Things we LOVE
From the Artistic Director
If January is a month to look forward to new things, February is a month to consider and reflect on the things we already love. I love live theatre. Live theatre is tactile and visceral - it is an experience which is deeply felt in all my senses. This is not just true when I’m onstage, embedded in the character, and reveling in the response of the audience, but also true when I am one of the connected threads in the audience. I love being in the audience responding to the story being told in front of me AND to the joy, tears, enlightenment, and other emotions my fellow audience members are projecting.
I love making theatre because I learn more about other people and about myself in the process of creating than in any other environment. I’m a performer at heart and every character I play is a new part of myself which I have had the opportunity to discover - some of whom I keep and some of whom I may ultimately reject. Live theatre is the methodology for that discovery. It is a place for honesty and for celebration and for telling stories new and old.
This month we wanted to share more with you about Things We Love in live theatre, from our playwrights, directors, mentors, and associate artists. For those of you who support and love the live theatre in general or the theatre we create at The Shattered Glass Project specifically, take a moment to think about what you revel in when you are attending a play. We would love to hear from you. Send us a note at info@shatteredglassproject.org.
With love,
Rebecca O’Neil, artistic director, TSGP
What the Cohort Loves!
Christie Zhao, Director Cohort
What play(s) do you love and why?
These contemporary plays are deeply rooted in their ability to present diverse perspectives and humanize individuals across cultures. They stand out for their relevance and the compelling way they challenge audiences to think and feel deeply about the world around them. They artfully center human experiences in a turbulent global context, addressing a spectrum of social, political, and cultural themes. Their experimental approach to theatricality breaks conventional barriers. What resonates with me is how these plays foster a deeper understanding and empathy across different cultures, drawing people into shared experiences and discussions, and in doing so, narrowing the gaps that often divide us.
What has been your favorite part about creating/directing a new play during your process so far in the SGP cohort?
My favorite part of directing a new play in the SGP cohort has been the rich collaborative experience with various playwrights. The diversity within the cohort has been incredibly enlightening, allowing me to see a range of directing styles and approaches. This exposure has not only broadened my own perspective but also fostered a supportive and trusting environment within our group. Being able to be honest and authentic in my approach has been both liberating and deeply fulfilling.
Adrian Prendergast, Playwriting Cohort
Which playwright(s) do you love and why?
I love so many playwrights! It's such a personal medium, I love to see how different styles and voices come together. Some favorites floating around in my head right now are Jessica Moss, Maggie Lee, Sarah Kane, and my fellow cohort members Jourdan and Lisa.
What play(s) do you love and why?
I just recently had the chance to see Once More, Just for You at Seattle Public Theatre. Maggie Lee writes such gorgeous stories, and I'm always a sucker for Sci-Fi.
Which play(s) are you itching to direct and why?
I would love to direct I will miss you when you're gone by Jessica Moss. I was able to direct a staged reading of the script for Macha's Distillery Series last year, and haven't been able to get it out of my mind since.
Is there a playwright/director whose style you’ve emulated? What inspires you about their style/process?
Sarah Kane and Sarah Ruhl's stage directions. It feels like part of the collaboration- a non-verbal extension of the world and storytelling that's just as important as the dialogue.
What do you love about the writer/director collaboration?
I love the opportunity to build on each other and see how different interpretations feed a greater collaborative story.
What has been your favorite part about creating/directing a new play during your process so far in the SGP cohort?
Honestly the chance to meet everyone in the cohort and get to know them. Everyone has such unique perspectives and I love getting to see their work develop through the process.
Aidyn Stevens, Director Cohort
What do you love about the writer/director collaboration?
What I love about the writer and director collaboration is getting to work with people who are so passionate about their creative work. It is so exciting to be a part of a project where the people who have made it are full of knowledge about the entire world of their play. It’s an adventure to dig into the nuances of a new work. And that adventure is made even better by getting to have the playwrights as a resource.
