Another good day –some hurdles, but small ones and some that
I don’t yet have to jump.
Half of writing is knowing when NOT to jump hurdles.
Anytime I look at this thing it seems pretty overwhelming…
So much to fit into 100 minutes and so many transitions and details that will
be lost in the translation.
The trick at this point is to not think of the details, but
see the bigger picture.
I’m structuring a story – not telling it.
Later, when
the first drafts start, it’s all about the details, but not now.
Now that I’ve settled into the idea of Cain and Macy as “narrators/stage
managers,” I spent some time working on a couple outlines. Just as an idea – the thought is Cain
and Macy coming into the abandoned town during the prologue. A playful
combination of characters in a scene interacting with each other, but addressing the audience as
well… the goal being to make their relationship a little mysterious and their
perspectives distinct.
I finally got in all 12 of my plays and will be filling the
cracks of time in my writing day with reading. I went through the prologue of
August: Osage County today and it’s pretty brilliant. I wasn’t a fan of the
movie, but I do admit that it’s hard not to see Meryl in every word. Though for
some reason I kept picturing Tom Skerritt instead of Sam Sheppard as Beverly.
Just to give you a little idea of how Our Town opens… and
what I’m thinking for in this approach with Cain and Macy.
STAGE MANAGER:
This play is called "Our Town."
It was written by Thornton Wilder; produced and directed
by A. . . . (or: produced by A. . . . ;
directed by B. ...). In it you
will see Miss C....; Miss D....;
4 ------ Miss E....; and Mr. F. ...; Mr. G....; Mr. H ....; and many others. The name of the town is Grover's Corners, New Hampshire-just across the Massachusetts line: latitude 42 degrees 40 minutes; longitude 70 degrees 37 minutes. The First Act shows a day in our town. The day is May 7, 1901. The time is just before
dawn.
A rooster crows.
The sky is beginning to show some
streaks of light over in the East there, behind our mount'in.
The morning star always gets wonderful bright the
minute before it
has to go,-doesn't it?
(He stares at it for
a moment) then goes upstage.
Well, I'd better show you how our town lies. Up here-
That is: parallel with the back wall.
is Main Street. Way back there is the railway station;
tracks go that way. Polish Town's across the tracks, and some Canuck
families.
Toward the left.
Over there is the Congregational Church; across the
street…
I’m making lists
of which characters Cain and Macy may play and then thinking about what people
and/or events we combine. For example, I think the birth scene and the news of
Dip’s death, gathering at the store, etc. will all be covered in Act I, Scene
I.
I imagine, Cain, as stage manager, stepping in to fill the
gaps and not being able to continue as he talks – Macy takes over so that’s
it’s clear that whoever they are, these are two people who protect each other.
A friendship forged in the fires of a difficult childhood.
For some reason, I see this protectiveness playing
throughout the play. Somewhere at the end, I picture a soldier, in uniform,
standing silently in the background.
Dip, the father never known, but whose presence (and
absense) has hung so heavily over the entirety of Cain’s life.
Macy sees him first and her first instinct is to reach out
to Cain and shield him until she knows he can handle it. It’s their job to protect each other
from harsh realities. Perhaps
that’s a moment to reveal that the two storytellers are the two children in the
play. Maybe. Anyway, these are the ideas swirling at this point. And just using the
word “storytellers” here gives me my title to use for them instead of “stage
manager”. So that’s a days worth
of work right there. : )
Off to the gym! (or for a drink, but the goal as of the writing of this sentence is the gym, so that should count for something!)
Today's song was....Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B - Andrew Sisters version.
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