Poetry & Blindfolds

Wednesday, March 10, 2010 marked the fifth workshop I have held for a new play.  The process, in which I invite a group of artists together to do a live readthrough and then critique a play, has been fairly brutal:  of the four previous workshops, two were developed into plays (“Remote” and “The Tearful Assassin”) and two died a lonely, miserable death (“Touching Base” and “Museum”).  Oddly enough, “Assassin”, “Touching Base” and “Museum” all started out as sequels to “Remote.”  When I jettisoned the sequel out of “The Tearful Assassin”, the work changed into something new – and was produced.  The other two remained pseudo-sequels and, perhaps because even the slightest of continuity made my muse call in sick, were eventually discarded.

The new play, “Undisclosed Damages”, is not a sequel of any kind.  Indeed, even the form of the piece is different than the four plays mentioned above.  As such, because it didn’t feel formulaic at all, I felt quite comfortable in bringing in artists to read it. 

The story follows a long-married couple, Darrell and Mya, as they attempt to both hang onto their identities, each other and the marriage.  Into the picture walks an old friend of Darrell’s, Stuart, who appears to be the answer to their prayers.  What this means for Darrell and Mya, though, are two far different things.  Like “Assassin”, I have gone to great lengths to make these characters so flawed and, at times, inarticulate, that they could pass for real people, not just characters in a play.  My favorite playwrights are Edward Albee (“The Zoo Story”, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf”) and Alan Ayckbourn (“The Norman Conquests”, “Woman in Mind”) because of this particular trait – if you read their plays, the writing seems very jarring and random, but in speech, it flows naturally.  As perhaps a note to myself to remember how strange communication is, the first action in the play is Mya mis-dialing on her phone.

The play was read aloud for the first time by Bil Gaines, Ricky March, Jaimelyn Gray, Kyle Ramos and Joelle Weber.  Bil Gaines: I’ve known for quite a while now, though we seem to really only interact on these workshops.  His critiques are always nothing short of brilliant.  Ricky March: a good friend and brilliant comic, and my partner in the “Today Is Stupid” videos.  Jaimelyn Gray: a woman we nearly as in “The Tearful Assassin” and to whom I gravitate because she’s tuff and talented.  Kyle Ramos: a love interest of sorts, he and I have fluctuated from adoration to hatred over the years, but I think we found a great common respect through it all.  Joelle Weber: a friend of Melissa Malan’s (who was there and slipped into director mode effortlessly!) and the “The Woman In Black”’s assistant director.

Hearing it out loud for the first time has two impacts: it both shows the intricacies of the characters, showing threads of needs and wants I wasn’t aware of, and it shows the mighty flaws.  Not the good kind of flaws, as in a flawed character, but the flaws in the story.  We discussed the finale for about an hour and I was given some brilliant ideas from each and everyone.

Now I must face the beast, return to its lair and coax it out so I can groom it.  To keep my mind calm, I occupy myself with logistics: where to put the show up, whether to go with my idea of having two directors and two casts, the eventual DVD cover design.  Sometimes, I have to think too much to permit myself to think clearly…