Liz Douglas, Lori E. Parquet, Becky Byers, & Chris Wight

A few weeks ago when I interviewed playwright Liz Duffy Adams about her new play, Dog Act, now playing at the Flamboyan Theatre, she told me “I love stories about how people recreate social/political systems and civilization in the midst of catastrophe, and protect human culture through the darkest of times. So having the central characters be performers who are the sole source of art in a very dark future seemed exciting to me, and potentially theatrical.”  In a nutshell, this is what Ms. Adams set out to do, and it is exactly what she did.  Under Kelly O’Donnell’s masterful direction Dog Act manages to artfully combine the darkness and desolation of a lost world with the lightness and hope that is the very spirit of the theatre – be it vaudeville or otherwise.

The advantage of creating a world which no one has ever experienced before is that there are no rules which can be broken.  And so, in this world of Adams’ we have a society where it’s possible for a man to exist in servitude as a dog, a society where a Vaudevillian is as sacred and off-limits to the tribe of cannibals as the cows in India, and a world where seasons change at whim, in no particular order, and with no particular pattern.   Tribes have aligned themselves according to rules which simply worked out that way.  Although alliances may be forged quickly, with very little to base them on, you’re playing fast and loose with your future by choosing to trust the hand that is stretched out  before you in friendship.

When we come upon Zetta Stone (played with sparkle, charm and just a bit of mischief by Lori E. Parquet) she is with her Dog (Chris Wight) travelling along the desolate roads on the way to what they hope will be their salvation – in this case: China.  Through conversation we find that their troupe was bigger at one time but the harshness of the wandering life caused their company to splinter; now all that remains is Dog, Zetta, and their determination to get to China.  Zetta is unflinching in her quest, and it is here where she resembles a Don Quixote of sorts (albeit far less mad), not so much tilting at windmills but rather tapping across plains, playing the spoons, and singing upbeat songs of high-hoped hereafter.

Of course, into each life a little rain must fall – and this rain comes in the form of Vera Similitude (Liz Douglas) and her wild companion, Jo-Jo the Bald-Faced Liar (Becky Byers) who are obviously not Vaudevillians but are passing themselves off as such in order to keep moving safely.  Stir these four together, each with their quirks, habits and secrets and the plot begins to bubble up, revealing hidden forks in the road.  Ultimately, where they all end up is precisely where they were meant to be.   But how they get there . . . well, that’s the Dog Act.

Adams’ script, as well as her story, have an innate rhythm and melody which is captured uniquely by each member of the cast.  Whereas Parquet’s Zetta is the smooth, flowing underscore which unites the scenes and holds the play together, Wight’s Dog provdes the deeper, more mournful tones which bring you to the dark spots of this land’s history and culture.  His story is aching and bittersweet – a good man with a bad past.  Douglas’ Vera provides the dissonance – alluring and proud themes covering a side to her character which is not so much evil as it is bent on survival at any cost.  If this means a bit of deception, or even a bit of dissection – well, what’s a woman to do?  And Byers’s Jo-Jo crackles throughout like the crash of a cymbal – she is electric not only when performing her monologues, but even when sitting to the side, muttering.  A bit like Lord Of The Ring’s Gollum, she is the young product of what this new world has created.  Kelly O’Donnell’s intuitive direction intertwines these melodies to orchestrate the landscape of Adams’ Dog Act and deliver a fully realized, perfectly created piece of theatre.

Capped off by Lara de Bruijn’s costumes, which manage to both mimic and create fashion simultaneously, and Jason Paradine’s set design – which includes a wagon that, at times, nearly steals the show – the universe of Dog Act is complete.

