An Experiment

Playwright Brent Holland Talks About His Play "An Experiment"

 

What Inspired you to write this play?

Desperation!  Seriously…we were headed to regional competition with a pair of plays that were both ensemble pieces and Hurricane Florence hit us with a vengeance.  No power for five days and no school for more than three weeks!  Two ensemble pieces went out the window as we didn’t have time.  What I did have was six students who could stay after school and put together another play so that we could still fill both our slots. I literally wrote this play on my lap top hooked into the power from my truck. Fortunately, I knew the kids I had pretty well, and the parts fit them pretty well. The play went great and ended up being the bright spot of hurricane Florence. (At least for me!)

 

What is your favorite line or part in the play?

It’s a tough call between the turn that Devious makes at the last moment (influenced by the actress that killed it on stage for me!) and the outro that shows how Devious wins her 9^th consecutive experiment.

 

What did you try to achieve with this play?

I like telling stories and I love fantasy-based plays. There are so many unanswered questions in a piece like this that can be filled in by creative actors. At the core, I started just wanting a competitive play for the festival, but I really grew to like Courageous, Devious and the rest of the gang.

 

Do you have anything else you would like to add? 

I hope you have as much fun doing this play as we did.  The names of the original cast is listed in the front of the script and they did so much to add to what I originally put on the pages.  I am thankful to Eldridge for the opportunity to share this play with such a wide audience.