THE WORD

Inquirer: MICROCRISIS is "Big Fun," "Dynamically Wacky," "Deceptively Smart"

2012-01-26T12:00:00.000-05:00

Check out these excerpts from Howard Shapiro's review of MICROCRISIS from the Philadelphia Inquirer:

Kevin Bergen (as Bennett)
and Bi Jean Ngo (as Clare)
Bankers are lending big money to poor folks who can never pay it back, Ivy League whiz-kids are developing new ways to get interest on that cash, financial watchdogs grant high ratings to every scammer, the feds turn all their cheeks, and in the play Microcrisis - can you believe it? - it's all big fun. Granted, you can argue fine points about the financial stuff, but not about the fun factor of Microcrisis, in InterAct Theatre Company’s dynamically wacky production...

Mike Lew’s satire, in which the New York-based playwright takes everyone in the international financial crisis to extremes, is an all-out goof... Lews' play is aptly stupid in its depictions and deceptively smart in its construction. Every character represents some faceless part of the real crisis...

Four of the six-member cast play multiple roles, the particularly flexible Frank X among them... The show-stealer, though, is Bi Jean Ngo, as the securities rating executive whose emotion-wrought bang-bang delivery can rip up a room. Kevin Bergen... is the high-strung smarm-master who thinks all this up..., Hannah Gold and Dave Johnson... are high-octane university kids who become the faces of this mess, and Maia Desanti is the schoolteacher who throws her pension away. The production is lifted into another zone by Mark Valenzuela's sound, which makes all sorts of things that aren't physically there seem real. You know, just like the bankers did.

Read Howard Shapiro's Entire Philadelphia Inquirer Review

Links to more information about MICROCRISIS:

Purchase Tickets Now

Find Out More About InterAct's Philadelphia Premiere Production

Watch the Video Trailer Online

Watch 6ABC Loves the Arts' Feature Story

Listen to an Interview with Playwright Mike Lew

Video Trailer for MICROCRISIS

2012-01-25T13:54:00.000-05:00

Watch the video trailer for InterAct's Philadelphia premiere of the critically-acclaimed new comedy MICROCRISIS by Mike Lew:

Links to more information about MICROCRISIS:

Find Out More About InterAct's Production

Watch 6ABC Loves the Arts' Story on MICROCRISIS

Listen to an Interview with Playwright Mike Lew

Purchase Tickets

City Paper calls MICROCRISIS Cast "Stellar" and its Playwright "A True New Theater Original"

2012-01-20T13:57:00.002-05:00

Check out what City Paper has to say about InterAct's production of the new satire MICROCRISIS by Mike Lew:

Don't despair if you didn't catch the magical Bi Jean Ngo when she relaunched her Theatre Confetti performance troupe at Underground Arts last week. You'll get more than a few glimpses of the Philadelphia actress when she joins the stellar cast - Kevin Bergen, Maia Desanti, Hannah Gold, Dave Johnson and, most particularly, Frank X - of MICROCRISIS at the Adrienne. This snarky snippet of political/financial intrigue shows off exactly what InterAct Theatre does best: present tart scripts that pit big against small, evil against good. Absurdist playwright Mike Lew and director Seth Rozin fashion a funny global game of cat and mouse amongst lenders and borrowers without a care for anyone (save the laughing-out-loud audiences). Lew is responsible for short, sharply sardonic theater pieces such as IN PARIS YOU WILL FIND MANY BAGUETTES BUT ONLY ONE TRUE LOVE and is a true new theater original.

Read all of City Paper's A&E Recommendations Here

Links to more information about MICROCRISIS:

Find Out More About InterAct's Philadelphia Premiere

Watch 6ABC Loves the Arts' Feature Story on MICROCRISIS

Listen to an Interview with Playwright Mike Lew

Purchase Tickets

Talking with... Mike Lew, Playwright of MICROCRISIS

2012-01-18T10:39:00.000-05:00

InterAct Artistic Associate Kittson O'Neill sat down with MICROCRISIS playwright Mike Lew (and an unexpected interlude with InterAct's office cat Gomez) to discuss his inspiration for the play, what an endorsement by Natalie Portman really means to him, and of course, the zombie apocalypse...

Listen now:

Mike Lew, Playwright of MICROCRISIS

Kittson O'Neill, InterAct Artistic Associate

Gomez, InterAct's Office Cat

Links to more information about MICROCRISIS:

Watch 6ABC's Feature Story on MICROCRISIS

Find Out More about InterAct's Philadelphia Premiere

Purchase Tickets Here

Adventures of an InterAct Intern!

2012-01-17T16:23:00.002-05:00

Adventures of an InterAct Intern

I figure it’s about time to update you all on what’s happening at InterAct! I haven't updated in a while so we are about to go WAY BACK!

THE HOW AND THE WHY opened a few months ago to banging reviews! I was lucky enough to act as the assistant stage manager, sound board op AND I got to play the VERY IMPORTANT part of bartender for approximately 7 seconds. I was lucky enough to be able to lead one of the talk backs while Seth was away too! Long story short I learned SO much and received so many opportunities while working on the show. THE HOW AND THE WHY was the first professional production I have ever been a part of so I absolutely learned a lot and had a blast being a part of something that was so successful.

Not long after THE HOW AND THE WHY closed InterAct hosted NNPN’s National Showcase of New Plays. NNPN is an organization where non-profit theatres from around the country join together to produce and develop new plays. The NNPN Conference was held in November. The purpose of the showcase was to show the members of NNPN new production ready plays that may fit their theatre's mission. The intern's played a huge part in the readings serving as ASM's, readers, house managers and the general go-to people for any questions. Being a part of this conference was an absolute invaluable experience. We got to meet so many theatre professionals from all over the place, work with directors we may have never gotten the opportunity to work with and all in all have an awesome, and bust, week doing what we all love to do.

READ MORE ABOUT NNPN HERE!!! http://www.nnpn.org/about_staff.php

It has been a busy few months to say the least, AND WE ARE ONLY GETTING STARTED. I could go on and on with all the other things the past few months have consisted of but that would make for a very long very unreadable blog! So maybe a second update is in order in the near future.

MICROCRISIS opens next week!!! Come check us out!

P.S Don't forget to check out Wildlife Wednesday on InterAct's Facebook! Cause who doesn't live pictures of cats and dogs.... and sometimes Dany?

See Ya Later Alligator!

InterAct's MICROCRISIS Featured on 6ABC

2012-01-09T14:45:00.001-05:00

Links to more information about InterAct's MICROCRISIS:

Find Out More about InterAct's Philadelphia Premiere

Purchase Tickets to InterAct's MICROCRISIS

InterAct's OUTSIDE THE FRAME Festival is "Perhaps the Biggest Event this Spring..."

2011-12-29T11:37:00.001-05:00

In this week's Philadelphia Weekly, J. Cooper Robb includes InterAct's newly announced line-up for the upcoming OUTSIDE THE FRAME Festival as one of his "2012 Productions You Don't Want to Miss," hailing it as "Perhaps the biggest event this spring...":

Tim Miller in LAY OF THE LAND.
Photo by Leo Garcia.
Whether you’re a seasoned theatergoer or a newbie to the scene, it’s easy to see that our local theater companies are doing exciting work. Drugs, racism, identity issues, gay rights. These are just a few of the issues being tackled - both seriously and not - on stages across the city in the new year...

Perhaps the biggest event this spring is InterAct Theatre’s ambitious new festival “Outside the Frame: Voices from The Other America” at the Adrienne (March 27-April 22). InterAct’s artistic director Seth Rozin says the festival’s goal is to give voice to communities rarely covered by the mainstream media. The festival features eight small touring productions including a solo piece by queer performance artist Tim Miller called Lay of the Land, and Najla Said’s Palestine , a humorous story of a Palestinian-American princess who rediscovers her Arab-American identity when she travels to occupied territories.

Click Here to See All Philly Weekly's Picks for the 2012 Season

Links to more information about InterAct's Spring 2012 Festival:

Check Out the Full OUTSIDE THE FRAME Festival Line-Up

See Two Festival Shows (along with InterAct's Two Mainstage Plays) with a Season Subscription - Starting at Only $50.00

InterAct Hosts ETCHED IN SKIN... Development Workshop

2011-12-13T15:42:00.002-05:00

Playwright Kara Lee Corthron (left),
Director Whit MacLaughlin,
and Phyllis Johnson as "Jules"

ETCHED IN SKIN ON A SUNLIT NIGHT

by Kara Lee Corthron

Play Development Workshop

InterAct Theatre Company

December 8-9, 2011

Last week I had the awesome opportunity to participate in a table workshop of our upcoming production ETCHED IN SKIN ON A SUNLIT NIGHT, by Kara Lee Corthron. The show will run for the month of June here at InterAct, for which I am the Assistant Stage Manager :-).

Ian Bedford (head of table) as "Olafur"

During the workshop, I read for "Kina", the bi-racial daughter (7-10 years old) of "Jules", an African-American Painter, and "Olafur", her Icelandic husband. The part of "Kina" has not yet been cast.

We read through the script to start, and then just began talking!
And talking...and talking...:-)

Jered McLenigan (left) as "Jonsi"

There was just so much to talk about! This multi-faceted play totes the rock spirit of Sigor Ros, with the lead singer "Jonsi" as a main character...or figment of imagination...or elf...combined with delicate family dynamics, racial conflict, crime, and guilt.

Sound Designer Robert Kaplowitz (right)

Whit MacLaughlin, our fearless director, dove right into the investigation of character, analyzing each main character in turn, based on their words, patterns, choices, and given circumstances. The team of playwright, director, actors & designers had a blast building the legs upon which this epic show will take its stand...and ROCK!

Surrounding the table, an awesome team put their heads together to unpack the power within this piece.

Links to more information about ETCHED IN SKIN ON A SUNLIT NIGHT:

InterAct's World Premiere Begins Performances June 1

Tickets On Sale Now

BroadStreetReview: HOW & WHY is "Crackling... Instantly Engrossing... Ingeniously Realized"

2011-11-09T12:27:00.000-05:00

Check out these excerpts from Alaina Mabaso's review of THE HOW AND THE WHY from Broad Street Review:

In THE HOW AND THE WHY, Sarah Treem rapidly unpacks a world of interpersonal aspersions, thwarted love, feminist struggle and scientific theory. Although her play is dense with themes and ideas, it’s a crackling two hours, thanks to Seth Rozin’s fast-paced direction and two character-driven actresses... Advancing a brand-new, controversial scientific theory is difficult enough, but it’s a grueling life’s work if you happen to be a woman... So theorizes Zelda (the well-grounded Janis Dardaris), an experienced evolutionary biologist, to her young acolyte Rachel (an achingly volatile Victoria Frings)... Treem sets the audience to the instantly engrossing task of discerning the relationship between Zelda and Rachel... provid[ing] especially fertile ground for many a potent meditation on sexism among scientists. By the time the sharpening personal dynamic between Zelda and Rachel expands to include arguments on marriage, pregnancy, parenthood and career, the play brims over while Zelda and Rachel continue to impugn each other’s intentions... Despite the intellectual weight of Treem’s script, Dardaris and Frings — no doubt guided by director Seth Rozin — deliver a thoroughly character-driven performance that makes two scenes of crackling dialogue the fastest two hours I’ve ever spent at the theater. Meghan Jones offers two ingeniously realized sets. Still, I left the Adrienne ruminating not on the characters’ fraught relationship but on the evolutionary theories advanced in Treem’s script. I wanted to corner the playwright (or some unsuspecting biologist) and pepper her with questions about evolutionary theory. That provocation alone made the evening worthwhile.

Read Alaina Mabaso's Entire Review at BroadStreetReview.com

Links to more information about THE HOW AND THE WHY:

Purchase Tickets

Watch the Video Trailer

Read Howard Shapiro's Philadelphia Inquirer Review

An Interview with Playwright Sarah Treem

City Paper: HOW & WHY is a "Symphony of Science... Gripping Production... Fascinating Characters"

2011-11-08T12:18:00.001-05:00

Check out these excerpts from Mark Cofta's review of THE HOW AND THE WHY from Philadelphia City Paper:

Symphony of Science

... In InterAct Theatre Co.'s gripping production, both women are ambitious professionals whose choices are directly and indirectly influenced by men. Therein lies Treem's theme: In their scientific theories and their life paths, both see women as defined by men... Dardaris and Frings deliver all that Treem's script asks of them. Zelda struggles believably to separate passions personal and professional, while... Frings somehow keeps Rachel grounded and, by the end, genuine and sympathetic.

Treem's science-heavy dialogue isn't the quippy nonsense of The Big Bang Theory, but seemingly viable notions about the "why" of menstruation and menopause... Woven through the science and university research's thorny politics in THE HOW AND THE WHY are meaty yet familiar mother-daughter issues. Facts are revealed, tears are shed, and apologies follow condemnations, yet Treem wisely stops short of happily ever after for these two driven, conflicted, fascinating characters.

Read Mark Cofta's Entire Philadelphia City Paper Review

Links to more information about THE HOW AND THE WHY:

Purchase Tickets

Watch the Video Trailer

Read Howard Shapiro's Philadelphia Inquirer Review

An Interview with Playwright Sarah Treem

Staged Blog: "Dardaris’ Poise and Frings’ Energy... is Fascinating and Enthralling"

2011-11-03T14:59:00.000-04:00

Check out these excerpts from Leah Franqui's review of THE HOW AND THE WHY from Staged Blog:

The Origin of the Species

... despite all of the many accomplishments of the female of the species, it seems that women are forever in the position of defending their worth, as we see in Sarah Treem’s THE HOW AND THE WHY... And not just to men, but to each other... When these two brilliant, ambitious, flawed female scientists meet for the first time as adults, it’s as much a chess match as it is a reunion...

Dardaris’ excellent Zelda is a wise, wry and utterly mature foil to Rachel’s spastic nature; she is measured where Rachel is erratic, thoughtful where Rachel is impulsive, and yet, somehow, the more daring one of the two... in Zelda, Treme has placed the self-awareness of age, and the confidence that comes with knowing that you can and do live with the choices you have made... Played with consummate grace and skill by Frings, Rachel is smart, calculating, and more than a little manipulative, but also deeply damaged.

But where Treem’s smart but somehow lacking text fails, these two actresses succeed, and then some. The play itself is messy, often unclear, and sometimes flat-out contradictory, but the combination of Dardaris’ poise and Frings’ energy create a momentum that is fascinating and enthralling... It is the strong and engaging work of both of these tremendous and fantastically matched actresses that keep this play in motion... It is Frings' fantastically fractured but defiantly determined performance paired with Dardaris’ knock-out strength and elegance that make this play work...

Read Leah Franqui's Entire Staged Blog Review

STAGE Magazine: HOW & WHY is "Convincing & Elegantly Crafted... Powerful... Delightful"

2011-11-02T16:05:00.000-04:00

Check out these excerpts from Christopher Munden's review of THE HOW AND THE WHY from STAGE Magazine:

InterAct’s THE HOW AND THE WHY is
Well Written and Full of Ideas

... like much else in Sarah Treem’s well-crafted THE HOW AND THE WHY, now receiving its second-ever production by Philadelphia’s InterAct Theatre, oceans of meaning lay just below the surface... with convincing and elegantly crafted dialogue, [Treem] has created a dramatically engaging and surprisingly funny piece that never feels didactic or heavy-handed.

Credit for this goes also to director Seth Rozin (also InterAct’s artistic director), who... draws powerful performances from both actors. Dardaris particularly gives a spot-on and consistent interpretation of a seasoned academic...

The play is not without its faults... But as a vehicle to express provoking ideas it is a resounding success. All of the science in THE HOW AND THE WHY is real, and it’s delightful to see so many interesting thoughts presented so accessibly... in short, THE HOW AND THE WHY is a strongly feminist work that just feels strongly human.

Read Christopher Munden's Entire STAGE Magazine Review

UWishUNu Blog: HOW & WHY is "Astounding... Talent Pours Off the Stage"

2011-10-31T17:22:00.001-04:00

Check out these excerpts from Allison Stadd's review of THE HOW AND THE WHY from UWishUNu Blog:

InterAct Theatre Company opens its 2011/2012 season with an astounding play by HBO screenwriter Sarah Treem... a tale of evolution, of feminism, of adoption, of mother-daughter relationships, generational clashes and modern America... Treem’s screenwriting chops are evident, as you feel as though you’re on a TV set, watching an episode being filmed. The talent pours off the stage, the content is thoroughly thought-provoking and you’re left contemplating everything you heard from the production’s start to finish.

Read Allison Stadd's Entire UWishUNu Blog Review

More On The Life Of An InterAct Intern: "The House is Now Open..."

2011-10-28T13:36:00.001-04:00

Well things here at InterAct have been moving, that’s for sure. This past Wednesday (the 26th) we opened our first show: THE HOW AND THE WHY by Sarah Treem. I got to see the PWYC (Pay What You Can) performance before previews began, but since then I’ve been the House Manager, and therefore unable to see the show again. I have been hearing very positive feedback from the audience members as they exit however!!

