The Edges of Words
We continue to look backward for a bit, dear readers, as we enjoy the many exciting moments of the 2009 Inkubator Festival. We had a fully packed last weekend, with five playwrights in town, four of whom came in to watch 20-minute excerpts of their work at our last showcase reading.
It was a showcase of dazzling word play, an afternoon of plays that play with language in one way or another. Here are the dramaturgical notes from the showcase. Meghan Long joined me in presenting these pieces.
It was particularly fun to hang out with the playwrights afterward. We discussed the ways in which these very different plays connected. There was great generosity among these playwrights as they talked with one another about language, character, revision, acting, and all other things playmaking.
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This particular suite of plays is inspired by words… whether a pretty turn of phrase, a single sentence that can change the course of the world, poetry of excavation, of things lost and found, of a particular place or time. These are also plays that explore the larger dominion of language as it shapes and moves worlds.
Please note that these are some of the more complex plays that we have presented over the course of the festival, so some of the introductions are extensive. Overall, we hope you look for ways in which the music and exploration of language intrigue you.
Balls
by Jonathan Yukich
(presented by Meghan Long)
Balls is a hilarious depiction of a family living in the 1970s South.
In a community where football rules, news that famed college football coach, Paul “Bear” Bryant, is planning a visit to Balls, Alabama shocks the Moon family and sends them into a frenzy of preparation so Keegan can impress the famous coach. Keegan is a high school kicker wants nothing more than to play for the Crimson Tide and make his late father proud. Posey, Keegan’s twin brother couldn’t care less about football and doesn’t understand why the rest of the town is so worked up about Bear Bryant’s impending visit. Posey buries himself in his journals and knows there is something bigger outside of Balls. Mary Merle, the boys’ mother, is never too far from her bottle of Old Crow and believes that through it all, there is no place on earth better than Balls.
The family dynamics shift when Mary Merle takes out an ad in search of a renter for the spare room and the call is answered by a stranger, Mr. Granger. Ruthie-T, Keegan’s girlfriend rounds out this eccentric cast of characters. Events play out over a few rainy nights in Balls leading to a dramatic conclusion. Is Balls big enough for the Moon family? There is certainly never a boring day in Balls.
We loved the language and comedy of this play; the play is very funny, but takes a dark turn towards the end. We also loved the role that the South plays in this script; this play shines a light on a way of life in the South that isn’t necessarily explored in plays and this language of the South is quite musical. I was instantly drawn to the characters – they kept me hooked throughout the play and were very memorable because they are all so eccentric and funny.
For this showcase, we present the first 20 pages of the play. The top of the play starts with the news that Bear Bryant is visiting Balls. In first pages we meet Posey, Mary Merle, and Keegan. We encourage you to listen for the puns of Balls and take in the language of this play.
Spake
By David Williams
We now present another apocalyptic epic, one that none of our readers could put down. I myself read the play from midnight to 1:30 in the morning, long after I should have been asleep.
The play in part inspired by the Voynich Manuscript, a book housed at Yale University Library, a text — now untranslatable — that is believed to be a spell book. David the playwright was drawn to this most intriguing mystery, but also wanted to explore the death of languages. As he told us in this original submission form, UNESCO has released an atlas showing 2,500 world languages are at risk of disappearing. He also wanted to explore the ways in which we try and often fail to communicate, be it through languages, emotions, or secret codes.
This excerpt takes us from the very beginning of the play, when the roof of a church collapses through to the third act when a Cornell University linguistic student Jessica makes a run for it across the country with her boyfriend, Cal, a divinity student who has recently left his studies, faltering in his faith because of his love for Jessica. In between, we see the ghost of a murderer and linguist, Ruloff, who visits Jessica with a warning. We also see how a spell — or curse — manifests.
Monument
By Doug Dolcino
(presented by Anne McCaw)
This is an incredibly challenging, layered, and delightfully absurd play. It is inspired by the language and form of Greek Tragedy, of Bertolt Brecht’s spare poetry and presentational style, and by the dreamlike imagery and language of the French Symbolists.
What happens when you mix all these influences? Doug has created something epic, something surreal that explores time and space, identity and family dynamics, death and birth of civilization, and that explores the ever-present themes in Greek tragedy of fate, hubris, and impermanence.
A bit daunting… sure. But perhaps the best description is from one of our readers:
The play revolves around the Leibert family — stuck and restless — the head of which, Herman, is a renowned civil engineer of the made-up country of Arbythnia. Arbythnia, and the family, are plagued… by gnats, by frogs, and by a prolonged, painful bout of insomnia. An exasperated chorus of mailmen are desperate to relay a message to the Leibert family: Read your mail…recognize your stagnation or the plagues will continue.
Yet Herman is steadfast in ignoring the mailmen, as well the strife within his family. Rather, he is focused on plans to create the ultimate monument for the population of Tarzania… a land far different than Arbythnia.
His family — his wife and two children — are so desperate for change that they decide to take on different identities. His wife declares herself a widow and resumes a courtship with Herman’s brother, Uncle Mangel. Herman’s daughter and son assume the identities of a chambermaid and an aspiring entrepreneur… and begin a romance.