Thru The Window Project Journal
by Miriam Tobin
After a couple weeks of writing independently, Carolynne and I met over lattes and raspberry scones to share our work. We had each written a hearty chunk of a play that incorporated the setting and themes we had chosen in our previous session. We had also selected several writing prompts at random to give us a starting off point. Here are those elements and the work we made with them:
Setting: cabin by a frozen lake in the woods in winter
Themes: aging, immigration, communication, technology, passing on knowledge
Prompts: footsteps leading to nowhere, a happily miserable marriage, close call, monster under the bed
Carolynne is all about dystopia! Her play begins with a mystery: a world where winter feels like summer, where technology isn’t working, and where people are scared of something they can’t name. A family gathers in a cabin and two strangers show up needing help . . . but maybe they aren’t strangers after all? Her play is rife with suspense, secrets, and family drama.
My play is all about the absurdities of family! It begins in the dead of winter with a family gathering after a terrible tragedy. No one’s on their best behavior, the grandmother keeps getting confused, the grandfather would rather not wear his hearing aids, their daughter’s angry at the world, and their grandchild would prefer to be on their phone. But then, something happens, and their world becomes bigger than just them. To rescue themselves they must come together to rescue someone in need.
After reading both plays out loud, we marveled at how different our writing voices are but also at how many similarities we have. We’re both interested in interpersonal relationships, memory, environment, and emotional truths.
Then we started all over again! Ha. Playwrights: always making more work for themselves. We refined the four characters we're writing (two plays, same characters, totally different scenarios) and discussed how to make their motivations and actions more specific. I’ve decided to start a completely new play see what happens, whereas Carolynne is revising the work she already started.
Next step: We come together with two new scripts and read them again.
Yun Theatre - COMING SOON: Young People Social Death Archive written by Siming Lu, directed by current directing cohort member Christie Zhao
Who: Yun Theatre, www.yun-theatre.com
What: 年轻人社死档案室 (Young People Social Death Archive); in Mandarin with English subtitles
When: Feb 16 (Fri) at 8:00 PM, Feb 17 (Sat) at 2:30PM & 8:00 PM, Feb 18 (Sun) at 2:30 PM.
Where: Theatre Off Jackson (409 7th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104)
Ticket Info: https://yuntheatre.simpletix.com/ ($16 - $35 sliding scale)
Edmonds Driftwood Theatre - CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Playwrights! 13th Annual Festival of Shorts , “Silver Linings: A consoling or hopeful prospect.”Edmonds Driftwood Players is a volunteer-based nonprofit community theatre based in Edmonds, WA that has been entertaining and educating the community since 1958, making EDP one of the oldest continually operating community theaters in Washington State.We are pleased to announce our theme and call for submissions for our 13th Annual Festival of Shorts. Our annual playwriting festival provides an opportunity for playwrights to have their works brought to life on stage, as well as gain recognition and potential awards. Some past winners have later been developed into full-length award-winning plays! The Festival this year will be presented in five performances June 27-30, 2024, featuring eight shorts finalists. The theme for 2024 is “Silver Linings: A consoling or hopeful prospect.” We would love to see both comedic and dramatic stories with uplifting endings. The finalists are selected from submissions from around the globe. Our volunteer readers and judges are local Seattle-area theatre lovers and playwrights. To keep the process as fair as possible, our readers are given blind copies of script submissions for judging. Deadline for submissions is 3/17/24. More info/submission guidelines: https://edmondsdriftwoodplayers.org/festival-of-shorts/
At the dawn of a new swine flu pandemic, Lemon Lymes is a retired pop star and aspiring fascist looking to collaborate on a secret project with an adoring fan. Meanwhile, three Queerdos are planning for their uncertain futures as artificial intelligence renders their jobs obsolete. When a parasocial Lymes fan takes things too far and billionaire industries begin to collapse, the queerdos have to outsmart the state and keep their loved ones cared for. Tenderness is an anticapitalist cyberpunk experience you can enjoy from the comfort of your home computer or the theatre.
Written by Nelle Tankus (she/her), and featuring SGP Associate Artist Kasper Cergol (All New Cells), runs from Feb 9-17. Tix available: https://annextheatre.thundertix.com
Other things we love
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