Friday Update — Beginning Research into Contemporary Theatre

I have been contemplating my play “Centaurs” and trying to work out what I need to change.  It just isn’t exciting enough.  It doesn’t involve the audience enough. I know there’s something missing, but I can’t pinpoint it. Therefore, tonight I have been surfing YouTube for performances of great plays and surfing the Internet for what are considered the great play of American theatre.  Perhaps not surprisingly, there is a generally accepted canon of the greatest American plays:  “The Iceman Cometh”, “Long Day’s Journey into Night”, “Death of a Salesman”, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf”, etc., with “Angels in America” probably being the most contemporary on most lists.  Although all are terrific works, none seem to have something innovative enough to interest me.  Therefore, I have started looking into contemporary theatre.  This is turning out to be quite interesting.  Contemporary theatre, based on the few videos I have seen tonight (and on past experience too, of course), seems to have the minimalist, dreamy, postmodernist, almost mystical qualities that intrigue me.  I will continue my research for probably a few days to come, but I am already coming up with ideas about interaction with the audience and monologues.   Combining those with my own past experience in public speaking and acting (I was once in two short Tennessee Williams plays), I feel I may be on to something.

Author: Phil Slattery

Publisher, Rural Fiction Magazine; publisher, The Chamber Magazine; founder, the Farmington Writers Circle. I have written short stories and poetry for many years. In my careers as a Naval officer and in the federal government, I have written thousands of documents of many types. I am currently working on a second edition for my poetry collection and a few novels. View all posts by Phil Slattery