Madge Kaplan

There are always stories behind the stories we get to tell. I learned this as a public radio correspondent and communications strategist for more than 30 years. As a reporter I was tasked with explaining why so many societal problems were hard to resolve. As a playwright, I continue to be drawn to life’s complexities, but now it’s the drama of it all that I hope compels the truth and our shared humanity. The COVID pandemic accelerated retirement, granting me more space to focus on ten-minute & one-act plays. My one-act play, The Last Appointment, was staged at the Vineyard Playhouse in 2011, & a monologue, Accident Report, was performed virtually by the Vineyard Playhouse in 2021. I’m a member of Playwrights’ Platform (Boston), & a regular student in Peter Littlefield’s Playwrights’ Workshop Online.

MORE ABOUT ME
I think my most gratifying moment in the theater so far was when I first listened to and watched what talented actors could do with my writing...my script. What was a bunch of words on a page, on my computer, became the ideas and feelings of people on stage. I didn't "own" the work anymore, which was absolutely liberating. The actors discovered meaning and irony in places that hadn't occurred to me. It was an amazing process to witness.

If I could say anything to an artistic director today it would be that wherever and whenever possible, look for new stories and less-explored but equally important topics among your many, many submissions. Consider plays that raise hard questions for audiences to ponder long after the curtain comes down. A good play does not, nor cannot, provide all the answers. Life isn't that pat.

WHAT I'M WORKING ON
I'm working on a series of very short (five minute) theatrical vignettes about an elderly woman and her daughter, who has become the primary family caregiver. The two have a lively relationship filled with daily adventures, frustrations, sarcasm, and deep love. I'm also working on a one-act play about the sudden death of a therapist and the challenges one of her clients faces in the immediate aftermath. The play asks this question: Was there any way to prepare for the possibility of a sudden rupture in the relationship?

KEYWORDS
Farce, Humor, Women, Family, Dysfunctional