I Interview Playwrights Part 881: Jonathan Josephson

Jonathan Josephson

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

Current Town: Pasadena, CA

Q:  What are you working on now? 

A:  On the adaptation side, I have a reading of my Sherlockian mash-up Holmes, Sherlock and The Consulting Detective coming up in November at the LA Arboretum, this will be the 4th public reading of the play (production pending with Unbound Productions, for whom I serve as Founding Executive Director). The piece features three Sherlock Holmes detectives investigating three seemingly unrelated crimes, until they all crash into one another....hilarity ensues. In December, I'll have a reading of my three Dickens inspired holiday one-acts called Charles Dickens' Christmas Tree at the Pasadena Central Library. I'm also tinkering with new works based on the works of Louisa May Alcott, The Brothers Grimm and a few others. In terms of original plays, I'm putting the finishing polish on Grandpa and the Gay Rabbi which was one of the winners of the 2016 Sam French Off-Off Broadway Play Festival before it's published next year and also tinkering with a two-act play, Four Sons, which I had shelved for a while but am recently interested to dive back into. That one is a Passover comedy about four sons who find out that one of them is adopted by they don't know which one. I'm also part of the writers pool for Playground-LA so I'll be writing a 10-minute play each month for the next five months for enhanced-staged-reading consideration at the Zephyr Theatre in Hollywood.

Q:  Tell me, if you will, a story from your childhood that explains who you are as a writer or as a person.

A:  One time, when I was a Cub Scout, in uniform, I literally helped a little old lady cross a street. I just thought that was the bees knees. Still do.

Q:  If you could change one thing about theater, what would it be?

A:  I'd love to see more major regional theatres produce short plays. There is incredible writing done in the short form and outside a handful of champions, 10-30 minutes plays are almost exclusively produced by small professional theatres, community theatres and in academic settings. Why not have a slot, even a second stage slot, for excellent short work that exposes more audiences to the form, tells more varied kinds of stories from more varied kinds of writers, and engages more diverse/early career/local directors, designers and other theatre artists? It works for Actors Theatre of Louisville, Milwaukee Rep, definitely City Theatre, why not more? Why not all?

Q:  Who are or were your theatrical heroes?

A:  In no particular order: Moss Hart, Stephen Sondhiem, Dr. Jorge Huerta, Suzan-Lori Parks, Moises Kaufman, Neil Simon, David Mamet, Tennessee Williams, Mark Maltby, Jane Anderson, Freddie Mercury, Will Eno, Emursive, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Adele Shank, Bill Rauch, Gary Garrison

Q:  What kind of theater excites you?

A:  I love watching a play and thinking to myself oh, I see where this is going... and then all of a sudden, boom, that's not where we're going at all! I love being lulled into a sense of being safe and ordinary and then it explodes into the OH MY G-D I'M ON FIRE! EVERYONE DANCE! DANCE I TELL YOU! You know, into the extraordinary. Or the weird. Both is best. Both are best? I don't know - more is more in my book. I love thoughtful, smart (sometimes even too-smart) dart-like writing as dialogue, and stage directions too. I love the line in Theresa Rebeck's Seminar "The way you talk about writing is stupid." I love A Christmas Carol but none of the adaptations where the Fezzywig party is a giant dance number or Dickens is a character (Lazy! Except for The Muppet Christmas Carol, that's amazing, because - Gonzo). I love having no idea if there are gunshots, strobe lights, more than six characters (or fewer), bad language or great language in a play before I see it. When I read a program before a show I only read the ads and then I go out of my way to patronize those businesses if I can. I love theatre that is tied into its physical community, it's neighborhood. I LOVE site-specific theatre when it's truly specific to the site; I love immersive theatre when it makes me feel and do and think things that I could never do from the seat of a chair. I love seeing, nay, feeling imagination come alive on stage - planets being plucked from the ceiling like apples or a dead daughter speaking to her grieving mother through a mystical red ball. I don't like living room sets, unless something or someone gets really trashed among the ottomans. I do like sets made of trash, especially when then ultimately reveal something counterintutive. I like bold design - sound, lights, costume, special effects, puppets, fights - all of it. I like noise and fireworks and magic tricks. "Bump it with a trumpet." "More frogs and dogs and bears and chickens and... and whatever!!" I like theatre that's fun - serious can be fun; tragic can be fun when it's fiction because having my thoughts provoked is fun, to me. I love a killer 11:00 number. I love a killer cameo or callback. I love an inside joke. I love being reminded that I know very little about most things and lots of other people know lots about many things. I love theatre that compels me to talk about it the whole ride home and think about it the next day. My best theatre experiences make me question if I'm even worthy to judge what I just saw, let alone try to make my own work come to life.

