It’s astonishing that with all Liat Ron and Shelly Feldman have in common they haven’t met already.  They are both talented Israeli-American women working in theater in New York and happen to have shows which are opening presently.   But even though the world of Off-Off Broadway is a small one there’s still a chance to make new bonds and form new bridges.  That’s why when we added up the body of work, history, common background and upcoming shows of these two women it was almost a no-brainer – let’s have them connect!  More than connect – we thought it would be a fantastic idea for them to interview each other to see where they merge and where they diverge.

Liat Ron

First let’s meet Liat Ron, superwoman–smart, savvy, Israeli-American-New Yorker, similar to the semi-autobiographical character she created, Hellthy.

In Liat’s one-woman show, GUTS, Hellthy moves back to Israel, after an exhausting breakup, she is the center of attention for her over-bearing parents. Hellthy battles with a dangerous obsession to fit into a size 0, at any cost. Her heart never seems to be in sync with her brain and her diary is her only real confidante.

How does she overcome it all? — She has GUTS!

Liat has GUTS too–and to meet her is to love her.

Now let’s meet Shelly Feldman.

Antonio Minino, THM Contributor and part of the production team who is working with Feldman on Costa Rehab would like to personally introduce Shelly to our readers:

Shelly Feldman

“Shelly Feldman is a magnetic artist – her allure is due to her concentration, strength and no nonsense attitude towards life and the craft. As an actress she took on the role of Anaïs Nin in MTWorks’ production of Anaïs Nin Goes to Hell at the New York International Fringe Festival back in 2008 and made Nin her own. She was not trapped in research or what she should have been like, she simply was Nin. She was childlike yet assertive, sensual and powerful. She made bold choices yet portrayed them in the subtlest most fascinating ways.

“She brings that bold quality to her directing and to motherhood, a new role she has recently taken on at the same time she directs Costa Rehab. Her offspring seems to convey the same magnetism as her parents, just ask the cast who has embraced him fully in the rehearsal room as she juggles notes and rocks him to sleep.

“I read the stage directions for the reading of Costa Rehab in the National NewBorn Festival and in those rehearsals I could tell that she just got it — was it her humanity itself or the fact that she had served in the Israeli army that helped her nail it? who knows – why question theatre magic when it happens. The truth is Shelly Feldman is not a soldier, but a warrior that charges her craft with great passion. She has been able to illustrate and enrich playwright Rich Rubin’s play in ways that will never be recreated again. They now belong to Feldman’s world premiere production and I hope you get a chance to check it out.”

Liat and Shelly spent some time getting to know each other and found that they had so much to talk about from art to creating to Israel, true love, work, giving birth and so much more.  They settled on some things that they really wanted to know about each other that they thought our readers would enjoy hearing about too.

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Shelly: How did this play come to you?

Liat: GUTS was culled from diary entries during a very pivotal time in my life, not too long ago, while trying to move back to Israel where I was born and raised. When I returned to New York, I read a few lines from my diary to my mentor, Gregory Simmons, and he said to me, “A play must come out of this”. My reaction was very strong- “No way!” There was no way that I was going to share any parts of my diary with the world, since I am a very private person (and by the way, a lot of people who know me will be shocked to learn about the issues I have been hiding until now). I try to maintain my image as a superwoman, and not someone who has struggled or struggles. I know, hilarious. I take a lot of pride in how I am able to inspire others, but my tendency is to do it from a position of strength. This is new for me to try to affect the world by sharing my vulnerabilities. So…Mr. Simmons kept insisting that there is something unique about my language and the way I personalize “things”, including my own diary. Also, he argued that the themes in (what became) GUTS are very universal and can empower, inspire, educate and open many eyes…Now, a couple of years later, I finally believe in the power of GUTS. It tells a story of triumph, learning what home really means, and finding health. The name GUTS came to me one day, and made so much sense. All the associations of the word GUTS exist in the play, except for the actual word.

Shelly: As an actress, how does it feel to act in your own play?

Liat: It’s quite a ride, I’d say. Not only is it a play that I wrote, but it’s also based on my personal story. Even though a lot is fictionalized, it is theater after all, the seed is still my very personal story. I will say that the role of Hellthy is the hardest role I’ve ever worked on, but also provides the most rewarding and thrilling acting experience I’ve ever had. The autobiographical aspect of GUTS definitely added an acting challenge I’ve never faced before.

