I didn’t see it, except for a few moments through the curtains.
I did hear it, every word, from behind the curtains back stage.
And when we heard the last line, we heard a rushing of applause come tumbling down towards us.
Scott and I, in our own private moment, kissed and hugged — celebrating a job well done. And I felt like the applause was for us.
And it was.
And it was beautiful.
This Wednesday night at 9pm, I’ll get to see the play from the audience. (And I’ll finally get to see our lighting designer’s gorgeous sunrise through the window I made with dad.) (As with our other show, “Disillusioned”, we tried to keep production levels as high as we could.)
Hope to see you at the show! Click here for your tickets to Wild Night #2, this Wednesday, 9/19 @ 9pm.
The clock’s been ticking… we’re only a day away from the premiere of “Chrysalis“. And though there’s still a lot to be done (lots of little things), we’re getting there.
Last night’s rehearsal was our best one yet. I could have sworn I saw light bulbs turning on above the actors’ heads a few times… Lines that didn’t make sense before made sense. Actions that were disconnected became connected. Emotions became much more honest, rich, and layered. In essence, it all came together.
And more than anything, that’s the magic of theatre… those moments when it all clicks into place, and it all makes sense.
I wrote yesterday about my partnership with Scott, but there’s another partnership that’s so important to this process, the one I have with my director, Noel.
People kept telling me to direct both plays this summer myself. And that was the last thing I wanted to do. I needed to step back to give both plays room to grow. I am lucky Noel stepped in to take the helm.
As the playwright and producer, I’m too close to my own work. It doesn’t mean I won’t change things that need to be changed, but it’s true what they say about one’s work being so dear. I’ve oftentimes spent months — or even years writing a play.
Rehearsals are a messy process. There’s a lot of stumbling and falling, a lot of searching and questioning. Noel (as any good director would) has been helping the actors get back on their feet when they fall, and has even guided them get to places where they can fly.
She can do this all not only because of her talent and heaps of patience, but because she has the ability to step back from the work, and can bring her vision to the table as well.
If I could give any playwright any advice, It’d be this:
Find yourself a partner, or two, or ten — people who really believe in the work you’re doing and are willing to roll up their sleeves to serve that (those) work(s). The collaboration on stage is the product of the collaboration off stage.
I’m lucky for many reasons, but one of the best ones is that my life partner is also my business partner.
I’ve heard the horror stories before, and I’m sure you have too… But, sometimes, they’re just stories.
I won’t tell you ours is the perfect fairy-tale… but I will tell you that it’s great having someone who loves me so much, and knows my strengths and weaknesses so well, watching my back.
If there’s anyone who can pull me back from the brink, it’s Scott.
The Strawberry Festival kick off party was a great opportunity to celebrate the upcoming festival and some folks who have made some exceptional contributions to theatre and the Riant Theatre.
It also gave us a chance to tape a special message to promote “Chyrsalis.”
“Chrysalis” opens in about a week. I’ve been trying to get all the little details in order to make sure we have everything we need.
One of those things is the butterfly painting I mentioned the other day. I’ve been working on it for the last few days, almost every single day. Each day, I’ve added a new layer or two to bring dimension to the piece and help the butterfly come to life.
The canvas is 30×40 (about 2.5 ft by 3.5 ft). I’m only 5′1. So, as you can imagine, it was a bit intimidating at first… Counting all the other paintings I’ve done in my life, this was number 3…
At the risk of sounding like I’m tooting my own horn (because I kind of am), it came out pretty damn good… easily the best thing I’ve ever painted… But beyond that, objectively, it’s nice.
I think I painted this now, and am producing this play now, because I’m ready.
After all these years of wondering… after all these years of putting the needs and wants of others ahead of mine (and besides love, a lot of it had to do with fear… of putting my own wants and needs out there — and also a fear of failing, or possibly succeeding), I’m finally ready to show the world what I’ve got.
Just like my protagonist, Millie.
I wrote this play in 2002, but it’s only now that I truly understand what it is I’ve written, and what it really means.
I’m finally ready to take the leap and put it out there.
–Sue
PS — Curious about what the painting looks like? Come see for yourself at the show… (We’re in Series C, as in “Chrysalis”.) Click here for tickets.
Much in the same way a leaves on a bush need to be pruned to maintain its shape, there are times when words in a play need to be cut to keep the pacing and balance of a scene.
Last night’s rehearsal of “Chrysalis” confirmed something I already knew, one of the last monologues of the play ran a bit long.
When I wrote it, I felt it was long, but I couldn’t be sure. Last night, I was very sure.
So, I did what any self respecting playwright would do, I cut some of it.
The beautiful thing about theatre, as opposed to Hollywood, is that each word is sacrosanct. Not one word can be cut unless the playwright agrees.
The other nice thing about theatre, there’s usually a long enough rehearsal process for the playwright to do any cutting if necessary.
I’ve written about her before, my adorable Korean dry cleaner… She’s a sweet little old lady, but she’s spunky too… We have lots of nice conversations when I drop things off.
She had been hearing about the production of “Disillusioned” since I knew we got into the festival. And I even gave her a postcard. She promised she’d come, and even bring a friend.
My dry cleaner was good to her word. She did make it to the Saturday night performance, with a friend… I saw her the other day and asked what she thought.
“It was nice, a very nice show.” (Having grown up with parents who were immigrants, nice is a huge compliment.) She went on to tell me, “I wish you do a comedy now too… something funny would be good.” (At this point, I thought she was talking to my parents… they’ve said the same thing often.)
Apparently, they visited a bar for a drink before the show, and went for a nice dinner after. It was then that she laid it on me, “Last time I go to see show was in Florida… 10, 15 years ago.”
“Fifteen years ago,” I repeated.
“It was long time since I went out like that. It’s good to go out. It’s nice.”
“Sometimes, you just need a night out,” I said. “…to know you’re alive… to see other people.”
And in that few seconds I think I got one of the best compliments I’ve gotten in years… She literally hadn’t seen a show in at least ten, if not fifteen years, and the first show she saw was mine!
It just doesn’t get any better than that. And it doesn’t get any more realistic than that… Sometimes, you go and see a show just to have that night out. She reminded me how important that is.
By the way, the last show she saw was “Oklahoma.” Which she also said was a very nice show.
