They say that theater is the most collaborative of art forms. I actually think cinema deserves that title. I mean, watch the credits of any big budget movie (if you can stand it) and you'll see the names of hundreds, even thousands of people, who contributed--way more than even the most elaborate Broadway spectacle.
Still, theater is a strong second place. You've got the director, who shapes the production. You've got the producer to provides the funding. You've got the cast to bring the story to life. You've got the stage manager to keep the show running smoothly. And you've got designers and crew members to take care of all those technical details that really make a production sing (even if it's not a musical!).
The missing link
There's just one person left out of this equation. The playwright.
Oh, sure. The playwright may be involved in the original production, serving as a general advisor or answering queries as to the intent of the text. But often the playwright is viewed as an annoyance, even an impediment, by the director, who's striving to birth her own vision for the show. Sometimes, the director even bans the playwright from the rehearsal hall.
Of course, after the play is published, any subsequent productions are done without any input from the playwright whatsoever. As a result, the playwright performs much of their work alone, whether it's in a well-appointed study or a lowly garret. And that can really hinder their creativity.
Which is why I really value the relationships I've formed with the theaters I work with. Jacksonville Performing Arts Center in North Carolina will be working with me on the world premiere of my reality show comedy Survival Island! this November. And then there's Belmont Day School in Massachusetts, which has just hired me for my fourth playwriting commission.
Two of those earlier commissions, It's a Madhouse! and Bringing Down the House, have become huge hits, while the third one, The Worst Fairy Tale Ever, will be released by Pioneer Drama Service any day now. So I'm eager to work with them on a new play, even if it means I've got to shelve it for several months while I wait for the world premiere. It'll be worth it, though, because the feedback I'll get from the theater staff (and eventually the audience!) will be invaluable in making the play the very best it can be--something I can't really get any other way.
An idea is born
This time, instead of them hiring me to dramatize a story they'd already defined, we decided to brainstorm some new concepts together (through email). Theater director Christopher Parsons came up with ten of them, and the one that grabbed me was one titled Train Station Tales. Only as soon as I read that, a couple of thoughts quickly sparked inside my brain.
What if instead of a train station, the play was set at the boarding gate of an airport? And what if the flight was cancelled due to snow and the passengers were forced to spend the night there?
It had everything: Conflict. Humor. Drama. And lots of potential for human connection.
Oh, one more thing. Like my first two commissions, this one is for another monster-sized cast, somewhere between 38 and 40 actors. The airport idea lends itself to this as well, and I can already envision a dozen vignettes featuring the sometimes-crazy, sometimes-heartwarming, but always human stories you find at the airport.
A rose by any other name...
The first draft is due in early September so I've got plenty of time to work on it. Meanwhile, I still have to come up with a catchy title. Here are just a few of the ones I'm mulling:
Snowbound
Stuck at the Airport
Thirty Minutes Till Boarding
Missed Connections
Thank You for Your Patience
Ah, I'll think of something.
