One of the fun things about working in an ad hoc "developmental"
situation is the chance to explore the material wearing different
hats. This summer my piece "Autumn Leaves" was ok'd for my group's
June festival, and I turned it over to an experienced director
who had done my stuff before. She cast it and rehearsed: I saw
the first read-through, and first tech, made a few suggestions
and a few cuts. It went well, and the production was invited
to be in a community theatre fest in August.
When I set about organizing this, I sort of hoped that the
older actress might be away on vacation, to give me a chance
to play the role myself and look at the piece from the "inside".
No such luck! It turned out that actor playing the young hunk
and the director were the ones who weren't available. I had
to put on the director hat, and although I knew better than
to try to make a bunch of line changes because of the limited
rehearsal time, I did use the introduction of the new actor
as an opportunity to adjust the tone of the piece from the matter
of fact towards the melancholic.
An older writer-- there are a few-- came over to embrace me
after the performance, with "Ah, G, you are the Barbara Pym
of playwrights!" My staging turned out to be warmer and fuzzier
than that of the original director, who had found a brisker
sort of comedy and angry undertones in the characters' incompatibilities.
Whose was "right"? Who can say?
I did get my chance to explore the older woman "from the inside",
though it was a very brief chance. I used a speech of hers as
one of my one-min audition pieces for the annual August cattle-call.
Found myself doing a MAJOR re-write!
But I haven't decided to incorporate these changes in the speech
into the script, yet. What's clearly better as a 60 second solo
isn't necessarily better as part of the shifting relationships
in the play.
Conclusion? I don't know that I have one, except that it is
Hog Heaven to be able to switch around and explore. This playing
with a play is such a delight! How enviable the fortunate few
who get to do it all the time. Acykbourn? Pinter? Maybe Wally
Shawn? Shakespeare did, surely.
I am far too egotistical to to fear influence, and I would
never hesitate to incorporate good ideas whereever I find 'em.
Of course, it's better to see 6 other versions than just one,
and it's probably better to see them AFTER you've done some
of your internal homework. But isn't the lure and thrill of
the great classic roles the opportunity to enter an on-going
artistic conversation? What kind of cowardly clod prefers ignorance
and isolation?
by 
