Exciting Announcement! (and Lessons Learned from Past Projects)
Cover art by Kathryn Kramer Waters
On a whim in February, I submitted two of my plays for a new initiative, the Drama Notebook. Their goal was to build an online hub for teachers, who needed plays for their students to study and perform. I had two plays in my writing repertoire, which hadn’t been touched for years. I rushed to edit them and hoped they would fit the criteria.
My hesitation stemmed from the time they were written: high school. I was an overly ambitious student who played on two varsity sports, pursued an IB diploma, joined the choir, and somehow made time for writing and theatre. With a brother almost ten years my junior, I found myself writing for him. This meant that fairytale and fantastical ideas burst onto the page, sometimes nonsensical but always methodical. By high school graduation, I had written and directed three of my original short plays. Years later, I submitted two of them to the Drama Notebook. I waited a month with nervous anticipation.
Then the process moved like lightning. My plays were accepted in March, I signed the paperwork in May, the script library went up in August, and since October my play Down the Wrong Beanstalk has been available on the site! It’s All in Your Head went up yesterday and already has a few downloads. I can only describe the feeling like this; it’s a little nugget of hope that the work you poured your time, energy, and passion into is no longer just yours. Now, the lessons of these stories, of imagination, cooperation, forgiveness, and learning from the past, belong to others, too. And nothing gives me greater joy.
Me in high school - this was taken during rehearsals for the first play that I wrote and directed, Clued In!
At first, I was concerned to revisit what high school me had concocted from her love of fairytales and psychology. I’ve pursued writing since graduation and worried I might crumble these fragile worlds I had built in my head. But then I allowed myself to truly dive into them. I smiled. I laughed. I grimaced at some of the puns and wordplay, like when Jack (from the beanstalk) takes a moment to contemplate the proper way to say route (root vs rowt). I cleaned up some grammar and sent them on their way with fingers crossed.
In the end, I had to come to terms with the fact that I was a different writer back then than I am today. I led with whimsy and filled the gaps with characterization. I gravitated toward caricature and humor, and strived to make the audience laugh. Some of that is still the same, but with new words, conflict, and an understanding of the world and the people that live in it.
Through reviewing my past, I am reminded of where I’ve been, where I am, and where I’ve yet to go. The future seems more exciting than ever, and this opportunity with the Drama Notebook has kicked my creativity into high gear. I think of all the children who will read these original plays and may be inspired to write their own. And that to me is what success looks like. I know high school me would be proud.