In two weeks MTWorks will be producing the world premiere of David Stallings’ DARK WATER, directed by one of my favorite directors, Heather Cohn.  DARK WATER is about the ramifications of the Gulf oil spill, which began on April 20, 2010 and caused extensive damage to wildlife and marine habitats.  Although the accidental marine oil spill was eventually capped by mid September of that same year, detrimental ramifications continue to exist along the shoreline of Louisiana and as far as the Florida panhandle.

Stallings’ DARK WATER uses poetry, allegory, music, puppetry and movement to create this magical world as the animals of Louisiana face the ultimate threat to their lives. Diánna Martin plays Barnacle, an old sea turtle, who is fighting against man’s destruction, nature’s wrath, and her enemies of the wild to save her children trapped in the spill.  We were thrilled to be able to chat with her about DARK WATER.  Read on as she tells us about the challenges of transforming into a turtle, the ways this play takes her out of her comfort zone, and the ways in which preparing to play Barnacle affected her.

Diánna Martin, you’re currently preparing for your lead role in David Stallings’ DARK WATER, a contemporary fable about the Louisiana oil spill. Tell me a little about the play.

DM: Dark Water is a beautiful tale about a mother trying to save her children during one of the darkest times in our history on an environmental scale (and basically, in my opinion, on any scale). In the play, the oil has spilled, it’s headed toward all the marine life in the area as well as the land, and I am trying to get my children to safety. Barnacle encounters all different types of people (animals) as she tries to make her way to her kids, some of whom are not very nice. It brings together a myriad of characters that we may recognize for whom they represent but their story is unique.

We discover things about the spill as well as these characters, while showing the day in the life of what it must have been to try to live through this. Empathy is one of the greatest gifts we have been given as a species, if we care to use it, in my opinion, and it is my belief that this production engages the audience in a way that will provoke discussion and indeed empathy for creatures whose desires in life may not be so different from our own as a species.

All of the characters are animals. As an actress, how do you work to find that sweet spot which blends animal characteristics with human expression? How do you find that truth in order to bring BARNACLE to life in the purest way?

DM: Well, regarding general physicality, it’s been a group effort in finding what are some mannerisms that are human, but that seem appropriate for the particular animal, at least in way of greetings and whatnot.

However I find the majority of it is in focusing on my journey, which is very human: to save my children. Add in that I’m a loving mother who has lived a long, long time and seen a lot in this world; and keeping in mind what my creature is (a lumbering, much older turtle who can go slow on land, fast in the water, and who is also very grounded and powerful). Also bringing in location and the lovely dialogue that has been provided gives me a way to go forward.

My boyfriend teased me that I was going to be a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle for his first time seeing me on stage, and I laughed because that is so NOT what one will see in this production. We are seeing characters who are animals in a set of given circumstances within a parameter that we as humans can understand. And as we work on characters we realize more and more their lives and live their plights and their joys. I think people will be surprised and delighted at what they see.

This play is very multi-dynamic filled with music, dance, puppetry, projections and song. Do you find this taking you out of your comfort zone? 

DM: Indeed! I am very much out of my comfort zone, but that’s a good thing…it’s the only way one grows. I am singing in the play, which is new to me. Although I have sung once before in a play, it’s not something I am used to at all. I used to do choir in college, used to do back-up vocals playing out in NYC for a singer/songwriter, and I can do a mean karaoke when among friends. It’s actually very scary for me. People don’t realize this but I’m really shy about a lot. That’s one of those things.

Even though my uber dream is to rock out in a chick rock band.

Has this role brought up any discussions – either with other cast members or with friends and family – about the oil spill that were deeper, richer, or more heartfelt than what was sparked by the original incident? 

DM: Well, I won’t go into conversations, since they sometimes ended up with me yelling at someone using language not appropriate for this interview. ;) However, I can tell you that I have learned so much from doing this play.

As you know, I am an animal person and have always considered myself a champion for the environment. However, I have to be honest that originally the reality of all the marine and avian life that were affected by this crisis for a long while was more of a concept or idea. A concept that I saw but didn’t feel as deeply

I mean, do folks know that they set the oil on the water on fire to try to burn it up to “get rid of it” and hide their tracks? Think about that for a minute…any animals caught up in the water that might have actually survived suddenly just set on fire. If we put ourselves in their shoes…well, that must have been even more terrifying.

When doing research for the play, I started looking up the different animals with whom Barnacle comes into contact in the show. Of course I grew up with channel 13 animal specials and have seen these creatures, but as I began to really look into them, I felt for them more and more.

Then one day I was looking up the Sheepshead fish, of course kind of blown away by the teeth on the critter. But as I searched YouTube desperately trying to find imagery of the fish in its natural habitat, all I could find was one video after another of: how to cook it, how to catch it, how to kill it; lengthy videos of a fisherman holding the poor thing out of water to show to the camera the teeth and laughing, while the animal is suffering. Drowning on air, basically.

I was aghast at the casual cruelty and inability for me to even see what this animal looks like living it’s life because all that was available were vids of people killing it. That kind of hit home. I eat fish, but I eat them, I don’t torture them.

On top of it, in this production we are all actors who are animals – but they appear as humans in this play. They have the same needs and desires as we do – to live, to eat, to love, to endure. Being able to play it on that level also really made their plight all the more real for me.

What are some moments of the play that are your favorites to perform?

DM:  Well, I would tell you, but that would give it away…

Suffice to say that for the most part it is anything having to do with either being a devoted mother…or taking to task those who get in my way.

