Opening Night

Last night the fifth annual Orcas Ten Minute Playfest opened. I continue to be amazed at the process.

Idea to words
Words to play
Play to performance

A performance is born.

I know the actors and director have put a tremendous amount of effort into this, and I am very proud of them all. We are like a sports team winning a championship; we are all involved in the creation.

My interest in plays and theater began long ago.

The play is still the thing.

Why?

When I write a story, my reader connects with the experience, but it is a private experience. I am not in the room with my readers. I may receive a note or kind words about my writing, but the experience occurs in solitude. On stage, the experience is public. It’s exposed and vulnerable. I get nervous along with the actors. The actors speak, and the audience watches as the story unfolds. They react. I react. We laugh, cry, and cheer. The experience becomes a community. From this common experience, a bond is born.