My play FAREWELL MISS COTTON had its first preview last night. And things were a bit bumpy: actors going up on lines, energy scattered, the director taking notes after notes, moments of complete joy, audiences tilting a little to the left, the playwright pulling his hair out [if he had any], the artistic director suggesting radical changes in the script. It was a night not to be forgotten. And a night to be expected.

The one thing that makes me cringe about theater is PREVIEWS. It is the most vulnerable time in a play's life. It's like watching your kid take his first few steps. Everything is wobbly and new and tight and bouncy and happy and very very scary. But I'm learning to be more confident about watching my plays take their first few steps. I'm learning to let things go and trust that I have nurtured and greased and smiled upon and reprimanded and done the best I could, and more importantly I'm learning to be a healthy parent and accepting that I can't baby my baby forever.

One of the things that makes me gleam about PREVIEWS is they give the play a chance to walk on its own. It's a letting go process. And if you've treated it well and loved it and been hard on it, it will shine, it will walk and then run and then jump.
It's all about TRUST. It's all about accepting the process of art, of life.

My play FAREWELL MISS COTTON opens tonight at the Black Dahlia Theater in Los Angeles.
Keep your fingers crossed I can continue to trust my baby will be just fine!

Until next time,

Keith