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Waxing Poetic

Jack Canfora's Poetic License examines the idea of artistic ownership and how well you know your own family.

Davis Hall and Nancy Ringham in Poetic License (© SuzAnne Barabas)

"How much of one's writing is just a filtering of your own influences as opposed to something from you?" asks Jack Canfora. It's a central question within his new play at New Jersey Repertory Theatre, Poetic License, which involves an acclaimed poet, his ambitious wife, their college-age daughter, and her new boyfriend. Over the course of the play, secrets are revealed that complicate the family dynamic. "I'm interested in the notion of ownership, and how you can lay claim to the people in your lives," says Canfora.

In the play, John owes much of his success to his wife, Diane, who has aggressively shepherded his career. "She gets things done," says the playwright. "She says at one point something to the effect of 'If you think all it takes to be a great writer is to be a great writer, you're sadly mistaken.' She handles things, both in his career and in terms of the emotional dynamics of the family."

While the play delves into serious dramatic territory, Canfora says that there's plenty of humor, as well. "You have great trauma in people's lives, and a lot of unhappiness. And to me, what's funnier than that?" he quips. "People find a myriad of ways to cope with their impending crises, which often take the form of wit, or something humorous, as a kind of futile but gallant defense against the walls giving in around them."

 

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