WHY TELL TALES?

     Technically, the first bit of fiction I wrote was in the fourth grade. It was a musical titled, The Thieves’ Hideout. I recruited the members of my family to sit with me in my basement so they could read scenes as I took notes for rewrites.  In time, their patience wore thin, I became frustrated, and the project was never performed.  I moved on to poetry, short stories, and novels before making my way back to playwrighting in college.

Coming up with story is not what usually burdens the Storyteller. Rather, conundrum is often found while attempting to decide in which medium to express the tale. Plays have a singular feature in that, by nature, they are meant to be enjoyed in dynamically different ways; no two productions are alike, therefore characters and worlds can be open to many interpretations and appeal to different audience demographics while still telling the same story. Film is unique because it may be watched and re-watched in exactly the same way, allowing for hidden gems to be continuously discovered. Ballet, Musical Theatre, Opera, and other live arts where music and movement mix allow for the harmonious expression of a moment which can never be precisely repeated. Spoken Word and Collaborative Poetic Drama cut to the core with their metaphorical machete. Prose and Poetry are only limited by the imaginations of those who create and consume the written word. So many stories have been left untold, I will not allow mine to be among them.