Mike Melski: Eighteen
Unlike
his beloved Toronto Maple Leafs, Halifax playwright and filmmaker Mike Melski
has enjoyed some real success in recent years. His latest theatrical effort, Eighteen,
is the story of an elderly Nova Scotia couple who stumble upon the fountain of
youth while golfing in Florida. Recently AE spoke with Melski about the
production.
When did you come up with the
idea behind the story?
It was a
happy confluence of a few notions I was having a couple of years ago. I write
from experience, and have done plays about hockey, fly-fishing, marathon
running, and I never quite found the right idea for probably my favorite
pastime, golf. I wanted to explore the magic of the game, the 'zen-ness' of it,
but put it in the context of a funny and heartfelt story. I've had several
experiences in the strange locale that is Florida, so when Golf collided with
Ponce De Leon (legendary quester for the Fountain of Youth in FLA) in my head,
I had this thought: "What if you had a mulligan for your whole life?"
And I thought, wouldn't that be fun to explore. And it was.
“I wanted to explore the magic of the game, the 'zen-ness' of it,
but put it in the context of a funny and heartfelt story.”
When did you start writing it?
Interesting
genesis for this one: it all started during a QA after Fly Fisher's Companion.
An audience member asked me what I was working on, and I almost never talk
about work in progress, but I'd just made this discovery, so I floated it out
there and it got a great response. Neptune associate AD Charlie Rhindress was
there, along with Neptune marketing director Jennie King, and they cornered me
later and said, we want you to write this. I was exhausted after just finishing
Charlie Zone and then mounting FFC, so I laughed-- I wasn't sure how serious
they were. A month later, they said they were applying for funding for me to
become writer in residence, and artistic director George Pothitos approved it.
We got the funding and I started writing in October 2011.
What was the process like, and
how long did it take?
It took
about a year and half to get to this point, and many many drafts. In the
meantime, Charlie became Artistic Director at Eastern Front, all the while
providing dramaturgical advice, and then Eastern Front became a co-producer.
Neptune's support has been essential and amazing of course. Again, a nice
confluence.
What are some of the work's
central themes?
EIGHTEEN
explores the nature of time, especially our lack of appreciation of it. How we
too often squander it on bitterness, unrequited love, missed opportunities,
deferred dreams. And it also speaks to the internet age, and how being 18 now
is very different than it was in the 60's. The power of choice and ideas around
destiny/fate are also key components.
How and when did you know that
you were done?
Well, we
worked on it for the first couple of days in rehearsal and made tweaks and
final cuts to the material, and then we started staging it. You know it's done
when you realize there's nothing else you can take away that won't detract from
the story.
"It's quite theatrical but also has elements of my film work
as well. Lights, projections, sound and music; characters changing into each
other, some smaller characters appear in the main characters' journey, which
travels around the world, and all done by 4 superb actors doing quick
changes."
What have been the challenges in
staging it?
It deals
with the reality of one elderly couple in Florida and one younger couple in
Halifax, but with a pervasive sense of magic. It's quite theatrical but also
has elements of my film work as well. Lights, projections, sound and music;
characters changing into each other, some smaller characters appear in the main
characters' journey, which travels around the world, and all done by 4 superb
actors doing quick changes. This isn't a one-set show, an impressionistic
approach was the only way we could do it. So there are technical challenges,
but I have a great team doing a terrific job to make it happen.
What can audiences expect during
the run?
There are
some very funny moments and there is sadness as well. The characters get
themselves into a state of getting what they want-- their mulligan-- and still
not finding happiness. And there are some twists along the way that I won't
spoil but as a hint, I would say that for every blessing, there's a curse. Like
Fly Fisher's and Hockey Mom, Hockey Dad, it's a blend of comedy and drama. But
overall, it is a fun, restorative story and quite a ride through emotions.
What's next on your creative
agenda?
First I'm
going to take a break! I've been so lucky, but working hard to be lucky.
There's a new play in the works with Eastern Front called Kreepy and Little
Manson which I'm writing, I'll be directing Hockey Mom, Hockey Dad at Neptune
in October, starring Heather Rankin and Kevin Kincaid. I have a comedy series
in development at Showcase, and there are a couple of new feature films in the
packaging stage. But I owe myself a few rounds of golf this summer, for sure!
Eighteen, until May 12 at the
Neptune Studio Theatre in Halifax