There’s an extraordinary team being brought together for this production. It’s clear that a lot of thought is going into the set design, the costumes, etc. Share with us some of your impressions of what we’ll see, and what kind of world this team has created for DARK WATER.

DM: I am truly amazed at the level of ingenuity and talent that has lent itself to this production. Some of the artists I have worked with before, some I have not, but I am thrilled to be a part of what is happening here. We have seen renderings, and I can’t wait to see what they bring for us to work with. The fact that we are being transported under the ocean as well as on land is just amazing. It’s going to be like a playground for the actors.

My costume is going to be great, too. I’m really just so excited, I can’t wait until we can get into tech and play.

Finally, Diánna - anyone who knows you knows you’re a big animal lover. For other animal lovers who may want to know, will this play leave them broken hearted, galvanized or uplifted?

DM:  Oh, man – I hope it’s a combination of all three. That’s what the play does for me.

I hope it’s a wake-up call to those who are desensitized to what the reality of this oil spill meant and means to the thousands of creatures who died slow and painful deaths, the animals that continue to be born with defects, and to the pollutants that effected the ecosystem, the plants, ocean, and humans as well.

It is an uplifting play that will break your heart while calling you to action. ;)

–

Thanks so much for hanging out with us, Diánna, and for giving us so much to think about!  For the rest of you, don’t forget to check out DARK WATER – info below.

~~~

DARK WATER plays the following schedule through Saturday, March 29: 

Week 1:
Friday, March 14th at 8pm
Saturday, March 15th at 8pm
Sunday, March 16th at 2pm

Week 2:
OPENING NIGHT :: Monday, March 17th at 7pm
Thursday, March 20th at 8pm (followed by panel discussion)
Friday, March 21st at 8pm
Saturday, March 22nd at 8pm
Sunday, March 23rd at 2pm

Week 3:
Thursday, March 27th at 8pm
Friday, March 28th at 8pm
Saturday, March 29th at 8pm

Opening Night performance followed by short reception.

Advance tickets are $18 ($15 Students/$12 Seniors) and are available online or by calling 866-811-4111. Tickets may also be purchased in-person at the theater ½ hour prior to performance.

Running Time: 90 min. One intermission.

The Theater at the 14th Street Y is located on 344 East 14th Street (at 1st Avenue)

By Subway: L to 1st Avenue
By Bus: M14 or M15 to 14th and 1st

Related Posts:

• The Stranger To Kindness: 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)
• The 2012 National Newborn Festival Is Almost Here!
• The National Newborn Festival: Celebrating Emerging Playwrights In Style
• Win Tickets To Barrier Island
• Ever Seen A “NewBorn” Play? (Part 1)

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

The Stranger To Kindness

Company: D&A Productions
Directed by: Heather Cohn

Years of routine bind Lena and Nance, two lonely senior women from the Upper West Side. When Nance no longer answers her door, Lena takes it on herself to call the police and her friend’s family. What arrives is a strange dose of animosity and generousness from unlikely places.

Show Times:

• Thu 2/23 @ 6:00pm
• Sun 2/26 @ 2:30pm
• Wed 2/29 @ 9:00pm
• Thu 3/1 @ 7:30pm
• Sat 3/3 @ 4:00pm

Answers by Antonio Miniño

(Performer)

Karen Tortora-Lee’s Question
That’s some title. How did you come up with it – and what does it mean?
Antonio: The title is a play on words from the famous final lines of A Streetcar Named Desire, “I’ve always depended on the kindness of strangers”. The characters in The Stranger to Kindness are all figuring out what kindness means, how to give it and how to accept it from others, especially strangers.

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?
Antonio:
My parents who have transitioned on, Oscar Wilde, Moisés Kaufman and Tennessee Williams. These are people that both David (the playwright) and I admire and one can only hope they would enjoy the work that we are creating.

Antonio Minino’s Question
What is the biggest sacrifice you’ve ever made for your Art and was it worth it?
Antonio: I have to disclose that I am answering my own question and this just turned all sorts of weird. Definitely the biggest sacrifice I ever made was when I left my country, family and friends to study theatre in NYC. Well worth it. Would I have ever met the love of my life if I hadn’t? Probably not.

Geoffrey Paddy Johnson’s Question
Was there any unexpected discovery made during the development of this production and, if so, can you share it?
Antonio: This is the second installment of The Stranger to Kindness and each rehearsal the character surprises me with something new. We have a new cast member this time and he is bringing out all these new layers to my “Greco”. Also because it is in a different space our amazing director Heather Cohn is restaging a lot of the piece. It’s like we started from square one but with our characters being good old friends instead of new ones. A real titillating experience.

Michelle Augello-Page’s Question
What do you hope the audience receives from the experience of seeing this show?
Antonio: I hope the audience, especially the younger audience, learns to appreciate, respect, love and develop true compassion towards the senior citizens in their lives and their community… and to pick their brains… the stories they can tell!

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?

Antonio:I pick Fear Factor: Canine Edition and I throw some mean a## scissors at his cute dog!

DAMN, Antonio!   Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament of Deaaaaath really brings out your competitive side!  Good thing I know for a fact you’re a dog lover — or else I’d be worried!!!

Your three rounds so far are:

Missed Connections who challenged you and threw Scissors. That’s a Tie!

Love in the time of Chlamydia who challenged everyone and threw Rock. That’s a Loss!

Fear Factor: Canine Edition who you challenge …  and they throw Paper. That’s a WIN!

Thanks The Stranger To Kindness for participating in The Happiest Medium’s FRIGID New York Festival 2012 Q&A. And for playing our game! You’re officially SCISSORS in any and all challenges. You may win, you may not – 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 The Stranger To Kindness!

