, you won’t lose your house to bankruptcy, and your dog won’t die of some terrible dog disease (You just killed her to make dog jerky, remember? Phew!).

That could have been a speech in [The Remnants](http://vimeo.com/2755105).

Oh, alt-universe. Sometimes I miss you.

Shotgun marriages and terrible roommates

Big Fish, Broadway, Projects

Andrew Lippa and I did an interview for Big Fish about our collaboration. We recorded it in the lobby of the Oriental Theater while the show was playing, so in the background you can hear Kate Baldwin singing “I Don’t Need a Roof” from the second act.

Mason and Finley

Dead Projects, Projects, Television

The 22-year old twins at the center of my 1999 TV show D.C. were named Mason and Finley. I picked those names because they sounded like a brother and sister who came from some money — or at least the kids of English professors. I pictured them solving mysteries as teenagers.

I also picked those names because they were rare. I’d never encountered any actual people with those names.

Now the country is lousy with Masons. For 2012, it’s the [#2 name in America](http://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/), steadily climbing from #64 in 2000.

And while Finley isn’t exactly common, it has grown quite a bit. In 2005, it was the #986 name. For 2012, it’s #349. (Still, the only Finley I’ve met in real life is an eight-year old boy in my daughter’s French class.)

D.C. lasted only seven low-rated episodes, so I can’t take any credit for these names rising in popularity. But it’s interesting to realize that names chosen for their relative obscurity may not stay that way.

For the hero of Chosen, I picked Asha. Right now, it’s ranked #978, but in a world full of Emmas and Ellas, it feels like the kind of name that has room to grow.

(The scripts for D.C. are available in the [Library](http://johnaugust.com/library).)

Big Fish Rush

Big Fish, Broadway, Projects

Big Fish starts previews in Chicago tomorrow, April 2nd. Eep.

A bunch of readers asked about rush tickets, so I asked our general manager, who asked Broadway in Chicago, who consulted the great oracle of all things ticket-related. Here’s the official word:

> **$25 Student/Senior/Military/Industry Rush Tickets**
> A limited number of rush tickets will be available for all performances. Tickets will be available at the Oriental Theatre box office on the day of the performance only. Limit of 2 tickets per valid ID. Cash or Credit.

As I’ve said before, if you’re coming, let me know [on Twitter](http://twitter.com/johnaugust) or by [email](mailto:ask@johnaugust.com). Tell me your dates/times/seat numbers, and if I can I will stop by and say hi.