On occasion I have blogged about the working relationship Canadian playwright Sterling Lynch and I have forged. Social media rules! I found my way onto Twitter in March, 2009. I searched for theatres and artists to follow. Sterling was among the first playwrights. But he was in Canada, so would it even be worth it to follow him? I mean, we weren’t going to have anything in common, but I followed him anyway. Given my sharp wit, astute intellect, and promise as a successful playwright, he followed back. I’m sure Sterling would agree. As predicted, we have nothing in common. Oddly enough we seem to work together quite well.
After a few months, we waded through each others' work. When I came across Tangelico two lines of dialogue begged for attention. I immediately thought of Brandon Wiley at Space 55 Theatre Ensemble here in Phoenix. (I’ll share those lines in another post.) I sent Brandon a text. Then the script. Then I waited. Brandon took the project to the Space 55 artistic director, Shawna Franks.
Brandon called me a week later. “We need another one-act to put up with Tangelico to make a full evening. Can you find something?” I paused. “Nothing will make any sense. Wait let me think. Yep, I got nothing,” A. Very. Long. Pause. “Hey! Why don’t you write one?” He trumpeted. I asked Sterling to call me. It was our first phone call, and I was about to ask him if I could basically steal his play. Well, not really, but sort of. He of course razzed me incessantly. I’m sure Sterling would agree. So. With much trepidation. I wrote A Cube With A View. A true one-act companion play to Tangelico.
Working on a companion play is a unique writing experience. I wanted A Cube With A View to stand on its own, but also depend on the primary piece. As I embarked on this challenge, I was completely calm, serene even… I’m sure Sterling would agree.
How did my play come together? Stay tuned for the nuts and bolts of building a companion play…
