Waiting Room
Writer’s Note
I wrote this scene to adjust another story I’ve been writing about death and the afterlife to conform to the production limitations caused by the pandemic, and found it to be a great exercise in constructing short but poignant theatre.
Director’s Note
I greatly enjoyed directing this piece as it poses its own answers for two timeless questions–What happens to us after we die?, and Do we really die?
My vision for it hoped to maintain some of the mystery that enshrouds death and the afterlife, while also portraying it with the comedic and confusing air the story provides.
Everyone and everything is fallible. Things are rarely as they seem.
Stage Manager’s Note
Throughout this project, most groups have had to tackle rehearsal over zoom. But this piece was unique because while we rehearsed on zoom, it was filmed separately without instant feedback. Thankfully, this allowed for a lot of creativity on the part of the actor and camera-person/editor. Unfortunately, a lot of challenges we faced had to do with the restrictions of doing theater in an actor’s bedroom rather than on a set. The communication and collaboration from everyone involved, whether it was our writer changing stage directions in the script, the Smith Theatre Dept production crew lending us props, or the flexibility between roles, was endlessly helpful.