This excerpt joins the family as they finally begin their long desired journey to Tarzania… and mayhem ensues.
The Hairy Dutchman
By Andy Bragen
(presented by Anne McCaw)
The Hairy Dutchman is a rhapsody to New York City, to tennis, to the layered history of a one beloved neighborhood.
The play is set somewhere in Queens, where a number of aging tennis courts stand. These courts — their age indeterminate, built on centuries of history that have shaped New York — are under threat — from a city that wants to bulldoze them and from rising seas.
The characters you are going to meet are drawn to the courts for any number of reasons. Some actually live day to day at the courts… some court on the courts… and two people rekindle an old grudge and a childhood love … but for all, the courts are a sanctuary.
We became enthralled with the play because of two fascinating conflicts played out in language and rhythm. There is the classic, timeless conflict of opponents in sports inspired such pop cultures classics as Rocky and The Natural. At the same time, there is the conflict between Michael, the court historian and the city inspector, a conflict of reverence for history versus progress to a new future.
This play creates a language for the game. Listen for a beat and rhythm that captures the back-and-forth of the game, as well as the high stakes for each character.
Beautiful Province (Belle Provence)
by Clarence Coo
Beautiful Province is a play that explores the connection of language and identity. How can language enable us to explore a different part of ourselves?
In early conversations with Clarence, we talked about the power of language and the belief that different languages allow us to explore a part of ourselves that we may not know existed in our native tongue.
In Beautiful Province, we meet Mr. Green, a high school French teacher and Jake, his 15-year old student, as they embark on a journey to French Canada. They cross over borders in search of the beautiful province.
The journey of these two characters’ lives in three worlds; the world of reality, Jake’s fantasy world, and Mr. Green’s fantasy world. Jake’s fantasy is a world where he is the Last of the Mohicans, while Mr. Green lives in a fantasy world where he is stuck at the security gate at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris awaiting passport approval to enter the country. What happens when these three worlds collide? How far can one language take Mr. Green and Jake?
This play has a transformative language that takes us on a journey, just as the characters journey in the play. The complex relationship created between Mr. Green and Jake keeps the play going. They travel across geographical borders and boundaries within themselves and each other, each in search of his own beautiful province.
The excerpt presented today at the showcase joins Mr. Green and Jake on the road as they have just crossed over the border and have spent the previous night in a hotel room with a view of Niagara Falls. We visit all three worlds in this excerpt, and we see what happens when these worlds meet. We encourage you to listen to how the characters explore themselves and connect with others through language.
It was a showcase of dazzling word play, an afternoon of plays that play with language in one way or another. Here are the dramaturgical notes from the showcase. Meghan Long joined me in presenting these pieces.
It was particularly fun to hang out with the playwrights afterward. We discussed the ways in which these very different plays connected. There was great generosity among these playwrights as they talked with one another about language, character, revision, acting, and all other things playmaking.
---------------------
This particular suite of plays is inspired by words… whether a pretty turn of phrase, a single sentence that can change the course of the world, poetry of excavation, of things lost and found, of a particular place or time. These are also plays that explore the larger dominion of language as it shapes and moves worlds.
Please note that these are some of the more complex plays that we have presented over the course of the festival, so some of the introductions are extensive. Overall, we hope you look for ways in which the music and exploration of language intrigue you.
Balls
by Jonathan Yukich
(presented by Meghan Long)
Balls is a hilarious depiction of a family living in the 1970s South.
In a community where football rules, news that famed college football coach, Paul “Bear” Bryant, is planning a visit to Balls, Alabama shocks the Moon family and sends them into a frenzy of preparation so Keegan can impress the famous coach. Keegan is a high school kicker wants nothing more than to play for the Crimson Tide and make his late father proud. Posey, Keegan’s twin brother couldn’t care less about football and doesn’t understand why the rest of the town is so worked up about Bear Bryant’s impending visit. Posey buries himself in his journals and knows there is something bigger outside of Balls. Mary Merle, the boys’ mother, is never too far from her bottle of Old Crow and believes that through it all, there is no place on earth better than Balls.
The family dynamics shift when Mary Merle takes out an ad in search of a renter for the spare room and the call is answered by a stranger, Mr. Granger. Ruthie-T, Keegan’s girlfriend rounds out this eccentric cast of characters. Events play out over a few rainy nights in Balls leading to a dramatic conclusion. Is Balls big enough for the Moon family? There is certainly never a boring day in Balls.
We loved the language and comedy of this play; the play is very funny, but takes a dark turn towards the end. We also loved the role that the South plays in this script; this play shines a light on a way of life in the South that isn’t necessarily explored in plays and this language of the South is quite musical. I was instantly drawn to the characters – they kept me hooked throughout the play and were very memorable because they are all so eccentric and funny.
For this showcase, we present the first 20 pages of the play. The top of the play starts with the news that Bear Bryant is visiting Balls. In first pages we meet Posey, Mary Merle, and Keegan. We encourage you to listen for the puns of Balls and take in the language of this play.
