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| E. Hunter Spreen |
Natasha Brown: Thanks for taking the time to talk with me. First question, is your style distinct or does it change
depending on the play?
Elizabeth Spreen: It depends on the play. The
style and tone of Split the Stick is
something I’m more comfortable with.
NB: Are there any interesting
stories about how your play came into being?
ES: I was working on another play with the same characters and I was really
frustrated with it. So I thought "Try something else!" and gave myself an exercise. Characters were put in a different situation for a month, and in that month we played. In that time something interesting started to occurs. As I’ve continued to work on it, I got
to like it more and more and eventually it took off and was really fascinating.
NB: That’s really great advice for
playwrights. I’m very interested in your play cycle, ‘The Dumb Puppy.' You have
said that each play “traces a potential result of America’s projection of power
across the planet”. In [Split the Stick], I feel that you show us the scars that are
left on imperialists upon their return to their home country. Am I on the right
page? Tell me more about this.
ES: Absolutely! I was interested in
how I might bring that onto the stage without being didactic or like a
documentary. We go to these wars in other countries without thinking about the
larger impact on the rest of the world. One of the things I’ve been thinking
about and playing around with since 9/11 is political theatre and what sort of
strategies we can take to present stories that are political. I want people to
look at this and not be turned off by it. I want a story that draws you in and
afterwards makes you think “Oh, wait a minute.”
NB: I think your play definitely has
the potential to do that. I really like the character of Gertrude Bell, particularly
because of her historical symbolism and also how she interacts in the play. How
did this character develop?
ES: I found her diaries; she was a fascinating woman for her time. She traveled
the world alone and drew the map of modern day Iraq. So, I was intrigued by the
Gertrude Bell character but I wasn’t sure how to handle her. I had to be
careful in the material I was choosing. I was trying to look at the different
facets of her character to use as a metaphor in the play. I was interested
in looking at how Gertrude Bell’s life has had a lasting impact in a positive
and negative way.
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| Gertrude Bell |
NB: Wow, that’s such a great insight
and a part of history that is often forgotten. What do you want the audience to
experience whilst watching your play?
ES: I would like them to make the
larger political connection and also have an experience of what the
consequences of the war have been. These consequences do not necessarily
extend just to the soldiers or families of soldiers - they have global consequences.
It will be interesting to hear what the audience thinks of it.
NB: It will be. Okay, last question,
whose work would you recommend for emerging writers to study?
ES: Sarah Kane; she would be my
first. Howard Barker. Shakespeare, Beckett, Sam Shepard. What Sarah Kane was
doing was so good I wish we could have seen where she was going with it. There
was something amazing happening with the way she used language and space that I
don’t see other playwrights doing. Emerging writers should study whatever
interests them. Read widely. Think about space and how to use a theatrical
space. Read Certain Fragments by Tim Etchells of Forced Entertainment. I love
how Forced Entertainment makes you feel very present; there is an urgency, a
relevance. Read diverse plays. I was reading an article the other day about the
possibility of multicultural casting and institutions. How can they be talking
about this now? This isn’t a new idea. We’ve been talking about this for over
30 years. I think people want theatre that challenges them. That’s what we need
to be making.
NB: Thanks, Elizabeth!
The Bay Area Playwrights Festival gives voice to emerging and established playwrights who are pushing boundaries and have the potential to shape the future of American theater and culture. The festival runs from July 18-27. Click here for the calendar and special event details for the whole festival.
1 comment:
I agree. Why would anyone wish to go spend two hours experiencing something that has nothing to do with who they are and what they are about! And speaking of reality ... if you want to see something that will REALLY wake you up, if you have yet to see the HBO mini-series "Generation Kill," about a Rolling Stone reporter embedded with a U.S. marine recon unit, the hell, ya! Go see it! Finally ... if this play is only 1/2 as good as this playwright is a person ... then this play will be an awesome, thoughtful, experience!
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