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Of narrators, reliable and un-

Posted by:	Delvino 12:01 pm EDT 03/29/14
In reply to:	ACT ONE preview last night - NewtonUK 10:42 am EDT 03/29/14

I much appreciate these insightful notes. I'm not quibbling with your comment on the use of narrators and sloth, just seeking to annotate the observation slightly. When used with powerful theatrical purpose, narration and narrators as dimensional characters, can be quite thrilling. I can cite a few that made indelible impressions on me, and still work: Sabina, the Stage Manager, Dysart, Salieri, the protagonist in Sharr White's THE OTHER PLACE and even Chuck Baxter in PROMISES, PROMISES. When used to offer distinctly theatrical shorthand, and to provide time-saving access, narrators can contribute mightily to the pace and texture of the storytelling. And then when divided up, narration can be illuminating, as in Hare's STUFF HAPPENS, THE LARAMIE PROJECT, or Wilson's BOOK OF DAYS. If the device is (too) often used as an easy substitute for well-crafted scenes, I agree, laziness springs to mind. But when the best playwrights employ it to provide/enhance point of view, its use is earned and can be persuasive.

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Thread:	re: Of narrators, reliable and un- - ryhog 10:02 am EDT 03/30/14 (3) re: Of narrators, reliable and un- - AlanScott 12:22 pm EDT 03/30/14 (2) re: Of narrators, reliable and un- - enoch10 04:28 pm EDT 03/30/14 re: Of narrators, reliable and un- - ryhog 12:38 pm EDT 03/30/14 re: Of narrators, reliable and un- - AlanScott 01:09 am EDT 03/30/14 And Tom in THE GLASS MENAGERIE - Michael_Portantiere 01:13 pm EDT 03/29/14 (1) re: And Tom in THE GLASS MENAGERIE - Delvino 04:16 pm EDT 03/29/14

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