Resolution of these Two States, Dream and Reality*

I went to a reading yesterday afternoon of a play I liked very much.  The play was a science fiction set in the not-to-distant future.

I stayed for the "Talk Back."

The moderator and, I presume, the author asked questions about how well we, the audience, understood and followed the internal logic of the play; did the "world" of the play make sense.  I listened, added a brief comment or two, and left happy with the whole experience.

It wasn't until I lay in bed trying to go to sleep that it struck me.

I've been to a quite a few "Talk Backs."  One discussion point always seems to be the internal logic of the play and I thought of one of my touch stones in modern theater, Alfred Jarry.

Did Alfred Jarry ever wonder about the internal logic of his plays?  Did August Strindberg?

My sense is "no."

But is there a market for this sort of thing, plays without internal logic?  A market is important.  I don't write plays for my health..., not that I'm likely to get wealth, but I would, at least, like a few people to see my stuff.  In fact, if I must be honest, and I don't, and, in fact, rarely am, I would like to make a living from writing theater... or film... or television.

I grew up on television.  Internal logic is a high priority for most standard adult fare on TV.

And so much of the modern theater seems... driven is to strong a word, influenced (?), informed (?), I don't know, by TV and film.  TV and film is where the money is.

But there are/were some exceptions - Bob Newhart, Mary Hartman, Green Acres, Warner Brothers cartoons.  And that's just off the top of my head.

All comedies.  Probably explains, partially, why I am attracted to comedies.

But the anti-rational does not have to be comedic.

I want to create a non-rational, illogical, free-spirited theater.

Now... how do you do that...?

And get anyone to attend?


* Andre Breton, Manifesto of Surrealism