Dramaturgy for IF I SHOULD WAKE

A New Play Commissioned for the 20th Anniversary of the Greenway Court Theatre, Los Angeles, CA

Presenter: Scott Horstein

Presenter Status: Faculty

Academic Year: 20-21

Semester: Fall

Department: Theatre Arts & Dance

President's Strategic Plan Goal: Diversity and Social Justice, Adaptability and Responsiveness

Screenshot URL: https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1pAn0jvbS_PBT9cnMaNY5sYyME66yR9PN

Abstract:
In summer and fall of 2020 I served as dramaturg for the conception, development, and production of If I Should Wake, a suite of world premiere monologues commissioned from eight playwrights by Greenway Court Theatre in Los Angeles, CA. Caught in the rupture between past and future, an ensemble of characters search desperately for rebirth: in dreams, in hash tags, in childhood diaries, in sidewalks that lead to nowhere.  Greenway Court Theater began its existence in the year 2000 with the world premiere of Sonnets for an Old Century by José Rivera, a series of monologues set in the afterlife which, on the verge of the new millennium, asked us to look backwards and make our case about the lives we had led. For Greenway Court Theatre’s 20th anniversary, If I Should Wake fuses theater and film to continue that exploration and reframe it for the tectonic shifts of the present moment.  The performance premiered via livestream and on-demand stream Nov. 20-Dec. 10, 2020.

As dramaturg, or story analyst, for the production, I helped conceive the project’s theme, title, and writing prompt given to the playwrights, in addition to helping select the playwright cohort.  I worked with the director, production designer, and producing team in helping the writers draft and revise their monologues; gave story and editing notes in rehearsal and post-production; consulted on how the team should navigate the show’s film/theater hybrid aesthetic; and consulted on show running order and marketing prose.  I additionally helped with arts integration of the show and associated writing curriculum for students of Fairfax High School, the campus where the professional Greenway Court Theatre is resident.