In August, 2010, the Mountain Playhouse in Jennerstown, Pennsylvania, produced my romantic comedy, One Golden Moment. Established in 1939, this is one of the oldest regional equity theatres in the nation.

   

For this production, the Mountain Playhouse brought me out for rehearsals and the first three performances. It was a time I will never forget. I remain grateful to Teresa Marafino, owner and producer of the Playhouse along with her staff; to director Chan Harris who guided the play throughout the process; the actors, crews, and audiences who made this production not only possible, but one of the highlights of my professional life and playwrighting career.

Below are some of my impressions and memories of this exquisite and excellent experience.

A GOLDEN MOMENT FOR

ONE GOLDEN MOMENT

NOTE:

Before I begin my journal of the production by the Mountain Playhouse, I must note that my two-act romantic comedy is available. It is production tested and ready to go into rehearsals. It has one simple set and the cast is two women and two men. Best of all, it won’t break your budget.

There aren’t many new romantic comedies out there. There are even fewer set in such an exotic and romantic setting. One Golden Moment is an audience pleaser. Give it a look.

If you would like a perusal copy, email me at

WilliamS.E.Coleman@att.net

I can send it on-line (PDF) or in hard copy.

*******************

PRELUDE TO WAITING

    One of the problems with entering the Mountain Playhouse’s International Comedy Playwriting Contest is that you have to keep your play off the market for the year you enter it and for two years after you win – if you do win, that is. That didn’t bother me. My play had been sitting in my files going nowhere. Why not enter? I did.

    As time passed, I forgot that I had entered One Golden Moment. Then an email from the Mountain Playhouse’s producer and co-owner, Teresa Stoughton Marafino popped into my in-box. I was pleasantly surprised to learn my romantic comedy had battled through 148 entries to win the prestigious Grindstone Award for 2008. The award included a cash prize, an Equity reading of the play in September 2008, an all expenses trip (for Linda and me) to the reading, and an option for production that ran through the 2009 season. An important door opened with this award. It was a beginning, albeit a rather late one for a writer who was entering his eighties.

    Since I retired from Drake University in 2001, my focus has been to expand my playwrighting career. While I wrote as I taught theatre courses and directed plays, I found that my schedule left little time to properly market my work. Retirement gave me the time to explore more possibilities. In less than three years following my retirement, my one-act plays received fifteen productions, and my full-length plays received three international awards. Two of my screenplays were optioned. One lapsed, another is still actively being considered for production. This award climaxed those efforts.

    The Mountain Playhouse Grindstone Award also sparked my creativity as a writer. Even as I write this, I am working on two new full-length plays. Ideas for others race through my brain. Most playwrights are finished in their late fifties, or at the very latest in their sixties. I believe I am just entering a doorway that leads to more creativity.

ORIGINS IN A PLAYWRIGHT’S SUBCONCIOUS

    One Golden Moment ‘s voyage to the stage was a slow one. I wrote a first draft of the play one summer several years ago. Linda and I had spent several summers attending rehearsals of the Greek National Theatre at the Ancient Theatre of Epidauros. During those trips we also spent time on the island of Paros in the middle of the Aegean Sea. It has no ancient ruins and then was not a large tourist draw. It was a paradise for those who wanted to relax and savor Greek life.

    Then one summer we were unable to go. My play was drafted out of a longing for Greece, a country that gets into your blood even after one visit.

    In looking back, I see how I drew various experiences and people together into a two-act romantic comedy. First, there is Paros, its people, and Punda Beach. When Linda and I first arrived there, the island was underdeveloped. We booked a room in the Hotel Magia, which was at the top of a steep hill overlooking Piso Livadi, a small fishing village that looked across a wide strait to the larger island of Naxos. Legend has it that Athenian Prince Theseus, a hero second only to Herakles, abandoned the Cretan Princess Ariadne on Naxos as he wended his epic ways to other loves and adventures. In time Ariadne became the wife of the god Dionysos. From our balcony, we contemplated these ancient legends after seeing them enacted at Epidauros on the mainland of Greece.

