Super lucky to be selected as a guinea pig for Custom Made Theatre‘s new plays development program. Myself and Megan Cohen, another fantastic local playwright (who happens to be in the cast of my play!) were asked to share a play we’d been working on for these one-off readings at the Gallery Cafe. 

The point of the readings is to hear the next draft of a script in progress and receive public feedback through a talkback immediately following the reading.

Originally, Punk As Fuck, was developed as a part of Just Theater‘s New Play Lab. We did a public reading last April and I was very proud of the work and everyone involved. Since then, I’ve had a chance to ruminate on the feedback I received as well as step back ftom the whole thing and figure out what exactly is next.

Right now, the play sits between a linear and non-linear structure. Like you could go in and make changes that would push it to be more like a Shakespearean structured comedy. Or you could trim the references between characters. You could diverge every time the want for some sort of logical linear reasoning came up. And I admit that it does probably exist between those two spaces right now.

I did have a thought this werkend when working on the latest revisions. We always talk about “the event” in theater, meaning why are all the characters there, tonight in this space? I had this step back and suddenly see the mural moment where it was like, “what if the event being staged is that each person lets go or attempts to come to terms with is trying to define what punk rock is and what that means for their identity?” 

And it’s a little disappointing in a way because that opens up a whole huge set of potential re-writes that I simply don’t have time to put into place until after the reading is over. But at least I may have a little more clarity for the next time I go at it. And who knows? Maybe the changes I made were what allowed me to arrive here in my thinking.

In any case, I hope you can come out (if you’re around/available)! I’d love your thoughts and perspective on the whole thing. 

Here is the facebook event. Join us! Oh, and let me know if you do so I can say hi!