okay, so the thing is, every time i start to have one of those crises of artistic faith (why am i giving up so much of my life to this career/art form?) is about the time i see or work on one of those plays that makes me go, “oh, right. this is why.” and i’m sucked back in. Equivocation was one of those. and i saw it on one of those days that i was have a crisis of faith. just like clockwork. any time i have thoughts of straying, it reels me back in.

of course, it was impeccably produced, because it was at OSF and, as non-profit theatres go, they have more money than god. the actors were excellent. some of the directing and pacing choices weren’t what i would have made, but i can hardly consider those flaws. but i really love is the sheer theatricality of this play. this is the kind of theatre i want to be doing. never mind kitchen-sink dramas, save those for the movies where you can have better sets and closeup camera work. the stage is for something else, it’s a different medium. you don’t feed every detail about every blade of grass to the audience the way HDTV does. it engages the audience’s imagination. and then a bare stage can become any location and every location, with addition of a piece of furniture, or maybe just light and sound. put on a new hat and a lisp, i’m a new character. do it well, and the audience will engage. by bringing the audience into the equation, you add new significance to the notion of collaborative art forms. it’s not longer just the actors and directors and designers collaborating — it’s the performers and the audience, nightly, communing in a way that can only happen in a live performance. a film can exist exclusive of its audience. but if a play falls in the forest, and there’s no one around to see it…well, then, it’s no longer a performance. its no longer art. the art needs the audience. needs it not just to witness, but to engage.

so…yeah. it’s not that it’s a perfect play, but its my favorite kind of play. the sort that embraces theatre for the medium it is, rather than trying to be something it is not. my company is producing this piece next spring, so no doubt readers will hear more about Equivocation as the season goes in. it’s a really good play. did i mention that?

also, there must be a patron saint of theatre-goers, because i left Marin at 1pm with 7 hours to drive to Ashland and drove like hell to get there before curtain. i blew through three speed traps going 80, and somehow got away with it, making it with just enough time to spare to sit down on a bench and appreciate the summer evening in Oregon for 10 minutes before going inside. still, i don’t recommend the Ashland-and-back in 28 hours trip if one can help it. it was a LOT of driving for one three-hour play.