Thespian Production is doing a series on the directors and playwrights for its "Limelight: Go Green" playfest which is being held July 17-19 in NYC. We want you to meet them and learn what makes them who they are. We asked them a few questions - how they got into their field, their viewpoints on going green, and other interesting tidbits. We will be talking with other directors and playwrights each week, so stay tuned to the blog.
Let's meet Shirley King! She is the playwright of Blinking in Treetops. Anyone can obviously see the humor in Shirley's play and her overall style. She says "At my age, just being able to get up in the morning inspires me to write. I love being "in the zone" and that's exactly what happens when I work on a play. I can see my characters and hear their voices. I write mostly comedies but even in those I sometimes send messages about what really matters here on earth. " We all need to keep humor in our lives even when dealing with the seriousness of issues concerning our planet. Shirley's approach is "I think going green is essential, not only for us but for future generations and our planet. We need to be respectful and protective of Mother Earth as well as her inhabitants. I put all yard clippings in the green bin, take slightly used clothing and other items to Goodwill and recycle paper and debris carried by the wind into my yard. At the very last minute, I regularly dash out in my nightgown to deposit one more empty paper towel roll in the brown bin. My neighbors laugh at me, but that's okay. What I do says I was here, doing my best to help our planet survive.
Now let's meet Theo Gallagher! Theo says "There once was a chemistry teacher who is now a playwright. When I tell people that, the laughter sometimes lasts longer than most of my plays.I am a people watcher and to paraphrase an old TV show - People do the darnedest things. Every once in a while an action, an idea, or a brief comment hits me as odd, and I have to write about it. And every so often, a very nice theatre group asks for a play which I just happen to have an idea for." However, Theo's beliefs about going green range on both spectrums - a natural phenomenon and mankind. "I believe that "Going Green" has been hijacked by Madison Avenue. It has become a means to sell products which are in themselves not green. It has created a “drop in the bucket” philosophy which has little or no effect on the problems. After teaching chemistry and physics for thirty years, I have come to believe that one can prove almost anything if you choose the right data group. The same data has been used to predict an ice-age in the 60's and global warming today. There actually was the little iceage which lasted from 1300 through the end of the 1700's in both Europe and the Americas. Glaciers started melting in the late 1700's and now it's mankind’s fault. How can mankind be blamed for a natural phenomenon. Mankind should work on those areas for which mankind is responsible i.e. ozone depletion from CFCs, pesticide pollution of streams, deforestation, and industrial pollution. They should not attempt to correct Mother Nature." Certainly a different perspective!
