Live Characters

When I was asked to write what inspired me to write Play Noir, I wrote the following:

It was a cold, gray January morning; the kind of day where the wind stabs like merciless steel knives. I hunkered down in my car for a ferry ride to the mainland. I had my laptop computer and a voice activation program. I was wearing a brown fedora. The characters started speaking, and the words appeared on my computer screen. I swear that's exactly what happened.

I was having a little fun. What struck me as interesting is how people responded to the last part. Was I being literal? After all, I was using a voice activation program, so the character’s lines did come out of my mouth and appear on the screen. Was I being figurative? In my mind, the characters appeared and started talking. If you write fiction, you know what I’m talking about, right?

The cool thing about writing plays is the words do appear (even if you use a keyboard), and, if you’re lucky, the characters appear.

Here's what happened to me.

Kaitlyn and Aaimee as Marylou and Jane celebrating the removal of their husband.

Ed and Gary as Jake and Marlowe discussing the cruel, heartless city.

Photos by the talented Anita Holladay.