Quicksand Interview: Ava Sofia Mattox, playing “Margaret/Ensemble”
IRT Presents
Everyday Inferno Theatre Company’s
QUICKSAND
By Regina Robbins
IRT Theater
154 Christopher St, NYC
December 1st-15th, 2018
Tickets: $5-35
“They say that if one stands on the corner of 135th street and 7th avenue long enough, one will eventually see all the people one has ever known. It’s pretty true, I guess. Everyone comes to Harlem sooner or later.”
In Regina Robbins' Quicksand, heightened theatricality, live music, and dance combine to immerse the audience in the 1920s: an era of incredible progress and unimaginable inequality. As we follow the journey of Helga Crane, a biracial woman, from the deep south, through Chicago, New York, Denmark, and back, historical figures of the period appear unexpectedly; Broadway star Al Jolson sings “April Showers” on a New York City street, W.E.B. Du Bois lectures in a lady’s bedroom, and Paul Robeson performs a scene from The Emperor Jones. Infused with the flavor of the roaring 20s, this lively production will pull you back to a past eerily similar to our present.
What about the play resonates with you most/are you most excited to share and why?
I’m excited to share all of the different aspects of the 1920s from different POVs (ie. Harlem vs. Denmark vs. The American South). I feel like so often we get a one-dimensional view of the 20s, be it flapper culture or only Harlem. So I’m excited to give a voice to the different perspectives of that time period.
If you could have a fantasy dinner party and invite three guests (alive or dead, but they must be real people), who would you invite? What food are you serving?
If I were to have a dinner party with three amazing people it would be Ava Duvernay, Tracee Ellis Ross and Maya Rudolph. And I would serve homemade lasagna and sour cherry pie from The Blue Stove for dessert and, of course, lots and lots of wine!!!
What is the best or worst piece of advice about acting you've ever been given?
I don’t know if this necessarily counts as advice but my last day of musical theater camp one year my acting/improv teacher stopped me in the hall and said, “You should keep going, you’re good at this.” And my little wide-eyed 9-year-old self was like, “okay,” and here we are today.
AVA SOFIA MATTOX (Margaret/Ensemble) is an actress based in New York City. She was born and raised in San Francisco, CA and has been acting since she was a lil 3rd grader. She recently starred as 3 in a premiere of a new absurdist play, I Have This Many*** at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, and was part of the second season of web series First Dates. Not long ago she joined the theater company Primitive Grace and performed with them for the first time this summer in a series of readings. She is excited to be a part of the premiere of Quicksand as she was a part of the developmental stage and is proud to see it come to fruition. For more info about Ava Sofia check out https://avasofia-mattox.squarespace.com/
Quicksand Interview: Sam Ogilvie, playing “Al Jolson/Ensemble”
IRT Presents
Everyday Inferno Theatre Company’s
QUICKSAND
By Regina Robbins
IRT Theater
154 Christopher St, NYC
December 1st-15th, 2018
Tickets: $5-35
“They say that if one stands on the corner of 135th street and 7th avenue long enough, one will eventually see all the people one has ever known. It’s pretty true, I guess. Everyone comes to Harlem sooner or later.”
In Regina Robbins' Quicksand, heightened theatricality, live music, and dance combine to immerse the audience in the 1920s: an era of incredible progress and unimaginable inequality. As we follow the journey of Helga Crane, a biracial woman, from the deep south, through Chicago, New York, Denmark, and back, historical figures of the period appear unexpectedly; Broadway star Al Jolson sings “April Showers” on a New York City street, W.E.B. Du Bois lectures in a lady’s bedroom, and Paul Robeson performs a scene from The Emperor Jones. Infused with the flavor of the roaring 20s, this lively production will pull you back to a past eerily similar to our present.
What about the play resonates with you most/are you most excited to share and why?
I know I'm not allowed to say EVERYTHING. So I'll make an actual decision... The large group sections. A lot of the creation of these different places are done by the ensemble and its movement. The limited set means that we have more variety and also create the scenes through our interactions with the world and each other.
What's your favorite line from the show and why?
HELGA - I'm no apologist for the white race, but I wonder, if they're so thoroughly reprehensible, why we accept their dirty money for our schools and foundations.
ANNE - It's the money they've made through the oppression of our people. They owe us that, and more.
I love this interaction because it displays the complicated discussions about race that members of the black community were having (and still are), in terms of working with or against white people when fighting oppression. Helga's position here is more uncertain because of her mixed-race heritage, and though she identifies more with her black friends, she feels a lack of belonging as they decide to attack white people in general. She feels like they attack her as well.
What's the biggest challenge this piece has posed to you?
Not losing character choices in the shuffle. Our show is incredibly fast-paced and moves from location to location very quickly. The biggest challenge as part of this ensemble is making big and unique choices for even the smallest characters. Otherwise, we could lose the audience as they attempt to identify where we are on the map. This also means learning about five different accents (including a foreign language).
SAM OGILVIE (Al Jolson/Ensemble) is an NYC-based actor and a Core Member of Everyday Inferno. Select theater: Reigning Women (Spicy Witch), The Fall (FringeNYC), Roaring Girl (Everyday Inferno), A Map to Somewhere Else (Everyday Inferno), Signal Season of Dummy Hoy (NYDT); Workshops: Rape of Lucrece (Shakespeare Exchange), Maybe a Mexican? (Toccara Castleman); TV: Hamilton: Building America (History Channel); Web: Adventures of Hot Head, Adventure Capital. Adventure Capital will be appearing throughout festival circuits around the country. Beyond acting, Sam also moonlights as a professional zombie, appearing in plays, music videos, and commercial events in his brain-eating form. In the writing realm, his first full-length play, The Music Box, is currently in development with Everyday Inferno. BFA: NYU-Tisch. Website - www.sam-ogilvie.com.
Quicksand Interview: Veronique Jeanmarie, playing “Mrs. Hayes-Rore/Ensemble”
IRT Presents
Everyday Inferno Theatre Company’s
QUICKSAND
By Regina Robbins
IRT Theater
154 Christopher St, NYC
December 1st-15th, 2018
Tickets: $5-35
“They say that if one stands on the corner of 135th street and 7th avenue long enough, one will eventually see all the people one has ever known. It’s pretty true, I guess. Everyone comes to Harlem sooner or later.”
In Regina Robbins' Quicksand, heightened theatricality, live music, and dance combine to immerse the audience in the 1920s: an era of incredible progress and unimaginable inequality. As we follow the journey of Helga Crane, a biracial woman, from the deep south, through Chicago, New York, Denmark, and back, historical figures of the period appear unexpectedly; Broadway star Al Jolson sings “April Showers” on a New York City street, W.E.B. Du Bois lectures in a lady’s bedroom, and Paul Robeson performs a scene from The Emperor Jones. Infused with the flavor of the roaring 20s, this lively production will pull you back to a past eerily similar to our present.
What about the play resonates with you most/are you most excited to share and why?
I am excited about telling a story about a woman (and people) of color from the early part of the 20th century. It's not often that I've seen (or been a part of) a play that addresses the issues addressed in QUICKSAND.
What's the most challenging journey you've ever had to take?
I'd have to say that moving to NYC from my home town of Los Angeles (for the first time), all by myself, was one of the toughest things I've ever done. Only in retrospect, do I realize how terrifying/wonderful it was!
What is the best piece of advice about acting you’ve ever been given?
"Honor you own process. Do the work in the way that you need to do it. Stick to your guns."
VERONIQUE JEANMARIE (Mrs. Hayes-Rore/Ensemble) recently performed in Life is But a Dream and Merrily, Merrily as part of the SWP Spring Repertory Season at the The Flamboyan Theater. Past work with Everyday Inferno includes the developmental workshop of Quicksand, The Dispute, and the If On a Winter's Night... reading series. Other NYC credits include A Midsummer Night's Dream (Snorks and Pins Co.) and Comedy of Errors (Curious Frog Company). Regional Credits include Measure for Measure (Scranton Shakespeare Festival) and Hamlet (Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival tour). She has performed her solo project, Big Red Drum Set, at the Los Angeles Women's Theatre Festival, Dixon Place, and The One Woman Standing Festival.
