Ubu, Absurd plays and the theater of today

Just finished reading the three Ubu plays, by Alfred Jarry. If the name doesn't ring a bell, suffice it to say that they are very weird experimental French plays from the late 19th century, commonly acknowledged as precursors to Dada, Surrealism, the Theater of Cruelty and the Theater of Absurd (Beckett, Genet, Ionesco, Pinter, etc). For those interested in pursuing non-realistic styles, I'd say it's mandatory reading. The translation I read was pretty funny, too.

But the reason I'm bringing them up here is an intriguing bit of information I found in the entry for Theater of the Absurd at the French Literature Companion:

Absurdism helped to liberate playwrights from outmoded conventions, and gave rise to some powerful theatrical metaphors. Beckett's image of two tramps waiting beside a tree in a barren landscape became a universal icon of futile existence. But its nihilism represented a philosophical impasse. Moreover, it was the last theatrical avant-garde led by writers. After 1960 original dramatic writing fell into decline and directors took the initiative.
(the last paragraph in the entry)

I have felt for some years now that current theater has more emphasis on production than on text, with a predominance of radical re-readings of classics and collaborative experimental group creations. I don't think it's necessarily good or bad, it's just a current trend. But I do have the feeling that the big names of playwriting nowadays are not as big as their counterparts from a couple of decades ago -- think of, say, Tom Stoppard, Sam Shepard, John Patrick Shanley or any of the Pulitzer-winning playwrights of the last ten years. They're not doing bad by any accounts, but they're not the big kahunas Beckett and Pinter were in their time, are they?

That does give me a couple of things to be concerned about: on a very practical level, of course, what kind of succe$$ beginners like us can look up to in the current theater scene/industry, but also what it means to write plays at a time when production shines brighter -- and what kind of writing is more likely to move and captivate audiences in this context.

Am I the only one seeing this trend? (I can't deny I'd be a little comforted if someone told me it's all in my head.) Do you have any feelings about this trend and your own writing, and whether you should bear it in mind at all when writing (and how)?

Just wondering

  I just wanted to throw this out there.  Do you guys ever write scenes out of order?  I'm not talking about writing a play with a different use of time, jut writing scenes when you feel like writing each one then going back and arranging them sequentially?  Does this bring up continuity issues or screw up the flow of the play?  

For all you Scifi/Fantasy/Horror writers!

I just heard about this site called Critters.org, it's a community of writers who read each other's work and critique it.

This comes from their FAQ page:

"We'll look at anything science fiction, fantasy, or horror related, in whatever form -- plays, screen plays, poetry, whatever. We've had them all. Even novel query letters & synopses you might send to editors are fine. Not as many members work outside of the short story or novel form, so review rates may be lower, but they're absolutely welcome."

How not to write: "The Waverly Gallery"

In keeping with the spirit of using this blog as an extended forum for us to continue our exchange of ideas and feedback as we work to advance our writing careers, I'd like to share with you something that is not as easy to come by as one would logically think: a bad example.

I've just finished reading Kenneth Lonergan's The Waverly Gallery, a 1999 play about a family trying to cope with a grandmother's advancing Alzheimer's disease. Remember all those rules and guidelines we studied during the semester? You won't find any of them in it.

No want, no transformation, plenty of filler in the dialogues, answered questions and stated emotions. Nothing happens -- and not in any avant-garde Beckett way, either. I can't even tell you who the protagonist is supposed to be: the Alzheimer-stricken grandmother who's supposed to be the focus of it is pushed around the whole play as she mumbles incoherently, her daughter who seems to call the shots of the family doesn't bring about much change or asserts herself in any sort of power structure, and her grandson does little more than bitch about a failing romantic relationship (which we never see onstage), though for some reason he gets to speak to the audience in introductory soliloquies to a few scenes. His father, to boot, is one of those characters that could be removed entirely and not be missed at all.

"Gee, Celso, with that subject matter, what did you expect?" Good point. I looked for this play because its author is one of the screenwriters of Analyze This, which I find an excellent example of a good screenplay, with fresh comedy and engrossing characters that bring about a perfect balance of laughter and seriousness. Seems like I should look for stuff by the other screenwriters.

It's easy to find timeless classics by celebrated authors that we're all supposed to idolize and learn from. But if you ever find yourself in need of a negative example to put the good stuff in perspective, look no further: run through The Waverly Gallery with a checklist, and by the time you're done you'll have finished an intensive crash course on what to avoid in writing.

You Guys are Wonderful

Guys,
I can't tell you how much I enjoyed all of you this semester, and how much I'm enjoying your portfolios. Do you have any idea how much writing you did? A ton. You've got a lot of great work to go back and take further.

I encourage you to post those things you've learned this semester, so as not to forget them. And anything else worth posting. Here's something to get you started:

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/arts/la-ca-theresa-rebeck29-2009mar29,0,6152400.story

Thanks group!

So, after today's feedback, I know exactly what to do. I've realized that I want to tell my story more than I want to show spectacle. Everyone who has read my play, it's a musical that explains a love story between two men in 1930's France. I feel like I need to return to that before I consider anything else. Thanks group!

New Play Creation with Kirk Lynn

Take this class! :)

Fall 2009 class detail

26142
MW
1230 to 200p
WIN 2.180
LYNN, KIRK E

open; restricted

T D 357T NEW PLAY CREATN: CONC-REHRSL-W

PREREQUISITE: UPPER-DIVISION STANDING AND CONSENT OF INSTRUCTOR.

CONTAINS A SUBSTANTIAL WRITING COMPONENT AND FULFILLS PART OF THE BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT IN WRITING. COURSE NUMBER MAY BE REPEATED FOR CREDIT WHEN THE TOPICS VARY.

TOPIC DESCRIPTION: TECHNIQUES FOR BRAINSTORMING, MIND-MAPPING, RESEARCHI NG, SYNTHESIZING, PERFORMING DRAMATURGY, QUESTIONING PERFORMANCE, AND PR ACTICING INQUIRY. FOCUSES ON CREATION OF "THE GINGERBREAD MAN" BY KIRK L YNN AND DIRECTED BY KATIE PEARL. STUDENTS WILL BE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN STAGED PERFORMANCE IN THE SPRING SEMESTER. ACADEMIC WRITING WILL INC LUDE DRAMATURGICAL RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS, AND SELF-REFLECTIVE RESPONSES TO IN-CLASS WORKSHOPS AND READINGS.

MEETS WITH T D 387D.