Friday, November 03, 2017

November 2017 Writing Challenge - #3 - Moving Images With No Fourth Wall


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)





No comments: