Between the Lines and the Footlights
The American Theatre Wing’s new book The Play That Changed My Life a book of essays written by playwrights about the shows that shaped them and their careers sounds like an interesting read. An interview with the editor, Ben Hodges, is even more interesting. He doesn’t say anything here that I don’t already know from my own life, but I thought I’d share a snippet of an interview with him below. Hodges relates a story of his own work on a play, and being stuck in the middle of the second act for the last ten years. After talking with the playwrights featured in the book, he realized that to be a playwright takes one thing more than any other, determination.
…every single one of these writers absolutely had to do what they do and couldn’t have lived any other way. And I’ve always had such a diverse and kind of “jack-of-all-trades” sort of approach to life that I don’t think there’s anything that I couldn’t live without (well, almost anything!). So it really made me think that there’s more to theatre and “making it” than just being in the right place at the right time. We’ve always heard it as a cliché, but it really is true, and these writers are a testament to it – that you have to want this above all else, and you have to continue to do it, no matter what, if that’s what you want to do.
Every single one of these writers knew at a very early age that this was what they were meant to do, in one way or the other, and every one kept at it. I don’t even think I had one tell me either through their essays or privately that they’d ever considered doing anything else. I don’t recall a single reference to being discouraged, and the point is that is the point – they just kept going no matter the good times or the bad.
To read the full interview, click here.
Rolling my sleeves up…
–Sue
Add comment November 19th, 2009
