Hymns To The Obvious - A Play Written by Robert Weinstein
Robert Weinstein, our far too humble host and resident storytelling teacher has written yet another play, which was performed by the Barrow Group, and we get to talk about it, celebrate it, and accidentally tear into it.
Read the play here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1O_pb-vqXSIgZY2o9UsmZRMpkdBG1STGN?usp=sharing
Transcript
I write characters
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:the way that I wish they existed
in the world, It's so realistic.
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:But it's not reality.
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:I think there's a truth in it.
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:If you want to read Robby's play,
before you listen to the rest of this,
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:There will be a link to it
in the description,
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:and if you have ten minutes,
you will get to experience
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:the full array of human emotions.
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:I know you, she said.
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:That shouldn't just be between us.
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:You need to say that out loud, too. Yeah.
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:I hate plot so much, but I love stories.
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:That's awesome.
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:And it's so true.
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:Yeah.
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:the fact you just have instantly handed me
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:something that has kind of no plot,
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:but lots of story is tickling me
to no end.
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:I love this play so much.
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:what's the story to both of you two?
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:since there isn't, like jumping off
buildings.
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:Plot, plot plot.
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:You have the phrase singing hymns
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:in the church of the obvious.
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:It's such a mythical, apocryphal
sounding phrase.
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:I want to hear how you got to that,
because it is magical.
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:When and how do you know
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:when something is finished?
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:What was that moment for this?
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:For him.
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:So the obvious.
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:I know when I'm willing.
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:once I take the first step to make it
a reality.
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:That's very funny,
because I was walking through a gigantic,
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:cathedral
to capitalism today called Hudson Yards.
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:Surrounded by
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:people who are very good at business
and very good at corporate things.
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:And I just kept mumbling,
wow, I am not good at business.
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:So it's very funny to hear you say,
oh, coal is good at business.
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:but, like,
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:It also.
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:just because of like
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:I forgotten what I was going to ask you.
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:Everybody, Oh, the voices in your head.
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:I'm wondering how you, Affect.
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:How the dialog ends up
sounding to other people
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:in the real world.
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:Yeah.
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:Let me ask that again.
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:It's, you know exactly how you want dialog
to sound in your head.
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:You can hear it in your head
in a certain rhythm, in a certain cadence,
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:or in an exact rhythm
and an exact cadence.
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:But once you've written something
and once you're interacting with it,
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:and once actors are speaking it,
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:it may not sound the same.
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:How do you either deal with that tension
or how do you affect.
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:The final outcome of how it sounds with
how you wrote it in the first place?
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:but. my friend.
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:You have done a bookend and repetition.
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:How dare you! Oh. Yeah.
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:And then,
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:this bit of repetition
and the idiosyncratic nature of it
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:is the number one thing about the play
that makes it such
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:a perfect representation
of the format of a play itself.
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:Like in their,
I wish I knew this for real, but like this
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:the Greek sense of there
is something innate in a form,
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:and there's the perfect idea of this form,
this recurring bit
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:that you do is very close to,
like the perfect form
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:of a play.
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:loved it.
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:Because it's not realistic in many ways.
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:Like if you walked into a town
and people actually did this, you're like,
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:what's. Why?
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:Oh, really?
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:I grew up in freaking
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:In a more complimentary
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:way, I should say that
my notes about this was.
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:It's so realistic.
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:But it's not reality.
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:Let me ask
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:Robbie's question
in a different way as well.
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:How would you go about writing a wizard?
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:And what would the wizard sound
like in your head?
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:Yeah.
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:What's your favorite line from your play,
Robbie? Wow.
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:I have never met someone who hates ducks.
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:I've been attacked by geese
multiple times, and yet I don't.
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:I know, duh,
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:It's in.
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:Character.
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:It's a perfect natural title.
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:now my favorite line is going to sound
pithy, but, Janice
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:the grandmother has just called somebody
a moron.
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:Very bluntly, and it's been noticed.
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:And Janice clarifies with
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:she knows where I stand.
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:those blonds,
as I've heard a character be.
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:But keep it realistic within the world.
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:And I always want my characters
to be blunter and blunter.
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:But they teeter off the deep
end of believability.
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:When I get to that.
Something like that. So I loved it.
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:Is recording is through an iPad
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:and sending a message from a nursing home
back to somebody a normal thing?
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:Or is that, like, a huge story decision
to say these people are so just.
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:She's so disconnected
from her granddaughter
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:that they are not going
to pick up the phone and call.
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:Well, they definitely.
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:Yeah,
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:you know, or someone
who can really be bothered by it, but I,
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:I mean
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:it was not a book.
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:Call.
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:It was the opposite of poking holes.
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:It was saying it's such a distinct choice,
because obviously,
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:There's no way in on unearth. that.
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:You didn't have the thought.
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:People pick up phones and call each other.
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:You're not helping.
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:Stop talking.
These two people just said he. Didn't.
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:don't.
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:Obviously nothing.
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:Obviously. No. Jabroni.
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:You wouldn't think,
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:I actually did not
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:Does it help if I say No.
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:that it came off as profound?
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:Yeah. It did.
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:I agree, it felt like a very
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:I'm so sorry.
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:Obviously,
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:What do you mean by a media?
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:I'm sorry. I.
