Isaac Wilson

Professor Schoonover

Playwriting I

14 February 2018

The Music of Action: A Paula Vogel Analysis

Words are the building blocks of drama – they are the medium through which action, and

stories, are told. But, there is more to theatre than the presentation of literature. Paula Vogel, an

American playwright known for works such as How I Learned to Drive, believes that theatre is

about images and sound (much like Nilo Cruz and his vision of a director’s ability to play off of

images.) Vogel, in her process, relies on what she calls research. Rather than stick to traditional

methods of history and setting, Vogel fosters deep relationships with all of her characters and

uses the influence of love-hate bonds between her and her influences to craft impactful images

and vital theatre.

Like many other playwrights, Vogel was not born into a theatrical family – as a matter of

fact, she did not attend the theatre much as a child. However, in high school, Paula Vogel fell in

love with the environment. “[I] fell in love instantaneously. I was a sophomore and walked into

the room. There was a drama coach who seemed impossibly old and experienced at twenty-three

[ . . . ] I was enthralled,” (114) mentioned Vogel on her beginnings in theatre. From that point

forward, Vogel began reading dramatic literature as much as she could citing authors such as,

“Tennessee Williams [ . . . ] and it never occurred to me to be a playwright, because other than

Lillian Hellman, I couldn’t find any women” (114). The lack of female playwrights drew Vogel

towards the craft even more, and she went on to experiment in many different educational

settings to master the craft of writing and education.

 What sets Vogel apart from most modern playwrights is her ability to surround herself

with “the play” in a way of researching what doesn’t yet exist: “When I say research, I don’t

mean about the subject. I mean, What is the soundtrack I can put together so I can feel something

as I write?” (117). Vogel continues this process by writing multiple drafts to form characters that

aren’t one dimensional. She takes a concept like Uncle Peck, and does everything she can to

understand him rather than present the character in a biased light: “What I’m trying to

understand about Peck is how did you make yourself out to be a man in the sixties? What were

your guides? The more I read Playboy magazines and the more I thought about it, the more, in a

way, the Playboy magazines were in contrast to the absent father, in a strange way a very

compassionate recipe for masculinity” (119). Similarly, this strategy is expounded in the way she

researches a period of time, opting to put herself in the music and images of the era to feel and

understand how folks felt during those years.

Paula Vogel is widely acclaimed for many of her works, but what is truly spectacular

about Vogel is her cause of feminism in a way that portrays both genders as equals – and her

ability to understand, comprehend, and portray both sides of any issue as human, flawed, and

real. Many playwrights write works meant to stimulate or change people. Authors, directors, and

people of theatre do the same. Vogel does not sensationalize. Instead, every word of her writing

is meant to change and aid the perspective of every mind, in a way that will help society grow.

For the better.