A New Day, A New Play

Rotation 3 began with the new play process that welcomed 2 pieces of new work to be developed and 2 new playwrights to town. I have to start off by saying that this company never ceases to amaze me.

I directed The Armchair Traveler by Libby Leonard. Both the playwright and the actors were unbelievably generous with their commitment to the work and the time it takes to build a new play.

Working with Libby was fabulous because we gave each other room to create and then always checked in. If there was a discrepancy, which I must say was rare we just worked together to work it out and always came back to the story. This created a huge air of trust in the room, which spread to the actors. There wasn't an ounce of ego in the room and every single person always came back to the questions of “what will tell a stronger story, what will help develop this character, and how can we do this in a different, justifiable, and powerful way.” The communication over-flowed and then once in tech the design staff was able to push this process to another level. We all collaborated, took risks, and battled through to create a visceral story.

Developing a new play is an incredible challenge and the best way to see what works or doesn't is to try things many different ways in the room before finally deciding. The best way to do this is to commit 100% to all the actions. Out of this process a new non-textual opening came about, a character change his accent, and another one her age.

This is how to do it-everything and nothing is sacred all at once. Just stay open and committed to the work. Don't be afraid to say, “I don't know” and be open to many things...but then as the director be ready to set boundaries and work within those so that storytelling is clear. Decisions have to be made but in order to get to that, things may need to be looked at from different directions-I try to trust my instincts and see things for the musicality or rhythm of the play-then pull the rug out when you least expect it.