As House Manager, I am responsible for the audience experience as they enter and exit the theatre.

A typical 8pm Show schedule looks like this:
Before 6:30 pm – “Housekeeping”: Vacuum the theatre, clean bathrooms, all the glamorous stuff.
6:30 – 7:00 pm – Take care of any special needs reservations. Set up shop downstairs in the Lobby. Organize programs & Stuffers.
7:00 – Ushers arrive. Give them a tour if they are new, give them details about the show & our procedures.
7:00-7:30 - Greet any guests who are early, Aid with Box office set up as needed.
7:30-7:40 – Some back and forth conversation with the Stage Manager as to when we will open the house.
7:40-7:45 – Open the House!! Give a brief welcoming announcement for those in the Lobby.
8:00 – Close the House, and Give Curtain Speech.
8:00-8:15 – Seat Late Comers as necessary.
8:15-8:45 – Count & Record Ticket stubs, Begin House Manager Report.
8:45 – Open Doors for Intermission. Keep track of where the audience members spread out to.
8:55 – Gather folks and notify them that the house will close shortly.
9:00 – Close House.
9:05-9:40 – Finish House Manager Report. Stay available in the Lobby.
9:45 – Open Doors at the end of the show. Bid Farewell to the guests. Take a sweep through the theatre to pick up any programs dropped, etc.
10:00/10:15 – Put away all programs & such. Lock up and Peace out!

So far. So good. :-)

- Shannon Fitzsimons

Metro Newspaper Features HOW & WHY's Janis Dardaris

2011-10-27T14:53:00.001-04:00

Check out Metro Newspaper's feature on Janis Dardaris, who is featured in InterAct's Philadelphia premiere production of THE HOW AND THE WHY:

Metro Newspaper

Janis Dardaris:
The Evolution of a New Role

by Shaun Brady

If her approach to reading scripts is any indication, Janis Dardaris is the type who starts a mystery novel by skipping to the last page. ... when she picked up the script for Sarah Treem’s 'The How and the Why,' Dardaris says, 'The last line of the play got me. It ended on a very human level.' ... Dardaris stars in InterAct Theatre Company’s Philly premiere of the play as a leading evolutionary biologist who faces off with an up-and-comer in the field ... both have to struggle against the male domination of academic science. ... 'There’s this whole patriarchal idea that women came from the rib of Adam,' Dardaris says. 'Women are often thought of as secondary creatures, even in this post-feminist time. I think that this could make people rethink that. It would be great if people leave and they start talking.'

Read Shaun Brady's Entire Metro Newspaper Feature

StageReviews Blog: HOW & WHY is "Significant ... Electrifying"

2011-10-27T14:39:00.001-04:00

Check out these excerpts from Judy Cohen's review of THE HOW AND THE WHY from StageReviews Blog:

... You better not blink, for every bit of dialogue is significant. The repartee between the older, more experienced scientist and the younger, but equally serious one is electrifying. ... Part of the brilliance of this piece is the sprinkling of humor amidst the intense scientific discussions. Victoria Frings ... is focused throughout and gives a very convincing performance. Janis Dardaris, portraying Zelda, is even more than a counterpart and mentor as she skillfully guides Rachel ... Kudos must also be given to Scenic Designer Meghan Jones who did an outstanding job ... Come to learn about the how; come to learn about the why; come to be engrossed in the enticing world of scientific discovery...

Read Judy Cohen's Entire StageReviews Blog Review

Philly Inquirer: HOW & WHY is "Robust and Real," "Smart," "Taut and Revealing"

2011-10-27T14:27:00.000-04:00

Check out these excerpts from Howard Shapiro's review of THE HOW AND THE WHY from the Philadelphia Inquirer:

In The How and the Why, two women meet, discover they are both (of all things) evolutionary biologists -- at the opposite ends of their careers -- and enter into a dialogue that reveals as much about their present identities as it does about their pasts. ... robust and real in performances by Janis Dardaris and Victoria Frings ... The play, a two-scene piece with an intermission, was originally staged earlier this year at Princeton’s McCarter Theatre and is written by Sarah Treem, the writer and producer of HBO’s In Treatment. ...

It’s a smart look — the dialogue is especially taut and revealing ... Together, Dardaris and Frings bring out the strongest points of The How and the Why ... In Dardaris’ face and body language, you discern the power of wisdom that can come only through experience. In Frings’ impulsiveness and quick-changing emotion, you sense the impetuousness of someone on the verge of something big, without a clue as to what that may mean for her life. ...

The play holds much more than a simple young/old juxtaposition to provide its edge, and I won’t spoil it by saying any more. The staging is by InterAct’s producing artistic director, Seth Rozin, who draws from his two performers notably unswerving character interpretations. And the production sports two very different, meticulously designed sets by Meghan Jones...

Read Howard Shapiro's Entire Philadelphia Inquirer Review

Links to more information about THE HOW AND THE WHY:

Purchase Tickets

Watch the Video Trailer

An Interview with Playwright Sarah Treem

Video Trailer for THE HOW AND THE WHY

2011-10-27T12:58:00.000-04:00

Watch the video trailer for InterAct's Philadelphia premiere production of THE HOW AND THE WHY by Sarah Treem:

Links to more information about THE HOW AND THE WHY:

Find Out More About InterAct's Production

Read an Interview with Playwright Sarah Treem

Purchase Tickets

InterAct Named Best Political Theater by Philadelphia Weekly

2011-10-19T10:53:00.000-04:00

Philadelphia Weekly named InterAct as Philly's "Best Political Theatre" in their October 19, 2011 issue:

Many theater companies avoid politics like the plague. Yet InterAct Theater Company has shown itself willing to present all manner of political discourse, even if it challenges the sensibilities of liberal-minded theater audience. Last season’s When We Go Upon the Sea, a drama from Lee Blessing, held the American public (and especially passive liberals) accountable for the Bush administration’s irresponsible and immoral foreign policy. InterAct artistic director Seth Rozin thinks of the company as a kind of 'Public Square,' a place where people gather to witness 'the most pressing issues of our time illuminated through compelling human stories.'

Check Out All Philly Weekly's Picks for Best of Philadelphia Here

InterAct's Seth Rozin Featured in Chutzpah Magazine

2011-10-14T14:55:00.003-04:00

Check out InterAct's Producing Artistic Director Seth Rozin in the Fall 2011 issue Chutzpah Magazine. Laura Goldman talks with Seth about why he founded InterAct (back in 1988) and how his early experiences with InterAct led him to a 2nd career as a successful playwright:

Chutzpah Magazine

Rozin's Bag
by Laura Goldman

2011 is playwright and director Seth Rozin's year in the sun. While many playwrights struggle to have even one of their plays staged, Rozin had two plays running simultaneously on Philadelphia stages...

Rozin's day job is founder and producing artistic director of InterAct Theatre... 'I established InterAct as a way to foster dialogue about political about political and and cultural issues,' says Rozin... Being 'a natural leader,' he wasn't concerned that perhaps the tender age of twenty-two was too young to start a theater company and credits his mentor and advisor at Penn, Catherine Marshall, with giving him the courage needed...

InterAct... is one of the region's most cutting edge theatres, often producing world premieres with a strong message... While many people in the theater lament the current segregation of theater audiences, InterAct's the rare Philadelphia venue where blacks and whites sit side by side and then stay afterwards to discuss the hot button issues of the day...

Read the Entire Chutzpah Magazine Feature Here:

Read InterAct's 2011/2012 Season Brochure Online

2011-10-07T13:58:00.004-04:00

Check out InterAct's 2011/2012 season brochure online! The season begins performances Friday, October 21 with THE HOW AND THE WHY, a compelling new drama by Sarah Treem that pits two generations of brilliant and daring evolutionary biologists against each other in a battle for academic survival. Subscribe now so you don't miss the opportunity to see all the exciting new pieces in this season's line-up. Subscriptions range from $86-$142...

Open This Publication at Issuu.com

A big Thank You! goes out to the fine folks at Lorel Marketing Group for the inspired, new look of this year's brochure... and for sponsoring InterAct's 2011/2012 Season! We encourage you to support the businesses that support InterAct by visiting Lorel in King of Prussia, PA, or online at www.lorel.com. To contact Lorel, email info@lorel.com or call 610.337.2343.

More On The Life Of An InterAct Intern

2011-09-19T17:02:00.002-04:00

Continuing the effort to document a year in the life of InterAct's interns, here is Shannon Fitzsimons' first entry...

Shannon Fitzsimons:

“I’ve heard it takes at least 6 months to feel settled…”

That was certainly true for me. Hi, I’m Shannon Fitzsimons, one of the epic trio of ladies who have started the InterAct full-season internship. Dany, our Audience Services and Company Manager, has affectionately labeled us BSB (as in Brianne, Shannon, and Becky…or the Backstreet Boys). I moved to Philadelphia officially this past December, but had not been a stranger to the area. Originally from Red Hook, NY (near Poughkeepsie…yes, that is where Snookie is from…) I graduated from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA in 2009, with BA’s in Theatre and Music, my concentrations being Directing, Acting, and Vocal Performance. Between 2009 and this past May, I was blessed with the opportunity to tour nationally with The Enchantment Theatre Company and their production of “The Adventures of Harold and the Purple Crayon”, having all my rehearsals here in Philadelphia. It was through my rehearsal time that I fell in love with Philly.

After two years of touring, I knew I needed a break, but I wanted to remain involved in the Philly theatre community. Since choosing to remain stationary, I’ve been dancing the 3-4 job shuffle, a mixture of theatre work, nannying, and catering. It’s been challenging and stressful, but fulfilling and exciting at the same time. Even after 9 months of living here, I still wonder if I’m going to make next month’s rent, let alone buy groceries...keeps me on my toes. That’s not to say that Philly isn’t an affordable city – it definitely is. I share a great row house with my cousin up in Fishtown, and I absolutely love it.

I was first drawn to InterAct by their mission statement, and secondly after seeing the high caliber of their work. Myself and several friends from college are highly considering starting our own theatre company in the next couple years, and I very much want to gain knowledge of all the things it takes to run a company. From the smallest detail, to the big picture.

My first week at InterAct has surpassed my expectations. Not only was I learning new software and how best to serve our patrons, but I’ve also gotten to read 5 plays I wouldn’t have had access to otherwise. It’s been pretty exciting.

Here’s to finally feeling settled in Philadelphia, and a great season, full of paperwork and art. Both of which are necessary to keep a company moving forward.

-Shannon

InterAct Welcomes Lorel Marketing Group as 2011/2012 Season Sponsor

2011-09-15T12:33:00.000-04:00

Since 2006, Lorel Marketing Group has helped InterAct define, refine and generally raise the bar of its public image through eye-catching graphic designs and insightful consulting services. We are thrilled to once again welcome their sponsorship of our upcoming 2011/2012 Season.

Lorel has been invaluable in helping InterAct visually capture the essence of our productions and grab the attention of audiences in Philadelphia and across the country. For the upcoming season, we look forward to working with Lorel on developing a fresh, new look for the company. In the meantime, here are a few examples of the outstanding work Lorel has done over the past five seasons...

Lorel Marketing Group is a full-service, multi-channel marketing agency in its twenty-fifth year of accelerating the measurable success of leading brands within the lifestyle, retail and healthcare industries. Lorel specializes in insight mining, strategy development, branded creative and measurable marketing promotions that embrace integrated online and offline tactics. Lorel¹s client work has been recognized by various organizations and competitions such as the Summit International Awards, The Association of Marketing and Communications Professionals, The Creativity International Awards and the Healthcare Advertising Awards, among others.

Support the businesses that support InterAct by visiting Lorel Marketing Group in King of Prussia, PA, or online at www.Lorel.com.To contact Lorel, email info@lorel.com or call 610.337.2343.

InterAct Welcomes 2011/2012 Season Interns

2011-09-07T14:53:00.000-04:00

As many long-time fans of InterAct know, our company could not function without the never-ending hard work of our amazing teams of interns. With an office of only four full-time and two part-time employees, they quickly become a integral part of the administrative team (and to those on staff, a real part of the family). This week, we are thrilled to welcome Becky Dennis, Shannon Fitzsimons, and Brianne Shaw as our formidable intern team for the 2011/2012 Season!

This season, the interns are going to be periodically documenting their year-long journey as newly-minted InterAct-ites. To kick things off, here are a few thoughts from the two that are also starting new lives as Philadelphians, as well...

Brianne Shaw:

I’ve never really written a blog before so I'm not sure where to start, how cliché' right? So, I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Brianne, and I am one of the new interns at InterAct Theatre. I recently graduated from Lycoming College, a small liberal arts school in the middle of nowhere, with a degree in Directing. My long term plan is to return to school and get my Masters degree, and possibly my PhD after that, in hopes of becoming a professor.

I moved to Philadelphia about a month ago. Before my move to Philly I lived in Altoona, PA, where on my daily commute to work I would expect to have to slow down for and pass multiple horse and buggies. Needless to say it was vastly different from my life now in Philadelphia. I can say that most of the changes were expected, moving to the city and easy to become used to; not driving everywhere or doing laundry in a Laundromat as opposed to the laundry room that was conveniently a few rooms away from my bedroom. There are also a few things that have become harder to get used to, one of those being financial responsibility and of course not having my dogs around. Being as I just graduated college worrying about financials were never really a stressor, everything I needed was included in my tuition, my room, my food... everything. Getting used to making sure I have the money for all my bills has become stressful. Although most people would assume worrying about money would be the most stressful and difficult thing to get used to when moving into the city, I have found the cockroaches to be much more stressful. One of the first nights after moving to Philly, I was laying peacefully in my bed when a cockroach was spotted crawling all over myself and my bed. Consequently, it has become a nightly ritual to shake all of my sheets and pillows before getting into bed, a ritual I am not sure I will ever get used to. Regardless of the cockroaches, my move to Philly has been a great transition. I have always looked forward to this time in my life, when I would be on my own and fending for myself. As a result, I think the move and the changes have been easier for me than most would expect.

While in Philadelphia I will be interning at InterAct Theatre. I'm pretty excited to get started, especially since I will be doing things I haven’t done before; House and Box Office managing. I have only been a graduate for a few months now and, in that time, haven’t done much in theatre so I am itching to get back in and get started. I think being at InterAct will put me in my element because I have always been interested in theatre that is socially relevant and thought-provoking. I am also excited to see how the shows change and evolve from beginning to end since InterAct only produces new plays.

Stay classy, Philadelphia!

- Brianne

Becky Dennis:

Earthquakes, Hurricanes, and Floods! Oh My!

Hello everyone,

My name is Becky Dennis and I am going to be one of the lovely interns at the InterAct Theatre Company for the next year. I just moved here from the great state of Michigan! I grew up in a suburb northeast of Detroit called Grosse Pointe and I just graduated from Kalamazoo College, a very small liberal arts college in Kalamazoo, MI (about halfway between Detroit and Chicago). There, I majored in Theatre Arts and got to do everything from acting to lighting design, but I enjoy stage management and directing the most.

Main Street promoting their kayaking tours
Eventful Weather:

Since moving here I’ve been through some interesting weather. In Michigan we get the occasional tornado and blizzard so hurricanes and earthquakes were something very new. As I awaited the arrival of Hurricane Irene, my new roommates and I stocked up on candles, flashlights, food and water. I was a little worried about flooding at first, but because we’re on a fairly large hill in Manayunk I was almost positive we wouldn’t float away. To pass the time during our lockdown, my roommate Kate and I started several different projects around our new house. The most intense project involved painting a mural of the Philadelphia skyline. Since she’s painted murals before, she did about 90%. I was given the positionsof supervisor and relief pitcher when her hand got too tired. The mural turned out great!

A Tale of Two Sisters:

When my family came to move me out here my twin sister, Stephanie, came too. While we were out here she just so happened to schedule an interview at a PR firm in Center City. My family moved me in, Stephanie had the interview, and they went home. A few days later Stephanie finds out she got the job and has to start in 10 days. She packs up her stuff and my parents are back in their car driving the 10 hours from Detroit to Philadelphia. So, 40 hours of driving and 4 trips to IKEA later, both Dennis sisters are living in Philadelphia and starting work at the very same time.

Detroit vs. Philly:

Since moving to Philadelphia I’ve been taking a mental list of things that are different in Detroit.

-Canada: On a clear day I can see Canada from my house (Ok, not as good as Russia but it is another country). In Detroit most people will accept Canadian currency just like American currency.

-Hills: You have a lot of hills here. Gives me an extra challenge when driving in the snow.

- Public Transportation: You need a car to get anywhere in Detroit. Public Transportation is a nice change.

-Small, Small Roads: Your roads are so small! I’m used to big highways and big streets. Got to get used to that.

-Water: Yes, you have beautiful rivers here but I’ll miss being so close to the Great Lakes. If you haven’t been to Michigan you should definitely take a vacation there. It’s a beautiful place (shameless plug for Michigan completed).

Thanks for listening to my thoughts. I’m very excited to start my internship with the InterAct!

Bye for now...

