Over two years ago now, I hosted a reading of a play. For obvious reasons, that play never went into production.
I spent two years twiddling my thumbs, telling myself my play would get produced “as soon as all this ended,” and taking solace in the wisdom of George S. Kauffman, whose Broadway debut was interrupted by the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic. (After being trashed by critics, Kauffman rather glibly suggested the best way to avoid crowds was to come see his play.)
As the world continues to dust itself off and slump towards something resembling normal, I find myself frustrated by the lack of progress with regards towards this particular play. As with so many things, the pandemic robbed this project of its momentum. It’s only now that I’m trying to generate that momentum again.
As Austin Kleon (yes, him again) says in his book, Show York Work, “You don’t really find an audience for your work; they find you. But it’s not enough to be good. In order to be found, you have to be findable.”
With that in mind, I’ve put All Stations Distress out in the world, although maybe not how you’d expect. The script is available at both The Playwright’s Center and The National New Play Exchange. There aren’t actors or costumes or set pieces, but putting the script out there is a leap of faith, a radical act of hope that someone out there may read the story I’ve written and decide it needs to be brought to life.
After all, what’s the point of making work if you’re not going to share it?
joshua chamberlain 