Friday, December 09, 2022
The ‘Little Theatre’ and Big Personality That Made Justin Tanner a Playwright
AMERICAN THEATRE: Theatre is, among other things, a social activity, and when we think of the plays we’ve loved or companies we’ve followed, I’d wager none of us recall only the transporting traffic of the stage. We also think of the bar next door where we had a knockdown argument or a passing flirt, the lobby where we ran into an old friend, the parking garage where our car got keyed.
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The sentimentality in the opening remarks of this article, before the interview, reminds me of all the reasons I both love and loathe theatre. The sense of shared community and belonging, a place where creativity flows and passionate weirdos come together to make something beautiful, that resonates. But I also know all too well how jealousy and resentment can brew, how generous souls can be taken advantage of, and that there's always the narcissistic mentor whose mentees feel indebted to. How they speak of Diana Gibson actually reminds me of a cult leader. Someone charismatic, who preys on the insecure, sometimes even fosters them, but ultimately lords over them in some way. Creative spaces always seem to be lead by people like that, who seem to be searching for the next rising star to latch their names onto. Justin Tanner actually seems like an interesting, introspective playwright and I'd love to read Little Theatre. From the description of the play, it sounds like something that would hit home for anyone who works in theatre. I also just find it interesting how Tanner blames Gibson for ruining his life, and in the same breath acknowledges everything her guidance and support gave him.
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