Tim Errickson of “Mercutio Loves Romeo Loves Juliet Loves”

Boomerang Theatre Company presents "Mercutio Loves Romeo Loves Juliet Loves," written by Gina Femia, directed by Scott Ebersold, at ART/NY's Jeffrey and Paula Gural TheatreListen in as Boomerang Theatre Company Artistic Director Tim Errickson, producer of the world premiere of Gina Femia’s Mercutio Loves Romeo Loves Juliet Loves, discusses joy in hindsight, speeches that won’t let you rest, upending the madness, giving some distance to put things into perspective, and turning a tragedy into something celebratory.

“…I think that’s what the play is really trying to capture, is this idea that, unlike Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, who don’t get that moment, because theirs is cut off at the end of the play…our characters get to move forward, and grow and change and experience what it means to have that as part of their history, and their journey…we often see LGBTQ-themed stories on stage that tend to center around some sort of tragedy, violence, bigotry, hatred…and I know that Gina wanted to be able to celebrate the things that are also in the LGBTQ experience, and to show them as powerful, and joyful, and life-changing, and heartfelt, and highly relatable…”

Continue reading

Rhys Luke, Sophia DiPaolo, Leah Davidowitz, Tits Morality, Chloe Drohan, & Eliana Coe of “Dave and Boris Kill the Cat”

Listen in as Dave and Boris Kill the Cat playwright Rhys Luke, director Sophia DiPaolo, costumer Leah Davidowitz, and performers Tits Morality, Chloe Drohan, and Eliana Coe, discuss falling down rabbit holes, working on a show that features real people, queer horror, grotesque and disgusting mannerisms, drag & film noir, intergenerational cat trauma, & making everything larger than life.

“…there’s something so special about sending such a strong message, under the guide of comedy…to have audience members tell you is, ‘it was so funny, I laughed so hard,’ and then you know that they go home, and think a little bit more about it, and they realize what the show is really about…it’s such a joyful process, to work on something so meaningful, something so inclusive, and have a laugh while doing it…”

Continue reading

Clay McLeod Chapman, Pete Boisvert, Stephanie Cox-Connolly, & Morgan Zipf-Meister of “Feejee Mermaid”

Drops in the Vase presents FEEJEE MERMAID, written by Clay McLeod Chapman, directed by Pete Boisvert, at The Flea TheaterListen in as feejee mermaid playwright Clay McLeod Chapman, director Pete Boisvert, props & effects designer Stephanie Cox-Connolly, and actor Morgan Zipf-Meister, discuss finding a taxidermy consultant, love and hate, reconnecting with the scene, multiple hats, buying everyone the book, and making shit so you can make something live & breathe.

“…it’s about four people who are intersecting at a point in their lives where they love each other, hate each other…these are people who need each other to complete themselves, and achieve something greater than any one individual.”

Continue reading

Laura Hooper & Jason Alan Carvell of “Tracks”

Pendragon Theatre and New Light Theater Project present TRACKS, written by Paula B. Stanic, co-directed by Tabatha Gayle and Sarah NorrisListen in as actors Laura Hooper and Jason Alan Carvell of Tracks discuss finding actors, complicated relationships, boots & chops, audience reactions, questioning assumptions, stumbling in on real life experiences, and not letting go.

“Everything in our lives conspires to sort of anchor us in a normalcy. And I think one of the powers of Paula’s art, and art more broadly, is that it offers this opportunity to just stray a little bit away from that anchor…”

Continue reading

Matthew Freeman & Jessi D. Hill of “The Ask”

Theatre Accident, in association with The Flying Carpet Theatre Company, present THE ASK, written by Matthew Freeman, directed by Jessi D. Hill, at The Wild ProjectListen in as The Ask playwright Matthew Freeman, and director Jessi D. Hill, discuss generational divides, pitching runtimes, writing from what you know in real life, finally getting to work together, what can happen when you see yourself onstage, failing and messing up and misspeaking, seeing both sides from the middle, flawed arguments, and writing for what the play needs.

