Rummaging through the Guardian, I stumbled across an article about Robert Lepage, playwright of The Blue Dragon, and how he decided to transform his script into a graphic novel, rather than publishing the original script. Looking at the excerpts from the novel I thought the idea was amazing. It fully explodes the world. It is such a unique outlet because everything becomes so extremely specific and clear the first time you are confronted with the text. I am a huge fan of graphic novels because they are able to capture the extreme complexities of life in such a personal and intricate way. So my hesitancy towards this idea has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that it is a graphic novel. Just get that notion out of the way. But, the first thing I thought about when I read this was does and/or when does this new script become a detriment to the work? It’s a great idea and the playwright’s desire to present his play clearly from his mind to the world makes complete sense to me. But I can only imagine that this exclusive script might stifle the work that is always associated with approaching a new piece of text. Because the discoveries about the world have already been handed to the artist, it leaves no room for their own imagination. You have the characters’ expressions on the page, their costumes, the set, the mood, the tone, the colors, and the entire world in your hands to see and look at. And yes, sometimes setting up parameters to work in can be extremely helpful to an artist, but does it become a disadvantage when those boundaries are already filled with someone else’s world? I completely understand how the playwright feels about when reading plays strictly for pleasure it can be a somewhat “incomplete experience”. I can’t help but think about Edward Albee, his work and the fact that I do think every playwright has the right to determine how his worlds are created. But even more so I believe that in playwriting, one should be acquainted with the idea that they are creating an art form where interpretation is inevitable. An art that is not going be hung on a wall or looked at in a book, an art that is created so that others can bring those words to life in accordance to how they understand them, and not by how others want them understood. But another artist could feel completely different about this piece and find themselves discovering more about it through the use of the novel and that’s great! So yes I have my quarries, but I am really excited to read this play.
This was also featured in the article. CHECK IT OUT! Manga Shakespeare.
