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Over the past year, I had the opportunity to organize four “dinner and a show” events to see Baltimore productions—all world premieres—of plays by DG members. For this column, I asked each playwright to reflect on his or her experiences.

Under the Poplar Trees by Rosemary Frisino Toohey; August 14–31, 2014, at Fells Point Corner Theatre

Rosemary: The Baltimore Playwrights Festival has been a jump starter for me many times. A brief scene from the play was chosen by the BPF for inclusion in a Free Fall Baltimore event in the fall of 2013. Then, the BPF qualified the full script for a live reading. The director, Miriam Bazensky, said she was very interested in staging it. But at the time of that first reading I was still working and re-working the ending, having a hard time getting it right.

What went differently with Poplar Trees compared with my other production experiences was that it got a second reading, through the DG Footlights Reading Series. I’ve been writing plays for a while but I’ve never had a second reading on a play within several months. I’m embarrassed to admit how surprised I was to realize that it was the second reading that made the difference. Things I tried in the first reading, but realized did not work, I got to re-address in the second go-round. That’s when things really solidified.

Fortune’s Child by Mark Scharf; January 8–18, 2015, at Baltimore Theatre Project

Mark: I had originally approached my director, Yvonne Erickson, to direct the DG Footlights reading. Later we discussed the possibility of a full production. Yvonne then approached me with the idea of presenting the play as an Actors Equity Members Project, which is similar to the Showcase Code in NYC; all of the AEA members wore different production hats—for example, in addition to acting, serving as lead producer or dialogue coach. We approached the Baltimore Theatre Project, who also came on board.

I worked pretty closely with Yvonne on every matter including the script, casting, and the design elements. I tweaked things throughout the rehearsal process and was very glad to have the play approached as a text to explore and not something that was assumed to be broken and needed to be fixed; we could experiment in rehearsal but the discoveries were focused on presenting the characters and play as written. The play evolved; for example, the entire opening tableaux came to life only days before we opened.

The Benefactor by Kimberley Lynne; February 12–21, 2015, by StillPointe Theatre

Kimberley: StillPointe’s artistic director, Ryan Haase, and I have worked together as theatrical artists for years. When he asked to see my catalogue of unproduced plays, I said, “I have this kind of wacky science fiction piece that’s never been on its feet.” Ryan was so interested in the idea that he changed the theme of StillPointe’s upcoming season to reflect The Benefactor’s gender-bending concept.

StillPointe takes chances. My pregnant protagonist is trapped in a pod/birthing house, so the director and designers decided to trap the audience as well. They designed a rectangle of drapes around the audience chairs, very close to the actors. Once the audience entered the pod, they couldn’t leave during the run of the show. The effect was palpable and audience members liked the adventure. Larger professional theatres don’t always have the freedom to explore the performative total experience. Take away the fourth wall, and a play becomes much more intense.

The Revelation of Bobby Pritchard by Rich Espey; March 13–28, 2015, by Iron Crow Theatre

Rich: Iron Crow had produced the ten-minute play on which this was based about five years ago. Then I wrote a short piece for The Iron Crow “Homo Poe Show” last year. So I had a good relationship with the company already. I waited until I felt the script was really ready before asking them to read it.

The director, Steve Satta, and I had many conversations, and I agreed wholeheartedly on his vision for the production. I attended only three or four rehearsals/production meetings because I really trusted this amazing team to make it their own. I loved what I saw. I offered a little feedback about a few things, and my thoughts were honored fully. This was one of the most satisfying experiences I have had, and it’s because of the consummate talent and professionalism of every single person associated with this show.

benglar@dramatistsguild.com

Fortune’s Child, photo credit Rich Riggins

The Benefactor, photo credit Kimberley Lynne