For any of you who keep wondering – Is there a Dog? The answer is: yes. Dog does exists. Go to the Flamboyan Theater and see for yourself.

~~~

Related Posts:

• Every Dog (Act) Has Its Day – An Interview With Playwright Liz Duffy Adams
• 4 Cents Review: Blessings Abound At Jacob’s House
• Angel Eaters Trilogy – A Three Course Meal
• Women’s History Month: Celebrating Women In The Arts – Spotlight On Emily Owens
• The Little One – Total Immersion

Liz Duffy Adams (photo by Joanna Eldredge Morrissey)

It’s no secret that as far as Theatre Ensembles go, Flux is one of my very favorites.  Consistently turning out quality work that never fails to leave audiences utterly captivated and amazed, they set the off-off Broadway bar very high – only to sail over it with each successive production.  I’m always expectant when I know a new Flux show is coming around because for me it means  - as a reviewer as well as an audience member – a guaranteed great night of theatre.

Well, I won’t have to wait much longer to get my Flux Fix – because Liz Duffy Adams’ post-apocalyptic dark comedy, Dog Act, will be coming to the Flamboyan Theater (at the Clemente Solo Velez Cultural & Educational Center) on February 4th. Dog Act “follows Zetta Stone, a traveling performer, and her companion Dog (a young man undergoing a voluntary species demotion) as they walk through the wilderness of the former U.S.A. with their vaudeville troupe. They are heading toward a gig in China, if they can find it…and if they can survive to get there.”  Sounds like nothing I’ve ever seen before – and exactly what I’ve come to expect from Flux!

In an interview with Liz Duffy Adams I was able to find out how this extraordinary play found this extraordinary ensemble; how she was able to make vaudeville and post apocalyptic themes mesh, and what undergoing a “voluntary species demotion” actually means . . .

Dog Act featuring Lori E. Parquet and Chris Wight (Photo by Isaiah Tanenbaum)

So many questions about Dog Act that I hardly know where to start! But first I’d like to talk a little bit about Flux. It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of Flux Ensemble and have been watching their progress for the past several years now. Tell me how you first came to collaborate with this group for Dog Act.

LDA: I met Gus [August Schulenburg - current Artistic Director of Flux] in 2002 at the Bay Area Playwrights Festival; he was there with his play RIDING THE BULL and I was there with DOG ACT. We stayed in touch, and when he told me recently that Flux wanted to produce DOG, I thought it would be a great fit.

Kelly O’Donnell is directing the piece – and she’s a very inventive and thoughtful director. How did her staging of the piece affect it? Were there any moments that changed because of her particular vision?

Oh, absolutely, I’m sure there will be many; we’re only half-way through rehearsals, so it’s a little hard to say specifically. I agree about Kelly being inventive and thoughtful; it’s been a joy to work with her. I’d say that her staging will bring out both the danger of the world and the comedy of the piece very vividly.

Dog Act is set in a post-apocalyptic world. I’m personally always curious about the idea of setting something in a post-apocalyptic world – what was your main reason for putting your play in (what I would expect) is the future? Is there any way it could exist now?

I don’t think this story could exist in the present; I think it’s inseparable from the setting. I tend to go to the future or the past for theatrical settings. For one thing, I like obliqueness of approach; talking about the present through the past or future takes it off “the nose.” Also, I love heightened theatrical language – one of the things I had the most pleasure with in writing DOG was the freedom to invent future dialects; how the different tribes of the play talk, and what that tells us about them.

I also love the idea of juxtaposing vaudeville – a very old-fashioned notion - with post apocalypse  . . . a very futuristic idea. What made you join these two together?

One thing I’m always interested in is the cyclical nature of human history (something my last play, OR, addressed pretty directly in a very different way); the way certain historical moments repeat and echo through the ages. The “vaudeville” in this play is an expansive notion inspired by traveling players from ancient Greece to medieval Europe up through American vaudeville troupes of the early-21st-century, to name just three incarnations. And then I love post-apocalyptic stories, I love stories about how people recreate social/political systems and civilization in the midst of catastrophe, and protect human culture through the darkest of times. So having the central characters be performers who are the sole source of art in a very dark future seemed exciting to me, and potentially theatrical.

Dog Act is about Zetta Stone (LOVE that name) and her companion who is ”undergoing a voluntary species demotion”. I’m positive this is the first I’ve ever heard of any play, story, or writing of any kind that deals with a species demotion. What exactly is that?

The character Dog is a young man who has chosen, for reasons that become clear in the play, to live as a dog; specifically a working dog: a life of humble, loyal service. In the world of the play, where real dogs are scarce, this is a thing you can do.

Without giving away too much of the plot – what is your favorite moment of the play?

That’s a hard question! Well, I have a particular fondness for the play-within-the-play in Act 2, which includes a debased variation of the classic Abbott and Costello routine, “Who’s on First?” DOG ACT won the Will Glickman Award when it was first produced in San Francisco, and it turns out that Glickman (who was a playwright and screenwriter) wrote that routine for Abbott and Costello. So that pretty much blew my mind.

Wow!  That’s amazing –  I can’t even imagine what something like that must be like.  Talk about “meant to be”!

Dog Act is a “dark comedy”. Is that because, as you wrote about a dark topic you were able to find the hidden humor in it, or is this a comedy that just happens to be set during a dark time?

Maybe both. I find that humor tends to enter into my work whatever I do, so I usually think about other things and let the humor take care of itself. In this case I wanted to tell a certain kind of story, set in a dark, dangerous, perilous world, and – since it was partly about theater itself – let it be as ridiculously funny as it wanted to be. If that makes sense.

What is the one theme that you hope resonates the most with audiences who come to see Dog Act?

I hope people in the audience will have a fabulous time, get caught up in the story, feel transported in that theatrical way of being on a wild ride together, and maybe find themselves thinking about the burdens of history, forgiveness, and what it means to be human.

___

I hope you’re all as excited as I am to see Dog Act!  Check back to see my review in a few weeks.

~~~

Related Posts:

• Dog Act – All This World’s A Traveling Stage
• 4 Cents Review: Blessings Abound At Jacob’s House
• Angel Eaters Trilogy – A Three Course Meal
• Menders: Good Fences Make Good Neighbors – Good Menders Make Great Theatre
• Women’s History Month: Celebrating Women In The Arts – Spotlight On Emily Owens

4 Cents Review – When 2 reviewers each give their 2 cents.

Today Antonio Minino and Karen Tortora-Lee give their 4 Cents about Jacob’s House which is playing at The Access Theatre.

