This is what we dream about. Theater 24/7. We're getting the hang of all of this. Where to go and how to get there. We exchange info on the workshops we're starting to attend, how our rehearsals are going, the schedules of our readings. We end up in a bar (of course) getting to know each other better, finding out the things that made us the playwrights we are today.
I apologize to anyone who has to deal with me in the morning. Not that I'm a bear. I'm not one of those grumpy people. It's just that before the caffeine kicks in and the blood sugar levels out I may do anything. Toast a plate. Eat granola with a knife. These are the thing only your spouse should be privy to.
At the advice of my dramaturg, I switch out workshops to attend Ruth Margraff's workshop on Writing for a Singular Voice. Tell me what makes your plays singular, she asks us. Tough question. What makes a play a John play? The she asks us to draw the motion of one of our plays. Plays thought of as a musical score. And yes, I agree, can we finally put that Aristotelian model to bed? It's far outstayed its welcome.
Then quick conversations with a couple of playwrights about their own theaters. I'm amazed and so happy to learn how many playwrights here produce their own work. It isn't as uncommon as you might think. It only reinforces what I believe: That self-production is not a fad, but a real movement in the United States, caused primarily by economic conditions. If artists want their plays produced, they're figuring out that self-production is better than waiting for that email.
Then the one and only rehearsal I'll see before the reading tomorrow morning. I meet my director for the first time, and I meet the cast. Well, most of the cast. I learn that the actor who would be playing Finn, a lead role, has never been to a rehearsal, and she doesn't show up for this one either. The show must go on, and a actor is double-cast to fill in. The actors are nailing their parts. As well as I know the script, I'm still laughing spontaneously. We--the director, actors, and I--talk. The reading is tomorrow morning at 10:00. There's nothing more to do except perform the reading.
And so the day ends, over drinks and hors d'oeuvres.