-Becky

InterAct Commemorates 9/11 with Free Reading of A HUMAN EQUATION

2011-08-04T14:51:00.002-04:00

Photo courtesy of
PlayPenn

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the tragedy of September 11th, InterAct will present a concert reading of A HUMAN EQUATION by Philadelphia playwright Peter Bonilla. The reading will take place Sunday, September 11, 7:00 p.m., in the SkyBox, 3rd Floor of The Adrienne, 2030 Sansom Street, Philadelphia. The reading is free and open to the public, however seating is limited. Call InterAct's Box Office at 215.568.8077 to make a reservation.

InterAct's reading will feature Tim Moyer, Dan Kern, Maia DeSanti, Kittson O’Neill, Cheryl Williams, and David Bardeen.

In the wake of 9/11, Congress created the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, an unprecedented endeavor that compensated the victims of the attacks. As special master of the fund, Kenneth Feinberg found himself elevated to a position of influence unequaled in American history. His task was to place unique values on each of the 3,000 lives that had been lost. In the course of his nearly 1,000 meetings with the families of 9/11, Feinberg became a lightning rod for their outrage, came face to face with their grief and fear, and was forced to reconsider his most basic notions of human character and strength. A HUMAN EQUATION is a moving docudrama that juxtaposes the life of the controversial fund with Feinberg's personal journey, as he attempted to evaluate human life in the aftermath of a nation-defining event.

The World Premiere of
A HUMAN EQUATION
will take place in
Tucson, AZ in September

Peter Bonilla (playwright) became a part of the InterAct family while on staff as Literary Manager from August 2005 to April 2008. During his tenure, he served as dramaturg of the World Premiere productions of Thomas Gibbons’ A HOUSE WITH NO WALLS and Seth Rozin’s BLACK GOLD, among many others. Peter was on the literary committee of the National New Play Network, and for two years was on the reading committee for the NNPN’s Smith Prize. Originally from Washington, D.C., Peter received his undergraduate degrees in Theater Arts and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania, and is a 2008 recipient of a playwriting fellowship from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. A HUMAN EQUATION is Peter's first play.

While in development, A HUMAN EQUATION was featured as part of PlayPenn's 2008 line-up. It is scheduled to receive its World Premiere production at Winding Road Theater Ensemble in Tucson, AZ, in September 2011.

InterAct Co-Hosts Launch of "Asian American Plays For A New Generation"

2011-07-19T17:25:00.001-04:00

InterAct is pleased to join the Asian Arts Initiative in co-hosting the launch party for Asian American Plays for a New Generation, an exciting new collection of plays edited by Josephine Lee, Don Eitel, and R. A. (Rick) Shiomi. The event will be held Monday, July 25, starting at 7:00 p.m., at InterAct's home at The Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St., Philadelphia, PA.

Celebrating the publication of this volume of Asian American plays mostly staged at the Mu Performing Arts, the event will include a reception followed by speakers Rick Shiomi, an editor and the artistic director of Mu Performing Arts and playwright Lauren Yee, author of Ching Chong Chinaman.

The plays included in this anthology are: Indian Cowboy by Zaraawar Mistry, Walleye Kid, The Musical by Kurt Miyashiro, Sundraya Kase & R.A. Shiomi, Asiamnesia by Sun Mee Chomet, Bahala Na by Clarence Coo, Sia(b) by May Lee Yang, Happy Valley by Aurorae Khoo and Ching Chong Chinaman by Lauren Yee.

For more information about Asian American Plays for a New Generation or to purchase your copy, visit:

InterAct Selected for NNPN Commission & Host of 2011 Showcase of New Plays

2011-06-30T14:59:00.001-04:00

New Play Commission

The National New Play Network (NNPN), the country’s alliance of non-profit theaters that champions the development, production, and continued life of new plays, announced at its Annual Conference earlier this month that InterAct will be the recipient of one of two new play commissions granted in 2011. The commission awards InterAct $5,000 that will be given to playwright Jen Silverman for her as-yet-untitled new play about an international search for a missing internet friend.

In the play, rapper hopeful Lila Ramirez becomes obsessed with the South African style of ghetto-infused hip-hop called kwaito. The only person who seems to share her obsession is Daniela, a black South African girl whom Lila befriends online. But when Daniela suddenly vanishes without a word, Lila must decide how far she will go to help her friend. Flying to Cape Town in search of Daniela, Lila soon discovers that she is in a world where victims often trade protest and justice for the uneasy safety offered by silence.

Jen Silverman is an MFA candidate at the University of Iowa Playwrights Workshop, scheduled to graduate in 2011. She received her BA from Brown University in 2006. Her plays include: LIZARDSKIN, developed with New Georges in NYC, New York Stage & Film/ Powerhouse Theatre Company at Vassar College, and produced in the NYC International Fringe Festival in 2006; THE EDUCATION OF MACOLOCO, produced by Fusion Theatre Company in New Mexico, LiveGirls! in Seattle, Circus Theatri-cals in LA, and a 2009 winner of the Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Play Festival; CRANE STORY, developed with New Georges, the Bay Area Playwrights Festival in San Francisco, 2009 HotINK International Festival in NYC, and The Playwrights Realm in NYC; and NILA, which received its first workshop at The Lark’s Playwrights Week 2009. Her plays AKARUI and YELLOW CITY have received workshop productions at the University of Iowa. She was also a 2009 playwright in residence at the Hedgebrook International Women’s Writers Residency.

Commission proposals are nominated by NNPN member theaters and voted annually by the Network’s artistic directors and literary managers. In addition to InterAct and Jen Silverman, the other commission went to Victory Gardens Theatre (Chicago, IL) for Laura Jacqmin's untitled play about a group of college students who learn to travel through time. Commission proposals are nominated by NNPN member theaters and voted annually by the Network’s artistic directors and literary managers. NNPN has awarded eighteen commissions since the Network’s founding in 1998.

2011 Showcase of New Plays

NNPN also announced this week that InterAct was selected to host the Network's 2011 Showcase of New Plays, which will be held November 18-20, 2011, and will feature a series of concert-style readings of 6 new plays that are juried by the NNPN membership. The by-invitation-only event will draw dozens of theatre professionals from all over the country, including the artistic and administrative staffs of NNPN's 26 member theatres, 10-15 playwrights, as well as many industry funders, followers and supporters. The Showcase will also provide work for 35-40 local theatre artists. This will mark the first time the annual Showcase returns to Philadelphia since InterAct hosted its inaugural event in 2002.

For more information about National New Play Network or any of its ground-breaking programming, visit www.nnpn.org.

Video Trailer for IN A DAUGHTER'S EYES

2011-06-02T16:23:00.000-04:00

Watch the video trailer for InterAct's World Premiere of IN A DAUGHER'S EYES by A. Zell Williams

Links to more information about IN A DAUGHTER'S EYES:

Find Out More About InterAct's Production

Read an Interview with Playwright A. Zell Williams

Purchase Tickets

IN A DAUGHTER'S EYES Wins National New Play Network's 2011 Smith Prize

2011-05-05T12:01:00.000-04:00

InterAct is pleased to announce that IN A DAUGHTER'S EYES by A. Zell Williams has been named the winner of the National New Play Network's 2011 Smith Prize, an award that goes to the best new play focusing on American politics.

InterAct Theatre will produce the World Premiere of IN A DAUGHTER'S EYES, beginning previews on May 27.

“IN A DAUGHTER'S EYES deals with America's legacies of racial and social injustice,” said playwright A. Zell Williams. “The support of the Smith Prize will be a great help in continuing the conversation around these important, challenging topics. And as a young artist, I'm honored to receive the encouragement of such a vital group as the National New Play Network." The 2011 Prize Finalists, in addition to Williams’ play, were: 70 by Philip Hall, FALLOW by Kenneth Lin, SOVEREIGN BODY by Emilie Beck, TO THE BONE by Lisa Ramirez, and WETBACK by Elaine Romero. The selection committee was led by Toni Press-Coffman of Tuscon’s Borderlands Theater.

Established in 2006 and funded by a gift from screenwriter, novelist and playwright Timothy Jay Smith and a number of other socially-conscious donors, The Smith Prize has been administered by NNPN, and is awarded annually to a play that asks: Who are Americans as a people? What are we becoming? What are our global responsibilities? Past winners include Sean Christopher Lewis’ KILLADELPHIA, which InterAct premiered last season as CITY OF NUMBERS: mixtape of a city; Martin Zimmerman’s explosive story of two Latino brothers set against the backdrop of Southwest politics, WHITE TIE BALL; Y York's take on the Rodney King riots, ...AND L.A. IS BURNING; Seth Rozin's satire on Big Oil, BLACK GOLD, which InterAct produced in 2008; and Peter Gil-Sheridan's TOPSY TURVY MOUSE. The $5,000 Prize is split between the playwright and the first NNPN member theater to produce the play.

For more information about National New Play Network or present and past winners of The Smith Prize, visit these links:

National New Play Network's Smith Prize Announcement

TheaterMania Smith Prize Article

Links to More information about IN A DAUGHTER'S EYES:

Find Out More About InterAct's Production

Purchase Tickets

Video Trailer for TWO JEWS WALK INTO A WAR...

2011-04-19T18:17:00.000-04:00

Watch the video trailer for InterAct's TWO JEWS WALK INTO A WAR...

Links to More information about TWO JEWS WALK INTO A WAR...:

Find Out More About InterAct's Production

Watch an Interview with Playwright Seth Rozin

Purchase Tickets

Audience Members See TWO JEWS & Then Help Locate Afghanistan's Real-Life 'Last Jew'

2011-02-23T15:45:00.000-05:00

The premise of Seth Rozin’s funny and poignant TWO JEWS WALK INTO A WAR… is inspired by the true story of Zebulon Simentov and Isaak Levi, who were introduced to world by Mark Landler’s 2002 New York Times article, entitled, "2 Jews Outlast Taliban. Maybe Not Each Other.," as the last two remaining Jews in Kabul, Afghanistan, after years of Taliban reign in the capital city:

They live across a dusty, sun-baked courtyard from each other, share a tiny kitchen and possess a bond unique in this country's tribal culture: they are the only Jews known to live in the capital of Afghanistan. In the past two months, with the fall of the Taliban, the two men have escaped the long shadow of the fundamentalist Muslim movement, which regarded Judaism as the root of much of the world's evil. By any measure, this should be a happy time for Zbolon Semantov and Isaak Levi. But they are far too busy fighting a private war to take much notice of the dramatic turn in their country's very public conflict.

'I don't talk to him, he's the devil,' Mr. Semantov said of his neighbor. 'A dog is better than him.'

Mr. Levi, peering out his window to see if his nemesis was listening, said, 'He's a thief and a liar.'

Like many longstanding feuds, the conflict between Mr. Semantov and Mr. Levi is cloaked in layers of posturing, evasion and arcane details. But at its heart, the fight is over two forlorn temples - known here as "Jewish mosques" - over which both men claim stewardship...

Although Afghan Jews began emigrating to Israel, Britain and the United States after World War II, the exodus gathered speed during the violence of the mujahedeen wars in the early 1990's. By the time the Taliban seized control in 1996, only five Jewish families were left in Kabul. Now they are gone, too, leaving Mr. Semantov, 41, and Mr. Levi, 60, to squabble over a pair of ramshackle temples that have long since lost their worshipers...

Read Mark Landler’s Entire New York Times Article

The unusual circumstances described in the article set playwright Seth Rozin’s imagination into motion. Some months later, Rozin penned TWO JEWS WALK INTO A WAR…, a vaudevillian-style look at what day-to-day life could have been like for the two men who had nothing in common except a desire to repopulate the Jewish community in Kabul and a deep disdain for one another.

But the story doesn’t end there…

Shortly after the world premiere production of TWO JEWS WALK INTO A WAR… at Florida Stage (West Palm Beach, FL), Rozin received an email from Lieutenant Colonel Robert Engell. As it turns out, Lt. Col. Engell’s parents saw TWO JEWS at Florida Stage and sent the playbill to their son who was serving as the lay Jewish leader for coalition forces in Kabul. Lt. Col. Engell had written to Rozin hoping to find more information about Zebulon Simentov and the synagogue where he lives. Lt. Col. Engell believed he could be of assistance to the man and the rundown building. After a worldwide flurry of emails, Lt. Col. Engell finally tracked down Simentov and posted the following account of their meeting on the NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan website:

As I went out to the security gate to meet our guest, I was filled with anticipation. I was going to meet the last Jew in Afghanistan... I was first introduced to Zabolon Simentov after my folks went to the play “Two Jews Walk into a War.” Amidst the Mundle bread and Toll House cookies in their care package was the Playbill with the simple note “Thought you might be interested... Don’t do anything stupid like trying to find him. Be Safe!” What was I to do?...

Read Lt. Col. Robert Engell's Entire Story

Since the New York Times’ original article, Isaak Levi passed away in 2005 at the approximate age of 80, leaving Zebulon Simentov with the final word on their never-resolved feud.

Here is a brief list of stories that feature Simentov as “the last Jew in Afghanistan”:

2010 CNN Video:
Afghanistan’s Last Jew Vows To Stay Put

2007 San Francisco Gate Article (with Pictures):
Alone On Flower Street: He Survived Soviets, Taliban - And Outlasted Even His Despised Peer

2005 BBC News Article:
‘Only One Jew’ Now In Afghanistan

Links to More Information:

Purchase Tickets to InterAct's TWO JEWS WALK INTO A WAR…

Find Out More About InterAct's TWO JEWS WALK INTO A WAR...

Watch an Interview with Playwright Seth Rozin

Watch Promotional Videos of Florida Stage’s TWO JEWS WALK INTO A WAR…

An Interview with Seth Rozin, Playwright of TWO JEWS WALK INTO A WAR...

2011-02-23T12:03:00.001-05:00

When TWO JEWS WALK INTO A WAR… received its World Premiere at Florida Stage (West Palm Beach, FL) in Fall 2009, they interviewed playwright Seth Rozin about the extraordinary true story behind the play. In the interview, Seth discusses a few of the questions about faith and solidarity raised by the play and the sense of purpose that religion was able to bring to both the real-life men and the ever-bickering characters in TWO JEWS…

Links to More Information:

Find Out More About InterAct's TWO JEWS WALK INTO A WAR...

Purchase Tickets to InterAct's TWO JEWS WALK INTO A WAR…

Watch Promotional Videos of Florida Stage’s TWO JEWS WALK INTO A WAR…

Check Out Videos of Florida Stage's TWO JEWS WALK INTO A WAR...

2011-02-22T18:00:00.001-05:00

Check out these videos that Florida Stage (West Palm Beach, FL) produced to promote their production of TWO JEWS WALK INTO A WAR… by Seth Rozin, which opened their 2009/2010 season in October 2009. Directed by Louis Tyrrell, the play featured Avi Hoffman and Gordon McConnell.

InterAct will continue its current season with the Philadelphia premiere of TWO JEWS WALK INTO A WAR…, featuring Tom Teti and John Pietrowski, from April 8 – May 8, 2011. Inspired by the true story of Zebulon Simentov and Isaak Levi, who in 2001, when NATO forces removed the Taliban from power in Afghanistan, were introduced to the world as the only two remaining members of what had previously been a vibrant Jewish Afghan community in Kabul. Living together in Kabul’s only synagogue, the men despised each other, feuding loudly, publicly and without any clear reason, inspiring playwright Seth Rozin to bring their unusual and inspiring story to the stage...

Video Trailer:

Scenes from the play and interviews with their cast:

Links to More Information:

Find Out More About InterAct's TWO JEWS WALK INTO A WAR...

Purchase Tickets to InterAct's TWO JEWS WALK INTO A WAR…

LOVE LESSONS Featured on WHYY's Radio Times

2011-02-03T14:18:00.000-05:00

On Thursday, February 3, Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane featured LOVE LESSONS' playwright and performer Jennifer Schelter and Susan Burke, who is lead council on a class action lawsuit against the defense contractors that were part of the abuses at Abu Ghraib prison. They discuss the legal case behind the play, the role of a "compassionate witness," the search for accountability, and the intersection of trauma, art, and yoga.

Click Here to Listen to the Interview on WHYY's Website

Left to Right: Radio Times' Marty Moss-Coane and Jennifer Schelter in the studio at WHYY. Photos by Rachel Baye and courtesy of WHYY.

Links to more information about LOVE LESSONS:

Purchase Tickets to LOVE LESSONS

Find Out About Special Events During LOVE LESSONS, Including a FREE Panel Discussion and Jennifer Schelter's Storytelling Workshops

Read LOVE LESSONS Articles in Philadelphia City Paper or Chestnut Hill Local

Watch the Video Trailer of LOVE LESSONS

An Interview with Playwright & Performer Jennifer Schelter

LOVE LESSONS Featured in Philadelphia City Paper & Chestnut Hill Local

2011-01-28T17:35:00.000-05:00

Check out these excerpts from two articles about Jennifer Schelter and her one-woman play LOVE LESSONS FROM ABU GHRAIB from this week's Philadelphia City Paper and Chestnut Hill Local. LOVE LESSONS runs as a special engagement on InterAct's mainstage January 29 - February 13:

Philadelphia City Paper

Warrior One
Through yoga, Philadelphia playwright Jennifer Schelter taps into the compassion of an Iraqi torture

In 2006, lawyers working on a class-action suit against two U.S. defense contractors — CACI and Titan — interviewed an Iraqi citizen named Abdulwahab.