Quicksand Interview: Tommy Coleman, playing “Anderson/Ensemble”
IRT Presents
Everyday Inferno Theatre Company’s
QUICKSAND
By Regina Robbins
IRT Theater
154 Christopher St, NYC
December 1st-15th, 2018
Tickets: $5-35
“They say that if one stands on the corner of 135th street and 7th avenue long enough, one will eventually see all the people one has ever known. It’s pretty true, I guess. Everyone comes to Harlem sooner or later.”
In Regina Robbins' Quicksand, heightened theatricality, live music, and dance combine to immerse the audience in the 1920s: an era of incredible progress and unimaginable inequality. As we follow the journey of Helga Crane, a biracial woman, from the deep south, through Chicago, New York, Denmark, and back, historical figures of the period appear unexpectedly; Broadway star Al Jolson sings “April Showers” on a New York City street, W.E.B. Du Bois lectures in a lady’s bedroom, and Paul Robeson performs a scene from The Emperor Jones. Infused with the flavor of the roaring 20s, this lively production will pull you back to a past eerily similar to our present.
What about the play resonates with you most/are you most excited to share and why?
What resonates most with me about this play are the themes of insecurity and a relentless pursuit of happiness and home in places that will not fully embrace you. (There are also themes of derailment and loss of control, as well, which I unashamedly identify with.) This play, upon my first read of it, felt remarkably current in the ways in which it shows a woman of color navigating codified spaces, her sensuality, and taking ownership of her life in ways that were uncommon (or maybe not as well documented) back in the 1920s. Helga reminds me of a 1920s, biracial Issa Dee from “Insecure.” She’s plucky, impulsive, scared to ask out the guy she really likes, yet she’s coming into her own as best as she knows how in an ever-changing world. Choices her parents made before she was born have affected her life and she’s coming to grips with that, as well as the fact that she carries a racial duality which allows her access to certain areas in which many people may not be able to traverse so easily. It’s great to have a play with such a complex protagonist who existed in, what I consider, an exhilarating time in history; especially considering Harlem’s role in affecting Black intellectual culture.
This also resonates with me because I know the feeling of entering spaces with a double consciousness. I also know what it means to be a person of color attempting to find happiness in a United States that would seek to villainize him before getting to know him. I know what it feels like to have other human beings project their insecurities/ fears onto you and hope their narrative of you is gospel. I know the feeling of otherness too well and have navigated both successfully and unsuccessfully around that. There is beauty in the complexity of being Black in this United States, and while there is pain, there is a steadfast resilience. But what does it cost us to be of color in this United States? What does it cost us to survive? I think these questions underlie every moment of this show.
What would your character’s Karaoke song be?
I believe that my main character, Robert Anderson, would have a penchant for soul music, so his karaoke song would be “People Make the World Go Round” by The Stylistics. Dr. Anderson is a very learned man who also seems to acknowledge the world form a realistic point of view. He’s hopeful, yet grounded, recognizing that without balance, this world cannot function properly. He is the first character to point out to Helga that “lies, injustice, and hypocrisy are a part of every community. Far from being exceptional, they are quite ordinary.” He’s lived a bit, and knows that the “ups and downs, the carousel” of life is just a matter of fact. There’s something about the song that mirrors Robert’s sentiments about the complexity of the human experience. The song’s title doesn’t give us any adjectives or qualifiers about the types of people who affect the world. It’s simply that all people do. I believe Robert would be okay singing this song, and he would probably bust out a smooth falsetto to get his point across.
What do you wish the theatre had more of?
I wish the theatre had more multifaceted roles for people of color; where we get to be truly “messy” as Viola Davis tends to describe her character, Annalise, on How to Get Away With Murder. I want people, specifically white Americans, to digest that human beings of color contain various planets in constant orbit within their personal universes. Too many times, casting directors, Hollywood folk, and commercial theater gatekeepers would rather lump everyone into archetypes because it’s “easy.” To them, a “type” is enough to them because they feel it tunes audiences into what they can expect. People, however, aren’t truly predictable. Some have habits and cycles that they may repeat, but behaviors and tactics to achieve certain goals change. If the only thing constant in this world is change, why wouldn’t stories and “types” change as well? I want to see stories of Black men being soft, and having that sensitivity be accepted as truth. I want to see stories of Afro-Latina women tackling colorism and winning the fight, as difficult as it may seem. I want stories about the African Orishas. I want to see the story of Black migration west and ending up in places like California, or Oklahoma or Portland. I’d like to see the story of people of color in the military who create lives in other countries. Basically, considering the millions of people on this earth, there’s no excuse for not having almost as many stories to match that number.
An example I can give you of amazing storytelling right now, on TV, is the show “Random Acts of Blackness” on HBO. There’s nothing more creative on television right now. Donald Glover’s Atlanta comes in an extremely close second for me. In the theater, School Girls; or the African Mean Girls Play by Jocelyn Bioh, Sugar in Our Wounds by Donja Love, and surprisingly Significant Other by Josh Harmon are current stage productions that have made me hopeful for the future of storytelling on the stage.
We must not subscribe to the lazy ways of storytelling. Period. If we want to see the future of theater, those in charge must truly take risks on the unknown. It’s the unknown stories that bring about the most change and open the doors for new stories to captivate us.
TOMMY COLEMAN (Anderson/Ensemble), a native of Norfolk, Virginia, is happy to return to the New York stage in the world premiere of Quicksand. He is also a voiceover artist and part-time Product Specialist for an international car company. Most recently, Tommy was seen featured alongside Jim Gaffigan in the independent thriller, "American Dreamer" which debuted at the LA Film Festival. Selected UK Credits include: World premiere musical The Lightning Child (Shakespeare's Globe Theatre), Macbeth(Greenwich Playhouse), Topdog/Underdog (Juncture Theatre), Olivier Award-Winning La Bohéme (Opera Up Close). Regional credits: A Christmas Carol and X-Out Bullying (Virginia Stage Company) Look Upon Our Lowliness (The Movement Theater Company) Film/TV credits: Emmy-Winning Guardians of Jamestown: 1619, Emmy -Nominated Souls on Fire: The Abolitionists (PBS), and A Haunting (Destination America). www.tommycoleman.net
Tommy answered some additional questions, and we couldn’t bear to eliminate them! Want to see the whole interview? Read on below!
What’s the most challenging journey you’ve ever had to take?
The most challenging journey that I’ve ever taken was rediscovering my love of art after experiencing devastating tragedy. In 2012, about three months after returning home to America from the United Kingdom, where I’d lived for three years prior, a cousin of mine was shot and killed in front of me and other family members. I’d never been on the front line for a crime so hideous (or any crime) and it caused me to compartmentalize my emotions while I tried to help other family members navigate their own. At some point after the chaos of my cousin’s murder, I’d ended up in a regretful physical altercation with a loved one due to mounting tensions and I ran away to New York out of disappointment with myself and frustration with my divisive circumstances. New York managed to embrace me immediately. I’d found a job and a place to sublet within two weeks of visiting the city, which was miraculous to many of my cynical friends. To many others I was living the dream.
Miracles aside, I thrust myself into work. I worked diligently for a retail company and I cleaned apartments in Brooklyn and Manhattan as a second job. I needed to survive. What I didn’t realize was that one can get lost in merely trying to stay alive. Not once did I even consider auditioning or doing anything artistic. I didn’t want to be seen. I came to New York to disappear and got swallowed up. Like Solange sang in Cranes in the Sky: “I tried to work it away, but that just made me even sadder.” At one point, I was in the middle of Times Square, on a rainy afternoon, in front of some empty retail space crying my eyes out because I felt lost, and hopeless (and because my retail job wanted to let me go without a proper explanation.) It took the encouragement and honesty of some amazing college friends to keep me sane and forward-moving.
