Notes from the O’Neill
Originally published at The Off-Center. Please leave any comments there.
[This was written a few days ago, but I'm home now, with real internet access, and can post it!]
I have just awakened from a nap, taken on a window seat in the Liebling-Wood Library at the O’Neill Theater Center. I unwound like a cat, the setting sun glimmering through the many windows, and opened my eyes: I was surrounded by books only on the subject of the art of playwriting.
Today we visited the Monte Cristo cottage in New London, CT. This was the childhood home of Eugene O’Neill, and the house in which the events for Long Days Journey into Night took place. It was so thrilling to be there, and yet it seemed almost possible to feel the pain that still remained in that house. The second floor had a sort of fun-house quality to it: The ceilings were rather low, but stranger still was the fact that the windows, bannisters, door knobs and furniture were all remarkably low as well. The bedrooms had a claustrophobic feel that I can’t quite explain, since they also had wide, glass windows looking out into a sunny yard or past the road and to the water. Everything creaked, which was to be expected, but I think everything must have creaked when it was brand new as well. I understood how a woman might have a tenuous hold on her sanity in a house like that, particularly one who was addicted to morphine.
In fact, my companions on the tour had similar reactions to the place. We decided it was a wonderful thing to see, but that one ought not spend any more time in there than it took to see everything. The pain was palpable, and made very real. They may has well have laid glasses of whiskey out on the living room table. At night, they say that you can hear Ella O’Neill’s footsteps as she moves, restlessly, from room to room.
In other news, I finished a draft of my previously untitled play, which I have since titled ASYLUM. I’m not 100% married to that title yet, as it doesn’t reference the dream sequences (and I think that may be important to a viewer in order to contextualize what is otherwise a very jarring series of scenes). But I finished that draft in a record few hours over the last two days. There is really something in the air of this place, it’s hard to explain - you look around, and people are reading scenes or playing horse shoes or running down to the beach or reading in a corner or typing away on a lap top, and you think of al the great artists who have done those exact things here before them, and it’s contagious. I spent a few hours at the beach today, running along the surf, and it was bliss. The ocean cleared my brain, and the fresh air verged on intoxicating, and I took a couple shells back with me. I think that morning spent without a care in the world made it possible for me to settle in a do my work later in the afternoon. I can see how this would be an ideal combination: breathe in the air, relax, and then get down to work. For most of the day, I thought of nothing but the ocean, then of nothing but my work.
Paula Vogel said something interesting in the panel discussion yesterday: “We become writers in exile,” she said. And I think she might be onto something. There is something so wonderful about being away from the distractions of real life. I suddenly very clearly see the merits of retreats and fellowships that give you the opportunity to escape. I will look into this further.
Speaking of Paula Vogel, here is a selection from the notes I took during our panel discussion!
Panel Members:
- Paula Vogel
- An agent from Paradigm Talent Agency
- Representatives from The Actors Theater of Louisville, The Public Theater and Steppenwolf
A lot of really interesting questions were asked, particularly about how best to grab up the seemingly dwindling number of opportunities for emerging writers. One of the best things said on this topic was that it may be just as important to create new theaters as it is to create new work. There needs to be a paradigm shift in the theater itself. Paula Vogel went on to say that it was a mistake to wait for permission - that one needed to create opportunities for oneself.
They also gave some really great concrete advice: Apply to as many opportunities that do exist as you can, including the Emerging Writers Group at the Public, The First Look Repertory of new Work at Steppenwolf, etc. Pick up a copy of the Dramatist Source Book and read it from beginning to end; Take a class on grantwriting; go to the Foundation Center and let them help you find appropriate grants; google playwrights you love and find out where they were produced; google artist residencies. For finding an agent, learn to write a good letter; when you contact one, know who they represent; no form letters; write an amazing one-act play - they are more likely to read shorter things first. Familiarize yourself with the mission of every theater you send your work to.
One of my favorite pieces of advice came from Paula Vogel, who said to make a list of Saint Plays and Devil Plays. Those are plays published in the last 5 years that you love, and plays that you hate. Learn everything about them: who wrote them, their full production history, writers agents, etc. There is a lot to be learned from other people’s success.
Know what you are and what you aspire to - this will help you find your niche. Opportunities will come to everyone - those who succeed are those who recognize them and snatch them up.
Anyway, I had a ton of notes and didn’t even catch everything, but these are some great highlights. I had an amazing time and I really hope I get to go back next year!