A Love Story by Jim Stapleton
February
23-25
Both of us are intrigued by PLAY, the real subject of this comedy/drama. Why do adults play? How? Where? and When? What role does play take in creating and expressing a relationship?
You might say that “Playing for Keeps” began 24 years ago when Jim met his future wife and co-star, Diana, in a nature sanctuary in upstate New York. Jim finished the script last year, weaving together his love of whimsical storytelling and Diana’s interest in intimate speech-play - she wrote her master’s thesis in Linguistic Anthropology on this topic.
Having tackled some of the challenges of living together for 22 years, we thought it might be fun to dramatize a few of the play strategies that keep us going. We love loading up our VW camper with sets, props, costumes & “company”, i.e. the two of us and taking our shows on the road. We took our last play to every corner of the Olympic Peninsula and south to Oregon. This year we decided to try Seattle. - - Also we think middle-aged marriage can be a lot of fun, a message we’d like to put out there.
We have spent the last few years doing theater together - writing, producing, directing, teaching, and acting. We even helped found the Port Angeles Children’s Theater, where Jim’s first play, “Storytime” was produced. We started performing together in “The Gin Game”. We had such a good time, Diana begged Jim, “Write a play for us! Henry Thoreau meets Emily Dickinson. Including some of her poems and his prose.”
| Thus was hatched “Henry & Emily, The Muses in Massachusetts,” a play which was given a reading last October by the Deptford Players of New York City, who are planning to produce it this year off-Broadway. The success of “Henry & Emily” led us to try a play closer to home, tapping our own experiences and using our own words - “Playing for Keeps.” |