They encouraged me to re-evaluate my life in New York. Their love for me helped push me to return to auditioning for theater work, which I did. After my second and third auditions in New York, I was called back for both, and I managed to book another job that changed my life. That job was a play called Look Upon Our Lowliness, produced by The Movement Theater Company and I played a gay man who was coming to terms with the death of his best friend and going through almost every stage of grief possible. My first gig in New York couldn’t have been more on-the-nose for me. The role chose me, and I was able to finally deal with my own emotions behind my cousin’s murder the year prior. Having had that experience with art and theater in such a transformative way has colored how I employ my artistry today. It’s still a journey I’m navigating…but lucky for me… telling transformative stories is still my primary destination.
What is the best or worst piece of advice about acting you've ever been given?
The best advice I’ve been given about acting is that one must “honor the text.” If the writing is good, everything an actor needs will be right there on the page and in between the words. It is an actor’s job to investigate the text and breathe more fullness into the playwright’s words and intentions. Also, another great piece of advice I received was “treat each line as if it contains new information.” Knowing that everything to come is new helps an actor remain present. In daily conversations, one cannot predict what another person is going to say verbatim, so one must listen actively which keeps us in the moment. If we’re present, audiences will ride with us from lights up to blackout.
The worst advice I’ve ever been given as an actor was to go onstage and “wing it.” Suffice it to say that I’ve NEVER employed that advice where a paying audience is concerned (or period).
What is the biggest challenge this piece has posed to you?
The biggest challenge that this piece presents to me is my making sure I honor the ancestors that this time period represents. I feel fortunate to be able to play a multitude of characters in addition to Dr. Anderson, so this requires a bit of research and investigation into bringing them to life as honestly as possible. Every character, big and small, serves a function for Helga and knowing that people similar to these characters actually existed compels me to be as truthful about them as possible.
Quicksand Interview: Chris Wight, playing “Uncle Peter/Uncle Paul/Ensemble”
IRT Presents
Everyday Inferno Theatre Company’s
QUICKSAND
By Regina Robbins
IRT Theater
154 Christopher St, NYC
December 1st-15th, 2018
Tickets: $5-35
“They say that if one stands on the corner of 135th street and 7th avenue long enough, one will eventually see all the people one has ever known. It’s pretty true, I guess. Everyone comes to Harlem sooner or later.”
In Regina Robbins' Quicksand, heightened theatricality, live music, and dance combine to immerse the audience in the 1920s: an era of incredible progress and unimaginable inequality. As we follow the journey of Helga Crane, a biracial woman, from the deep south, through Chicago, New York, Denmark, and back, historical figures of the period appear unexpectedly; Broadway star Al Jolson sings “April Showers” on a New York City street, W.E.B. Du Bois lectures in a lady’s bedroom, and Paul Robeson performs a scene from The Emperor Jones. Infused with the flavor of the roaring 20s, this lively production will pull you back to a past eerily similar to our present.
What about the play resonates with you most/are you most excited to share and why?
The 20s are such an inflection point for white supremacy in the US - Birth of a Nation, lynchings, and blackface, but also the seeds of change are taking hold as evidenced in part by the Harlem Renaissance. I’m hoping we capture some essence of Helga’s journey as a woman caught between many worlds and show through the lens of her journeys how the world has changed since then, and how it hasn’t.
What would your character’s Karaoke song be?
Uncle Paul is quite fond of In Bluebird Land by Valdemar Eiberg.
What do you wish the theatre had more of?
An audience beyond wealthy older white folks; a reach to audiences that could most benefit from having their worldview challenged and expanded.
CHRIS WIGHT (Uncle Peter/Uncle Paul/Ensemble) just wrapped Deya Danielle Drake's Escape for FringeNYC. He is a long-time Artist Member of The Ensemble Studio Theatre and 'Friend' of Flux Theatre Ensemble; there and elsewhere he's appeared in new works by David Ives, Lucy Thurber, Liz Duffy Adams, Jen Silverman, Rachel Bonds, Tennessee Williams (in the premier of Spring Storm with Peter Sarsgaard), Cassandra Medley, Cherie Vogelstein (36DD with Judy Gold), David Lindsay Abaire (Crazy Eights opposite Rosie Perez), Sheri Wilner, Olivia Dufault, Jon Marans, Kathleen McGhee-Anderson, Arthur Giron, Jeffrey Sweet, David Zelnick, Adam Szymkowicz, Cheryl L. Davis, Julie Selbo, Joshua Conkel, Amanda Keating, Christina Quintana, J. Holtham, John Augustine, Robert Simonson, Michael Louis Wells, Ryan Dowler, Maria McCarthy and many other acclaimed writers. Recent films include the independent features Dreamelia and The Motion of the Sun, also shorts Character Assassins (opposite June Squibb), Amy Staats' Mary & Louise, etc. www.chriswight.net
Quicksand Interview: Synead Nichols, playing “Sary/Ensemble”
IRT Presents
Everyday Inferno Theatre Company’s
QUICKSAND
By Regina Robbins
IRT Theater
154 Christopher St, NYC
December 1st-15th, 2018
Tickets: $5-35
“They say that if one stands on the corner of 135th street and 7th avenue long enough, one will eventually see all the people one has ever known. It’s pretty true, I guess. Everyone comes to Harlem sooner or later.”
In Regina Robbins' Quicksand, heightened theatricality, live music, and dance combine to immerse the audience in the 1920s: an era of incredible progress and unimaginable inequality. As we follow the journey of Helga Crane, a biracial woman, from the deep south, through Chicago, New York, Denmark, and back, historical figures of the period appear unexpectedly; Broadway star Al Jolson sings “April Showers” on a New York City street, W.E.B. Du Bois lectures in a lady’s bedroom, and Paul Robeson performs a scene from The Emperor Jones. Infused with the flavor of the roaring 20s, this lively production will pull you back to a past eerily similar to our present.
What about the play resonates with you most/are you most excited to share and why?
I'm extremely excited and proud to be a part of a work that was written by a woman of color. The importance of working on a piece/narrative that I can relate to is very important to me. It allows me to connect not only to the work on a deeper level, but there is less of a struggle being authentic. With the way most industries are set up, holding a real space for non-binary women of color has been nothing short of impossible. Even in art, we have to constantly fight to be heard or seen but for one night...I exist on many planes. I could only be grateful for an opportunity like that.
What does "going home" (our 2018 season theme) mean to you?
"Going home" means a lot to me right now at this time in my life. It's about a return to self. A return to my "home"- the heart. I've been experiencing so many changing faces/phases over the last few years and although it’s not been an easy road, I’m so lucky to have the chance to explore this space; to find my way home.
What’s your favorite line in the show (yours or someone else’s) and why?
My favorite line is when my character Sary addresses her friend Clementine in regards to Helga and says "Don't be so chinchy, Clementine." That line just throws me for a loop. Go ahead, say it. It kind of makes me tingle. The sound of the “ch” and the “inchy”....so gritty.
SYNEAD NICHOLS (Sary/Ensemble) is a New York-born musician, artist & activist who was named one of Teen Vogue's 17 Rising Stars Who Personify Black Excellence During Black History Month. Synead has been honored by the NAACP as a history maker in her crucial role in community organization and has been a keynote speaker at Harvard's Alumni of Color Conference in 2015 in connection to social justice and organizing the Millions March NYC in 2014. Synead started on her performance track as a classically trained dancer studying at The Alvin Ailey School, Harlem School of the Arts, and LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts and studied acting at Stella Adler, CAP 21, the William Esper Studio, and abroad at the Royal Academy of the Dramatic Arts in London. In the last year, she released new music ("Lost In The Wild"; "Zenith") which premiered on Apple Music's Beats 1 with Ebro Darden. She has also had the opportunity to work on several film & television projects ("Mercy Mistress", "Sasquatch") with diverse and vibrant creatives in New York City and abroad.
