Enter TwoSticks

This took a while -say 38 years? The Annunciation was originally written in 1970, during my time with the Berkeley Playwrights' Theater, and staged during the Christmas holiday season of that year. In 1974 it was staged again at Humboldt State University, where I was a grad student in Theater Arts.

After that the play languished, as most of my work continues to do, until my wife, Marla, prompted me to submit the piece to the Blue Room Theater in their annual Fresh Ink competition of new plays. I think it was limited to local writers in 2008. Only after it had been chosen (one of four new plays) did I learn that "new" plays meant "never before staged."

Marla is one of the best directors and acting coaches anyone could find. And she was immensely helpful as a dramaturg, helping to give the final craft and shape to my wee play.

The original ending had Mary cowering as the Lord overshadowed her; basically a rape scene as Mary had made it clear she didn't want what was coming. In 1974 the director basically had his way with me, so that Gabriel was dressed in a white robe with angel wings and Mary's final line was, "Oh. I always liked men with beards."

As Marla went over the script and also examined the relevant sources in the New Testament she suggested adding the new line for Mary, taken from Scripture, (paraphrasing) "I shall be called blessed among women." And then Marla and I played with the idea of adding, right after that, "I better."

Finally, we decided that the tag line was a bit too much, would too much distract the audience from the nice moment preceding. (Marla also chose the music, the funny Hava Nagila at the beginning and, at the end, as Mary receives the blessing and fate of God, the choral singing that rises, which is something in "canticles of ecstasy," songs composed by Hildegard von Bingen [1098 - 1179].) So we let the actress have her way with it and came up with her bemused "Well whattya know?" expression.

Luckily, we were able to cast two terrific young actors in the roles: Becky Dedecker-Winston and Tyler Elliot (going together in real life).

A wee play, indeed, though with deep roots in that life we have in common.