“Every debate in the show is not some secret argument that’s only happening in the ACLU. Everyone talks about this stuff…”

Continue reading

Kara Ayn Napolitano & Joy Donze of “In Search of Elaina”

Drift In Act Out in association with Platt Productions presents IN SEARCH OF ELAINA, written by Kara Ayn Napolitano, directed by Joy Donze, at The Players TheatreListen in as In Search of Elaina playwright Kara Ayn Napolitano, along with director Joy Donze, discuss the vibes between them, making things happen, facing the difficult parts of yourself, strong female friendships, finding the right people for your ensemble, strong audience reactions, and why you should write what you know.

“…you said it at opening…this is a play about a lot of peoples’ people. I think that, when you bring your truth to the stage, as a collective humanity, we find that a lot of us can relate to that truth…”

Continue reading

Denisse Estefany Mendoza & Peter Michael Marino of “Show Up, Kids!”

SHOW UP KIDS at QED Astoria, created by Peter Michael Marino, directed by Michole Biancosino, at QED Astoria, photo by MikiodoListen in as creator Peter Michael Marino & performer Denisse Estefany Mendoza of SHOW UP, KIDS! discuss awful auditions and why they often don’t matter, working out your show over time, building fairy tales from scratch, how to work with new & inexperienced (very young) improvisers, using what’s given to you by the audience, bringing them back into the show, funny chickens and evil farmers and bad penguin driving, and the sensibilities of New York City kids.

“You just have to say ‘yes, and,’ even to their ‘nos’…you just have to keep going…even the nos can be really funny!”

“It’s always a gift!”

Continue reading

Sara Fellini, Adam Belvo, & Nicholas Thomas of “A Man Among Ye”

Spit & Vigor presents A MAN AMONG YE by Sara Fellini, directed by Sara Fellini and Nicholas Thomas, at The Players TheatreListen in as writer/director/performer Sara Fellini, along with fellow actors Nicholas Thomas (co-director) and Adam Belvo (fight choreographer), discuss adding more balloons, doing the research, breast reveals, rowing in the same direction with your crew, the light with all the knowledge, lambs with faces, interesting translations, Tarantino’ing it, earning your rail jump, leaning into the “mistakes,” awesome wigs, and, of course, lady pirates.

“There’s so much value to it…if you’ve made the set yourself, if you’ve sewn your costume, you’re gonna care about it, you’re gonna know it more. You’re gonna love it. There’s nothing better, as an actor, than saying, ‘I made this’…”

Continue reading

Alex Beige, Dante Green, & 김채송 Chaesong Kim of The Makers’ Enemble’s Short Play Festival

The Tank and The Makers' Ensemble present Short Play Fest 2024Listen in as director 김채송 Chaesong Kim (Alien Play), playwright Alex Beige (Blackpilled, A Blueprint), and director Dante Green (Light + House) of The Makers’ Ensemble’s Short Play Festival, discuss immigration stores, where love stories meet ghost stories, playwrights writing plays about playwrights writing plays, capturing suffering, growth over time, and taking care of your artists.

“…every play felt like it ended too soon, like it was just the beginning of a learning experience…inviting you into an aspect of the playwright’s world, and leaving you with just enough to understand that you’re not alone, in whatever experience you have…”

Continue reading

Kenneth Keng, Annaporva Green, & Chisom Awachie of “Brought Up”

University Settlement presents BROUGHT UP, written by Kenneth Keng, directed by Annaporva Green, at Speyer HallListen in as playwright Kenneth Keng, director Annaporva Green, and actor & projection designer Chisom Awachie of Brought Up discuss lobotomized flesh puppets, encouraging participation and not “screaming and running away,” gratitude for designers, complicity and unthinking loyalty, Capri Suns, finding “a different way to do this shit,” and survival (with kindness) into the future.

“…it is about the visceral appeal of warfare, and all the equipment…the whiz-bang fighters, the big ships, the guns…things which I, for a long time, loved, and loved learning about, and loved imagining. It is also about the urgent, and near-impossible task of ending warfare. Recently, a lot of those things I loved have lost a lot of their appeal to me…”

Continue reading