Lecture Notes on Playwriting and Collaborative Theater

Introduction

• Speaker's Personal Background:
  • Had polio at age 15, resulting in the use of crutches.
  • Does not engage in physical activities like dancing or running.
  • Enjoys writing plays as a form of vicarious living.

Philosophy of Playwriting

• Vicarious Life:
  • Writes plays based on personal interests and what the speaker loves.
  • Believes in being the expert on personal interests, ensuring authenticity and satisfaction in writing.
  • Assumes that if they like something, others will too.

Working with Chuck

• Collaboration since 1989.
• The play they collaborated on has been widely performed internationally (USA, London, Dublin, China, India).
• Tina's involvement is new after 25 years of collaboration.

Challenges in Theater Production

• Fear of Repetition:

  • Concerns about producing a play that has been staged many times.

• Creative Process:

  • Emphasizes flexibility and openness in the creative process.
  • Encourages trust in the emerging process of creation.
  • Directorial and casting choices influence the play's meaning.

Casting and Creative Choices

• Approach:

  • Casting based on the feeling of fitting into the play's world rather than specific traits.
  • Open to diverse interpretations through age, skin color, and other traits.

• Collaborative Development:

  • The play evolves with contributions from cast, music, and other elements.

Central Themes in Playwriting

• Love and Complexity:
  • Core theme revolves around the evolution of love.
  • Starts as romantic and pleasant but becomes messy and complex over time.

Conclusion

• The playwriting process is dynamic and collaborative, requiring input from many facets to fully develop its intended experience.
• Emphasizes the importance of embracing the unpredictable nature of theatrical creation.