Comments on FrankenGirl: Dear Wendy Wasserstein

Thanks for commenting, JB - :)The way you describe...

2006-03-09T12:40:00.000-05:00

Thanks for commenting, JB - :)

The way you describe your first encounter with WW, particularly the juxtaposition of birth/death is so interesting. Some might say birth balances death. Joy/grief, but these two - girl/woman – were tied together and torn apart, and so it seems a great divide.

You have a lovely, poetic way of writing, btw.

unlike you, i was not fortunate enough to meet wen...

2006-03-09T09:54:00.000-05:00

unlike you, i was not fortunate enough to meet wendy wasserstein. i read about her death i think more than a month ago; after the note was a link to a New Yorker write-up she published five years to the day she had her baby girl. the circumstances how i came to know her was surreal, in one sense, and tragic, in another; i was reading for the first time her most intimate thoughts on giving birth right on the day she died. it was life and death in a small series of blue hyperlinks.

anyway, thanks for the comment. i've bookmarked and remembered you. =p

thanks, monika - :) I met you via Anne Bronte (aka...

2006-02-23T16:14:00.000-05:00

thanks, monika - :) I met you via Anne Bronte (aka actonbell).

A Streetcar Named Desire - ah, another Pulitzer Prize winner, and a juicy one!

Hmm, my first time ove rhere and I like it. Veyr m...

2006-02-23T14:13:00.000-05:00

Hmm, my first time ove rhere and I like it. Veyr much. Seems ot me you are a very good writer yourself. A certain flow of speech that seems so hard to master!
Thank you for your comment on my page and rest assured, I will be back :)

My favourite play?
" A Streetcare named Desire"

Yes! Sometimes it surprises me so much! But other...

2006-02-22T17:47:00.000-05:00

Yes! Sometimes it surprises me so much! But other times, I think to myself – Agh! That challenging path seems sooo steep... And, hmm, that low road sure would be easier on the feet... but No, No, No! :P

It helps, I think, when we encourage each other to challenge ourselves - :)

aww Thanks Frankengirl :)Does it not surprise you ...

2006-02-22T17:09:00.000-05:00

aww Thanks Frankengirl :)

Does it not surprise you (it does me a great deal) that many people indeed wish to remain "stunted"?

"I suppose the real question is whether challengin...

2006-02-22T14:02:00.000-05:00

"I suppose the real question is whether challenging one's self matters in the first place."

Oh, yes, YES, Y-E-S! We must, I think, to grow (or we may remain stunted).

Thanks, as always, for your great questions :D

"the actors, directors and finally the audience te...

2006-02-22T13:16:00.000-05:00

"the actors, directors and finally the audience teach me far more about the play than I could have ever learned on my own."
Agreed Frankengirl :)
It is all a process of learning and challenging ourselves, which is why artists of all sorts hunger after feedback...otherwise, how can one improve and how will they feel validated through/in their work?

I suppose the real question is whether challenging one's self matters in the first place.

mysticgypsy: oops, did I answer the right question...

2006-02-22T13:00:00.000-05:00

mysticgypsy: oops, did I answer the right question? did you mean do I enjoy watching the production over writing the play itself?

Well, if so, nothing beats writing. But hearing the script is a thrill, and later, a production is an exciting and emotional (often nerve-wracking) culmination, particularly "opening night." At that point, though, the play no longer seems mine. The directors and actors have made it their own, and there's a whole letting-go process; a saying good-bye which is bittersweet.

I guess this gets back to the audience question in earlier posts. Writing alone is lovely (but can become self-indulgent) and the actors, directors and finally the audience teach me far more about the play than I could have ever learned on my own.

Yes, UW! And I love that you put "Respecting Women...

2006-02-22T10:23:00.000-05:00

Yes, UW! And I love that you put "Respecting Women" in your profile, btw.

I'm glad females have more role models than they d...

2006-02-22T10:18:00.000-05:00

I'm glad females have more role models than they did two or three generations ago.

actonbell – You're so right about cars sigh (I w...

2006-02-22T08:59:00.000-05:00

actonbell – You're so right about cars *sigh* (I want a horse and buggy!)

Oh, another ‘Night Mother fan! Yaah! Yes, that’s such a powerful play!

That's a touching letter Frankengirl. I was wonder...

2006-02-22T01:05:00.000-05:00

That's a touching letter Frankengirl.
I was wondering..do you prefer theatre (as in performance) or writing?

And I do hope the tire's curse has worn out :)

Well,I'm sorry about your tire. All things car-rel...

2006-02-21T22:43:00.000-05:00

Well,I'm sorry about your tire. All things car-related have a way of tripping up our lives, huh?

Nice letter:) I'll have to check her out sometime.
I love 'Night Mother, btw.

Hi, PE, I had such an awful day! My tire blew up a...

2006-02-21T21:20:00.000-05:00

Hi, PE, I had such an awful day! My tire blew up and then my day became about tires, and since I'm not a tire dealer, I really don't want my days to be about tires. What strange power tires possess. So it is. But I came back from tire-hell and found your comment, thanks - :). I feel sad about this post. I know you met WW in person and had a lovely discussion with her. Generous, that's what you called her. I really appreciate your thoughts.

Wendy had a sweet spirit. Not only did she love w...

2006-02-21T15:26:00.000-05:00

Wendy had a sweet spirit. Not only did she love writing plays, she loved actors and stage managers and theatergoers and, well, everybody really. (The long run of "Heidi Chronicles" found her often dropping by to see whom among her many friends came that evening.)

So sad to hear that she left us at such a young age.