Q:  What advice do you have for playwrights just starting out?

A:  Life is long, playwriting lives are long, don't rush to get your work considered and assessed before both it and you are ready. The biggest creative mistakes that I've made were rushing the process of getting a script or an idea out to a decision maker too soon - before I had answered all of my own questions about the piece, let alone was prepared for the scrutiny of an outsider. Lean on a trusted friend or group of friends or mentor to respond to your work honestly. Hear that feedback, then decide to submit. Ignore those people if they're wrong, but hear them first. And do yourself and whoever you're submitting to a favor and don't send out first drafts (unless you have to. I mean sometimes you have to...). Second drafts are always better, even if they're just more thoroughly proof-read. But they're generally more streamlined, more thought-out and trimmed of gristle.

Q:  Plugs, please:

A:  On October 23, Little Candle Productions is presenting a staged reading of my evening-length piece That Laurence Fishburne Play in Pasadena - the play is two-years in the making and is inspired by my Humana 10-minute 27 Ways I Didn't Say "Hi" to Laurence Fishburne. Deets here. Wicked Lit 2016 runs through November 12 at Mountain View Mausoleum and Cemetery, the immersive theatre event features adaptations of classic horror literature as a moving theatre event (through the hallways of the mausoleuma dn among the headstones in the cemetery). Two of my pieces are included in the evening: Anansi and the Demons drawn from West African folklore and proverbs and Camp Mountain View is the interactive pre-show, intermission performances and curtain call. Tickets and info at www.wickedlit.org. And if Wicked Lit is something that you might want to bring to your town - 13 plays that originated with Unbound Productions (including six of mine) are available for licensing with Steele Spring Stage Rights.

Plays by Jonathan



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I Interview Playwrights Part 880: Kate Tucker Fahlsing

Kate Tucker Fahlsing

Hometown: Ann Arbor, Michigan

Current Town:  I’m currently a lady without a town! I’ve been spending a lot of time in Chicago and New York City though.

Q:  Tell me about Across The Park.

A:  Across the Park is a new play that explores mental illness, existential despair, technology and modern romance. It’s a part of seven shows being produced in conjunction with The Araca Project. Here’s the blurb:

Stuck on an island with 8 million people, Caroline and Denny are lonely and over-medicated. Separated by Central Park and almost two decades in age, this dysfunctional pair is brought together online by lust and their inability to cope. ACROSS THE PARK follows Denny and Caroline’s non-traditional relationship for ten years and about ten thousand text messages. This dark comedy takes a candid look at mental illness, the search for human connection, and what happens when the only person who truly understands you is as damaged as you are.

Q:  What else are you working on now?

A:  I’m currently working on a collection of short plays entitled, Sexual Offending. The plays explore offenses of a sexual nature that happen often, but are not necessarily deemed criminal, like, the intentional passing of an STD, virtual prostitution, forcing a woman to take Plan B, and childhood sexual exploration.

I’m also developing a play called, Indian River. It takes place in Indian River, Michigan, which boasts the world’s largest Crucifix. The play follows a group of summer camp counselors on their last night off of the summer. It’s a collective coming of age story that takes a look at the history of a forgotten part of the country; a tumultuous relationship between local law enforcement and tourists, and a fateful night that will change these teens lives forever.

Q:  Tell me, if you will, a story from your childhood that explains who you are as a writer or as a person.

A:  My mom tells me that as soon as I could talk, I said everything. And as soon as I could write, I wrote everything. I had three imaginary friends "Urmop", "Dinnen", and "Jodah". Urmop was the protagonist of my world. I expressed my beliefs and ideas and dreams through her. Dinnen and Jodah were troublemakers and I articulated my values, moral code, and right and wrong through them. I'm a somewhat angsty human, so I need to talk about this-whole-thing-called-life out loud.

