 20 years and you're not. No, you're not. That's definitely true. I'm just going to let you speak. I'm going to talk to you in the middle of the night. I had life skills. Life skills. Do you see people in the audience? I got to ask you, what do you think is that nice? I'm sure that you're going to come here. Am I scientific ability in my life? I'm just curious. I can call. I have to think of some mnemonic device. She has the Kennedy's. Caroline. And you're Ryan's school. I think it's so fun. But it's nice. Well, Ryan, what? Ryan Crian? No, it doesn't mean anything to me. Ryan, what? No, like a Facebook player, right? The Facebook player. Meg Crian. Oh, no, she has a funny teeth. Sorry. Like, you know. Oh, okay. Would you rather mention that? I think it's like, choose your own mnemonic device. No. I think it works that way. Right. I think you have to choose one. But I don't even know what Ryan's hope is. Is it a soap opera? It's a TV movie, I think. TV movie? Does anyone know what Ryan's hope is? It's a soap opera. It's a soap opera. It's a mnemonic device. I've heard it in the name of our fabulous cameras. But I wasn't sure what... Oh, that's right. I use Stacey Adams shoes. Alright, Ryan. I remember. I remember. And it's... I know it's like, yes. I would make... Yeah, so it's weird. It's weird. Okay. It's time. Okay. Okay. So we're going to start watching the work and have some learned parts. This is the lobby of public theater over here. We're going to watch the work, which is a play in which we create the action and then the dialogue together. And it's a free writing class where we work together and then we talk about your work and your creative process. I always have to do this. Your work and your creative process. And, yeah, it's about you. So the me in the title is actually you. And there's a long story behind that. You can create a problem in your Mahabharata or something like that. And then it's laughing because Lynn has actually read the Mahabharata. So what we're going to do is we're going to work for 20 minutes and then we're going to... 20 is good. And then we're going to talk about your work for the rest of the time. We've got Ryan behind the camera today. And people would like to tweet us some questions online because we're live streaming courtesy of HowlRound. Caroline will tell us how to do that. You can tweet at us on Twitter at WatchMeWork, SLP with the hashtag new play. And I'll get it on my phone, right? Okay, so we're going to we'll work for 20 minutes. I'm going to... I brought my little timer. Yeah, I got a radio check at least on banquet. But not because of me. Maybe. Okay, so we're going to work for 20 minutes and then we're going to talk. And Lynn is going to drop this delicious food and a lottery. We're going to win this. I said that every week, but this week this week we're going to win. Okay, so I forgot to mention next week we won't have WatchMeWork because I'm doing a fundraiser for the public theater. I'll be there. So many funny things. The lottery is exactly like showing... Showing them. You buy it. I think they have a slow... a marketing phrase, but you've got to play to win. It's all right. It's true. It's actually true. All right, so... I'll assemble all my basic paper. Okay. We're saying if you're working on one of those machines... How do you go back? Usually, like, to all of that, like, takes forever. All right. We must have been having fun. Did you do any work? You were just reading your phone. Oh, so anything? Anything to report from? Like, what news station are you in? Curious. I'm from this place called The Skin. It's like funny and witty and funny by the way. And I like it funny. S-K-I-M. S-K-I-N-N. Oh, like, you know... But they're witty and funny. Sounds good. I'll read that. So does anybody have to socialize in here? Anybody have any questions about your work? Your creative process? I'm just still working hard to break up. So can you send us home? Anybody have any questions or answers or solutions or ideas? I'm just crystal your back. From New Jersey, right? Yeah. From New Jersey! Yeah! I have a first draft. Oh my goodness gracious. It happened. Like, birth, I guess. Can you be more, you know, like, you had to push a little bit, right? A lot of it. A lot of tears, you know. And then it just, I don't know, it just started happening. It just kind of was ready to come out. I did. I mean, some of it's, you know, crap, but some of it is not bad. And actually I've even been able to write a second sort of a second draft and do work on that. But it's vastly different. It's very different. The first draft is and it's whimsical almost. And almost like romantic. And this one is very dark. I mean, it's really like night and day. The same characters, but very different approach. I think some of it was influenced by some of the things that's just going on in our world and it's parallel to what's happened like, I guess, 10 years ago or 20 years ago. And so I guess the question is how do I how do I how do I marry the two? I don't know how to approach a third draft. I don't know how to I don't know what to do with these two very vivid, strong versions, but how to make it I don't know what it is. I don't know what it is yet. Right, so you have you, Crystal's been coming often to watch the work and last, it was a year ago Lincoln's birthday that we set you free. Do you remember that? Yeah, we have that on video. We do, I know, I know. Don't worry, we won't show it to anybody. Don't worry everybody who sees it because we'll look back, yeah, February the 12th, February the so-and-how round, which we bring with us. Yeah, but it's okay. It worked and so you put the work in. That's what it sounds like again. So you have one draft, the first draft which is tone A this kind of tone and the second draft same character, same and I mean, I like it too. I like it a lot. I like all of it. Right, I can't write a six-part play, you know. The question is why not? You can, you can if you want to but if it's the same action and just a different take on it what do you say? A different tone? Can I say? Yes, if it helps you. Yeah, so the first draft was about you know, this guy who breaks into a woman's house a Jewish kind of black woman they're reconnecting