why

This blog is essentially dedicated to the process of creating a show. The work for this particular show began almost exactly a year ago. But now the time is drawing nigh--6 weeks until rehearsals officially start. I thought this might be a good way to share with the cast and collaborators how the piece is coming together, both before and during the rehearsal period.

The play is based on my research into bee biology, and uses the book "The Life of the Bee" as a structural and textual starting point. The Life of the Bee was written in 1901 by Maurice Maeterlinck, a Belgian playwright and essayist. Georgette Leblanc, an opera singer, stage actress (and eventual film actress and author,) was Maeterlinck's close companion for 20 years. She was the Queen Bee of his life, and literally embodies this role in the world of the play. Right now, I am reading "Souvenirs," by Leblanc, a memoir of her time with Maeterlinck. I highly recommend checking it out from the library as soon as I finish it! It sheds a different light on Maeterlinck's character and private life, his struggles with "neurasthenia" (essentially depression), his terror of public speaking and large social events, and his incredible love for solitude and nature. Leblanc played the role of "Light" in a production of Maeterlinck's Bluebird, and his future wife and new love Renee Dahon, (then 18 to Maeterlinck's 55) portrayed the young leading boy, Tyltyl.

As I continue to develop the script, I will post photos, anecdotes, and excerpts from these texts, and I invite you all to comment and add your own observations, questions, etc.