As a child, I definitely tried to push people's buttons to see what I could get away with saying. I once made a joke about old wrinkly balls at a potluck full of biologists (my mother's co-workers). It didn't go over too well. I learned quickly that they weren't my audience. My mantra is to write about the things we can't discuss at the dinner table (old wrinkly balls being one example). I clearly haven't changed a whole lot from childhood. Come see my plays. I will be happy if you leave feeling a little uncomfortable, a little offended, and questioning why you thought that inappropriate line was so funny.

Q:  If you could change one thing about theater, what would it be?

A:  I would make it way more accessible to make and see new work. I feel strongly that theater needs a revolution similar to TV where we make it easier to access live performance, promote more unique--less commercial productions, and also have a much greater variety of shows to see. I seek out authentic storytelling experiences that represent all kinds of people and worlds.

Q:  Who are or were your theatrical heroes?

A:  I love Ibsen, Chekhov, and Sam Shepard. I’m a huge fan of Annie Baker’s work. I studied performance art in conjunction with the La MaMa theatre back in 2007, so I’ve been greatly influenced by people like Penny Arcade and The Living Theater’s Judith Malina. I also had the privilege of being mentored by Thomas Bradshaw, Zayd Dohrn, and Rebecca Gilman while I was a graduate student in Northwestern University’s MFA in Writing for the Screen + Stage program. I cannot recommend their work enough.

Q:  What kind of theater excites you?

A:  I’m a sucker for a well-crafted story and great writing, which to me means, an authentic voice. I’m drawn to character-driven work. I love when shows push the boundaries of theatrical conventions too. I’m pretty good at figuring out the plot of play before the play is over, so if I can be genuinely surprised and proved wrong about my predictions, I get excited about the work. I had that experience last summer with Alistair McDowall’s play Brilliant Adventures, which I saw at Steep Theatre in Chicago (arguably my favorite theater).

Q:  What advice do you have for playwrights just starting out?

A:  It took me about 10 years to ever see my work made, because I never submitted it anywhere. I didn’t feel confident sharing first drafts outside of a classroom setting. In graduate school, I realized that part of being a playwright is pumping yourself and your work out into the world as much as humanly possible. That means see shows, immerse yourself in your local theater scene, write furiously, and submit your work to anyone and everyone that will read it.

Q:  Plugs, please:

A:  ACROSS THE PARK premieres at The American Theatre of Actors October 27-29 via The Araca Project. For more information and tickets: www.acrosstheparkplay.com

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I Interview Playwrights Part 879: Marisa Smith

Marisa Smith

Hometown: Hanover, NH

Current Town: I split my time between Hanover NH and NYC

Q:  Tell me please about Mad Love.

A:  Mad Love is a four character romantic comedy about four 20somethings in NYC. It was inspired by my discussions about the frat and social culture at Dartmouth with the sorority sisters of Kappa Kappa Kappa.

Q:  What else are you working on now?

A:  Just finished a three hander called SHE EXITS, LAUGHING, a mother daughter comedy about power, popsicles, morphine and things in closets, and a 5 character comedy called SEX AND OTHER DISTURBANCES about adultery, friendship and the end of the world.

Q:  Tell me about Smith and Kraus.

A:  S AND K publishes theater books and has over 650 titles in print. We ( my husband Eric Kraus and K) publish anything of interest to the amateur, professional and school K through college theater community. Monologue and scene books, play collections, how-to books, tons of great books for kids, and some quirky, esoteric titles like the seven hour play by IBSEN called EMPEROR AND GALILEAN that no one has ever heard of but is fantastic. If anyone has an idea for a book, please email me a one page proposal that describes the proposed book and we can take it from there. We also have a new program called PIP ( Productions in Print) whereby we publish a play (and supporting materials) that's being produced NOW and sell it in the lobby of the theater. If you are a playwright or a theater please contact me for more details and do check out our website smithandkraus.com and go to the Productions in Print section.

Q:  Tell me, if you will, a story from your childhood that explains who you are as a writer or as a person.

A:  I'm an only child and that explains a lot. I love solitude and I spent a huge amount of time with my face in a book in many different fantasy worlds. But as an only child I'm always in search of the brothers and sisters that I never had so I look for them in the theater world. I had a very happy childhood ( shocking, i know!) and working in theater is the next best thing to being back in the sandbox or up a tree, reading..

