August 3, 2011

First reading of Vance at MHC last night. The outstanding impression was of the work I had to do to get it right. Did that work, and emailed out revisions this morning. The man playing Vance is sexy, which I didn’t anticipate. How would the script have changed had I known that? Did not gasp in horror at anyone’s ineptitude, nor they (audibly) at mine, so we are launched.

Second reading of Vance earlier tonight, when I delivered the revisions occasioned by last night’s reading. Improvement on all sides. The only part of play “development” that is really worthwhile is to hear your words in the mouths of actors. The skill a playwright needs at that moment is the ability to tell what is the actor’s problem and what is the line’s. My urge to brevity had left holes in the continuity, which had to be written closed. Also, I had scrimped and squeezed in order to suit a cast much smaller than the one I actually got.