Marsha Norman Gets It Right

(h/t adam)

Marsha Norman in the NYTimes:

Finally, at least for this go-round, I like what this play represents: a life-long association of a writer with a group of actors and a theater. This is why Shakespeare wrote so much, he had a whole gang of actors waiting to do his work. Go down the list — the writers who wrote a lot of wonderful plays were always associated with a community of actors they could write for: Shepard, Chekhov, Brian Friel, Alan Ackbourne, David Mamet, Lanford Wilson, Caryl Churchill, Richard Foreman, Wendy Wasserstein. Playwrights who live apart from theaters and actors have a lot of trouble getting their work done. Playwrights need to be around actors, need to be a part of a theater’s life.

It is worth noting that Mr. Letts began his theatrical life as an actor. Plays by actors tend to have lots of crazy stuff in them, and whatever else they’re about, they’re always about how much fun it is to be on the stage. “True West” springs to mind here. But this sense of fun is something writers with no acting talent can catch. And it’s definitely something the audience likes. We could use more things happening in the theater, and fewer plays where people sit in chairs and talk.

If we wanted to do one single thing to improve the theatrical climate in America, we’d assign one playwright to every theater that has a resident acting company. People wonder why so much great work came out of Actors Theatre of Louisville in the early days. I was there, so I know it was simply that you had everything you needed: actors who wanted to work, empty stages ready for plays and an artistic director who gave everybody a chance to do whatever they wanted as soon as they could think of it. Playwriting in America has suffered a devastating blow from the development process that keeps writers separate from the rest of the company, working on the same play for years. What playwrights want is what Steppenwolf has given Mr. Letts: a way to get a new play done, see what works, and then go on to the next one. “August: Osage County” is way more than a wonderful play. It is how we get back to having American plays on Broadway. We get them written for actors who want to do them, then producers get on board and start selling tickets.

I think it's almost impossible to put too fine a point on that first paragraph that I quoted.  This was something many people brought up at the Directors Lab when I was working for it: historically, great (and even good!) writing frequently comes from being written for specific people to play it. Caryl Churchill, Shakespeare, Sam Shepard, Chekov all had specific actors they wrote for.  I remember Simon McBurney saying once that when he was directing Measure for Measure part of his research was to find out who originally played the Duke and whether anything was known about him as an actor (it turns out he was famous for his skills as a vocal chameleon).

I also say this because with any luck I will soon be directing a play that was specifically written for the actors who are in it.  It is only my second time doing so, and both times I've found the energy in the room is quite different.

And of course, while we're at it, we should also just mention how this connects to points that have been made all over the place recently about the outsourcing of actors in the regional theater model.  Writing for specific actors requires spending time around them.  Now, many actors who work regionally but are based in New York work at the same theater multiple times and have a history that can be taken advantage of, true. At the same time, however, the more actors who are based in New York the more it becomes necessary as a writer to be based there, the harder it becomes to live elsewhere as an actor and the system perpetuates itself and grows more and more problematic. Which is why Norman's thought that "If we wanted to do one single thing to improve the theatrical climate in America, we’d assign one playwright to every theater that has a resident acting company," is really appealing to me, especially if we paired it with more funds for developing resident acting companies.

Hey, a guy can dream, right?

Comments

[freeman]

I have to say, not too make this too, too personal, but this has been my experience thus far in New York. I've been incredibly lucky to work with Gorilla Rep and Blue Coyote for the time I've lived in the city, and worked consistently with a pool of actors and directors that I know and can consider when writing my plays. It helps me focus, motivate, frees me to be creative as well as grounded. Certainly, there will be additions and subtractions, new actors, new designers, new people to work with... but there's a core group that I think I do write FOR.

I see this actually all over the smaller theaters in New York. Certainly over at the Brick Theater there's a core "team" even if it's not officially set up that way. There are core talents that are acknowledged (directors, writers, etc.)

I'd guess that this is the experience of plenty of writers on the Off-Off, Off-Loop and Fringe scenes.

[Brian Silliman]

You know, I was just going to write to you and see if you saw that article. I read it this morning.

As a writer, I'd take a group of dedicated actors (and a director) who want to do my plays over critical raves or awards any day of the week.

BTW, if they decide to send writers all over the country as Marsha Norman suggests, can they send me to Hawaii?

[Joshua James]

I have a large pool of actor friends, and frequently write roles for them . . . the frustrating thing comes when I come into another company and they put their actors in rather than mine, and often their actors don't get what I'm doing, because they don't know my work.

I understand why companies do that, sure . . . but neither do they invite me in to work with their actors . . . generally they want the play and not me, so I'm left with my people and they're left with theirs and the play suffers in between.

[Tony]

Writing for actors gives vastly different plays than writing for the writer. More writing for actors is better for theatre.

[Scott Walters]

Thanks, Isaac. I've added a link to my Tribal Theatre Resources website.

[David Moore]

I count myself among the lucky few playwrights who have the great fortune of working within two theatrical organizations that are committed to the development of new plays. As an ensemble member of Stage Left Theatre (one of four ensemble playwrights) and as a resident playwright at Chicago Dramatists, I can say for certain that, YES!, it makes a huge difference to be able to work repeatedly and consistently with a group of talented actors, directors and even administrators.

The advantages? "All of the above." Yes, to the intimacy of writing for a particular actor or ensemble. Yes, to the development, over time, of a verbal and physical shorthand that enables quick feedback and response. Yes, to trust. Yes, to being able to pick up the phone or send out an e-mail to gather a great company of experienced artists to read your work out loud, or workshop a tough scene.

I would encourage every theater group, large or small, established or emerging, to create playwright residencies or to invite playwrights into your ensemble, even if you think you're a primarily actor-driven or director-driven company. The benefits to all are immeasurable.

[Ken]

A wonderful post. What more can you say? Writers need easy access to actors and directors. The first action taken after writing something should be to put it into an actor's hands, not a manilla envelope addressed to a theater you've never been to, and a literary manager you've never met.

[RLewis]

I just want to 2nd what Ken said above. I mean, I'm surprised at the number of scripts that are sent to my company from folks who have never seen one of our shows or even know what we do. In our 15 years I don't think we've ever produced the work of a playwright who hasn't seen at least a couple of our productions.

You want your work put on at a specific theater, then become a part of that theater. And not the way Steppenwolf is today, but the way Steppenwolf was when it started out - in a church basement, or such.

[Bilal]

I had a play produced last year that I had been trying to write for three years before I met the actress who ended up playing the lead. And it's largely because I couldn't figure out how to write the vocal qualities and gravitas of that character until I actually met the woman who would end up embodying them.

Marsha Norman doesn't just hit the nail on the head, she builds the whole damn house.