Richard Winters shares how “Play It Straight” was created.
“This project began at least 10 years ago. Back then I was teaching high school and I could see the end of that particular career road choice looming. A tired and cantankerous old drama teacher had replaced the young, idealistic and irreverent one who began teaching in 1988 (that would be me).
“I began to say and do things which no teacher interested in continuing in the teaching profession might say or do. It was during this unsettled time that the idea for “Play it Straight” first materialized. I jotted down notes. I shared the story with my friends. Most people just shook their heads and wondered aloud, how I was still allowed in the classroom. The line between appropriate and inappropriate grew fainter.
“Finally, in 2020, as Covid brought both public schools and professional theater to a standstill, I resigned from teaching and began working on this project. I enlisted former students to help me create the earliest drafts. Their insights and creativity are still the backbone of this play.
“Soon, I needed to have less writers and more structure, and so I asked Kerri Yund, another former student, to help me develop the character of Hope and her family. Together we finished the first draft of “Play it Straight” in 2022.
“At this point, I shared the play with Gary Wright. Already an established playwright with plays being produced around the country, Gary lent his skills and creativity to the project. His skill elevated the entire play and provided “Play it Straight” with its form and power.
“By the Spring of 2024, we felt we had a draft worthy of an audience. Our luck is that Sierra Stages agreed. They gave us our first public reading in the summer of 2024. From that moment on, the amount of excitement and energy for this play has caught us all by surprise! Cosumnes River College quickly asked us for permission to use our script for an acting class project which culminated in a staged reading in the fall of 2024.
“Next, Adrienne Sher and the Theatre Arts Department at Sacramento City College requested permission to mount the first full college production. They just completed a wonderful production in March of this year. The Actors Workshop of West Michigan will be producing this play in the fall. And theater companies in Chico, Los Angeles and Massachusetts have expressed interest as well. Whew!
“So it seemed about time, 10 years after I had the initial idea, that I actually direct my version of my play. So here it is. The R25 Theater Company is presenting the first community theater production of “Play it Straight,” opening Friday, April 18th.”