A Play Has Got To Say Something
With the passing of American playwright Sam Shepard, I was reminded of a most interesting experience that unfolded at the scene of what is arguably Shepard's most critically acclaimed play, "Buried Child." Here's what happened. I'd read some of the reviews of the play and wanted to see it. So I asked a friend of mine to accompany me. My friend, Ed Robbin had joined the cast of a modest production about the life of Woody Guthrie that I too was involved in at the time. We're talking Bay Area circa early 1980s. Ed had directed plays in the 30s and aside from being the guy who first put Woody on the radio, has a few accomplished friends. He'd drop names like Theodore Dreiser or mention projects he's worked on with frequency so I thought, naturally it would be useful and informative to watch this play with Ed. Besides, Ed was in his late 70s at this time and was delighted to get the opportunity to attend a play in San Francisco without having to dri