Jane Miller, Me, Debra Hale

Last month, I had the pleasure to see these two ladies at the Roselawn Theatre in Port Colborne where they performed in a play called THE SWEET DELILAH SWIM CLUB.  I’ve known Jane Miller for over 20 years.  She directed my play BLUE and was heavily involved in the development of ANIMAL and I will  undoubtedly involve her in my next play WAVES.  Debra Hale is an actress I met through Jane and has been in readings of my play over the years.   Jane is a fireball of kinetic energy.  Debra is so natural and beautiful to watch.  The both of them on stage (along with the three other actresses in this play:  Susan Henley, Susan Johnston-Collins, Andrea Risk), had great chemistry as they each worked off one another, showcasing their dynamic, unique talents.

The Sweet Delilah Swim Club (by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, Jamie Wooten), is about five Southern women, whose friendships began many years ago on their college swim team.  They set aside a long weekend every summer to recharge their relationships.  The play spans over many years and we discover all the changes these women live through – their loves, loses, desires, regrets and illnesses.

Sweet Delilah is primarily a comedy (with dramatic elements).   Each of the five characters are types that an audience can immediately identify with.  Each actress added layers and shades to their characters.   Comedy is no joke.  It’s hard to write.  In my play WAVES, I am purposely putting more comedy in this writing than any other play I’ve written.   I don’t find it easy, but I’m up for the challenge.   Being dramatic, shocking, sad, tragic – that kind of writing comes far more natural to me than a play like Sweet Delilah where  comedy is king.

On the opposite spectrum of Sweet Delilah is a play called FIERCE by George Walker about a psychiatrist and her client and the twisty relationship/role reversal formed between this doctor and patient during one of their sessions.   I saw this play last week at the Alumnae Theatre, produced by the Moss Theatre Collective.  My friend Liz Best (who directed a reading of Animal at the Alumnae Theatre) was in the play, along with Elizabeth Friesen.  We took a pic together in the lobby of the theatre.

Liz Best, Me, Elizabeth Friesen

Unlike Sweet Delilah which has five characters, several scenes and two acts, Fierce  has two characters, one scene and no intermission.  Liz and Elizabeth had an intense, believable rapport on stage in this 80 minute play.  It felt like a natural conversation, which seamlessly ebbed and flowed from one topic to the next.  Fierce is a dramatic piece (with bits of dark humor sprinkled throughout).  It’s the kind of play I can identity with and have written over the years.

I admire how actors can get on stage and spill their guts.  In both plays, regardless of the comedy or drama, an actor’s job is to be honest and if they are, they will bring an audience along with them on whatever journey they travel.  Both these plays did that for me.  I was in their complicated worlds.  Sweet Delilah was funny, and it may not be the type of play I would write, but it was relatable and also quite touching at times.  In Fierce – the drama was fierce (for lack of a better word) and at times overwhelming, but the pain and the emotion behind it was palpable.

At this writing, I am on page 158 on my play Waves.  This is the longest play I’ve written.  A two-act structure with five characters.  I’m writing the last scene and about to take a big sigh of relief once I write “curtain”.  The first draft is quite the hot mess.  There is much that will be cut and re-worked.  But the structure is there, the setting is there, the characters are there, the drama is there and most importantly as it was a focus of mine, the comedy (which is no joke to write) is there.  Is there enough comedy?  Probably not and I hope when I begin re-writing,  more comedy will bubble to the surface (and make some spectacular waves).  Have an awesome day out there.  And remember to laugh because even in the midst of painful moments we all experience, there is always a smidgen of joy to be found and embraced.