His testimony was roughly as follows:

He traveled from his village to Baghdad to buy a car. American forces raided the hotel he was staying in. He was restrained with plastic handcuffs, hooded and taken to one of Saddam Hussein's former palaces. He was told he was in al-Qaida. He didn't know what al-Qaida was or what it meant. He was stripped naked and interrogated. He was taken to another location and forced to run on his knees and knuckles for 10 days, not sleeping more than 20 minutes at a time.

Then he was sent to Abu Ghraib, and things got worse.

His story is buried under thousands of pages of testimony from more than 300 plaintiffs in Haidar Muhsin Saleh v. Titan Corporation — a case now awaiting review by the Supreme Court. And it would have likely stayed there, except that one of the note-takers at his interview in Istanbul was a yoga instructor and former Equity actress from Philadelphia.

After years of performing in regional theater — and burning out on it — Jennifer Schelter started a yoga studio in East Falls. She thought her stage career was long behind her.

About five years ago, she was approached by one of her students after class. "She said she had just gotten back from listening to torture testimony," explains Schelter. "She wanted me to come with her, but she didn't know why exactly. She said she thought these people needed healing, and I could help. She said, 'Maybe you could do yoga with them or maybe just your presence would be healing.'"

The student was Susan Burke, lead prosecuting attorney on Saleh v. Titan.

Schelter began writing LOVE LESSONS FROM ABU GHRAIB in compulsive bursts, shortly after returning home from Istanbul.

"I had reverse culture shock. No one cares about this, and everyone wants to be happy," says Schelter. "Christmas Day, I sat down and wrote as many stories as I could remember. Because the level of forgiveness in these men was beyond anything I had ever witnessed."

LOVE LESSONS is a one-woman show based on Abdulwahab's testimony. But it's also very much about Schelter's attempt to cling to the virtues of her yoga training in the face of breathtaking inhumanity.

The play debuted at the 2007 Philly Fringe with four chairs, a stage and a budget of about $300. An InterAct Theatre Co. board member fell for it, and gave a DVD copy of the show to artistic director Seth Rozin. He fell for it, too: LOVE LESSONS opens Saturday at InterAct....

Chestnut Hill Local

... [Chestnut] Hill Actress Aids Victims of U.S. Torture

As Jennifer Schelter, 44, prepares for the re-opening of her critically acclaimed one-woman performance piece at the InterAct Theatre, LOVE LESSONS FROM ABU GHRAIB, she recalls that a few years ago she could not possibly have predicted the course of events that would dramatically change her life.

In 2006, Schelter — a Chestnut Hill native, Germantown Friends School alumna and owner of the Yoga Schelter studio in East Falls — was offered the Lierman Trust for Humanitarian Law’s invitation to join lawyer Susan Burke in Istanbul, Turkey. The pair were interviewing Iraqis who had been tortured by U.S. Army personnel at Iraq’s infamous Abu Ghraib prison. In 2004, the prison was a topic of international controversy after details emerged proving several U.S. Army members had intentionally abused the prisoners...

“I had no idea 99.9% of the population of prisoners were just random,” Schelter said last week. “There was very little reason why they should have been tortured. I was so naïve. I thought the U.S. gave up torture a long time ago. Am I flaming liberal? Absolutely not, and I’m not trying to preach. There just have to be other ways of getting information.”...

Slowly, as the former prisoners became emotionally unguarded, Schelter realized some methods designed to establish healing worked better than others. Genuinely welcoming the prisoners and acknowledging their courage to speak about their experiences were two critical components towards establishing trust. With the presence of mutual trust, Schelter realized she was in unique company.

“I was lucky the prisoners never told me to leave the room,” Schelter said.” They didn’t come from a culture of therapeutics. Being able to release their stories and share the burden of those stories was important. Most prisoners actually said, ‘I’m terribly sorry to burden you with this; thank you for listening.’"

Although Schelter initially journeyed to Istanbul with the intent of giving, she surprisingly received something — a new perspective on the human capacity to love. Following her return to Philadelphia, Schelter created the play, “Love Lessons from Abu Ghraib,” as a way to express her experience and also help others....

The performance explores the themes of love, forgiveness, fearlessness and transformation. As an actress who shared in receiving a Tony Award at the Denver Center Theatre Company and a member of Actors’ Equity and the Screen Actors Guild, Schelter brings experience along with her passion.

“To me, it’s like eating a big courage sandwich,” Schelter said. “It’s all about overcoming fear and depression and transcending through personal and universal faith to find out what’s possible. Everyone makes a difference; witnessing other people makes a huge difference. Not passing judgment makes a huge difference.“...

Links to more information about LOVE LESSONS:

Purchase Tickets to LOVE LESSONS

Read Bruce Walsh's Entire Philadelphia City Paper Article

Read Erik Hubbard's Entire Chestnut Hill Local Article

Watch the Video Trailer of LOVE LESSONS

An Interview with Playwright & Performer Jennifer Schelter

Philadelphia Young Playwrights Starts Blog About 2011 Young Voices Festival

2011-01-28T15:56:00.001-05:00

Each year, InterAct Theatre Company joins forces with Philadelphia Young Playwrights to produce the Young Voices Monologue Festival, a competitive program that invites high school students from all over the Philadelphia area to write and submit monologues that address issues important to students today. The top monologues are selected to be developed by professional directors, dramaturgs, and actors, and then presented in a series of showcase performances.

This year, sixteen monologues written by students from eleven high schools have been selected to participate in two workshops and four performances (February 16-19, 2011). Selected from over 300 submissions, the chosen monologues cover a variety of topics including family, race, violence and identity.

In an effort to chronicle this year's Young Voices process, Philly Young Playwrights has started the Young Voices blog, which will feature an on-going series of entries by high school junior Glenna Walsh, author of the monologue Predisposition, as she tries to capture the voices of playwrights, directors, actors, and dramaturgs as they participate in the competition and festival, celebrating the art and craft of theater.

Links to More information about Young Voices:

Visit the Young Voices Blog

Purchase Tickets to Attend the 2011 Young Voices Festival (Only $5.00 Each!)

Visit the Young Voices Page on Philadelphia Young Playwrights Website

Watch a Performance of a Monologue from the 2010 Young Voices Festival

Video Trailer for LIDLESS

2011-01-25T16:11:00.002-05:00

Watch the video trailer for InterAct's LIDLESS...

Links to More information about LIDLESS:

Find Out More About InterAct's Production

Read an Interview with Playwright Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig

British Production of LIDLESS Moves To London’s West End

Purchase Tickets to InterAct's LIDLESS

Video Trailer for LOVE LESSONS FROM ABU GHRAIB

2011-01-14T14:47:00.000-05:00

Watch the video trailer for Jennifer Schelter's LOVE LESSONS FROM ABU GHRAIB, which runs in a special engagement on InterAct's Mainstage from January 29 - February 13:

Created by Nancy Glass Productions

Links to more information about LOVE LESSONS:

Purchase Tickets

An Interview with Playwright & Performer Jennifer Schelter

British Production of LIDLESS Transfers to London's West End

2010-12-15T18:06:00.000-05:00

Once again, InterAct Theatre has shown a knack for producing plays prior to their "big break." We did it last season with both Kristoffer Diaz's THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY, which went on to become a finalist for the 2010 Pulitzer Prize, and Lee Blessing's WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA, which moved to New York for a sucessful Off-Broadway run. Now we can add Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig's LIDLESS, which InterAct will produce January 21 - February 13, 2011, to that list...

We were very pleased to learn this week that HighTide Theatre's production of LIDLESS will transfer for a limited run at Trafalgar Studios in London's prestigious West End. Directed by Steven Atkinson, HighTide’s Artistic Director, the play will run March 10 - April 2, 2011. This production represents the first time one of the company's shows moved to England's most famous theatre district. Early this year, the play had sold-out runs as part of the HighTide Theatre Festival and the Edinburgh Festival, where it was named the winner of the 2010 Fringe First Award.

Congratulations to both Frances and HighTide!

Links to More information about LIDLESS:

Read HighTide's Announcement About the West End Run

Watch the Promotional Video for HighTide's Production

Find Out More About InterAct's Production

Purchase Tickets to InterAct's LIDLESS

Philly Weekly: "Celebrate SILVERHILL... A Great New Play"

2010-11-10T11:43:00.000-05:00

Check out these excerpts from J. Cooper Robb’s review of SILVERHILL from this week's Philadelphia Weekly:

Great new plays are rare — all the more reason to celebrate Philadelphia playwright Thomas Gibbons’ new work Silverhill, which is making its world premiere in an effectively straightforward production by InterAct Theatre Company...

The ensuing conflict between Frank and Alden sets up a debate between diametrically opposed economic systems — but what ultimately leads to blows is a woman...

In [Christopher] Coucill’s portrayal, Alden isn’t a fiery, charismatic leader with soaring rhetoric. The other members are attracted by his conviction, and his unwavering certainty that God speaks directly to him. The quietly effective performance is appropriately sincere, and we can easily understand why the elder members of the group are unquestioning in their allegiance to him.

[Dan] Hodge’s Frank doesn’t have the same sense of spiritual conviction that Coucill brings to Alden, but he makes up for it with ambition and salesmanship. Frank takes three younger members of Silverhill in a game of shopping; it's the first time they've seen currency. Seductively, Hodge rubs a dollar bill between his fingers and proclaims, “It feels like America.”

In America, monogamy is regarded as the standard of success in marriage, and wealth as the standard of success in life. In Silverhill, Gibbons asks us to examine these beliefs... If you like a play that prompts questions rather than providing answers, Silverhill leaves you with plenty of food for thought.

Links to more information about SILVERHILL:

Purchase Tickets

Read J. Cooper Robb's Entire Philadelphia Weekly Review

Read Mark Cofta’s Philadelphia City Paper Review

Read John Dowlin’s Weekly Press Review in the Nov. 3 Issue

Read Ellen Wilson Dilks’ Stage Magazine Review

Read Toby Zinman's Inquirer Review

An Interview with Playwright Thomas Gibbons

An Interview with Director Seth Rozin

Watch the Video Trailer of SILVERHILL

InterAct Invites Academics to Respond to SILVERHILL

2010-11-09T12:19:00.002-05:00

InterAct invited David Cregan, Assistant Professor of Theatre at Villanova, and Elliott Shore, Chief Information Officer, Director of Libraries, & Professor of History at Bryn Mawr College, to attend SILVERHILL and write down some of their thoughts on the play. Cregan's piece explores how SILVERHILL follows a long, theatrical tradition of using historical events to comment on current day issues, while Shore puts SILVERHILL into a historical context that shows how many utopian societies struggled to pass their founders' ideals on to subsequent generations...

David Cregan, Assistant Professor of Theatre at Villanova:

SILVERHILL is an intriguing play inspired by the nineteenth century Oneida Community in upstate New York. Its allure is partially based on the prospect that the audience will be privy to the secrets of a hidden and defensively private community. The allure of this play is further compounded by the potential romance of entering a simpler time and by the notion that we will get a glimpse of foundational Americana. What one discovers in this production, however, is the reality that the past is not that different from the present, and that there are fundamental similarities in the drives and the passions of people who make choices that seem far away from our own. SILVERHILL employs the historical in plot and design to awaken curiosity and to draw its audiences away from the chaos of contemporary multi-media distractions, but not in an attempt to pain an anthropological portrait of a community built on the rejection of more cosmopolitan virtues.

Theatre has long used the facts of the past as the inspiration for playwriting and production, but engages history in a markedly unique fashion: it brings traditional historical memory out of the past and into the present through the immediacy of live performance. This practice of the proximity of history through actor, set, design, and playwriting allows contemporary audiences to engage critical historic moments and make connections with modern political, cultural, social, and personal issues. In this sense the theatre decisively connects the past and the present in a fashion unachievable by textual academic discourse or static media such as photographs or film. The audience finds themselves between light down and lights up, living in another place and another time. Theatre that mediates the past creates shared experiences and moments of cultural continuity that permit insight into how we have become who we are.

The Israeli theatre scholar Freddie Rokem offers useful insight into the theatre’s general contribution to historical consciousness and its impact on contemporary thinking, at time revealing the root what has become accepted as conventional wisdom:
By performing history the theatre, at times even more forcefully than other discourses about the past like historiographic writing or novels about historical events, engages in such ideological debates, frequently intervening in them directly. What may be seen as specific to the theatre in dealing directly with the historical past is its ability to create an awareness of the complex interaction between the destructiveness and the failures of history, on the one hand, and the efforts to create a viable and meaningful work of art, trying to confront these painful failures on the other.
Rokem’s insight reveals how SILVERHILL engages in historical debate in its ideas while simultaneously illuminating how the play connects with InterAct’s artistic mission to educate and provoke audiences. This mission has the potential pitfall to become overtly obvious in its political agenda, thus draining the interpretive and aesthetic qualities necessary for good theatre. In other words, InterAct is faced with the challenge of being provocative politically or culturally without reducing the theatrical practice of its mission to mere propaganda. SILVERHILL successfully combines the allure of drama through its historically voyeuristic glimpse of this otherwise closed community, with the culture tension which dominates our modern experience: free market capitalism. Thus SILVERHILL functions as both history and art as it reveals aesthetic in design and cultural failure in plot and character. Its primitive story of an isolated and peaceful community is aesthetically appealing while the conflict of its plot reveals just how similar issues of great and money are then and now.

InterAct’s production of SILVERHILL provokes a connection with the past that goes beyond wanting to trace through history a clear pathway of events that have delivered us into the present reality in which we find ourselves. Instead of simply viewing archaic events of the past, we are presented with virtues and vices that are timeless and continue to shape cultural discourse. But what is history if not a series of events that have happened in the past?

The French philosopher Michele Foucault theorizes history in order to uncover how ideas or even ideology are past from one generation to another. Foucault’s accounts juxtapose ‘traditional history’ and, what he describes as ‘effective history’ in order to provide insight into the process of the formation of history itself, thus contributing greatly to an analysis of this dramatic historical engagement:
The former transposes the relationship ordinarily established between eruption of an event and necessary continuity. An entire historical tradition (theological or rationalistic) aims at dissolving the singular event into an ideal continuity – as a teleological movement or a natural process. “Effective” history, however, deals with events in terms of their most unique characteristics, their most acute manifestations. An event, consequently, is not a decision, a reign, or a battle, but the reversal of a relationship of forces, the usurpation of power, the appropriation of vocabulary turned against those who had once used it, a feeble domination which poisons itself as it grows lax, the entry of a masked “other.”
The most unique characteristic that SILVERHILL manifests is the influence of money and material possessions in shaping peoples values and choices. The play offers a much more complex argument between good and bad, religious and secular, and thus focuses on the seductive power of the desire for possession. While many desire a return to the values of the past, this play stands as a recognition that the insatiability of human possessiveness continues to pull us apart, perhaps at the expense of our communities.

Ultimately theatre is grounded in a series of relationships between actor and script, performance and audience and society. It combines both the events of the past and the ideas that continue long after the actual moment has passed. SILVERHILL is not a glimpse at the past but, instead, a criticism of the present. The initial distance established between audience and play is bridged through ideas and their living impact of recognizing our world in the theatrical experience. This recognition, under the best of circumstances, allows us to glimpse in the mirror. Theatre and history together in practice dissolves difference into similarity, allowing politics and cultural criticism to emerge through theatrical artistry, this aspiration is the impulse that drives theatre to awaken that which is asleep and have an impact in the moment.

[1] Rokem, Freddie, Performing History: Theatrical Representations of the Past in Contemporary Theatre. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 2000p.3.

[2] Michel Foucault, “Nietzsche, Genealogy, History” in Foucault Reader, ed. Paul Rabinow. New York: Pantheon Books, 1984, p.88.

Elliott Shore, CIO, Director of Libraries, & Professor of History at Bryn Mawr College:

The urge to perfectionism is an old one in the history of Europeans on this continent -- it seems to be present from the start and it still inspires and haunts this country today. Want and the lack of opportunity induced desperate people to leave their homes and this flight was intertwined with successive outbreaks in Northern Europe and North America of messianic Christianity. Poverty and the promise of the holy land beckoned some to the place where, they thought, one could start from scratch. Religious revivals repeatedly fanned flames that burned bright with the desire to build the city on the hill, to create on earth that ideal world and bequeath it to future generations. Women and men were told or believed or were led to understand that the city was corrupt, that the virgin land, where no one had ever lived or farmed before, was the last best place to re-create the Biblical Eden from which humankind had been banished, where all could live together as one family. Keeping the garden safe often meant forbidding any and all of the corrupting influences of civilization.

All of the pieces of this narrative show up in the drama SILVERHILL, based on one of the most prominent of the utopian experiments of the 19th century. The play demonstrates the difficulties that all of these experiments had in passing on to the children the ideals of the generation which experienced the alienation that had led to the founding moment.