~~~

~~~

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.

Related Posts:

• The Stranger To Kindness: City Of Strangers (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)
• LOL: The End. : 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)
• Aerial Allusions: 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)
• Musical Pawns: 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)
• The Traveling Musicians: 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)

As part of the Board of Directors of MTWorks I’m really proud to be involved with the National Newborn Festival. Part of my job was to help choose the Excellence in Playwriting Award (see below for the winner!) and this year I’ll be introducing one of the plays — but I won’t tell you which one!  You’ll just have to come join me at the festival.

So what is Newborn?

Now on its sixth year, The National NewBorn Festival is MTWorks playwriting competition and flagship program created to find talented emerging playwrights from across the US, introduce their work to the New York community, and open new doors to regional voices.

READINGS ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

TO RESERVE YOUR SEATS CLICK HERE
(OR VISIT http://tinyurl.com/72h4jfw)

February 2-4, 2012
The City College of New York (map)
North Academic Center, 160 Convent Avenue  New York, NY
First Floor Lecture Hall (1/202)

THE 2012 PLAYS & SCHEDULE

Thursday, February 2nd at 7pm

The Tragedy of Dandelion by Duncan Pflaster, directed by Leah Bonvissuto, produced by Jessica Thornhill.

The Tragedy of Dandelion follows a Princess named Dandelion, who attempts to escape, by dressing as a boy, a forced marriage to Ratliff, a man who raped and impregnated her. She collaborates with Prince Crispin, son of Queen Alice, telling him that the baby is his, to gain a place in that kingdom and while waiting in the Queen’s orchard, meets the Queen’s daughter, Princess Cèlie, and shares a kiss with her. She gains a place in Alice’s kingdom, till Ratliff and her father King Stephano, come to Alice’s palace and point out that Dandelion is a female, and drag her away. A new lesbian verse play by Duncan Pflaster.

Friday, February 3rd at 7pm

Denny and Lila by August Schulenburg, directed by Tom Wojtunik, produced by London Griffith.

After her husband Marcus divorces her for their much younger maid Lucia, Mary turns to the con artist team of Denny, Lila and Jabber for revenge. They take the job, with Denny pretending to be the Neruda-quoting electrician ‘Fred’ to seduce Lucia; and Lila pretending to be the daffily charming British novelist ‘Mara’ to seduce Marcus. All goes well until Denny develops an unexpected connection to Nettie, Mary and Marcus’ manic-depressive daughter.

Saturday, February 4th at 5pm *Excellence in Playwriting Award Winner*

The Excellence in Playwriting Award is bestowed by the MTWorks’ Board of Directors. The board selects the winner before the festival takes place and is not influenced by the work the director and actors are achieving at the readings.

Absinthe by Joe Musso, directed by Dev Bondarin, produced by Martha Goode.

It’s July 1900, and a race riot has engulfed New Orleans, sparked by a black man killing two white policemen. At first, the violence on the streets is far removed from the genteel parlor of Grace Newman, a blind white woman cared for by her house servant, Curtis, a former slave owned by Grace’s father. Grace and Curtis’s relationship is forged by respect and compassion. However, their true feelings for each other must remain hidden from Grace’s racist brother Henry, a Civil War vet who fought for the South and who is hell-bent on bringing justice to a black man who killed two white policemen. As a race riot in the streets unfolds, Grace and Curtis’s relationship unravels.

Saturday, February 4th at 8pm *Resident Reading*

On Egdon Heath adapted by David Stallings from Thomas Hardy’s novel The Return of the Native directed by Glory Kadigan, produced by David Stallings.

Award-winning playwright David Stallings’ adapts one of the most powerful works of famed author Thomas Hardy, “The Return of the Native”. The ensemble of townspeople On Egdon Heath will take you on a journey of love, passion and folklore, centered around the beautiful and mystical Eustacia Vye. Her hunger for escape and a devastating twist of fate will affect the lives of the Yeobrights, the Wildeves and the heart of the heath.

Related Posts:

• 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
• Delving Into DARK WATER With Diánna Martin
• The Empress of Sex (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)

If you’ve never directed a show you probably don’t have any idea how many things need to be juggled, handled, addressed, discussed, solved, finessed, smoothed out, put in order  … it boggles the mind.   I asked my beloved friend Antonio Minino to tell me what a random day is like for him as he directs David Stallings’ The Family Shakespeare for MT Works.  I need a nap just reading his answers!

The Family Shakespeare is a magical and dark fictional look into the dangers and consequences of caging innocence. It is inspired by the true story of the Bowdler family and delves into the psyche of a family who thinks it has the right to cross out and modify words with the supposed aim to protect youth and purity.

As the director of this ambitious tale Antonio is busy from (early) morning till night (or … would that be even earlier morning?).  Here is a breakdown of how he spent his Saturday …

