First Draft a Success!

Well, the day finally came to hear the first draft of the commissioned play (which still as of this date doesn't have a title, I'm taking suggestions). I was naturally nervous. I usually hear the first draft in my living room, gathering a few friends so I could have the play read in a hopefully stress free non-judgmental environment. But in June I was facing a table of actors (some of which I knew from my FusionFest reading the month before). Anne and Seth had also gathered a few supportive theater artists from the Cleveland community. We read the play, and much to my and others' relief, it sounded pretty good.

The humor came through, which is especially important to me when dealing with darker, more serious themes. And the actors really dived in, committing themselves to the parts. After the reading was completed, we had a sort of very loose talk, the actors and observers giving feedback, which was very helpful. Some things came out, like a character in the second act not really paying off. And, of course, there were many suggestions for cuts and clarifications.

I asked Seth, the director of this reading process, if he thought I should try for as many changes as possible overnight. He told me he had faith that the actors could, in the words of Tim Gunn on Project Runway, "make it work'. So over night I made many changes, a few drastic.

The next morning we handed out changes, new pages, and the news that one actress had her character cut from the play. She was now an onstage presence, her lines gone, or transferred to another character. We read this new version, and all agreed it played much better. Characters revealed more, there was amplification of the past of these characters, and conflicts were sharpened. All were happy with the changes and ready to try it out in front of a small audience that night.

We read it that evening at JCC, a small group of people which included some I had previously interviewed, as well as a few JCC regular theater-goers attended. It played quite well, the audience very supportive. They were questions afterwards about specific lines, references to Cleveland and Jewish history (all of which I took in and changed), but mostly, there was a very positive response.

What a relief! The months of work had now become public and we at the JCC felt we had the start of a very exciting play… a play that with this fictional Cleveland Heights family could reflect the rich history and culture of Cleveland in the 20th century.

There will be another reading in late fall, and I ask all who can to join us for the next public hearing of the play. It will reflect the JCC audience's comments, good and bad.

The next stage of the journey to production is just a few months away.