Those who had been shielded from living in the world, of course, did not have the fire of the parents' experience: the Puritans had trouble with their children and the Oneidans with theirs. This is all in SILVERHILL, with the added fillip that not all utopia experiments included: freedom of choice in sexual partners. But, in spite of excellent actresses and actors, a handsome set and fluent writing, the play doesn't take us far enough. The deeper issues are left on the table; one hopes that the author meant the audience to contemplate them afterward, but maybe it is the power of simple dualities and rigid solutions that are built into this way of looking at life that has so captured the American spirit that the author himself can only think within those inherited categories. Why do we all seem so stuck in the same flat view of the world, one where evil and good seem crystal clear, where solutions are absolute? Either withdraw from the world, or be engulfed by commercialism, either possess nothing--not even love for one's mate -- or wallow in the need to possess everything and everyone. The search for simple answers to simple questions -- witness the just completed national elections -- is reflected in mainstream American politics, its view of the world outside its own doors, and its religious fervor. This version of one utopian experiment is caught in the same reduction of the complexity of life into the shallow categories that it seems to condemn.

Links to more information about SILVERHILL:

Purchase Tickets

An Interview with Playwright Thomas Gibbons

An Interview with Director Seth Rozin

Watch the SILVERHILL Speaker Sunday Talk-Back ft. Rev. Nate Walker

2010-11-04T16:39:00.000-04:00

Watch the SILVERHILL Speaker Sunday talk-back on October 31, 2010 featuring Rev. Nathan C. Walker from the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia...

Part One features Rev. Nate's introduction:

Part Two features the first part of the Q&A:

Part Three features the last part of the Q&A:

Links to more information about SILVERHILL:

Purchase Tickets

An Interview with Playwright Thomas Gibbons

An Interview with Director Seth Rozin

City Paper: SILVERHILL "Fascinates" & "Soars"

2010-11-04T15:57:00.000-04:00

Check out these excerpts from Mark Cofta’s review of SILVERHILL from today's Philadelphia City Paper:

Philly playwright Thomas Gibbons' eighth premiére with InterAct Theatre Co. harks back to an obscure bit of American history in a drama that's surprisingly meaningful today… Nick Embree's handsome set features huge gates - do they lock out the corrupt outside, or imprison Silverhill's citizens? Christopher Coucill makes leader Alden a fiery prophet, tall and lean with an Old Testament white beard… In Alden's perfect community, rebellion is, conveniently, a sin… Soon, philosophies clash: communism vs. capitalism, monogamy vs. free love, dictatorship vs. democracy, with fascinating modern parallels. A great cast brings the debate to life in personal, intimate, often humorous performances… The lively debate about divinity and human perfection, and ideas about charismatic leaders and the inevitable lure of anything forbidden, resonate powerfully. SILVERHILL fascinates with its glimpse of pre-1960s American social experiments, but soars through its fresh exploration of eternal - and, thus, contemporary - issues.

Links to more information about SILVERHILL:

Purchase Tickets

Read Mark Cofta’s Entire Philadelphia City Paper Review

Read John Dowlin’s Weekly Press Review in the Nov. 3 Issue

Read Ellen Wilson Dilks’ Stage Magazine Review

Read Toby Zinman's Inquirer Review

An Interview with Playwright Thomas Gibbons

An Interview with Director Seth Rozin

Watch the Video Trailer of SILVERHILL

Weekly Press: SILVERHILL is "A Gem Of A Play... Fresh... Engaging... Smart"

2010-11-03T11:49:00.001-04:00

Check out these excerpts from John Dowlin’s review of SILVERHILL from this week's issue of Weekly Press:

In 1848, John Humphrey Noyes founded the Oneida settlement in upstate New York... This was also the year Marx and Engels published the Communist Manifesto. Three years later, Herman Melville would publish Moby Dick, perhaps the epic poem of capitalism. Heady times. ... vividly portrayed in Thomas Gibbons' well-grafted new play, SILVERHILL, produced by InterAct... Director Seth Rozin has carefully coached seven talented, accomplished actors to present a fresh look at mid-19th century communal America. ... SILVERHILL is a gem of a play, engaging us in a political/Biblical debate while relieving with Shaker songs and incidental music. It's a smart course on how our troubled, often confused nation has grown and continues to grow. To borrow and extend a thought from William Penn... 'Let us now see what a little history can do.'

Links to more information about SILVERHILL:

Purchase Tickets

Read John Dowlin’s Entire Weekly Press Review in the Nov. 3 Issue

Read Ellen Wilson Dilks’ Stage Magazine Review

Read Toby Zinman's Inquirer Review

An Interview with Playwright Thomas Gibbons

An Interview with Director Seth Rozin

Watch the Video Trailer of SILVERHILL

Stage Magazine: SILVERHILL is a “Powerful Production...I was in Heaven for Two Hours”

2010-11-02T11:30:00.006-04:00

Check out these excerpts from Ellen Wilson Dilks’ review of SILVERHILL on Stage Magazine’s website:

I count myself among those in the theatre community who feel theatre should provoke conversations about life and important issues, as well as entertain. Some of my favorite moments as an audience member have been when a production has forced me to question my views on something. When it reaches into my id... When I can’t stop talking about it and analyzing it on the way home. InterAct’s current production, SILVERHILL, onstage at the Adrienne’s main space, is such a play... SILVERHILL definitely has parallels to today’s world. It was the love of money and material things that created the current economic meltdown. We can hopefully fix our future by not forgetting our past.

Director Seth Rozin has hit every note of the script perfectly; my companion and I were totally drawn in to the world of SILVERHILL and its inhabitants. Rozin has balanced the comic moments of the script beautifully with the emotionally charged ones, getting wonderfully nuanced performances out of each member of this solid ensemble of actors. Nick Embree’s scenic design, which starts out showing us the gates to the commune, is deceptively simple and uses the small space of The Adrienne to full effect, moving the action smoothly along. The actors deftly shift the few furniture pieces as needed to create the various locales of the commune. Lightning designer Peter Whinnery and Sound Designer Kevin Francis bring just the right mix to the production, helping to put the viewer totally into the “spirit.” Obviously inspired by the Amish and the polygamy cults of Utah, Rosemarie McKelvey works her usual costume magic, ably assisted by the properties designers. Props to Avista Custom Theatrical Services.

I strongly urge everyone to see this powerful production - you will be talking about it for hours afterwards. Questions are still reeling around in my head…. Add to that the joy of seeing truly gifted actors bring a wonderful script to life under the guidance of an exceedingly talented director and I was in heaven for two hours and 10 minutes.

Links to more information about SILVERHILL:

Purchase Tickets

Read Ellen Wilson Dilks’ Entire Stage Magazine Review

Read Toby Zinman's Inquirer Review

An Interview with Playwright Thomas Gibbons

An Interview with Director Seth Rozin

Watch the Video Trailer of SILVERHILL

Video Trailer for SILVERHILL...

2010-10-29T12:43:00.004-04:00

Watch the video trailer for InterAct's SILVERHILL...

Links to more information about SILVERHILL:

Purchase Tickets

Read Toby Zinman's Philadelphia Inquirer Review

An Interview with Playwright Thomas Gibbons

An Interview with Director Seth Rozin

Philadelphia Inquirer: SILVERHILL is an "Impassioned" "Fine New Play..."

2010-10-29T12:42:00.000-04:00

Check out these excerpts from Toby Zinman's review of SILVERHILL in today's Inquirer:

A Utopia Beset by Lust and Conflict

By Toby Zinman
Friday, October 29, 2010

... Silverhill is the name of Thomas Gibbons' fine new play at InterAct Theatre Company and it's also the name of a 19th-century utopian religious community, based on the Oneida community in upstate New York. The very word utopia means "no place" - but that doesn't seem to stop anybody from hoping this time will be different.

Begin with the set... a huge metal gate, the name emblazoned across it. The question is, does the gate lock the world out or the community in?

... The pleasures of a good historical drama are many... their problems are our problems, and their solutions shed light on ours, since Gibbons gives each point of view an impassioned monologue.

... Strife, both economic and sexual, ensues, raising questions about human nature: Is love always possessive? Is male competition always sexual? Is innocence good or foolish? Is capitalism inevitably soul-destroying? Is private ownership a function of individuality? Does leadership always become tyranny? Do the young always rebel against the rules of their society? Good stuff to think about.

Seth Rozin directs the strong cast.

Links to more information about SILVERHILL:

Purchase Tickets

Read Toby Zinman's Entire Inquirer Review

An Interview with Playwright Thomas Gibbons

An Interview with Director Seth Rozin

Watch the Video Trailer of SILVERHILL

SILVERHILL On Rep Radio

2010-10-28T11:02:00.002-04:00

Rep Radio's Kristen Scatton interviews playwright Thomas Gibbons, director Seth Rozin and actor Nancy Boykin on the inspiration behind SILVERHILL and what it takes to put a world premiere play on stage...

Subscribe to Rep Radio’s Theatre Podcast at Their Website

SILVERHILL Featured at Examiner.com

2010-10-26T11:44:00.001-04:00

InterAct's good friend Samantha Clarke, who was featured in the cast of last season's THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY, writes about the Philadelphia theatre scene at Examiner.com. Her latest column features several quotes from playwright Thomas Gibbons about his inspiration behind writing SILVERHILL.

Read Her Latest Column Here

SILVERHILL Director Interview with DCTheatreScene.com

2010-10-25T17:38:00.000-04:00

In the second of a series of interviews with Philadelphia theatre directors, Joel Markowitz of DCTheatreScene.com interviewed Seth Rozin, director of InterAct's production of SILVERHILL, about the world premiere of the new play, his long-standing working relationship with playwright Thomas Gibbons, and what makes InterAct a unique theatre on the Philadelphia scene.

Before I plan a trip to Philadelphia, I always check to see if InterAct has a show running. This weekend, 6 members of The Ushers and Broadway Bound Meetup will be heading to Philly with me for a theatre-filled weekend. I can’t wait to introduce them to the brilliance of InterAct’s productions by attended their new production of Silverhill. I asked Director Seth Rozin to tell us about the production...

Read Joel Markowitz's Interview Here

InterAct & Mural Arts on the Red Carpet at the Barrymores

2010-10-25T16:41:00.001-04:00

Check out this interview with Seth Rozin, InterAct Producing Artistic Director, and Jane Golden, Mural Arts' Executive Director, during the Actors' Equity Association Red Carpet pre-show at the 2010 Barrymore Awards ceremony. InterAct and Mural Arts went on to win the award for New Approaches to Collaborations Award for CITY OF NUMBERS by Sean Christopher Lewis:

InterAct Wins Three 2010 Barrymore Awards

2010-10-05T11:15:00.000-04:00

On Monday, October 4, the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia celebrated the 2009/2010 theatre sSeason by announcing the 2010 Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre at a gala ceremony held at the Walnut Street Theatre. InterAct was the recipients of three Barrymore Awards (out of five nominations). InterAct extends a big "Congratulations!" and "Thank You!" to the artists, designers and everyone who worked on these productions:

The Brown Martin Philadelphia Award

BLACK PEARL SINGS!

The Ted and Stevie Wolf Award for New Approaches to Collaborations
InterAct Theatre Company & City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program for CITY OF NUMBERS: mixtape of a city...

Outstanding Choreography/Movement

John Bellomo & Tony “Hitman” Stetson for
THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY

Now in its 16th year, the Barrymore Awards are the Greater Philadelphia region's only comprehensive theatre awards program, recognizing artists for excellence and innovation while serving to increase awareness of the richness of the local theatre community. The Barrymore Awards are a nationally recognized symbol of excellence for theatre in this region, raising the bar for the work produced by local theatres and individual artists, and generating significant coverage in all the local newspapers and in national trade publications. Each year, over 120 shows produced by the region's professional theatres are reviewed by the Barrymore Voters. This year, 24 of Theatre Alliance's 76 member theatres received nominations for a total of 40 productions.

For a complete list of nominees and winners, check out these links:

Theatre Alliance's Complete List of Recipients & Nominees

Philadelphia Inquirer's Coverage of the Ceremony

Read InterAct's 2010/2011 Brochure Online

2010-08-11T15:20:00.000-04:00

Below is the online version of InterAct's 2010/2011 season brochure, designed by the fine folks at Lorel Marketing Group. The season begins Friday, October 22 with SILVERHILL, the new play by renowned Philadelphia playwright Thomas Gibbons, author of InterAct hits PERMANENT COLLECTION, BEE-LUTHER-HATCHEE and A HOUSE WITH NO WALLS. Subscribe now so you don't miss the oppurtunity to see all five fantastic new plays in this season's line-up. Subscriptions range from $61-$129 (still the best value in town!)...

Open This Publication at Issuu.com

InterAct's Entire 2009/2010 Season Receives Barrymore Recognition

2010-08-03T12:45:00.000-04:00

On Monday, August 2, the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia announced the nominations for the 2010 Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre. The announcements were made as part of the Theatre Alliance's members meeting at New Freedom Theatre. InterAct received five nominations in all, with each of the four shows in InterAct's 2009/2010 Season receiving recognition. InterAct extends a big "Congratulations!" and "Thank You!" to our nominated artists, designers and everyone who worked on the productions:

Independence Foundation Award for Outstanding New Play

WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA by Lee Blessing

The Brown Martin Philadelphia Award

The Charlotte Cushman Award for Outstanding Leading Actress in a Play

C. Kelly Wright as Pearl Johnson in BLACK PEARL SINGS!

Outstanding Choreography/Movement

John Bellomo & Tony “Hitman” Stetson for THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY

Now in its 16th year, the Barrymore Awards are the premiere annual event in Philadelphia theatre. Each year, over 100 productions, produced by local professional theatres, are reviewed by the Barrymore voting committee. This year, 24 of Theatre Alliance's 76 member theatres received nominations for a total of 40 productions. The winners of the 2010 Barrymore Awards will be announced at a formal ceremony held on Monday, October 2, 7:00 p.m., at the Walnut Street Theatre. Tickets to attend the ceremony are $75 for theatre artists and $150 for the general public and can be purchased by calling 215.413.7150 or visiting PhillyTheatreTix.com.

For a complete list of nominations or for media coverage of the announcements, check out these links:

Theatre Alliance's Complete List of Nominees

Philadelphia Inquirer's Coverage of the Nominations

BroadwayWorld.com Coverage of the Nominations

TheatreMania.com Coverage of the Nominations

Philly Weekly Includes CHAD DEITY in Season's Top 10

2010-07-07T17:47:00.001-04:00

If you're a regular follower of InterAct, you already know that Kristoffer Diaz's THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY was last season's biggest hit, eventually becoming the 5th best-selling show in our history. You may also know that the play was named as one of the finalists for the 2010 Pulitzer Prize in Drama and was shortly thereafter received a critically-acclaimed run Off-Broadway in New York, produced by Victory Gardens Theatre out of Chicago. (And if you're not a regular follower of InterAct, you should be... and you can read more about CHAD DEITY's accolades here.) Well, in this week's edition of Philadelphia Weekly, J. Cooper Robb named InterAct's production of the ground-breaking new play one of Philadelphia's Top 10 Productions of the 2009/2010 Season. Seth Rozin was also named as the season's Best Director of a Play for his work on the production. Check out our honors and see what else made the list here.

Philly Bloggers Love BLACK PEARL SINGS!

2010-06-25T12:11:00.000-04:00

Several local writers have blogged about how much they enjoyed BLACK PEARL SINGS! Take a look at a few of their comments:

"I read this play ... and am thrilled to have had the opportunity to see this spare and powerful piece expertly cast, deftly dressed (set and actors), simply lit, elegantly directed, and superbly acted. InterAct Theatre Company is doing something special ... Do yourself a favor and catch this special production ... A powerful and evocative story ..."
- Martha Wade Steketee, Urban Excavations Blog

"... C. Kelly Wright (Pearl) and Catharine Slusar (Susannah) are marvelous. ... The entire production, the scenery, costumes and lighting, is wonderfully crafted. There are more laughs than you might expect from the storyline. A capella songs underscore the heart and tensions of the plot. They're so affecting you may find yourself inclined to sing along."
- Deni Kasrel, UWishUNu Blog

"With their current production, Black Pearl Sings!, InterAct Theatre brings a powerful story to the Mainstage of Philadelphia’s Adrienne. The intimate performance space, where third row is a mere six feet from the floor-level stage, helps one feel immersed in the story ... the greatest beauty of this show lay in the voice of C. Kelly Wright as she sang a cappella spirituals and folk songs, and her visceral expression of emotions throughout the performance. Her rich voice brought tears to my eyes multiple times, and manifested great power and strength. I felt her voice not only in my ears but in my bones. ... [an] excellent production ..."
- Lisa Rand, Feminist Review Blog

"Do NOT miss this play at the InterAct Theatre ... The ancestors live, breathe and intoxicate through Ms. Wright in Black Pearl Sings!, and you owe it to yourself, ... to see what she can bring forth in you as you sit helpless in the audience."
- Dr. Niama L. Williams, BlowingUpBarriers.com

Links to more information about BLACK PEARL SINGS!:

Purchase Tickets Now

Read Wendy Rosenfield's Philadelphia Inquirer Review

Read Kimberly Roberts' Philadelphia Tribune Review

Read J. Cooper Robb's Philadelphia Weekly Review

Read Bonnie Squires' Mainline Times Review

Read Naila Francis' Intelligencer Article

Listen to Music Featured in BLACK PEARL SINGS!