UP AND AT ‘EM

When did you wake up?
Around 8am today.

The amount of times you hit the snooze button
I actually don’t hit the snooze button, I just check my phone (which is my alarm clock) every 2 minutes to see how many minutes I can get away with – I should probably start embracing the snooze.

The cups of coffee you need to wake up
Two cups will do it!  Normally I brew it at home but with rehearsals I’ve been buying it at the closest deli or Starbucks to wherever we are rehearsing that day.

The time you REALLY feel awake
Lately around 11am - I’m normally a good morning person, when I hit the gym I like doing it at 6am – last time that routine happened it was 1985… no just kidding, it was a couple of months ago. The show has changed all my routines and added back the 10 pounds I had successfully lost.

BREAKFAST

What did you eat?
Coffee

The number of emails you answer before you take your first bite
I try and check all my emails before I walk out the door, probably an average of 20 emails.

The number of emails you ignore / put off for later
Lately I’ve been putting off for later more than ever. Normally I’m very good at replying, I feel like the person that emails me is waiting on the other side, desperately seeking for an answer.

The number of emails you write that have the words “Shakespeare” in them
Probably all of them … Well if my signature counts which says “buy your tickets to The Family Shakespeare” then definitely all of them.

FIRST THINGS FIRST

The songs on your iPod that you listen to the most
I’m obsessed with Jamie Cullum, if you don’t know him look him up. Lately I’ve been listening to Jessie Montgomery’s compositions for the show. They are just beautiful and get me in the mood for rehearsal. I also like the Black Swan soundtrack.

CALL ME!

The number of calls you take
Not many, maybe 5 a day tops.

The number of calls you send right to voice mail
Probably 4 of the 5 :)

The number of calls you make
I’m more of an email, facebook and text person. So maybe 1 call a day keeps the doctor away.

The number of people who meet with you about the production
Including the designers, cast, marketers, press rep, company staff … around 26

The number of people who come to rehearsal 13

The number of people who say “what do you think about …” 26

DON’T QUOTE ME

The number of times you yelled
Do the number of times I’ve wanted to yell count? if they do around 5 times.

THE BEST MEDICINE

The number of times you laughed
Every rehearsal I laugh, so maybe 5 times a rehearsal? not bad for a drama.

GIVE ME STRENGTH!

The person who gets me through the day is …
If it wasn’t for the playwright of The Family Shakespeare, David Stallings, the stage manager Carolynn Richer and the producer Martha Goode I’d be lost every day of this process. Totally lost at sea with no lifeboat or water or sexy trunks.

ORDER UP!

What did you have for lunch?
A grilled chicken salad … well no that’s what I should have had for lunch … a ham and brie sandwich.

LET’S TAKE IT FROM THE TOP

The number of notes you take at a rehearsal
An average of around 7 pages. I have big hand writing though and only give the actors around 1 page of my 7. A lot of notes I take are things that I know will resolve themselves on their own.

The number of changes you made today
Today we fixed a couple of blocking issues that were making me lose sleep and a “floating” moment. We cut a couple of lines that are now acted and need not be said with the words.

The number of times you said “that was amazing”
I can’t remember the last time I said that was amazing and not for lack of amazement. Wait that’s not true, 4 times today when I was talking about Jessie Montgomery and her Quartet.

The number of times you thought “I want to quit!!!”

Only twice and at the beginning of the process. You see I was a replacement and accepting the gig completely changed my routine and it meant directing actors I did not cast, so it took me a couple of days to feel them out and understand how they work and how our styles would merge. Also walking into the first production meeting with the designers when they already had some ideas as to what the show would be and basically changing their concepts on them was also difficult for me, thankfully they liked what I had to bring to the table.

MIRACLE WORKER

What miracle happened today?
We ran the show at 10am in the morning. We’ve been running the show since last Tuesday which is a miracle of its own in the off-off circuit. We’ve been running the complete show two weeks before opening! On a not show related miracle I napped from 4pm to 9pm.

CANDLE LIGHT SUPPER

What time was dinner?
It’s 10:41pm and I haven’t had dinner yet. I guess I should sign into seamlessweb and figure that one out.

What did you have?

Haven’t decided. Something decadent. I’m dreadful to my body temple during a show. Something I definitely need to work on.

Who was your last email of the day to? What was it about?
It was sending these answers to you! No really it was about bar options as to where to celebrate our opening night party.

What was your last thought of the day before hitting the pillow?
I know it will be “Is rehearsal really at 10am again tomorrow? on a Sunday! I miss Unity of New York” that will be my last thought for sure.

LIGHTS OUT

Time you went to sleep?
I’m predicting 2am. I just can’t seem to make my brain slow down and I’ve tried meditating every night, using nature soothing sounds … 2am seems to be the norm.

