Walking Around

I attended a one act, two man play yesterday, Freud's Last Session. It was uber-fantastic. Besides addressing the question of God in a nearly 99% historically accurate and humorous discussion between Freud and C. S. Lewis, the playwright Mark St. Germain inspired me to bring a new twist to Ecclesiastes U.

The setting of the discussion was Freud's English office (the 1% contrivance) complete with couch, four chairs, 1939 radio, a desk and two tables loaded with Freud's religious artifacts, and a table with drinking water and glasses. To keep viewers' attention during the 75 minute play the director had the actors walk around, stand, sit, pour water, adjust items on the tables, look out the window (for German bombers), lay on the couch, face each other, face the audience, and basically rescue us from watching 75 minutes of talking heads. He also had the advantage of controlling light and sound.

It will be somewhat unorthodox for a university classroom...but I've got to get those students out of their chairs, turn Mr. Q loose from his lectern, and add some action. I still can't include in this graphic novel car crashes, falls from tall buildings, or exotic beach scenes but I can protect my readers from the monotony of talking heads. I can't tweak the lights or add sound, but I can get the class walking around. Thank you, Mr. St. Germain.

NOTE: If I think my job is hard making students react to lectures written by Mr. Q, imagine what St. Germain had to go through making two characters react to each other, while maintaining accuracy. I at least get to put words into mouths of many of my characters. Germain didn't invent (much) dialog but lifted quotes from the oeuvre of both scholars. What genius.