I had a good meeting today with Michael Bigelow Dixon, a rock star in the new play world. We were talking about "Summer People," which has just opened at UT.
He had a lot of great things to say. We talked, especially, about the end of the play, which still isn't working. Now, there are probably some technical reasons for this, but the MAJOR one is all me.
It's that old question: "what's your message?"
Now, all along with this play, I've been bridling at people's assumptions about the POLITICAL message they're reading into the play (not everyone). But the fact is, when you ask me what the play's about, I'll tell you about plot, I'll tell you about lots of themes, and I'll evade the question.
Michael's point is (I think) that, in addition to telling a story, a play is about communication. So you better be trying to communicate something. Or maybe you're just wasting oxygen.
Later, he quoted an Isherwood review of a new play:
" [the play] does not deepen as it progresses toward a solution to the mystery at its heart. On the contrary, it flattens and stalls as theories keep emerging. Eventually you have to conclude that [the playwright] himself has not satisfactorily worked out its meaning."
Put another way: If you don't know what you're trying to say, how will you know if you've succeeded in saying it?"
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