Southern Theatre, Vol. 61, Issue 4

Volume LXI Number 4 • Fall 2020 • $8.00

ANTI-RACISM STEPS Best Practices for Inclusive Classrooms and Auditions

MAKING A MUSICAL The Art of Adapting a Book or a Film for the Stage

RELATIONSHIPS

Getchell-Winning Play Explores the Mother-Daughter Bond

UNIVERSITY OF WEST GEORGIA

THEATRE COMPANY

2019 2020

SEASON

DARING, DYNAMIC, DEFIANT: YOUR WORLD IS OUR STAGE.

PLAY WEST BACHELOR OF ARTS (BA) IN THEATRE BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS (BFA) IN THEATRE ACTING DESIGN/TECHNOLOGY BACHELOR OF INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES (BIS) IN FILM: PERFORMANCE TRACK PRODUCTION DESIGN TRACK

• Access to professional theatre artists • Access to industry standard software in theatrical sound, lighting, costume, and scenic design • Performance and design opportunities starting in freshman year • Design lab, lighting lab, sound recording studio, large scene shop, and new costume shop • Internship programs (local, national, international) • Practical experience in all facets of theatrical production • Student scripts from playwriting course are produced in regular season • Student-directed and designed theatre productions

NAST Accredited Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theatre

• Conference participation and travel opportunities • Strong alumni contacts FOR MORE INFORMATION 678-839-4700 or theatre@westga.edu westga.edu/theatre

MAKE UWG YOUR DESTINATION FOR THEATRE.

Black Acting Methods Studio / Photo by Dickerson Arts

Contents

Volume LXI Number 4 l Fall 2020 l Southern Theatre – Quarterly Magazine of the Southeastern Theatre Conference

Features Departments 4 Hot off the Press Plays That Answer the Call for a Diverse, Equitable Theatre

by Zackary Ross

6 Outside the Box: Design/Tech Solutions Need to Create a Realistic Fire Effect?

Build a ‘Humid-A-Fire’

8 Best Practices to Make Theatre Classrooms Inclusive

by Sharrell D. Luckett 16 Best Practices for Anti-Racist Auditions

by Sharrell D. Luckett 18 Making a Musical

The Art of Adapting a Book or a Film for the Stage

by David Wohl

2020 Charles M. Getchell Award

by Christopher Simpson

30 The Playwright

36 Words, Words, Words …

Getchell Award Winner Rachel Bykowski Explores the Bond Between Mothers and Daughters in 28 Light Years From Now

Review of Casting a Movement: The Welcome Table Initiative, edited

by Claire Syler and Daniel Banks review by Derrick Vanmeter

interview by Laura King

32 The Play

Read an excerpt from 28 Light Years From Now, the 2020 winner of the Charles M. Getchell New Play Award, given by SETC to recognize a worthy new play. The entire play is available for reading online at www.setc.org/28-light-years-from-now.

Cover Union organizer Johnson (played by Austin Bowen) secretly swears miners into the union in this scene from Storming Heaven: The Musical, which had its world premiere at West Virginia Public Theatre in Morgantown, WV, in June 2019, directed by Mia Walker. The musical was adapted from Denise Giardina’s 1987 novel, Storming Heaven, about the coal mining wars in West Virginia in the early 20th century. See story, Page 18. (Photo by Joshua B. Williamson; cover design by Deanna Thompson) Fall 2020 x Southern Theatre x 3

Plays That Answer the Call for a Diverse, Equitable Theatre

by Zackary Ross

O

ur regular column on plays and musicals that have recently become available for licensing focuses in this issue on works by writers of color. This was also the focus of my column a year ago, when I noted a woeful lack of scripts. Since then, the death of George Floyd under the knee of a white police officer has caused a tipping point in our culture. Hundreds of protests have risen up in demand for systemic change, and theatre artists of color across the county have added their voices to the deafening cries for better representation and equity in production seasons. Hopefully, the American theatre has finally begun to listen and will answer this call. Here, I’m pleased to feature five brilliant plays, all written by playwrights of color and featuring compelling roles for a diverse pool of actors. Following each description, you’ll find information about the cast breakdown and a referral to the publisher who holds the rights.

BLKS, by Aziza Barnes In the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, three friends head out for a night on the town, in part to distract Octavia from an upcoming operation to have a possibly cancerous mole removed from a very sensitive area. The trio of young women confront one surprise after another as their evening turns into a drunken, sexually charged extravaganza. This raunchy, uninhibited comedy is sure to please.

Cast breakdown: 5 females (3 Black/ African descent, 1 Latina/Hispanic, 1 White/European descent); 1 male (Black/African descent) Publisher: Dramatists Play Service www.dramatists.com The Brothers Paranormal,

by Prince Gomolvilas Max and Visarut, two Thai-American brothers, launch a ghost-hunting business in response to an uptick in sightings of “Asian-looking ghosts.” Hired by Delia and Felix to investigate a malevolent spirit haunting their home, the brothers embark on a terrifying journey that ultimately brings both families together. Horror, comedy and drama are all on display in this imaginative play about feeling displaced in the world and the path to reconnection.

Cast breakdown: 3 females (2 Thai/

4 x Southern Theatre x Fall 2020

Southeast Asian, 1 Black/African descent); 3 males (2 Thai/Southeast Asian, 1 Black/African descent) Publisher: Dramatic Publishing www.dramaticpublishing.com The Homecoming Queen,

by Ngozi Anyanwu After living in the United States for 15 years, best-selling novelist Kelechi has returned home to Nigeria to care for her dying father. Her homecoming positions her to rediscover the culture she left behind as a child and confront the trauma in her past. Heartbreaking and hopeful, the play puts a fresh spin on the familiar trope of confronting one’s demons and learning to move on.

Cast breakdown: 6 females; 2 males (all Black/African descent) Publisher: Dramatists Play Service www.dramatists.com Jump, by Charly Evon Simpson Grieving the death of her mother, Fay returns to the bridge they frequented when she was a child. Here, she meets Hopkins, whose own grief has him considering ending his pain atop that very bridge.

Despite the familiar setup, this theatrical and poetic play avoids melodramatic stereotypes as Fay finds the courage to face

her past and reach out.

Cast breakdown: 2 females (Black/ African descent); 2 males (1 Black/ African descent, 1 any ethnicity) Publisher: Dramatists Play Service www.dramatists.com A Love Offering, by Jonathan Norton T’Wana Jepson is a nurse’s aide caring for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients in an assisted living facility. After she is attacked by one particularly abrasive patient, she finds herself being manipulated by his adult children who believe Miss Georgia, another worker at the facility and T’Wana’s mentor, has stolen their deceased mother’s brooch. Touching on themes of racism, elder abuse and white fragility, the play explores uncomfortable truths with a great deal of poignancy and insight.

Cast breakdown: 3 females (2 Black/ African descent, 1 White/European descent); 2 males (White/European descent) Publisher: Broadway Play Publishing, Inc. www. broadwayplaypub.com n Zackary Ross, an assistant professor of theatre at Bellarmine University in Louisville, KY, works regularly as a director and a dramaturg.

He is a member of the Southern Theatre Editorial Board.

Theatre

s o u t h e r n

EDITOR

Deanna Thompson

From the SETC President

SETC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Susie Prueter SETC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR EMERITUS

Betsey Horth ADVERTISING

Clay Thornton, clay@setc.org BUSINESS & ADVERTISING OFFICE

Southeastern Theatre Conference 1175 Revolution Mill Drive, Studio 14 Greensboro, NC 27405 336-272-3645 PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE

J. K. Curry, Chair, Wake Forest University (NC) Gaye Jeffers, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Laura King, Gordon State College (GA) Scott Phillips, Auburn University (AL) Derrick Vanmeter, Clayton State University (GA) EDITORIAL BOARD

Tom Alsip, Oklahoma State University Lamont Clegg, Osceola County School for the Arts (FL) Amy Cuomo, University of West Georgia F. Randy deCelle, University of Alabama Kristopher Geddie, Venice Theatre (FL) Bill Gelber, Texas Tech University David Glenn, Samford University (AL) Scott Hayes, Liberty University (VA) Edward Journey, Independent Artist/Consultant (AL) Stefanie Maiya Lehmann, Lincoln Center (NY) Tiffany Dupont Novak, Lexington Children's Theatre (KY) Zackary Ross, Bellarmine University (KY) Jonathon Taylor, East Tennessee State University Student Member: Laura Falcione, Liberty University (VA) PROOFREADERS

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Southern Theatre (ISSNL: 0584-4738) is published quarterly by the Southeastern Theatre Conference, Inc., a nonprofit organization, for its membership and others interested in theatre. Copyright © 2020 by Southeastern Theatre Conference, Inc., 1175 Revolution Mill Drive, Studio 14, Greensboro, NC 27405. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without permission is prohibited.

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F

Fall is in the air, and this edition of Southern Theatre has playwriting and inclusivity at its heart. If the lingering pandemic has you looking for ways to rebel against the past, you’ll find help in expanding your personal aesthetic toward plays, playwrights, and practices outside the standard Eurocentric canon in the pages that follow.

Continuing our focus on concerns raised through the Black Lives Matter movement, this edition includes two stories by Sharrell D. Luckett, founder of the Black Acting Methods Studio, that include information designed to help white instructors, directors and other theatre practitioners cultivate anti-racist organizations: best practices for creating inclusionary classrooms and best practices for anti-racist auditions.

Inclusionary casting is also the topic featured in our column “Words, Words, Words…” Derrick Vanmeter reviews Casting A Movement: The Welcome Table, a book edited by Claire Syler and Daniel Banks that includes 21 essays exploring cultural concerns in casting people from Black, Middle Eastern, disabled, multilingual, Native American and Asian communities.

Our regular “Hot off the Press” column addresses another issue related to diversity and equity – the small number of works written by Black and Brown playwrights that are produced in theatres across America. Zackary Ross shares five recently published plays by writers of color for consideration in your next season.

Playwriting is spotlighted in the fall magazine because we feature the winning play in SETC’s annual Charles M. Getchell Award competition. This year’s winner, 28 Light Years From Now, explores mother-daughter relationships. An excerpt is available in this issue, and the entire play is on the SETC website. Rachel Bykowski, the winning playwright, shares her thoughts on playwriting – and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic – in an interview with Laura King.

Have you ever dreamed of adapting a favorite book or film into a musical?

David Wohl has the inspiration you need to get started. He shares the stories of two groups of adapters who did just that. Think you know a lot about musical theatre? Wohl invites you to test your knowledge in the quiz on Page 23.

Finally, we turn to technical matters in our “Outside the Box“ column, which features innovative, cost-effective design/tech solutions. Christopher Simpson details how his team created an inexpensive and realistic fire effect using a process he has dubbed the “Humid-A-Fire.”

During times of crisis, art finds a way. Theatre – storytelling as old as humanity itself – can happen anywhere and with anyone. As we continue to reimagine our art form, let’s welcome new voices with stories to share. We all need the outlet that theatre can provide as we navigate this world together.

Maegan McNerney Azar, SETC President Fall 2020 x Southern Theatre x 5

outside

the box DESIGN/ TECH SOLUTIONS

Need to Create a Realistic Fire Effect?

BUILD A ‘HUMID-A-FIRE’

by Christopher Simpson

S

pecial theatrical effects can be so much fun to work on, but they can break the

budget if you aren’t thinking imaginatively.

Among the most challenging are those that incorporate the element of fire. Trying to create a simple, inexpensive fire effect VanderVeen Photographers

without the use of an actual fire requires innovative thinking.

While I was the technical director at Triad Stage in Greensboro, NC, we faced that challenge on a production of Other Desert Cities. Scenic designer John Coyne had designed an open-faced fireplace in his post-modern set, and he wanted a fire effect. The show called for the fire to be as realistic as possible. The audience was situated so close to the stage that a cheap fire

The ‘Humid-A-Fire’ is shown in action on the set for Deathtrap, presented in 2015 at Triad Stage in Greensboro, NC.

effect wasn’t going to provide the production value that was expected.

Materials Needed

Initially we discussed the possibility of

using an actual gas fireplace and researched the hoops we would have to jump through with the local fire marshal. However, after talking with the theatre’s production manager, pricing the hardware and gas supply, and looking at the overall safety concerns of

$10

(1) 1½" PVC connectors

10

(1) 1½" flexible hose

10

(2) PVC inserts that go into the top of the humidifiers

6

(2) Nursery / baby humidifiers ($40 each)

80

(1) Strip of RGBA LED tape (preferably waterproof LED)

80

Powered by the RC4 wireless dimmer with the flicker effect engine

a gas log fireplace, we realized we needed

(in inventory)

to be more creative and find a cheaper solution to this challenge.

Our answer: the ‘Humid-A-Fire’

(1) 1½" PVC pipe

499

(1) Small fan with a low setting

20

(1) Can of flat black spray paint

4

Assorted collection of burnt fire logs. Can be painted if needed.

Prop master Eric Hart, master electrician

Just slightly burnt, still need the inside integrity of the logs to hold up.

Liz Stewart and I combined efforts to create an effect that would go past expectations for

0

Total: $220 (plus $499 if you need to purchase the wireless dimmer)

this production. We found our inspiration in a video that Eric had seen online, showing a humidifier being used to create not

production, Deathtrap, a year later.

Take the 1½" PVC pipe and drill ¼" holes

just the look of flames but also of smoke

We have named our system the “Humid-

spaced ½" apart from each other. The length

coming out of the flames. After watching

A-Fire.” Here’s how you can recreate this

of the pipe you use will differ depending

the video, Eric, Liz and I tested a variety of

same effect in a production, using the

on the size of your fireplace and the scope

materials, dimensions and lighting effects

materials detailed above.

of the fire effect you are creating. Our fire-

to achieve a realistic fire effect. The result-

Start with the PVC

place used 18" long pieces, and this length

ing fire effect in Other Desert Cities was so

worked well to concentrate the humidity.

successful we used it again for another

can clean, prime and glue the PVC pieces.

6 x Southern Theatre x Fall 2020

Locate a well-ventilated area where you

Once you have drilled your holes, attach

STEPS TO CREATE THE HUMID-A-FIRE EFFECT Above, left to right: 1. Assemble the PVC and add two humidifiers.

2. Place the waterproof LED tape and the wireless dimmer.

3. Position the burnt logs to obscure the fire rig.

4. Test and adjust placement of logs, lights and humidifier tubes.

Left: The completed fire effect is shown on the set at Triad Stage.

If possible, make access to the humidi-

circulation will give the look of flickering

the PVC cap at one end. Drill a ¼" hole at

the bottom of the PVC cap so that the mois-

fiers easy so you don’t have to disassemble

fire that you are trying to achieve.

ture that collects can escape the PVC tube.

and reassemble this effect each time you

Failure to do this will cause the tubing to

need to refill the water reservoirs. For our

spray paint to turn your fan black. Any fan

fill with water and hinder the humidifiers’

production, the humidifiers ran a few days

should work as long as it has a low setting

ability to pump into the PVC pipe.

without having to be refilled. How often

and has a cone or tunneling effect. The fan

Connect the 1½" flexible hose to the

you need to refill will depend on your

I used was the Vornado Flippi V6 Personal

other end of the PVC tube. Then connect

show’s run and the amount of time the

Air Circulator, which I purchased at Target

the flexible hose to the PVC “T” connec-

effect is used. You also need to plan for the

for about $20.

tor. PVC attachments are recommended,

condensation that will come out of the PVC

Final details

but hose clamps will also work. Use addi-

cap; it will be more than you imagine.

To complete the fireplace, add a few

tional lengths of 1½" PVC pipe to attach the

Add light and fan the flames

more burnt logs and pieces around the

“T” connector to the two 90-degree PVC

Next, assemble your burnt logs in the

perimeter to add to the believability of the

elbows. These cuts determine the spac-

fireplace, leaving enough room for the

fire. Don’t add too many or you will change

ing between humidifiers. The humidifiers

PVC tube to breathe. Lay the PVC tube in

the flow of the “flickering” effect. If you can

should be spaced as close as possible, so

the middle of the logs and attach the LED

conceal a small fixture, consider placing a

there is less distance for the steam to travel.

strip as close as possible to the ¼" drilled

birdie or small PAR above the logs to give

The last step of the PVC assembly is

holes using zip ties. Connect the wireless

an all-around “glow” on top of the logs.

to attach PVC inserts that will fit snugly

dimmer to provide power and control.

Cost-effective, realistic-looking fire

inside the tops of the humidifiers. These

inserts may vary depending on the kind of

you can’t afford that, wrap non-waterproof

insert will create lifelike flames that will

humidifiers you purchase.

LEDs with plastic wrap to protect the

leave your audience wondering if real fire

Prepare the humidifiers

equipment and provide a longer lifespan.

was used. For very little cost, you can have

For this project, I used two Safety 1st

a safe and professional-looking fire effect

Cool Mist Ultrasonic 360 Degree Gentle

PVC tube in place, the humidifiers blowing

Nursery Humidifiers, which I purchased

and the LEDs secured, add a small fan to

from Target for about $40 each. When work-

make the steam flicker. It may take some

ing with this effect, you will need to verify

time to find the perfect placement and

with your electrical department that you

the best fan speed. You are looking to just

have power supply for two humidifiers, a

barely move the steam as it pours out of

small fan and the LED tape and dimmer.

the PVC holes; too much airflow will cause

Once your PVC inserts are secured

the steam to dissipate. The right amount of

Waterproof LEDs are recommended. If

Once you have the logs assembled, the

Try to use a black fan, or use the can of

When assembled correctly, this fireplace

that will complement any production. n

Chris Simpson is the technical director at Flat Rock Playhouse, the State Theater of North Carolina. He helped create this effect while serving as the technical director for Triad Stage in Greensboro, NC.

snugly inside the top of the humidifiers, test to ensure there are no leaks that will allow steam to escape. Once everything is in working order, use flat black spray paint to paint the PVC and humidifiers so they disappear when the burnt logs are placed.

Do you have a design/tech solution that would make a great Outside the Box column?

Send a brief summary of your idea to Outside the Box Editor David Glenn at djglenn@samford.edu.

Fall 2020 x Southern Theatre x 7

Best Practices to Make Theatre Classrooms

INCLUSIVE

Dickerson Arts

by S h a r r e l l D. L u cke t t

W

“White people seem paralyzed,” I said to a colleague. “What?” she asked. “Some of them seem confused,” I continued, “and I’m not sure why. We’ve given them so much information during these online sessions about anti-racism and inclusion in the arts, but they still seem unsure of where to start.” She responded, “Yeah, I hear you. They need to start somewhere, though.” I agreed.

As the owner of the Black Acting Methods Studio,

taking notes and even relinquishing space for others

an entity that specializes in the training and artistic

to speak. Consequently, the Q&A portion of these

well-being of Black actors, I’ve watched as the 2020

online events further affirmed that many white

iteration of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement

theatre makers understand that anti-racist actions

caused my inbox to overflow with inquiries from

and accountability must happen, and they must

“well-meaning” white theatre folks, essentially asking

happen now. If they don’t realize anything else, white

how they can be better instructors for Black and

theatre practitioners now realize that they are out of

Brown students in academic and professional spaces.

time.

Common questions ranged from how to

incorporate our book, Black Acting Methods: Critical

was the noticeable theme of white instructors not

Approaches, in their classes, to how they might train

knowing where to begin the undoing of racism and

with us, to how they might change their audition

implementation of re-education. For instance, during

processes so they are not negatively affecting the

a session with Dr. Jonathan M. Lassiter, the Studio’s

mental health of Black students. Simultaneously,

in-house licensed psychologist, a white person

Black and Brown students began to seek refuge from

asked how to incorporate mental health practices in

intolerable, racist environments by attending our

their classroom. During another session with Kashi

trainings and workshops.

Johnson, Hip-Hop Theatre pedagogy pioneer and

Indeed, the racial climate of summer 2020

Studio associate, a couple of audience members

amplified the work of several Black theatre groups,

wanted to know ways that they could combat their

including Black Theatre United, Broadway for Black

fears of teaching Hip-Hop Theatre because they felt

Lives Matter, and Black Girls Do Theater. Amidst

it was outside of their realm of expertise. They were

BLM uprisings, talk-backs about political disarray

probably right.

and black-outs to amplify Black voices, Black

In short, these seemingly innocent questions

theatre students and professionals are collectively

highlight the skill and degrees of training required

speaking their uncensored truths to white theatre

to teach culturally diverse students. Implementing

constituencies, even at the expense of being further

mental health practices, teaching Black acting

marginalized in a field that already undervalues them.

methods or presenting an entire unit on Hip-Hop

From the #weseeyouwat (We See You, White American

Theatre are actions that require lengthy training and

Theater) viral statement to public confessions about

pedagogical practice. Even though there is no Q&A

racist experiences in theatre, thousands of actors

long enough to include all of this training, there are

from all walks of life are demanding change.

certainly ways for instructors to begin to implement

In response to these demands, Black theatre

a cross-cultural harmony ethos in their theatre spaces

entities have seen an unprecedented shift in white

– ways that might fortify students’ mental health and

theatre folks’ consciousness about Black lives and

invoke Hip-Hop Theatre sensibilities of communal

wellness.

healing and self-actualization.

During the Studio’s hosting of several online

As is the case with many disciplines and

events and my attendance at other events, I witnessed

pedagogical environments, beginners should begin

conversations among Black people, Brown people and

at the beginning. White theatre practitioners should

white people discussing the change that is needed.

start to implement anti-racist and inclusionary

I witnessed tears, pain, laughter and silence. I also

practices “one bite at a time.” To this end, I’d like

observed a large number of white people actively

to share actionable, impactful, cost-efficient ideas

One of the big takeaways for me during the Q&As

Opposite page: Acting students at the Black Acting Methods Studio participate in an ensemble and focus exercise.

Fall 2020 x Southern Theatre x 9

to help theatre practitioners cultivate anti-racist,

sighted and did not reflect the voiced experiences of

inclusionary practices in their acting classrooms, on

Black and Brown people in theatre. And the phrase

their stages and in their audition halls. These ideas are

“good intentions” was finally put to rest, because

derived from the Studio’s Cross-Cultural Harmony

“good intentions” are no longer acceptable or

Training curriculum. As an entity deeply committed

appropriate to excuse oneself of racist actions.

to centering Black lives, we welcome conversations

For educators and theatre institutions that want

with those who serve and support Black artists, artists

to do better, a more useful approach might be to

who deserve an affirming and positive education in

craft an “Awareness & Accountability” statement

all spaces.

or a “Self-Reflection” statement. These statements

The following suggestions are by no means

should acknowledge the current racial climate

exhaustive, but all of them are solid starting points

and conversations around creating anti-racist

to begin the work of connection and healing across

environments. This statement can be brief or it can

cultures. Take what works for you, and feel free to

be lengthy. However, it is important that you do offer

share these suggestions with your colleagues as well.

a response to the current racial climate. Otherwise,

Above all else, please start somewhere.

you will be ignoring the “elephant in the room.”

1

10 x Southern Theatre x Fall 2020

Create an ‘Awareness &

Be transparent about your journey in anti-racist

Accountability’ statement

training and steps you plan to take now and in the

Until this summer, conversations around equity,

future to actively cultivate cross-cultural harmony.

diversity and inclusion had all but obliterated

Reflection and action should occur simultaneously.

conversations around racial justice. So, when many

predominantly white institutions (PWIs) swiftly

not be valid or accepted until a racist incident occurs

posted anti-racist statements to their websites in

in which you take swift, responsible actions to address

response to the BLM uprisings, these statements were

the incident and the impact of the incident on those

not well received. In fact, these statements were short-

who were harmed. This leads to my next point.

And please understand that your statement will

Fall 2020 x Southern Theatre x 11

but there is nothing that anyone can do to change the past. However, your swift response to the incident is critical. Your response reflects your values. What generally angers students is the lack of response or the downplaying of an incident from the instructor and the institution.

I recommend that you develop your own response

plan that you will follow, in consultation with your administration and students. You must develop a fair practice or system to deal with grievances in your space. You can even tweak it from time to time.

Photos by Dickerson Arts

This evolving plan should detail the actions that you will take when a student reports an incident or when a student tells you that you are the offender.

What will your response be? Develop your steps for both situations and implement them when incidents occur.

Acting students listen to a lecture on Afrocentricity.

2

When crafting your personal anti-racist policies,

you may find it helpful to consult the writings of It’s the response that resonates

leading anti-racist thinkers, such as Monique W.

As much as we don’t like it, culturally and

Morris (Push Out: The Criminalization of Black Girls in

racially offensive incidents will occur in our presence,

School) or Kobi Kambon (Cultural Misorientation).

whether we recognize them immediately or not. Of

course, students will be upset about the actual event,

– and your response to the incident is what resonates.

Again, understand that “bad” things will happen

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All plays are ‘race’ plays

Again, all plays are “race” plays. This year,

practice talking about race in plays that normally would not prompt a discussion about race. Commit to talking about the role of race in every production, scene and monologue. What was the racial climate when this play was written? How might race relations during a playwright’s life impact the reception and validity of the play? How does racial justice or injustice impact the world of the play, the characters, and their choices? Develop a habit of talking about race in every play.

And remember that race is strongly, but not always, connected to culture. One’s racial identity is typically connected to phenotypical features, whereas culture is cultivated over time and includes diverse symbols, meanings and modes of expression amongst the members of a group.

4

Magnify the riches of Africa, the Motherland

Greece. I strongly recommend acquiring and view-

Begin your theatre history lessons in Africa. Many

ing PBS’s Africa’s Great Civilizations, hosted by Henry

theatre books actually acknowledge that theatre

Louis Gates Jr. Endorsed by scholars from all over

began in Africa, but it’s often stated in a short blurb

the globe, Gates situates Africa as the birthplace of

at the beginning of the book and then we jump to

humanity, artistry and the sciences. Another great

Dr. Jonathan M. Lassiter, the Studio’s in-house licensed psychologist, facilitates a mental health workshop for actors.

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Fall 2020 x Southern Theatre x 13

resource is Stolen Legacy by George G. M.

on some of these methodologies and more

James, which was one of the first African

in the book Black Acting Methods: Critical

American books to be banned in America.

Approaches.

In this book, James convincingly details how ancient Greek philosophy is actually

6

7

Broaden your sources

Your syllabus and reading list reflect

your values. A large number of educators

Embrace students’

across the globe have affirmed the impact

perspective on their

of Black Acting Methods: Critical Approaches

experiences and emotions

in their classrooms. Therefore, I encourage

Add Afrocentric

Consider your students experts of their

you to add it to your reading list. This book

methodologies to your

emotions, even if you feel like you know

– for which I served as lead editor – includes

lexicon

better. Take your lead from them. Work to

contributions from more than two dozen

Learn the names of methodologies

find them culturally responsive material,

Black directors, scholars and actor-trainers

from non-white cultures and speak of

but if for some reason they still prefer to

who detail their Afrocentric processes and

them whenever you are discussing acting

play white characters or only direct white

methods. Reviewers from Anne Bogart to

theories. Make this a habit. Even if you

plays, let them do so. Ultimately, these

Kenny Leon have described it as a “must-

haven’t read about these methods, knowing

students have been made to feel like a

read” book. The introduction of the book is

about them and publicly naming them is a

huge problem in theatre programs across

a solid place to start your journey toward a

starting point.

the nation, and each student’s trauma is

more inclusive classroom as it situates the

Some Afrocentric performance meth-

different. Trust your students and give

work and the interventions being made. n

odologies include: Barbara Ann Teer ’s

them their space.

Teer Technology of Soul, Frank Silvera’s

You also might consider reading

American Theatre of Being, Aku Kadogo’s

“When the Students Have Notes for

Kadogo Mojo, Tawnya Pettiford-Wates‘

the Teachers” by Ciara Diane, which

Ritual Poetic Drama with the African

includes links to racial equity demands

Continuum, Cristal Chanelle Truscott’s

of theatre students across the U.S. This

SoulWork and my own methodology,

story is posted on the American Theatre

The Luckett Paradigm. There are chapters

website.

“stolen” African philosophy.

5

Sharrell D. Luckett, PhD, is executive director of the Black Acting Methods Studio, a virtual and mobile training company.

She is also director of the Helen Weinberger Center for Drama & Playwriting and a professor of drama and performance studies at the University of Cincinnati.

theatre.indiana.edu Nationally Recognized Faculty Member of URTA & USITT NAST Accredited Professional Summer Theatre

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Acting, Costume Design, Costume Technology, Directing, Dramaturgy, Lighting Design, Playwrighting, Scenic Design, and Theatre Technology

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14 x Southern Theatre x Fall 2020

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Best Practices for Anti-Racist Auditions

A

by S h a r r e l l D. L u cke t t

Audition rooms are vulnerable spaces. Actors come to share their talents and gifts with others in hopes of landing a job. Black actors have for many years spoken out about racism and offensive incidents that take place while auditioning – from being asked to “act more Black” to being asked to “sing more Black.”

And some casting agents have been known to get out of their seats and demonstrate the emotion or physicality that they are asking for: essentially a white person showing a Black person how to be “Black.”

As our theatres begin to reopen, casting calls will resume and we will be back in audition rooms again.

I’m hoping that this current racial and political climate will aid in creating significant change during auditions. Below I offer a few suggestions to help you prepare to audition your students, professional actors and performers.

1

Consider your assumptions

television shows constantly deployed racist images

Refrain from directing someone on their

of Blacks that were written by primarily white men.

culture. Stop telling actors to make something more

We all have consumed these devastating images over

“Black” or “Latinx.” Do not “show” actors how to

time, and we must work hard to undo the damage.

act their part based on your racial assumptions. Tony

Help your actors to feel confident about their per-

Award-winning actress Audra McDonald spoke

formance, trusting that they have worked hard to

about this recently on social media. She described

prepare for the audition. This leads to my next point.

casting agents asking her to “belt,” as if this is just an innate talent for Black women.

Accept what actors give you in the rehearsal halls.

Describe the emotion or the intent or the world of the

2

Critically analyze your casting notice before posting

Time and time again, characters and roles for Black

and Brown actors are described in a negative light.

Additionally, many times roles that call for darkerskinned Black actresses are described in a negative fashion, while roles that call for lighter-skinned Black actresses are described with more positive attributes.

Take care to describe only the traits and cultural facts that the playwright has offered.

Use “all actors welcome” sparingly. In recent times, “all actors welcome” has simply resulted in white directors giving Black and Brown actors an opportunity to audition and then casting white actors for the roles. Think more deeply about your goal of producing a particular play and how you might signal to actors what you are honestly looking for in each

Dickerson Arts

role in terms of race and other attributes.

3

Allow students to self-identify

Instead of casting students based on your

perception of their race, gender, body type and other qualities, make identity-exploration exercises

Sharrell D. Luckett works with Jeryl Pennyman on audition techniques.

16 x Southern Theatre x Fall 2020

play and accept what the actor gives you. Perhaps

a routine practice at the beginning of each semester

take a reflective pause before you give feedback or

or course. There are many exercises that students can

directions. Students do not have culture in them that

partake in that would allow them to reveal themselves

you can pull out or activate during auditions.

in ways that they are comfortable. For example, have

Remember that most of the images of Black people

students interview one another and share that data

in American theatre, early to contemporary films, and

with the class. Or, have students create a short poem

• Is my student of color the only actor portraying

about their values and beliefs. Some questions you

a nonhuman?

might pose to them during an activity are: How do you self-identify as an actor? What roles do you enjoy

playing? What actors do you see yourself as? What

an animal or inanimate object at all. However, if

role(s) would you like to audition for? You could even

all of the actors are playing nonhuman characters,

add these questions to your audition intake form.

cast Black and Brown actors in roles that are heroic,

4

Do not ask a Black person if their hair

positive and smart, while excluding them from roles

is really theirs

that are antagonistic, intellectually inferior or mute.

Refrain from asking Black actors about their hair

These casting conversations should not involve the students, nor should you ask the students their

unless it is a hair casting.

5

I recommend not casting an actor of color to play

Cast ‘fairy tales’ carefully

comfort level in playing a certain character. Often,

This note is directed primarily toward

students are impressionable and are simply hoping

secondary school theatre teachers who serve a small

to perform. The student may not be aware of the

number of minority students in a majority population.

implications of the role simply because they haven’t

In these types of settings, the instructor must remain

been exposed to the history or controversy that has

highly conscious and evaluative about what roles

surrounded it. The onus of the casting choice lies on

students of color are being cast in, especially when

the teacher and director. n

staging children’s theatre and fairy tales. If the play involves students playing animals or inanimate objects, one should ask: • Does this animal or object have negative historical and racial significance that should preclude me from casting a minority actor in this role?

