Writing process holds surprises From page 30 Last year Night Booth, a piay about breaking male-female ste- reotypes and Robinson’s first pro- fessional production, was chosen as a 1990 finalist in the New Play Centre’s Springrites Festival com- petition. Now after winning the special merit award fram Theatre B.C.’s Third Annual Canadian National Playwriting Competition for her drama Rye and Shine, Rabinson says she is beginning to feel more at home as a playwright. “41 feel comfortable calling myself a playwright, as long as it’s not reali foud,”’ she says with a vigorous laugh that scrunches up her tanned face. Despite having turned out an amazing eight full-length scripts and another nine one-act plays in six years, she sti!! considers herself green. “I'm more or less at the door leoking in,’’ she says. Robinson believes that Canadian playwrights ave been weil-sup- ported by local theatre companies who produce their work and by establishments like the New Play Centre who help promote up- and-coming writers and develop their scripts. Winning Theatre B.C.’s national competition, she says, is helping her become better known. Rye and Shine, a story of a woman who turns away from her family to a poverty-stricken ex- istence, was chosen from 199 orig- inal scripts. The play received a public reading at the New Play Centre’s Springrites Festival earlier this year and this week it’s being performed at Capilano College as part of Theatre B.C.’s New Play Workshops. Although egos can suffer from them, Robinson welcomes the workshops (the idea of the workshops is for actors and direc- tors, in this case Vancouver direc- tor Sue Astley, to critique the winning scripts, suggest changes and help in the development pro- cess). “Sometimes the actors can find inconsistencies with the characters and the director can help with iogic. It becomes very personal, but you get clarification from dif- ferent angles,’ says Robinson. “Rewriting is not a dirty word. It’s a positive exercise and | enjoy it. And fortunately,”’ she giggles, “T have Spelicheck on my com- puter.” Robinson says she never knows exactly where she’s going or where her stories will end up. “What | do is begin with char- acter and place and the thing begins to travel.”” One of her hard and fast rules is, never change anything until it’s finished, even if she meanders away from the storyline. “If tspend 10 pages in the wrong direction } never stop myself because there might be two sentences that make sense.”” Robinson isn’t your typical writer who sits for hours in front of a blank page. Far from it, she says she is a compulsive writer. With the exception of Murder on the Fat Farm, a campy comedy that took her three years to pro- duce a first draft (‘I'm finished it now, | think’), words and ideas seem to flow relatively effortlessly. “Sure, } still agonize and stare out into the abyss or at my dog. But there are times when things happen magically. It’s sort of a barrage of ideas. | have to finish one (play) before | allow myself to go on to another. To me, starting a new play is like a new toy — it’s a treat.’” 36 - Wednesday, August 28, 1991 - North Shore News eic.) Thursday, August 29th — Shop the day away! Free Tea or Coffee for Seniors at Sears Capilano Mall Store. § Our Senior Citizen Day is a great ' way for you to buy all the things you want for yourself or your grandchildren. Since some of you look younger than you are, just bring proof of age - (Senior Citizen’s card, birth certificate, driver’s license, Discount does not apply to catalogue items or our already low priced advertised items or already reduced non-advertised specials. NOT INCLUDED ARE; cosmetics, fragrances, major appliances & microwaves, office equipment, photography and photographic supplies, custom-made drapes, stereos, TVs, videos, instatlation and installed home improvements. licenced concessions, Sears bockstore, Sears Travel, Portrait Studio, Ticket Sales, Scoichguard® , watch repair and gift certificates. ONE DAY ONLY CAPILANO MALL Personal Shopping Only! SEAIRS your money’s worth... and more Peery 98 5-7 Free Parking 722 | f)