Quicksand Interview: Malloree Hill, playing “Aunt Katrina/Ensemble”
IRT Presents
Everyday Inferno Theatre Company’s
QUICKSAND
By Regina Robbins
IRT Theater
154 Christopher St, NYC
December 1st-15th, 2018
Tickets: $5-35
“They say that if one stands on the corner of 135th street and 7th avenue long enough, one will eventually see all the people one has ever known. It’s pretty true, I guess. Everyone comes to Harlem sooner or later.”
In Regina Robbins' Quicksand, heightened theatricality, live music, and dance combine to immerse the audience in the 1920s: an era of incredible progress and unimaginable inequality. As we follow the journey of Helga Crane, a biracial woman, from the deep south, through Chicago, New York, Denmark, and back, historical figures of the period appear unexpectedly; Broadway star Al Jolson sings “April Showers” on a New York City street, W.E.B. Du Bois lectures in a lady’s bedroom, and Paul Robeson performs a scene from The Emperor Jones. Infused with the flavor of the roaring 20s, this lively production will pull you back to a past eerily similar to our present.
What about the play resonates with you most/are you most excited to share and why?
There are so many lovely and very relevant themes and topics explored in this play, but I most relate to the idea of trying to find a place where you belong. I've lived in three different states and all of them vastly different from one another. Finding your way, finding your place, your people in each of those places is not easy, at times it can feel like you will never belong anywhere. I think we are all just trying to find a place in this world that feels like our own.
What’s your favorite line in the show (yours or someone else’s) and why?
I have so many favorites but this exchange always stands out to me....
".... you're still seeking something, I think."
"..... If you discover what it is I'm seeking, do tell me!"
What do you wish the theater had more of?
Intersectionality, accessibility, and stories that challenge an audience to open their hearts and minds to worlds beyond their own field of vision.
MALLOREE HILL (Aunt Katrina/Ensemble) is a proud Everyday Inferno company collaborator and has previously been seen in EITC's Iphigenia Among the Taurians, The Roaring Girl, Supertopia, If On A Winter's Night..., as well as the first public reading of Quicksand. Additional NYC credits include: Macbeth, The Taming of the Shrew, The Trojan Women, Romeo and Juliet, and The Tempest. Regionally Malloree has worked with the Utah Shakespeare Festival in their touring production of The Taming of the Shrew. She is originally from Texas and received her BA from The University of Northern Colorado.
Quicksand Interview: Michael Quattrone, playing “Axel/Ensemble”
IRT Presents
Everyday Inferno Theatre Company’s
QUICKSAND
By Regina Robbins
IRT Theater
154 Christopher St, NYC
December 1st-15th, 2018
Tickets: $5-35
“They say that if one stands on the corner of 135th street and 7th avenue long enough, one will eventually see all the people one has ever known. It’s pretty true, I guess. Everyone comes to Harlem sooner or later.”
In Regina Robbins' Quicksand, heightened theatricality, live music, and dance combine to immerse the audience in the 1920s: an era of incredible progress and unimaginable inequality. As we follow the journey of Helga Crane, a biracial woman, from the deep south, through Chicago, New York, Denmark, and back, historical figures of the period appear unexpectedly; Broadway star Al Jolson sings “April Showers” on a New York City street, W.E.B. Du Bois lectures in a lady’s bedroom, and Paul Robeson performs a scene from The Emperor Jones. Infused with the flavor of the roaring 20s, this lively production will pull you back to a past eerily similar to our present.
What about the play resonates with you the most/ are you most excited to share, and why?
What amazes me the most about this play and the overall story is the scope. The character of Helga travels across the country, and abroad, raising an array of challenging topics - gaze, intersectionality, tolerance, acceptance. I think what this story helps with is the understanding that these conversations, and the inherent problems from which they derive, have existed for a while, and remain necessary to continuously address in a diverse and changing society.
What would your character's Karaoke song be?
Definitely answering for the character Axel Olsen: I think it would be a toss up of "Fame" by David Bowie, and "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaac....BONUS! I found a Danish pop hit specifically for this answer called "Fly on the Wings of Love" by none other than the duo - The Olsen Brothers!!
What is the best/ worst piece of advice about acting you've ever been given?
A professor was once describing a metaphor as an example of needing different approaches for different styles saying "Your favorite tool might be a hammer. A hammer is a great tool and very useful in many situations. But you wouldn't use a hammer to make eggs.” He's not wrong...
MICHAEL QUATTRONE* (Axel/Ensemble) is proud to be making his Everyday Inferno debut! He has performed regionally and in the New York area. His credits include The Comedy of Errors, A Midsummer Night's Dream (Alabama Shakespeare Festival), A Christmas Story (Engeman Theater), Body Awareness (Avram Theater), and John Merrick in The Elephant Man (Broadhollow Theater). He holds a BFA from Hofstra University and is a recent student of The Barrow Group. He is a member of AEA. www.michaelquattroneactor.com
Quicksand Interview: Gabrielle Laurendine, playing “Helga”
IRT Presents
Everyday Inferno Theatre Company’s
QUICKSAND
By Regina Robbins
IRT Theater
154 Christopher St, NYC
December 1st-15th, 2018
Tickets: $5-35
“They say that if one stands on the corner of 135th street and 7th avenue long enough, one will eventually see all the people one has ever known. It’s pretty true, I guess. Everyone comes to Harlem sooner or later.”
In Regina Robbins' Quicksand, heightened theatricality, live music, and dance combine to immerse the audience in the 1920s: an era of incredible progress and unimaginable inequality. As we follow the journey of Helga Crane, a biracial woman, from the deep south, through Chicago, New York, Denmark, and back, historical figures of the period appear unexpectedly; Broadway star Al Jolson sings “April Showers” on a New York City street, W.E.B. Du Bois lectures in a lady’s bedroom, and Paul Robeson performs a scene from The Emperor Jones. Infused with the flavor of the roaring 20s, this lively production will pull you back to a past eerily similar to our present.
What about the play resonates with you most/are you most excited to share and why?
I think what resonates most with me is the sense of importance and precedence that is placed on the idea of community and belonging that is still crucial to the average person's experience today. Helga is a person born both in and out of two different cultures and her overwhelming urge to find a foothold in either one is one of the driving forces of the story. In our current social and political climate there can be so much division and splintering off, and the idea of community and solidarity with you fellow man can be lost, or be used to gang up on other groups. Finding a people where you can truly be yourself with, share ideals and struggles with and have them relate to you and what you're going through is such a basic but joyous feeling and is one that any person of any color or creed can instantly relate to.
What would your character’s Karaoke song be?
Helga's karaoke song would probably be “Black or White” by Michael Jackson.
What is something about you that surprises people?
I think something that surprises people is how old I am vs. how young my face looks.
GABRIELLE LAURENDINE (Helga) is an actor and comedian who is so thrilled to be starring in her first show with Everyday Inferno! She's a recent graduate of St. John's University who's so excited to be showing off her professional acting chops. When not rehearsing or auditioning, you can usually find her re-watching Tony's performances or binging bad movies. Recent roles include Lucetta/Sir Eglamour/ Third Outlaw in Two Gentleman of Verona.
Quicksand Interview: Michael Anthony Jones, playing “Green/Ensemble”
IRT Presents
Everyday Inferno Theatre Company’s
QUICKSAND
By Regina Robbins
IRT Theater
154 Christopher St, NYC
December 1st-15th, 2018
Tickets: $5-35
“They say that if one stands on the corner of 135th street and 7th avenue long enough, one will eventually see all the people one has ever known. It’s pretty true, I guess. Everyone comes to Harlem sooner or later.”