Regarding the dual role of playwright and actor, it can potentially blur boundaries during the rehearsal process, which is something I had to be mindful of throughout my intensive work with my director. It requires relinquishing control and being constantly mindful of your role as a performer in the rehearsal room. It is also an incredibly empowering experience, knowing that I have ideas, life lessons and inspiration to share with the world, and that I am able to utilize my skills as an actor and a dancer in order to do so. As an actor, I have always felt that I have more to offer artistically than performing-wise, and since I’ve always written and had “big ideas” in me, such as changing the world (call me naïve), GUTS has become the culmination of that aspiration. Acting in my own play also created comical moments during rehearsal in which I felt extremely challenged as a performer by what the playwright created, whether it was my set vision or scenes that were simply difficult to perform. And I will say that it is truly a strange phenomenon to feel angry with the playwright while performing one of the very demanding scenes in GUTS …when I am the playwright!!! You’ll know what I am referring to when you see it for yourself. All in all, I have a remarkable director to share this exhilarating ride with me.

Shelly: How does your Israeli origin manifest itself in this play? (Does it?)

Liat: I would almost risk it and say that Israel actually plays a role in GUTS. Israel is where Hellthy came from and the place she is trying to move back to. In my writing, I used my own experience, my childhood memories, the culture, the traditions. There is even a little spoken Hebrew in the play, and I feel like you can actually smell and sense Israel throughout the play, even when Hellthy is in New York. It’s where her roots are.

THE TABLES ARE TURNED …

Liat: How did this play come to you?

Shelly: I’m one of the MTWorks company actors and knowing about my experience in the Israeli army, they suggested that I direct Costa Rehab for their NewBorn stage readings festival. We got wonderful reactions from the stage reading and decided to go ahead and make a full production of the play.

Costa Rehab featuring Nicholas Urda as Wheeler and Sarah Chaney as Lewicki

Liat: Being an actress, how do you feel being on the other side as a director?

Shelly: As an actress, you have the privilege to not care about anything but the story, your partner and your character. You have the room to dive in to your character’s world and find as many ways to enrich it as you can. I find that to be extremely fun and fascinating. However, to be a director is a lot more creative and a lot more of a headache. You’re not just responsible for the acting, but for the whole piece. You have to make sure that the acting, music, lighting, set… all of that needs to come together to one story that makes sense. And it’ll be nice if you can make it entertaining while you’re at it… So it’s a lot more to think about. Totally different kinds of energy. But I truly believe that if you want to be a better director, you need to experience acting. It makes you a lot more helpful to the actors because you know exactly what they are going through and it makes it a lot easier to help them and easier for you to get what you want out of them.

Liat: How does your Israeli origin manifest itself in this play? (Does it?)

Shelly: In Israel, the army service is mandatory so I know what it means to be a soldier. I know that humor that comes from a very painful place. I understand sarcasm as a defense mechanism. I know fear and I know the ways to hide it. I know what you look like when you go in the army and what you look like when you come out. I know what’s it like to grow up real fast and I know how to laugh about it all. Even when you really want to cry.

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Thank you so much, ladies, for taking the time to interview each other as you juggle so many other important things in your life!  We can’t wait to see your shows.

Please check out GUTS and Costa Rehab … see below for details

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Tickets are $20 and are now available. They may also be purchased in-person at the Theatre Box Office, 30 minutes prior to the performance.

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Related Posts:

• The 2012 National Newborn Festival Is Almost Here!
• A Day In The Life … “The Family Shakespeare” By The Numbers
• MTWorks National NewBorn Festival Kicks Off Tonight
• The National Newborn Festival: Celebrating Emerging Playwrights In Style
• Small Town, Big Show – “Barrier Island”

The National Newborn Festival has become, over the last four years, one of the premiere playwriting festivals in the country for emerging playwrights. A flagship program created and produced by MTWorks, an ever-growing, non-profit theatre company, Newborn allows playwrights to have a work never produced in New York be read in a festival setting.

Free and open to the public, this year’s festival is being sponsored by The City College of New York’s Psychology Club & Department and begins Thursday, February 3rd, and runs through Sunday, February 6th. This year we are showcasing the works of Duncan Pflaster, Rich Rubin, Marilynn Barner Anselmi, Riti Sachdeva, and Jacqueline Goldfinger.

