Brendan Gall is a performer and playwright – one of the current playwrights-in-residence at Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre. His plays include Panhandled, A Quiet Place, and the ambitious Alias Godot, which puts its own spin and answers some of the questions of the original Samuel Beckett classic, Waiting For Godot. He recently completed a lengthy tour performing as Rudi, the lead in Hannah Moscovitch’s play, East of Berlin. Now off tour, Brendan is working on his next play, and Suite101 caught up with him to discuss his writing process.
What is the starting point of a play for you?
It varies, but it's always pretty simple. With Alias Godot it was an idea - What if Godot had a great reason for not showing up? Often it's an image. The play I'm working on now started with an opening moment: a couple in the middle of a deep kiss, then breaking apart as a man enters, mid-story, sits next to the girl and continues talking for an uncomfortably long time as the two of them try to concentrate on listening and acting as though they weren't in fact just kissing each other.
What is your writing process? Do you start writing right away? Outline? Research?
I usually start with that initial idea and then a long procrastination/gestation period where I sort of circle around my desk like a dog trying to lie down. Any outlining is done in my head. Then finally a 1st draft spill – sometimes I call it a 0th draft – often instigated by a looming deadline. Then a lot of rewriting and rethinking to turn the mess into a play. At some point, I always give the thing to a couple of trusted friends so they can tell me everything that's wrong with it. The play I'm working on now is the first time I started with a scene-structure before writing any pages.
Do you work on one play until it’s done, or do you work on multiple plays at once?
My preference is to work on one thing at a time. I always feel like a story gets stuck in my throat and I have to deal with it in order for any other stories to get past. But sometimes schedules force you to work on multiple things at once. I'm not always a big fan of that. Although sometimes I'll work on one thing as a way of avoiding working on another. It makes no sense.
Do you have a special writing place?
Not really. I wrote my first play longhand in minivans and motels while I was on tour. My second and third at home in my office, on computer. The first draft of this current one was written on my laptop in a woman's basement in London, Ontario while I was billeted there. I find boredom and quarantine useful elements in writing.
What do you struggle with when you write a play?
Starting. But I've come to accept it as a necessary part of my process and try not to feel guilty about it. And structure. And theme. I struggle with discipline.
When do you consider a play done?
When it stops bothering me, I think. A Quiet Place is done and I'm happy with it. 11 drafts later, Alias Godot still isn't, although I can't quite bring myself to re-look at it yet. Panhandled was ill conceived in the first place, and is done only because there's not much to be done about it.
What do you need to have with you when you write?
These days, my laptop. Coffee if it's the first part of my day. Other than that, nothing.
What was the first play you ever wrote?
I wrote a short-play in high school called Nothing Will Keep Us Together, about a boy and a girl who meet at the back of a public bus. It had problems.
What is the most recent play you’ve written?
I'm working on one right now called Wide-Awake Hearts. My stab at the "living room relationship play," but through the lens of a nightmare – characters ripped from one scene into the next without warning or resolution and bits of surrealism or dream-logic.
Who is your favourite playwright?
Pinter, I think.
What one play do you think everyone should read or see?
Insomnia by Daniel Brooks & Guillermo Verdecchia was a revolution for me when I saw it. And the most recent remount still held up.
What one piece of advice would you give to an aspiring playwright?
Write before you rewrite; don't get stuck in the minutia of revising pages before you've completed a first draft. Just attack and push to the end, even if you're contradicting yourself all over the place and nothing makes sense, then go back and fix it once you've typed "The End." Also, don't show your writing to others too early, and don't let anyone else tell you what your play's about. Trusted outside-eyes are vital, but don't mistake anything for gospel. I guess that's two pieces of advice. This answer needs a second draft...
Read more Playwright Profiles here!
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