~~~

Now that you know what’s going into this amazing production you know you want to see it.  Click Here to purchase tickets for this wonderful play.  I’ll see you there.

Related Posts:

• The 2012 National Newborn Festival Is Almost Here!
• The Stranger To Kindness: 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)
• MTWorks National NewBorn Festival Kicks Off Tonight
• Small Town, Big Show – “Barrier Island”
• Eli and Cheryl Jump … Look After You (Fringe Festival 2009)

As the recently appointed Vice-Chair of Maieutic Theatre Works-MTWorks I’m honored to be (just a small) part of the very talented team that brings The National NewBorn Festival to life.

Please join me tonight for the first in the series of free readings dealing with such hot topics as: immigration, sexuality, war and freedom.

**Resident Reading**

THE REEDUCATION OF ARIZONA

by MTWorks Artistic Director David Stallings

directed by MTWorks Resident Director Cristina Alicea

A satirical comedy that dissects the trickled down effect of Gov. Jan Brewer’s immigration bill in Arizona.

-

Thursday, February 3rd at 8:30pm
The Aronow Theater (First Floor)

SKIN AND BONE

by Jacqueline Goldfinger (Pennsylvania)

directed by Dev Bondarin

A cannibalistic dark comedy about aging, set in a cozy B&B in the South.

Related Posts:

• The 2012 National Newborn Festival Is Almost Here!
• The National Newborn Festival: Celebrating Emerging Playwrights In Style
• A Day In The Life … “The Family Shakespeare” By The Numbers
• Small Town, Big Show – “Barrier Island”
• Ever Seen A “NewBorn” Play? (Part 1)

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!

~~~

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)

There are two kinds of die hard New Yorkers.  Those who were born here and will never leave, and those who came here to escape small towns . . . and will never leave.  If you’re reading this, chances are you’re one of those two, and if you’re the latter then Barrier Island will remind you of home, but may also remind you how far from home you’ve come.

Small towns are really more like big families with everyone related to you either by blood, marriage, business, church, club or calamity.  There is both comfort and  consternation in  those ties that bind.  In one regard,  you know someone always has your back.  But in another way, someone always is on your back.  And depending on the kind of day you’ve had, that’s either a blessing or a curse.

In Barrier Island playwright David Stallings takes a microscope to a small Galveston, Texas town and delivers it to us through the eyes of two very different prodigal sons.  On the one side of the boomerang we have Trey (the fantastic Anthony Crep) who left town after a tragedy in a hurry and hasn’t been back since.  On the other side is prickly Laura (Jennifer Laine Williams) who comes back with an 11 year old son, Daniel (Frankie Seratch) and an almost too-perfect story about a husband who decided to stay back for a while.    Both are brought back to town  by family obligations in anticipation of Hurricane Ike.

For Laura and Trey, stepping back into town is as fraught with the stickiness of their respective histories as falling backwards into a vat of fly paper.

Not exactly awaiting their return, but seemingly never having left their appointed spots in the last decade, are the town locals with a little more dust on the sill but still spouting that small-town-small-mindedness that can sound so quaint to an urban ear until you realize they’re not joking.  That bigotry you’re hearing is heartfelt.  Under Cristina Alicea’s direction Stallings’ zingers melt like chocolate-coated Sour Patch Kids.  Only for an instance does that sweet southern accent soften the initial blow before you’re left with the acidity of the words burning your tongue.  These folks say what they think and they don’t apologize for it.

Big Nate (David L. Carson) has been running his bar out of Laura’s dad’s building with his wife  Susie (Alex Bond) for as long as any one can remember.  Perennially glued to one end of the bar is Bob (Stu Richel), curmudgeonly and cranky and living to insult the counterweight to his see-saw at the bar, a young woman named Cheryl (Carol Hickey).  Between these two anchors  other patrons include Carl (Mark Emerson) a man-child of indeterminate age who is slow witted but not too slow to toss back some beers and find himself a gal.

One generation down is Cheryl’s daughter Steph  (Anne Clare Gibbons-Brown) who is pinging around that bar (all 15 underage years of her) like a restless pinball that’s just been released; bored of small town life but too young to do anything about it.   Several years younger than Steph, and as much an outsider as his mom, little Daniel generally seems shaken by what he’s been brought into.  Fiercely protective of his mom, but unable to latch on to much else, Daniel serves as the audiences’ quiet but steady navigator through this town and its customs.

Stu Richel, Jennifer Laine Williams, David L. Carson and Alex Bond (photo credit: Antonio Minino)

And boy, are there customs here.  Nothing shows the town’s insistence on staunch observance of tradition as well as Susie’s tangling with the school board as she tries to convince them to use 1-800-Flowers for Homecoming instead of the local Patsy’s Florist.  Once we see that drama play out, it’s easier to understand how a town won’t let a man outlive his past (in the case of Trey), and still casts him as the bad boy who “did that thing and had to leave”.  It’s also easier to understand how business deals, such as the one between Laura’s father and big Nate, were created on a handshake.

Trouble can shake this town up and unsettle it like a snow-globe, and in the 2 hours you’ll spend in Barrier Island trouble rains down with as much ferocity as the impending Hurricane.  However, like a snow-globe, this is a contained world, where issues are handled from within in a way that makes sense to the parties involved, and outsiders (that would include you) don’t really need to understand, nor get involved, thank you very much.  This is Town business.  The Town will handle it.

Working alongside this story of small town ways is the bubbling romance between Laura and Trey.  Both were run out of town by their own demons and both feel a little awkward being back.  It’s hard to fit big ideas back into a small box, and it’s hard to take a step back and regress back into the human being you once were in the eyes of people who consider you family when you’re staring back with eyes that have seen more that you have words to explain.  And so, the two inside/outsiders find themselves drawn to each other.  The only trouble is, Laura has a wall around her heart that rivals the height of  any seawall, and perhaps this story isn’t so much about whether the seawall can protect Galveston and keep out Hurricane Ike . . .  but more about whether Laura’s defenses can protect her heart and keep out hurricane Trey.

Ultimately, Barrier Island is a glimpse into small town living that (if you’ve lived it) will make you nod in recognition and that will (if you’ve never experienced it) make you cock your head to the side in wonder. David Stallings has created such an honest, sometimes awful, sometimes heartwarming portrayal of what it means to come from a small town that it will either make you homesick  . . . or happy you were born in New York.

Carol Hickey and Anne Clare Gibbons-Brown (photo credit: Antonio Minino)

Strong acting from David L. Carson and Alex Bond bring Stallings words not just to life but right  into your lap; there are times when you feel like you’re just another patron at their bar – just another member of their family, and they’d as easily give you a beer or a hug as they would a menacing stare of warning should you step out of line.  Their chemistry together  is undeniable and there are moments between them that are so real  that you check the program to make sure they don’t share the same last name.  Same goes for Carol Hickey and Anne Clare Gibbons-Brown; the mother-daughter bond there is so powerful that you could envision them in any situation together, and you know they’d have the strength to pull through.

Carol Hickey as Cheryl brings tiny details to her performance that put a lump in your throat; she’s an exquisite force of nature who embodies this small town girl who is unwillingly put in a position of needing to define and defend a life that’s been the best one she was able to pull together, and Carol Hickey imbues her character with dignity as well as determination.

The set designed by Craig Napoliello (colored and shaded by the sound design of Martha Goode) is so spot-on that, upon entering the theatre, you have to make sure you head to the seats and not over to the tables, as the lure of a frosty cold one might make you forget that you’re actually in a theatre and not in a bar.

If you can’t get away this week but are looking to explore small town life for all its pride and peculiarity, then buy a ticket and take the short ride to the small town of Barrier Island.  You’ll come away with a feeling of having spent an evening getting to know a town, its people, and its ways.

