Carol Triffle on writing plays

Joining us for a Q&A this month is producer, writer, director and actor Carol Triffle. Early in her performance life Triffle became interested in movement theater and eventually she studied at the acclaimed theater school of Jacques Lecoq. In 1979 she co-founded Imago Theater with Jerry Mouawad; their first production was “FROGZ.” To date Triffle has written a total of 14 plays, received two Oregon Arts Commission Fellowships, and served as a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts. She shared with us her thoughts on playwriting.

You’ve said that you don’t begin plays with an outline. What do you start with when writing a new play?

I write outlines to make me feel like I know what I’m doing. But I never really know what I’m doing, so I usually forget to reference the outline. Whenever I stick to an outline, the writing becomes representational, like an explanation of a boring narrative through-line. It gets too wound up in giving information rather than developing characters and dialogue. In the beginning I try to not judge the dialogue and write from a character’s voice. Sometimes I create a fictional characters. Other times I go right to the source and write from a character inspired by some real person.

Do your plays have plots? If so, when in the writing process does the plot come, and how?

In my last play, “Francesca, Isabella, and Margarita on a Cloud,” there was a scene where the characters questioned whether a movie had a plot or not. That would define whether it was an independent movie or a porno movie. It was my statement on the effectiveness of plot in story. I like a good story, but sometimes the plot forces the story to come around to places just so it can end. When someone asks, I do try to be able to explain my plot in a short paragraph.

How do you decide what ideas to include and what to leave out?

I decide what to take out of a play when it takes the story too far in a direction that I can’t justify. I keep the other stuff and add to it or repeat it. It’s usually half the play.

What role does feeling play for you in writing?

I think deep feelings come from a word that can transport you back or forth in time to a place or a situation where you expose yourself to the world. Maybe innocent or evil.

Do you ever have trouble figuring out when a play is done? If so, what do you do?

I have trouble with deadlines. That is a great way to know you are done with a play. I can go on and on until it becomes another play. So myself and the actors are glad for deadlines. I usually try to stop changing the general idea for a play one month away from opening. I make changes right up until the opening and sometimes after. Sometimes actors paraphrase their lines and they are better than mine so I keep them. None of my plays have ever been finished. Many times I thought I would go back to rewrite a play but by the time it was over I [was ready to] go onto something new.

What is the revision process like for you?

The revision process is lengthy. I have readings up to six months before the rehearsal period. This helps inform me on the actual story, dialogue and character development. The creative process takes time. Actors need time. The way actors react or don’t react to a script helps me. Many times their response changes the direction of the story.

What initially drew you to playwriting, and what do you like about it now?

[French actor, mime and acting instructor] Jacques Lecoq drew me to writing plays. He let me believe I could find my own path, and the sooner you start, the better it is. I like more unconventional acting and play writing. I like to laugh and cry. I want that same journey for the audience but done with a mind twist.

What does playwriting offer the writer that other forms of writing don’t?

Playwriting allows me to write conversations that end up telling you a story without knowing how you got there. A book uses story and then adds in the dialogue.

What misunderstandings do people commonly have about playwriting?

That grammar is important.

What suggestions would you give a writer who is just starting to think about maybe writing a play?

Listen to everything. Look at your environment. Write it down and use it for inspiration.

What else about your writing process would you like to share?

It’s okay to be bad. It can lead to some good ideas.