My Story @ Tarragon
Hannah Moscovitch
Before my previews for East of Berlin started at Tarragon Theatre, Camilla Holland laid down some ground rules about playwright conduct. She asked that I not moan so loudly at the back of the theatre that I disturb the patrons, and that while I’m in the theatre I sit upright in my seat and take quiet notes.
Three days into previews I was having a hard time eating or sleeping. It was like I was in love. On the Friday night I forced down dinner at the local Mexican restaurant and arrived at the packed theatre nauseated and panicked and exhausted. I decided the best thing to do for my nerves would be to go and lie down on the couch in the second floor greenroom. I just needed to get up the stairs and lie down on the couch. I made it to the top of the stairs and went to open the greenroom door. It was locked. My mind went blank. I lay down on the floor.
Male patrons going to the bathroom were walking by me in the hallway and giving me looks, like, “do you need an ambulance”, or “are you a crazy person” and I thought, okay, at least this behaviour wasn’t on Camilla’s list. I am fine because this behaviour was totally not on Camilla’s list.
Hannah Moscovitch was a member of Tarragon Theatre’s Playwrights Unit in 2006 where she wrote East of Berlin. East of Berlin premiered in our Extra Space on October 24, 2007, was remounted twice and toured across Canada.
Tell us all about it at tarragontheatre.com/mystory.