Karen Tortora-Lee:

I am convinced of a few things regarding Flux Theatre Ensemble and August Schulenberg after seeing Jacob’s House now playing at the Access Theatre.

1) August Schulenberg is physically incapable of writing a bad play, even under circumstances which – to anyone else – would dictate otherwise.  Also, I’m pretty sure he’s using some sort of magic pen.

2) Flux Theatre Ensemble is so rife with talent and so limitless in their craft that I think were they challenged to produced a show that consisted of nothing more than throwing tissues into the air during rush hour so compelling would their show be that they’d shut down traffic as an audience of taxi drivers, bridge & tunnel gals, and street vendors would all hush to watch them do what they do best.

Do I sound like I’m building Flux up to be more than they actually are?  Perhaps.  But I’m out of metaphors that do justice to this theatre ensemble, and now, this latest play, Jacob’s House, and its back-story (which I’ll explain) have me throwing glitter into the air in praise.  So indulge me while I honor them.

The biblical story of Job has been mined for its metaphors ad nauseum – everyone who’s loved and lost or your sentence here and lost has been compared to Job.  But who would have thought that the gods of Irony would have chosen to snicker at the Folks of Flux by watching as they prepared to produce  J.B. (based on the story of Job) and then test their faith by taking the play away from them?  Yet that is exactly what happened – mid step, with half of the production in full force the news came down that the play could not be done, and thus started the strange road that led to this magical story that became known as Jacob’s House written by August Schulenberg, directed by Kelly O’Donnell and cast with some of the finest actors in the business.

Walking into the Access Theatre is like walking into your grandmother’s attic, rafters and all.  The set, designed by Jason Paradine, immediately transforms the room into a space of secret hiding places and dusty stories, the perfect setting for three children to discuss/quibble/fight over their father – Jacob’s – Last Will and Testament.  Dinah, the oldest of the siblings (Jane Lincoln Taylor) would turn the place upside down if she could, seemingly searching for something that’s been long missing.  Joe (Zack Calhoon) is the middle child who seems to find himself lost in the memories kicked up by the ghosts of the house and Tamar (Jessica Angleskhan) is the snappy, fast talking youngest “child”, part of the family in a more imaginative way, and much more set on the monetary value of everything and just wanting to get the house, the blessing, and get it all over with.

As the three battle out the inheritance, past melds with present and coexists in the same space, spreading out the history of the family that started with Jacob and ended with them.  Color- and gender-blind casting do much to make this a magical tale almost immediately; anyone can be anyone in this story, and once that  rule of “the first rule is that there are no rules”  is established it becomes easy to buy into much of the magical realism that swirls around the theatre.

Antonio Minino:

Unlike Karen, I had never seen a Flux show. I’ve wanted to since I first heard of the company back in 2008, when I collaborated with Flux member Marnie Schulenburg, but my company MTWorks and Flux seem to share the same taste in scheduling.  However, after last night I have been banging my head with inanimate objects for missing 2 years of what, after seeing Jacob’s House, I consider exceptional work.

The word “ensemble” is one used with great liberty in NYC, mostly to categorize a company that uses actors on more than one instance, but a real ensemble is one that shares a same wavelength, that creates a taut line between all the actors, both on stage and off.  And so, in that respect, the cast of Jacob’s House is a true ensemble, and under the direction of Kelly O’Donnell the lines are pulled taut and let loose at just the right moments.

I don’t know if Schulenburg has a magic pen, but he certainly has a steady grip  — this is a well-focused generational play that studies the complexities of one single family during a time of exposed emotional gashes, and after all the greed, muck, jealousy and memories are cleaned off, the blood is thicker than any little old house, or sentimental treasure, as secrets are slowly revealed.

Singling out performers in an ensemble is a bit unfair, especially when the whole cast did exceptional work, not only at delivering their intentions, but also at listening  (one of the hardest tasks for an emerging actor). Having said that — and with my apologies to the rest of the cast — I must highlight the work of Bianca LaVerne Jones and Isaiah Tanenbaum. Ms Jones juggles three characters; showcasing her ample talents and uncanny skill to interpret them with hardcore earnestness. Holding the key between past and present is Mr Tanenbaum who plays the Messenger. He is an imposing presence and the light of the play, even when his message is that of darkness.

Karen Tortora-Lee:

I definitely agree with Antonio, that the secret to Flux’s success — as I’ve seen time and time again, but illustrated so beautifully in Jacob’s House — is how all the arms of talent reach out and clasp each other so firmly.  Director understanding writer, ensemble understanding director, with sound design (Elizabeth Rhodes) and lighting design (Kia Rogers) skimming along the edges with just the right touch, like gilt on the edge of a beautiful book.  One which – I still contend – was written with a magic pen.

~~~

Related Posts:

• Dog Act – All This World’s A Traveling Stage
• Every Dog (Act) