[Cross-posted from Top of the Mountains.]
My play Snowstorm opened last night. With my last play I went to several of the rehearsals and runthroughs, so I had a fairly good idea walking into the premiere how the show would go. Not so this time.
I could’ve gone to both the rehearsals and the runthroughs, yes, but I wanted to see what it’s like to pull back all the way and let the director and the cast have full rein over the play. Cold turkey.
And all afternoon I felt precisely like a cold turkey. It was a month and a half ago that I submitted my script, and in all honesty I hadn’t looked at it since. I didn’t remember if the play was even any good. And the performance itself wouldn’t just be my script — it would be the script clothed in flesh and blood, brought to life. Words on a page are one thing; words on a stage, another. Anxiety rode piggyback in my gut all evening.
Having watched the whole show, though, I’m happy to report that it actually turned out really well. There are nine plays total (though three of them are pretty much the same play broken up into three parts), and mine’s the middle one, right after intermission. (Which meant I was almost too nervous during the whole first half to enjoy it properly. Luckily there are two more performances today. :))
The funny thing is that it’s been so long since I read the script that I kept thinking, “Oh, wow, they added that. And that. And that.” And I just went back and re-read the script and almost every line I thought they added was actually there in the script. Fancy that. :) (The cast and director really did do a great job with it, and they added some extra blocking that worked out wonderfully. I’m pleased.)
During the talkback session I realized that mine was the only play without some kind of deeper meaning. It’s pure fluff. Entertaining cotton candy. :) (Not that I think a little of that isn’t bad. My next play is about a girl who finds out she’s going blind, so I’m getting a nice mix of light and heavy in.)
Anyway, the nine plays run about an hour and a half, with an optional talkback session afterwards (which lasts around half an hour). If you’re in Provo and are free at 3:30 or 7:30 today, it’s at Provo Theatre Company (105 E. 100 N.) and is $5/person. And if you’re not free, that’s totally fine. :) (They’ll be recording the matinee today and I’m hoping I can get a copy and upload it so the rest of you can see it.)
In summary: it’s scary as heck to see your script acted out — I felt like a shaved poodle all afternoon and evening — but it’s so worth it. :)