Jamison
Selby is
the son of actor David Selby, named after the Dark Shadows
character. He recently faced the daunting task of writing
and producing Return to Collinwood, a radio play revisiting
the Dark Shadows characters in the present day, and discusses
shaping the show's format for a new beginning.
What
is your background as a writer?
When I was a child I read constantly. Many writers I've
known started off as avid readers. It creates a love and
fascination for stories, for the power of the imagination.
I worked for years primarily as an actor working to bring
other people's stories to life. It felt like a natural thing
to sit down and put my own stories on the page. A number
of years ago when I was still living in New York City I
began working on a story that evolved over time into my
first screenplay. Since then I've written a number of other
screenplays and I'm branching out trying my hand at other
formats as well.
How
did Return to Collinwood come about?
The idea to do Return to Collinwood came together over
time. There are always new Dark Shadows projects in
discussion somewhere. My father had been doing a lot of work
with Los Angeles Theatre Works. They were recording classic
plays in front of a live audience for broadcast on the radio.
The casts would rehearse for a short time, and then do several
performances and that was it. The brief time commitment involved
allowed them to recruit wonderful actors to perform. They
assembled casts that any Broadway producer would die for.
After he had done a number of these productions a light went
on during a discussion about future Dark Shadows projects.
Here was a way to assemble the original cast, in a limited
time frame, with a very limited budget, and create a new story.
We described the idea to Jim Pierson, and then one thing led
to the next and here we are.
What
was the starting point for the story?
The starting for the story was simple. It's set in the present
day. More than 30 years have passed since we last saw these
characters. What happened to them all? We could update the
story with the original cast. It was a great opportunity to
explore. The first thing to do was determine what actors would
be available and interested in participating. That set the
basic parameters we had to work with. Jim contacted the various
cast members and found out who would be attending the August
2003 Dark Shadows Festival in Brooklyn, where Return
to Collinwood would be performed in front of a live audience
before being recorded in studio the following day. Then I
began building the overall story arc. As I built the outline
I ran it past Jim in stages to make sure that Dan Curtis Productions
was on board with the way the story was developing.
Return
to Collinwood is the first time Dark Shadows has
been translated onto audio - how did you approach interpreting
the series for an alternative medium?
Writing for radio is a very different beast than writing for
the screen or the printed page. All the audience will have
to work with is the audio track they are listening to. The
world being built for the story only exists as sound. That's
a challenge. All kinds of difficulties present themselves.
At the start of a scene how does the audience know what characters
are in the room? In an audio drama, having a character that
doesn't speak in a scene would be akin to doing a film where
the character is invisible. The setting, the mood, the time
of day, all of that depends solely on what you hear. Turn
on a movie and then turn off the picture on your television
leaving just the sound on. In a very short period you will
have no idea what is happening because film is a visual medium.
For an audio drama you have to translate those visual elements
into the audio track. The character's lines, the sound effects,
the music, they all come together to create the visual world
in the imagination of the audience.
What
research did you do before starting writing?
I did a great deal of research before I started this project.
There was no other choice. I am pretty well versed in Dark
Shadows lore, but tracking the ins and outs of all the
plot lines and character development from the original show
is no easy task. I studied many of the books that have been
written about the show, and I watched innumerable episodes.
Jim was a great help in that regard and provided me with all
kinds of research material to dig through. The nature of the
show is such that past storylines weren't limiting at all.
If someone dies they return as another character. A story
thread that contradicts another story isn't a problem it's
a paradox that can be used to build a new story.
Was
it daunting having so many unresolved past storylines?
The focus of this story wasn't on tying up loose ends or unresolved
storylines from the past. It was about taking those threads,
seeing where they were left and weaving them into a new story
that built on 30 years of new events and new relationships.
There were certain elements that answered questions that had
never been addressed in the original show. The final reveal
that Victoria Winters is the daughter of Elizabeth was certainly
something that seemed to strike a strong note with the audience
at the festival. When writing a piece like this it is important
to understand the emotional investment that people have put
into these characters over time. You have to honour those
things that everyone loves about the characters.
Diana
Millay (Laura Collins) dropped out of the production - what
was her role in the story intended to be, and how was it rewritten?
Diana Millay was on the original list of available cast members
who would be attending the festival. Several possible storylines
involving her were bounced around but she ultimately chose
not to take part. After that point the character of Laura
Collins was left out of the development of the story.
How
were the new characters conceived? Did the actors have any
input in their development?
The new characters were conceived in my twisted imagination.
They were created to fulfill elements needed by the story
and give a nod to certain aspects of the original show. Mrs.
Franklin was created to give a voice to the house of Collinwood
itself in a way and pay homage to the original housekeeper,
the spooky but dedicated Mrs. Johnson. Violet was created
because I had to address the issue of David Collins, but the
actor who played the role, David Henesy, was not available
to participate in the production. Violet also allowed me to
introduce the future into a storyline that was built out of
the past. She's the ghost of things to come. None of the actors
saw the script until it was written, so they graciously agreed
to join in without knowing quite what they were getting themselves
into.
What
did you think of the actors' interpretations of your script?
The
actors were exceptional. They each brought their own particular
bent to the script and the characters and they were encouraged
to do so. Most of the actors had originated the roles they
were playing more than three decades ago. They know these
characters very well. They got together and slipped back into
the world. They each had things they wanted to try, suggestions
to tweak the storyline. If one of the actors felt that their
character wouldn't say a line in a certain way, I paid attention
to what they had to say. They brought a strong energy to the
story. I was depending on that.
What
are your memories of the performance?
The live performance itself was busy. Very, very busy. Lots
of running around, and people everywhere. Hordes of people.
We rehearsed that morning and then I moved on to the ballroom
to make certain the technical aspects of the production were
coming together. It was controlled chaos. I remember the audience,
their reactions. I could feel them listening to the story
and that was fantastic.
Will
the CD release differ from the performed play in any way?
After the live performance we spent time in the recording
studio both in New York City and back in Los Angeles. The
technical realities of the live production were not suitable
for recording the version for CD release. The cast recorded
the CD version in studio and then I spent several months
in the edit room with Jim and the editors laying down the
music tracks, locking the dialogue, and building the sound
effects. Imagine editing a feature film without the pictures.
The sound laid down on this CD is very complex and took
a lot of work. The CD release is the end result of the past
year's work. I can't wait for it to come out so everyone
can get a look at what we've put together.
What
for you sums up the Dark Shadows format? How was this
brought out in the play?
I've had many people tell me stories of running home so they
could get there in time to watch Dark Shadows. It grabbed
their imagination. There was an intimacy that was built with
the characters. The horror of the fantastic elements was wrapped
around stories of love and loss. It was a gothic romance where
every emotion was heightened because of the extreme situations
the characters found themselves in. The show gave humanity
to its monsters. I tried to do the same in this story.
Finally,
having set up a new ongoing story for the characters, have
you any idea what lies ahead for them?
I did lay down a number of threads that could be pursued in
future chapters. The characters are just as vibrant now as
they were 30 years ago and I'd love to keep exploring their
world. Whether or not that happens is really up to the fans
I suppose. If they enjoy this first CD, maybe we'll be able
to gather the troops for another outing. It will be released
this summer so look for it and let us know what you think.
To
view an exclusive gallery of photographs from the staged reading
of Return to Collinwood, click
here. The CD version of Return to Collinwood is
available now from MPI
Home Video.
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