Visions of Right (2017)
Note from the playwright:
Marcia Cebulska
I originally wrote VISIONS OF RIGHT in response to the hate ministry of the Westboro Baptist Church. Today, our headlines are filled with more and more incidents of hate speech and hate acts perpetrated by numerous sources in our private and public arenas. We can respond by running and hiding. We can respond by answering violence with more violence. Or, we can respond, with a little help from our friends, with acts of creativity and humor, unity and light. I hope you enjoy tonight’s play. Afterward, I urge you to go forth and create the world you want to live in.
The actor playing Christina told me during rehearsal that I was prescient. That the Rev. Noah Jones IS Donald Trump. Others in the audience agreed with her. Some who had seen the play before said that the play had a new meaning for them in the current political atmosphere. One person in the talk-back even asked if I had rewritten the play in the light of current events. So, there you go. The script has become (unfortunately) more timely.
Something else I noticed last night is how funny the play is. As it's gotten re-written and made leaner, it think it's gotten crisper and funnier. Also, maybe since this cast has worked together quite a bit, pacing has developed, overlapping sounds like real speech now, goals are clear. People were laughing quite a bit, rapt throughout, then leaning forward, and clearly moved. One person asked me how did I manage to take these four very different and self-absorbed people and make them interact like that. I had some trouble answering that question so it sticks with me. The Ellen confession gets people in the gut. The scene in the church surprises. I thought about who wants to see and who wants to be seen.
I feel quite pleased and proud of this work at this point. It's a good play and in your hands, it will shine.
much love,
Marcia