Welcome to the blog for the premiere production of Addition: An Unconventional Love Story by Justen Bennett, produced by How Far? Productions.
The idea for this blog is that as the process moves ahead, we (that is, ideally the director, stage manager, designer, cast, etc.) will blog about the process. That's the idea. It may end up just being me, but I'm hoping some of the other people involved and to-be-involved will be interested in sharing their thoughts as well.
So, why Addition? Why this play? Well, last year I was writing another play that deals with sexuality (Selection, which is set to premiere at the Walterdale Playhouse this May) and a question struck me. I was thinking about polyamorous relationships, how they worked, and I started wondering how something like that begins.
We grow up in a culture that bombards us with images of couplings from the moment we're born; everything seems to be a pair. Images in books and media, even down to things like salt and pepper shakers; we are surrounded by things that come in twos. So, how is it, with all those influences, that something like a polyamourous relationship could come to exist? That's the question I began with when I started writing Addition.
I knew, too, that I wanted to explore this issue in a different way than the topics I was exploring with Selection. So, given that Selection has a large cast and a serious tone, I wanted to look at this new question in a different way, thus the small cast and the overall comedic tone and banter-style dialogue of Addition. After writing the first few scenes, I applied for a spot in the Fringe Festival. Once I learnt I'd secured a spot, I knew that was the place to premiere this work.
Interestingly enough, alternative arrangements have been popping up more and more often in popular culture. For example, check out this article at AfterElton that talks about this Sunday's episode of Brothers & Sisters on ABC. The mother of the Walker clan was surprised by a visit from a character who was previously in an open marriage, and the gay couple on the show, Scotty and Kevin, are presented with the possibility of having a threesome with Chad, Kevin's ex-boyfriend.
I'm curious to know if anyone out there has seen any other references or portrayals of alternative relationships in the media lately? If you have, comment on this post or head on over to the discussion board on Addition's Facebook group and let us know what you've seen or what you feel about the current media's examples of alternative relationships (or lack thereof).
That's all for the first post. Bookmark the blog, add us to your RSS feed, or keep checking the Addition Facebook group for updates on new posts. We hope to add new content about the show (not just blog entries, either) through here and the Facebook group as the process continues.
Justen Bennett
Director/Playwright
Posts
