Event
A SIMPLE THING by Maggie Brown
The Paradise Theatre School to premiere
new play by student
"A Simple Thing," written by Paradise Theatre School student Maggie Brown, will make its premiere at the theatre on Friday, October 29, at 8 p.m.
The play is the first ever written by Brown and is the fruit of two years of playwrighting classes taken at the Paradise Theatre School. The goal of the coursework is completion and production of a full-length play. Brown is the first student to achieve that goal.
The play concerns Charlie Gordon (played by Larry Stay), a hard drinking and hard-mouthed author of Western novels. As his life approaches its end, his relationships with his family heat up. As his family gathers around him, Charlie is not about to mellow out or repent of his ways. He even has spats with the fictional characters he has created, as they spring to life onstage to goad him to finish his last novel--and to get them out of yet another thorny situation.
Pattie Miles Van Beuzekom directs the play, and was Brown's playwrighting instructor. She says of Brown's play, "It's an honest and politically incorrect rendering of family relationships. I love the attention to detail in the way the characters communicate with each other, and the surreal, absurdist quality when the novelist talks to his fictional characters.
"And despite the subject matter of grave illness, there's nothing precious about the characters or dialogue."
Brown says the characters of "Simple Thing" are loosely based on her family experience. "You have to draw from what you know," she says, "but you have to use your imagination, too. No character is based on just one person."
She adds: "I have to love my characters even if they aren't lovable. I can't write a character I don't love."
Creating the script, Brown says, helped her realize that "writing plays is the thing I should be doing. Dialogue is what I like to do best, and dialogue is the heart of a play."
Brown studied creative writing with James Crumley and William Kittredge at the University of Montana. She has published poetry and short fiction as well as book and movie reviews.She has lived in Port Townsend since 1979.
A solid cast will flesh out the vivid characters of "A Simple Thing." They include Consuelo Aduviso, Nancy Muir, Rebecca May, Jesse Wiegel, Michelle Stay, Andrew Tree, Erik Van Beuzekom, and Sam Cavallaro.
The play runs October 29 through November 20. Tickets cost $12 , and are available at brownpapertickets.com and The Food Coop in Port Townsend. The Paradise Theatre School is located at 161 Center Road in Chimacum, just past the Chimacum Cafe. For Mature Audiences.
|
|
 |
LocationThe Paradise Theatre School
161 Center Road
Chimacum, WA 98325
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: No |
| Wheelchair Accessible: No |
|
Contact
|
