Emperor of the Trees

You know what's cool, besides new plays, playmaking, and playwrights?  Banyan trees are really, really, really cool.

And one of the playwrights we have been working with, Adam Krarr, has written a play with an ancient talking Banyan Tree.  Oh yeah... The Inkwell totally, totally digs that.  The play is called Empire of the Trees, and we staged a 20-minute excerpt of the play as part of our festival. (Of course, you can read more about the play in Inkblog!)

And here are few words from Adam about his experience with The Inkwell.  Adam, we are so excited to learn more about this mysterious banyan tree in the next draft of your play.

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The invitation to participate in The Inkwell's showcase reading at The Kennedy Center came at an ideal time for me and my play, Empire of the Trees.  The play was scheduled for three readings here in New York City (at MultiStages and Ensemble Studio Theatre), but was also seeking a workshop.  So it was heady and exciting to get an email from The Inkwell's Jessica Burgess. 

I was quickly struck by the energy, ambition and generosity of the Jessica, Chris Niebling (who directed my excerpt), and The Inkwell crew.  It seemed to me they were taking on a lot - but always with the goal of advancing new plays and playwrights (which is not always the case with companies promoting new work).

The worst moment?  When I realized couldn't be there for the readings on September 7th.  Jessica had written me that the aim of this project was to get to know me and my work - so I was truly regretting that I'd miss this opportunity to learn more about this unusual company up close.  But Chris Niebling and I had a terrific talk about the play and the reading of the excerpt, so I was kept in the loop.

Then, several weeks after the Inkubator Festival reading, Anne McCaw contacted me to see if I wanted to talk with her and Meghan Long about Empire of the Trees.  I was just about to start rehearsals for the readings at Ensemble Studio Theatre.  Anne and Meghan's encouraging words, excellent questions, thoughtful suggestions, and ideas for possible next steps for the project were all incredibly useful to me as I listened to my play during rehearsals and at the reading.  Some changes to the script were made, and I'm excitedly exploring next steps.  The experience left me eager to work further - and, hopefully, closer! - with The Inkwell.  I'm very grateful for the opportunity.