Spake
By David Williams
We now present another apocalyptic epic, one that none of our readers could put down. I myself read the play from midnight to 1:30 in the morning, long after I should have been asleep.
The play in part inspired by the Voynich Manuscript, a book housed at Yale University Library, a text — now untranslatable — that is believed to be a spell book. David the playwright was drawn to this most intriguing mystery, but also wanted to explore the death of languages. As he told us in this original submission form, UNESCO has released an atlas showing 2,500 world languages are at risk of disappearing. He also wanted to explore the ways in which we try and often fail to communicate, be it through languages, emotions, or secret codes.
This excerpt takes us from the very beginning of the play, when the roof of a church collapses through to the third act when a Cornell University linguistic student Jessica makes a run for it across the country with her boyfriend, Cal, a divinity student who has recently left his studies, faltering in his faith because of his love for Jessica. In between, we see the ghost of a murderer and linguist, Ruloff, who visits Jessica with a warning. We also see how a spell — or curse — manifests.
Monument
By Doug Dolcino
(presented by Anne McCaw)
This is an incredibly challenging, layered, and delightfully absurd play. It is inspired by the language and form of Greek Tragedy, of Bertolt Brecht’s spare poetry and presentational style, and by the dreamlike imagery and language of the French Symbolists.
What happens when you mix all these influences? Doug has created something epic, something surreal that explores time and space, identity and family dynamics, death and birth of civilization, and that explores the ever-present themes in Greek tragedy of fate, hubris, and impermanence.
A bit daunting… sure. But perhaps the best description is from one of our readers:
“Sheer and utter madness! The playwright is creating something unlike anything I have ever seen or heard.”Let me give you a brief synopsis, touching on the plays many twists and turns.
The play revolves around the Leibert family — stuck and restless — the head of which, Herman, is a renowned civil engineer of the made-up country of Arbythnia. Arbythnia, and the family, are plagued… by gnats, by frogs, and by a prolonged, painful bout of insomnia. An exasperated chorus of mailmen are desperate to relay a message to the Leibert family: Read your mail…recognize your stagnation or the plagues will continue.
Yet Herman is steadfast in ignoring the mailmen, as well the strife within his family. Rather, he is focused on plans to create the ultimate monument for the population of Tarzania… a land far different than Arbythnia.
His family — his wife and two children — are so desperate for change that they decide to take on different identities. His wife declares herself a widow and resumes a courtship with Herman’s brother, Uncle Mangel. Herman’s daughter and son assume the identities of a chambermaid and an aspiring entrepreneur… and begin a romance.
This excerpt joins the family as they finally begin their long desired journey to Tarzania… and mayhem ensues.
The Hairy Dutchman
By Andy Bragen
(presented by Anne McCaw)
The Hairy Dutchman is a rhapsody to New York City, to tennis, to the layered history of a one beloved neighborhood.
The play is set somewhere in Queens, where a number of aging tennis courts stand. These courts — their age indeterminate, built on centuries of history that have shaped New York — are under threat — from a city that wants to bulldoze them and from rising seas.
The characters you are going to meet are drawn to the courts for any number of reasons. Some actually live day to day at the courts… some court on the courts… and two people rekindle an old grudge and a childhood love … but for all, the courts are a sanctuary.
We became enthralled with the play because of two fascinating conflicts played out in language and rhythm. There is the classic, timeless conflict of opponents in sports inspired such pop cultures classics as Rocky and The Natural. At the same time, there is the conflict between Michael, the court historian and the city inspector, a conflict of reverence for history versus progress to a new future.
This play creates a language for the game. Listen for a beat and rhythm that captures the back-and-forth of the game, as well as the high stakes for each character.
Beautiful Province (Belle Provence)
by Clarence Coo
Beautiful Province is a play that explores the connection of language and identity. How can language enable us to explore a different part of ourselves?
In early conversations with Clarence, we talked about the power of language and the belief that different languages allow us to explore a part of ourselves that we may not know existed in our native tongue.
In Beautiful Province, we meet Mr. Green, a high school French teacher and Jake, his 15-year old student, as they embark on a journey to French Canada. They cross over borders in search of the beautiful province.
The journey of these two characters’ lives in three worlds; the world of reality, Jake’s fantasy world, and Mr. Green’s fantasy world. Jake’s fantasy is a world where he is the Last of the Mohicans, while Mr. Green lives in a fantasy world where he is stuck at the security gate at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris awaiting passport approval to enter the country. What happens when these three worlds collide? How far can one language take Mr. Green and Jake?
This play has a transformative language that takes us on a journey, just as the characters journey in the play. The complex relationship created between Mr. Green and Jake keeps the play going. They travel across geographical borders and boundaries within themselves and each other, each in search of his own beautiful province.
The excerpt presented today at the showcase joins Mr. Green and Jake on the road as they have just crossed over the border and have spent the previous night in a hotel room with a view of Niagara Falls. We visit all three worlds in this excerpt, and we see what happens when these worlds meet. We encourage you to listen to how the characters explore themselves and connect with others through language.
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