A Dramatic Discussion of TopDog/UnderDog

There is something to be said about realizing one's own limitations. And I realize mine. No matter how objectively I approach a play, I find myself reading or watching it with growing anticipation. No matter the type of play, they are all a sort of mystery to me where every word, every action, every prop is a clue and every word, every action, every prop is suspect. I find I expect to be changed from the experience: to learn from it, to grow. I read a play as if it contains a message hidden to me, one revealed typically through discussion. Without discussion I am bound by my own interpretations however limiting they may be. Discussion does not always mean agreement-for me it rarely does- for my intention is not to find like minds but to understand the motives, the perceptions of others. But none the less I approach plays with the respect of someone who lacks the patience to write one. Because I have not approached plays as a modern form of entertainment, I am often cast in the role of the uncomfortable dinner guest: still hungry.

My first introduction to Suzan-Lori Parks was a brief one; I was intrigued by this young African-American woman playwright featured on a PBS show. PBS followed Parks for a period of time before her debut of TopDog/ Underdog. I was drawn in to the momentum of her circus of casting, rewriting and anticipating. The camera captured candid glimpses of the expert way this young playwright carries herself with directors and actors she admires. Through its lens we see her sometimes perplexed look at the way an actor delivers a line, the way she timidly, then more forcefully asserts her vision despite quick editing and rewriting; and the grace with which she takes suggestion after suggestion. I was impressed by her.