In Regina Robbins' Quicksand, heightened theatricality, live music, and dance combine to immerse the audience in the 1920s: an era of incredible progress and unimaginable inequality. As we follow the journey of Helga Crane, a biracial woman, from the deep south, through Chicago, New York, Denmark, and back, historical figures of the period appear unexpectedly; Broadway star Al Jolson sings “April Showers” on a New York City street, W.E.B. Du Bois lectures in a lady’s bedroom, and Paul Robeson performs a scene from The Emperor Jones. Infused with the flavor of the roaring 20s, this lively production will pull you back to a past eerily similar to our present.
What about the play resonates with you most/are you most excited to share and why?
What resonates with me most about the play is the variety of sub-cultures within the Black culture. We are not just one type of people. i.e. We are religious, family oriented, blue collar, educated, social leaders, political leaders, etc.
If you could have a fantasy dinner party and invite three guests (alive or dead, but they must be real people), who would you invite? What food are you serving?
I would invite Marcus Garvey, Mother Teresea, and Paramahansa Yogananda. I'm serving Jollof Rice and Banana Pudding.
What is the biggest challenge this piece has posed to you?
Learning blocking, dance and text in a non-linear way.
MICHAEL ANTHONY JONES* (Green/Ensemble) has performed in plays such as August Wilson's Women (AUDELCO AWARD), Fences (AUDELCO AWARD), Wild Children (written by Vincent Pastore of the HBO series The Sopranos), 365 Plays/365 Days, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Black Girl, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. His films include, Family Matters, with Arthur French, No Tips; No Love, A House with Many Windows, and An Unremarkable Life (with Charles Dutton). His writing credits include the plays, It Takes a Village to Raise…Hell, produced by The Marian Holding Theatre, Family Matters, produced at Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company, Angela's Justice, produced at Theater for the New City and Josh: The Black Babe Ruth, produced at Woodie King, Jr's New Federal Theatre. Numerous screenplays written and was commissioned to write The Skin I'm In, a play that is touring the N.Y. Public Schools. www.saucemike.webs.com
Quicksand Interview: Marissa Stewart, playing “Anne/Ensemble”
IRT Presents
Everyday Inferno Theatre Company’s
QUICKSAND
By Regina Robbins
IRT Theater
154 Christopher St, NYC
December 1st-15th, 2018
Tickets: $5-35
“They say that if one stands on the corner of 135th street and 7th avenue long enough, one will eventually see all the people one has ever known. It’s pretty true, I guess. Everyone comes to Harlem sooner or later.”
In Regina Robbins' Quicksand, heightened theatricality, live music, and dance combine to immerse the audience in the 1920s: an era of incredible progress and unimaginable inequality. As we follow the journey of Helga Crane, a biracial woman, from the deep south, through Chicago, New York, Denmark, and back, historical figures of the period appear unexpectedly; Broadway star Al Jolson sings “April Showers” on a New York City street, W.E.B. Du Bois lectures in a lady’s bedroom, and Paul Robeson performs a scene from The Emperor Jones. Infused with the flavor of the roaring 20s, this lively production will pull you back to a past eerily similar to our present.
What about the play resonates with you most/are you most excited to share and why?
I love ensemble-based shows and the creative journey we go on through telling this story. The play feels grand and intimate at the same time. I am excited for my teenage cousins to watch the play and see people that look like them on stage.
If you could have a fantasy dinner party and invite three guests (alive or dead, but they must be real people), who would you invite? What food are you serving?
Michelle Obama, Beyonce and Ellen DeGeneres. It would be more of a dance party, let's be real. Food would be on the side to keep us fueled during dancing and would consist of unlimited sushi and pinot noir. Plus all the fries. Halfway through the dance party our special VIP guest would arrive: the notorious Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
What do you wish the theatre had more of?
Outreach and accessibility for youth and marginalized communities.
MARISSA STEWART* (Anne/Ensemble) is an actor and teaching artist originally from sunny San Antonio, Texas and is beyond thrilled to be in the cast for Quicksand. Upon receiving her Master of Fine Arts in Acting from the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University, she made the big move to New York. Some of her favorite credits include playing Horatio in an all-female cast of Taming of the Shrew, Juliet for the School Visit Program at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival as well as performing Thornton Wilder's short plays at the Moscow Art Theater. When she isn't acting, teaching, dancing, or traveling, Marissa can be found riding her super cool bike across the boroughs of NYC.
Quicksand Interview: Monica Rodrigues, playing “Karen/Audrey/Ensemble”
IRT Presents
Everyday Inferno Theatre Company’s
QUICKSAND
By Regina Robbins
IRT Theater
154 Christopher St, NYC
December 1st-15th, 2018
Tickets: $5-35
“They say that if one stands on the corner of 135th street and 7th avenue long enough, one will eventually see all the people one has ever known. It’s pretty true, I guess. Everyone comes to Harlem sooner or later.”
In Regina Robbins' Quicksand, heightened theatricality, live music, and dance combine to immerse the audience in the 1920s: an era of incredible progress and unimaginable inequality. As we follow the journey of Helga Crane, a biracial woman, from the deep south, through Chicago, New York, Denmark, and back, historical figures of the period appear unexpectedly; Broadway star Al Jolson sings “April Showers” on a New York City street, W.E.B. Du Bois lectures in a lady’s bedroom, and Paul Robeson performs a scene from The Emperor Jones. Infused with the flavor of the roaring 20s, this lively production will pull you back to a past eerily similar to our present.
What about the play resonates with you most/are you most excited to share and why?
I think Helga’s journey is very relatable in this story especially for women in our current social and political climate. The Harlem Renaissance was such a movement in its own that very much created a shift in society at the time. So much of the cultural and racial prejudice that we see outlined in Quicksand is still very prevalent (unfortunately) today. It’s rather stifling the similarities between present and past, and serves as a reminder that things currently need to be changed to provide inclusivity for all.
What would your character’s Karaoke song be?
Audrey’s power anthem would DEFINITELY be “I’m Coming Out” by P!nk since she starts ALL the parties.
What is something about you that surprises people?
Fun fact about me? I can beatbox.
MONICA RODRIGUES (Karen/Audrey/Ensemble) is thrilled to be rejoining the NYC theater scene as a member of the Quicksand cast. She was most recently seen originating the role of Deborah Chessler in the East Coast premiere of Soul Harmony: The story of Deborah Chessler and the Orioles in Westchester, PA. Some of her favorite credits include Mimi in Rent and Lulu in Cabaret. A big thank you goes out to all of her friends and family for their constant support and encouragement.
Quicksand Interview: Tyler Johnson, playing “James/Ensemble”
IRT Presents
Everyday Inferno Theatre Company’s
QUICKSAND
By Regina Robbins
IRT Theater
154 Christopher St, NYC
December 1st-15th, 2018
Tickets: $5-35
“They say that if one stands on the corner of 135th street and 7th avenue long enough, one will eventually see all the people one has ever known. It’s pretty true, I guess. Everyone comes to Harlem sooner or later.”
In Regina Robbins' Quicksand, heightened theatricality, live music, and dance combine to immerse the audience in the 1920s: an era of incredible progress and unimaginable inequality. As we follow the journey of Helga Crane, a biracial woman, from the deep south, through Chicago, New York, Denmark, and back, historical figures of the period appear unexpectedly; Broadway star Al Jolson sings “April Showers” on a New York City street, W.E.B. Du Bois lectures in a lady’s bedroom, and Paul Robeson performs a scene from The Emperor Jones. Infused with the flavor of the roaring 20s, this lively production will pull you back to a past eerily similar to our present.
What about the play resonates with you most/are you most excited to share and why?
I'm excited to be sharing snippets of the black experience in a different time period. To me there's something about the story that's still relevant to today's time, it's really neat that I get to offer that perspective.
What would your character’s Karaoke song be?
I am confident that James would get on stage at the bar and dedicate Rick Astley’s ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ to Helga. Out of all the men in the play, he loves her the most.