Sharrell D. Luckett, PhD, is executive director of the Black Acting Methods Studio, a virtual and mobile training company. She is also director of the Helen Weinberger Center for Drama & Playwriting and a professor of drama and performance studies at the University of Cincinnati.

The text in No. 5 was originally published in 2017 in Youth Theatre Journal. [Sharrell D. Luckett (2017) “Staging race,” Youth Theatre Journal, 31:2 reprinted by permission of the American Alliance for Theatre and Education (AATE), www.aate.com]

Vastly different.

BA | BFA | MA | MFA | PHD theatre.ttu.edu

Fall 2020 x Southern Theatre x 17

MAKING A MUSICAL

The Art of Adapting a Book or a Film for the Stage

Joshua B. Williamson

by David Wohl

R

Robert Plant, lead singer of Led Zeppelin, is said to have improved on the old biblical maxim, “There is nothing new under the sun” by contributing the coda, “You just get a can of paint out.” If that’s accurate, musical theatre is proof positive that almost anything can be repainted and reformatted into a staged musical. Over the past 100 years, musicals have been made from original works as varied as straight plays, novels, magazine articles, movies, short stories and biographies. In fact, the five longest-running shows in Broadway history are musicals based on a novel, a play, a film, a collection of short poems, and two novels plus a film – in that order. (Care to guess those musicals? The answers are on Page 28, along with those to a short musical theatre quiz on Page 23.) No fair Googling.

If you’ve ever dreamed of putting your own “can of paint” on a work in another genre, this may be the perfect time to give it a try as the coronavirus pandemic keeps most of us shuttered at home. You can pick up some ideas on how to adapt a work from the processes described below, detailing the recent development of two musicals – one adapted from a film and the other based on a novel. Both deal with Appalachian themes and characters.

Coincidentally (and rather improbably), the source for each came from material created separately over 25 years ago by faculty members at a small, historically Black university near Charleston, WV. Both musicals were presented in the summer of 2019 by professional theatres in West Virginia.

Opposite page: Carrie Bishop (played by Allison McCartan) leads miners carrying her husband Albion’s body after his murder by a coal company guard in a scene from Storming Heaven: The Musical, presented at West Virginia Public Theatre.

THE ORIGINAL WORKS: WHERE THE STORIES BEGIN

Paradise Park, a musical produced in 2018 and

2019 by Theatre West Virginia, an outdoor theatre in the southern part of the state, and directed by Neil David Seibel, was developed from a regionally produced film directed and written by former West Virginia State University film professor Danny Boyd in 1992. Released directly to video, the movie was a romantic fantasy that focused on a small, rural trailer park in southern West Virginia and the challenges faced by its residents. The low-budget film featured such non-actors as country singers Johnny Paycheck and Porter Wagoner and WWE wrestling star Dusty Rhodes. Boyd wrote the musical adaptation with singer-songwriter Larry Groce, who also played the lead character in the film. Groce has hosted the nationally syndicated public radio show Mountain Stage for over 35 years.

Storming Heaven: The Musical, produced by West

Virginia Public Theatre in Morgantown, WV, in June 2019 and directed by Mia Walker, was

The original works: the film Paradise Park, released directly to video, and the novel Storming Heaven.

adapted from Denise Giardina’s 1987 novel

specifically on the 1921 Battle of Blair Mountain,

Storming Heaven. Giardina taught English and

the largest civil insurrection in United States history

other subjects at West Virginia State University and

since the Civil War and one that saw the U.S.

served as the university’s writer-in-residence until

government calling upon the military to put down

she retired in 2013. The novel is based on the coal

the uprising. The musical adaption was written by

mining wars that took place in southern West Virginia

Katy Blake, Peter Davenport, Tracy Lawrence and

in the early part of the 20th century and focuses

Flip Anderson.

Fall 2020 x Southern Theatre x 19

Lehman Engel, in his seminal 1972 musical theatre

neat one if it works – is to recognize what properties

text, Words with Music, noted that the practice of

contain the germs of useful ideas and then what needs

adapting musicals from works in other media “is not

to be accomplished in conversion. That is all; but it is

an evil one, nor is it new. The only ‘trick’ – and it is a

a mighty all.”

How did the adapters of these distinct West Virginia sagas – one a movie and the other a novel – find the “germs of useful ideas” that would transform them into musical theatre? The accounts are as different as the works themselves.

PARADISE PARK: TAKING A FILM TO THE STAGE

William Scott Hill (known as Scott) was in his 20s

when he and his mother attended the first screening of the film Paradise Park at the Civic Center Little Theatre in Charleston, WV, in 1992. At that time, Hill ran six retail pet stores in the state. During the next Photos by William Scott Hill

One of the trailer park residents, Man Will Work (played

by Kevin Stokes), sings “Something for Nothing,” a song that contrasts his pride with his humiliation, as his son (played

by Jeremiah Allen) looks on in this scene from Paradise Park, presented at Theatre West Virginia.

20 years, his gift of gab (Hill won second place in the 2009 Liars Contest at West Virginia’s annual Vandalia Gathering festival) – combined with his experience promoting blood drives and speaking at community events as a donor-recruiting representative for the Red Cross – led him into the field of promotion and marketing.

In 2013, Theatre West Virginia, a long-established

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outdoor theatre located 17 miles from Hill’s hometown of Ghent, was on the verge of bankruptcy. The Board of Directors had all resigned, and the 2014 season was

Governor Harless, the fictional governor of West Virginia (played

by Andy Woodruff), sings “Plates on a Stick,” expressing his frustration with his job and comparing it to juggling plates, in this scene from Paradise Park, presented at Theatre West Virginia.

in jeopardy. One of the theatre’s long-time supporters came to Hill and asked him if he’d consider running the company and reviving its fortunes.

“I said I didn’t know anything about theatre,” Hill recalled. “And he said, ‘That’s okay. They need a promoter.’”

Hill accepted the job, while recognizing that he knew a lot more about pet shops and the Red Cross than about theatre.

“When I first started at Theatre West Virginia, I could tell you plenty of things about a guppy, but not a whole lot about producing plays,” he said. “That first season was like attending a theatre university.

Rocket Boys, was made into the successful 1999 motion

I definitely learned about theatre – but also about

picture October Sky. Hill had never forgotten watching

thunder, lightning, bears and racoons!”

Paradise Park more than a decade earlier, and he had

invited its writer and director, Danny Boyd, to be a

Paradise Park the musical entered the picture as

a result of one of Hill’s other ventures. In addition

guest at the festival.

to serving as managing director for Theatre West

Virginia, Hill also promoted and managed the Rocket

recalled. “He got tired of hearing it from me, and he

Boy Festival, an annual celebration of West Virginia

told me that the film rights were for sale.”

native Homer Hickham, whose autobiography, The

Hill met with Larry Kopelman, a Charleston

“I told him that his movie was my favorite,” Hill

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Fall 2020 x Southern Theatre x 21

Scott Hill (above) bought the rights to Paradise Park while working at Theatre West Virginia.

“I thought, ‘Wait a second, I’m managing a theatre company. I own this movie. Let’s do something!’ ”

22 x Southern Theatre x Fall 2020

attorney who, at the time, owned the film rights, and

honest, I was never that enthusiastic about theatre,”

a deal was struck.

he said. “I was a film guy and really didn’t enjoy

“So, now I had the rights to this movie,” Hill

going to plays. But, moving to this medium, I’ve

recalled. “I thought, ‘Wait a second, I’m managing

found it totally liberating.”

a theatre company. I own this movie. Let’s do some-

The “nuts-and-bolts first step” for Groce and

thing!’”

Boyd was watching the movie together and making

Hill approached Boyd, the professor who had

decisions on what would work on stage and what

written the film, and suggested that he turn the script

needed to be cut or eliminated.

into a musical for the stage. Boyd talked to Larry

“At the same time, we looked for places where

Groce, who had collaborated with him on the film

there should be a song and places where there

version, and Groce agreed to write the music for the

might be a song,” Groce said. “Our ideas about

musical. The adaptation process began.

this, thankfully, were in basic agreement. We noted

One of the things Hill realized early on was the

many possibilities for songs. In the end, I wrote the

need to get out of the way and let the artists do their

possibilities that seemed absolutely necessary and

work. It was a learning experience for everyone

that most inspired me.”

involved.

Despite the fact that the film takes place within

“When we first did the movie back in 1992, we

a 24-hour period, Boyd knew he had to make

called it a ‘Hillbilly Opera,’ so it was, in some ways,

substantial modifications if he was going to turn it

already a musical – really a film with a lot of music

into a musical. And the script changed constantly

in it,” Boyd said. “So, we jumped into the idea, even

during the creative process.

though we knew we didn’t have any real familiarity

with writing for the stage.”

a lot of characters, but, overall, I don’t think there is

a whole lot that I miss from the movie,” he said.

Boyd ordered a playwriting textbook on Amazon

“We cut a lot of characters out, we had to combine

to learn what he could about writing for the theatre.

many stage directions to include.

“I was a screenwriter and film director and, to be

Boyd’s biggest adjustment was figuring out how

How much do you know about Musical Theatre Adaptations?

See answers on Page 28

1. Over a dozen Broadway and Off-Broadway musicals have been based on comics or comic strips. Name five “comic musicals” and match each to one of the following composers or lyricists: Charles Strouse, Johnny Mercer, Elizabeth Swados, Bono and The Edge, or Andrew Lippa.

2. It’s estimated that over 150 musicals have been produced on Broadway that were based on movies. Fourteen have won the Tony Award for Best Musical. Name 10 of them.

3. Shakespeare’s plays have always been ripe for musical adaptations. Some have been successful, some not so much. Name the five musical adaptations that enjoyed the MOST performances on Broadway and the Shakespeare play each was based on.

Bonus: What were the two Off-Broadway “Shakespeare” musicals that ran for more than 900 performances and what plays were they based on?

4. Name the three Broadway musical adaptations that won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the books they were based on.

5. Name the original title of the musical adaptation of Truman Capote’s 1958 novella, which closed after only four Broadway previews.

Bonus: Who were the two unlikely television stars who starred in this ill-fated musical? And who was the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright brought in for rewrites?

“When I wrote the first draft of the stage play, I

projects go, it just died.

overdid the instructions to the actors and director and

“Nothing happened for a long, long time,”

they all told me, ‘Dude, too much description!’” he

Giardina said. “And [in 2013], I got a call from my

said. “So, I’ve learned in later drafts to cut back on

agent saying that a couple of people – Katy Blake and

that!”

Peter Davenport – were interested in turning it into a

STORMING HEAVEN:

musical.”

A NOVEL BECOMES A MUSICAL

Blake, an actress and songwriter, grew up in

Giardina’s experience with the development

southwest Virginia, studied theatre at Virginia Tech

process was markedly different from Boyd’s because

and had been looking for a story that would reflect

she wasn’t directly involved in the creation of the

her interest in country music and Appalachian history.

musical based on her book. The novel Storming Heaven

A family friend had recommended that she read

had attracted some interest from film and television

Giardina’s novel, and it blew her away.

studios at the time it was published in 1987. David

“I read the book, and it really sang to me!” she

Wolper (producer of Roots) acquired the rights and

said. “I was hearing the sound of the music as I was

wanted to turn it into a TV mini-series but couldn’t

reading, and I thought, ‘This is it; this is the story we

raise the money.

had to tell and develop into a musical.’ ”

In the late 1990s, the television network TNT

Blake had met Davenport when they were both

bought the rights to the book, and John Frankenheimer,

performing in a short-lived Off-Broadway musical,

the director of such films as The Manchurian Candidate

and she knew that she wanted him to collaborate.

and Birdman of Alcatraz, was set to direct. He died

Davenport, a native of Michigan who had played

before the project could proceed, but a script was

lead roles in Broadway touring companies, jumped

written, which Giardina describes as “horrible.”

at the chance to work on a project with Blake.

“It was completely stereotypical – hillbillies on the

Peter Davenport, co-writer with Katy Blake of Storming Heaven: The Musical, notes that they found it important to draw from the novel by Denise Giardina, focusing “very specifically on the language and the culture, the people of West Virginia – there is such a musicality to the colloquial language Denise uses.”

They approached Giardina’s literary agent about

front porch with a hound dog and a jug of moonshine

developing a musical from the book. The agent

– and it went downhill from there,” she said.

described their adaptation idea as “a musical with

The TV script cut characters and completely

a happy ending” when she presented it to Giardina,

changed their story lines. Then, as many Hollywood

leading Giardina to picture something that would Fall 2020 x Southern Theatre x 23

play in Dollywood or Branson. The agent

We had to make cuts and condense. We

Editor: Scott Phillips to the stage is much more difficult than

conveyed Giardina’s skepticism to Blake

focused the narrative around one central

working with a film.

and Davenport, but they insisted on speak-

character (which does not happen in the

ing directly with Giardina.

novel) and tried to tell her story and reduce

the stage these days, and that may be a little

the plot timeline down to 2 ½ years.”

easier because the story has already been

and basically convinced her of what we

Giardina didn’t mind the cuts and

told using actors in a limited time frame,”

wanted to do and that we were the people

revisions. She knew a lot would have to

he said. “As a writer, you have to know

to do it,” Blake recalled.

change.

the forms you’re working in – whether

Their sincerity and respect for her novel

“A lot had to be lost – including a

it’s theatre or film. And you write very

were persuasive, and Giardina agreed to

number of characters,” Giardina said. “It

differently for different media. Adapting

give them a two-year option to adapt the

was like shrinking it down to size. But

this book for theatre, we have a captive

book into a musical: “I told them to go for

they’ve done an amazing job of keeping the

audience for 2 ½ hours and that includes a

it!”

high points, keeping the bones of the story.

15-minute intermission. You have to work

Turning a 300-page novel into a

They were able to focus on what was most

within that range.”

musical has its own set of challenges. Both

important.”

Blake and Davenport went through

Giardina and Davenport were aware of

The process wasn’t always easy for

Giardina’s novel chapter by chapter and

the difficulties. Blake was confident but

Giardina, who thought of her novel as “her

noted the most important events and

acknowledges that the process involved

baby.”

characters. They broke down the action,

plenty of changes and revisions.

“That was nerve-wracking for me,”

plot, characters, conflict, and, as Davenport

“When we were writing the first draft

she said. “I knew there was going to be a

puts it, “we also focused very specifically

of the script, we did try to stay a lot more

lot lost – but with each revision, I’ve been

on the language and the culture, the

faithful to the novel,” Blake said. “After

pleasantly surprised at how much they’ve

people of West Virginia – there is such

a reading we did with friends, we real-

been able to stay true to the story.”

a musicality to the colloquial language

ized that we were trying to do too much.

Davenport says that adapting a novel

Denise uses.”

“We took her out to dinner in Charleston

24 x Southern Theatre x Fall 2020

“So many movies are being adapted for

SONG, SONG, SONG:

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

and songwriters is to find those places in the

long passages or the character was getting

IN A MUSICAL

story where the moment is ripe – whether

to a very emotional place, we were like,

The most obvious difference between

from conflict or character motivation – for

okay – this is where the song is,” Blake said.

musicals and books or nonmusical films is

a song. If dramatic dialogue in a play is

For example, Giardina remembers

the inclusion of songs. Songs can move the

“language under pressure,” then a song is

a scene with the coal camp doctor, Doc

plot along, aid in character development

an example of that pressure being released

Booker, in Storming Heaven the novel.

and illustrate conflict.

musically.

Blake notes that the job of book writers

“Whenever we found ourselves writing

“I took several pages to give his back-

TIPS FROM THE ADAPTERS ON CREATING A MUSICAL FROM OTHER SOURCE MATERIAL The adapters of Paradise Park and Storming Heaven: The Musical share lessons learned and tips for writers and composers who might be thinking of creating a musical from other source materials:

DANNY BOYD, writer of the screenplay and the musical Paradise Park u If you’re working with another script or book, sit down with your songwriter and, together, “spot” the places where songs might fit. This may change later, but it will give you some preliminary ideas of pace and rhythm. And, in the back of your mind, be thinking, “Don’t say it – sing it!” u Be flexible and be willing to make changes during rehearsals. u Above all: Trust your director – their suggestions will almost always make the work better.

LARRY GROCE, songwriter for the film and the musical Paradise Park u Get intimately familiar with the original work. If you are adapting a work that you were not involved in creating, it will call for some serious commitment to the material. Do your best to try to stay with the story and spirit of the original work. u Find opportunities for songs to enrich characterization of the original work or even introduce theme elements that were not in the original work but are compatible with it.

DENISE GIARDINA, author of the book Storming Heaven u Adapters should consider they are adapting a work for a reason: On some level, the original worked.

Its integrity must be respected. u If you’re adapting something created by a living writer or artist, be nice, be respectful, and keep lines of communication open. Adapters should be aware that if the original creator feels the integrity of her work has been compromised, she may have the power to pull the plug when the option is up for renewal.

KATY BLAKE, co-writer of Storming Heaven: The Musical u Remember, if you are adapting a book or even a film to musical theatre, that live theatre has different challenges than film or novels. Film can jump in time and setting easily. Novels cover years and years in time and/or can give the reader insights into characters’ thoughts. If you write with that at the forefront and keep it in mind as you are structuring your story, you will avoid issues like impossible scene or costume changes or long passages of exposition with no action. u Work with people you want to be your family because once you start creating a piece, it’s like creating a baby. And the writers are the parents. So, even if you want a divorce, you still have to find a way to co-parent and do what’s best for your baby!

Fall 2020 x Southern Theatre x 25

26 x Southern Theatre x Fall 2020

story,” she said. “In the musical, Katy and

a particular expertise to the work, Blake

Peter wrote a song about it. He just sings his

said: “Flip and Tracy brought that country

story – a poor Black kid from Mississippi,

songwriting/storytelling style to the music,

walking to Washington, DC, putting

and Peter and I helped shape the songs to fit

himself through Howard University and

the needs of a musical theatre piece. In other

becoming a doctor – and it works well, I

words, in country music, a whole story can

think. It works as character development.”

be told in roughly three minutes. In theatre,

Giardina compares the songs in a

the music needs to forward the story plot

musical to Shakespeare’s soliloquys:

line from point A to point B. The great

“Just like in the real world, people don’t

thing about working with Flip and Tracy is

break out into song, they also didn’t

there is always a sense of collaboration and

go around talking to themselves and

shared ideas. Flip would usually come up

proclaiming verse in Shakespeare’s time.

with some chords, Tracy and I would hum

It’s the same kind of thing in a musical.

out some melodies, and we all would push

And it works.”

each other to get the best lyrics we could

In adapting Giardina’s novel, Blake

for the song we were working on at the

and Davenport did not tie themselves to

time.”

one particular musical genre. But they

Working on Paradise Park, Daniel

knew that the songs had to embody the

Boyd also found the music critical to the

spirit of Appalachia – a melting pot of Irish

characters’ development. He says Larry

and Scottish traditional ballads, African

Groce, the film’s musical composer, was

American blues, and, of course, country

a godsend: “Larry went much deeper into

music.

our characters with the songs he wrote.”

Blake had several connections in

Nashville, and that’s how she first became

blueprint for the musical, Boyd continued

involved with Flip Anderson and Tracy

editing the script and Groce began writing

Lawrence. Both men have had successful

songs.

careers in the recording and music

publishing business and were more than

was always to have the song replace pages

willing to collaborate with Blake and

of dialogue, and I often used words and

Davenport. Even before Giardina was

phrases from the script in the songs. I

approached, Blake had discussed the idea

always used ideas from the script.”

of writing a musical about coal mining,

An example of that, Groce said, is the

and the group had gotten together for a

governor’s song when he visits the trailer

couple of songwriting sessions. The work

park to make a pitch for his new economic

continued as Blake and Davenport started

development plan.

adapting the novel for the stage. All four

“It’s a fairly long scene in the movie

shared in the writing of the music for

because the park folks give him a hard time

Storming Heaven: The Musical.

and there is a good deal of back and forth,”

“In Nashville, it’s kind of an unwritten

Groce said. “In the musical, the governor

rule that whoever is in the room when the

does all the singing, but he incorporates

song is written shares the credit for the

their accusations along with his defenses.

songwriting,” Blake said. “The writing

It lightens up the scene but does not totally

credits for the songs as they are in the

disarm the anger of the crowd.”

musical now are broken down with that in

mind so there are some songs written by

Appalachian culture that wasn’t a focus in

Flip, Tracy and me, some by Flip and me,

the film.

some by Peter and me, and some by all four

“The best example of this is a song

of us.”

where a reclusive mother with an autistic

Each of the collaborators contributed

child fantasizes that her husband, who

After Boyd and Groce developed a basic

“As I wrote,” Groce recalled, “my aim

Groce also added some commentary on

has deserted her, comes back,” Groce says.

serving in the armed forces. The song he

“He explains that he didn’t really leave her,

sings is about how the hillbillies are the

but he and his son have both been away

ones who always fight the wars that ruling

THINKING OF ADAPTING A MUSICAL FROM OTHER SOURCES?

What You Need to Know About the Law

C

opyright laws are complex. So, before you dive into a project, you need to learn about the legal issues involved in adapting properties into musicals.

The U.S. Copyright Office has published a useful pamphlet, Copyright in Derivative Works and Compilations, Circular #14, which is available at www.copyright.gov/ circs/circ14.pdf. This document defines a derivative work as something “based on or derived from one or more already existing works. Common derivative works include translations, musical arrangements, motion picture versions of literary material or plays, art reproductions, abridgments, and condensations of preexisting works.”

The owner or owners of the original material or those who have obtained exclusive rights are, generally speaking, the only ones who have the authority to revise or permit another party to adapt their work. If you use copyrighted material without permission – just like performing a copyrighted play without permission of the owner of the performance rights – you are infringing upon someone’s intellectual property.

Here are three important legal “Do’s” to remember as you begin an adaptation:

1

Do spend time researching who has rights to the work and seek their permission.

Write to the agent, the publisher, the writer, the studio – whoever holds the rights to the work you hope to adapt.

2

Do wait until you have formal, written permission from the holder of the rights to begin your work.

Katy Blake, co-writer of Storming Heaven: The Musical, has close friends

who did an adaptation on spec and were later turned down when they requested derivative rights. A few years later, a very successful Broadway musical was produced from the original material – and her friends were left with nothing.

“I knew from that experience that, before we even started doing anything with

Storming Heaven, we had to get permission,” Blake said. “If you’re using source material – you MUST get the rights to develop it. Otherwise, you are spinning your wheels. You can put all this work into it, and nothing can happen.”

3

Do be careful with works you believe are in the public domain.

You generally are free to adapt works that are in the public domain – such

as those that were never copyrighted or whose copyrights have expired. This includes works by Dickens and Shakespeare, for example. However, translations, copyrighted revisions and other versions of public domain works may still be protected. Shakespeare’s The Tempest is in the public domain, but the Cambridge edition is not. Similarly, you can adapt Moliere’s The Misanthrope into a musical – but don’t use Richard Wilbur’s 1954 English translation without permission.

Looking for more information?

One excellent source of information on copyright in general and what is and is

not in the public domain is the website www.copyrightlaws.com.

Fall 2020 x Southern Theatre x 27

class leaders get us into. This theme was not really in the movie.”

Throughout his work on the music,

Answers

Groce sought out Boyd’s opinion.

“I tried to write the songs in the order

of when they came in the plot,” he said.

“As I would finish each, I’d send the lyrics

ANSWERS to questions in opening paragraph of story:

to Danny to approve or suggest changes.

The five longest-running plays in Broadway history are:

He never vetoed a song but, in a couple of

1. Phantom of the Opera, based on the Gaston Leroux novel of the same name.

cases, he asked me to include something

2. Chicago (the revival), based on the 1926 play by Maurine Dallas Watkins.

that I had left out. The entire process went

3. The Lion King, based on the 1994 Disney movie.

very smoothly.”

4. Cats, based on Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, a series of poems by T.S.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE ADAPTERS:

Eliot.

COVID-19 AND BEYOND

5. Wicked, based on the 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch

The creators of both Storming Heaven:

of the West by Gregory Maguire. Maguire’s novel was based on the 1900 book

The Musical and Paradise Park consider the

by L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and the MGM film adaptation.

musicals to be in the development stage,

ANSWERS to quiz on Page 23: 1. a. Charles Strouse – Annie OR It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Superman.

b. Johnny Mercer – Lil’ Abner.

c. Elizabeth Swados – Doonesbury.

d. Bono and The Edge – Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark.

e. Andrew Lippa – The Addams Family.

2. Nine, The Band’s Visit, Kinky Boots, Once, Billy Elliot: The Musical, Spamalot, Hairspray, Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Producers, The Lion King, Sunset

Boulevard, Passion, A Little Night Music, Applause.

and they have ambitious plans for their works. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has played havoc with those plans.

Katy Blake and Peter Davenport were able to extend their agreement with Giardina for an additional three years.

Before the pandemic paralyzed the arts world, Blake and Davenport were actively working with collaborators Tracy Lawrence and Flip Anderson on a concept album to

3. a. Kiss Me Kate, based on The Taming of the Shrew – 1,077 performances.

help market Storming Heaven: The Musical.

b.

West Side Story, based on Romeo and Juliet – 732 performances.

The album, which they had hoped to

c.

Two Gentlemen of Verona, based on Two Gentlemen of Verona – 614

produce in Nashville in spring 2020, is now

performances.

on hold – as are their hopes for another

d.

The Boys from Syracuse, based on The Comedy of Errors – 235

regional production in a bigger city.

performances.

They’ve been discussing further

e.

All Shook Up, based on Twelfth Night – 213 performances.

development of the musical with a licensing

agency but, as Blake pointed out in a recent

Bonus:

a.

The Donkey Show, based on A Midsummer Night’s Dream – 2,496

email, “Theatres have very few ideas of

performances.

how to present live theatre in the time of

b.

Your Own Thing, based on Twelfth Night – 937 performances.

COVID. Peter and I are continuing to hone

4. a. South Pacific, based on James Michener’s Tales of South Pacific.

and craft our story and script, and our hope

b.

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, based on the book of

the same name by Shepherd Mead.

c.

Hamilton, based on Ron Chernow’s Alexander Hamilton.

[Note: Some musical theatre historians point out that Fiorello!, winner of the 1960 Pulitzer Prize, was loosely based on Ernest Cuneo’s Life with Fiorello, although he was never credited.]

5. Holly Golightly, based on Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

Bonus:

TV stars: Mary Tyler Moore, Richard Chamberlain.

Playwright: Edward Albee.

28 x Southern Theatre x Fall 2020

is that once things open back up, we will be in an ideal position to get this show produced again and keep moving forward toward a Broadway production.”

The creators of Paradise Park are facing

similar issues. Danny Boyd’s agreement with Theatre West Virginia gives the company one-third ownership of Paradise Park – and until July 2019, the show could be performed only at Theatre West Virginia.

Boyd and his collaborator Larry Groce

produced a cast album of the 2018 Paradise

never proved and became known as “The

Park production at Theatre West Virginia

Business Plot.” Giardina hopes to complete

and were using that as a marketing tool

the play by the end of 2020.

until the COVID-19 pandemic shut down

most theatres. They had succeeded in

her novel into a musical has helped her

booking a production of Paradise Park for

become a better playwright, she believes.

late June 2020 in Charleston, WV (to be

“One of the things I love most about

produced by a local community theatre as

doing theatre is the collaboration,” Giar-

part of a 10-day annual arts festival), but it

dina said. “Other artists will see things

was canceled due to the pandemic. Boyd

that you never even imagined. There are

and Groce hope that it can be rescheduled

so many moving parts and so many people

for the summer of 2021.

that get to be responsible for different bits

They are currently collaborating on

and pieces of it coming together into a

a children’s musical, Miss Dirt Turtle’s

whole vision. You’re working with design-

Garden Club, based on Boyd’s experience

ers who create environments on stage and

over the past 10 years organizing a small

directors who describe through their art –

community garden in his neighborhood.

so you can let all of that go – and, for me, I

They hope to finish the play this fall. Boyd

can just concentrate on dialogue.”

also has completed a musical adaptation

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

of his science fiction comedy film Strangest

Dreams: Invasion of the Space Preachers

closed, dreams of creating new musicals

(released by Troma Entertainment in

from diverse source material remain

1990) with Charleston-based music

alive. Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney

composer Mark Scarpelli. It is scheduled

is at work on a musical adaptation of the

for production at the Alban Art Center in

film It’s a Wonderful Life. Other musical

St. Albans, WV, in spring 2021.

adaptations in the works for Broadway

Giardina has long had an interest in

include Archie, a musical based on the

theatre and has even acted in a handful of

Archie comic book; The Honeymooners,

community theatre productions. She has

adapted from the popular 1950s television

recently made the transition from writing

show; and Josephine, based on Stephen

novels to trying her hand as a playwright.

Papich’s biography of Josephine Baker. And

Her most recent work, Robert and Ted,

who knows what Disney will be adapting in

focuses on the relationship between U.S.

the years to come, as theatre returns to the

Senators Robert Byrd and Ted Kennedy.

stage? Perhaps Black Panther: The Musical?

She is seeking a theatre to produce it so

How about Star Wars?

she can collaborate directly with directors,

producers and actors to flesh out the play.

percentage of Broadway musicals will be

Giardina is also working on a play

based on previously written and visual

about historical figures General Smedley

media. Why invent the wheel if it’s been

Butler and John W. Davis. Butler was a

used successfully before? And how many

decorated Marine who later renounced

of us have said, at one time or another,

his past and became an outspoken critic

“Wouldn’t this make a great musical?”

of war and capitalism. Davis is the only

Perhaps it will. n

Closely following the process of turning

Even as the coronavirus keeps Broadway

One thing seems certain: An increasing

West Virginian ever to run for President (he lost the 1924 election to incumbent Calvin Coolidge in a landslide). After Davis left politics and became a Wall Street attorney, Butler accused him and others of leading a 1933 coup d’état to overthrow Franklin Roosevelt as President. The conspiracy was

David Wohl is professor and dean emeritus at Winthrop University and a past president of SETC. Recently retired, he lives in Kiawah Island, SC, serves on the local arts council, and is an occasional actor and arts consultant.

Fall 2020 x Southern Theatre x 29

2020 SETC Getchell Award P L AY W R I G H T

Getchell Award Winner Rachel Bykowski Explores the Bond Between Mothers and Daughters in 28 Light Years From Now Interview by Laura King

R

achel Bykowski (right) received the 2020 Charles M. Getchell New Play Award for her play 28 Light Years From Now (see excerpt, Pages 32-33). Bykowski was also last year’s recipient of the SETC/Stage Rights Ready to Publish Award for her play Rev. Born and raised in Chicago, Bykowski received her BFA in playwriting from The Theatre School of DePaul University and her MFA in playwriting from Ohio University. Bykowski’s plays have been produced and workshopped with companies and organizations across the U.S., including The National New Play Network at the Kennedy Center, Majestic Repertory Theatre, and Cock and Bull Theatre. A reading of 28 Light Years From Now, directed by Steve Burch, followed by a Q&A session with Craig Pospisil of Dramatists Play Service, was held at the 2020 SETC Convention. Below is an interview with the playwright about her Getchell Award-winning play and her experience as a working playwright.

LAURA KING: How did you come to

history. I was motivated to use these

My least favorite part of playwriting is

playwriting?

examples as inspiration for how I can

getting to that beginning. I’m a perfection-

RACHEL BYKOWSKI: At a young age,

expand my own voice.

ist. There are positives and negatives to

I found it easiest to get my thoughts in

Studying the actual craft and construc-

holding yourself to high standards, but the

order on paper. When I was six, I started

tion of playwriting came more into focus

negatives can be detrimental to your career.

keeping diaries and recorded the things I

during my time at Ohio University for their

As a perfectionist, I am often cautious – too

observed to try and make sense of them. It

MFA playwriting program. My professors,

cautious – about jumping into any new

wasn’t until high school, when I was intro-

Charles Smith and Erik Ramsey, were

play, new world and new characters. I tell

duced to the Drama Club, that I found my

instrumental in instilling within me the

myself that I need a better plan, a better

love of theatre. At first, I thought I would

appreciation and understanding of basic

inciting incident, a better conflict. I tell

be an actor, then that transformed into stage

play structure. As the saying goes, you need

myself the play is not worth writing unless

management. Finally, it was the introduc-

to know the rules in order to break them.

I get these issues resolved and the story

tion to my high school’s Speech and Acting

Because of my time at Ohio University, I

flows out of me succinctly.

Team (Forensics League to some) that

now feel prepared to construct a play as

So, I put off writing day after day,

cemented my love of writing and theatre

I see fit for its story. I know the rules and

still telling myself that it is not perfect yet.

into a passion. I owe a great deal of thanks

that gives me the power to twist and contort

It does not deserve to be written unless

to my coaches and fellow “speechies” for

them any way I like.

things are just right. Suddenly, perfection-

developing my early playwriting career. It

KING: What are your favorite and least

ism opens the door and in walks perfec-

was during these speech competitions I was

favorite parts of playwriting?

tionism’s best friend, imposter syndrome.

able to experiment with my writing style.

BYKOWSKI: My favorite parts of play-

Imposter syndrome makes itself right at

The Speech and Acting Team allowed me

writing are the very beginnings: when you

home by announcing, “Yes, what type of

to discover and articulate my writer’s voice

begin to see the world of a play appear on

a playwright doesn’t know how to start

at a very early age.

the horizon and the characters begin speak-

a play? It must be a really crappy play or

I began to focus on the actual study and

ing to each other without your prompting.

you must be a really crappy playwright.

history of playwriting during my time at

Their interactions are organic and fluid.

Either way, you probably shouldn’t write

The Theatre School of DePaul University.

Suddenly, I look up from my computer,

this play.”

My professors, Dean Corrin and Carlos

eight hours have gone by, and I’m staring

The thing is, every writer needs to

Murillo, encouraged me to push my

at 10, 30, 50 pages of human connection,

realize that the first draft (maybe even the

writer’s voice to its absolute limits. I was

love, pain, mistakes and lessons learned.

second or third) is, in fact, going to be crap.

introduced to theories, writers and plays

The rush you feel from letting the characters

But, we need to take time to redefine what

from all over the world and throughout

tell you their story is incredibly addicting.

“crap” means in order to kick imposter

30 x Southern Theatre x Fall 2020

How COVID-19 Has Affected My Work as a Playwright “Everyone handles this pandemic differently. If there are any playwrights out there who have found themselves unable to write during these times, it is necessary for them to know they are STILL playwrights. Writing is not just the physical act of typing words on a blank screen. Writing also means resting, healing, observing and digesting. With that being said, I have been doing much of the latter, and my playwriting has started to venture into the realm of sci-fi/speculative fiction with one of my newer plays. The pandemic has also made me think about the delivery of my plays. I am experimenting more and more with the creation of a new podcast play and adapting some of my earlier works to fit an audible format.”

- Rachel Bykowski syndrome out the door. When combating

ahead. Mother/daughter relationships and

perfectionism, I remind myself that “crap”

the friendships that become family are the

does not mean “waste.” When writing,

foundation to the overall construction of

“crap” means “uncharted territory.” Paths

my plays’ worlds.

will not make sense because no one has

KING: Do you have any particular influ-

created them. You have to get lost and

ences on your writing?

meet characters along the way that may

BYKOWSKI: For me, there is nothing

or may not be necessary to this story. You

better than Paula Vogel and Lynn Nottage.

have to step in small ruts that might twist

When I start to get lost in the weeds of my

your ankle and get your arms and legs

own plays, I turn to their works. There is a

scratched up by thorny bushes. But after

comfort to listening to their characters not

you machete your way to the end of your

get up on soapboxes, but share their vulner-

first draft, it might not be pretty, but you

abilities in conversations that reveal more

can turn around and see a clear path from

about the world through pure human

the beginning, to the middle, to the end.

interactions.

KING: What types of plays do you write?

Any particular ideas or themes you are

to Suzan-Lori Parks and Caryl Churchill.

drawn to?

The America Play and Far Away remain

BYKOWSKI: I write plays that explore

my favorite plays. There is something so

the many facets of the female identity. I

incredible about the specificity of the rules

am drawn to women and matriarchies.

of the worlds, the environment and how the

I love writing stories that explore how

characters speak that is haunting, dynamic

women are often “othered” by society. That

and just as much a character in these plays.

“othering” connects us to people who are

When a student walks into their first

also “othered” because of race, religion,

playwriting class, please postpone your

sexual orientation and identity. Despite the

teachings on Ibsen, Chekhov and Shaw.

“othering,” it shows how connected we all

Start with these two plays and watch your

are to fighting the same battles.

playwrights bloom.

I write from a middle-class perspec-

I think it is also important to mention

tive because “paycheck to paycheck” is

new, emerging writers you should have

the world that raised me. I love telling

on your radar. There are so many that

stories inspired by my own childhood

inspire me with their new works every

filled with families and friends who have

day (all found on the New Play Exchange,

“just enough” to survive, but they manage

by the way). Recently, I have been reading

to scrape together that extra centime-

Adrienne Dawes and Rachel Bublitz. They

ter that pushes them a little bit further

(Continued on Page 34)

When I need to push my limits, I turn

Fall 2020 x Southern Theatre x 31

2020 SETC Getchell Award P L AY

28 LIGHT YEARS FROM NOW

by Rachel Bykowski SYNOPSIS

CAST OF CHARACTERS

TIME

28 Light Years From Now is a play about mothers, daughters, regret and time travel. In 1942, Josie and Fran’s love is tested when Fran reveals she is leaving to help the war effort with the WAAC (Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps.) Josie, unable to move past her family’s painful history with war, deserts Fran and never speaks to her again, eventually hearing of Fran’s death in the war. Then, 28 years later, Josie receives a letter from Fran’s grown daughter, Annabelle, who found an old photo of Josie and her mother, who actually passed away only recently. Josie sets off to meet Annabelle, leaving her daughter, life and the present behind to revisit the past one more time as she attempts to fix her broken heart from 28 years ago.

PRESENT JOSIE: 47-48 years old, exists in the time of 1969-1970.

MADDIE: 20-21 years old, Josie’s daughter, exists in the time of 1969-1970.

ANNABELLE: 23-24 years old, Fran’s daughter, exists in the time of 1969-1970.

(The actor who plays Maddie also plays all of 1930s and 1940s Josie. The actor who plays Annabelle also plays all of 1930s and 1940s Fran.)

The play jumps between the past and present. The past is the 1930s and 1940s, and the present is 1969-1970.

FOR PRODUCTION Rachel Bykowski rachelbykowski@gmail.com rachelbykowskiplays.com © 2020 by Rachel Bykowski

32 x Southern Theatre x Fall 2020

SETTINGS The play takes place in: A secluded field in the Midwest during the 1930s and 1940s that is renovated into an industrial parking lot in 1969-1970.

Josie’s kitchen and Maddie’s bedroom in 1969.

Fran’s old bedroom in a small town a few miles outside of Anzio, Italy in 1969-1970.

The set pieces are minimal and should be easy to move on and off stage. The only room with a little more detail should be the bedroom in Italy. There’s a window frame draped with rose pink curtains and the bedroom should give off the hue of lavender.

For the most part, the stage should be fluid, like the space between time.

PRODUCTION NOTE Any time there is a letter in a projection, it signifies the letter was written sometime in the past. It could be a few days, weeks or months, or 28 years ago. When Maddie writes her letters, they are in the present and do not require a projection.

Stellar Nebula: A nebula is a giant cloud of dust and gas in space. The gas and dust are created when a star dies, explodes, and launches the gas and dust into space. From this violent death and sacrifice of one star, another star can be born.

EXCERPT SCENE ONE July 1942, in a clearing surrounded by dense trees.

It’s late at night and that’s a good thing because only the stars can keep secrets. 1942 JOSIE sits in the middle of the field holding a flashlight. She is dressed in her nursing uniform and is noticeably hot from the summer night. She has been waiting for quite some time. She might play with the flashlight’s beam to occupy herself; turning it on and off. Suddenly, a beam from another flashlight appears and startles 1942 JOSIE. She stays quiet and turns her flashlight on and off three times.

The other beam answers by turning its light on and off three times. 1942 FRAN enters carrying her flashlight. She is wearing an oversized jacket, far too warm for the July weather.

Silence.

The two stand in each other’s beams of light. They circle, moving faster and faster, as the gas and dust swirl tightly together.

(Note: // indicates overlapping speech) 1942 JOSIE: Where have you been?

1942 FRAN: To the stars and back.

1942 JOSIE: You said one or two nights.

1942 FRAN: It’s hard to tell time when you’re with the stars.

1942 JOSIE: I almost went home.

1942 FRAN: The stars were watching you.

1942 JOSIE: Staying out // until sunrise.

1942 FRAN: I hitched a ride on the first shooting star.

1942 JOSIE: It’s not like I have work // in the morning or anything.

1942 FRAN: I traveled at the speed of light to get here.

1942 JOSIE: I was worried. Those buses, they break down // all the time.

1942 FRAN: Nothing is more reliable than a star.

1942 JOSIE: I can’t wait for you.

1942 FRAN grabs 1942 JOSIE and plants a longing, passionate kiss on her lips. The stars burst to life.

1942 JOSIE: I thought about going to your parents1942 FRAN: -You didn’t!

1942 JOSIE: Well, that woke you up.

1942 FRAN: Josie…

1942 JOSIE: I didn’t.

1942 FRAN: I will always meet you here at our kiss.

1942 JOSIE: They’re going to meet me when we move in together.

1942 FRAN: Roommates…

1942 JOSIE: It’s a start. Realistic.

1942 FRAN: I want to keep dreaming.

1942 JOSIE: How’s your gram?

1942 FRAN: Fine. She was happy I came to see her. What lie did you tell your mom to let you stay out so late.

1942 JOSIE: I’m a 20-year-old woman, Fran. I don’t need to tell my maFRAN rolls her eyes as if to say, “Yeah, right.”

1942 JOSIE: …I told her you and Daniel broke up.

1942 FRAN: What!? Why the hell would you say that?

1942 JOSIE: I’ve been staying out ’til midnight for days. You want me to tell my ma, “Oh, Ma, Fran just wants to grab ANOTHER late-night coffee. Be back before sunrise.”

1942 FRAN: But why Daniel?

1942 JOSIE: People think the only reason girls meet late at night is to cry over boys. Daniel had to go.

1942 FRAN: But he was the perfect cover, Josie!

1942 JOSIE: We’ll make up another boyfriend for you. Or maybe, in a sudden turn of events, Daniel comes crawling back to you on his hands and knees. Saying how wrong he was for ever leaving you.

1942 FRAN: And I take him back?

1942 JOSIE: Of course you do! Did you not hear me say, “Crawling on his hands and knees…?”

1942 FRAN: That would never happen. I would NEVER take someone back after they left me.

Once you’re gone, then you’re gone for good.

