Fire and Rain

I've been working on a short play titled Foxgloves written by Matthew Greene. This play is a part of a religions play cycle put on by the New Play Project, meaning it was one of six plays performed all together. Foxgloves is about a mother and daughter who live in very different worlds, but understand each other in their garden. The mother doesn't do any of the gardening while the daughter loves to garden. The mother also has faith in God while the daughter is a non-believer. However, the year the daughter turns 16 is a difficult year and she purchased foxglove seeds to kill herself. Foxgloves seeds are poisonous, fatal if swallowed. The mother found the seeds and planted them because she thought her daughter needed to see something grow that spring. The play takes place one year later when the daughter has started to garden again and the mother wants to know what happened a year ago. And that's all the synopsis I'm going to give.

I love Foxgloves. I love working on scripts Matthew has written. I have loved working with my two actresses and my assistant director. It never ceases to amaze me how as I exercise faith and move forward, the Lord makes up for what I lack. I saw that clearly again as I worked on this piece.

Tonight was opening night of this play cycle. I was able to watch all six plays in the cycle. Some of them were really great. Others...well, here's my review. And it's not gentle. And it's just my opinion, so don't get your knickers in a twist over it.

The first play I did not understand at all. I thought the acting and directing were both poor, and the writing was too ambiguous. I understand not spoon feeding the audience. I'm all about that. But, there is a place where you do have to meet your audience, otherwise, what's the point? My questions after the performance are: what was in the letter from his mother? does he really love his fiance? what did the dream mean? was there a change of heart? Maybe these are all questions I was supposed to have, in which case they did a good job. However, I did not enjoy this play and felt awkward most of the time.

The second play was about a family who has an intervention for a son who has struggled with pornography and masturbation for years. I am not one to get up and leave during a movie or a show or anything.
I got up and left during this play.
Honestly, I'm not quite sure why yet. I know that this play hit way too close to home for me. I know that it said a whole lot nothing. There was never a a suggestion made for how this son could work to overcome this trial. It was said that he went to counseling. But there were a lot of excuses made for why he was struggling and no hope for anything ever changing. I have no problem with seeing difficult things examined through theatre. However, I don't think this was a productive examination. I think I'll have more to say about this show later...

The third play was called Based on True-ish Stories and it was beautifully directed. However, I still had a lot of questions like why was the main character struggling with her faith? Why does she leave her fiance? Why these memories of people? Why??? Mostly just a lot of "why." What was the theme? What was I supposed to walk away with?

Fourth play was Foxgloves. :)

Fifth play was Gaia and there were a lot of doctrinal issues with that script that turned me off. I mean, the concept was really interesting. It was Eve and Lucifer's conversation in heaven before the war in heaven. It was interesting to think about how Lucifer was also our brother and to wonder what the conversations were that took place in heaven. Did he try and lead me away too? There were moments that I really enjoyed, however the doctrinal issues pulled me out of being completely engaged.

The sixth and last play was Burning in the Bossom and I loved it! It was six people sitting during a sacrament meeting and we got to hear one woman's reflections. I totally identified with her crisis of faith - she's trying, doesn't that count for something?! I wonder the same thing. I'm trying, I could be trying harder, but doesn't trying count for something? Doesn't Heavenly Father appreciate how hard I'm trying? I loved this play because it felt so close to me. It was uncomfortable, in a good way, to hear the same thoughts that I have thought during sacrament meetings expressed to an entire audience. It was uncomfortable to examine myself in the same way I do every Sunday on a Friday night in a theater. But the ending was very touching and I was reminded that yes, we are asked to do our best. We can't do anything more than our best. And Heavenly Father loves us. Me. I loved it.

There are six more performances of this same cycle. I encourage you to see it! And if you see it, I would love to talk with you about it afterwards. Because that's who I am. :)

And, PS, I'm so proud of my girls for their hard work! I teared up, ladies!! Beautiful! xoxo