Interview: Playwright Jim Marzo
By: Mark C. Lloyd Aug. 01, 2018
Jim Marzo is a local playwright who keeps himself busy.
He has a few projects coming up and we talked about those events and playwriting.
MCL: When did playwriting first come to you?
JM: I took several English courses in college, and some creative writing classes. After college, I got away from writing for a while to concentrate on a real job. In 2005, my wife and I moved to Westchester County, where I was bitten by the theatre bug. Since we were so close to the city, we went to the theatre almost every weekend. From that experience, I started focusing on writing again.
MCL: What is it about playwriting that appeals to you?
JM: I love the creative process. The task of spinning and weaving a tale of fiction based on real life experiences, or taking a story passed down from a loved one, and creating conflicted and flawed characters that come to life. It's very rewarding. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. That's what makes it so challenging. You keep working on the process, trying to perfect it until the characters and story become more believable, and not so much like fiction.
MCL: How many plays have you unwritten?
JM: I haven't counted. Probably in the range of 10-12. Some are finished plays, but mostly in the rough drafts. Some were started, but then got sidetracked and put on hold, and never fully developed, because readings weren't held, and the piece didn't go through a workshop with peer evaluation. I usually revisit these plays, to see if a fresh idea for a story line, or a new idea comes to me. Some plays start out as a one act, or a ten minute play. From shorter plays, I believe an idea for a full length can be formulated.
MCL: What was some of the subject matter?
JM: I did a lot of reading on Picasso. He was credited with over 50,000 works of art during his lifetime. Many of his works were given away by him, to friends and relatives. I wrote a play about two sisters who inherited their grandfather's artwork, believed to be by Picasso which was passed on to him by someone's life he saved while stationed in France during the WWII. The two sisters entrust the artwork to an antique dealer, in an attempt to authenticate the art and establish provenance. However, the antique dealer's motives are questioned as the sisters uncover questionable dealings in his sordid past. Another play is about two brothers and their elderly father, dealing with the predicament of a loved one's failing health in a nursing home, which is draining the family's finances.
MCL: How would you describe your writing style?
JM: My favorite playwrights are Martin McDonagh, Tracy Letts, and Stephen Adly Guirgis. Their writing is fearless, with gritty dialogue featuring tragic, dark, and conflicted characters. I try to push myself into that style of writing, but it isn't easy. No one wants to see a play about, "The Land of the Happy People". Characters have to be flawed in some way and facing conflict. Sometimes the conflict gets resolved, and sometimes it doesn't, but I firmly believe if you don't have emotion in theatre, you really don't have much. If you can craft tragic characters, struggling with emotion through conflict, I believe that's a good start. Because of these ideas from the inspirational authors above, my style tends to drift to the dark side, with a bit of humor.
MCL: What is the easiest thing for you about playwriting?
JM: Nothing comes easy. I wish it did. Sometimes an idea comes to me after reading an article in the paper, or a magazine. Sometimes it's about something you see on TV. After a bit of research, I make some notes, and a story starts to unfold in my head, that eventually leads to a brief ten minute play, a longer one act, or a full length. However, sometimes it all leads to a dead end or an unfinished piece. The writing exercise is rewarding and fun.
MCL: What is the most difficult thing for you when writing a play?
JM: The most difficult thing to do is get a production of your play. It's an exercise in humility, since there is a tremendous amount of rejection. In the playwriting process, the most difficult thing is to get the play workshopped, and read by peers. I believe wholeheartedly in the workshop experience since it is crucial to the development of the play. Readings are also part of the process and very important. If you can't get these steps done in the development of your piece, and enlist peers to participate who can give you honest, critical feedback, with thoughtful evaluation, you can't get your play off to a good start.
MCL: You have a new play coming. Is it a play reading? (What is a play reading?)
JM: My new play is entitled, "Something Wicked". The play will have three readings in the Western NY area. The first reading will be at the downtown branch of Buffalo / Erie County Public Library on August 23rd at 6PM. The second reading will be at the Buffalo History Museum, on October 3rd at 6PM. The third reading will be in the town of Boston, just south of Buffalo off Route 219. The date will be October 22nd, at a venue to be established. A reading is when actors give a dramatic reading of the script, on stage. Basically it's a theatrical setting, without costumes and props, but with drama, all done on book. Another person reads stage directions, giving audience members an idea how actors engage each other on stage and perform certain movement, in a live dramatic format.
MCL: Why do you do a play as a reading first?
JM: A reading provides crucial feedback to the writer, director, and cast in development of the play. A talk back is held after the reading to gain input from audience members, as to how they react to certain scenes, dialogue, and overall concept of the play. It's a good way to judge the pace of the play, and how the audience responds as scenes are read by the actors. If people are falling asleep or yawning, it's usually not a good sign. You can tell if an audience is engaged by their reaction and enthusiasm.
MCL: What is your new play about?
JM: "Something Wicked", is based on the true story of the Thayer Brothers, and the slaying of John Love in December of 1824. The Thayer's were eventually convicted of the crime, and hanged in Niagara Square in June of 1825. Although the opening of the Erie Canal was a huge event for Western NY at that time, the execution of the Thayer's was attended by more than 25,000 people, who came from all over Canada, Ohio and Pennsylvania to witness the execution. It was the only public execution ever done in NY State. My play is the dramatization of events leading up to the slaying, and the eventual cover up by the Thayers.
MCL: What should people expect to feel after the reading?
JM: I'm hoping to give audience members a mini capsule of this historical period in time in Western New York, and the relevance of the Thayer hanging as it related to our community. The opening of the Erie Canal was a huge boom for Western NY inn 1825. It brought a lot of commerce through the area, spurred on growth, and also brought in an influx of immigration. Mark Twain once said, "History doesn't repeat itself, but it sure does rhyme". Although my play isn't about immigration, I'm attempting to capture the sentiment of the community in that era, as we accepted immigrants to Western NY to build the canal, and also in becoming contributing, and integral parts of Buffalo, in its development as a major U.S. city. The spectacle that became the Thayer execution in June of 1825, eclipsed everything important that was happening in Buffalo for just one day.
MCL: Finally, what else is coming up for you in 2018?
JM: I have a reading series of brief, ten minute plays, written by a local playwriting group, known as The Playwrights of Western New York, highlighting Buffalo institutions. In April, I organized an event at the Buffalo / Erie County Public Library, with the group of playwrights featuring the library's WWI exhibit. On October 24th, the Buffalo Science Museum will host another event of ten minute plays, featuring artifacts housed at the museum that are selected by their committee. Six or seven plays from local playwrights will be performed as staged readings, performed by local actors. It's a fun event and I look forward to reaching out to other prominent Buffalo institutions in the near future, celebrating their important contribution to our community.
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