Q:  If you could change one thing about theater, what would it be?

A:  That more kids would attend so that they would become life long theater goer.

Q:  Who are or were your theatrical heroes?

A:  I know it's corny and I'm sure I romanticize him but..Chekhov. And all the drama teachers who are passionate and introduce theater to kids.

Q:  What kind of theater excites you?

A:  Writing that rings true to me no matter what the universe and actors who inhabit their roles and don't "act."

Q:  What advice do you have for playwrights just starting out?

A:  Write every day, even if it's just for 15 minutes because to some extent writing is a muscle and you have to keep it in shape. Read tons of plays. Tell a story. Read this article about Edward Albee, he gives great advice: https://www.americantheatre.org/2016/09/22/albee-the-quotable-mentor/

Q:  Plugs, please:

A:  Come see MAD LOVE at New Jersey Rep, a theater that ONLY produces new plays!

http://www.njrep.org/plays/madlove.htm


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I Interview Playwrights Part 878: Pia Scala-Zankel

Pia Scala-Zankel

Hometown: Brooklyn, NY

Current Town: BROOKLYN

Q:  Tell me please about Street Children.

A:  I have been working on Street Children for 5 years.

The play takes place in NYC circa 1988 and focuses on the LGBTQ youth and, more specifically, transgender women that congregated on the Lower Hudson Piers. I came into my adolescence in New York in the mid-to-late 80s; it was a viscerally exciting time n NYC history. It was also one of the most dangerous times, especially for these kids. The AIDS epidemic, ostracism, violence towards trans and LGB individuals, and oppression were rife in the community. Despite all this, they found and created incredible beauty out of the chaos and darkness by forming street families or ‘Houses’. These constructs gave them a sense of belonging, love and acceptance that their blood families and the rest of the world would not give them. They showed incredible resilience and humanity in the midst of inhumanity. The kids of these Houses forged deep bonds and their ‘House Mothers’ or ‘House Fathers’ took care of them as if they were their own. Everyone searches for and needs a family, but for them the stakes could not have been higher because it was about all about survival. They also had – and still have - the courage that most of us will never know; to live as themselves, no matter what, even if they know they might die for it. Street Children was born out of these deeply moving and profound truths. My play focuses on the journey of one particular street family immediately following the violent murder of their House Mother.

To cast this show, we committed ourselves to working with LGBTQ artists. I reached out to The Center and found an incredible acting class called ACT OUT, which is taught by Brad Calcaterra. Brad graciously invited me into the class and I will be forever grateful. Many of the actors in this show are from that class while the rest of the cast is from Actor’s Access and through word of mouth within the community. Also, my amazing director, Jenna Worsham, is a member of the queer community as well as an activist. Jenna was instrumental in developing the idea of having a chorus of trans and queer youth to not only complete the play’s ensemble but also fulfill the mission of this project: to give the community a platform through theater. In addition to the core cast, we have now assembled a group of 10 dynamic individuals to weave this show together. We could not be more thrilled with this cast! I’ve never experienced this kind of positive energy before in my career.

I also wanted to share that Vertigo Theater Company has partnered with both the youth program at The LGBT Community Center and The Ali Forney Center to offer work readiness internships. Youth who have gone through the LEAP program (Leadership, Education, Advancement, and Placement) will shadow and be mentored by our production team as they gain the professional experience necessary to build their resumes.

Q:  What else are you working on now?

A:  On October 3, Vertigo Theater Company – in association with BRIC Arts Media – is producing “Queering Theater,” which is the next installment of our ongoing salon-style series, Shoptalk. Our guests include playwright Adam Bock, playwright/actor Donnetta Lavinia Grays, director/artistic director Will Davis, and legendary performance artist Carmelita Tropicana, plus moderator, Ginia Bellafante from the New York Times. Right now, since I am wearing multiple hats for this Vertigo Theater Company production (Producer, Artistic Director and Playwright) I am singularly focused on my baby, Street Children.

Q:  Tell me, if you will, a story from your childhood that explains who you are as a writer or as a person.

