5.27.2007:The Private Public

The Guy and The Reader, who sent a very nice comment to the blog.

THE GUY
Hello.

THE READER
I hope you don’t mind the comment.

THE GUY
Are you kidding? Not at all. Thank you.

THE READER
You’re welcome.

THE GUY
It’s encouraging. Most of the time, when I write these, I feel like I’m really not doing anything that’s interesting to anyone. Other than me, of course.

THE READER
Oh look.

THE GUY
What?

THE READER
Don’t you see what you’re about to do? You’re about to give a total stranger the “big idea” of this play.

THE GUY
Yeah, I am, aren’t I?

THE READER
And all because I said I liked it. That’s very kind of you.

THE GUY
Well, get on with it, then. Start spouting philosophical.

THE READER
Okay.

There’s always a risk being taken when you make the private public.
But it seems to bear out that the more private it is when it becomes public
the more people relate.

In specificity comes universality.

THE GUY
Playwriting 101.

THE READER
Yeah.

THE GUY
Write what you know.

THE READER
Yeah, you could just say it like that.

THE GUY
You know, I have these moments when I can sort of see this one little project assume a life of its own. It goes out into the world, and people read it, and it becomes larger than just me at a computer, typing away the little details of my life.

Then that moment passes, and it all seems self-indulgent again.

THE READER
Maybe it is. But what isn’t, when it comes to art?

THE GUY
Yeah.

THE READER
We’re all just making whatever we can the best way we know how.
Make meaning out of our lives.

Yours is just a little more openly egocentric.

THE GUY
I guess you’re right.

THE READER
Well, now look. Not only do I get the “big idea” but I get to be your reassuring voice of comfort, too.

THE GUY
It’s a good day for anonymous commentors, isn’t it?

THE READER
I’d say so.

The lights go down.