Soo-Jin's Response to "Love Candy"

Observations:

Erica and Jenny, excellent work. You guys are so organized and made me wanna come to class...

Really enjoyed your new pages + first two experiments. Putting on makeup in front of a mirror with two people directly next to me made the ritual seem holy. Especially with the silence in the dressing room. In the midst of a busy schoolday, being confined to a mirror for a good length of time was an interesting exercise. At first, it was slightly embarrassing. I had to face myself. Then it became playful. It made me look at making oneself up a "special" thing to do instead of something one does quickly right before going out the door for school (in my case).

Doing the timeline let me take the time period of the play seriously. Before it was just wallpaper I didn't pay close attention to...but once I saw how political events mixed in with pop culture...I realized the 60s were an important time.

Both class periods made me feel closer to Candy.

I could see the influence of the class dramaturgy time on your new pages.

Even though there were familiar scenes in this new draft, I felt like they were slightly new to me because you redid the structure.

Normally, I am not a huge fan of countdowns but I LOVE it in your new draft.

You already know how fond I am of the HIPPIE scene. Both Candy and Hippie get to the essence of what they stand for, and at the end of their exchange, I think their universes have slightly shifted...or gotten larger. Certainly, I felt so as a listener.

I love how your stage directions evoke so much but are not necessarily lengthy. It helps me listen better. Just pointing out the essentials. Or highlighting a small detail but it becomes significant for me. Even something simple like "she holds a cigarette"...I see her pose, taking a breath, etc.

Questions:

1. How does Candy feel about Andy now that she is getting close to her death? Like does Candy care less about him as if Andy fades into the background and other people become more important?

2. Does Candy know she is dying? Or more specifically how aware is she that the countdown means the countdown to her mortal death? Or is it not? (I almost want her to be invincible...well, in my fantasy world) I linked the 15 minutes of fame to her last 15 minutes or seconds of being alive but there might be folks who don't get that reference. Just something to consider.

3. Does Candy believe in any sort of afterlife?

4. Who will she miss most when she's gone? What will she miss most when she is dead?

5. Who is Candy's best friend?

6. Has Candy ever had romantic feelings for anyone? Even if she didn't "fall in love"...

7. Is Candy ashamed of anything?

8. If Candy got what she wanted and became a full-blown woman, would she be happy or satisfied?

9. Did Candy know many other trans people?

Opinions:

I love how your current draft really digs deeper into who Candy is, how she became Candy, and also shedding light on the issues she had to deal with without become a issues-oriented play. Her outsider-ness made me feel closer to her.

Her voice even as she narrates seems to have more layers for me. I forget the line verbatim but something about God. She only mentions a sentence for two but that resonated with me.

Having said that, I agree that too much of the theory voice in her monologues take me out. It only happened twice during yesterday's reading though. Once in the beginning half. Once towards the end. I should have kept notes on the minutes and could bookmark better when that happened to me. The first time was when "blood, lips, illusion, stomach, spine" were mentioned. Right around that neighborhood.

I know she mentions hormone pills/hormone therapy but I think that will land with me more if I get a scene activiating that. Your new scenes are so powerful that activating her decision to go through this treatment in some way will make it clearer for me why she is sick.