~~~

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
• Win Tickets To Barrier Island
• Eli and Cheryl Jump … Look After You (Fringe Festival 2009)

Keep reading for a chance to win tickets . . .

Written by award-winning playwright David Stallings, and directed by Cristina Alicea; Barrier Island tackles the nature of a fearless community that chooses to stake their lives on the strength of the historic Galveston seawall — built to protect the island from natural disasters — as they await the arrival of one of the most devastating hurricanes to hit the United States since Katrina, Hurricane Ike. Nominated for the 2009 Weissberger Award (Williamstown Theatre Festival), Barrier Island is the first play in “The Galveston Cycle.”

Barrier Island will play a 4-week limited engagement at Center Stage NY (48 West 21st Street, 4th Floor, Buzzer 401#). Performances begin Friday, April 30th through Saturday, May 22nd.

One lucky grand prize winner will receive:

• A pair of tickets to the first week of Barrier Island at Center Stage NY.

To enter, correctly answer the following question:

Q. What is Barrier’s twitter account?

(Wanna cheat? Find the answer at  www.MTWorks.org )

Email us your answer with your first and last name to giveaways@thehappiestmedium.com, all entries must be received by Friday, April 23rd.

Click here for contest guidelines.

Good luck!

Related Posts:

• Delving Into DARK WATER With Diánna Martin
• The 2012 National Newborn Festival Is Almost Here!
• The National Newborn Festival: Celebrating Emerging Playwrights In Style
• Small Town, Big Show – “Barrier Island”
• Ever Seen A “NewBorn” Play? (Part 1)

Developed 3 years ago, The National NewBorn Festival is the flagship program of a non-profit theater company very dear to me, Maieutic Theatre Works; or as we like to call it MTWorks – that way we don’t have to get into the whole “Maieutic is pronounced /meɪˈjuːtɪks/”.

New plays that have yet to receive a New York production are read in a festival setting and free to the general public from Thursday, January 21st through Sunday, January 24th. This year we are showcasing new plays by Barrie Kreinik, Jacqueline Goldfinger, Carol Carpenter, Gwydion Suilebhan and Cody Daigle.

The audience also gets to pick and vote for the recipient of the Audience Favorite Award. The winner receives a second reading on Sunday night after the resident reading of A Song for St. Michael’s by one of the NewBorn creators and Artistic Director of MTWorks, David Stallings.

What I appreciate about festivals is the networking opportunities it creates for dramatists, actors, directors and companies.  This week I asked all 6 dramatists some questions about their work and inspirations.

AM-How did you hear about NewBorn?

(Barrie Kreinik – A Thousand Shapes) I’m an MTWorks company actor and my first performance with the company was in NewBorn 2008, so I’ve already had some experience with the Festival.

(Jacqueline Goldfinger – Slip/Shot) I read about the NewBorn online two years ago, and submitted my play The Oath. MTWorks liked The Oath so much that they produced it in 2009! It was an incredible experience! Slip/Shot is my first new play since The Oath and the fab MTWorks company offered to include it in the NewBorn Festival.

(Carol Carpenter – Good Lonely People) I read about artistic director David Stallings’ work in an article or blurb online. When I realized we were graduates of the same college, I decided to reach out to him.

(Gwydion Suilebhan – Faithkiller) I’m almost too embarrassed to admit this… but I found it on Facebook.

(Cody Daigle – A Home Across The Ocean) MTWorks produced my play Providence in 2008, and the experience was fantastic. When I finished the new show, I sent it to them, eager for a chance to work with them again.

AM-Describe your play in one sentence:

(Barrie Kreinik – A Thousand Shapes) Three women at an American university face the consequences of crossing boundaries and discover the shape-shifting nature of love.

(Jacqueline Goldfinger – Slip/Shot) It’s about people trying to make sense of a situation that simply makes no sense and, in doing so, create “truths” that may or may not be very truthful.

(Carol Carpenter – Good Lonely People) Election night 2008 transforms a family in a small conservative town.

(Gwydion Suilebhan – Faithkiller) The exploits of an atheist superhero in a 1940s New York radio studio, a run-down apartment in present-day Los Angeles, and a not-too-distant theocratic future: what do the stories we tell reveal about the things we believe?