David Stallings

The festival will kick off the first night with the reading of The ReEducation of Arizona by MTWorks’ Artistic Director and resident playwright David Stallings, and end the final evening with the Audience Favorite Award ceremony and a raffle, as well as an extra reading of the winning play. For 2011, in addition to the Audience Favorite Award which is selected by those who attend the readings, the MTWorks Board of Directors is presenting the first annual Excellence in Playwriting Award, to be announced prior to the festival.

I have directed a reading in the last two Newborn Festivals, and will be acting in this year’s, so I’m very excited about this brainchild that MTWorks has created…one that encourages playwrights, directors, and actors to come together and celebrate the artistic process. I asked the playwrights to talk a little bit about their work and their thoughts on said process.

How did you come to hear about The Newborn Festival?

Duncan Pflaster

(Duncan Pflaster – The Empress of Sex) I’ve been a fan of MTWorks for some time now, and when I saw they were accepting applications for the festival, I jumped to send in my script.

(Rich Rubin – Costa Rehab) Spotted the posting on the nyc playwrights website, probably around this time last year.

(Marilynn Barner Anselmi – Raising Ricci) The NewBorn Festival and MTWorks was one of many companies I discovered during my desperate internet searches for possible artistic avenues.

(Riti Sachdeva – Parts of Parts & Stitches) A call in the Fund for Women Artists e-newsletter.

(Jacqueline Goldfinger – Skin & Bone) My play, “Slip/Shot,” was in the Festival last year, and it was a fantastic experience. MTWorks also produced my drama, “The Oath,” in 2009.

Describe your play in one sentence.

(Duncan Pflaster – The Empress of Sex) A woman spurned in her affairs of the heart sets herself up as empress of an island where no love is allowed, only sex; all is orgies and sensual pleasure till her ex-lover comes in disguise to try to win her back.

Rich Rubin

(Rich Rubin – Costa Rehab) A very raunchy comedy with an underpinning of great sadness.

(Marilynn Barner Anselmi – Raising Ricci) After the death of their son, two women attempt to find healing and acceptance in the home of their Southern family.

(Riti Sachdeva – Parts of Parts & Stitches) In war, it is a fine line between madness and courage.

(Jacqueline Goldfinger – Skin & Bone) Skin & Bone is a dark comedy about two little old ladies who detest aging because they can’t do the things they love anymore – like eating people.

(David Stallings – The ReEducation of Arizona) The ReEducation of Arizona opens a discussion about the trickle down effect of politicians and media upon the smaller families in our country.

What makes your work, this play in particular, stand out from the rest?

(Duncan Pflaster – The Empress of Sex) It’s a romantic comedy in the tradition of Marivaux and Shakespeare that doesn’t shy away from modern expressions of sexuality.

(Rich Rubin – Costa Rehab) I’m not sure that is does. I’m hoping that audiences will find Costa Rehab irreverent and off-kilter and at times even outrageous, but I suspect that description applies to just about everything in the festival.

Marilynn Anselmi

(Marilynn Barner Anselmi – Raising Ricci) Maybe my willingness to portray raw grief as honestly as I’m capable.

(Riti Sachdeva – Parts of Parts & Stitches) The woman-centerdness of the tone, the action, the impetus. The emotional urgency of compassion and determination.

(Jacqueline Goldfinger – Skin & Bone) I think Skin & Bone is the only comedy in the Festival this year, and the only one that utilizes the more traditional elements of Southern Gothic storytelling (a la William Faulkner, Kate Chopin, etc…).

(David Stallings – The ReEducation of Arizona) As I am the only writer that has read all of the plays (lucky me), I believe that each play uniquely shows the aesthetic of MTWorks!  I think with this play, the recent events in Arizona have made it more timely now than when it was written.

Whose work do you admire and find to be an inspiration to you as a writer?

(Duncan Pflaster – The Empress of Sex) Charles Ludlam is the top (especially for this play); his combining traditional theatrical forms with comedy and sexuality has always been an inspiration.  Also love Israel Horovitz, Christopher Durang, Theresa Rebeck, Eric Overmyer, Paul Rudnick, Tony Kushner, Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Tom Robbins…. and more and more…

(Rich Rubin – Costa Rehab) The list goes on and on, and includes August Wilson, Martin McDonagh, Lee Blessing and Annie Baker. I’m also a big fan of Theresa Rebeck, Lynn Nottage, Tracy Letts and Rebecca Gilman. It might be easier to ask me to list the playwrights whose work I don’t admire.