Play Description, Artist Bios & Performance Calendar

An Interview with Playwright Frank Higgins

Watch a video trailer of BLACK PEARL SINGS! at Ford's Theatre in Washington D.C.

Mainline Times: BLACK PEARL SINGS! is "A Magnificent Play"

2010-06-24T16:38:00.002-04:00

BLACK PEARL SINGS really strikes a chord in Bonnie Squires at Mainline Times. Check out these excerpts to see why she loved the show:

Village View: A play, a book and the reality of our race relations

By Bonnie Squires
Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Ever since my husband and I went to see “Black Pearl Sings!” at the InterAct Theater, we can’t stop thinking about the play and its many levels of meaning. The Frank Higgins play is a springboard for resuming something really important which has been submerged in the outcry against British Petroleum Oil and the disaster occurring in the Gulf of Mexico: the national conversation on race relations. Which almost had its jump-start with the election of our first African-American president.

But the recession, Afghanistan and now BP all intervened and interrupted what should have been an ongoing discussion of race relations in America. And inequality in its many forms. And what has — and has not — been done to ameliorate the racism and prejudice which shows its ugly head at every opportunity.

“Black Pearl Sings!” puts everything into focus. The action takes place in 1935 but it could easily have taken place today.

... Frank Higgins, who is white, has created a magnificent play which is guaranteed to make every theatergoer, black or white, uncomfortable. And rightfully so.

... And Seth Rozin, the director and co-founder of InterAct Theater Company, has a special knack for bringing out compassion and empathy, even in characters who are not the most appealing to begin with.

... the compelling, cynical character of Pearl (C. Kelly Wright), with her amazing voice and repertoire of songs to comfort her as she drags her ball and chain into the visitors’ room of the jail, is designed to move us.

... You really need to see “Black Pearl Sings,” which is here through Sunday. And then sit down with “The Other Wes Moore” and think on race relations in America today.

Links to more information about BLACK PEARL SINGS!:

Read Bonnie Squires' Full Mainline Times Review

Purchase Tickets Now

Read J. Cooper Robb's Philadelphia Weekly Review

Read Kimberly Roberts' Philadelphia Tribune Review

Read Wendy Rosenfield's Philadelphia Inquirer Review

Listen to Music Featured in BLACK PEARL SINGS!

Play Description, Artist Bios & Performance Calendar

An Interview with Playwright Frank Higgins

Watch a video trailer of BLACK PEARL SINGS! at Ford's Theatre in Washington D.C.

Philly Weekly: BLACK PEARL SINGS! is "Compelling" & "High Caliber"

2010-06-24T16:18:00.002-04:00

J. Cooper Robb raves about BLACK PEARL SINGS! in this week's Philadelphia Weekly! Check out these excerpts:

Black Pearl Sings

By J. Cooper Robb
Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Ownership of culture is at the heart of Frank Higgins’ Black Pearl Sings, a compelling drama in a thoughtful production from InterAct Theater Company. Higgins’ play, inspired by the real-life association between musicologist John Lomax and singer/guitarist Leadbelly, focuses on the relationship between two disparate women in Depression-era America.

... Susannah is likeable but naive, at one point announcing that she is an “expert in oppressed people.” While she’s clearly not a bigot, questions of whether she’s particularly qualified to be a curator of African-American culture lie close to the heart of the play.

... Wright has considerable musical-theater experience belied by the singing style she uses in her performance as Pearl. Sounding like a woman who needs to sing rather than a woman trained to sing, Wright’s vocals are soulful, painful, joyful and spiritual.

... The costuming choices, sound design and high caliber of acting are reflective of the care given to all elements of Rozin’s meticulously mounted production. In a play that could be one-sided (the role of Pearl clearly being the meatier and flashier of the two leads) this is an evenhanded affair that leaves us questioning whether an outsider can ever “present” another culture accurately and with empathy.

Links to more information about BLACK PEARL SINGS!:

Read J. Cooper Robb's Full Philadelphia Weekly Review

Purchase Tickets Now

Read Kimberly Roberts' Philadelphia Tribune Review

Read Wendy Rosenfield's Philadelphia Inquirer Review

Listen to Music Featured in BLACK PEARL SINGS!

Play Description, Artist Bios & Performance Calendar

An Interview with Playwright Frank Higgins

Watch a video trailer of BLACK PEARL SINGS! at Ford's Theatre in Washington D.C.

BLACK PEARL SINGS Actresses Interviewed in The Intelligencer

2010-06-09T15:03:00.036-04:00

Naila Franics has written a great article about BLACK PEARL SINGS for The Intelligencer, including interviews with both actresses in the show. Take a look...

Songs For The Journey

By Naila Franicis
The Intelligencer
Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Ultimately, it’s often reflected upon as a story of unlikely friendship.

But “Black Pearl Sings!,” Frank Higgins’ critically acclaimed drama about two women confronted by race and gender biases during the Great Depression, packs a much more compelling complexity. ...

“What’s easy to do with the play is to make it about people connecting and I think the story has more to do with them not connecting,” says Catharine K. Slusar, the Philadelphia-based actress who plays Susannah. “By the end of the play, they respect each other deeply in a way that wasn’t possible in the beginning. In the beginning, Susannah just needs to make the next big discovery so she can get a teaching job at Harvard and Pearl just needs to get out so she can see her daughter.

“You think these two women are never going to see eye to eye. They are so stubborn and single-minded, but the interesting thing is it comes when you don’t expect it. … I don’t know that they’re friends but they love each other, which is more than that in a way.”

For both Slusar, also director of the theater department at Bryn Mawr College, and C. Kelly Wright, who is making her Philadelphia debut in the role of Pearl, the play is a powerful meditation on survival, the preservation of cultural heritage — and the slippery slope to define what’s authentic and what isn’t — and the similarities that bind us, often more deeply than any initial differences and misperceptions may suggest.

“It’s about the common ground among human beings and women and really just coming to a point where I can appreciate that (Susannah) is not so different from me,” says Wright, who recently relocated to New York after years in the San Francisco Bay Area. “Susannah’s not alone in having her misconceptions. Pearl has a boatload of them herself based on her experience. She has to form a new world order, I think, and she gets that from Susannah. The ways in which they’re different — the things the other person possesses — many of these are things that they could use.”

While Pearl definitely believes herself to bear a greater burden of injustice and degradation based on her race, Higgins handily juxtaposes her oppression with that of Susannah’s own gender struggles.

“It’s easy to see what Pearl is fighting against because of the history of slavery in our country and segregation, etc., and she’s in prison. You think that white people had all the power, but I think what Frank does that’s interesting is he makes the struggle of women deeply important,” says Slusar, a Barrymore Award-winning actress who has appeared in several InterAct Theatre productions ...

Still, Pearl and Susannah forge a delicate trust as they begin to dismantle their preconceived notions about each other. That bond is further enriched by the 20 or so songs that they share in the play. Though most of them are in the public domain and several may sound familiar, even the most well-known ones — “Kum Ba Yah” and “This Little Light of Mine,” for instance — are rendered in live, little-heard a cappella versions.

“Most of the songs, the way they’re placed in the piece, they have a dual meaning,” says Wright, whose recent credits include the off-Broadway production of “Langston In Harlem” and Playwrights Horizons’ “Red Clay,” in which she portrayed Rosa Parks. “Many of them start off as one experience and end up as another. They serve to place the piece time-wise and to ground it in the earthiness that it’s coming from. [‘Black Pearl Sings!’] is about the songs, but it’s also about the life that these songs sing about.”

The songs also underscore the importance of preserving the past. Slusar says that her character doesn’t want the past to get lost within all the tumult and change of the Great Depression; in reaching back to protect what she believes is important, she also hopes to prove the power of song as both a survival and communication skill.

For Wright, the play is preserving something that strikes a little closer to home.

“There are actors who don’t want to portray certain periods of time — they don’t want to do another slave show or Civil War show — but I feel very protective of those voices because they didn’t get their opportunity to speak,” says Wright. “Sometimes in the retelling of their stories, they’re not fully thought through, but Frank has written Pearl to be strong and knowledgeable. She’s not a caricature. She has hopes and dreams and fears and prayers, very much like me. I find a full place to start with her and that feels good.”

Links to more information about BLACK PEARL SINGS!:

Read Naila Francis' Full Intelligencer Article

Purchase Tickets

Read Wendy Rosenfield's Philadelphia Inquirer Review

Read Kimberly Roberts' Philadelphia Tribune Review

Listen to Music Featured in BLACK PEARL SINGS!

Play Description, Artist Bios & Performance Calendar

An Interview with Playwright Frank Higgins

Watch a video trailer of BLACK PEARL SINGS!
at Ford's Theatre in Washington D.C.

Tribune: BLACK PEARL SINGS is "Lively" & "Profound"

2010-06-08T13:17:00.004-04:00

BLACK PEARL SINGS received an excellent review from Kimberly Roberts at The Philadelphia Tribune! Check out some of what she had to say:

‘Black Pearl Sings!’ is a lively character study

By Kimberly Roberts
Tribune Entertainment Writer
Friday, June 4, 2010

Interact Theatre Company, known for its small but profound productions, has done it again with “Black Pearl Sings!” ...

Both Wright and Slusar have a gift for comedy, and Higgins’ earthy, dialogue driven piece is filled with zany one-line zingers, delivered with plenty of attitude by both characters, along with some inconvenient truths that are often painful to hear.

The cozy intimate atmosphere of The Adrienne is conducive to the interactive nature of “Black Pearl Sings!" In her InterAct Theatre debut, Wright, who should be a strong contender for a Barrymore Award after this performance, fully engaged the audience with her expressive facial features, inner angst and compelling delivery of the traditional hymns and spirituals.

Barrymore winner Catharine Slusar, ... consistently shines a bright light on Pearl’s “authentic” heritage, while refusing to address, or even acknowledge, the problems in her own ... the two women form a sisterhood, though not quite a friendship, that was engrossing.

Based on the age-old story of exploitation (for the sake of art, of course), “Black Pearl Sings!” is a provocative production that demonstrates, once again, how deeply stereotypes, racism, and prejudice are woven into the fabric of America. ...

Links to more information about BLACK PEARL SINGS!:

Read Kimberly Roberts' Full Review

Purchase Tickets

Read Wendy Rosenfield's Philadelphia Inquirer Review

Listen to Music Featured in
BLACK PEARL SINGS!

Play Description, Artist Bios & Performance Calendar

An Interview with Playwright Frank Higgins

Watch a video trailer of BLACK
PEARL SINGS! at Ford's Theatre
in Washington D.C.

Inquirer: BLACK PEARL SINGS is "The Real Deal"

2010-06-04T13:00:00.017-04:00

Check out these excerpts from Wendy Rosenfield's review of BLACK PEARL SINGS! in today's Inquirer:

Black, White Women Bond Musically and Winningly

By Wendy Rosenfield
Friday, June 4, 2010

... In Seth Rozin's hands, Black Pearl sings, all right, and women wasting their girls-night-out money on faux female-bonding shows like Respect or Menopause: The Musical ought to demand refunds, link arms, and head straight to the Adrienne Theatre for the real deal, courtesy of InterAct Theatre Company.

There's music here too, both spiritual and playful, albeit from the Depression era and earlier. Higgins' drama is modeled after the relationship between bluesman Leadbelly and musicologist John Lomax, but the women make it their own, with tunes devastatingly bellowed by C. Kelly Wright as Pearl Johnson, and sung with a self-conscious reserve by Catherine Slusar as Susannah Mullally.

Rozin carefully calibrates the women's intellectual and emotional balance. He allows them dignity, silliness, and secrets in equal measure without forcing them to wallow too deeply for too long in the type of unbridled pathos and sentimentality that could drown this play.

... Wright and Slusar are strong enough to resist the script's baser instincts. The play's success lies in its characters' friendship, not their surroundings - though Shannon Zura's set ... allows the women to stretch out and explore the space between them. ...

There may be some irony in the fact that this endearing examination of women and race was written and directed by a pair of white men, but then again maybe that's just Higgins' point. Just as Susannah's search for "authenticity" led her to expand the definition, this production asks its audience to do the same.

Links to more information about BLACK PEARL SINGS!:

Read Wendy Rosenfield's Full Review

Purchase Tickets

Listen to Music Featured in
BLACK PEARL SINGS!

Play Description, Artist Bios & Performance Calendar

An Interview with Playwright Frank Higgins

Watch a video trailer of BLACK
PEARL SINGS! at Ford's Theatre
in Washington D.C.

Central Record Hails WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA as "Impressive" and "Imaginative"

2010-05-06T13:26:00.044-04:00

Here's another great review that was posted today on The Central Record by Sally Friedman:

"In the line at the parking lot across from the Adrienne Theatre in Philadelphia, the debate still raged. Those of us in that line who had just come from the InterAct Theatre’s production of "When We Go Upon The Sea" were not yet finished with analyzing the play we’d seen, a play that left us at once confounded - and also impressed. ... Bush [is] wonderfully wrought by Conan McCarty ... But it’s the “why” ... that is at the heart of this intriguing semi-comedy ... Issues of war and peace, responsibility and indifference, and surely the key issue of what actually is a President’s responsibility, keep the moral issues flowing. Director Paul Meshejian manages to combine the sharpest Blessing wit ... in just the right doses, and then he can turn on a dime to weighty issues and imponderables. This play moves! ... the script is imaginative and perfectly rendered by this small, gifted cast. ... The play is already commissioned to play off-Broadway in June, surely a feather in the cap - and a first - for InterAct. For that reason alone - along with plenty of others - this provocative play is worth your time ..."

Read Sally Friedman's Full Central Record Review

Links to more information about WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA:

WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA Moves to Off-Broadway!

Read the Philadelphia Inquirer Review

Read Audience Reactions to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Review

Read J. Cooper Robb's Philadelphia Weekly Review

Read Alaina Mabaso's EdgePhiladelphia.com Review

Read Robert Zaller's BroadstreetReview.com Review

Purchase Tickets

Play Description, Artist Bios & Performance Calendar
(including a talk-back with playwright Lee Blessing)

An Interview with Playwright Lee Blessing

Actor Conan McCarty on Playing George W. Bush

InterAct's 20/20 New Play Commission Program

Philly Weekly Calls UPON THE SEA "Daring ... Thoroughly Compelling"!

2010-05-05T12:26:00.003-04:00

Another outstanding review for WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA from J. Cooper Robb in Philadelphia Weekly:

"Whether you love George W. Bush or hate him, you’ll be fascinated by the portrait of the ex-president in Lee Blessing’s daring political drama WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA, which is receiving a thoroughly compelling world-premiere production from InterAct Theater Company. ... Bush is joined by Piet (an enigmatic Peter Schmitz) ... [and] Anna-Lisa (Kim Carson in a terrific performance) ... Under Paul Meshejian’s exacting direction, McCarty portrays Bush as a punk, but not necessarily a monster. He’s aggressive and frighteningly assured ... In this dark and disquieting play, Blessing isn’t concerned with simple Bush bashing. His purpose in SEA is to investigate the relationship between rulers and those they rule. ... At the end of Blessing’s drama, we are left with the uneasy feeling that perhaps America doesn’t want a man of the people in the Oval Office, but rather an omnipotent ruler with an insatiable thirst for power."

Read J. Cooper Robb's Full Philadelphia Weekly Review

Links to more information about WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA:

WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA Moves to Off-Broadway!

Read the Philadelphia Inquirer Review

Read Audience Reactions to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Review

Read Alaina Mabaso's Full EdgePhiladelphia.com Review

Read the BroadstreetReview.com Review

Purchase Tickets

Play Description, Artist Bios & Performance Calendar
(including a talk-back with playwright Lee Blessing)

An Interview with Playwright Lee Blessing

Actor Conan McCarty on Playing George W. Bush

InterAct's 20/20 New Play Commission Program

The Raves Keep Coming for WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA

2010-05-03T12:06:00.041-04:00

Check out a few excerpts from Alaina Mabaso's outstanding review of WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA:

"... Blessing’s play is by no means a vehicle for easy shots on the former President. Blessing, Director Paul Meshejian, and a superb cast (Conan McCarty, Peter Schmitz and Kim Carson) have much more important things to unearth ... Blessing does deftly reveal a man with all the foibles, gaffes and indefatigable pride we might expect to see in an onstage W. Yes, we’re going to discuss the "terrorists" and an almost megalomaniacal certainty ... But Conan McCarty’s Bush is an intensely human, grounded performance, and the dialogue Blessing fashions through Bush’s mouth on supremacy, justice, annihilation, and even the indignity of a corporate jet over the pomp of Air Force One is less a meditation on a single character receding from world politics, and more an uncomfortably recognizable journey through universal human qualities destined to repeat in any leader of the future. ... McCarty is a native of Bush’s own home county in Texas, and his performance is not an impersonation, but an embodiment of a real piece of American life, and a reminder that understanding our leaders might just be best done with a hard look at ourselves. ... Peter Schmitz’s eminently sleek Piet lucidly echoes Bush’s blunt sentiments ... Kim Carson as enigmatic "relaxationist" Anna-Lisa brings sensual sparks as well as a poignant, intelligent depth. Blessing helps to make another incisive comment on the American public ... Having seen the play once, I would welcome the opportunity to listen to this timeless and well-characterized piece again. ..."