after about 15 years after the kind of rights. So I lightly blazed over that and kind of and was focusing on the relationship aspect, the connection and the comedy of the idea of this Jewish man breaking into a black woman's house them connecting and possibly getting together and marrying before he got and all that stuff like that and it was fun and sweet and a friend of mine said you can't really glaze over the kind of dryness in something, you know especially when that's what they're connecting exactly. So then all of this stuff happened with the cops and Trayvon and all that stuff and it started kind of hitting me in a different way and I felt like it was parallel to what I was writing so it became heavier and it became more of a challenge for them to be together because of these issues and so, but I couldn't find the light side of it because it became about that and so I'm like well how do I mix it can't be, I would not like it to be all about that but also fluff you know what I mean? I think so okay so it could be one or the other and both probably work well but you want it to be both so what you can do in this kind of dumb way is you could take, I mean every parallel scene like scene one in the second draft it's similar it's just different you can go to a different circle like taking the light fluff and putting it in the heavier version and see if it lives like transplanting you know what I mean? see if that works see if it works, just take the light stuff and put it in stuff from version A we'll call it and put it into version B right? because if you were a doctor and you were doing a transplant they would be because they had the same makeup it would be a successful transplant it probably will work so you're going to circle like oh that's a funny light moment and the heavy draft see if that works you know? it's probably going to take a little bit of adjusting it's going to be kind of weird at first but see if that see if it you could run one and then the other also you could do two versions of the same thing you could keep them distinct and separate you know what I mean? but you know you could do that also just have to play right, you could do that too I mean how long? how many pages? there won't be which is the 88? which is the they could be two acts of the same play that too so you can try two things just trim them down to the essential bits and elements of dialogue bits so there's no excess, no fat and you can have two acts of the same play which is interesting or you could actually transplant so you have two ways of approaching it you could do both actually I would suggest that we both because then you'll see which one you like better you know? we start with the light fluffy one then it gets heavy or we have one where it's totally integrated right? I mean just because of that word obviously try to integrate I mean it might not be successful much like America but you know hey don't do it, we'll be as good you know? okay that's good yay for you oh lord you can work really hard but we gather okay? or tweet in because we're here anybody else have a you've been here before no? yes although I've not been able to come for a while because of work and oh camera my name is Jasper yeah I was wondering what to do when you have a really good day and you produce lots of material and then the next day you go in and you start to work and everything that you've done seems to have turned crap every night really? does that ever happen to anybody? oh no not at all of course not of course not we're all the same yes so what's your yes? so what's your question? well it hasn't happened to anybody else I don't know really? totally, totally kidding well yeah like once in a while you'll have what you think is a really good day and you'll produce lots and lots of material and you think I'm on a roll I'm the voice of my generation and then next morning you open it up you think this is just crap and then I'm not just not sure whether that's because I'm in a bad mood or whether it actually is crap right? yes? probably yeah yeah and I love that question because I was joking they've never had that problem but I have it all you wake up and you go I have my shit I have my shit you know you go and did you guys ever come to know? yes yes this morning it's something that we as people but specifically here as artists you know we share that right? and it's what's his name? I get confused throw in Emerson I think it's Emerson I'm just going to punt he says he has this quotation it says I am a god in nature I am a weed by the wall so boom boom yah boom one of my teachers a hundred years ago James Baldwin used to say he'd write a night he was writing brilliant pearls and somehow when he walked upstairs to his bedroom and walked back downstairs to his typewriter and I said get an alternative he thought it was something to do with you know it was a mystery it happens right? what do you do? if I really can't get past it then usually I'll either open something blank or start on the right piece of paper normally what I like to do is write until I fill half a page and then start with that the next day because I usually it's easier to write something if there's already something there but if I really hate it then I'll start a blank or document on piece of paper and pretend that it's all in here and that it doesn't matter about what happened yesterday and then I hope that when I read it the next day or even a week later I'll suddenly go you know it's better than I thought or worse than I thought or better I hope that in my opinion I hope that with time I'll be able to see it on the back day and instead of what I think it is that day the big question is how to keep going how to continue and it's great you start with this half page which is great but I want to encourage you to finish the page regardless that's the thing so what do you do to finish that page you and I talked about this before you lower the bar so you're great, you're amazing you wake up the next day that's a high bar right that's really really high oh my gosh that'd be great amazing you know you're not feeling like you're producing great amazing and suddenly you come just lower the bar I am able to spell the next word or not even that