Drama is needy. This is one of the biggest differences between a script and other kinds of writing. A novel or an essay is a finished product, waiting for an audience. On the other hand, scripts aren’t meant to be read, but performed. They are inherently unfinished. A play needs actors, absolutely, and usually designers, technicians, a directing team and others to bring it to life. Drama is needy, and I love it.
I love the fact that a script can bring together a diverse set of artists, each contributing to the final play. And I love that through this process characters that had only existed in the author’s head become flesh and blood. To me, this is the most exciting part of theatre: seeing living, breathing characters, brought to life by actors, where there had previously been only words.
It is therefore a great honor and joy for me when I have the opportunity to perform myself. Though I’m primarily a playwright, I sometimes have the chance to act as well. This weekend, Burning Coal Theatre Company opened their production of MAN OF LA MANCHA, in which I’m playing one of the muleteers (the show runs through February 19, details at www.burningcoal.org). It’s a small, fun role, and has given me the opportunity to observe the creation of character from the other side of the page.
And it has been thrilling to watch! This cast of LA MANCHA is one of the most talented groups of people I’ve ever worked with, and I am particularly in awe of the three leading performers, David Henderson (Sancho), Yolanda Rabun (Aldonza) and Randolph Curtis Rand (Don Quixote). Being involved in the process has reminded me of the multiple sources of characterization. A song, a specific physicality, even a costume element can be the foundation of an actor’s character choices, and the way that those choices interact with the script is what makes a production more than the sum of its parts.
A writer can never know the varied influences that an actor will bring to a role. To allow this to happen, the writer must relinquish some control of the character. But in doing so, the character is allowed to come to life. When Dale Wasserman wrote MAN OF LA MANCHA, he would not have foreseen the boyish wonder David brings to Sancho or the soulful gravitas Yoland lends to Aldonza. He would not have expected the combination of elaborate physical comedy and penetrating insight Randy gives to Don Quixote. These are the gifts that great actors bring to the playwright. And all of theatre is enriched by them.