Red Theater
began by re-asking ourselves what theater was.
We did some
super crazy and terrible work and then talked about what worked and why until
we realized that the things we cared about most when watching LIVE humans on
stage in front of an AUDIENCE was that there needed to be a sense of the
PERSONAL and the THEATRICAL.
It is my
belief that most playwrights ignore the audience (tear down that fourth wall!)
and write for the page rather than the stage—thereby ignoring the two most
powerful and inherent aspects of theater
Let’s be
theatrical… uh… and that term is a hugely weighted term for me, so for now
let’s talk about visual/spacial theatricality that consists of creating spatial
tensions/imbalances. Cirque du Solei and whatnot.
Example: Two
figures symmetrically aligned on stage= stasis. One figure moves slowly toward
the other- and we have theatrical movement- spatial imbalance and tension
(because of the inherent question of how this movement will be resolved)
Write a
movement piece that interacts with the audience physically or verbally-
directly or indirectly.
State
the THEATRICAL
ACTION: A kind of dramatic tension between the
audience and the performer(s) that may or may not involve dramatic tension
between the characters. It engages the audience’s expectations in social,
moral, and physical realms:
Example: a
child points a loaded gun at its mother
Example: two
characters happily discuss their day in horrific racist language
State
the CENTRAL DRAMATIC QUESTION- the imbalance that occurs moving us away from stasis that has a
compelling human need to be resolved. My advice is to stay broad and even
stereotypical. Example: A bully picking on a child. A person who has lost her
cat.
Write the
DEFINING ACTION- the action that takes place in the climactic moment of the
play that resolves the Dramatic Question. Example: The bully is put in
their place. The cat is returned.
Write images
and how they progress. Treat each image like a small play if you can- stasis,
imbalance, resolution.
Write how they
interact with the audience!
Write
monologues or dialogues as needed between individuals or between images.
Dazzle us with
the end image.
---
Energy
imbalance Example: As the gun fires, a cloud appears and a HUGE bullet forms.
It hangs a moment, and then is met by… the rush of an umbrella exploding it
into a thousand memories.
Mother: That
was a close one. (to audience) Here, hold this for me, will you?
(hands them the umbrella)
Spatial
imbalance Example continued for fun: The mother confronts each disparate
memory, which attaches itself to her body forming another cloud around her,
lifting her up like the bullet into the air and crashes her down again, almost
hitting the audience member.
Mother: Look
out!
A lone memory
remains. A man. Her husband wearing hunting gear.
The child
sings.
Etc
**********
After
the original pass on some scenes during last year's November writing challenge,
I decided to make Sarah a practicing Wiccan, in part to further involve her in
the magic going on, and also to give Jeffrey someone with whom to discuss his
newfound paganism.
So
in the flashback at the bar where Micah is playing guitar in a student
showcase, Sarah and Jeffrey's side discussion was altered thusly:
*********
SARAH
And
they're off. You and I are going to be
music widows for a few minutes here, Jeffrey.
Tell me something about yourself.
JEFFREY
I'm
dabbling in magic out in my garage.
SARAH
Card
tricks/rabbit out of a hat kind of magic?
JEFFREY
No,
more pagan, spells and potions kind of magic.
SARAH
Isn't
that kind of dangerous?
JEFFREY
Why
do you think I'm doing it out in my garage?
SARAH
So
it's spiritual?
JEFFREY
Partly. I'm really barely getting started. I'm sort of hopping around in an introductory
book. Actual, practicing pagans would
probably be horrified.
SARAH
I
can vouch for that.
JEFFREY
You're
a pagan, too?
SARAH
Wiccan.
JEFFREY
Get
out! You're a - you're - uh - ?
SARAH
I
think the term you're looking for is "practicing witch."
JEFFREY
How
long have you been practicing?
SARAH
Longer
than you.
JEFFREY
You
have a much better conversation starter than I do.
SARAH
Yeah,
Auggie and I don't tend to spread that tidbit of information around too much.
