The playwright discusses Curious Frog Theatre Company's production of her play "Rope of Sands". She notes that casting the play with a racially diverse cast adds interesting new layers, even though race is not explicitly addressed in the script. The play focuses on financial bias within a family. She expresses surprise but approval that the director chose to cast the main character Meredith as white rather than a character of color, as she had assumed. The playwright discusses how she creates characters like Meredith that have stayed with her, and aims to portray the frustration of family members who struggle to connect with each other. She praises the production for its commitment and for treating the work with respect.

1. Curious Frog Theatre Company: "Forsake thy cage, thy rope of sands..."
http://curiousfrognyc.blogspot.com/2011/07/forsake-thy-cage-thy-rope-of-sands.html[1/6/15 11:39:18 AM]
Curious Frog Theatre Company
Saturday, July 2, 2011
"Forsake thy cage, thy rope of sands..."
PLAYWRIGHT'S PERSPECTIVE....
Thoughts on Curious Frog's production of Rope of Sands
by Toni Seger
At the time I wrote this play, I never would have imagined it being
produced with a mixed race cast, but it works beautifully and adds
layers for the audience to ponder. The bias I wrote about was
financial. Meredith makes less money than her uncle and cousin and
all of their communications with her are colored (small pun
intended), by that bias. Adding the element of race, however,
compounds the questions it raises. The fact that race is never
mentioned in the script also works well. There’s no reason why it
would, in this case, when the focus is the effect of a family suicide
that is not race based.
As I got to know Renee Rodriquez, I wondered if she might want to
approach the claustrophobic suburban world in which Rope of Sands
exists with a mixed race cast, but I assumed Meredith would be the
character with dark skin. Renee turned the tables on me by making
Meredith white, with all the ironies that choice brings, and the
beauty of the casting illustrates that an unconscious bias can appear
in any form.
I’ve created a lot of characters, but Meredith is one that’s always
stayed with me. When I write, I become the conduit for the
passions of my characters and I let them speak for themselves
(which makes alcohol helpful because it loosens their tongues and
they start saying things they’d normally sit on). I created Meredith
for all the folks who wish they’d said the thing they didn’t dare say,
at the last family gathering they didn’t want to attend…
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2. Curious Frog Theatre Company: "Forsake thy cage, thy rope of sands..."
http://curiousfrognyc.blogspot.com/2011/07/forsake-thy-cage-thy-rope-of-sands.html[1/6/15 11:39:18 AM]
Frustration is a good dramatic driver for me and frustration is the
underlying emotion that drives Rope of Sands. It’s the frustration of
people who desperately want and need to connect with each other,
but keep failing at it without realizing the role they play in
sabotaging things.
I’m thrilled that the feedback has been so enthusiastic and I’m very
proud of this production. I’m also very moved at the seriousness
and commitment with which everyone involved approached it. A
playwright could not hope for more than to have their work treated
with respect by the talented people tasked with interpreting it.
Posted by Curious Frog at 5:46 PM
Labels: Angela Sharp, Barry Phillips, Curious Frog Theatre Company,
DeSean Stokes, Katie Chai, Krystine Summers, Planet Connections,
Renee Rodriguez, Rope of Sands, Toni Seger
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