An Unlikely Future
Posted by Edward Sobel on 2/06/2006Watching the opening night performance of The Well-Appointed Room, I was struck by a phrase of dialogue found toward the end of each act, in each case uttered by the character played by Amy Morton, the essence of which is “in the unlikely event of a future.” It seemed at once a daring and sad thing to have characters say, and no doubt speaks to some of the urgency and anxiety Martha refers to in her previous posting.
But it also struck me as an extraordinary thing for a playwright to postulate. I have always thought of the creative act as one marked by ultimate optimism. If one believes the world is beyond hope, why create anything? I was struck by the irony that in theatre, except for closing night, there is always a future. The play will be performed on Friday, then again on Saturday, and again on Sunday and so on. So I wonder, do others find this play, and the storytelling contained in it, acts of optimism? How do you read the end of the play?
A brief note, in response to the question from Justin Palmer, we expect to announce our plays for this summer’s First Look Rep within the next month. For those unfamiliar with the Rep: we present developmental productions of three brand new plays in rotating rep in the Garage. Last year, we offered unprecedented access to the development/rehearsal process to the members of our First Look Council. We expect to expand this in the coming year to give others the same opportunity. Watch these pages for details in the next month or two.