The Turn of the Screw

Our first installment of the Bold New Works for Intimate Stages Initiative at Creative Cauldron was our 2015 adaptation of Henry James' "The Turn of the Screw". I had vaguely been familiar with the Henry James novel (I read it back in high school) but it never quite had stuck with me. Creative Cauldron Artistic Director Laura Connors Hull had suggested the classic to me as an idea for our first show under the commission. I was not totally sold about the idea, as it really didn't speak to me upon the first suggestion, but I decided to mull it over.

I tried to read the book again and got easily bored. I watched a BBC film version and was similarly bored.  Psychological tension with sprawling estates and period costumes just didn't seem to be a fit for the Cauldron's intimate 90 seat black box. Laura advised that I watch the black and white adaptation of the story re-named "The Innocents" starring Deborah Kerr. That turned out to be the window into my brain that was needed. The absence of lush color allowed me to focus in on the story more.  To really boil it down to what the major events were.  I started to write an outline.

Being a Downton Abbey fan, I started to see the show through that lens, with the wonderful dichotomy of the Victorian era falling away amidst the uprising of modern technology. As the story concerns a teenage boy (Miles) seemingly blossoming into adulthood and discovering sexuality, the metaphor of leaving the past behind for new and fancier objects. Whether those objects be a camera given as a birthday gift, the new music that a valet (Quint) brings into the house via a new contraption called a "Victrola", or the new Governess, Miss Giddens. All are his new playthings.

Mrs. Grose is the cipher of the piece.  She knew what happened in the past, and is slow in disclosing the truth to the new Governess. She clings to the past and is the representation of everything that happened in Bly House before Miss Giddens got there. She is the old part of the house resenting the new that came in and changed everything. She holds all the knowledge and secrets of the past and is slow to disclose these to the new governess. The past hurts her too much.

Then there is Quint and Jessle. The Valet and Governess of Bly House of the past are still very present as Miss Giddens signs on. She sees them as current staff, although they are both long dead. Mrs. Grose doesn't know how to take these reports by Miss Giddens. Throughout the course of the show, we see the history of Quint and Jessle, and how their presence and impression on this house has never left.

The Children. Miles and Flora run the house, and Mrs. Grose and Miss Giddens take their orders from them. They know their Uncle is in charge, so their choices are protected by them. A crumbling, haunted estate that children are in charge of ...this is Bly House.

So what happened that night? We never tell you that. Are there ghosts? That's up to you to decide. We wanted to keep in line with the novels' goals. This tale is really about our own comfortability with the past or our lack of ability to accept it. If you want to license this show, I promise you a very lively discussion will be had by all when it is over. That was always the exciting part of this show - how many audience members had so many different opinions on what actually happened at the end of the story. When theatre spurs such lively discussion, it has done its job. Check out more info, including reviews and licensing information HERE.

#CCScrew

Welcome to Conner and Smith...the blog.

Hey there! It's been a few...years...*gulp*...since I've blogged.  And boy, MUCH has changed.  As you can see - so has this blog. Title and focus totally changed. While there are many reasons for the change, let's catch up on life stuff first, for any who are interested.

A tear came to my eye as I looked at the last post on StephenGregory.blogspot.com. Buddha was going through the last year of his life and was still alive when I last wrote. Our beloved Buddha passed away in his sleep in between us in December of 2015.

He fought very valiantly to the end and died, of course, on the actor day off...Monday. We were lost and devastated for a very long time, and still have moments where it hits us. He was cremated, and his ashes are with us in the living room, where he spent most of his time contented to sit and listen to us write music together. The house was too quiet and empty and we could no longer stand life without a pug.  So we got two.

(L to R) Lord Byron and Edgar Allan Pug came to us in 2016, and our house has been a zoo ever since.  A VERY FUN zoo.  A pug zoo, if you will. Lots of snorts and farts. Great stuff. 

 They share a father named "Darth Vader", so they are half-brothers. They are best buds and cuddle buddies. They bring us ridiculous amounts of joy, and we are happy to have a noisy house once again.

We also lost my beloved Grandmother this past Fall. We were able to go to PA for a visit the summer before she passed, and I'm so thankful I got to spend some time with her before we lost her. I am also very grateful Matt thought to take a picture of us together. Rest in peace, Velma. 

I have been devoting much of my writing time to the mammoth five year Bold New Works for Intimate Stages Initiative at Creative Cauldron in Falls Church. We were challenged to write five new musicals in five years, and have just completed our fourth.  I covered "The Turn of the Screw" in past blogs, and spoke of our next project "Monsters of the Villa Diodati" which had not been written yet.

It finally got written, as did our third piece, "Kaleidoscope", and our fourth, "Witch".  Along with another show that we wrote with Ally Currin for Signature Theatre, "Silver Belles". We have already started our fifth show for the Bold New Works, titled "On Air".  It highlights moments of American culture from the 1920's to today all tied together by what was playing on the radio. 

I will go into detailed "Look Back" posts on those shows from the past four years, but until then we are sort of caught up on the Conner and Smith world of shows.

As for the tone of this blog, I will try not to make it an infomercial for our work, but to keep it about our work, and our lives together.  (With some cute pug pictures thrown in for good measure.)
Through focusing the blog in this lense, it will help me devote more time to it. Our writing has taken considerable focus to our lives, and we are doubling down on keeping our new works afloat after they close here in DC.  Our "Silver Belles" was picked up by Broadway Licensing, and Creative Cauldron will be developing a leasing arm to lease out all five Bold New Works to other theatres across the country.

So welcome back, and you can always troll my old adventures in blog-world over at the old Stephen Gregory Blogspot Page. Thanks for coming with us on our journey!

SGS/MJC