Me, Leslie Ann Walcott, Liz Best
Writing is a marathon, not a sprint. I recently completed the latest draft of my play ANIMAL (which has had so many drafts I have lost count). It took me 3 months to re-write the script from page one. I shared some of my journey with these two ladies above who have been involved with ANIMAL at various stages. Leslie Ann attended two readings of the play and was the stage manager to the production when it was produced at the Alumnae Theater in November 2018. Liz directed a workshop of the play in March 2018 and was a producer in last November’s production.
This was the most significant re-write I have done on the play. It was an emotionally draining experience (not because of the subject matter of mental illness), but because every day I did battle with my doubts. I was fighting the page. Sometimes that happens. I can’t say I enjoyed this process and some folks along the way hinted that maybe I should let the play go, warned me it was not going to be easy, or perhaps it would be better to focus my energies on a new project. I can’t say I disagreed with any of this advice. But in the end, your heart tells you what you must do. It was a high mountain to climb and when I finished it last week, the relief was enormous. I felt like I somehow tamed this beast of a play.
This quote below from Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky, introduces a theme in ANIMAL and plays a part in the new draft:
Here’s what I learned: if ANIMAL wants a broader audience, the tone needed to shift. I’m trying to embrace more humor in this latest draft (and also include more calm moments throughout). In previous drafts, I took the topic of mental illness and was too aggressive with it. There needs to be a reprieve from the madness otherwise an audience will tire out (or worse yet, tune out).
From the production last November, here’s what else I learned:
- One, the play had the wrong ending.
- Two, there were too many plot points and some had to be cut
- And Three, allow the play to breathe and have more fun
I write drafts in long hand (yes, good old cursive writing). The newest draft sits on my desk, ready to be typed, but I’m setting the play aside for now. I need a break from it. And this is how I spent my summer.
As for the fall, I’m about to re-write a screenplay called LET IT SHINE and then dive back into ANIMAL. Speaking of humor, this quote from filmmaker Rian Johnson made me laugh. Until next time….
I know this recent journey was something else. Sometimes the more harrowing, the more fulfilling. Sometimes it’s just shitty right the way through. Regardless, I know the work will only be better because of the utmost care you give it. Can’t wait to read it!
And I love you too Leslie Ann
It’s amazing that the human spirit can find hope in the most despairing circumstances. Like a dandelion poking it’s head through a crack in the midst of a city in disrepair.
“Two men looked through prison bars.
One saw mud, the other stars.”
Keep shining! Or to quote Winston Churchhill, “Never, never, never give up.”
What a quote from Rian Johnson! You well understand the truth of it, Romeo. Although the rewriting of Animal was so arduous, it is good to have it done for now. All the best with Let It Shine.