Playwright Visits Company

Jason Pizzarello, co-writer of “This Murder Was Staged,” sat down with the cast and crew of Weston High School’s Company on November 2. These students will be staging the comedic mystery play about an unpopular director’s death in the middle of a show’s murder scene.

Producer Sara Winant started the conversation by asking Mr. Pizzarello how the idea for the show was conceived. He responded that he had only come up with a title before deciding with his co-writer, Patrick Greene, to bring it to life.

Mr. Pizzarello said that, while writing the actual play, he wanted to write something “with flexibility … and a strong plot,” and also wanted to incorporate comedic humor and a chaotic energy.

Talking about the Charlie Brown Crucible scene — one of the more absurd scenes in the play and a fan favorite among the cast — Mr. Pizzarello said, “I wrote it and I had no intention of keeping it because it seemed too far. My co-writer, Patrick Greene, said this is too much — we should cut it.”

Despite how absurd this scene was, the writers decided to keep it because “people seemed to like that scene, so I’m glad we kept it.”

The characters

For the student actors, the visit was a rare opportunity to ask about character motivations and script choices. Nikki Egmond (‘30), who plays Jason Green, the nervous and timid playwright, asked about the inspiration behind the role.

Mr. Pizzarello mentioned that it was a lighthearted reflection of playwrights and theater culture. “I think that was just us making fun of ourselves, you know, but also playwrights in general or anyone in the theater.”

Simon Quinn (‘28), who plays director Sinclair Hemmings, and Alex Terenzi-Klien (‘29), who plays Carl P. Custodian, also received valuable input into their character’s roles.

Writing

The conversation then shifted to the mechanics of writing. Abby Ackerman (‘30) asked whether the creative writing process is better done by hand or on a computer.

Mr. Pizzarello offered a breakdown of his own process and how he overcomes the hurdles of writing. “When you type, you’re kind of almost in editing mode. Usually, when I type or write something on the computer, it comes out as a second or third draft because I’m editing as I go,” he said.

“It’s very hard to not edit. Whereas when you write by hand, I don’t think you go through that same process … there is something physical about writing.”

Preparation

Mr. Pizzarello offered the cast final thoughts on how to make the show successful, such as being “mentally prepared for people to laugh … and to be able to adjust if the audience is laughing.” He advised them to make “clear, distinct character choices” and to make “articulation and projection” an extreme focus when they act.

These words of advice were especially appreciated because Mr. Pizzarello admitted he had actually never seen his play performed live before.

The cast was shocked by this, especially since there have been over 400 productions of the show. Seeing the nervous faces among the crowd, Mr. Pizzarello jokingly told the cast there was “no pressure. If you’re having fun, that’s kind of the whole point of it.”

Weston High School’s production of “This Murder Was Staged” runs in two performances: on Friday, November 20 at 7:00 pm and Saturday, November 21 at 3:00 pm. Tickets are on sale now.