What is the best or worst piece of advice about acting you've ever been given?
A random actor who looked a lot like me in a dream I had, said: “Tell the truth. Even if your character is lying.” That's always stuck with me.
TYLER JOHNSON (James/Ensemble) hails from Kannapolis, NC and is a proud graduate of The American Musical & Dramatic Academy of New York. His stage credits include: A Sketch of New York (actor) and 'T.I.S.E Best of The Best of The Best Showcase' (writer, actor). His film credits include 'Tethered' (Aaron) and 'Last Party in New York'. When he's not acting he enjoys a good time with friends, working outdoors and He's also very thankful to be working with The Everyday Inferno Theatre Company in his first professional play! Tyler would like to thank the good Lord Jesus, his family, teachers, friends and the city of Kannapolis for their never ending support!
THE MELTING POT
by Carol Lashof
presented by Everyday Inferno Theatre Company
The Access Theater
380 Broadway, NYC
March 16th-24th, 2018
Tickets: $5-$18
“Here you stand in your fifty groups, with your fifty languages and histories, and your fifty blood hatreds and rivalries. But you wont be long like that, brothers, for these are the fires of God you’ve come to these are the fires of God.”
In Carol Lashof’s incendiary world premiere play, the blossoming relationship between two recent immigrants stalls at the crossroads between the promises of the future, and horrors of the past. At the turn of a century that feels startlingly familiar, young lovers David Quixano and Vera Revendal enter the American crucible and are re-formed. Through a rich blend of languages, cultures, humor, and music, The Melting Pot weaves text from Israel Zangwill’s 1908 smash melodrama of the same name with voices from the early 20th century culture wars, creating an entirely new work that lays bare the wonders and wounds of immigrant America.
What made you want to direct The Melting Pot?
The play raises pertinent questions about what it means to be American – what it has meant historically and means in 2018. I’m specifically interested in how the play touches upon immigration and explores how one can maintain one's culture, roots etc. while also becoming an American citizen. I'm further excited about exploring Zangwill’s melodrama – I’m fascinated by melodrama’s structure, and Carol has combined sections of Zangwill’s The Melting Pot in a manner that allows us to play with melodramatic tropes. The piece also provides a canvas for embracing ensemble staging - I'm generally drawn to plays with large casts and in this, everyone's on stage the whole time, which offers an opportunity to explore communal storytelling.
The Melting Pot is set in the very early 20th century, but has definite relevance in 2018. Is that something you’re focusing on or considering in your direction? How?
Yes definitely - the original context of The Melting Pot was so specific to its period and yet Zangwill's piece resonates today. The play certainly raises questions about American identity that were pertinent in the early 20th century and arguably have remained pertinent through present. We're of course in an especially interesting moment to examine the idea of cultural fusing, nationalism etc. Currently, identity politics are at a forefront of conversation and the concept of American nationalism is increasingly complex - exploring this idea of America as a melting pot feels pressing. We've aimed to remain aware of the original context in which The Melting Pot would have been performed, while also building a bridge to presenting this remix in a 2018 context. Specifically from a design standpoint - we're aiming to fuse elements of 20th century with elements of modern day. I'm specifically interested in this question of how one progresses post trauma - something Zangwill's The Melting Pot actively explores in examining a Kishinev pogrom, and that Carol [playwright] further explores in interweaving Zangwill's melodrama with a narrative of a nurse who's survived a pogrom in Odessa. For both of these characters - persecution and trauma have deeply affected their young lives. America thus presents comparative safety as well as offering a possible beacon of hope. How does one start anew and pursue the American Dream when coming from an experience of such deep-seeded persecution and violence? Can the American Dream offer a truly hopeful chance at obtaining a better future? These questions fascinate me in context of the original Zangwill play, and are quite relevant when looking at immigration and asylum seekers in 2018 America - especially in examining the concept of the American Dream and who it's built to serve.
What do you wish the theatre had more of?
Aesthetically I gravitate towards heightened theatricality and moments where theatre defies expectations of what's possible. Broadly, I'm drawn to theatre that subverts expectation, that transforms space, that tells stories dynamically and inventively - I always wish to see more theatre that exists outside of the language of realism. On a representation front, I wish the American theatre more accurately reflected the wide range of narratives that exist in America and internationally. Representation is perhaps one of the largest services theatre can provide for a community - there's something immensely powerful in seeing oneself reflected onstage, and there's likewise a great importance in finding empathy in stories far from one's own experience. To this end I wish theatre consistently committed to representation - in programming, in audience cultivation, and in equitable hiring practices.
What is the biggest challenge this piece has posed to you?
The greatest challenge for me in this piece is a question of tone - how does one make consistent Zangwill's melodrama in conversation with the choral sections of the play? There's great humor in much of the Zangwill text, and these comedic sections are often juxtaposed with truly horrific accounts of mass-brutality. Creating a consistent balance in tone presents a challenge that requires vigilant attention. Ultimately, as is often the case, the challenge is ensuring we're telling one unified story. So, moments in the Zangwill play that might exist in high melodrama when Zangwill's play is presented might not be appropriate being so heightened in this remix's context. Therefore, managing thru-line and tone are two aspects I consistently have an eye on in rehearsal.
What do you hope the audience will be talking about after they see the play?
I hope they will leave considering how questions of American identity have been relevant throughout time, considering the concept of the melting pot as it existed in the early 20th century vs. present day. The play largely asks audiences to bear witness to individuals reflecting on trauma - and then presents a potential path forward. My hope is the play can spark audiences to consider how we listen, especially to immigrants who are aiming to build a future within the opportunities America provides while also maintaining culture and heritage. Can the melting pot concept allow for one to both embrace an American identity and maintain a deep connection to one's roots?
Why is affordable theatre important?
Affordable theatre is SO important - having access to theatre (and to the arts at large) is critical for any community. Theatre potentially allows us space to reflect, to feel, to empathize, to learn, to expand etc., but without access, this experience is limited and becomes an elite privilege. Affordable theatre therefore is a necessary means of broadening audience, of welcoming as many individuals as possible into an artistic space, of providing critical access that allows for the conversation surrounding a play to expand and further allows for theatre to remain a vital art form.
“Going Home” is the theme binding the plays in Everyday Inferno’s 2018 season. What does “going home” mean to you and how do you see your play within our theme?
The Melting Pot certainly fits within this theme - and is perhaps as much about creating a home as it is about going home. At the narrative's center are individuals who've immigrated to America and are aiming to create a home within a new country. The play also largely contends with how one lives between - how can one maintain affection for a birthplace even if that place has become unsafe? What are the traditions of home that are not tied to a specific place? Religious traditions are perhaps the largest aspects of home that are carried by the Quixano family to America - so there's a degree to which "going home" metaphorically is tied to practicing religion. The play also arguably offers David's symphony as a potential new metaphor for homecoming - how can one create art that articulates the bittersweet state of having to forge a new home after fleeing a dangerous one?
For me, going home on a literal level means returning to my parents' apartment in Manhattan where they have lived since I was born - I feel immensely fortunate to have had this consistency of a literal home. That said, I also find there's a certain homecoming in the process of learning how to live on one's own. Especially as someone who has relatively consistently lived away from home for months at a time for work - I tend to find fragments of home in places I've studied, worked, or otherwise resided - all places where I've forged a path towards learning how I define home on my own terms. I'm obsessed with the nostalgia we can have for spaces - even ones we've long left behind. There's a part of me that will likely always define "going home" as having the opportunity to return to places I once lived and experience them anew.
What current theatre artists are on your radar? What excites you about their work?
I just saw Folk Wandering, produced by Pipeline Theatre Company - which was moving and exciting both as a production and as an investigation of unique artistic process. I'm generally excited about companies that push the boundaries of how we think about making theatre and support methods of collaboration that are perhaps deemed untraditional. To that end: Pipeline Theatre Company, One Year Lease, The TEAM, The Civilians, Ars Nova etc. are some organizations whose work I'm always excited to follow.