A:  Growing up, I was extremely close to my Uncle Bob. He was my Nanny’s (my grandmother on my mom’s side) brother. When my mother grew up, her father was a violent alcoholic and my Nanny divorced him, which was a bold move back in 1940’s-era Brooklyn. Afterwards, she asked my Uncle Bob to move in with them and they became a family unit and raised my mother. He was one of the kindest human souls I have ever known. I never understood why, but I always knew innately that he needed both protection and my undying loyal devotion. I knew he was different; that he was an underdog. He never had a 9-5 job and he lived with my Nanny for his entire adult life. He was the neighborhood handyman; he built dollhouses; and he could create or fix anything with his hands. I remember accompanying him on his rounds to different homes the neighborhood and you could not help but adore him. He had very soft youthful features. He never had a girlfriend and I remember asking my mom about it. She explained that when Uncle Bob was born, the doctors did not know if he was a boy or a girl. His parents made him live his life as a boy. They cut his hair like a boy and dressed him like a boy. He endured operation after operation and suffered terribly. When he got older and started going through puberty, he began developing breasts. He had to bind his chest with an ace bandage and wear loose t-shirts to hide his physical attributes. By that point, he had been living his whole life as a boy and felt he had no choice but to continue living as a boy. He was ostracized and treated poorly by people and other members of his own family. My Nanny took him away from that and gave him a family with my mom. He was burdened with something so terrible, but his extraordinary strength, and incredibly giving soul allowed him to find the beauty in life. He got the most joy from his little family, but we will never know how much he suffered for not being able to have a voice in deciding who he wanted to be. My experiences with him absolutely shaped who I am as a person and a writer. I seem to always write about raw and painful heartache combined with fierce resilience and child-like innocence.

Q:  If you could change one thing about theater, what would it be?

A:  Diversity all around - both on and off stage. Making theater accessible to all walks of life.

Q:  Who are or were your theatrical heroes?

A:  Right now- here is who comes to mind

Joseph Papp, Nina Simone, Ellen Burstyn, Gena Rowlands, Tony Kushner, Dominique Morisseau, Lucy Thurber, Taylor Mac, Patti Smith, and, Lin Manuel Miranda.

Q:  What kind of theater excites you?

A:  Theater that breaks down the barriers between audience and performance. Theater that makes you feel as if you are inside of the experience from the moment you enter the room. Theater that immerses and transports you into the world of the play and introduces you to experiences that are different from your own.

Q:  What advice do you have for playwrights just starting out?

A:  I am certainly not a wise old playwright - I don’t have the pedigree! But I will say this: I NEVER GIVE UP. Don’t stop moving toward your dream of telling the stories you want and need to tell…NO MATTER WHAT. Work at it every day. Get inspired. If you can’t find someone to produce your work then DO IT YOURSELF. Say YES.

Q:  Plugs, please:

A:  Here is the link to New Ohio Website for Street Children

http://newohiotheatre.org/ourcurrentseason.htm

Here is the direct ticket link for Street Children
 
https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/962229

We also have the $18 early bird discount set up - with code "EARLYBIRD"

Also here is our website:

http://www.vertigotheater.org/

SHOPTALK: Queering Theater- October 3rd

http://www.bricartsmedia.org/events-performances/vertigo-theater-company-shoptalk-queering-theater
 
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I Interview Playwrights Part 877: Scott Sickles

Scott Sickles

Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA.

Current Town: NYC! Or more specifically, Forest Hills

Q:  What are you working on now?

A:  A few things, actually.

I just got done outlining a new full-length play that I'm about to start drafting.

I'm whipping up a 10-minute play for our Out of a Hat series at the WorkShop Theater Company: each playwright is assigned 2-3 actors whose names were picked out of a hat and has to write a 10-20 minute piece for them. I'm writing for the enormously talented duo of Jackie Jenkins and Heather Massie. The play is called The Fallow Garden and I'm experimenting with a new genre for me: American Gothic! It's fun.

I'm working on rewrites to my full-length play Composure in preparation for a spring production on the WorkShop's Main Stage. The play just won the New York Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Original Full-Length Script, but it's already changed a great deal since the last production in June 2015.

Now I'm working with my director Fritz Brekeller (who also received an IT Award for his direction of the play) and artistic director Thomas Coté on making the script tighter and going deeper with the characters and their relationships.

