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blueprint vs literature

Posted by DCA Theater on August 20, 2010 in July-December 2010 Season, INCUBATOR Series: Thirteen Pocket

by Jeff Phillips, playwright for Bosto script as part of XIII Pocket Incubator

Some things we’ve been considering as we read and discuss each piece is how other groups may approach the text. I know most everything that I have written for the stage or screen has been something that I’ve been directly involved in bringing to life. A strong question lingers as to how much you set in stone with the text, and what elements shall be left up to the director. Of course the set, sound, music, lighting will be altered, as well as character textures will changed from show to show. But there are certain ambiguities that of course provoke questions, but at what point do let each production take unique liberties with choices to fill in the life between the lines? At what point do you run with detail to really paint the picture of locale? It’s a curious boundary as a playwright, between setting a blue print for production and a piece of literature.