to make your spell type you just keep lowering the bar and it becomes what I like to call comments right and it's just an act of doing it that is the thing I would say I just told my friends college students this afternoon it's the act of doing it that I believe is what the artistic process is all about it's the work is like honey to the bee but the bee is actually the it the thing, the being is actually the act of pollinating and we pollinate by writing which is funny right so you're supposed to be just learning how to continue right so number one know that it's not a sign but it isn't what it is not is a sign issue and you know you know join the Navy or maybe you're in the Navy I mean if you are in the Navy great come on but that's what it's really asking you we talked about this a couple weeks ago resistance does not want you to win that resistance is there it's basically asking you just what you got come on bring it it's that's what it's saying and you're like you know it's like you know you did those fighting you know those ultimate fighters anyway but James can imagine right and there's a gorilla guy and you put them against each other and the guy with the axe chops off his head that's what it is they want you to fight see what you got and that's what it's asking you what tool are you going to use to work through and it's like you could bring your big hammer whatever you know or you could bring your I'm gonna roll with a bomb I'm gonna get like this and most of the time it doesn't expect that you're gonna say something oh no oh you're just breathing through your mouth I was breathing through my mouth but is that does that help I would just suggest continue and finish that page it doesn't matter if it's any good in the first draft or the second draft it doesn't matter you just have to get to the end that's your job to get to the end and then you read it through and it starts to kind of take shape thank you that's a great question no no you were just like me? yeah me it's been an adventure with my discontent that's why I was so you know no no anybody else yes I'm sort of working sing out the leaves I'm sort of working in the dark the hope that I adapted for the stage seems to be remaking itself two years ago something I never imagined but suddenly parts of heavy writing are like a song in my mind so I'm just taking dictation and sometimes its music comes first and sometimes its words come first and I talk it into my phone that's great so I'm just doing it I have no idea but I'm totally expecting that this may be crap or not with the creative process I've always just accepted what's happening and not just it just then see I've written a lot of books so she's taking one of her books and she's adapting it into a play and now the play is becoming musical and she's writing songs and lyrics and all kinds of good fun things and she's just going with it so this weekend this I've got something to bring for the play oh great like have you played on the piano? no she just played it but it comes to me singing singing into the thing I played it for my daughter this weekend oh great when she was in town you took her totally by surprise yeah I thought your voice would be much higher but it was very well received by her mother friends so that was my major step I'll share something so are you at the end or are you at the end I'm going I've read through the whole thing and just notes to myself what sounds like a song what's dramatic enough what's on the daughter board and then I'm just going through it and see what's going on with the kids on that kind of stuff I don't know what I'm doing but you're going you're enjoying it and it sounds like you're putting the time and going forward that's so great it's good to be back that's great anybody else I can yes aside to the audience yes aside to the audience is that effective anymore what do you like shapes wouldn't do it so well and so brilliantly can it work in our contemporary world how do you do that effectively now in the kind of I don't know if that felt good I'm going to try yes it does it still works I mean the question is how would you do it well so the question is that just like Carol is looking through her piece finding moments that feel or sound like songs aside literally it leaps out of the character out of the you know say they're having a relationship with a character on stage I just have to talk to you because this is so much so just you know it's a moment that just has to be shared with someone other than the person on stage so it comes out of a real need and that's what it works because it's a need based thing not just the convention you know like everything on stage really it's we're talking about entrances and exits you know it's a need it has to be a need for it to really work so on the side if she or he really has something to say to the audience great and there are plenty of great plays I mean I'm thinking oh gosh it comes about a side man so it starts with it's a guy talking to the audience I think it starts with a guy talking to him blah blah blah blah but you could call extended his talking to the audience and then he goes into the play and that being a side it's Tom talking to the audience so it's in the vein of that you know it's literally it's not on the stages this way even in fun home which I thought was just wonderful but it was so great in the beginning of fun home the character just tell the story of what is about to happen and then you see what happens but you know that's what you know she's talking about it works it doesn't you just make a part of I mean it's okay it's not gonna get we'll say thank you and goodbye then we'll go does that help? no okay I'm gonna go into a super point that unifies what it is I want to say without being too dry but you're having difficulty finding your way into the story you need finding a way to tell it well no I think I know how I want to tell it but I'm finding different cultures finding my way into the story like entry some action on stage that you see right right okay we're looking at this afternoon like I didn't it was what I tried and I didn't go into that knowing that that was the entry point and it didn't feel like the intro so now I'm like okay so how do I