Some upcoming shows I'm looking forward to seeing:
Dance Nation by Clare Barron / dir. Lee Sunday Evans (Playwrights Horizons)
The House That Will Not Stand by Marcus Gardley / dir. Lileana Blain Cruz (NYTW)
Is God Is by Aleshea Harris / dir. Taibi Magar (SoHo Rep)
Relevance by JC Lee / dir. Liesl Tommy (MCC)
Transfers by Lucy Thurber / dir. Jackson Gay (MCC)
Alex Keegan’s directing includes Qui Nguyen’s She Kills Monsters (Geva Fellowship/SUNY Brockport), ensemble-generated Aplomb (The Habitat), Margot Connolly’s Tough, Krista Knight’s Selkie (Williamstown), Gracie Gardner’s Primary (Sanguine / IRT), and new work with Cherry Lane Theatre, O’Neill Theater Center YPF, The Flea, MCC FreshPlay, and The Wild Project. Member/Alum: SDC Associate, Rattlestick’s Middle Voice Company, Williamstown Directing Corps, NYTW Adelphi Residency, Geva Directing Fellowship, The Drama League's Artist Residency, Lincoln Center Directors Lab, The Civilians R&D Group. Assistant Directing – Broadway: 24 Hour Plays; Williamstown: Boo Killebrew’s Romance Novels… (dir. Moritz von Stuelpnagel), Sam Hunter’s A Great Wilderness (dir. Eric Ting); Woolly Mammoth: Clare Barron’s Baby Screams Miracle (dir. Howard Shalwitz). BA: Brown. In fall 2018, Alex will begin pursuing her MFA in Directing at Yale School of Drama
The Melting Pot Interview: Carol Lashof, Playwright
THE MELTING POT
by Carol Lashof
presented by Everyday Inferno Theatre Company
The Access Theater
380 Broadway, NYC
March 16th-24th, 2018
Tickets: $5-$18
"Here you stand in your fifty groups, with your fifty languages and histories, and your fifty blood hatreds and rivalries. But you wont be long like that, brothers, for these are the fires of God you’ve come to these are the fires of God."
In Carol Lashof’s incendiary world premiere play, the blossoming relationship between two recent immigrants stalls at the crossroads between the promises of the future, and horrors of the past. At the turn of a century that feels startlingly familiar, young lovers David Quixano and Vera Revendal enter the American crucible and are re-formed. Through a rich blend of languages, cultures, humor, and music, The Melting Pot weaves text from Israel Zangwill’s 1908 smash melodrama of the same name with voices from the early 20th century culture wars, creating an entirely new work that lays bare the wonders and wounds of immigrant America.
If you had to write a character description for yourself, what would be the character description of Carol Lashof?
Carol is a wannabe absent-minded professor/ poet-dreamer who finds herself obliged time and again to step up and participate in the material world. This has happened to her so often that she has almost accepted it. Almost.
Why adapt The Melting Pot? What made you want to revive Israel Zangwill’s play and make it into a new work and in what ways does your play - set in the early 20th century - resonate in today's world?
I’ve been intrigued for a very long time by the extraordinary role of Zangwill’s melodrama in the early twentieth-century culture wars and by how disturbingly relevant the terms of that debate still are today. Leading up to the passage of the National Origins Act of 1924, “The Melting Pot” (both the play and the metaphor) was bitterly attacked by nationalists wanting to close American borders. The immigrant groups targeted by white supremacist fear-mongering were different then but the rhetoric was pretty much the same as now. The resonances have been clear to me since I first began researching the topic more than fifteen years ago, but they have become painfully sharp since November 8, 2016.
Another motive for me to revisit Zangwill’s The Melting Pot is feeling a personal stake in the story: like the hero of his 1908 play, my grandparents and great-grandparents fled European anti-Semitism to make a home in the United States at the turn of the last century. In particular, my grandfather, still a boy at the time, left Odessa after the 1905 pogrom.
Why do you write for theater? Why this, and not another form?
I love the collaborative nature of the theater and its openness to many voices. Playwriting is polyphonic to its core.
What is the least helpful and most helpful piece of writing advice you've ever received?
By far the most destructive piece of writing advice I have ever received was the admonition from a college teacher that “the road to hell is paved with weekend writers,” the implication being that if you don’t put writing ahead of every other priority, then you’re not a Real Artist. Most human beings in this world do not have that luxury. Not if they value financial independence - without which there is no meaningful intellectual or artistic independence - and not if there are other human beings in the world whom they love and who depend upon them. [Note: I wrote a play about this called “Nora’s Daughter.”]
The most useful piece of advice I’ve ever encountered for playwrights and other theater practitioners is to remember that at any given moment a significant portion of your audience needs to pee (from David Ball’s Backwards and Forwards).
Why is affordable theatre important?
I like plays that provoke conversation. How can you have a good conversation without many different voices in the room? And how can you get a diverse spectrum of voices if the cost of entering the room is a major barrier? In my opinion, theater should be like public schools and public libraries: if you’re curious, come on in!
What do you wish the theatre had more of?
Enough money to pay the artists a living wage. Stories and characters that challenge assumptions.
What do you hope the audience will be talking about after they see your play?
I hope they walk out of the theater talking about metaphors, immigration, and the idea of “E Pluribus Unum” (presumably not in Latin, however). Clearly, we are living in a divided nation right now and our democracy is at risk. Is there a path to unity, a path that’s welcoming and inclusive? Could a powerful image help bring us together? “The Melting Pot” metaphor, excoriated by white nationalists, has also been critiqued from the left as too assimilationist, which is a legitimate criticism in my opinion. Is there a better metaphor for a unified and multicultural nation? If we could find one, would it matter? Zangwill’s hero David is composing an “American Symphony,” and “symphony” was in fact a competing metaphor for American culture favored by some early twentieth-century progressive thinkers. I like it. Why didn’t it capture the imagination of the public back then? Could it now?
What other current playwrights are you following and/or paying attention to? What excites you about their work?
The plays which excite me are plays that open me up to something new through the courage and intensity of their vision. I like plays that start conversations by exploding stereotypes, challenging assumptions, and raising essential questions. Plays which do all of this and in which the characters are represented with compassion – those are the plays I love the most. Because they write those kinds of plays, I have long followed Lynn Nottage and Paula Vogel and was very excited to see them converge on Broadway last spring. I was lucky enough to get to New York in time to see the closing performance of Indecent, which was luminous. Paula Vogel’s work is always original, intelligent and highly theatrical. Years ago, How I Learned to Drive swept me off my feet. Sweat, which I saw at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival before it went to New York, also swept me off my feet. I believe that if every person in the United States were to see it, we would become a better nation.
Two other writers whose work excites me right now and whose careers I look forward to following are Marisela Treviño Orta and Nick Hadikwa Mwaluko. Both of these writers make audiences see something new about shifting identities in the contemporary United States. My theater company (Those Women Productions, cofounded with Elizabeth Vega in 2014) is producing plays by each of them in the current season. We’re doing the world premiere of Mwaluko’s They/ Them and the west coast premiere of Orta’s Woman on Fire. I’m excited to bring these plays to an audience because of their lyrical writing and the courage and generosity of their vision.