Read Alaina Mabaso's Full EdgePhiladelphia.com Review

Links to more information about WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA:

WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA Moves to Off-Broadway!

Read the Philadelphia Inquirer Review

Read Audience Reactions to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Review

Read the BroadstreetReview.com Review

Purchase Tickets

Play Description, Artist Bios & Performance Calendar
(including a talk-back with playwright Lee Blessing)

An Interview with Playwright Lee Blessing

Actor Conan McCarty on Playing George W. Bush

InterAct's 20/20 New Play Commission Program

The Inquirer Raves About WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA

2010-04-29T00:38:00.000-04:00

Check out these excerpts from Wendy Rosenfield's review of WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA in today's Inquirer:

A Comedy About Issues
Bigger Than Bush

By Wendy Rosenfield
Friday, April 16, 2010

In this world-premiere production of Lee Blessing's When We Go Upon the Sea, commissioned by InterAct Theatre Company, George W. Bush ... will get his comeuppance and be exposed as the evildoer we knew he was all along. ... Wrong ... this isn't even really a drama about Bush, though it riffs on the former president's administration and personal history ... Instead, it's about power and servitude, God and his absence, and what we allow to step in and fill the void. ...

Blessing's parable owes much of its success to Paul Meshejian's direction - orchestration, really - which places the apostle Piet [(Peter Schmitz)] and his Mary Magdalen-like associate Anna-Lisa (Kim Carson) amid a metaphoric tide that rages and recedes according to George's humor. ... If [actor Conan] McCarty's blunt force powers the production, and Schmitz's steady unflappability anchors it, Carson provides its depth as a refugee seeking shelter from the global storm ...

Blessing (A Walk in the Woods, Thief River) raises more questions than he answers ... but that's OK. With the help of InterAct and its tireless advocacy for an audience of soul-searchers, the playwright implores Americans to take to the helm while our own shores are still relatively calm.

Links to more information about WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA:

Read Audience Reactions in This Entry's Comments Section

Read Wendy Rosenfield's Full Review

Purchase Tickets

Play Description, Artist Bios & Performance Calendar
(including a talk-back with playwright Lee Blessing)

An Interview with Playwright Lee Blessing

Actor Conan McCarty on Playing George W. Bush

InterAct's 20/20 New Play Commission Program

CITY OF NUMBERS Wins Prestigious Smith Prize

2010-04-23T14:28:00.004-04:00

InterAct is pleased to announce that CITY OF NUMBERS: mixtape of a city... (since renamed KILLADELPHIA: mixtape of a city...) by Sean Christopher Lewis has been named one of two winners of the National New Play Network's 2010 Smith Prize, an award that goes to the best new play focusing on American politics.

Established in 2006 and funded by a gift from screenwriter, novelist and playwright Timothy Jay Smith and a number of other socially-conscious donors, The Smith Prize has been administered by NNPN, and is awarded annually to a play that asks: Who are Americans as a people? What are we becoming? What are our global responsibilities? Previous Prizewinners are Y York's take on the Rodney King riots, ...AND L.A. IS BURNING; Seth Rozin's satire on Big Oil, BLACK GOLD; and Peter Gil-Sheridan's TOPSY TURVY MOUSE.

This year, KILLADELPHIA: mixtape of a city... shares the award with Martín Zimmerman's WHITE TIE BALL, an explosive story of two Latino brothers set against the backdrop of Southwest politics. This is the first year since the Prize's inception that more than one winner has been selected; Lewis and Zimmerman will share the $5,000 cash prize.

For more information about National New Play Network or present and past winners of The Smith Prize, visit these links:

National New Play Network's Smith Prize Announcement

The Los Angeles Times Smith Prize Article

Conan McCarty on Becoming George W. Bush

2010-04-22T13:28:00.004-04:00

Icarus Continued...

It was a magnificent honor to meet Lee Blessing on this project...

4/19: First Monday off after we have opened and I am engulfed by a tsunami of guilt for not writing a blog entry in ages. Such things can happen during rehearsals and opening week; especially with a play such as SEA. Yes, it is only 85 minutes long, but it is a very dense piece and demands its players bring their ‘A’ games and as much versatility as they have as it slides from comedy (almost farcical at times, satirical at others) to thought provoking drama. Lee Blessing’s plays are always very smart, this is no exception. Lee visited for a day of rehearsals and then came back to see an early technical run through, and it was a thrill to meet him. I was amazed at his trust, but then he has already had two works produced at InterAct, WHORES and GOING TO ST. IVES, and he also knows Paul and Seth well. This complete trust he exhibited and hearing him laugh at his own jokes during the run gave the three players a great deal of confidence in our work.

We now have the benefit of a few performaces under our belt. I look very forward to the rest of the run. There have been announcements at each performance since opening that we are moving the production to New York for the month of June, but I have been around long enough to know that until there is a signed contract, nothing is definite. Still, the opportunity to fine tune our show is very welcome, and we have a full three weeks (at least) to mine as much richness as we can out of this wonderful piece. And if the New York run happens, we will be that much better prepared.

I am very pleased that the reviews out so far have understood what this play is about. Oh, yes, I have the flashy character, a president who elicited very strong feelings from both directions; but Lee is more interested in those who returned him to office. As Lee himself wrote in a written interview with InterAct’s dramaturg, Becky Wright, ‘I wrote this play not because “W” was our President. I wrote it because he’ll be President again. He’ll have a different name, but make no mistake- it’ll be him. Our inclination to forget what our politicians did to us and “move on” is what every politician counts on.’ I know that I went a long way down the round in understanding the play when at a certain rehearsal I realized that if Lee were to change the circumstances of his piece, it could also be written with Ronald Raegan, or Bill Clinton, or even Barak Obama on the hot seat. In fact, almost any of the giant presidents could be the focal point of the piece, though I don’t think Millard Filmore has much to worry about. The point is that we tend to deify a great leader and allow him to take far greater charge over our lives than we should. The Tea Party, while I think its members are generally misinformed and seven years late, is an attempt for the common man to have greater voice in our government. Such is the central question of Lee’s play. A good play should not answer such questions, but rather force the audience to compare points of view and examine their own lives. As I said in an early entry on this blog, ‘theatre’ means the seeing place.

And then there is the nuts and bolts of the thing, learning how to make it run like a Swiss clock six times a week for however many weeks it winds up being. And many theatre-goers are unaware how important their contribution is to the process. A very wise mentor once told me that theatre happens where the energies of the production meet the energies of the audience. There comes a time when players need an audience as badly as someone lost in the Sahara could use a bottle of Evian, not to mention a whole bunch of sunblock. Especially for a play that is as funny as Lee’s is. The director and stage manager and all the technical people have heard the jokes so many times they yawn through them. The players need the energy of laughter to get the play airbourne, so to speak (‘Houston, we have lift-off!’). And an audience will always tell you that half the jokes you worked so hard on in rehearsal aren’t really that funny,and that it’s the ones you didn’t really pay attention to that work the best. The jokes in this play seem to me to have particular value, because this script goes so quickly from comedy to drama. Therefore, the further we can take each extreme the greater journey the audience will take.

So a constant check-in is required. You must leave a third eye open at all times to see how this particular audience is at this particular performance and calibrate your performance appropriately. There is a moment very early in the show (it is actually on the first page of the script) that I have found to be reliably indicative about how quick and verbal the audience will be throughout that particular show. Basically from that point I have an idea of what kind of pace I can take through the first scene, which is the longest and one of the most difficult in the play. Not that the show is radically different each night; there are different things happening at all times because the players must be free and alive to what is happening to them, and the variables that can occur are numerous. But still we have only varied about two and a half minutes running time of the show since we started before an audience, which I think is incredibly consistent.

And we are all finding new things in our characters; greater depth and more simplicity. It makes it exciting to go to work each night and just see what your colleagues are going to show up with and how it will effect your work.

This is a wonderful script to work on and I do hope the New York run comes through, because I doubt I will be content to finish this play on May 9, and I think Lee deserves a longer life for his wonderful script. The New York Times actually carried an announcement in the paper this morning (4/20), so it looks as though we are a few steps closer. Hope, hope, hope…

- Conan McCarty

Read past entries of the Icarus Chronicles:
Parts I & II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI

Links to more information:

Purchase Tickets for InterAct's WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA

WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA Moves to Off-Broadway!

Read Wendy Rosenfield's Inquirer Review

Read Robert Zaller's BroadStreetReview.com Review

Play Description, Artist Bios & Performance Calendar
(including a talk-back with playwright Lee Blessing)

An Interview with Playwright Lee Blessing

InterAct's 20/20 New Play Commission Program

New York Times: "InterAct's WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA Moves to Off-Broadway"

2010-04-21T11:40:00.005-04:00

In case you hadn't heard...

InterAct Theatre Company's World Premiere production of Lee Blessing's WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA is moving to New York for a limited run Off-Broadway at 59E59 Theatres, June 10 - July 3, 2010! This will be the first time an entire InterAct production will make the move to New York.

Here's the story in The New York Times!

Links to more information about WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA:

Read Wendy Rosenfield's Inquirer Review

Read Robert Zaller's BroadStreetReview.com Review

Purchase Tickets

Play Description, Artist Bios & Performance Calendar
(including a talk-back with playwright Lee Blessing)

An Interview with Playwright Lee Blessing

Actor Conan McCarty on Playing George W. Bush

InterAct's 20/20 New Play Commission Program

Another Great Review & Some BIG NEWS REVEALED...

2010-04-19T11:39:00.009-04:00

Check out some excerpts form Robert Zaller's review of WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA posted Saturday, April 17 on BroadStreetReview.com:

[ed. note: Red highlights added for emphasis...]

Lee Blessing’s new play, When We Go Upon the Sea, imagines George W. Bush in a place liberals would love to see him: awaiting trial as a war criminal in The Hague. Blessing has plenty of fun with “George,” as he calls him, but he points a darker finger at the rest of us, Americans and Europeans alike.

... the true interest of the play lies in the subtly entwined strands of shared history and guilt ... The larger question the play raises, however, is whose hands are clean enough to judge? ...

If Blessing’s mysterious hotel is to be regarded as the anteroom to judgment, then what it finally represents is the moral limbo we all inhabit, the impossibility of judgment itself. ...

Conan McCarty’s “George” is both a dead-on imitation and a satire of our 43rd president, although in the case of George W. Bush imitation and satire are almost indistinguishable. Peter Schmitz’s Piet, at once deadpan and provocative, makes a genuine character out of an enigmatic symbol, and Kim Carson is a businesslike temptress whose personal trauma is revealed only as a self-alienated, third-person soliloquy that makes her the most mysterious presence of all.

Between these slick European types, W.’s transparent foibles seem almost winning. He was, in retrospect, the perfect American dictator.

Director Paul Meshejian keeps the proceedings going as well as their static framework allows; set, lighting and sound all contribute to the ambivalent, subtly menacing mood the play evokes.

When We Go Upon the Sea is New York-bound after its Philadelphia run. It’s well worth seeing here, a play whose invitation to mock our last president lets none of us off the hook.

That's right! InterAct's production of WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA is moving to New York for an Off-Broadway run in June! The details are being ironed out now so check back soon for details. In the meantime, thanks to Robert Zaller at BroadStreetReview.com for breaking the story.

Links to more information about WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA:

Read Robert Zaller's Full Review

Read The Inquirer's Rave Review

Purchase Tickets

Play Description, Artist Bios & Performance Calendar
(including a talk-back with playwright Lee Blessing)

An Interview with Playwright Lee Blessing

Actor Conan McCarty on Playing George W. Bush

InterAct's 20/20 New Play Commission Program

WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA On Rep Radio

2010-04-14T12:19:00.003-04:00

Rep Radio's Michael Brinkman interviews actor Conan McCarty about playing Dubya, his own Texas roots, a problematic KING LEAR and the secret to working with T.V's West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin...

Listen to Michael Brinkman's Interview on Rep Radio's Website

WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA Featured in the Inquirer

2010-04-13T16:49:00.001-04:00

In today's Philadelphia Inquirer, columnist Chris Klein included a nice mention of how Cari Feiler Bender's family and friends joined forces to honor Cari's 40th birthday by sponsoring InterAct's commission of WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA. Read his full story here.

Click here to learn how you too can sponsor a 20/20 New Play Commission.

CHAD DEITY Named as Finalist for 2010 Pulitzer (& Other Cool News)!

2010-04-13T11:32:00.005-04:00

Here at InterAct, we're always so proud when a play InterAct originally produced (or the 2nd production, in this case...) goes on to become a breakthrough hit for its playwright. It's happened on few occassions, most notably for InterAct's Playwright In Resident Thomas Gibbons, who saw over 30 national and international productions of PERMANENT COLLECTION and over 35 productions of BEE-LUTHER-HATCHEE since their World Premiere productions at InterAct in 2003 and 1999 respectively.

Now, we are especially pleased to report that Kristoffer Diaz's THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY was announced yesterday as one of the finalists for the 2010 Pulitzer Prize in Drama. Pulitzer.org describes the play as, "a play invoking the exaggerated role-playing of professional wrestling to explore themes from globalization to ethnic stereotyping, as the audience becomes both intimate insider and ringside spectator."

In addition to its Pulitzer nomination, CHAD DEITY is also gearing up for its Off-Broadway debut! Beginning April 27 and running through June 20, 2econd Stage Theatre will present the New York premiere of the play, directed by Edward Torres and featuring Desmin Borges (as Mace), Terence Archie (as Chad Deity), Usman Ally (as VP), Michael T. Weiss (as Everett K. Olson) and Christian Litke (as Billy Heartland). Visit 2econd Stage Theatre's website for information or to purchase tickets.

Finally, CHAD DEITY is currently receiving its 3rd production at Mixed Blood Theatre in Minneapolis, featuring Shalin Agarwal reprising his role as V.P. from InterAct's production. In its review, TwinCities.com said Shalin, "...has crack comic timing, and although he appears to weigh about half as much as Ansa Akyea, who plays Deity, Agarwal's crazed, charismatic confidence convinces you The Fundamentalist could take him."

Congratulations to both Kris and Shalin... Long live CHAD DEITY!

InterAction Presents the DELSIT Drama Crew - April 16, 2010

2010-04-05T15:46:00.013-04:00

InterAct Theatre Company's education program, InterAction, in association with De La Salle in Towne is proud to present a show created with and starring the talented youth from the DELSIT Drama Crew in TRAPPED IN THE MIXX on Friday April 16th at 1:30 p.m. A gripping story about the trials of a young man trying to follow a better dream despite a world which seeks to destroy him.

This powerful piece will play at 2nd Stage at The Adrienne, 2030 Sansom Street, Philadelphia. Admission is free. For further information call InterAct Theatre Education Director Dwight Wilkins at 215-568-8077.

The 2010 DELSIT Drama Crew along with their teachers,
Nick Gregorio (far left), Bruce Robinson (2nd from right) and Robin Dunn (far right)

Find out more about InterAction, InterAct's education program here

WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA Featured on WHYY

2010-04-02T12:17:00.002-04:00

On Thursday, April 1, WHYY ran a news story about InterAct's commissioning of WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA. Listen to the story below...

Find out more about InterAct's World Premiere of Lee Blessing's WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA

Conan McCarty on Becoming George W. Bush

2010-03-29T11:52:00.012-04:00

Icarus Continued...

The first rehearsals of any play are always fascinating. You reconnect with the director, many times for the first time since you met at the auditions. You meet the other actors, and for the first time hear the play through their voices (and they always seem to be so much better than you were when you were playing all the parts yourself). You meet the stage managers, the guys who hold any production together, and the other members of the creative team and the staff of the theatre where you all will gather to dream together and then present this dream to the public in the hopes that all involved and watching can come to some greater understanding of themselves and the world they live in.

We are blessed with Paul Meshejian as director. Paul runs PlayPenn, a work space here in Philadelphia for the development of new plays, and his expertise with new works quickly becomes evident as he breaks down the script and brings the three actors together, making sure we are at least on the same page. A director friend of mine likened her work to walking backwards the length of a steel girder atop a skyscraper still under construction, coaxing the cast away from the support beams and out onto unchartered territory, trusting that the girder you are on is long enough to make it to the other side. While I like the image very much, I am afraid of heights. Still, IF I was a betting man, I’d put money on Paul.

Peter Schmitz plays Piet, the Dutch employee of the hotel at The Hague where our play takes place. He has done prodigious amounts of research on all things Dutch, and has become an extraordinary font of knowledge. I would not be surprised if he has taken to wearing wooden shoes around his home, and there are rumors he will be giving a masters’ class in Appreciation of Seventeenth Century Dutch Painting. Actually , I am starting those rumors, because what he has brought to the play is incredible.

