Discussion topics

A post-show discussion can go in any direction an audience wants to take it, but there are some specific questions and topics I expect will be a part of the Spinning into Butter discussions, and I want to mention them here briefly as we approach the first of those discussions this Saturday and Sunday.

Some topics are general; questions we’ve been exploring with audiences for years:

• What is the history of Eclipse Theatre Company?
• Why do we focus on one playwright for an entire season? What do we gain through this long-term focus?
• How do we choose our playwrights and our productions?
• The artistic process of the director, actors and designers

This season, we’ve also been discussing our featured playwright for 2006, Rebecca Gilman:

• Production history of her plays
• Similarities and differences in the stories and characters she writes about
• Our experiences as artists exploring her work

Spinning into Butter, like many of Gilman’s plays, raises complex issues and explores them from multiple perspectives. A few that I’m looking forward to exploring further with audiences:

• How do we define and confront racism within society and within ourselves?
• How can a community (like the one at Belmont College in this script) have an open and honest dialogue about racism?
• How do the characters in this story respond to the public and private discussions on race and identity?

These are just a few of the questions we’ll spend time with in post-show discussions over the next month and a half. Add your own questions and issues to explore here in the comments or at the theatre, and let’s see what direction this conversation takes us in.