Hello Pamela!
I enjoyed reading the polished version of your poignant play. There is only one comment I have on your manuscript, which is the stage direction on Page 7, Lines 11 - 12 ("SARAH sits on the bench, holding his right hand and leaning against him"). "Him" can refer either to RASUL or to TAXI UNCLE. Specify ALEX.
Although a playwright may feel that her manuscript is final, keep an open mind during the rehearsals. You will find that your dialogue will adjust to the speech rhythms of your performers, and that they will spontaneously change words, split or merge sentences, and even skip lines altogether. When they do that, analyze whether there is valuable truth in the changes that they make. You have the option of incorporating them in your work.
Your overall theatrical treatment is impressionistic:
1. The important action occurs before a scene and after a scene and is never shown to the audience.
2. What the characters DO NOT SAY is more significant than what they say that comprises the true drama.
3. There is no explicit closure given to any of the characters.
Your director needs to cast brilliant performers in order to make a staged reading (as opposed to a performance with costumes, blocking, lighting, and music) work. I wish you all the best of luck.
It was a pleasure having you in my workshop. I saw your wedding pictures--yet another act in your life, and I congratulate you on this new act in your life as a young Singaporean playwright.
I enjoyed reading the polished version of your poignant play. There is only one comment I have on your manuscript, which is the stage direction on Page 7, Lines 11 - 12 ("SARAH sits on the bench, holding his right hand and leaning against him"). "Him" can refer either to RASUL or to TAXI UNCLE. Specify ALEX.
Although a playwright may feel that her manuscript is final, keep an open mind during the rehearsals. You will find that your dialogue will adjust to the speech rhythms of your performers, and that they will spontaneously change words, split or merge sentences, and even skip lines altogether. When they do that, analyze whether there is valuable truth in the changes that they make. You have the option of incorporating them in your work.
Your overall theatrical treatment is impressionistic:
1. The important action occurs before a scene and after a scene and is never shown to the audience.
2. What the characters DO NOT SAY is more significant than what they say that comprises the true drama.
3. There is no explicit closure given to any of the characters.
Your director needs to cast brilliant performers in order to make a staged reading (as opposed to a performance with costumes, blocking, lighting, and music) work. I wish you all the best of luck.
It was a pleasure having you in my workshop. I saw your wedding pictures--yet another act in your life, and I congratulate you on this new act in your life as a young Singaporean playwright.
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