O RUMBLES OF JOY!

Robin’s plays are imaginative and exciting — statues come to life, tugboats fall in love, grandmothers slowly change into birds, an ancient civilization emerges from the forests of New Jersey — and written to be both seen and heard. Movement and environment are crucial elements in her work. The complexity of the relationships in her plays, the richness of her metaphors, and her facility with language make for challenging and rewarding theater.

— Michele Travis, director (NYC)

 

New York Public Library Lions

Drama with comedy and movement.
2M; 3-5M/F (cast size 5-7 depending on doubling).
Est. 45 minutes.
Unit set.

An inside look at the process of creativity. In 1911 in a yard in the Bronx, NY, middle-aged sculptor Edward Clark Potter is in a tizzy. He has been offered a big commission to create a sculpture for the entryway of the grand New York Public Library, but what should it be? Unwanted thoughts arise as Potter tries to focus. The thought of his wife urges him to be true to himself, but sculptor Daniel Chester French, Public Opinion, George Washington and a nutty rabbit clamor for a monument which will be popular or at least fashionable. French warns that Potter has to create a superior design or this will be the end of his career. The Spirit inside the large block of marble also speaks to Potter, begging to be released in the form it feels is true to its nature.

Potter decides the sculpture won’t be an animal, though animals are what he loves to create. He pulls on heavy gloves and tries to accomplish a design that will make everyone happy. Thoughts rise in a cacophony of rebellion. The Spirit begins to die. Frantic, Potter tosses the gloves aside. Leaving his mind and heart unguarded, he lays bare hands upon the stone. At last, the process of honest creation can begin.

O Rumbles of Joy! cast
Eric Percival, Lucy McMichael, Bruce Barton, Gerry Sanseviero, Karen Koontz, James Kloiber, Chris Shenkle, and percussionist Vong Pak in a staged reading directed by Marcina Zaccaria at Planet Connections Theatre Festivity in New York City.

MOVEMENT and SOUND: Although it isn’t absolutely necessary, the chorus of thoughts (3 to 5 actors) moving in a choreographed manner will add greatly to a production. Do they have different individual rhythms and sounds? A live percussionist will add still another dimension to a production.

HONORS:
Winner, Harford Community College (MD) One-Act Playwriting Contest.
Premiere: Six Figures Theatre Company in association with The Drilling Company, directed by Hamilton Clancy (NYC).

For inquiries, contact the playwright.