JEFFREY
Why
not?
SARAH
Well,
that look on your face, for starters.
JEFFREY
Oh. Sorry.
SARAH
Don't
worry, I'm not going to turn you into a newt.
JEFFREY
So
why tell me at all?
SARAH
Honestly?
(she can't help grinning)
That
look your face.
JEFFREY
Do
I need to be worried about you?
SARAH
I
probably need to be more worried about you - dabbling.
JEFFREY
Well,
it's not like I'm trying to summon the dark lord up from the everlasting pit or
anything. All very white, not dark,
magic. I think.
SARAH
Well,
if you ever need backup -
JEFFREY
I
know who to call.
*********
And then when Jeffrey
checks in by phone with Micah and Auggie over breakfast the morning after
Auggie was given the love potion, there's some of that information laid in in a
different way:
*********
JEFFREY
So
I was thinking of calling in Sarah on this one.
I know it's awkward but -
MICAH
How
exactly could Sarah help in this situation?
AUGGIE
She's
a witch.
MICAH
She's
a what?!
AUGGIE
Wiccan,
more formally.
JEFFREY
She's
a practicing witch, which probably means she knows a lot more about his sort of
thing than I do.
AUGGIE
That's
a good idea, Jeffrey.
JEFFREY
She
gave me her number. Should I - ?
MICAH
No,
we should have her over here to - talk first.
Then we'll send her your way.
JEFFREY
Try
not to throw me too far under the bus, OK?
MICAH
Oh,
I think I'm the one who's in for the worst of it, don't worry.
JEFFREY
Good
luck.
MICAH
Later,
Jeffrey. If I'm dead, Auggie will call.
JEFFREY
Not
funny.
MICAH
Do
you hear me laughing?
AUGGIE
Bye.
JEFFREY wanders back off into the dark.
MICAH
So
-
AUGGIE
Yeah.
MICAH
Turns
out you don't tell me everything after all.
AUGGIE
Religion
and politics.
I'd
rather talk music with you anyway.
MICAH
Agreed. That why you were so sanguine about the whole
lotion potion thing?
AUGGIE
Partly.
MICAH
So
you want it undone.
AUGGIE
No.
But
you do.
And
Jeffrey's working on it for you.
And
if we want to play it safe, Sarah's the person to contact.
MICAH
So
we should call your wife.
AUGGIE
We
should call my wife.
*********
So now, I'm trying to
write that scene where Sarah finds out about the love potion situation as
today's bit of writing. Still more to
follow, but I think it starts something like this:
*********
SARAH
So
you - ?
(the unfinished part of this question directed at
Micah is, "slipped a love potion into my husband's drink?")
MICAH
Yeah.
SARAH
And
you - ?
(the unfinished part of this question directed at
Auggie is, "are now in love with him?")
AUGGIE takes MICAH's hand.
MICAH doesn't do much to resist this, though he at
least has the decency to squirm a little.
AUGGIE
Yeah.
SARAH
Well,
this wasn't what I planned on dealing with when I woke up this morning, but -
here we are.
MICAH
Sarah,
I just want you to know -
SARAH
I'm
really not in the mood to hear anything more out of your mouth right now.
MICAH
Understood.
AUGGIE
Honey
-
SARAH
Please
don't open your mouth either right now if all you're going to do is defend him.
AUGGIE
Gotcha.
SARAH
So,
I'm assuming this is Jeffrey's handiwork.
MICAH
He
didn't think -
SARAH
Right,
I get it, nobody thought it would actually work. But he made it, he gave it to you, and you
gave it to Auggie anyway.
MICAH
Yeah.
SARAH
I'm
gonna need his phone number.
MICAH
Absolutely.
AUGGIE
He
was going to call you.
SARAH
Probably
just working up the nerve.
AUGGIE
Probably.
SARAH
Well,
we'll just try and speed things along, shall we?
(to
be continued)
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