Death: It Happens – Still Daddy’s Girl (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)

Katelyn Manfre — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 16:16:33 +0000

Death, It Happens (Photo by Cathryn Lynne) Pictured from left to right; Maureen Van Trease, Lori Kee, Bricken Sparacino and Rebecca Chiappone)

Down at UNDER St. Marks there are four ladies discussing it. The big, black elephant in the room. Death.

Terrifying, heartbreaking and unrelentingly emotional, losing a loved one is a different journey for us all, but it is in the commonality that we find comfort. In Death: It Happens (A Girl’s Guide to Death) (directed by Lori Kee) we meet four real-life women (Maureen Van Trease, Courtenay Harrington-Bailey, Bricken Sparacino and Rebecca Chiappone) who have lost their fathers in the not-too-distant past; all relatively suddenly, all equally as shocking. They range in age, in background, they are different, but they’re hurting just the same.

This is a brutally honest account of what it means to lose your parent; from the awkward euphemisms to the choosing of the coffin, the bills, the wills and everything in between. It’s hard stuff, but it is told with humor and perspective that keeps it from being a 60-minute sob-fest. An element for which I, personally, was all-too grateful.

I don’t like to get personal in my reviews, but I feel as if I have no choice with this one. I am fortunate enough to have my parents, but I lost both of my grandmothers within a year of each other only too recently. They were strong presences in my life, powerful, beautiful matriarchs who held their families together, loving unconditionally, and shaped me into the person I am today. My maternal grandmother got a big Catholic funeral and wake, and much of what these women talked about summed up my experience: the awkward Facebook messages, the relatives you’ve never seen checking in on you every five minutes, the food and the flowers and the strangeness of it all. But it’s necessary. As weird as it is, as the ladies of Death relate, funerals help.

The production is clearly a cathartic experience for these women in their personal struggles, but it touches the audience nonetheless. By the end, the sniffles and tissues abounded, everyone having their own experience of fear, grief, and loss alongside these brave women. And they are brave. The actual process of death is not often talked about openly. We get memories, stories of the last days, but it is the losing and burying and starting to miss – that is the part that is hardest to openly discuss. Yet these four women are doing it.

Relaxed, confident, and with a little bit of sass, they are truly doing their fathers proud.

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Death, it happens: A girl’s guide to death

Company: Bricken and Birch Productions

Directed by: Lori Kee

Mar 03, 1:00PM

Mar 04, 4:00PM

$10.00

UNDER St.Marks

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The 2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL will run February 22-March 4 at The Kraine Theater & The Red Room (85 East 4th Street between 2nd Ave and Bowery) and UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place between 1st Ave and Ave A). Tickets to all shows may be purchased online at www.FRIGIDnewyork.info or by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444.

Death, It Happens: A Girl’s Guide To Death – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)

The Happiest Medium — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 17:45:33 +0000

Five Questions. Five Answers. And One Big Decision: Rock, Paper, Or Scissors?

Death, It Happens (Photo by Cathryn Lynne) Pictured from left to right; Maureen Van Trease, Lori Kee, Bricken Sparacino and Rebecca Chiappone)

Death, it happens: A girl’s guide to death

Company: Bricken and Birch Productions
Directed by: Lori Kee

4 different women lost 4 different fathers. Hear their true, diverse, moving and sometimes funny stories. Learn what happened, what they did to cope (or not cope) with death and what to wear to a funeral.

Show Times:

Sat 2/25 @ 8:30pm
Mon 2/27 @ 9pm
Tues 2/28 @ 7:30pm
Sat 3/3 @ 1:30pm
Sun 3/4 @ 4pm

Answers by Bricken Sparacino

(conceiver, producer, performer and co-writer)

Karen Tortora-Lee’s Question
That’s some title. How did you come up with it – and what does it mean?
Bricken: Well, our show is about Death, I didn’t want to sugar coat it, but I also wanted there to be a little humor in it as well. Our show is honest, sometimes sad – but we also use a lot of gallows humor. I hoped to reflect that in the title. I wanted the word “Death” to stand out and the rest to follow a little smaller. Almost as if to say “Do I have your attention now?”

Diánna Martin’s Question
If you were going to invite five people, anyone from past and present, to see your FRIGID show – who would you invite and why?
Bricken: Ah, well I’d love some dead people to come and tell us what happens after its all over. But that could add an unintentional zombie action adventure angle to the show.

Seriously, the show is about dealing with loss, how we survive when loved ones die and was written collaboratively. So, Eve Ensler would be great. I would love to hear what she thought of our collaboration compared to her work. Christopher Guest for the same reason (though he works in the made up world, I would still like to see what he thinks). My grandma – she is 92 and can’t travel to NY anymore. I would love to hear what she had to say about it. My father-in-law, who is a rock when dealing with death, and Eleanor Roosevelt keeps coming into my head, I’m not sure why, except she was a fantastically strong woman and I bet she’d have some great additions to our story.

Antonio Minino’s QuestionWhat is the biggest sacrifice you’ve ever made for your Art and was it worth it?
Bricken: This is a tough question. I feel like whenever I make art it is worth it. Sometimes we have to put aside our egos, some times we have to fight, sometimes we try our hardest and no one comes. But I always feel like it is worth it.

Geoffrey Paddy Johnson’s Question
Was there any unexpected discovery made during the development of this production and, if so, can you share it?
Bricken: That other people were willing to tackle this subject with me. In America we don’t like to talk about death, when someone dies we get about 3 days off of work for it and are supposed to just “get over it”, I guess, or suffer silently. After my dad died I questioned that, why not talk about it? It would help me. So I reached out to several women who had also lost their fathers and was relieved/pleased to have 3 wonderful women join me on this development process.

Michelle Augello-Page’s Question
What do you hope the audience receives from the experience of seeing this show?
Bricken: I hope they come. If they come they might cry a little, but they will laugh too and I hope feel the load lifted off a bit. We have death in common. I hope this show will leave the audience feeling like we all can make it through these losses together with humor and compassion and that they are surrounded by strong loving support. Plus they will learn some helpful hints like what to wear to a funeral.

Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament of DEAAAAATH

THM Bonus Question – We’re serious this year!
In the THM virtual Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament of DEAAAAATH which FRIGID Show do you take on? And what do you throw?
Bricken: I think we are 4 strong women and can take on any show in the old RPS. However I know one overly emotional Scotsman who will cry at the drop of a hat.
So I throw a rock right at The Terrible Manpain of Umberto MacDougal.

Oh Bricken! … you have chosen wisely. Rock is always a strong choice! Especially when you’re hurling it at someone who’s already in such awful Manpain. Also – as you know – you’ve already been challenged by Rabbit Island who threw the match in your favor (nice trick!). That’s one win right there! Love In The Time Of Clamydia challenged everyone and threw ROCK so that’s a tie. You’re off to a very good start, Ms. Bricken! Let’s see what Umberto MacDougal throws when that Manpain Q&A gets serve up. You might be the big victor of this whole shebang!

Thanks Death, It Happens: A Girl’s Guide To Death for participating in The Happiest Medium’s FRIGID New York Festival 2012 Q&A. And for playing our game! You’re officially ROCK in any and all challenges. You may continue your streak - who knows! This is how it works in the crazy world of the Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament of DEAAAAATH!

For the rest of you don’t forget to check out Death, It Happens: A Girl’s Guide To Death

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