I'm also a scriptwriter for General Hospital, so that keeps my busy. (Before anyone asks, YES, it's still on! At least I hope it still is at press time...)

Q:  Tell me, if you will, a story from your childhood that explains who you are as a writer or as a person.

A:  I had a fairly horrifying childhood for the most part, so I think any individual story might be too bleak or simply spawn eye-rolls as it challenged your readers' willing suspension of disbelief. (There are times even I don't believe it.)

I was the elder of two siblings (I still am) growing up with a depressed paranoiac father who also suffered from social anxiety disorder and the joy that is intermittent explosive disorder (it's a thing; it's exactly what it sounds like; and yes, the initials are IED), and a toxic narcissist mother.

In that environment, the adults are constantly either not remembering the troubling things they say and do or they're re-interpreting it. So as a child and especially as a teenager, one has to keep track of What Really Happened because the narrative of one's life is going to be disputed by authority figures.

One also has to explain things like "No, Dad, nobody broke into the house and moved your checkbook. You just left it someplace else on the table." (I'm not exaggerating. This happened constantly. This explanation was utterly implausible to my father. He would NEVER have put it where it visibly ended up. Someone HAD to have sneaked in the house and moved it just to mess with him. May he rest.)

In such circumstances -- mind you, nobody in that house was a drinker or drug user so we didn't even have that pathology going for us -- one remembers exactly (or close to exactly) what people say and how they said it... thereby developing an ear for dialogue, a flair for drama, the ability to immediately picture the worst case scenario and how you can make it even more horrible, and a penchant for escapism.

Bonus Trivia! My father was of German-American descent, my mother is Korean, and they're both racists.

Is that too much? Are you picturing Thanksgivings?
(Actually, our Thanksgivings were relatively peaceful. How's that for weird?)

Q:  If you could change one thing about theater, what would it be?

A:  I would encourage professional theaters and producers to take more risks with unknown or not-yet-widely-known writers.

I've seen, dramaturged, and produced so many playwrights with terrific stories that often don't get seen after their Off-Off-Broadway Equity Showcase productions.

There are some brilliant and potentially brilliant writers out there taking risks with genres and subject matter... or even elevating good-old-fashioned stories through their own unique voices. They need support and a venue.

I've seen staged readings of unfinished plays that blew me away even more than some Pulitzer and Tony winners... plays that I can't summarize to other people without laughing out loud or choking up because even in the retelling from my faulty memory, the power of these undiscovered narratives continues to resonate.

(Of course, I've seen some great Pulitzer and Tony winner and some abysmal staged readings of unfinished plays but those aren't what I'm talking about now.)

I also support confiscating and even disposing of people's fucking cell phones if they use them during a performance.

Seriously, take no prisoners!!!

Q:  Who are or were your theatrical heroes?

A:  Tennessee Williams and Tony Kushner, not because I want to write like them (I don't think anyone really can write what they do), but because they always want to make the art better. It doesn't matter how many accolades a play racks up, they revisit their work and rewrite it.

Also, early on I was influenced by John Guare who I did want to write like! (Oh, how I tried!) House of Blue Leaves and especially Six Degrees of Separation became part of my bones right away. In fact, after reading Six Degrees of Separation the first time, I literally threw the book against the wall screaming (in my head, I think) "I'm not worthy!!!"

Q:  What kind of theater excites you?

A:  Theater with both a strong narrative and a bold theatricality.
I love a well-structured play but I don't think that a good structure is a formula or a cookie cutter. I love it when the story plays with form and style.

Equus (which sadly I've only read) is such a crazy bold play both in its story and in how Shaffer wrote the stage imagery. It sets the imagination on fire right off the page. I read when I was probably too young and slept with the lights on that night.

There are two plays I've seen that stay with me more than any others.

The first is Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, which I saw three times during its last months Off-Broadway. (I'm going again in November.) To tell such a beautiful story in such a... I don't even know how to describe it. Immersive? Post-modern?
I think a great maxim to follow is "Whatever works!" The Great Comet changes styles and devices on a moment's notice, sometimes drastically, and every moment works within itself and contributes to being somehow greater than the sum of its parts.