(Marilynn Barner Anselmi – Raising Ricci) Douglas Wright, Marsha Norman, Margaret Edson and, certainly, Harper Lee.

Riti Sachdeva

(Riti Sachdeva – Parts of Parts & Stitches) So many – Audre Lorde, Nilo Cruz, Malcom X, Deepa Mehtha, Natacha Atlas, Mother Nature.

(Jacqueline Goldfinger – Skin & Bone) Recently, I’ve been inspired by the work of Martin McDonagh, Enda Walsh, and Leo Butler.

(David Stallings – The ReEducation of Arizona) I always go back to Shakespeare and Shaw when I am lost.

What do you hope the audience will walk away with after this reading?

(Duncan Pflaster – The Empress of Sex) I hope they have a good time.  I hope my words touch their hearts and their erogenous zones.

(Rich Rubin – Costa Rehab) A few laughs … and at least a subliminal sense of the tragic absurdity of war.

(Marilynn Barner Anselmi – Raising Ricci) At least a glimpse at a real life, shared experience, and the germination of healing.

(Riti Sachdeva – Parts of Parts & Stitches) To think about how each one of us has an opportunity and responsibility to stand up for the “other”.

Jacquelyn Goldfinger

(Jacqueline Goldfinger – Skin & Bone) I hope they’ll walk away having laughed a lot, and it might provoke some thought about what it means to age in America’s youth culture.

(David Stallings – The ReEducation of Arizona) I always hope that the piece was entertaining first.  And then my goal is to open a discussion.  It is easy to say that because we are New Yorkers, the nonsense going on in Arizona with their offensive Immigration bill and laughable paroling of minority studies in schools does not affect us.  But it does.  And these measures are persecuting Americans who are most vulnerable.  In this play, I give facts that seem ridiculous and fiction that, while comic, has a darker undertone.

What other projects do you have lined up for 2011?

(Duncan Pflaster – The Empress of Sex) I’ll be doing my experimental play Six Silences in Three Movements in March as part of Manhattan Rep’s 2011 WinterFest; most likely doing something in the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity this Summer (though not confirmed yet); and I’ve just been commissioned to write my first screenplay, so that’s a new adventure.

(Rich Rubin – Costa Rehab) Assisted Living, a pretty mainstream comedy-drama about a family dealing with Alzheimer’s disease, will have a second production (in Oregon) this spring. I recently finished a full-length about the disintegration of Arthur Miller’s marriage to Marilyn Monroe on the set of The Misfits, and I’m currently working on another full-length about a primatologist with a complicated love-life.

(Marilynn Barner Anselmi – Raising Ricci) More mad attempts to get my work out there (wherever that is).

(Riti Sachdeva – Parts of Parts & Stitches) My MFA thesis show La Fea: A FlamenChoreoMyth, bringing together two of my great  passions: theatre and flamenco. Produced by University of New Mexico, directed by Ricky Martinez of New Theatre, Miami.

(Jacqueline Goldfinger – Skin & Bone) My dark comedy, the terrible girls, is world premiering at Azuka Theatre Company in Philadelphia and being published by Playscripts this spring. You can read more about my work online: www.jacquelinegoldfinger.com

(David Stallings – The ReEducation of Arizona) I have The Family Shakespeare here in NYC with MTWorks in April.  So I am excited for that!

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The 2011 National Newborn Festival will be held at The City College of New York, North Academic Center (NAC), 138th St at Amsterdam Avenue. The admission is free but you do need to reserve your seats as the space is limited. For a complete schedule and reservation information visit www.MTWorks.org.

Next week we’ll have a chance to talk to the directors of these readings to find out what their thoughts are on the plays that have been selected for the festival. In the meantime . . . I think the following video will also whet your appetite.

Related Posts:

• The 2012 National Newborn Festival Is Almost Here!
• MTWorks National NewBorn Festival Kicks Off Tonight
• Ever Seen A “NewBorn” Play? (Part 1)
• Delving Into DARK WATER With Diánna Martin
• The Empress of Sex (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)