Scorched earth policy, baby.

1942 JOSIE: Aren’t you sweating in that thing?

1942 FRAN: Oh, it’s okay.

1942 JOSIE: It’s over 80 degrees even at night.

JOSIE starts to playfully unbutton FRAN’s coat.

FRAN stops her.

1942 FRAN: What are you doing?

1942 JOSIE: Well, we are at the kiss.

1942 FRAN: Seriously, stop…

1942 JOSIE: What’s wrong?

1942 FRAN: Look, tonight is not like any other night.

1942 JOSIE: Okay…?

1942 FRAN: Tonight, Josie, tonight, we are going to travel through space and time.

1942 JOSIE: I don’t want to dream anymore. I want something I can feel.

1942 FRAN: You watch. I’m about to make this dream a reality. I finally see everything coming together. I see my future so clearly; I can touch it.

1942 JOSIE: You just started secretarial school.

I think you need to slow down.

1942 FRAN: About that…

1942 JOSIE: What? No… 1942 FRAN: Josie, please, let me explain1942 JOSIE: -You promised me.

1942 FRAN: I know what I // promised you1942 JOSIE: Nursing school. Two years! We helped each other through our programs for two years. Then, you tell me the week before you graduate you just, “Aren’t interested anymore.”

1942 FRAN: No. I said it wasn’t enough. What do you do as a nurse? You take care of sick people all day and for what? For another sick person to roll right in, and then another, and another? What kind of impact are we really making?

1942 JOSIE: We are healing people. Not everyone can do that. It takes a special gift to put someone else’s needs before your own.

1942 FRAN: I promised you whatever I did, I would make you proud.

1942 JOSIE: You know what makes me proud?

A steady paycheck!

1942 FRAN: Just listen, actually, no, look.

1942 FRAN takes 1942 JOSIE gently by the chin and directs her attention to the night sky.

1942 FRAN: Do you see it?

1942 JOSIE: I see stars.

1942 FRAN: Yeah, but one in particular…that one, right there, just left of the Big Dipper’s handle.

1942 JOSIE: It’s pretty.

1942 FRAN: It’s yours.

1942 FRAN gets down on one knee to propose.

1942 JOSIE: What the hell are you doing?

1942 FRAN: There are so many stupid reasons we can’t be together. Well, I say they’re all manmade laws. When you marry someone, you marry them in the eyes of the universe. So, no, I didn’t buy you some manmade ring, to fit in some manmade law I don’t give a shit about. I bought you an eye from the universe.

1942 JOSIE: You can’t buy a star.

1942 FRAN: Sure can! And I did! One of the girls in my class, her boyfriend is studying astronomy at some university. Anyway, she said all I had to do was give her ten dollars1942 JOSIE: -What?! Fran! Ten dollars! Are // you crazy?!

1942 FRAN: And she’ll pass it along to her boyfriend and then bam…a star.

1942 JOSIE: Sounds more like you just got swindled out of ten dollars.

1942 FRAN: Can you please just dream with me for a little bit?

1942 JOSIE: Give me something for when I wake up. Something real.

Read the entire 2020 Charles M. Getchell Award-winning play, 28 Light Years From Now, online at: www.setc.org/28-light-years-from-now

Are You a Future Getchell Award Winner?

SETC’s Charles M. Getchell New Play Award recognizes worthy new scripts written by individuals who live or go to school in the SETC region or by SETC members who live in or outside the region. Entries are accepted annually between March 1 and June 1.

The winner receives a $1,000 cash award and an all-expenses-paid trip to the SETC Convention, where both a critique and a staged reading of the winning play are held.

More info: Visit www.setc.org/getchell-new-play-contest

Fall 2020 x Southern Theatre x 33

(Continued from Page 31)

is set in the Alaskan wilderness, where a

are two playwrights with different writing

young girl learns to grow up fast and trans-

styles, but both create mesmerizing worlds

forms from the hunted to the hunter. The

and authentic characters that invite you

second play takes place in the near-distant

into their stories with their strengths and

future – my first foray into sci-fi. The third

vulnerabilities.

play is my experiment with putting a pod-

KING: What was your inspiration for writ-

cast onstage. Each play dives deep into the

ing 28 Light Years From Now?

absolute forbidden side of human nature.

BYKOWSKI: I wanted to write a story

They show how grotesque, depraved and

about mothers and daughters. I draw

deviant humans can become when our

much of my inspiration from my own

backs are up against a wall.

relationship to my mother. I feel the bond

KING: What’s your favorite genre to write

between mothers and daughters needs to be

in?

celebrated in stories. The lessons we learn

BYKOWSKI: If you were to look at my

and pass down from one generation to the

body of work, you would probably say

next are invaluable to the survival of our

drama. However, I really enjoy dark

traditions, secrets and legacies.

comedy. The absurdity of laughing through

KING: What’s your plan for the play now?

depraved, intense moments adds an ele-

BYKOWSKI: Finding a balance between

ment of sardonic honesty when we need

trimming the fat and specificity in the

it most.

moments. The play’s story and plot are

KING: What advice do you have for emerg-

in great condition. Now, it’s about getting

ing playwrights?

down to the lean meat of the play and

BYKOWSKI: Know your worth. I have

honing in on those abstract moments to

been a playwright for 10+ years, and it

make them more tangible through specifics.

is only recently that I have been jumping

KING: Last year your play Rev won the

into the deep end of “the business of

SETC/Stage Rights Ready to Publish

playwriting.” You need to advocate for

Award. What are some of the similarities

yourself. Advocacy includes recognizing

and differences between Rev and 28 Light

the time, talent and work it takes to construct

Years From Now?

a play. You cannot and should not be afraid

BYKOWSKI: Rev and 28 Light Years From

to enter into negotiations with theatres

Now are inspired by the question, “How do

who want to collaborate using your work.

women contribute to the legacies of their

Forget the cult mentality that teaches

families?” I feel that when we discuss lega-

“exposure pays the bills, and you need

cies, we often focus on patriarchies and the

to suffer for your art.” After 10 years, I

role of men continuing the family lineage.

can tell you it is complete bullshit. Talk

Why are women left out of these conversa-

to the Dramatists Guild and the New

tions when some of us are capable of form-

Play Exchange. Figure out your royalties,

ing life within our own bodies? I want to

flat fees and percentage of ticket sales,

contribute to the theatrical canon by adding

and come prepared with a contract. The

work that showcases matriarchies and how

“ask” for your work is only the start of

we as women share our stories for genera-

the negotiation. You are WORTH the

tions to come.

negotiation. Your work is WORTH it. n

KING: Are you working on anything new now?

BYKOWSKI: Yes! I am in the middle of three new plays vying for my attention.

Each play examines how far a person will go to survive. All three of the plays are composed of all female-identifying casts. One 34 x Southern Theatre x Fall 2020

Laura King is a professional playwright, a member of the SETC Publications Committee and the chair of the SETC Playwriting Committee.

AWAKEN BROADEN SHARPEN

highpoint.edu/theatre

®

WORDS, WORDS, WORDS . . .

Editor: Sarah McCarroll

Words, words, words … [Hamlet II,ii] reviews books on theatre that have a connection to the Southeast or may be of special interest to SETC members. Sarah McCarroll, an associate professor of theatre at Georgia Southern University, edits this regular column. If you have a book for review, please send to: SETC, Book Editor, 1175 Revolution Mill Drive, Studio 14, Greensboro, NC 27405.

Casting a Movement: The Welcome Table Initiative Claire Syler and Daniel Banks, editors 2019, Routledge; routledge.com ISBN: 978-1138594777 Pages: 266 Price: $31.96 (paperback or E-book); $128 (hardback)

In what is possibly the best epilogue in

the collection, Donatella Galella contrasts the “color-blind” approaches of Twilight: Los Angeles 1992 and Hamilton with the more subversive approaches of Soft Power and Vietgone. An afterword by Banks helps the seven parts converge and interact, highlighting common themes found throughout the essays. Lastly, a thorough

by Derrick Vanmeter

index provides a quick reference for terms

C

used throughout the volume. laire Syler and Daniel Banks’ edited

volume of essays, Casting a Movement:

audience because of its flexibility. For the

Casting a Movement is valuable to a broad

The Welcome Table Initiative, is a must-read

most part, the text is quite accessible. Varied

title for any theatre professional, educator

tones and styles maintain interest from

or student. The vibrant and stylishly

essay to essay and illustrate the beauty of

designed cover reflects the richness of

multicultural engagement. Educators will

information within. Building upon the

find the essays quite relevant in a variety of courses, even those unrelated to casting.

ideas set forth in Banks’ 2013 article “The Welcome Table: Casting for an Integrated

historical examples, deconstructing the

Artistic directors and casting agents will

Society,” the 21 essays address critical

idea of “traditional casting” as primarily

find the case studies particularly helpful as

issues of representation in seven distinct

Eurocentric. The article also notes contem-

they develop anti-racist initiatives in their

parts. Rather than serving as a simple “how

porary examples of companies that have

own theatres. Students will be inspired to

to achieve diversity” handbook, each of

committed to integrated and anti-racist

continue this dialogue as they enter their

the seven parts is structured as a dialogue

casting. The seven dialogic parts that follow

careers. Along the way, the text references

consisting of a prologue, a case study and

explore specific cultural concerns for Black,

playwrights, plays, theatre companies and

an epilogue.

Middle Eastern, disabled, multi-lingual,

books for further exploration.

Case studies, which provide distinct

Native American and Asian communities.

The conclusion of Casting a Movement:

practical insight, were distributed to the

Part 4 presents a fascinating case study

The Welcome Table Initiative is not an ending,

authors of the prologues and epilogues to

about the development of a multi-lingual

but a beginning. Readers will walk away

create conversation among the three essays.

production of The Orphan Sea by Caridad

inspired to interrogate their own theatrical

The prologues, which range in format from

Svich. Infusing poetry, dance, song and

practice, engage in conversation with other

poems to brief essays, introduce ideas spe-

story, the production explored immigrant

theatre makers, and seek to create theatre

cific to the section. The epilogues contex-

experiences through the myth of Odysseus

where all have a seat and a voice at the

tualize the case studies and provide addi-

and Persephone in multiple languages

table. n

tional analysis and insight. This structure

simultaneously.

prompts the reader to engage in dialogue

with the text and their own work to create

– a theatrical partnership with the Autry

a more equitable, inclusive practice.

Museum of the American West – pulls at the

The book begins with Banks’ original

tension between authentically presenting

article published in Theatre Topics. Banks

Native American identities and employ-

interrogates casting terminology such as

ing practical models to decolonize theatre

“non-traditional” and “color-blind” with

making.

36 x Southern Theatre x Fall 2020

An essay on Native Voices at the Autry

Derrick Vanmeter is an associate professor of theatre design at Clayton State University in Morrow, GA, and a member of SETC’s Publications Committee. His research interests include inclusion strategies for marginalized voices in theatre.

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