book eight: or, the Cursed Child problem
So in the wee hours of Sunday morning, I was at GeekyCon in Orlando, surrounded by Harry Potter fans, and finally getting my hands on the published rehearsal script of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. As I waited in line, however, I heard the dude in the IMPECCABLE Remus Lupin cosplay ask his Tonks, "So, is it going to look like... Shakespeare?"
And I suddenly realized- for real- that the VAST MAJORITY of people don't read plays. They probably read through a Shakespeare or two as teenagers if they went to school in America or the UK, but that might be the limit.
Since that night, there've been lots of articles making fun of people who didn't realize they were buying a script, not a novel (admittedly, that's a pretty ridiculous mistake to make, considering the months and MONTHS of press about the project). But there's an undercurrent to a lot of the articles- people are behaving and reacting poorly because they don't know how to read plays, and let's all laugh at them.
And that is grade A, prime BULLSHIT, y'all.
Plays are weird, and most people- EVEN PEOPLE WHO READ A LOT- don't read them! They call on a totally different set of skills than reading a book, and if you aren't used to dealing with play texts, you have to work at it to get into the groove.
That's the mainstream press. There's a lot of negative fan buzz about the particulars of the play, and whether it's justified or not isn't really for me to say. I'd love to write another post about my own reactions to the script, but just in general, there are SO MANY LEVELS AT WORK.* Fans are approaching it from the angle of looking for Harry Potter canon and story, and how do we find that in a theatrical script that is, by its nature, meant to be interpreted and reinterpreted?
What's been ticking away in my head since Sunday morning is putting together a post about how to read plays, and in particular, what to keep in mind when reading THIS play. I've been stymied a bit because I read plays so MUCH, I'm having trouble figuring out what the skills ARE that people need. Does anyone have any suggestions? If you don't read plays, what do you need to know?
*First and foremost to me is that you can't judge the entirety of the theatrical work by the script- not only is this an early rehearsal script, but this project is SO MUCH MORE than the plot and dialogue. JOHN TIFFANY AND STEVEN HOGGETT, PEOPLE- in these two English dudes I TRUST. They made magic out of a battlefield of tired and scared soldiers in Black Watch, I can't imagine what they'll do with the world of Harry Potter.
And I suddenly realized- for real- that the VAST MAJORITY of people don't read plays. They probably read through a Shakespeare or two as teenagers if they went to school in America or the UK, but that might be the limit.
Since that night, there've been lots of articles making fun of people who didn't realize they were buying a script, not a novel (admittedly, that's a pretty ridiculous mistake to make, considering the months and MONTHS of press about the project). But there's an undercurrent to a lot of the articles- people are behaving and reacting poorly because they don't know how to read plays, and let's all laugh at them.
And that is grade A, prime BULLSHIT, y'all.
Plays are weird, and most people- EVEN PEOPLE WHO READ A LOT- don't read them! They call on a totally different set of skills than reading a book, and if you aren't used to dealing with play texts, you have to work at it to get into the groove.
That's the mainstream press. There's a lot of negative fan buzz about the particulars of the play, and whether it's justified or not isn't really for me to say. I'd love to write another post about my own reactions to the script, but just in general, there are SO MANY LEVELS AT WORK.* Fans are approaching it from the angle of looking for Harry Potter canon and story, and how do we find that in a theatrical script that is, by its nature, meant to be interpreted and reinterpreted?
What's been ticking away in my head since Sunday morning is putting together a post about how to read plays, and in particular, what to keep in mind when reading THIS play. I've been stymied a bit because I read plays so MUCH, I'm having trouble figuring out what the skills ARE that people need. Does anyone have any suggestions? If you don't read plays, what do you need to know?
*First and foremost to me is that you can't judge the entirety of the theatrical work by the script- not only is this an early rehearsal script, but this project is SO MUCH MORE than the plot and dialogue. JOHN TIFFANY AND STEVEN HOGGETT, PEOPLE- in these two English dudes I TRUST. They made magic out of a battlefield of tired and scared soldiers in Black Watch, I can't imagine what they'll do with the world of Harry Potter.