(Cody Daigle – A Home Across The Ocean) A 13-year old foster child and a poet from London help a family and a gay couple face loss and redefine itself.

(David Stallings – A Song For St. Michael’s) A young boy is taught how to grieve within the cold rules of his structured community.

AM-What makes your work stand out from the rest?

(Barrie Kreinik – A Thousand Shapes) The play’s subject matter twists familiar tropes.  The issue of teacher-student relationships has been addressed in other plays, but what happens when the teacher and student are both female?  It’s about relationships and feelings that defy labels, where everything happens under the surface, where the characters are afraid to address what’s really going on — where they aren’t sure what’s really going on.  There’s a lot of language, a lot of quoting other people, but also a lot of unspoken communication.  I don’t know if this makes it stand out from everything else per se, but these are some characteristics of the piece.

(Jacqueline Goldfinger – Slip/Shot) My plays have been described as “Southern gothic” so I think that makes my work different from the others.

(Carol Carpenter – Good Lonely People) My work is grounded in the people and places of the American Southwest. There, I explore the tension between oppositional ideologies and cultures: between progress and tradition, urban and rural, professional and working class, religious and secular. My journey as a writer is to find beauty and value in those I judge, to uncover paradox and hypocrisies within myself through the insights of characters I would deplore in real life, and to harmonize conflict through humor and reconciliation.

(Gwydion Suilebhan – Faithkiller) My work is very post-modern: multi-racial and multi-generational casts, interwoven narratives and meta-narratives, and a variety of media juxtaposed for a Twitter generation of theatergoers.

(Cody Daigle – A Home Across The Ocean) Ah, the dreaded “sell-yourself” moment. I think my work stands out because it’s quiet, simple, but the emotions are big. I’m very interested in the poetry of who we are in private, with the people we’re closest to, and I think that comes through in the work.

(David Stallings – A Song for St. Michael’s) It is the second piece in a trilogy about a town in Texas and the dysfunctional traditions passed down through generations based in stubbornness and ignorance.  Those who have seen the development of Barrier Island will enjoy seeing a different and equally entertaining part of the community.

AM-Whose work do you admire – who inspires you?

(Barrie Kreinik – A Thousand Shapes) Caryl Churchill, Tom Stoppard, Diana Son, Joanna Murray-Smith, Timberlake Wertenbaker, Wendy Wasserstein… to name a few.  This play in particular was influenced by the works of Virginia Woolf.  And I’m also inspired by Shakespeare — his incredibly rich language and raw emotionality.  His use of language.  I’m fascinated by language.

(Jacqueline Goldfinger – Slip/Shot) I’m a huge fan of early 20th Century Southern literature – Kate Chopin, William Faulkner, Flannery O’Connor, Katherine Anne Porter, and Carson McCullers come to mind.

(Carol Carpenter – Good Lonely People) Sam Shepard, Horton Foote, Leila Buck.

(Gwydion Suilebhan – Faithkiller) I’m inspired by playwrights who look beyond their own lives for inspiration… who use their plays to ask broad, penetrating questions about being human in the modern world.  David Hare, August Wilson, and Sarah Kane come to mind — diverse stylistically, but all of them big.

(Cody Daigle – A Home Across The Ocean) Tony Kushner, because of his incredible gift with language. Christopher Shinn, Sarah Ruhl, Melissa James Gibson, Paula Vogel, Terrence McNally.

(David Stallings -  A Home Across The Ocean) Shakespeare’s.  His universality and specificity are a paradox that few have been able to reinvent.

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

(Barrie Kreinik – A Thousand Shapes) I hope they walk away in deep discussion with each other!  I’d love to inspire conversation, dialogue, examination.  They might wonder about the ambiguity of relationships, about our need to name things, to label them.  Hopefully they’ll wonder about what the characters do after the play ends.  Whatever happens, I hope they’re thinking.

(Jacqueline Goldfinger – Slip/Shot) I hope that the audience will laugh a lot, cry a little, and walk away thinking a little bit about how they tell their own stories and create their own personal “truths.”

(Carol Carpenter – Good Lonely People) Respect for uneducated, uncultured, underprivileged working class white folks.

(Gwydion Suilebhan – Faithkiller) A glimpse, perhaps, of a way to get out of the ideological complexity and deep emotion underlying the religious culture clashes that have paralyzed American life for at least a century… and (I would be remiss in not adding) a very strong desire to buy a ticket to a full production of the play.

(Cody Daigle – A Home Across The Ocean) I hope they walk away feeling as though they watched something that felt deeply true, something funny, something moving, something real.

(David Stallings – A Song for St. Michael’s) My favorite reaction from an audience is a gasp!

AM-What other projects do you have lined up in 2010?

(Barrie Kreinik – A Thousand Shapes) I’m still in the process of lining up specific projects, but I’ve got ongoing work as a voice-over artist, singer, and dialect coach, and I’m working on a couple of new play ideas.  I put on a lot of hats!

(Jacqueline Goldfinger – Slip/Shot) So far, I have a world premiere of my commissioned adaptation of Little Women in San Diego and a production of my dark comedy the terrible girls in Philadelphia. My short play, His Last Fight, will also be published in the anthology “Best Ten-Minute Plays of 2010″ by Smith and Kraus.

