Small moments, unnoticed by most, can change a life. This concept is a common theme in playwright Sara Jean Accuardi’s (’06) work. Her latest award-winning play, “The Storyteller,” is no exception. The play’s premise came to Accuardi as she walked along the Portland waterfront near decrepit houseboats in the heart of the beautiful city.
“I saw two different societies – together but totally separate – and I like giving a voice to things most people overlook,” Accuardi says. “I thought about the ‘The Tempest,’ but rather than placing my characters on an island, they are where people pass by completely unaware of them.”
“The Storyteller,” receiving its world premiere at Portland’s Artists Repertory Theatre (ART) this month, will show audiences how Accuardi deals with this serious subject matter in a playful way.
Production photo from "The Storyteller" Photo Credit: Philip J Hatton
Written in 2018, “The Storyteller,” won the Oregon Book Award for drama and the International Thomas Wolfe Playwriting Competition, and it was a finalist for the O’Neill Center’s National Playwrights Conference. Accuardi says the play evolved through theater workshops over time.
“Plays are written to be performed. All types of artists contribute their own vision and talent to bring the story to life,” she explains. “The most exciting thing for a playwright is to see how others imagine and interpret the world you created.”
The Perfect Role
Accuardi came from an artistic family (her mother was a drama teacher, and her father writes poetry). She found her love for theater in high school and entered PSU’s Theater Arts program ready to become an actor. She soon realized that acting wasn’t what made her happy.
“I loved the process of putting a play together and realized there are many elements involved. I was torn between a career as a dramaturg – a person who does research to help playwrights develop their plays and give context to productions – or a playwright.”
Her inspirations came from professors Karin Magaldi (Associate Director of Theater and Faculty Emeritus who taught playwriting) and Richard Wattenberg (Graduate Advisor and Faculty Emeritus who taught theater history, literature and criticism).
Wattenberg recalls Accuardi was a perceptive student. “Her critical skills were exceptional,” he says. “Sara had formative, thoughtful things to say about the plays we studied. She brings a true in-depth sensibility and is a genuinely kind person. I can see why she’s a great playwright.”
Accuardi ultimately turned to playwriting because it was the most rewarding way to express herself and feel heard.
Magaldi has been impressed with Accuardi’s playwriting abilities from the beginning. “She allows her characters to speak for themselves,” Magaldi notes. “Sara has a good ear for dialogue and the musicality of speech, and she doesn’t shy away from challenges; she embraces them. I am delighted that ‘The Storyteller,’ is being produced.”
Full Circle
Production photo from "The Storyteller" Photo Credit: Philip J Hatton
The fact that “The Storyteller” will premiere at ART is particularly meaningful.
“When I was young, this was the theater where I fell in love with plays,” Accuardi remembers. “It seemed like such a far-off goal to be a playwright then. Now, to have them produce my play is very special.”
In addition, the very first reading of “The Storyteller” was in the old lobby of the former ART space. And because the theaters in ART’s new home aren’t built yet, the performance will be in the new expansive lobby, temporarily outfitted as a theater.
“This play fits in a non-traditional theater space,” she says. “It examines how we adapt to construct stories. It plays with a lot of creative elements and breaks conventional theater barriers. ART’s lobby stage is an ideal venue.”