You learn a lot about your play the first time you see it in front of an audience. For example, the character of Ophelia was supposed to provide comic relief. Now imagine how uncomfortable I felt during that first preview when Ophelia falls face-first into the pond and… crickets. Nobody laughs. We spent a week trying to get the comedic timing just right. Fall, splash, drown. Fall, drown (no-splash). Fall, splash around like crazy, drown. We never cracked it. The most we ever got was a polite chuckle. The lesson? You’re never going to please everyone, so write what makes you laugh.