(Carol Carpenter – Good Lonely People) Good Lonely People is in the final running for the High Desert Play Development Series at Southwest Repertory Theatre. I am currently conducting research for a new book whose near-impossible goal is to convince working class conservatives that their economic interests are not being served by their party.

(Gwydion Suilebhan – Faithkiller) My play The Constellation will be running in DC this winter, and I’ll be workshopping a new play called Reals this spring… more importantly, though, I’ll be having my first child — which is the greatest project I can imagine!

(Cody Daigle – A Home Across The Ocean) I’m working on two new plays – a play about architecture, real estate and theater (seriously!) called The Lasting and a relationship comedy called Cuddleman.

(David Stallings – A Song for St. Michael’s) Barrier Island with MTWorks opening April 30th and A Daughter of Israel with BOO-Arts in the fall.

* * *

The 2010 National NewBorn Festival takes place at The Asya Geisberg Studio (526 West 26th Street, No 1017. Between 10th and 11th Ave). 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 will bring you an interview with the directors involved in the festival, including our very own contributor Diánna Martin.  I leave you with a short conversation with one of the many writers that have inspired the dramatists participating in NewBorn, Tony Kushner.

Related Posts:

• The National Newborn Festival: Celebrating Emerging Playwrights In Style
• Ever Seen A “NewBorn” Play? (Part 2)
• Delving Into DARK WATER With Diánna Martin
• The 2012 National Newborn Festival Is Almost Here!
• MTWorks National NewBorn Festival Kicks Off Tonight

A Film Review by Guest Blogger David Stallings

The question is not is Nine worthy, but can a modern audience sit through 8 ½?

Buzz surrounding Rob Marshall’s film adaptation of a stage musical adaptation of a 1963 film classic,  8 ½ , has been flitting around the industry for many months.  From the drama of losing Javier Bardem and gaining Daniel Day Lewis to casting a bevy of Hollywood Divas in ensemble roles, this picture has certainly had the build-up of a blockbuster hit.  Unfortunately for this film, it has neither the current American cinematic structure nor the traditional character development to meet the primary requirement of a Blockbuster: the movie does not speak to everyone.  That being said, the film Nine will have those who love it and hate it arguing about its validity for years to come.  In short, Nine has thus succeeded as a work of art.

The Lovely Women of NINE

The plot of Nine, follows Guido Contini (Day-Lewis), a Fellini-esque director in 1960’s Italy, attempting to regain his early success.  Unfortunately his next film begins shooting in ten days and he has yet to write the script.  He escapes Rome and flees to a spa—hoping to seek solace in a doctor, mistress, or priest.  He finds them in that order.  Ultimately, Guido is having an existential break down and cannot find himself, let alone a new script.  He is forever a mental nine year-old—even though his body is quickly approaching fifty.  Through the film, Contini searches each woman in his life hoping to find his definition or inspiration through them.  Each woman has her own section of the film (complete with a song) dedicated to her relationship with Guido and why it has failed.  Ultimately, Contini has never seen any of the women in his life for who they truly are, but has idolized them and created them into film characters, rather than appreciating them for who they are.  Each woman is an archetype rather than herself.  And the genius of the film is that each woman knows how they are seen and must choose to accept this status or walk away.

The performances are all stellar.  Daniel Day-Lewis is virile, witty, and desperate as Guido.  In the role of his wife Luisa, Marion Cotillard is simply genius.  In a short amount of time, she brings the humanity of her character.  Penelope Cruz adds vulnerability to the role of Carla the mistress (something missed in both the previous film and stage musical). And watch out—she sings!  Judi Dench as the confidant Lilli is sage and sharp as always.  Nicole Kidman in surprisingly honest underneath all of her hair and make-up.  She plays Guido’s muse and star, Claudia.  Her approach of the song Unusual Way is bold—not sweetly singing the ballad as is traditional, but attacking it with anger and hurt.  Fergie is the only woman allowed a rawness of nature in her role as the whore Saraghina—and she delivers.  And finally Kate Hudson sings and dances marvelously as the frivolous and obsequious style reporter Stephanie.

This classic tale is given amazing cinematic reverence—reinventing moments from 8 ½ and La Dolce Vita with exquisite precision.  And Maury Yeston’s score finally comes to life in a text worthy of its depth.  The book for the stage musical lost the artfulness of the original film.  The zingers in this script will pierce and shock.  Unfortunately, only half of the audience is responding.  For many, the film is too slow, not relevant, or simply not “musical” enough in structure to please.  In this time of strife, people are in an “Odets’ frame of mind”.  They crave believable, relatable characters.  The kings and queens (or stars and directors) do not hold enough weight for dramatic tension and a more pedestrian plot is being craved by modern moviegoers.

Many are also complaining about the pacing and style.  One must ask these people what they would prefer?  Would these critics rather have had Marshall throw out the original altogether simply to satisfy the modern cookie-cutter structure of American Cinema?  Certainly few of these angst-ridden reviewers have ever seen 8 ½, let alone La Dolce Vita (both clock in around three hours in length).  They obviously were hoping for Chicago and did not know how to respond to this piece of art.  If we all would simply let go of our predispositions and enjoy the movie for what it is, then I guarantee you will be surprised by the many hidden flavors within.

Related Posts:

• Delving Into DARK WATER With Diánna Martin
• The Stranger To Kindness: 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)
• The 2012 National Newborn Festival Is Almost Here!
• La Strada – Comedy And Tragedy On The Road
• A Day In The Life … “The Family Shakespeare” By The Numbers