The Broadway Bound Theater Festival (background here) is running through Sept. 1 at the Powerhouse Theatre in Waveny, presented by the Town Players of New Canaan.
We put some questions to Garrett Bates, a contributing playwright whose work, “The Abbey,” opens at 7 p.m. Thursday and runs through Sunday (tickets here).
Here’s our exchange.
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New Canaanite: Give our readers some of your own background. When did you start playwrighting?
Garrett Bates: I am a new playwright but I have always been drawn to “the story”. As a child, I used my ability to pretend to pull my mind out of a traumatic environment. As a husband and father, I leaned on it to expand my family’s dreams and perspective of the world. In my business, I painted visions of what the future could look like if we put the right time, effort and creativity into it. And now, as I take up the challenge to be a playwright, I want to lean on the skills I honed throughout my lifetime to tell people stories that evoke laughter, reflection and hope. I am a lifelong Kentuckian who has been blessed with a great marriage, two amazing daughters, a son-in-law, and a grandson. They are the muses that pull the stories out of me!
How did you come to hear about the Broadway Bound Theatre Festival?
I came across the BBTF while searching for submission opportunities. The submission process itself can be an intimidating and frenzied ordeal. Often, the criteria is so specific that you find that your work does not qualify. When the stars do seem to align, it is not uncommon for the organizer to receive their maximum number of entries in a couple of hours. I recently found a festival I was interested in that had a month long submission period that reached their 100 plays limit in the first eight hours it was open. The BBTF puts more control in the hands of the playwright by blending a rigorous submission process with the playwright’s willingness to put in the work and be part of the production process.
Here’s the description of your play, The Abbey, on the Town Players of New Canaan website: “Floundering in his post-pandemic grief, a widower embarks on a silent retreat after a near tragedy sparks his loved ones into action. Sent to a Trappist monastery in the middle of nowheresville, Sam is met by the important voices in his life, as well as a few quirky (and sometimes armed!) monks. Along with a fellow traveler on her own journey of healing, Sam struggles to find a new path forward without leaving his old love behind.” Where did the idea for your play originate?
I intended on writing a different piece when I took my own silent retreat at the Abbey of Gethsemani in Central Kentucky last year. I had gone to the abbey with my own need for spiritual renewal but once I was there, I was pleasantly surprised with the space for thinking that the quietness created. I was also enamored with the monks that have dedicated their lives to serving others and contemplating God’s presence. I let my mind wander in creating a story of what circumstances could bring someone to a place like this, especially if the monks were a bit quirky and had their own baggage to deal with. The result was The Abbey.
What has this experience been like for you, seeing your written words come to life on stage? How are you feeling about the premiere?
The first cast reading of my play was an emotional experience for me. I had heard others read the play but having professionals, actors with intuition, skill and commitment read the play truly brought it to life. I was struck how an actor’s take sometimes pulled meaning out that I had not intended. That’s the artistry of it. Seeing my director, the great Lynne Colatrella, pull even more out of each performer in rehearsals has me incredibly excited for the premiere!
What else, if anything, would you like to tell our readers about yourself, your play or the festival?
The Abbey tells a story of a hopeless man. I believe that hope is the catalyst for creativity, for it’s in hope that we start to create a different future in our minds. The first thing we learn about God’s character is that he is a Creator. To that, I believe that we were all made to create – in whatever we do. But creating is clumsy and often messy…just like our lives! My desire is that my plays evoke laughter, reflection and, yes, hope for a better tomorrow.