I will get back to “Love Song”.   Really.

But first, I need to finish the discussion of two person plays and honoring the playwright’s intent.

A few years ago, I heard about a two person play by  Cindy Johnson: “Brilliant Traces”.  The play was written around two characters in their 20’s: He was a hermit who had given up on life and lived in a cabin in the wilds of Alaska; she ran away from her wedding in Arizona, got in her car and drove and drove until her car broke down.  You guessed it:  At his cabin in the middle of a blizzard.  For the next ninety three non-stop minutes we watch as these two lost souls struggle with the changes in their lives.  The playwright calls for a suggested, simple set.  The play is very popular on the college circuit since the ages are appropriate and the set is simple.

I heard about the play when I talked to a director from a nearby university who had just finished a very different approach to the play:  Five universities from Boston to Washington State, rehearsed the play at the same time.  Then the female actors went to another university for the performance.  Think about it:  When the female actress opens the door of his cabin, she is on a set she has never seen before, facing an  actor she has never met.  Knowing her lines but having no idea how the blocking (movement) will unfold.  Imagine how scary that would be.  The next weekend the actresses went another university until, on closing weekend, she was finally back home acting in the play she had rehearsed.  A wonderful concept – something I have tried to figure out a way to do it locally but maybe on a smaller scale.

Anyway, I got the script to see what it was about.  I really liked it but . . . I saw a very different play than Cindy Johnson had in mind when she wrote it.  First I saw older actors, actors tho had a lifetime of experiences to bring to their characters.  Actors who have experienced more than a pair of 20 year old actors could ever experience.  I also saw a very real set.  The raw wood boards that make the walls, a small cabin where someone could hide from the world.  I knew that if I went forward with the play, I would have to be true to my vision of the play.  I’ve attached a photo of the set and actors.

I passed the script on to a woman around 60 years old to consider the female role and suggest a man she would like to work with.  She recommended an actor in his mid 60’s who had attended several acting training programs but had never been in on stage before.    We got together and read through the play a couple of times and I loved the way the two actors worked together.

Another digression:  Rehearsing a play.  For the most part, amateur play production rehearse around an hour for each minute of the play:  A ninety minute play will have ninety hours of rehearsal.  (Professional plays may have two or three times as much rehearsal time).  The larger the cast the longer each rehearsal can be.  In a two person play an hour and a half to two hours is about it:  The actors begin to tire.  In a large cast play, rehearsals can stretch to three or even four hours.  We decided to rehearse two afternoons a week for two hours each time.  (I had other plays in rehearsal at night so that option was out.)

We started rehearsing in the fall of 2008 without having a firm performance date.  We were going to rehearse it until it was ready.  In early 2009, we set a performance date in the fall of 2009.  By the time the show opened, we had almost 300 hours of rehearsal.  Our small 60 seat theater set an all time attendance record with this play:  We had an average audience of 71 people.

In 2010 we rented a theater in Seattle and did nine performances there.

Did I honor the playwrights intent?  I think so.  I think the ultimate intent of a playwright is to write a play that moves people.  “Brilliant Traces” definitely did that.

I have directed somewhere around 80 plays; “Brilliant Traces” is one of my five favorite plays.  “Enchanted April” is another.

Maybe we can get back to “Love Song” tomorrow.

Doug B