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Friday, October 26, 2001

By A.J. Caliendo

Legend has it that shortly after his death in 1983, friends and family were sorting through the effects of Tennessee Williams' estate and found some notes for a proposed rewrite of "The Glass Menagerie." True or not, the story of plans to tinker with a work that had for almost 40 years been lauded as one of the greatest dramatic works in the English language, illustrates a salient point of drama -- a play is forever a work in progress.

		SUNDAY NIGHT LIVE WHERE: Penn Avenue Theater, 4809 Penn Ave., Garfield. WHEN: 7 p.m. Sundays. TICKETS: $2; 412-734-1784.

That's also the thinking behind Sunday Night Live, a weekly reading of new works by local playwrights, which opens its 10th season at 7 p.m. Sunday at the Penn Avenue Theater in Garfield. Co-producer Christopher Scott says the weekly showcase "exists for the purpose of script revision."

Plays get a "seated reading," by local actors. Scott then opens a discussion about the work and elicits comments from audience members. The playwright is present at the reading to hear the work performed and use the criticism to reevaluate the work.

The value of having a play presented by Sunday Night Live is twofold, says David Dietz III, whose play, "The Perfectly Ordinary Tale of Eros' Apprentice," will be this Sunday's season opener.

"It helps to have a group of actors sit down and work the whole piece out," says Dietz, adding that what looks good on paper doesn't always translate well into the spoken word.

The second benefit is the criticism, even if it can be a little ego bruising. "You only get one perspective," says Dietz of the playwriting process, "and you think [the play] is perfect." He believes it's only after listening to more objective and detached opinions that the author can detect flaws that have eluded him or her during the creative process.

Although a thin-skinned writer (is there any other kind?) might walk away with a few emotional scars, Scott tries to steer the post-reading conversation in a constructive direction, cutting off mean-spirited discussions before they get out of control.

Scott says the move to the Penn Avenue Theater, after eight nomadic seasons scattered among several local coffeehouses and restaurants and (for a while) the City Theatre lobby, has given Sunday Night Live the kind of stability he's been looking for since he got involved with the project in 1996. "We wanted something better," he says, "we wanted a theater."

Penn Avenue's artistic director, Michael Moats, also thinks it's a good pairing of concept and venue. "One of the main missions of Penn Avenue Theater is the development of new local playwrights," says Moats. "It seems like a natural."

Moats and Scott welcome submissions from new playwrights who want to get ideas for improving their scripts.

Which could come in handy if, say, Arthur Miller gets the urge to do a little revising of "Death of a Salesman."

For an updated schedule or to submit a play, call 412-734-1784 or e-mail cscott@c-wlaw.com.

SCHEDULE

(Titles, scripts and playwrights are subject to change.)

Oct. 28: David Dietz III, "The Perfectly Ordinary Tale of Eros' Apprentice."

Nov. 4: Robert Isenberg, "Thirty-Two Feet Per Second, Per Second."

Nov. 11: Laura J. Clark, "Olive."

Nov. 18: Anthony Spataro, "Riddle of the Stone" (a screenplay).

Dec. 2: Brad Keller, "I Need Better Lighting."

Dec. 9: Jeremy Tennent, "The Duel" (one-act), and Michael Safran, "Angel's Share" (full-length).

Dec. 16: Laura J. Clark, "The Cure."