It has been said that the greatest writing comes from deep within writers, and that what they write from their hearts is what is most true. To get deep inside, writers must go beyond any boundaries set by their personal lives. To share their greatest fears and triumphs with their readers, writers have to be willing to present their dreams and experiences. Often, writers have reservations about what they should divulge to their readers. As a result, writers may destroy some of their greatest writing because they feel that what they have written is too personal to be shared.
This is the case with Lanford Wilson, a playwright whose masterpiece about the hardships of being an artist is coming this weekend to Basement Arts. Wilson's play, "Burn This," was written as a response to how artists who put so much of their own lives into their creative product can ultimately destroy themselves emotionally. It is a work of art that lets its audience in on the creative process and all that goes into it.
The greatest and most interesting fact behind this play lies within the title itself. During an interview with The Michigan Daily, the director of "Burn This," Allison Tkac, a School of Music senior, explained that the title comes from what Wilson had written atop the pages of some of his writing. He intended to remind himself to destroy the highly personal material he realized he couldn't share with his readers.
By burning the writing, he could not only prevent his darkest and deepest secrets from being revealed, but he could also prevent himself from having to deal with them. It is with this objective that Wilson has developed his characters in "Burn This." Every character is an artist. Altogether, the play is about a dancer, a visual artist, a writer and a man whose job is subjected to the artistic community of New York City.
The play starts out after the funeral of the main characters' close friend, and follows their grieving process. The main conflict rests between how the artists deal with their loss and their continuing work.
The play, originally produced on Broadway in 1987, was a ground-breaking production at the time. Although it wasn't the first play to contain a homosexual main character, it was the first production that included a homosexual yet did not concentrate solely on a gay character's sexuality. This drama presents the character as another person, instead of an outsider to human society.
Tkac said that she worked closely to the original script, hoping to convey Wilson's original intentions to her audience. "There has been much time and sweat put into this production, and I feel that that is a requirement since it is a study of artistic work," she said.
"I wanted to concentrate entirely on the acting, since this production requires strong actors who are experienced with the trials and tribulations of the creative field."
Tkac explained that the script was brought to her by two of the actors in the show. They realized they could present this as a powerful acting drama, which Tkac hopes to accomplish. "I expect the audience to understand the strife of an artist and what he or she goes through in order to create his or her art," she said.
Actors work hard in order to accomplish their goals, especially when they are demanded to present their emotions to an entertainment-hungry audience. Nobody knows the truth of this statement more than the actors who have been long at work in preparation for this weekend - like playwright Wilson, they are now ready to share their souls.