Local playwright and director, Marc Holland, Discusses "Warren's Peace," Saline Area Players' March 17-19 Michigan premiere

Wondering what Warren’s Peace is all about? We caught up with Marc Holland, the local playwright and director of Saline Area Players’ next production, Warren’s Peace, to learn what inspired him to write this play about a small town in Michigan.

“You can say it’s a Michigan play, but it’s about people from small towns everywhere.”

What inspired you to write this local piece?

The first play I had a part in publishing (“Crenshaw Family Reunion”, co-written with Mike Davis), was set in the fictional town of Wiley Falls, Pennsylvania. Why Pennsylvania? Because people think of Philadelphia, or Pittsburgh, or Harrisburg when they think of the Keystone State, though a large part of the state is rural, filled with State Parks and natural wonders and TONS of charming small towns. It was more than fifteen years later that I realized, HOW is that different from the Great Lakes State, Michigan? People think of Detroit, Lansing, Ann Arbor, maybe Grand Rapids. It’s the same thing.

Are any of the characters based on real people or real situations?

Real situations, not so much. It’s basically a fable. But real people? Oh, yeah. My wife, Kathy (co-author of “Warren’s Peace”) and I both grew up in small towns, she in South Lyon and me in Plymouth. You get TIRED of saying, “I live an hour from Lansing” or “We’re fifteen miles from Detroit” or “We’re just west of Ann Arbor.” But the characters talk like us. They think like us. They understand deer camp and an eternal disappointment in the Detroit Lions.

Tell us about the plays you have written?

They’re all comedies. I feel like we get enough angst in our day-to-day lives. I want you to have a good time when you attend my show, just as I want to laugh when I lay down my money at the box office. At the same time, I’m a proponent of family dinners at the table, long-lasting marriage and a devotion to the community. That’s not to say I won’t eat a sandwich in front of the TV or beef when I think the local politicians are leading us in the wrong way. All of that is in the script. The most interesting part of each of us is where we break from the herd. The rest of the herd wonders, “Where is he going?” Because the one that is breaking ranks is easily the most interesting cow in the corral.

What is it like directing a show that you wrote?

You have to back off a bit, give the actors space to create a character. I told the cast at our first rehearsal, “There are times when the playwright writes things to make himself look smart.” Sometimes, those lines don’t work. Theatre is a partnership between artists, but a writer and a performer look at the dialogue differently. Neither of them is 100% right, or 100% wrong. You have to find a balance. I like to offer suggestions about a character and ask the actor to think about it. Their responses are occasionally insightful and often hilarious.

What are some of the parts of the play that audiences will especially enjoy?

I don’t want to be pithy, but I love the parts where people laugh at themselves and see a truth in the story. You can say it’s a Michigan play, but it’s about people from small towns everywhere. The Saline production will be the Michigan Premiere, but “Warren’s Peace” has been produced just south of Mount Rushmore in South Dakota and just south of Dallas, both small towns. It’s a universal feeling among people from those dots on the map. I’m sure they changed some things to make the play fit their geography. I am totally okay with that.

What is your favorite part or your favorite character?

My favorite part in any play is seeing someone that reminds me of myself, or a person I know. With a play like “Warren’s Peace,” the people will be very familiar, especially if you’re from a small town in Michigan. It is not highbrow by any means, incorporating physical comedy into a story of folks we recognize. If you come out and see this show, you won’t go home wondering, “What was it about?” You’ll know. You might even repeat some of the lines to your co-worker on Monday. I bet your co-worker will smile.

What else can you tell us about this writing this play with your wife Kathy?

This play was different because I hadn’t written anything in a long-form for years. My children were growing up and I didn’t want to miss that experience because I wanted to be center stage. My former co-author was no longer actively writing, and I only had a kernel of an idea. There were a couple of characters and a dull sketch of a plot. I asked Kathy to think about the plot one day, and a good week went by with nothing new from either of us. Then came a Sunday where we laid down for a mid-afternoon nap. I was just under the ether of near-sleep when the plot came to me. When it materialized, I woke immediately, shouting, “I know what happens!” Kathy, who had already fallen asleep, encouraged me to get out of bed and write it, if only because it would keep me from screaming in the middle of naps. I wrote eleven pages the first day, and twenty-one pages over two days. My publisher accepted it without the play having even had a public reading. My wife was my Jiminy Cricket every step of the way, insisting that I tell the truth. When my publisher shot down the original title, “The Crickwater Conflict,” it was my darling Miss Kitty that came up with the faux-literary title, “Warren’s Peace.”

Saline Area Players will perform “Warren’s Peace” March 17-19 at Fifth Corner. Doors open at 7 PM for samplings of Michigan-made treats, donated by community businesses, and seating. Curtain time is 8 PM. Full information at www.salineareaplayers.org