    There is much of Linda in the character of Birgit-Kefi, but I needed a contrast to the thoroughly and materialistic American Kate. I’m not sure how I arrived at making Birgit-Kefi Austrian other than many Northern Europeans made their way to the Greek islands in the summer. As for Ted, I looked back to when I was divorced and spent a sabbatical year in England. I toyed with the idea of staying there. I transferred that possibility to Paros.

    I needed a complication. I had recently had some unpleasant business with a publisher, and I knew of my eldest son’s equally difficult dealings in the publishing world. I also remembered the famous editor Maxwell Perkins who shaped some of the great American novels. Somehow a writer’s subconscious shapes a work as it spills out on the page. To some degree, most literary and dramatic works are autobiographic.

    Somehow all these elements shaped Ted as a character.

    Amidst this mélange is that collective dream many of us have of running away to a small tropical island paradise, there to escape our mundane lives. My imagined Ariadnos is a little like James Hilton’s Shangri La in Lost Horizon; and Ted is a little like Conway who escapes to his remote paradise in the Himalayas.

    Then there is Nikos. When Linda and I first visited Greece, we met a wonderful man, George Papaggelakis, who was the stage manager of the Greek National Theatre. Thanks to his efforts we were allowed to observe rehearsals at Epidauros over eight years. We were the only foreigners given this access. During that time, he taught us how to act and live like Greeks. We considered him to be our own personal Zorba. I combined George with Kostas Kastanas, one of Greece’s great actors. He remains a dear friend to this very day. Nikos emerged out of this blend of these two friends as well as other Greeks we met.

    This early draft of One Golden Moment was workshopped at Drake. This gave me a chance to work on dialog and structure with no pressures. I submitted my play to several theatres. There were no takers. I put it away in my files. In time I wrote a screenplay version that was twice optioned, but never produced. Then I saw the announcement of the Mountain Playhouse’s competition. I worked through the play again. The second act seemed lame to me. A sophisticated Internet was born since my first draft. This new technology gave me my play’s denouement.

THE FIRST VISIT TO JENNERSTOWN, PA

    The seventy-two year-old Mountain Playhouse is one of the premiere theatres in the East. It is especially admired for its productions of farces and comedies. It was important to me that the Playhouse was only fifty miles from where I grew up, New Kensington. When I worked on my masters at Penn State in 1952-3, I drove a carload of friends to a production there.

    Our trip to receive the award in 2008 was a wonderful experience. We landed at the Greater Pittsburgh Airport, rented a car, and headed southeast into the mountains. The sixty-mile drive is spectacular as the road rises and falls through the mountains. Jennerstown, a small, peaceful town at the top of a hill is far from larger cities in the area. We turned left at the stoplight and drove down a gentle hill to the seventy-one year-old Mountain Playhouse. It is part of a small resort that includes lovely grounds, cabins, a restaurant, and a theatre that was built out of the remnants of an old grist mill. A gentle stream dammed to form a picturesque lake backs it. The rooms and cabins are built from enormous logs. Each room had its own character.

    The reading was extremely well done. The cast was close to ideal. It was well received by a large audience. I had a chance to see the shape and content of my play clearly. Some of the ribaldry in the dialog and situations seemed forced to me and some of those who attended the reading.

    During our residence Linda and I enjoyed two fine meals at the Mountain Playhouse’s fine restaurant, the Green Gables. In our opinion it is one of the best restaurants we have visited. It was a wonderful weekend. I hoped that the option would be picked up and my play would be performed in this idyllic setting.

    I revised the play after that reading and then again after StageWest’s reading on April 28, 2009. I sent this revised version to Teresa. She responded favorably, but there was no commitment for production.  My play didn’t make it into the 2009 season.

    The changes enhanced the romantic comedy and strengthened the characters. After all, One Golden Moment is about living our lives to the fullest with someone we love. It is about the lessons Linda and I learned during our many trips to Greece, a land intent on living life happily, a land warmed by the summer sun. The title says it all. As spring edged into Iowa in 2010, my play remained dormant in my files. The elation I felt after the award and reading at the Mountain Playhouse in 2008 faded away.

    Then, in April 2010, Teresa called and said it was scheduled for production.

    I was thrilled.

    Having a play done in a professional theatre near where my life began was the realization of a lifelong dream.

