Author's Note

I started to try to write plays at the end of sophomore year. For some unknown reason I've always been drawn to historical drama. Over the course of the year I tried to write many plays but they each had their major flaws but with each flaw I learned something new. Whether it was to try to make each of the characters have a different voice, or not make the entire play a monologue of facts that would leave the audience snoring and the ones awake greatly confused. It was near the end of junior year that I was introduced to the story of Alexander Graham Bell by a friend. At first I thought it was a boring story, but the more I read the more interesting his story became. It was at that point that I decided to write the script. The only problem was that I didn't want it to be a copy and paste of his life. So I decided to make an interpretation of what might have happened, based on one inexplicable fact. Before the telephone was mass-produced, for some unknown reason Graham sold all his stocks in his own company. No one really knows why. Some people say it was because Bell never wanted to be famous, others said that it was a sealed case because Bell broke the law. Perhaps what I wrote is not exactly what happened. But I believe it to be a possibility.

Director’s Note

The story of Alexander Graham Bell turns out to be a much more complex and certainly more interesting one than is indicated by the ultimately boring phrase, “the inventor of the telephone.” This play raises questions about where that credit is actually due, and reveals why Bell, a generally sincere fellow, was so urgently motivated that he perhaps implemented some questionable practices. 

The idea of having a year of plays written by Heights faculty, students, and alumni had always seemed interesting. Sometimes, as I dug through piles of scripts looking for plays that checked all the boxes, I thought a season of suddenly authored plays might be a last minute necessity. But this time around I knew it would be an exciting experiment, neither sudden nore last minute, but well-founded and developed. That assurance came from my knowledge of the enterprise and dedication already shown by several members of our community, including Graham’s playwright, Joaquin Bucheli. Joaquin’s range of experience with drama at and outside the Heights, as well as his ongoing forays into script writing on historical events and figures, were compelling reasons enough. When I saw his composition and storytelling for Graham, particularly his use of the flashback/flash forward structure, I was convinced that this is something our audience should see. I hope you enjoy the show, and thank you for being a part of the Heights Authors Showcase!