max müller

I'm the production dramaturg for a world premiere play that opened last week. We got mixed reviews - most praised the performances and design, but three major critics specifically mentioned the pacing in Act Two, saying a long monologue "stops the play's momentum" and feels "indulgent." The playwright called me the morning after reviews dropped, pretty devastated. They want to cut the monologue entirely (it's about 12 minutes long) plus trim another scene, and implement the changes immediately. They said, "I can see now that it doesn't work, I was too attached to it." Here's my concern: this monologue is the emotional climax for one of the leads. The actor has built their entire performance arc around it. We're only one week into a five-week run. I've worked on this play for two years through workshops - that monologue has always been there and has always been debated, but the playwright was adamant it stayed. This feels like a panic response to bad reviews, not a genuine artistic revelation. When I suggested we wait a week and see how audiences respond (critics aren't always right), the playwright said I was being "precious about process" and that "the work needs to be the best it can be." The director is deferring to the playwright's wishes. The actor is trying to be professional but I can tell they're hurt and confused.

We're currently in rehearsals for a new production of "The Seagull" at a mid-size repertory theater. Our artistic director has brought in a well-known film actor to play Trigorin, which is generating a lot of ticket sales excitement. However, this actor has minimal stage experience and seems to be approaching the role with a very naturalistic, film-acting technique. The ensemble, who are all experienced theater actors, are starting to feel frustrated. In our last run-through, there were moments where the guest actor was barely projecting, doing these tiny gestures that might read on camera but disappear on stage. Our Nina (who's been with the company for 3 years) tried to gently suggest working on projection together, and the response was quite defensive. As the dramaturg, I've been pulled aside by both the director (who wants to keep the star happy) and the ensemble (who feel the production's integrity is being compromised). The director keeps saying "it'll come together," but we only have three more weeks until previews.