The other is Robert Lepage and Ex Machina's The Seven Streams of the River Ota which I saw at BAM in the 90's. It's about 8 hours long, told over two nights, and consists of seven interconnected one-act plays, each about an hour in length... oh, and there's a prologue and an epilogue!
Its use of stagecraft -- two-way mirrors, puppets, opera and farce, multiple languages and translators, the utility and versatility of the set which was somehow contained in one pagoda-like structure -- as it explored the 20th Century from 1945-1995 was epic, intimate, indelible and perhaps the most superlatively THEATRICAL thing I've ever seen!

Q:  What advice do you have for playwrights just starting out?

A: 
1) Work with people who aren't already your friends.
2) Work with people who are much older than you are because they have craft, technique and, best of all, great stories!
3) Never underestimate the power of human loneliness to motivate your characters and raise the stakes.
4) Playwriting is never truly solitary. First, you have your characters; then you have your collaborators; finally, you have the audience.
5) Don't go to the blocking rehearsals. They have nothing to do with you.

Q:  Plugs, please:

A:  The WorkShop Theater Company's Main Stage production of the rewrite of Composure is scheduled to happen from April 27 to May 20, 2017.

In Composure, a controversially timed production of Romeo & Juliet leads to a modern-day star-crossed romance between two men whose past tragedies and traumas suddenly encroach upon the present.

Watch General Hospital at 3:00 p.m. weekdays on ABC! (check local listings)
Seriously, try it... you'll like it! 

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I Interview Playwrights Part 876: Laura Rohrman

Photo by Jody Christopherson

Laura Rohrman

Hometown:  Penngrove, California

Current Town: New York City

Q:  Tell me about your upcoming show:

A:  I have two upcoming shows in New York City this fall.

“My Life As You,” a full-length romantic comedy, opening September 23rd at Shetler Studios and another short one-act called “Monster’s Ball” opens on October 6th as part of the Thalia Festival.

“My Life As You” is a psychological romantic comedy that centers around one woman’s journey of self-discovery. It’s set in Chicago in the late nineties. It’s fun and sexy. The two strong female lead characters dive into an intense battle to find something in this world that will ground them. It’s the big existential crises of being in your early twenties. Neither woman really knows who she is yet or what she wants. The women face this dilemma in charming and alarming ways. So in essence, it’s about that deep search we all go through. And on the simpler side, it’s about maneuvering through friendships, break ups and getting ahead in our careers. It’s really a survival booklet for your twenties.

This play was produced 10 years ago and I was surprised that it went over so well. We had sold-out shows and standing ovations. Obviously the subject of self-discovery is universally understood. We also had a remarkable cast: Kelli Porterfield, Ashley Wren Collins, Stuart Lopetan and Jeff Branson (who was on “All My Children” at the time). The play was directed by the fabulous Fritz Brekeller.

Q:  What else are you working on now?

A:  I’m working on a play called “Reporter Girl.” It’s about the life of my maternal grandmother, Dale Messick, who created “Brenda Starr Reporter,” a popular comic strip that debuted in 1940 and lasted for over 70 years in print.

I also have a TV show in development.

Q:  Tell me, if you will, a story from your childhood that explains who you are as a writer or as a person.

A:  I grew up on a mountaintop that seemed like the middle of nowhere to me. My mom raised my brother and me as a single parent and she worked; so we were often home alone, especially in the summers and after school. The walk home from school after the bus dropped us off was a hot, uphill mile that occasionally put us in danger – a giant rattlesnake sunning itself in the middle of the road. Or the time the angry bull got through the fence, a bee sting, a dog attack, a fall into a blackberry bush, a terrible bike accident where a girl’s teeth got knocked out. It was bucolic.

In contrast to this country life, we annually visited my grandma Dale Messick who lived in Chicago in a fancy apartment overlooking Lake Michigan.

My granny Dale was wild and crazy. She wore purple stockings, lattice boots and had dyed red hair like her famous cartoon character “Brenda Starr.”

On one of our visits she took us for a walk down Michigan Ave and an entire block of Sax 5th Avenue was devoted to “Brenda Starr” couture. All the mannequins were dressed up like her characters and she designed all the fashions. She’d also let me rummage through her walk in closet there were boas, fur coats, all kinds of fancy hats and wigs. She’d dress me up and I loved it. On another visit she took me to the musical “Annie” and I was hooked.

