I read a play tonight that was recommended by my teacher tonight called Intimate Apparel, by Lynn Nottage. She suggested it because she thought it might help me write my play for the semester, Mrs. Hawking. I enjoyed the piece a great deal. It's about a black seamstress in 1905 New York trying to figure out what to do with her life now that she's thirty-five and has been alone for so long. It's sad and lovely, particularly a moment involving Esther the seamstress and the Orthodox Jewish man she buys fabric from. They are developing feelings for each other but of course nothing can ever come of it, and when she starts weeping because of a generous gift he gives her, he wants to comfort her but cannot touch her because he is shomar negiyah. I think my teacher recommended it because of the theme of a woman wanting to take control of her own life, resisting the circumstances society places her in, and do something meaningful with herself, as well as the strong female relationships, the way people can live for each other. I am still trying to parse out what to draw from the piece, how to quantify what I should take away and apply to my own work, but I thought the play was extremely effective. I also loved the sewing and garment descriptions-- the tactile luxury of the materials, the loving outpouring of the self into the craft. That sort of thing just... sucks me up. There's something holy in handmade things, and this play captured that very well.
God, I need to sew. And write. Both together.
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