Kim Carson is one of the gamest actors I have ever met. She rehearses her role as Anna-Lisa, a Bosnian refugee, with us all day and then goes off to People’s Light and Theatre so she can be banished by her cranky old father, come back to save him, then die by hanging in a prison cell in King Lear. Talk about a rough day in the office! She is remarkably self-possessed, and the city of Philadelphia should delight in watching her for years to come.

The glue holding us all together is Tom Helmer, our stage manager, ably assisted by Danny Guy. They keep the rehearsals on schedule, make sure we get our breaks, relay questions back and forth between us and our writer, and always manage to have one eye on the script to remind us (me especially) when we are saying things that do not remotely resemble anything the playwright actually wrote. Someone in the asylum has to be responsible for the inmates, right?

It is a priviledge to be an actor. Biased opinion, I know. It can certainly be a tough line of business. At any given time 85% of the members of Actors Equity Association are unemployed, because there are simply not enough jobs to go around. Partly because theatre is not really viewed as a source of income for the community at large (New York City and its relationship with Broadway being an exception to that rule), partly because there is so little emphasis on culture in America. I actually think we spell culture here with a capital ‘K.’ Check your television listings, more people would rather watch ‘The Biggest Loser’ than ‘Masterpiece Theatre.’ And in the end, we are the biggest losers. Regardless, with the possible exception of armed combat, no profession I know makes me face more of what I fear on a daily basis, and that’s a good thing. And the outstanding people who are bringing SEA to life remind me once again of Ben Hecht’s comment: “if I should make it to Heaven when I die and find that the streets are peopled by actors, I should not be unhappy.”

We are now several days into this Awfully Big Adventure; the rehearsals are a lot of fun, but very intense because there are only three of us and we are onstage A LOT. I come home beat each evening, and my voice is beat up a little because Dubya never shuts up and I caught a small cold just as we started, but it has been an awfully long time since I looked forward to work every single morning. They say that the greatest thing you can share with someone outside of your labor is your love. And if you are fortunate enough to share both, than you are truly blessed.

- Conan McCarty

Read past entries of the Icarus Chronicles: Parts I & II, Part III, Part IV Part V

Find out more about InterAct's World Premiere of Lee Blessing's WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA

Watch 2010 Young Voices' THE PATIENT by Jacob Fagliano

2010-03-19T16:34:00.003-04:00

Written by Jacob Fagliano, who is a sophomore at Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts, THE PATIENT was one of 15 student-written monologues that appeared in 2010 Young Voices High School Monologue Festival, produced through a collaboration between InterAct Theatre Company's education program, InterAction, and Philadelphia Young Playwrights. Along with the other winning monologues, THE PATIENT was chosen from over 400 submissions written by Philadelphia area high school students to be professionally produced as part of 2010 Young Voices, which was held on the Mainstage of The Adrienne, February 3-6, 2010.

Directed by Dany Guy and dramaturged by Rebecca Wright, THE PATIENT opens with 24-year old Geoffrey Daniels (played by Thomas Choinacky) lying on a hospital bed, loosely wrapped in hospital bedding and connected to an IV. When his nurse (played by Bi Jean Ngo) enters to check on her patient, Geoffrey, who is clearly attracted to her, feels he needs to explain himself. Hilarity ensues as we follow Geoffrey’s extremely ridiculous telling of all the events that lead up to his hospital visit.

Conan McCarty On Becoming George W. Bush

2010-03-08T11:36:00.001-05:00

Icarus Continued...

Not really interested in doing an imitation of Dubya for this show; though I would like very much to have speech patterns and a couple of well known gestures to give a little extra weight to certain moments in the play. So I went to the Museum of Television and Radio here in New York and watched many speeches and press conferences; paying special attention to those speeches that marked turning points in Dubya’s foreign policy. With the hindsight of history, some of these speeches were fascinating. He first verbalized the policy of Preemption (“If we wait for threats to fully materialize we will have waited too long.”) and paved the way for the Iraqi invasion in the commencement speech at West Point on June 1, 2002. In November 2003 he announced a new policy of establishing Democracy in the Middle East at the National Endowment for Democracy, and in his second Inaugural Address on January 20, 2005 he spoke of ending tyranny in our world. His body language is exceptionally eloquent in these speeches.

Then I turned to the professional impressionists, because these guys are much better than me at finding tell-tale Bush-isms to feature. I speak of Steve Bridges, Will Ferrell, Frank Caliendo, and even Josh Brolin. Thoroughly enjoyed this part of my research. Steve Bridges has a particularly funny clip on YouTube in which he appears with Dubya at an event and basically plays what the President is REALLY thinking.

As for his personal motivation, justification, id, what have you; I struck oil when I listened to Oliver Stone’s director commentary of his film, W, which is not a bad film at all, but I think Mr. Stone rushed it out a little too quickly for the 2008 election, and it wasn’t entirely formed as to what it was trying to say. Stone mentioned The Bush Tragedy by Jacob Weisberg enough times that I had to pick it up, and it knocked my socks off. Dubya has said many times that he is his mother’s son in temperament. Mr. Weisberg points to the Walker family, his father’s mother’s family; specifically the patriarch, Herbert Walker, source of both President Bush’s middle names. Weisberg feels that impatient, impulsive Dubya we see far too often comes from those genes: “the Walker ethic of masculine risk-taking, conquest, and domination….. Bert (Herbert Walker) was rowdy, profane, and generally obnoxious. Even an approved family history describes him as ‘coarse…..’ The current owners of a ten-thousand acre hunting lodge have preserved the bullet holes left in the dining room ceiling when Bert fired at a wasp that stung him… Many of George W. Bush’s most distinctive traits don’t seem to come from his mother or his father. He is impatient, aggressive, often angry, and sometimes cruel. He’s a plunger, not a careful analyst or a patient builder. He loves to compete but can’t stand losing. The man’s a Walker, through and through.”

Weisberg made another comment that gave me pause. Can’t locate it as I thumb through my copy now, and besides, the best director Oscar is about to be announced, but the gist of it is that there is nothing out of the ordinary about Dubya’s Oedipal struggle with his father. What is extraordinary is that he chose to wage it on the world stage. This calls for serious psychoanalysis, so I picked up Bush on the Couch by Dr. Justin A. Frank, noted Washington, D.C. psychoanalyst. This is packed with all kinds of good stuff. Indulge me while I quote from the introduction: “If one of my patients… presented an inflexible worldview characterized by an oversimplified distinction between right and wrong, good and evil, allies and enemies, I would question his ability to grasp reality…. I have observed with increasing alarm the inconsistencies and denials of such an individual. But he is not one of my patients. He is our president.” Both these guys said things that made certain passages of Woodward’s books I mentioned in the last entry reverberate with resonance.

Lastly, a grounding place, a touchstone for the role to which I will always return: some kind of archetype character. Weisberg makes a compelling argument that he is a very dark Prince Hal from Shakespeare’s HENRY IV, PARTS ONE and TWO, and HENRY V: ‘Be it thy course to busy giddy minds with foreign quarrels; that action, hence borne out, may waste the memory of the former days.’ Could he be the Prodigal Son? Or maybe a Warrior King, saving the world from Evil and achieving World Peace? Perhaps Yosemite Sam? Some of each of these strike me as right. But I like Icarus, who wanted to exceed his father and flew beyond his reach.

- Conan McCarty

Read past entries of the Icarus Chronicles: Parts I & II, Part III, Part IV

Find out more about InterAct's World Premiere of Lee Blessing's WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA

Conan McCarty On Becoming George W. Bush

2010-03-02T16:13:00.004-05:00

Icarus Again...

“The decision to go to war is one that defies a nation, both to the world and, perhaps more importantly, to itself. There is no more serious business for a national government, no more accurate measure of national leadership.”

- Bob Woodward

As SEA... opens, a former President of the United States is about to go on trial at the World Court in The Hague. There’s a sea change for you. How on earth…..?

A character can be explained by nothing less that his entire history. That said, it would behoove me to bone up on the causes, justifications, and prosecution of Iraqi Freedom and its aftermath. Bob Woodward is a real go to guy in my opinion; he’s shared two Pulitzer Prizes and has written about a dozen best sellers, he doesn’t shy away from his own part in the Valerie Plame incident, and I just think he writes a very clear, precise, and straight forward book. Not to mention Robert Redford played him in the movie. So I got all four volumes about Dubya’s presidency: Bush at War, Plan of Attack , State of Denial , and The War Within . As of this writing, I have worked my way through the first three and am about halfway through The War Within.

They are all excellent. Each volume stands alone, the sum total is extraordinary. There are also companion books I have glanced through or plan to do so; some I already had because when I worked the NY streets raising money during the ’04, ’06, and ’08 campaigns I wanted to really know what I was talking about. These include Chain of Command, Hubris, Fiasco, and Cobra II. There are plenty of others out there as well. And I also had a copy of A Matter of Principle, a collection of humanitarian arguments in favor of the war, so that I’d understand the opposing point of view. That I must get to before I go to Philly.

The New York Public Performing Arts Library has an archive of theatre on film and tape, so I went up one afternoon to watch the Public Theatre’s brilliant production of David Hare’s STUFF HAPPENS, a stark look at the run up to the war. The title comes from Donald Rumsfeld’s famous quote regarding the looting of Iraqi museums, and yet also serves as a summation of how, in Hare’s opinion, the war came together. It is an extraordinary production, magnificently directed by Daniel Sullivan, and I had the added pleasure of watch Jay O. Sanders’ fine performance as Dubya so that I could pilfer as much as I could.

And then about a week ago, I realized there was a massive leak in my preparation. The Justice Department issued its finding that John Yoo, Jay Bybee, and others would not face legal action for their extraordinary conclusions re: enhanced interrogation practices. I mentioned earlier in this blog that a flurry of emails sailed across the internet between Paul Meshejian, my director, and me. I started to think about what the actual charges in the court room would be. Granted, it is enough to be accused of starting a war on false premises, but what about Guantanamo Bay, enhanced interrogation, and rendition? Paul sent a copy of 'The Elements of Crime' in the Court. That was interesting. I admit my knowledge of the law consists of playing a criminal lawyer and a judge on "Law & Order," but I could see an argument for five Crimes against Humanity and up to 15 or 16 War Crimes. Some of those are absolutely a stretch, such as destruction and appropriation of property, but I figure if you’re going to throw the book at a former President of the United States, you might as well throw the Unabridged Oxford English Dictionary. So now my bookshelf is graced with The Dark Side, The Terror Presidency, The Torture Team, and War by Other Means by John Yoo himself. Thank goodness I have an account on Amazon.com. I had seen John Yoo on “The Daily Show,” and it was strange to see that ‘The Torture Guy’ has a very wry sense of humor. I cherry picked my way through a couple of chapters of his book, and again, I have no legal expertise whatsoever; yet it seems to me that his arguments hinge on the fact that “Congress also only prohibited ‘severe physical or mental pain or suffering.’” Ooooh. Now that rehearsal is about two weeks away, I don’t have time to read everything, so what to pick? I opened The Terror Presidency by Jack Goldsmith, Assistant Attorney General, Office Of Legal Counsel, for nine months in Dubya’s first term. His preface opened with a story that it is customary for senior officials in the Justice Department to hang portraits of former Attorneys General in their offices. When Goldsmith went to claim his, all the ’good’ ones were gone, and Goldsmith had very little to choose from. He wound up with Elliot Richardson, much to his disappointment. Two months into his job, he says he found he was thinking about Mr. Richardson a great deal. I liked the story, so that’s the one I picked. The first task Goldsmith was given was to ascertain whether or not Iraqi terrorists were protected by the Geneva Convention. After much legal analysis, he decided the terrorists were in fact under the protection of the Fourth Geneva Convention. He was to report his finding to Alberto Gonzales and David Addington. His superior in the Justice Department warned him, “They’re going to be really mad. They’re not going to understand our decision. They’ve never been told ‘no.’”

This treasure trove of information and insight has helped me establish a time line for the events and justifications that led Dubya, the nation, and the world up to the second the curtain rises for WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA. I give great thanks to the Theatre Gods for the luxury of Time afforded me on this production. I was cast in mid-December, three months before rehearsals started. Lord knows I needed all of it.

- Conan McCarty

Read past entries of the Icarus Chronicles: Parts I & II, Part III

Find out more about InterAct's World Premiere of Lee Blessing's WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA

Conan McCarty On Becoming George W. Bush

2010-02-25T11:45:00.004-05:00

Icarus Chronicles, continued…

Back in New York. I’ve got three weeks before rehearsals; and as I have run out of creative ways to avoid actually working on my role, I must buckle down and do some heavy lifting. Or I could just write this blog.

So, the question still stands: Who is this guy? Say what you will, he did manage to get himself elected President of the United States-- twice. So, how do I track him? My trip home was magnificent; and reacquainting myself with that wind swept place and those friendly, stubborn, hard working people reawakened many things for me, and that foundation will be a corner stone in my Dubya. But there is a lot more work to be done.

I know a few of Lee Blessing’s other plays, and I have always found his work to be as well crafted as this one is. It has been a joy to read and work on, and I sincerely hope we can do it justice in our production. It is funny, very smart, pretty dark here and there, and best of all, thought provoking. So…

Every actor has his own way into a play. At the risk of being pedagogic, here is a blueprint of what I look for, what I do when I come to a new script: Read the play a thousand times. Well, try to once a week. Note the verb, ’try.’ I am looking for hints, or impressions, as Stella Adler used to call them. Things that pop out at me as I read. What questions does the play give rise to? My parents were classical musicians; if this play is a symphony, where are the themes, counter melodies, harmonies? If it is a symphony, what instrument am I?

I studied at an acting conservatory in London as a young man; there was a teacher there who was rather dull and uninspiring, yet he managed to give a note of genius level once in class: ’If you’ve got twenty five actors doing the play Julius Caesar, and one actor doing the play Brutus; you’ve got trouble.’ How do I stay with Lee’s play and avoid doing the George W. Bush play?

What exactly is the ’sea’ in the title? I‘ve got an idea. We’ll see if it fits with what my collaborators bring.

This is the World Court at The Hague; what is the history there? Oddly enough, the Justice Department‘s decision not to file charges on John Yoo this past Friday led to a flurry of emails between me and my director, and he forwarded some things that will help me very much on that front.

Every play takes its audience on a journey. Along this journey there will, hopefully, be lessons learned, culminating in one giant AH-HA! Moment. Though I have read enough Anton Chekhov to agree with T. S. Elliot fans that ice would also suffice. As with any journey, a map is a really good idea, because you are headed to a specific point. But what kind of a map do you use on a play?

I am a member of the Actors’ Center Theatre Company in New York. Once a year we bring a brilliant Russian director, Vachislav Dolgachev, in from Moscow for an Anton Chekhov workshop. He has a wonderful script analysis technique that I always run scripts through before rehearsals start. Essentially, he believes that every story must have at least three events, initial, central, and main. This formula holds true for each scene in the play, each act, and the entire play.

The initial event is the spring for the story’s propulsion. Without it, the story doesn’t happen. It takes place before the curtain goes up, though it is discussed onstage. The central event is the highest expression of conflict in the play, act, or scene. It is generally in the center of the story, though not necessarily the geometrical center. My Russian friend says it lurks in what he calls ‘the golden center’ of the story, which is approximately two thirds of the way through. The main event is the last event of the story. It is the event to which the author writes. Without the main event, there is no understanding of the play.

Again, each act or scene will also have these three components, but it is the initial event of the first act which is also the initial event of the entire play. The central event of the whole piece should be in the last third or quarter of the play… we have nine scenes in ‘When We Go…’, which would make our central event in the fifth or sixth scene; the main event of the last act or scene is the main event of the play.

So I will spend some time reading the scenes over and over, trying to find these events. You’d be surprised how long it can take before I am reading for my Final Answer, but when you can line them up, you will find a great deal of weight has been lifted off your shoulders. They serve to ground you and your character to the play and the other characters, and they will set you on the right path for your trip.

That’s not to say this is the only way to crack open a play and its characters. I try to look at the play as many different ways as I can to see how much I can mine from the script. It certainly can be long and arduous work, but the better understanding the actors have of the play, the more will reach the audience experiencing it for the first time.

- Conan McCarty

Read past entries of the Icarus Chronicles: Parts I & II

Find out more about InterAct's World Premiere of Lee Blessing's WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA

InterAct Named Best Political Theatre Company by Philly Weekly

2010-02-24T16:32:00.008-05:00

Philadelphia Weekly named InterAct as Philly's "Best Power-to-the-People Theater Company" in their February 24, 2010 issue:

"The often-provocative InterAct Theatre Company produces plays that both question political authority and challenge audiences to revaluate their most deeply held beliefs. Easily the city’s best political theater, InterAct doesn’t produce plays that automatically trumpet the liberal point of view. Instead their shows typically express multiple perspectives, even those that may be considered radical, unpopular, dangerous or even (gasp!) conservative...."

Check Out the Full Article Here