Tony K
Part 2. Just checking the schedule for tomorrow and I don't know if I'll be able to post so I'd better do this now.
So the Albee class is over, and I'm trying to absorb. I stumble into the next thing, A Conversation with Tony Kushner. It's moderated, and he discusses general play stuff. Just a few notes:
Brecht was the reason he became a playwright. Gave him a template for combining theatre and activism.
Shakespeare. Only go near him when you absolutely have to; he's so perfect, he's the big "Why Bother?"
Plays should make the familiar strange and the strange familiar.
He talkes about other plays he's working on, including one about slavery, a play on Benjamin Cardozo, and others. A bell goes off in my head when I hear the play about slavery. Not sure what doesn't sit right. So the discussion is over and there are a few people around him and I make my move again. I get to him and ask, "is there anything that you as a playwright can't or shouldn't write? I'm not talking about the craft/structure itself, but topic, or subject matter?" He: What do you mean? Me: Specifically the play you mentioned about slavery. He said that George C. Wolfe (Director of the Public Theatre in NYC, and African-American for those who might not know) approached him and asked him to write it. He: Do you mean that as a white male, CAN I write a play about slavery? Me: Well, yeah, I'm curious about IF it's possible and HOW he would go about it, etc. He said there had been some discussion about that, and then it was time for the next play to set up. He says to me, "this is a serious topic; let's set up a little time in the next day or so and I'd like to talk to you about it."
Huh?
"...let's set up a little time in the next day or so and I'd like to talk to you about it."
Unreal. Un. Real.
Tomorrow is his Master Class, so I'll see if I can meet with him either just before it starts or just after. I can't believe I typed that.
Bed. Brain fried. Processing....
So the Albee class is over, and I'm trying to absorb. I stumble into the next thing, A Conversation with Tony Kushner. It's moderated, and he discusses general play stuff. Just a few notes:
Brecht was the reason he became a playwright. Gave him a template for combining theatre and activism.
Shakespeare. Only go near him when you absolutely have to; he's so perfect, he's the big "Why Bother?"
Plays should make the familiar strange and the strange familiar.
He talkes about other plays he's working on, including one about slavery, a play on Benjamin Cardozo, and others. A bell goes off in my head when I hear the play about slavery. Not sure what doesn't sit right. So the discussion is over and there are a few people around him and I make my move again. I get to him and ask, "is there anything that you as a playwright can't or shouldn't write? I'm not talking about the craft/structure itself, but topic, or subject matter?" He: What do you mean? Me: Specifically the play you mentioned about slavery. He said that George C. Wolfe (Director of the Public Theatre in NYC, and African-American for those who might not know) approached him and asked him to write it. He: Do you mean that as a white male, CAN I write a play about slavery? Me: Well, yeah, I'm curious about IF it's possible and HOW he would go about it, etc. He said there had been some discussion about that, and then it was time for the next play to set up. He says to me, "this is a serious topic; let's set up a little time in the next day or so and I'd like to talk to you about it."
Huh?
"...let's set up a little time in the next day or so and I'd like to talk to you about it."
Unreal. Un. Real.
Tomorrow is his Master Class, so I'll see if I can meet with him either just before it starts or just after. I can't believe I typed that.
Bed. Brain fried. Processing....
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