1 SW33T R1DE: How not to write an after-school special

Prodigious local playwright and filmmaker Rob Matsushita has become notorious for penning challenging works that rarely shy away from violence and dark themes. Mercury Players Theatre’s 1 SW33T R1DE (opening Friday, Nov. 20 at the MercLab) is a stylistic change of pace for Matsushita's writing, in that all the nastiness takes place offstage with the focus shifting to the harrowing decisions a woman must make in the hour immediately after a group of teenagers sexually assault her. It’s the type of work that could easily fall into melodrama and heavy-handed messaging, so The A.V. Club talked with Matsushita to learn how he avoided turning it into an after-school special.

Set it in real-time
Even though after-school specials tackle weighty topics, a ridiculousness permeates nearly every minute of every episode, scripted and wooden. By setting 1 SW33T R1DE in real-time, Matsushita attempts to suck the audience into the action and provide a level of intimacy that ratchets up the tension. “There’s almost the feeling you’re looking through a window,” says Matsushita. “And with it comes a level of unpredictability when you say to the audience ‘Here is one hour in these people’s lives.’”
What doesn’t work: Having some dude face off with mauve-loving extras from a cheeseball ’80s video. It makes for the kind of suspense that’s the equivalent of a scrotum being lowered into an icy lake.

Add humor (and not the unintentional kind)
Obviously there’s nothing funny about an abduction rape. But the reality is that most people are ill-equipped to deal with the moments following a horrifying event like the one portrayed. Matsushita did his research and found that folks often say and do inappropriate things in the hours and minutes immediately after a life-changing event. This can take the form of bad jokes, or mind-boggling statements that have nothing to do with the actual situation at hand. “People often joke about anything but what’s going on,” says Matsushita. “They don’t want to deal with it.”
What doesn’t work: Faux-weightiness. Audiences can usually see right through it, and that includes those who think Froot Loops is a perfectly acceptable meal.

Don’t hit the subject matter with a sledgehammer
The emotional crux of 1 SW33T R1DE is a rape, but the play is as much about the characters who surround the victim of the attack (Tina) as it is about Tina herself. This includes her boyfriend, her roommate, and her boyfriend’s best friend, Morris. In fact, Morris—the character who saves Tina—was in many ways the impetus for the play. Matsushita wanted to explore the bumpy ethical landscape of what might happen if a person was involved in a heroic act, but accomplished it in an ungraceful way that removed all the heroism. “Once I stumbled on that idea, I discovered many moral conundrums to discuss,” says Matsushita.
What doesn’t work: Failing to address the many shades of gray that exist in any given set of circumstances—no matter how uncomfortable they may be.