As the writer I would become, I do notice my plays have a vintage and glamorous feel to them. There’s also a spooky and very quirky style to my work. I excel in dark humor and mystery. My plays are very unexpected. My plots are usually complicated and not always sane. My characters are outsiders trying to get somewhere. That makes a lot of sense, since so much of my youth was spent devising how I was going to get off the mountain and go somewhere and be someone, but…to where and be who?

Q:  If you could change one thing about theater, what would it be?

A:  I wish it wasn’t so expensive to produce theater. It’s impossible to make any money back on the small projects. I see so many doors closing.

Q:  Who are or were your theatrical heroes?

A:  Of course I’m a huge fan of some of the great playwrights: Shakespeare, Chekhov and O’Neill. But my real heroes are the theater people I’ve met along the way who have encouraged, mentored, embraced and/or enlightened me.

Le Wilhelm is high on my list for being my first New York City mentor. When I first got to New York I auditioned for him. And I handed him a play of mine to read. He cast me in his play, and the next day he said: “I read your play and I love it. Let’s do it.” Of course I had no idea that getting a play produced in New York wouldn’t always be that easy. He produced my first play and I’ll be forever grateful because it gave me so much confidence. Carolyn French from the Fifi Oscard Literary Agency mentored me as a junior agent while I worked there in graduate school. She had a great eye for talent and picking plays. She taught me how to work with writers and critique plays. Both Le and Carolyn are now gone and I miss them so much. Other heroes are some of the directors I’ve worked with: Fritz Brekeller, Ian Striker, Jeff Lewonczyk, Jamie Ramsburg and Erica Gould for being so good at what they do. I love meeting a director who is 110%. I thoroughly enjoy sharing a project and meeting really creative and inspiring people. This includes the set, lighting and sound designers who are so crafty. My biggest hero at the moment is Lin-Manuel Miranda for creating “Hamilton” and for giving us hope that theater is alive, spectacular and worth talking about.

Q:  What kind of theater excites you?

A:  I really like unconventional plays; I love breaking into time and space. The play needs to be truly original in either concept or storytelling to pull me in.

I saw lots of theater this year (for the first time in ages). “O Earth” by Casey Llewellyn at Here Art Space stands out as my second favorite after “Hamilton.” “O Earth” was crazy, big, funny, unexpected and so smart. I love that the play deconstructed Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town.” Having the familiar story and characters gave me something to grasp, while the writer just took off in several dimensions. It was superb. And then there was “Hamilton.” I guess I am a sucker for history and “Hamilton” is such a New York experience. It’s historical, grand and beautiful, soft and poetic. It just reached in and stole my heart. I literally couldn’t stop smiling for days. I’m still smiling.

Q:  What advice do you have for playwrights just starting out?

A:  See theater! Support your friends and colleagues by seeing their plays. Go to readings. Volunteer like you are drinking water. Do not make it just about you. Keep on writing and pushing yourself. Read. Work. Have a life. Get better. Learn to take criticism like a champ. Focus. Hang out with people who are better than you. Be kind. Whatever you do, do not get discouraged or bitter. There are ups and downs. Sometimes you’ll be up and sometimes you’ll be down, it’s part of the business. Wait for it, the up with come…

Q:  Plugs, please:

A:  Okay, my friends are doing gangbusters, so I have lots of plugs:

My friend Maria’s Michaels upcoming reading at The Workshop Theater on October 9th -
http://www.workshoptheater.org/workshop-events/2016/10/9/following-the-madness-of-diane-arbus

My play “Monster’s Ball” coming up in October with the Thaila Festival
http://www.eventbrite.com/o/the-thalia-festival-cast-c-10933301100?utm_campaign=thalia_festival_playwrights_ticket_info_comps&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_term=2016-09-12

Nedra Mclyde is starring in Adam Bock’s new play at Playwrights Horizon’s

My friend Aurin Squire is writing for the show This Is Us which debuts tonight on NBC!

And finally my super talented friend Todd Komarniki wrote the screenplay for the movie “Sully.” To me “Sully” is an example of a well-written script in the hands of a masterful director (Clint Eastwood) and the film’s star seals the deal: Tom Hanks nails it. Go see it!

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