jump into this thing I don't want to use the word natural because I think that's but it's just like how it feels like it's like I'm not trying so like I don't want to I just want to get a good grip on my story and then have it shift well I think the question I hear your question I think specifically this is because I just saw space earlier today at the institution across the street and it's not the mentalist if I ask the mentalist it should actually do you do your art here at the hospital yes fabulous writers of all but I think I think my question specific to your scene or play would be what's the main event of that scene you see what I'm saying I mean and then back up from there and pull back from there and I think that that question so far has not been clarified and once you find that's what they're talking about I mean you know they're doing the car you know they're doing the cars it's not starting when Lincoln and his children doing the cars because he wants to go ahead and do the cars you know and that's how it begins it's going to start the day before it starts on Thursday because Thursday the day will go up but there's an urgency there and it flows very easily because it's connected to a very strong need from the characters in the scene so once you have decided and it doesn't have to be the right one it has to be just something once you have decided this is the main event of the scene this is the action this is the thing that they're really then I mean if it's the character fixing to come at home then it's the anticipation does someone see dust coming down the road like you see the dust coming and then it starts from there so it starts from that and it flows very naturally from that yeah so thank you how did I make so much sense anybody else have anything you can make sense of it it's such a good feeling that I come here I go home and make nonsense I go home and bring the water you were just I won't take on you no more I was just wondering what do you do if you haven't finished your work where are you from oh good we love Germany we do actually I have a fondest what's your name Linda thanks for coming so what do you do when you finish the piece yeah you have finished the piece and you have been involved that much you just think oh how I'm gonna further more further or how I could ever be better right like a piece that's done a piece that's done so is it a theater piece or not I'm actually not really in writing that's okay I'm more in the fields of insulation oh cool oh great so you've done this amazing show no I'm just gonna pump you up this big time you've done this so Linda from Germany has done this amazing extraordinary so the critics loved her audiences were thrilled and you're like now what the fuck am I gonna do next cause I don't know if they say in Germany but over here they say you're only as good as your last show right you're only as good as your last show so those of us who've had great last shows feel like we'll never do anything else we're just gonna sit on our asses talk to them asses I don't know but um what do you do next right because it was so good I don't know if I can say it was so good it was so important to me great it was fantastic and you wonder what am I gonna do right right just do the next time you know why cause we're waiting to see it and it's okay it can be again talking to Jasper it doesn't have to be it just has to be out there and what you really you're an artist you produce great work you're an artist who produces great work but that's not why you're an artist you're an artist because you're gonna learn how to go from that moment to the next moment and you're gonna tell us how you did it you understand you see what I mean that's the real reason why you're creating stuff so you can create something great and then you can create something new and you're gonna tell us how you moved from having a great success to continuing forward and you're gonna tell us how to do that and we're gonna appreciate knowing that it can be done and the art again it's just a honey it's just like a thing that makes honey it's just a honey part of it but actually you're gonna be less pollinating and you have to pollinate you're gonna tell us your story and it's exciting that's what we're waiting for that's what we're all here for we're waiting and it's gonna like it's in the sea and being in the fabric of your next project that's the level before you made your last project I don't know the circumstances maybe it was difficult and how you got through it and how you made something wonderful it's in the seeds of your last project so it's okay we're counting on you just to continue and to go forward and to make the next thing that's the most important thing what a great question that's such a great question are we done? are we happy? five more minutes, anybody? yeah I really feel that I'll just keep going on about that because it's interesting that and you asked us basically what we were talking about at the STHNYU some of these people I work with sitting there talking about writing and we were just talking about that and I really think the more I write and the more things I create the more I think it's not about writing it's about my figuring out how to make it that's really interesting writing from other people I'm a writer I always feel excited about work from other people and at the moment I don't that's unusual for me and scary it's good, it means you're going in you're turning your eye inward and you want to see the thing you want to read is the thing that you write the thing you want to see is the thing that you make you know what I mean? so there's a time for looking out and you can go to the biennial or do all that kind of great stuff that y'all get to do you can go see a lot of plays or concerts or whatever and turn your eye inward and read the thing the next thing that you're going to think so it's a great thing it's a scary thing but it's a great thing it's a very great moment it's true I always say things that are true also we're done for today I think we're done, we're done look they're doing some exciting thing down there we're so excited to show and we're having a wonderful time here you guys are great, thank you so much for coming today