Introducing Modern Drama
My journey directing and independently producing new theater in a contentious era.
I’m not a writer–I’m a theater director and independent producer.
You may be wondering, “If you’re not a writer, why are you publishing on Substack?”
That’s an excellent question!
As I’ve written elsewhere, it’s a fraught time to be a theater artist if you’re not willing to go along with values and beliefs you may not agree with.
Artists like me who’ve been sidelined by this modern off-stage drama need to build new audiences, and that’s why I’ve started this publication–to find you!
For now, the publication is free because I’m launching a project that I want to share with anyone who is interested. Similar to the way Julie Powell blogged her way through Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”, I intend to use this Substack to share my experiences directing and independently producing a new production. This summer, I’m collaborating with actors and designers on an adaptation of a Russian dystopian novel by Yevgeny Zamyatin titled WE. From now until the show opens in October, I plan to write about how the process of creating a new production unfolds in real time.
With luck, it will go swimmingly; if not, you can enjoy reading about how I get myself out of the myriad of creative conundrums I’m surly going to find myself mired in. Solving creative problems is the work of a theater director, I wouldn’t do it if it came without challenges, so I’m looking forward to a rehearsal process full of ups and downs that I expect will result in a thrilling adaptation of this novel which premiers October 11 – 20, 2024 in Brooklyn, NY–details to follow.
If you have questions about what a theater director does, what Zamyatin’s novel is about, why I chose to adapt it for the theater, the creative process I’m using to adapt the novel for the stage, or other questions about the project, write them in the comments and I’ll see if I can address them as I publish over the summer and into the fall.
Also, if you know other people interested in supporting theater artists who believe in freedom of artistic expression, please share this publication with them.
Thank you for your support and I hope you enjoy reading about my experiences creating modern drama.
Exciting times, Kevin. All the best with it. Look forward to reading more
Best luck, Kevin! You might find a few of my essays at Doxie Thoughts of interest: The Decline and Fall of OSF; The 8% Solution: Have We Got the Problem Wrong? and Strike the Ghostlight are three on the topic. I look forward to reading your progress. At the moment I'm working with a partner on a reconsideration of the Scottish play with a dagger-point focus on Him and Her. Without changing a single word we've curated and re-composed the text into something swift and, we hope, powerful. A three-hander, "The Macbeths" asks us to examine the old tropes -- he's a weakling pushed to murderousness by his monstrous wife -- and to ask what happens when love and passion devolve into base appetite; what happens when a stable state is upturned; and what roles do fate and free will play in the mystery we move through, blind to almost everything? The Witches are there, as is Macdonaldwald, Duncan, Banquo, Macduff and others, handled by the third player, and a soundscape propels us forward as the Macbeths strut and fret. We're excited about the prospects! All best with yours!