The Sculptress

The Baltimore Playwrights Festival, though at its most visible throughout June, July and August when its plays are in production, features an earlier preparatory stage for many of its plays that actively involves the theater-going public.

After submission, acceptance and review by theater representatives and members, readings of plays are given for the public at participating theaters. The readings usually occur on Saturdays, as a part of a “marathon” that showcases three plays per day.

This last Saturday, as a part of one of the marathons, The Single Carrot theater housed one of these straight read-throughs. Testing the waters was The Sculptress by playwright Marilyn Millstone. Stage directions were read by Susan Clark, the part of Claude Debussy by Jeremy Brown, Camille Claudel by Karin Rosnizeck, Genevieve Renat by Ellie Nicoll, Paul Claudel by Stefan Aleksander, and Remedios Varo by Louis Schlegel.

Set mostly in France circa 1935, The Sculptress is a semi-historical treatment of the fictional relationship between the French sculptress Camille Claudel and Spanish surrealist painter Remedios Varo. Claudel, institutionalized in an asylum for reasons left ambiguous, is visited frequently by Varo, initially at the behest of Camille's brother Paul Claudel, but later of her own volition. The visits lead to an artistically liberating experience and restores Camille's commitment to sculpting and her sense of identity and self-worth.

The play, despite the austere, limiting format was enjoyable and the performances expressive. Aleksander's physical carriage and vocal tenor was like that of less grave Orson Welles. Rosnizeck's performance as a psychologically strained, disquieted artist rang near to true. Brown, in his various roles, acted a few strays in addition to Debussy, came forth with animation and humor. Schlegel as Varo skillfully balanced her difficult role as institutional antagonist to Paul Claudel and sensitive confident to Camille. Nicoll as Renat, a character that served as an intermediary between all the others, was well tempered and apropos.

Directly following the reading, audience members were invited to offer feedback to the playwright; what they did and did not like about the play, how they think it might be improved and any observations or questions.

The occasion for these readings is in the spirit of open dialogue and is meant to expose the public to theatrical pieces still in development, meant to welcome its critique and perspective, and to finally influence the play in its final production. It is, strangely, not unlike a consumer focus-group.

It is an unorthodox and experimental generosity on the part of the BPF, the theaters, playwrights and companies to involve the public in this manner. The strategy seems to be to get the theatrical kinks worked out beforehand, to see what audiences like, so later, when (and if) the work actually goes to stage, everyone will be happier for it – the audience, the playwright, the reviewers, the box-office.

The post-reading dialogue was meant to be broken up into three parts: observations, criticisms and questions. Unsurprisingly, the audience was hesitant to come forth with any criticism, comfortable only in the end with commendation and praise; we aren't, as audience members, predisposed toward directing criticisms to anyone but third parties – we leave the work of publicly expressed critique to those who make it their business, namely, critics.

So, though the interactions the BPF is trying to open up with the theater-going public is interesting and novel, it doesn't strike me as a particularly fruitful strategy. Even so, it still works as a great way for one to experience in-production theater, and, if you dare to criticize, to try your hand at shaping a play before it finds its way onto the stage.

The Single Carrot Theater is located at 120 W. North Ave. Information about the Baltimore Playwrights Festival and future readings can be found on its website  and facebook page.