Red Bull Theater is an Off Broadway Theater organization that specializes in producing inviting presentations of the classics, Shakespeare, Moliere, Ben Jonson, etc. both in full blown stage presentations and readings. Some times they also put up video versions so that those of us in the hinterlands can enjoy their performances.
I discovered Red Bull during the pandemic. Unwilling to surrender to the lock outs and stay at home orders, Red Bull put together a remarkable string of Zoom readings with each actor working from their safe space. Each offering saw not only better and better acting but increasing skills at making Zoom imitate live readings. The backgrounds became uniform across the platform and costuming got a bit more elaborate…and they obviously put time into rehearsing ‘passing’ items back and forth and displaying ‘faux signs’ of affection. I wrote about a number of their Zoomies at the time. I was wholly entertained!
So needless to say, I still stream as many of their video presentations as I can…and I am a subscriber to their email newsletters. So earlier this year I got the announcement about soliciting new plays for their 15th Annual Short Play Festival. They were looking for 10 minute or less plays to read at the festival that supported their mission of classical works and fit in the theme of Defiance. I happily reproduced their press release as a public service announcement here on AIP and immediately forgot about it.
But my creative, or should we say pesky, subconscious wasn’t willing to let it go that easily. So about a week or so later, I started being awoken with snippets of text and plot lines that persisted into my waking moments. Now, Red Bull wasn’t the only driving force here. I had just completed auditing an English course at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee titled modern drama. We read and discussed a number of provocative plays including David Henry Hwang’s Yellow Face, Larissa FastHorse’s The Thanksgiving Play, Suzan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog, August Wilson’s Two Trains Running, and others…so I have been heard to exclaim that I was under the influence. Thank you Professor Berkowitz!
So…where do I start…and where did I start then? As I said I was awoken with text. That isn’t unusual for me. When I toiled as a computer programmer ideas or bug fixes often would awaken me mid-sleep. And since then a number of poems have appeared and the core for scene one and scene last for my WIP cabaret piece. I just need the middle 90 minutes. LOL. My goal is to finish it this year. So yes, the outline popped into my head one night and I tossed and turned for several more to flesh it out and name characters and fill in some details. I kept telling myself to put it away but I resisted or persisted. And I completed it.
What’s it about? Well it plays off those modern plays that I read about gender and environment and character development and contemporary theater practices. And the premise is around auditions for Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. A defiant male actor auditions for the role of Juliet. So this opens the whole dialogue about the possibility of theater being a gender neutral playing field, contemporary presentation vs. practices at the Globe, and some other contemporary societal background noise. For a play of just a few pages I think I captured some angst, some defiance, and there is certainly some humor. And I cheated (?) by pulling a small speech from Shakespeare’s piece for our auditioner to read. I titled the play What Light?
Did he get the part? No. Was my play one of the six selected? No.
But I learned a lot. I had a lot of fun. I pushed myself outside my usual comfort zone on a national level instead of just the home town, although few beyond those of you reading this will ever know. And I thought about a lot of things that I don’t normally consider. Should the character’s names mean something other than just a name? In this case I gave them names that mean something in the narrative. Well at least in my mind. How does a playwright comment in the play to the actors and director about on stage activities or gender/race/age assignments for the roles or scenic/set/siting without stepping on their toes in performance? I may have taken a swipe at the Milwaukee Rep’s Romeo and Juliet too but don’t tell anyone. And I learned about how difficult it is to write voices and words for others but how much fun it was when I was done and I submitted it.
Will I do it again? I can’t be sure but I won’t rule it out. But I am officially a playwright!
Here’s the details on the actual reading at Red Bull. Wish I were in New York City!
A few Red Bull reviews if you are so inclined:
Red Bull Theater Reads John Lyly’s Gallathea
Glad to see you added a new skill to your resume!