CHAN

    While Linda and I were at the Mountain Playhouse for the award and the reading, we had dinner with one of their regular directors, Chan Harris. The next morning I watched him rehearse a production. As a director, I admired the way he worked with actors. I especially admired his use of space and movement. I was pleased when Teresa said Chan would direct my play.

    Chan and I began to email back and forth. He had edits in mind, and he offered his own expertise regarding the use of the Austrian-German language in the play. As summer approached I trimmed at least ten minutes from the play. Chan requested that I be at all rehearsals. Teresa funded this. While Chan and I worked on the play via emails, my being on hand at all rehearsals helped refine the script into what I consider an ideal form.

    Teresa and Chan cast the play in New York. The actor, who would play Nikos, Frederic Heringes, had read the part at the 2008 reading. The other three actors were unknown quantities.

HEADING EAST

   The Playhouse’s 2009 comedy winner, David Lassig’s Who? Made? Who? opened on the evening of our arrival. After the performance there was a reception for the cast, crews, and audiences. I met the cast of One Golden Moment. All but one, Bill Edwards (Ted), were appearing in the farce. Birgit-Kefi was played by Sarah Corey, a vivacious brunette, Ashley Puckett Gonzales, a tall, elegant blonde, played Kate. Frederic, our Nikos, was also there. I had a chance to chat with Chan and Teresa. Wine and hors d'oeuvre were enjoyed amidst conversations. I was amused that Bill Edwards had two of my names. Indeed, I had used Bill Edwards as a character name in an early play of mine and as a writing pseudonym in past years. Billy, as he likes to be called, was pleased to be playing his first romantic lead.

REHEARSALS BEGIN

    Linda and I arrived at the rehearsal hall well ahead of time. The first rehearsal was a table read. From the first line of dialog Bill and Sarah’s chemistry was apparent. My words surged from the page. I could see how my characters would be when my play reached its first audience. Frederic, who had been excellent at the reading, was close to Nikos’ character when he joined the reading and he was closer in this first table-read. Ashley brought an acerbic edge tinged by acid wit and a dash of vulnerability that was just right to Kate. I knew that this was a perfect cast for my play.

    Since three of the four actors were performing in a vigorous knock-about, door-slamming farce, there were Equity limits on the length of rehearsals – all set out in Actors Equity rules. Bill Edwards quickly became the cast leader since he was not performing nightly. Chan quickly laid out the play and worked on character and relationships. While the rehearsal version of my script was tight, I made a few more edits. A few lines were rephrased.

    Whole sequences began to emerge amidst blocking on an intricate floor plan.

    All productions begin with the stage manager. Our rehearsals went smoothly. Our stage manager, Rebecca J. Stevens, quietly and efficiently kept things moving along as she noted changes and production needs. She used the time limits we had well. Her calm demeanor made rehearsals relaxed and productive. I have worked with many good stage managers over the years. Rebecca was one of the very best.

    I have always believed that props are an actor’s life-blood. Our props person, Tiffany Quinnette, drew from the props Linda and I acquired during our several summer trips to Greece and her daily foraging throughout the area. I have rarely seen her equal as a props person. She was intent on absolute authenticity. She is one of the very best.

    Costumer Amanda Kirkstadt used some of the Greek clothing we brought with us and made other costumes. Set designer Elisha Schaefer designed a multilevel set topped by a shepherd’s cottage, all backed by a wide blue-sky drop. Its levels gave it a sense of the play’s perch on a steep hilltop. Light designer Joshua Beumer arrived a few days into rehearsal. He emphasized the gold and blue in his lighting.

    The production values were high. Teresa had invested a great deal of money in the production. The totally union Playhouse worked together like clockwork. There were no quarrels, no temper fits. This was a group of people working together on a production.

AN IDEAL CAST, A FINE DIRECTOR, A TRUSTING PRODUCER

    I admire Teresa’s daring in mounting the 2010 season. She premiered two new comedies back to back amidst established musicals and plays. Her bravery was apparent in the fact that the Playhouse was battling for survival. High gas prices and the recession added to its problems. It is sixty miles from Pittsburgh and some distance from other Western Pennsylvania towns. It is a long drive home after an evening of theatre. One really must want to see a play there. The Playhouse’s longevity testifies to the quality of its work over two generations.

