Preview

May 23rd, 2008Blog1 comment

Theater previews are a great time to kick the tires and take notes to see which parts of the car need fixing.

These are my favorite moments because there’s an audience there, but things are still casual. Also, as a writer, my work’s been done a long time ago so I can sit around and relax — while everyone else scrambles!

So last night we had our preview at Thumping Claw.

Dude: It was excellent.

Even with the kinks still gettin’ worked out, this show is great. It was the first time I actually sat down and got to see the whole thing holistically, and it’s an awesome piece of work. I really recommend seeing it!

Writing-wise I’m very much a text person. As I write I focus on the text and for me, my job stops there. I have no desire to direct — I hate repetition and telling people what to do. I’d rather tell people what to do passive-aggressively on the page!

So for me, the execution of my work is something that I’m pretty laissez-faire about. As long as people are having fun and are “owning” the work, I believe it’ll speak for itself. Once a director and cast get invested in a piece, their enthusiasm will carry them through. It’s like what I mentioned in an earlier post about morale and the ratio of dollars-to-effort.

But seeing your work come alive so effectively — seeing your friends’ work come alive so effectively — is a thrill. In the end writing is ultimately about sharing. Experiences, ideas, beliefs. And it’s pretty great when the sharing happens with such clarity, humor, and gusto.

It’s fun.