The Play’s the Thing

The Theatrical Collaboration of Clark Bowlen and Kathleen Keena, 1988–2012

by Kathleen Keena

Formats

E-Book

$3.99

Softcover

$17.95

E-Book

$3.99

Book Details

Language : English

Publication Date : 4/17/2015

Format : E-Book

Dimensions : N/A

Page Count : 206

ISBN : 9781491761526

Format : Softcover

Dimensions : 6x9

Page Count : 206

ISBN : 9781491761519

About the Book

The Play's the Thing: The Theatrical Collaboration of Clark Bowlen and Kathleen Keena, 1988-2012

Kathleen Keena
iUniverse, 187 pages, (paperback) $17.95, 978-1-4917-6151-9
(Reviewed: June 2015)

The Play's the Thing is Kathleen Keena's theater diary starting at Manchester Community College in Connecticut, 1988, where she meets theater chair Clark Bowlen. They collaborate (and eventually marry) until Bowlen's death at age 70. We follow their productions from academia to community to independent theater, as Keena directs while Bowlen designs sets and lighting.

Keena’s narrative takes a close look at individual plays. Including such productions as The Glass Menagerie, The Taming of the Shrew, The Rainmaker, Desire Under the Elms, and Buried Child, she breaks her discussion of each into categories: “Background,” “Synopsis,” “Challenges,” “Actors.”

The author is incisive, articulate, and effective as she examines the thought process behind each play. While exploring The Glass Menagerie, she notes: “Tennessee Williams' works are infused with fragile Southern belles, crumbling plantations, inarticulate males, sexual ambiguity, and a lyrical quality with a remorseful tone.” She goes on to explain her vision of the piece, Bowlen's ideas for the set, any obstacles to the success of the production, and techniques she uses to prepare her cast.

Readers aren’t likely to find a more absorbing, compelling account of theatrical production. Keena and Bowlen always took chances, pushing boundaries and rethinking traditional parameters to facilitate access to the audience, whether it was making the family home of Buried Child transparent or moving The Importance of Being Earnest to America on the verge of The Great Depression. The author shares interesting details about bringing one's interpretation of the script to the stage, while intertwining her professional evolution with her husband's.

The Play's the Thing offers pleasurable, dynamic reading for anybody who enjoys understanding how a show is built from the ground up.

Also available as an ebook.

About the Author

Kathleen Keena has performed and directed theater in the Greater Hartford area since 1974. In 1988, she and Manchester Community College Professor of Theater Clark Bowlen combined artistic skills to become collaborators on innovative shows until Bowlen’s death in 2012. This is Keena’s second book.

Customer Reviews

"?As a former community theater director, I wish I'd had a handbook like this one to show me the many creative ways that classic and well-known plays can be re-interpreted and brought to vivid, unique life.
Any director is bound to find inspiration in this thoroughly documented book that is equal parts a handbook for directors, a history of memorable productions of great plays, and a chronicle of a theatrical and romantic partnership between two creative, but wildly different theater professionals.
As Kathleen says, ""He reined me in; I taught him to fly.""
This book will inspire theater lovers?at whatever their level of expertise?to stretch their own wings and become their most creative selves.?"

Anne R. Allen
"Four Stars (out of Five)
A useful guide, this down-to-earth textbook is an excellent supplemental tool for aficionados of the dramatic arts.
Groundbreaking theater and the fruits of a loving, collaborative partnership that spanned twenty-four years fill the pages of this touching tribute. Kathleen Keena chronicles her accomplishments with husband Clark Bowlen until his death in 2012. The Play?s the Thing is a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at stage performance from set design to stage production.
Contrary to popular assumption, which is typical of the college acting troupe,
?Performance ? does not translate from archetype. Casting is specific to people, and the more specific, the better.?
Backed by an extensive bibliography as well as two appendixes, and illustrated with numerous black and white photographs, this analytical reference book explores academic, community, and independent productions. Divided into five chapters and packed with twentyfour summaries that delve into plot, structure, acting, and challenges associated with implementing these elaborate plays, Keena describes dramatic creation from the standpoint of an innovator. Evident in her narrative is the dedication and passion that fired her desire to find new methods of presenting a familiar work while remaining true to the original playwright. What cannot or should not be changed is left alone, yet the result of Keena?s and Bowlen?s joint efforts defied convention.
Though marketed as literary criticism, the book is a biography of Bowlen embedded in an educational text on the performing arts. Interspersed with artistic evaluations are Keena?s impressions of her partner?s ideas and techniques. She integrates bits and pieces of their professional lives together, providing details that enhance the scholarly nature of her writing.
Clark designed a set that emotionally expressed the content of the show. He stretched reflective material across three panels

Kathleen Keena
"?As a former community theater director, I wish I'd had a handbook like this one to show me the many creative ways that classic and well-known plays can be re-interpreted and brought to vivid, unique life.
Any director is bound to find inspiration in this thoroughly documented book that is equal parts a handbook for directors, a history of memorable productions of great plays, and a chronicle of a theatrical and romantic partnership between two creative, but wildly different theater professionals.
As Kathleen says, ""He reined me in; I taught him to fly.""
This book will inspire theater lovers?at whatever their level of expertise?to stretch their own wings and become their most creative selves.?"

Anne R. Allen
"Four Stars (out of Five)
A useful guide, this down-to-earth textbook is an excellent supplemental tool for aficionados of the dramatic arts.
Groundbreaking theater and the fruits of a loving, collaborative partnership that spanned
twenty-four years fill the pages of this touching tribute. Kathleen Keena chronicles her
accomplishments with husband Clark Bowlen until his death in 2012. The Play?s the Thing is a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at stage performance from set design to stage production.
Contrary to popular assumption, which is typical of the college acting troupe,
?Performance ? does not translate from archetype. Casting is specific to people, and the more specific, the better.?
Backed by an extensive bibliography as well as two appendixes, and illustrated with numerous black and white photographs, this analytical reference book explores academic, community, and independent productions. Divided into five chapters and packed with twentyfour summaries that delve into plot, structure, acting, and challenges associated with implementing these elaborate plays, Keena describes dramatic creation from the standpoint of an innovator. Evident in her narrative is the dedication and passion that fired her desire to find new methods of presenting a familiar work while remaining true to the original playwright. What cannot or should not be changed is left alone, yet the result of Keena?s and Bowlen?s joint efforts defied convention.
Though marketed as literary criticism, the book is a biography of Bowlen embedded in an educational text on the performing arts. Interspersed with artistic evaluations are Keena?s impressions of her partner?s ideas and techniques. She integrates bits and pieces of their professional lives together, providing details that enhance the scholarly nature of her writing.
Clark designed a set that emotionally expressed the content of the show. He stretched reflective material across three p

Kathleen Keena

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