    Chan and I discussed what part I would play in rehearsals. He used me as a resource regarding character and motivation. If I had any ideas, I asked for his permission to speak during rehearsals.

    I soon learned that the cast had worked in New York, on the road, and in residencies. Their credits were impressive. They were working actors in a very tough market. They approached their work with complete professionalism. Besides all that, they are wonderful people. Better still, they liked my play and its characters.

    It was fascinating watching the actors rehearse. Bill was aggressive and daring. He was excited to be playing a romantic lead, something he had not done before. As a person and an actor he has immense vitality. He controlled this as he developed Ted and Ted’s growth toward achieving his kefi – the Greek word for an inner sense of a joy for living.

    Bill and Sarah’s love scenes sizzled as they playfully romped through my repartee. Sarah had a challenge in creating her role. She needed to perfect an Austrian-German dialect. Amidst this she probed deeper into her character. Her interest in the role continued after the production closed. She wrote me a thoughtful analysis of her role and the part it had in the structure of my play.

    Ashley is a tall woman, and she uses her height as an asset. Her first entrance was striking. She used her whole body for her surprise entrance. Who is this disheveled woman? In many ways, she has the grand style many actors had years ago, particularly strong women like Rosalind Russell and Eve Arden. She can deliver an acidic line that cuts to the quick. I believe that some in the audience would have preferred that Ted went back to American with her. This added complexity to my play. Best of all, the comedy was always there even as she tried to manipulate Ted.

    While Ashley doesn’t appear until the end of the first act, the quartet of actors soon became an ensemble. They played together like a skilled string quartet. Together they dealt with my plays shifting rhythms.

    Chan’s Socratic directing edged them into becoming a unit. While Chan uses space well, he directs with probing questions. He never dictated. Actors like that. I did, too.

PUTTING IT TOGETHER

    Linda helped with Greek pronunciations and worked with Chan on a musical score drawn from authentic Greek music.

    Chan researched Greek dancing on line and choreographed the two major dance sequences. This is where Chan’s expertise with musical theatre served us well.

    As producer, Teresa never injected her views. Occasionally she brought visitors through the rehearsal hall. Teresa, as a producer, hires well. Then she gives her cast and crews freedom to create. This provides a happy working environment. 

    After a few days Linda returned to Des Moines. There our niece, Valerie Bowen, stayed with Linda’s aged mother. Linda also wanted to check on our cats. While she was home, she rummaged through our Greek recordings. One evening Chan, who lived in a friend’s lovely home on a nearby mountain top, Linda in Des Moines, and I worked via telephone and on-line on the musical score. Linda had access to our considerable library of Greek music. We also sampled recordings on the Internet. By three in the morning a score was put together. The electronic age served us well just as it served the denouement of my play.

    In the meantime, Chan filmed cloud formations to use on the backdrop. They served as transitions between scenes.

    We had time within the limits of Equity rules as we explored alternate avenues of interpretation. If a two-hour rehearsal is scheduled, it ends on the hour. There can be no more work on stage. However, there were no rules against discussions off stage. Fortunately, the actors were disciplined. They did their homework. This was not easy for those performing in the evenings – or the two matinees a week. Lines came quickly. Bill, who had more time, led the way.

    I have rarely had so much fun in rehearsals of a new play. It was a happy experience I will always cherish.

NOT JUST ‘ANOTHER’ OPENING

    Linda returned a few days before the opening. By then the production had taken shape.

    When we previewed One Golden Moment before an audience of senior citizens, I saw the play I had written come alive on stage. It was very much as I envisioned it as I wrote. In fact, it was even more than that. It had a warm humanity that went deeper than what I first drafted. Linda and I stayed for two more performances before we reluctantly packed the Camry and returned home. As we took the long drive, our thoughts remained with my play as it was performed at the Mountain Playhouse.

    The actors reported large audiences and standing ovations. All of us remain in contact via emails and FaceBook postings.

    I returned home a very happy man.

    Thank you Mountain Playhouse and all involved.