Writer RJ Colleary is excited about his first play at the Lillian Theatre. “The set has an upstairs. This is big time!” The production involves the same story told twice in two different genres. He explains the conceit of Happy Face Sad Face: “The comedy half, in a way, is a spoof of the drama half. You have to see the drama half to get the comedy that comes later." He adds, "We want people to leave with a happy face.” Generally, he finds that combining the two genres often leads to generic results. He wanted to do something that was different without being “bizarre” and found that his concept sold itself. “Without even hearing what the plot is for this play, it naturally creates interest in people without even trying. The last play I did, I had to explain the plot to get people's attention. It didn’t work as well.” Happy Face has a built-in, no-muss/no-fuss hook. |
| RJ Colleary |
Colleary goes on distinguish between playwriting and other mediums, “When a story is interesting, it’s a pilot. But, if it’s something that is deeper inside … The stuff in the head is like TV and the stuff that’s in the heart only works in the theatre, that emotional space. There are things that can only be theatre, that don’t fit right in television or film … Film is about the visual. TV is about the events. But, the stage is about the relationships, people, and perspective.” Previous plays of his have had characters involved in the entertainment industry, but the playwright may have exorcised all of those demons. One of his last plays, Cannibals, helped him purge everything he needed to say about the industry. In Happy Face, the characters include a suburban insurance salesman, his wife, his father who taught him the business. “This is more middle America ... These people have relationships with other people who are in the house with them, but then don’t really know who any of them really are. As secrets arise, they see each other for who they really are. That can be scary sometimes. Even when we don’t try to hide anything, we’re all just that one-dimensional outside piece. You’re the only person who will ever know what it’s like to be you. No one else can literally feel your exact pain the way you do. Everybody is out there living their own life as best they can. Rarely would a situation exist where, suddenly, everybody’s true self is being bared all at once.”
His involvement with The Facts of Life got him in touch with Martha Williamson. They developed a bond of trust and the writer/producer brought him into her hit show Touched By an Angel to add a lighter tone to the show. Originally slated for five episodes, their relationship lasted nine seasons, four of which included the Top Ten in the Nielsen’s. And, ironically enough, Colleary had a difficult time getting back into the comedy genre, where he cut his teeth and made a name for himself, back when there was more of a regimented compartmentalization. The “the network mentality” now viewed him as “a drama guy.”
 |
| Happy Face Sad Face cast (from l to r): Sarah Agor, Tom Christensen, Thomas F. Evans, Perry Smith, Rob Locke |
“Television is so much better than it was when I was writing. I’m hoping that was a coincidence,” he jokes. “TV writers were the formula guys you looked down on. They were the guys who couldn’t make a living in the movie business. Movies were sexy.” Talent was also highly concentrated. But several variables began to change. More students wanted creative careers, and the educational institutions rose to meet the demand. Networks also exploded in numbers, and the mediums began to blend. Talent spread and cable channels like HBO and AMC stepped up their game and took off with their own quality original programming that now dominates ratings and award shows.
Colleary believes, though, that despite the proliferation, it’s harder to get a job today then back when he was coming up. And not only is the competition more fierce, the occupational consistency isn’t there. Instead of being thirteen to thirty episodes on a pickup, series are now ordered four to six at a time, and are often canceled immediately with no chance of building an audience. And, if you’re left out of a job, there’s often a potentially interminable wait for another opportunity to roll along. He just doesn’t know how writers do it today. Not only that, but with the internet, the business model has completely changed. Once upon a time, you would have to wait to see a rerun of your favorite show. Now, you can go online and watch it the next day.
 |
| Director Kathleen Rubin |
But, Colleary admits that certain elements have remained. “The television business is like a pyramid scheme. The more people you know, the more chance you have of somebody hiring or recommending you. When I was twenty-five and got my first staff job, I was getting the job of somebody who had a lot more experience than me, but had mustered out. I knew that even when I started TV, that, somewhere in your forties, it was going to end. What amazes me is that this is the way the business has always been, but so many people are caught by surprise.”
Despite everything, Colleary finds that he is at the height of his writing powers. Unfortunately, the industry had little to offer him but money, which was great for a period. But, he eventually lost the fire in his belly to fight for jobs, as he expected, and realized he was seeking something more satisfying. But, rather than sulk, he turned to playwriting. This fueled his energy into endeavors that helped him flex different writing muscles, and grow in his trade. Thanks to financial backing, he is able to live in the moment and has been pretty fulfilled from the five plays he has produced in as many years. While there is little money in theatre, Colleary could exercise as much creative control as he wanted with hiring the right talent to take the reigns of each project. “My process is more hybrid: half theatre/half TV.” It also allowed for direct involvement with the actors and talent. “I didn’t want to write something and put it on a shelf … the actors love having some place to go. Keeping actors, producers, my director off the streets, I’m sure I’m single-handedly lowering crime in L.A. fifty percent,” he jokes. The biggest payoff has been the appreciation he has received.
 |
| Actress/producer Lisa Pescia |
He met actress Lisa Pescia on the set of Touched by an Angel, who became one of his producers after reading one of his plays and put him in touch with Kathleen Rubin. As a result, she directed three of his shows, including Happy Face. Both Jersey transplants, Colleary hit it off with Rubin right away. “Like me, she’s a Virgo and legally insane.” They have a great rapport and have a constructive, open line of communication. “That’s why I’m on Play #3 with her.”
While Colleary has valued and cherished his theatrical experience, it pains him that Los Angeles is only known as a film/TV town when it could be so much more. Brimming over with probably more talent than New York City, it’s confusing to the both of us why the city has such a reputation for being “not a theatre town.” He acknowledges the lack of money and the geographical sprawl being huge detriments in the equation, but would love to see a greater force centralize the creative energy and power and defy expectations and status quo. The pragmatic playwright wouldn’t mind seeing things a little shook up and wonders out-loud if it were possible for theatres to be run more like cinemas, thereby possibly allowing for something more self-sustaining with growth potential. “When I did Cannibals at the Zephyr, which was pretty successful, the only people who made money were the theatre and the Italian restaurant next door … Everybody is struggling. If your play is a failure, you lose everything. If your play is a success, you lose half. It’s not supposed to be a money-making venture, but in order to perpetuate it, you have to have a certain degree of input, financial intake just to keep producing.”
 |
| Happy Face Sad Face Producer Russell Boast |
As far as Colleary’s future, it may involve delving into writing about his childhood, which he describes as being closer to Leave It to Beaver than Running With Scissors. He may take a break from playwriting. His life has taken him on all kinds of crazy adventures, including signing up to play semi-pro football in Finland for a twelve-day tour (“I thought it was crazy enough for me to do”), shooting a TV pilot in Iceland, writing a parental support book called Teenagers Suck (offers mothers and fathers the consolation that “This isn’t your fault: they’re crazy”), and teaching a television writing course at Chapman University. He’s a pretty resilient guy. After describing forgoing a hospital visit after an accident back in Boston years ago while walking across the street, “If you can have a TV writing career, you can hit by a truck and walk away.”
The show opens at The Elephant Lillian Stage this Saturday, January 19th. You can find tickets at: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/266029.
The show opens at The Elephant Lillian Stage this Saturday, January 19th. You can find tickets at: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/266029.
0 comments:
Post a Comment