Strictly Playwriting #6
Checking in and checking myself
With two months down in 2026 already, and eighteen days going into March, I am well aware of the goals that I set for myself in:
I haven’t really done shit to make them happen yet.
The other day I noticed that Death of a Salesman is playing at A Noise Within theatre and I would love to check it out, but the one day I’m available to see the show, the tickets start at $70 for the cheapest seat. Shiiiittt, that made me remember real quick that I have this play on my bookshelf. It also made me remember one my goals this year was to read a play once a month, and so far I’ve been 0 for 2.
So I started writing this post on 3.11.26 listening to 311. That night I got my ass up and grabbed the play off my bookshelf. I’m not to sure where and when I got this copy, but I know that I haven’t visited this play since high school. I literally and figuratively dusted the play off and tried to get into it that night. I usually start by reading the introduction, but this time I skipped it and went right into the long ass stage directions. That shit was a page and a half, and it put me to sleep. I get it, it is the Penguin Classics version and the publisher needs to paint the scene for the reader, but god damn.
Anyway, I was determined to finish the play as quickly as possible, and I know I’m a slow reader, so I took it with me in my backpack and tried to read it on the bus on my way to work, but I barley made a dent. I kept on stopping and writing my thoughts, questions, and observations in the margins. I was like holy shit, why did I like this play so much? I also felt hyper focused on the playwriting and trying to understand Arthur Miller’s structure and the choices he made to produce the emotions and actions he was after using dialogue. Lastly I also had this wider scope and knowledge of theatre and kept on wondering how the hell was A Noise Within going to present/produce this play.
After about a week I finished the play and that shit was dope. I really enjoyed reading it and analyzing it and trying to reverse engineer the whole thing. :) Plus, I was proud that I not only got back on track and accomplished the goal that I set out for myself, but I was also proud that I prioritized my playwriting for myself. I wasn’t stuck on Instagram or Youtube, or consumed by the anxiety of the world and my current situation.
Thank you all again for continuing to support me and this experiment and for taking the time to read this check in. I plan to share my thoughts and learnings on Death of a Salesman hopefully in a podcast version or something, and I am still working on recording the Intro to Theatre class lecture series.
Wishing you nothing but the best, and all the success.