Mike Mariano

Let’s talk just a little bit more about The Dirty Talk. The play is very…written. It puts two characters into a situation, where they have dialogue and backstory. It’s so mechanical that my only thought while watching was, “Boy, I hope I don’t write like this.”

But I do. Nothing’s wrong with a conventional play, a play in which you can see the playwriting. And I can see it now in Norwegians, though I don’t want to.

Should I forge ahead, conventions and all? Or should I start something more offbeat? And what can I do that still fits in with the Western Canon theme that Philosopher Kings suggests?

We’ll see….

Your Henrik Ibsen Link of the Day comes courtesy of Charles McNulty.

Your Charles McNulty Link of the Day comes courtesy of Rob Kendt.

Your Rob Kendt Link of the Day comes courtesy of me being a sour little man.

Bonus Trivia: Looks like I was in the same place as Mr. Kendt yet again for another Fringe performance. I’m an accidental stalker!

The Ibsen one-act I’m working on is meant to join with Philosopher Kings and Menage a Sartre to form a full-length play. Like Voltron. I even accomodated for overlapping actors when outlining this new play.

And that’s the problem.

Since the actors playing Joe, Liz, and Chanel can easily slip into the Norwegian roles, it’s beginning to feel like I’m writing for Sartre’s damned trio all over again. I love those characters, but the next time I want to see them is onstage, incarnate as half-naked actors. I don’t want them in my Ibsen.

When I compare Menage a Sartre to Philosopher Kings, I don’t know how the actors will double, or even if it’s possible. I’d rather have the same uncertainty with this play.