I’ve been sick with a nasty flu bug and when I get sick, I don’t fool around. But I’m glad it happened last week and not this week as we are one week away from the opening of Blue. I attended a rehearsal tonight that involved two actors, Mike and Bryn. After watching them play out a couple scenes, I told them and Jane how seeing my play now is somehow different from how I imagined it. As a writer, you hear and see everything play out in your mind. “Live theatre” is happening as you write and begin to carve out plot, scenes, character, conflict, etc… However, now that Jane is directing my work, the “live theatre” I imagined is not exactly what I pictured. And how can it be? Jane has made different choices (as have the actors) and so although I am still watching Blue and recognizing my words, it is as if I am experiencing the play through a new set of lenses.

I’ve had to learn to let go of Blue and embrace the process. I told Jane this evening that that concept has been difficult at times. Simply put, it’s scary. You want to hold onto everything. The greatest and most rewarding challenge will be letting an audience see the play and have them experience it through their lenses. Will they get it? Will they be moved? What will they take away?

Of the few rehearsals I’ve attended, I’ve spoken very little and only to Jane when I needed to. And it’s not like I have lots and lots of notes – I don’t because quite honestly, I just feel I need to give everyone as much space as possible so that they can grow and discover the work for themselves. They are not going to discover the same things as I do (and they shouldn’t), but I think that’s the great thing about creativity – everyone brings something unique to the table.