CAROL S. LASHOF is a playwright, educator, and theater producer. She has been challenging the major myths and stereotypes of western culture since 1981 when her play The Story, retelling the Book of Genesis, premiered at The Magic Theatre of San Francisco. Since then, Lashof has gone head to head with Sigmund Freud in Fraulein Dora and with Henrik Ibsen in Nora’s Daughter. She has also reimagined several Greek myths, moving marginalized points of view to the center of the stage. Notably, in Medusa’s Tale, Lashof constructs the Gorgon’s history from the hints in Ovid’s Metamorphosis, and in Just Deserts, she tells the origin story of trial by jury from the point of view of the avenging Furies. Recently, Lashof has focused on specifically American stories. She wrote the screenplay for Ryan Coogler’s award-winning short film “Gap,” which aired on BET nationwide, and is currently at work on a full-length stage play of the same name about myths and stereotypes in an American high school. Lashof has been a teacher most of her life and served on the faculty of Saint Mary’s College of California for twenty-five years. She left full-time teaching in 2008 to focus on writing plays and making theater. On International Women’s Day, 2014, she and Artistic Director Elizabeth Vega founded Those Women Productions, a Berkeley-based theater company with a mission to explore hidden truths of gender and power. More information about Carol Lashof’s plays can be found on the New Play Exchange.
Glassheart Interview: Meghann Garmany, playing “Only”
GLASSHEART
by Reina Hardy
presented by Everyday Inferno Theatre Company
The Access Theater
380 Broadway, NYC
October 19th-28th, 2017
Tickets: $5-18
“In the empty living room of a shabby apartment, a Beast is crying. There is just enough light to see that he is monstrous, and clutching something precious to him.”
Beauty never showed up. Centuries after the curse, the Beast and his last remaining magical servant are holed up in a ramshackle apartment, managed by a mysterious landlady with a suspicious taste for gingerbread. When an eligible maiden moves in next door, “happily ever after” feels agonizingly within reach, but we all know that in fairytales, nothing is exactly as it seems. Full of humor, magic, and belief in the life-altering power of love, Glassheart is a witty and decidedly adult take on a classic tale that explores the space between light and dark, and the sacrifices we make in search of an ordinary life.
What household object would you not want to live without?
Truthfully, the first thing I do when I get home at night is turn on a lamp and turn off the overhead lighting. One of my dearest and oldest friends, we’ve known each other since we were six and we were college roommates, loathes over-head lighting. I do too. I don’t know if it’s a habit I picked up from her or something I’ve always done, but yeah, I really do love lamps. They make the home a better place.
What about the play are you most excited to share?
There’s so much I’m excited to share, but currently I’m most excited to share the moments of magic. In the rehearsal rooms, we’ve built in these moments of magic for ourselves surrounded by folding chairs, rehearsal blocks, and fluorescents; I am so excited to explore these moments surrounded by everything the design team has created and to share these moments with an audience. The feeling of a roomful of people experiencing a moment of wonder together is palpable and so thrilling to be a part of, let alone orchestrate! Also…CANDY. I’m very excited to share candy.
What do you wish the theatre had more of?
Ah, here’s my soap-box…now what do I do it with? The short version, I wish the theatre was as diverse as the world around us, and I wish it was more accessible to the world around us.
The long version, the theatre could use a lot. It could use more women, people of color, LGBTQIA people, and people with disabilities. They all possess the ability to create and to produce creative work. Like the world around us, all of these groups could use more representation. I’d love to see more diverse stories, from life-experiences and identities I’ve never had. On a personal note, more queer representation and experiences would be great. I’d love to play a lesbian that gets to be happy and live their life and maybe…I don’t know…not die horribly or have something horrible happen to them. I’d love to play a lesbian in a story that has nothing to do with being a lesbian. Sometimes it happens, I’ve had theatre experiences here that have opened my mind to other cultures and experiences, pieces of history I was oblivious to or had only seen through a white perspective, or encountered a gay character in a story-line that had nothing to do with them being gay. But yeah, “more of” that. There are lots of voices and stories that aren’t just waiting to be heard, they are already there, you just have to listen.
I also think it would be great if more people could afford to go to the theatre. Perhaps if the audiences in commercial theatres began to hold as much diversity and experience as the people in the streets, the diversity and experiences on stage would begin to reflect that. I’m not sure what the answer is here, but I know it’s not found at a “discounted price” of $85. More ticket initiatives? Government funding? How do we find something that’s feasible, but also sustainable in the commercial world? I could talk myself in circles on this one.
I’ll also just go ahead and say that I’m really proud to work with Everyday Inferno. They are a very female driven company telling stories centered around women, but they also really work to take whatever steps they can towards inclusivity and affordability. It’s not a perfect check box. There will always be mis-steps and more that can be done, but to work with a company that keeps trying and to know they’re not alone in that, that other companies and artists are also trying, it keeps me hopeful.
What would your character’s Karaoke song be?
I think Karaoke decisions, like many choices in life, are based on current mood and level of consumption. If Only’s letting loose and shining bright, “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” by The Darkness. If she’s on a bender and The Beast is having a particularly bad day, “Torn” by Natalie Imbruglia. But at the end of the night, as the bar begins to clear and the last drinks are poured, she makes herself a warm spotlight and shuts the place down with “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston.
MEGHANN GARMANY* (Only) is a core company member of Everyday Inferno and has been seen previously in EITC productions including Reina Hardy’s A Map to Somewhere Else and the development of Nora Sørena Casey’s Dreams of Malinche and Regina Robbins’ Quicksand as part of the 2017 Access Theatre residency. Other credits include The Mask of the Jaguar King (The Schoolhouse Theatre, Croton Falls NY), Bonesetter: A Tragislasher (Spicy Witch Productions), The Woman American (Samuel French OOB Festival), and Fengar Gael’s Devil Dog Six. Meghann is an alumna of the Theatre Arts Department of Virginia Tech. She is thrilled to go on yet another magical journey with Everyday Inferno and hopes you will continue to join and support us. @MeghannGarmany (Twitter and FB), @TheGarm (Instagram), www.MeghannGarmany.com
Glassheart Interview: Christopher Alexey Diaz, playing “The Beast”
GLASSHEART
by Reina Hardy
presented by Everyday Inferno Theatre Company
The Access Theater
380 Broadway, NYC
October 19th-28th, 2017
Tickets: $5-18
“In the empty living room of a shabby apartment, a Beast is crying. There is just enough light to see that he is monstrous, and clutching something precious to him.”
Beauty never showed up. Centuries after the curse, the Beast and his last remaining magical servant are holed up in a ramshackle apartment, managed by a mysterious landlady with a suspicious taste for gingerbread. When an eligible maiden moves in next door, “happily ever after” feels agonizingly within reach, but we all know that in fairytales, nothing is exactly as it seems. Full of humor, magic, and belief in the life-altering power of love, Glassheart is a witty and decidedly adult take on a classic tale that explores the space between light and dark, and the sacrifices we make in search of an ordinary life.
What would your character’s karaoke song be?
“Chasing Pavement”, Adele
What’s your favorite line in the show and why?
“You think you can hold me?”
The feeling of someone pressing against you, keeping you close to themselves and the way your skin tingles from the excitement— there aren't many things more intimate than that. The Beast isn’t merely asking if it’s physically possible. It is a glimpse into the most honest desire he’s had for lifetimes; to be held by another. It’s a devastatingly beautiful yet incredibly simple piece of text.
What is the best or worst piece of advice about acting you've ever been given?
The inimitable Jonny Epstein once lovingly told me “Acting is Hair!” I kinda missed the mark on that one didn’t I?
What do you wish the theatre had more of?
I wish theatre had more stories about women & men of color. I believe it is vital that those stories get told.
CHRISTOPHER ALEXEY DIAZ* (The Beast) is ecstatic to be a part of the NYC premiere of Reina Hardy's Glassheart with Everyday Inferno Theatre Company. He was last seen on stage in The Night Shift's production of Measure for Measure as Claudio. Past credits include Aaron Henry/Harrison/James Chaney in All the Way, George in Ah, Wilderness (Asolo Repertory Theatre), Jaques in As You Like It, Morton Gross/Barker in The Water Engine, Petya Trofimov in The Cherry Orchard (FSU/Asolo Conservatory), Tybalt (Hope Summer Repertory Theatre) & Red Cheetah in Reading! And Other Superpowers (Creede Rep). Thank you to my inimitable parents, Terry & Yadira. ENJOY THE SHOW!
