Watching the Tony Awards on Sunday, I was particularly impressed by the dazzling stage horses of War Horse. It reminded me of when I lived in New York and directed a visiting aunt and her family to Avenue Q. I knew it was a risky suggestion, but when I talked to her after the musical, her complaint wasn’t at all what I expected: “I was hoping for a little more spectacle,” she said.
This course has forced me to think about all of the ways in which theater is more than just a story set to dialogue. When I strive to make my work more “theatrical,” I’m being asked to realize and employ all that live theater can do to heighten my story. This isn’t to say that good theater necessarily needs special effects, like those incredible horses. But it does mean that if I intend to be a serious playwright, I should always be looking for ways to make the theater work for me. In short, my aunt, who shelled out over $400 for her family’s night out, had a valid point (though I’d still watch Avenue Q over Spiderman any day).
