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| The Pitkin Review: Fall 2020 |
This Critical Commentary appears in the latest issue
of The Pitkin Review, a literary journal published by students in the Creative Writing MFA
program at Goddard College. I thought I’d share it with you here. Copies of The Pitkin Review:
Fall 2020 is available for purchase on Amazon. You will also find my 10-Minute plays, Climate Change in that edition.
When
I was studying playwriting at Chicago Dramatists, Russ Tutterow, the Artistic
Director, often spoke about dramatic action during feedback sessions. The presence of dramatic action in a play was
the biggest difference between one that was working and one that was not. Everyone seemed to understand what he was
referring to, except me, so one day I asked him, “Russ, what exactly is
dramatic action?” He thought for a
minute, then answered, “I can’t explain it, but I can tell when it’s
there.” That was no help to me, but at
least he was honest. It set me on a
journey in search of what I called “the illusive dramatic action.” A few weeks later I was reading John Patrick Shanley’s
play Doubt. I stopped part way
through and shouted, “There it is!
Dramatic Action!” I could not
explain it, but I knew it was there. It
was present in every word. It drove every
line of dialogue. In my continual search
for how to infuse dramatic action in my writing, I recently turned to the
earlier plays of John Patrick Shanley. A
close look at the characters and dialogue of Danny and the Deep Blue Sea
gave me a clearer understanding of what I have been in searching of for an
extended period of time.
The
opening seven lines of dialogue set up the fire between the two characters,
Danny and Roberta, and set the tone for the rest of the play.
Danny:
How ’bout a pretzel.
Roberta: No.
They’re mine.
Danny:
You ain’t gonna eat ‘em all. Lemme
have one.
Roberta:
Fuck off.
Danny:
All right.
Roberta:
You wanna pretzel?
Danny:
Yeah. (pg.
12)
 |
June Stein & John Turturro in the orignal
1984 production of Danny & the Deep Blue Sea
at Circle in the Square Theatre
Photo courtesy of Martha Swope |
Danny
wants something. Roberta says no. Danny pushes.
Roberta pushes back. Danny steps
away, then Roberta makes an offer. These
seven lines might be about pretzels, but the underlying tension is much deeper. The actors can play into the primal need of
the characters while talking about pretzels.
This is how Mr. Shanley’s dialogue is full of dramatic action. The characters are driven by a deep need, a
yearning. No matter what the dialogue
reveals, how the story line develops, or what their objective is in the scene
(in this case pretzels), a powerful need drives the characters and propels the action
forward. Danny tells Roberta, “When I
turn thirty I’m gonna put a gun in my mouth and blow my fuckin head off.” (pg.
15) He is twenty-nine. This is an aggressive decision and sharing it
with her fills an emptiness. Filling
this emptiness is the yearning that drives Danny in all his interactions with
Roberta. Mr. Shanley appropriately subtitles
this play “An Apache Dance.” The way these
two characters react to one another is brutal and visceral. An Apache Dance is “sometimes said to re-enact
a violent ‘discussion’ between a pimp and a prostitute. It includes mock slapping and punches, the
man picking up and throwing the woman to the ground, or lifting and carrying
her while she struggles or feigns unconsciousness.” (“Apache (dance)” n.d.
para. 2) That succinctly defines the
relationship and interactions between Roberta and Danny, yet Roberta is just as
strong, if not stronger than Danny. Writing
two equal forces in these characters builds tension and creates strong dramatic
action throughout the play.
In
scene two, Danny asks Roberta to marry him.
It does not feel unusual for Danny to propose to Roberta, even though
they just met. It is compulsive and
aggressive, consistent with his character.
Danny:
That’s right. That’s me. Will you
marry me?
Roberta:
All right. I mean, yes.
Danny:
You will?
Roberta:
Yeah. I mean, yes.
Danny:
No! Yeah?
Roberta:
Yeah!
Danny:
All right! Good! That’s
good! I feel like I won a prize or somethin.
Roberta:
And will I wear a white dress?
Danny:
Yeah! Sure you will!
Roberta:
And you’ll wear the bow tie and everything!
Danny:
Yeah, yeah. The whole outfit.
Roberta:
You think we could?
Danny:
Why not? People get married like
that left and right! (pg. 38)
The
subtext is strong. It is impulsive, then
doubtful, then certain, then questioning, then they convince themselves. These thirteen lines go deep into the
thoughts of each individual character.
They bounce off one another until they come to an agreement. The dramatic action is all in the subtext, until
it accelerates into the explicit reality of the scene. Roberta has a young, special needs son, lives
with her parents who help her care for him, and recently quit her job. She is trapped in her life and has no
opportunities for escape. Danny cannot
offer her a better life, but does give her a chance for mutuality and passion
at a level she craves. They are the same. They are both in need, equal partners in this
dance.
Roberta later re-negs on Danny’s marriage proposal
in scene three.
Danny:
I asked ya ta marry me last night square business an you said yes
an I meant it.
Roberta:
All right then, I didn’t!
Danny:
What?
Roberta:
You heard me!
Danny:
What?
Roberta:
I was lyin cause I wanted a nice thing.
Get serious. No way are you
an me getting married. That was strictly make-believe.
Danny:
Don’t do this to me! (pg. 44)
 |
Playwright John Pattick Shanley
Photo courtesy of John Partick Shanley |
Their
dance continues with a new conflict. Roberta
cannot forgive herself for her past actions.
Danny steps up and forgives her.
She fights it, then opens the door to acceptance. The ending of this play does not give closure
to these characters. We can see them continuing
this ongoing dance, fueled by their unfulfilled need. There is constant conflict between them,
which results in potent and effective dramatic action.
These
examples from Danny and the Deep Blue Sea illustrate how Mr. Shanley
skillfully and consistently crafts all his plays. He writes characters who are on fire with
deep need and potent desire that pushes them against one another. Dramatic tension is created when the
characters start pushing back. This viscerally
engages the audience. They identify with
the struggle and root for a satisfying outcome.
The dramatic action is created by the constant buildup in this struggle,
which is caused by the insatiable need of the characters. This is how dramatic action is created. It is vital to dramatic writing and keeps the
audience engaged throughout the course of the play and, if successfully done, long
after the play’s conclusion.
Domenick Danza
"Apache
(dance).” Wikipedia: The Free
Encyclopedia. Wikimedia
Foundation, Inc. 16 April 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apache_(dance).
Shanley,
John Patrick. 13 by Shanley. New York, NY: Applause Theatre and Cinema
Books, 1992.
