Aspiring playwright finds inspiration on someone else's stage

Listen to the full audio story

Download the MP3

Reporter Melissa Kaplan set out to finish writing a one-woman musical. She’s been documenting the process in a recurring series for ARN. Armed with prior knowledge as a performing musician and songwriter, Kaplan gave herself five months to finish the project. But as Melissa explains this week, it seems the more she learns about writing a play, the more she realizes there is to learn. Find other installments in this series here.

Part of writing a performance means going out to see others perform. And for me to write a good one-woman show, something I've never done before, I need all of the input I can get.

My acting teacher took me to see Tomorrow by Donald Freed, one of the oldest living American playwrights, at the Skylight Theater in Los Feliz.

The story is a multilayered piece about a successful movie actor who is taking on the role of Lady MacBeth, one of the greatest theatrical challenges. She seeks a mentor in a reclusive 100-year-old acting legend, who she knows will be the perfect guide for her.

I don't watch a lot of plays, and without knowing much about theater, I secretly dreaded what 90 minutes of a play about the theater would do to me.

I ended up loving it. The story was engaging at every moment, and the acting had such masterful nuance, I thought I was watching a real-life story.

After the show, we went out for French food with a big group, including the actors and the playwright. Someone asked about my work.

"I'm writing a story about a knife juggler in the Great Depression who runs away from a carnival she joins," I explained to the table.

I've been describing my piece in this fashion for a few months. But after watching a fully complete play by a master, I'm starting to question every facet of my elevator pitch. Why is my character doing what she's doing? And how can I demonstrate this better?

I think I have a lot more work to do. I'm looking forward to it.