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Start of 2nd week

Posted by DCA Theater on August 10, 2010 in July-December 2010 Season, INCUBATOR Series: Thirteen Pocket

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

We’re entering into our second week at the DCA.  We’ve put a wrap for now on discussing Bosto.  I’ve spent a good chunk of the day re-working the Bosto text, starting with the ending to tighten that up and earn my way to stronger twist, something more effective.  I feel by starting with a more compelling end, and establishing that clarity in my mind I can back track and re-build the progression of the events and pace the whole of it more effectively, stringing information to truly drive the economic themes forward.  Today we began looking at Stephen Louis Grush’s Cash. This has been Stephen’s baby for several years, and it shows.  On its 17th draft it is already highly textured.  Similar to our initial approach to Bosto we spent the day reading the text aloud and discussing.  Being an experiment in the re-defining of the American musical, we also listened to bits of Johnny Cash to paint the inspiration behind each vignette.

Being that it is a play made of vignettes, Stephen’s biggest question for himself was how best to tie the pieces together into a powerful through line.  It seems so far the work-shopping our new original work has been invaluable to see the piece as whole, stepping back to gauge what the audience experience may be like, and use that to step back and reshape the piece.  I know for myself, it is allowing to step back into Bosto and gut rehab the structure of it.  I supposed it’s like a carpenter looking back at a house, realizing the foundation is crooked, and tearing it down to rebuild it with more precision.  Luckily for the carpenter, he can avoid this by learning his geometry.