Planet Connections Q&A: Danny / Married Plus One

The Happiest Medium — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 19:23:52 +0000

Planet Connections Theatre Festivity is New York City’s premiere eco-friendly theatre festival, connecting artists and audiences with diverse dynamic charitable organizations. The Planet Connections experience entertains, enlightens and informs.

The Happiest Medium (proud sponsors of The Planet Connections Festival), will be running Q&A throughout the festival.

Today we ask one question each of Andrew Rothkin – writer and director of Danny and Dorothy Marcic, writer of Married Plus One.

Danny

answers by Andrew Rothkin

Here’s Antonio’s question -

If you would have to single out a quality between dialogue, plot or character, which one is the strongest in your play/piece, and why?

CHARACTER. The characters are fun and funny and somewhat eccentric, but they are all richly layered with more to them than initially meets the eye. You know someone like each and every one of these people!

Here’s Karen’s question -

What has been the most surprising or unexpected thing that’s happened during this play? Did that wind up taking the play in a new direction?

This is my third time producing this play. It has been many, many years since I last touched it, I did a lot of rewrites, and this is the first time I am directing it. It is wild to me that this is a play that I wrote and have spent literally hundreds and hundreds of hours working on – and I am still constantly making new discoveries about. Sometimes these discoveries comes from what an actor does or something my A.D. might say, but often times, I hear a line for the 10,000th time and I suddenly hear something new or see some connection that I didn’t fully get before. (Are these connections luck, the gods or my subconscious at work? Who knows? But it works!)

Here’s Anne’s question -

What do you think is the central theme and reason this play was conceived?

While I like to think that every play I write is a bit of a unique identify and has its own flavor, most of them — at least the full length ones — share some similar themes. To me, the play is about looking at your life, where you are: are you living the life you want to lead? Why or why not? What is in your way? What are you going to do about it? It is about growing up and getting to the next stage of your life – but what price do you have to pay to do this? And what price is too high to pay? The play is a comedy, though – so I hope people will be laughing too hard and enjoying themselves too much to realize there is any message – until it sneaks up on them …

Here’s Stephen’s Question -

Why should the audience (we) go to your play? What will the audience learn about the “human condition” by going to your play?

The play is a funny, outrageous good time showing old friends at their best – and their worst. You know people like each and everyone one of these characters – but maybe you will understand something new about the people in your life. The play is filled with humanity – fun, loving, happy, sad, vulnerable, sexy, and fighting like hell for what they want.

Here’s Sarah’s Question -

What is your favorite line from the play?

MARCO: Ain’t nobody interested in my pencil-pushin’, tie-wearin’, nine to five existence: least of all, me. How much you getting’ laid?

NADINE: Enough, Marco. I’m getting laid enough.

MARCO: Enough! Enough!!! Did you hear that, people? Never, never, never in my wildest dreams did I ever get laid enough!!!

Here’s Diánna’s Question -

What about this play do you feel most drawn to personally, and because of that, what message do you hope the audience walks away with?

Very difficult question as I wrote the play (and rewrote it and rewrote it and rewrote it) over many years, and have looked at it as an actor, designer, playwright, director, producer, etc., etc., etc… but the play has so much heart. While I give a lot of things for the audience to think about when they walk away, I leave it up to them to interpret it as befits them. All of the characters make different choices for different reasons – but it is not my job as playwright or director to say which choice is right. Each person needs to decide that for himself.

* * *

Married Plus One

answers by Dorothy Marcic

Here’s Antonio’s question -

If you would have to single out a quality between dialogue, plot or character, which one is the strongest in your play/piece, and why?

Dialogue is the strongest. This is something I’ve put a concerted effort into improving over the past 18 months and I think the play shows that effort.

Here’s Karen’s question -

What has been the most surprising or unexpected thing that’s happened during this play? Did that wind up taking the play in a new direction?

The ending with the knife and how potential violence gets turned into a chance to express the underlying positive emotions, which ends up neutralizing the violence.

Here’s Anne’s question -

What do you think is the central theme and reason this play was conceived?

The difficulties of living intergenerationally, especially when several family members have emotional or mental deficits.

Here’s Stephen’s Question -

Why should the audience (we) go to your play? What will the audience learn about the “human condition” by going to your play?

To watch people in three generations, including the “step” element, struggle overcoming resentments, anger, jealousies, betrayals, and indifference to create a family where members learn to support one another, even if the first steps are tiny.

Here’s Sarah’s Question -

What is your favorite line from the play?

Dad, zip-lock the diet talk, will ya?