I Am Not Alone II

Litlove and Courtney both tackled the writing things meme with the sort of grace we’ve come to expect from them. I was thinking of adding my own clumsy steps to the dance, but then I realized I’ve got this piece already half developed that sort of does the same thing. Thus, I thought I’d finish the other half and share it instead.

I think I’ve mentioned in the past that Bob and I subscribe to a local theater here in Connecticut. I’m being a little disingenuous when I say that, so I’ve decided to come clean and say that this “local theater” is The Long Wharf in New Haven, CT., one of the best regional theaters in the country. Its close proximity to New York means access to so much talent. In April, we were treated to the world premier of a collaboration between the playwrights David Cale and Dael Orlandersmith. The interesting thing about these two is that they’re used to working solo: writing and performing their own material. This extraordinary effort gave absolutely no indication of that, as if they’d been partners on paper and on the stage for years. It worked beautifully and seamlessly, the two of them creating completely believable characters, regardless of age, sex, race, and sexual preferences (although the dramaturge tells us it wasn’t so seamless in production).

But I’m not going to write anymore about the play itself. I’m perfectly aware of the fact that it’s a. extremely annoying to those who love live theater to read about how terrific something was that they’ll never get the chance to see and b. how extremely annoying it is for those who couldn’t care less about live theater to read anything about it at all. What I want to focus on is the little “Offstage” handout the dramaturge puts together for each performance. This handout typically provides thoroughly well-researched background material for the play as well as, when possible (i.e. when he/she is still alive and around), an interview with the playwright. Both playwrights were interviewed for this piece.

David Cale said this in his interview:

“Writing for me is like going for a walk. You think you’re going to head down to the river, and before you know it, you’ve made a detour, and you’re standing in a grocery store in midtown with a cookie in your hand.”

Dael Olandersmith had this to say about writing,

“Sometimes I’ll write while I cook. I’ll put something on the stove, then come back and write, then go back to cooking. They’re both creative acts. Particularly if you look at what is called ‘peasant cooking.’ I don’t like that expression, but it’s just that creativity coming from poverty: how do you take something that’s given to you and use your imagination to make it delectable?”

Next time I’m feeling oh-so-sorry for myself, and find myself thinking I’m just so very different from every other human being on the planet, and no one’s ever gonna understand me, I’m going to whip out this brochure and re-read it. I’ve never read two quotes that so beautifully characterize my relationship with writing. No wonder these two managed to work so well together.