Welcome to Script Insights! Ever wonder what goes on in the mind of a playwright? In this series, you get a rare and exciting opportunity to hear directly from the authors themselves. Each article offers personal insights from the playwright, giving you a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process, character motivations, and thematic explorations that bring their scripts to life.
Below, you’ll find a downloadable blog post offering valuable insights directly from the author of Stage Fight. The downloaded PDF also includes supplemental classroom activities to help you connect the play’s themes and characters with your students.
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What Is Art? Wrestling with Big Questions in the High School Classroom with Stage Fight.
By Peter Ritt
Intro
Hello, my name is Peter Ritt, and I am the author of “Stage Fight.” My play follows Dewey Coleman, a history teacher and “amateur pro” wrestler, as he attempts to juggle both personas while directing a high school production of “Peter Pan.” Along the way, the play explores the intersection of “high” and “low” art, using classical theatre and professional wrestling as stand-ins, with high school as the stage where they ultimately collide. And collide they do, as both real and choreographed fights break out, the lines between performance and reality become blurred, and Peter Pan and Captain Hook trade in swords for steel chairs. The result is a rousing comedy that should get everyone cheering in their seats, and perhaps asking, “What is art?” on the way home. In other words, a fun night out.
Themes
A defining moment in writing “Stage Fight” was realizing how much it pays tribute to teachers who go the extra mile. I came to love theatre in high school under the tutelage of a passionate drama teacher and an English teacher who made playwriting seem like a real possibility. Beyond capturing the joys of high school theatre, the play highlights the value of good teachers, as seen in Dewey’s relationship with Wyatt. Wyatt aspires to be a professional wrestler, and as Dewey is the only person in her life who can assist, he becomes a sort of mentor figure. However, Dewey needs Wyatt as well, as she acts as both a confidante and cheerleader in navigating the deeply foreign world of high school theatre. This terrain is made all the more treacherous by the on-leave drama instructor, Lester Dalaba, who is offended by Dewey’s sensibilities.
Dewey is shown to have a basic understanding of drama through his experience in professional wrestling, which Lester dismisses because as lowbrow. However, Dewey uses that experience to navigate a classic text (JM Barrie’s “Peter Pan”) and make his own, more personal version (“Pan/Hook: One Night Only”). Incorporating JM Barrie’s text elevates the wrestling match into parody, making it accessible to audience members who might not otherwise watch such entertainment. The showdown becomes enjoyable on different levels, which is what great art usually strives for. There is room for both Dewey’s love of spectacle and Lester’s high-mindedness, and while they can exist independently, they don’t need to be at odds.
Staging Notes
Now, I grew up watching professional wrestling and have casually kept up with it over the years. But this play is very much a feel-good high school comedy and is totally accessible to a general audience. This holds true for a production company as well, as while there is mild wrestling choreography written into the play, the execution of it shouldn’t be any more intricate than what is required for a standard fight scene between Tybalt and Mercutio. Nobody’s getting pile-driven. The more important thing is capturing the larger-than-life atmosphere of such events and the commitment that that entails. In embracing one’s inner-Dewey, it’s almost impossible to go over the top. If nothing else, think of the highs and lows of a sports movie, and the colorful characters typically involved.
Why Peter Pan?
“Peter Pan” was selected as the central dramatic text for this play for a variety of reasons. 1. It is public domain! Hey! 2. As Dewey elucidates, the grudge between Pan, Hook, and their corresponding factions map cleanly onto a typical wrestling program. Right down to Wyatt being able to fashion Peter Pan as a wrestling hero (or “baby face”) and Dewey converting his already established wrestling persona into Captain Hook (a villain, or “heel”). 3. Peter Pan deals extensively with themes of both growing up and navigating life between adulthood and the world of fantasy. This is true for nearly every character in “Stage Fight.” Dewey, Lester, and Scott are in a state of arrested development, and Wyatt and her classmates are all anxious about their futures. Almost no one is quite acting their age. Even the seemingly hard-edged administrators (Betty and TJ) are trying to protect the fantasy worlds of theatre and wrestling respectively, by being direct about the challenges of the real one.
Message to Teachers
It is my hope that “Stage Fight” can function both as a madcap spectacle for audiences, and as a celebration of different types of art. It is also a tribute to teachers who go above and beyond, high school theatre, and professional wrestling – all three of which could accurately be described as ‘underdogs.’ The play further explores the anxieties of overcommitment, and the sacrifices that come from chasing your dreams. But more than anything, it’s a carnival of excess, showcasing wild characters whose hearts are always in the right place even when their heads are not. Candidly, I would’ve loved to have done this in high school and even know which character I’d want to be (Lester). But alas, like Dewey, I look to a new generation. I hope that includes you.