By Betty Hart, Local Lab 11 Co-Director
Local Theater Company is deeply committed to the development of new American plays. Not only do we create a space for the play to come to life in the rehearsal process, but we also are interested in a very special piece of the puzzle: you, the audience.
How the words on the page are received is something that can’t be determined in isolation. We need you. You are the fourth part of a relay race. The first leg of the race is the playwright crafting ideas and the first draft of the play. The second leg of the play is feedback from friends, dramaturgs, and performers, which leads to the next draft. The third leg is the workshop where the world of the play is explored, questioned, and brought to life. And then, the fourth leg is where you, as the audience, come in. Do you laugh unexpectedly? If so, a drama could become retitled as a comedy or a serio-comedy. Those responses can be gauged by observing the audience during a reading. Discovering meaning, interpretation, and moments of epiphany, however, can only happen when you reveal that to us.
Postshow conversations are created to embrace diverse opinions to learn more about the play. The playwright has specific questions about the play, and my job is to create a scaffolded experience that allows the playwright’s questions AND other pertinent information to come forth. Some of this will take place during the live postshow conversation. The rest will be revealed from responses to the written survey. We’ve discovered that something happens as we listen to others talk about moments in the play. Thoughts are crystallized. Feelings can be expressed. In some cases, moments of clarity emerge where originally there was confusion. We believe you are a necessary part of play development. We want it to be engaging; we want it to be fun; we want it to be part of building community. I’ve seen conversations get sparked among former strangers after hearing a comment in a postshow conversation. So, we invite you to stay and participate verbally or physically with your presence, and then PLEASE fill out the written survey. Your thoughts matter; so, do you.
We appreciate however you enter the work and truly desire to learn from you, so each play can grow and mature and become ready to be released into the world!
