Two Plays at Once! No! THREE!

Right now I'm juggling three plays, trying to find the ways into all three of them. I have the dark, realistic play "Solamente Una Vez," which just needs some specifics ironed out and then I can let it sit. I have the more metaphorical and historical "All Grace," which needs the most work right now. And I have a new play, a loose adaptation of "The Learned Ladies" by Moliere. There are other plays that are calling out to be written as well, but I'm trying with all my being to limit things to these three. Three is more than enough. Actually, to be perfectly honest, one would be plenty.

What I need to do is concentrate on one, finish it up, then move on to the second play. I should really iron out "Solamente" first, but "All Grace" is such an exciting play. Most of my friends and professors proclaim it to be my "best" work. Makes me think, "Well, to hell with everything else then! I'm only going to work on the 'best!'" But that's wrong.

I've been slowly keeping up with my writing by doing short plays. Yes, more and more short plays. One a week. It forces me to be prolific, forces me to create characters without thinking too much and forces me to really get into worlds rather quickly without all the rationalizing and research that my latest plays have been occupied with.

I've had so many small meetings about "All Grace," in class there were 15 people tossing questions at me, Andy asked me questions, my friend Laura Farmer (usually the first to read my work) had her questions, dramaturg and professor Robert Black had an hour session with me, playwright and guest Sherry Kramer had an hour and a half session with me, and then there are my own concerns and worries about the play. I've crafted a "map" of the play, (thanks to Sherry Kramer for the advice/"assignment"). I've listed the characters in each scene, a different color for each name. Lipchitz, the sculptor in red; Couturier, the priest, in blue; and any saints or "holy" people, such as the Virgin Mary in green. I've learned there's an awful lot of red in the play. Not so much blue. So, Couturier needs some beefing up. More information about Couturier's "journey" (for lack of a better word) would help to clarify the rest of the action of the play. Most of the questions stem around Couturier anyway.

The structure of the play might also be problematic. The "collage" and adaptation of a Catholic mass might be getting a bit in the way of the play. It might be holding things too tightly. I believe there is more of the play to be written before the true structure and order can be found. It's always a bit dangerous to apply a structure too soon. I find that generating work, generating scenes and pages is the first goal. Then, you can see what the play actually is about. Often times things shift and change and characters create a much different play than the one you had envisioned when you first started writing. In fact, the first bit of my writing of "All Grace," (Couturier's grand monologue) might not be necessary any longer. Sherry thinks it might have been my way "into the play," but now that I'm swimming in it, it might not be part of the play. It makes some sense and it's something to consider, but cutting the first kernels of the play is always a bit scary. Usually the "first" words of a play that I write stay in the play... Somewhere in the play. I find it hard to get rid of those first words on the page. I believe they're key.