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Clamoring voices

Posted by DCA Theater on September 19, 2008 in July-December 2008 Season, INCUBATOR Series: Infusion Theater

Written by M.E.H. Lewis

Writing is such a strange process. It’s really a process of discovery more than creation. I suppose that’s an old idea, like Michelangelo discovering the angel in the marble and setting him free. But it’s still strange. I thought I knew the story I was writing and only needed to fill in the details, but as I write, the story keeps shifting, expanding, metamorphosing. The small Vietnamese town where the story is set keeps growing and becoming more defined, and the residents of the town are clamoring at me, demanding my attention, commanding me to put them on paper. Three Wise Women, the Coffin Maker, the Body Finder, He Who Sees Ghosts. They’re shoving their way forward and they won’t be silent. Part of me, the part that has deadlines and needs to clean the house, part of me is annoyed. But honestly, I love it. I love these characters. They’re fascinating company. They tell great stories. I can sweep the floor another day, because for now I’d rather hear these stories and figure out where they’re taking this play I’m (supposedly) writing.

I have to go now—there’s a story I need to hear.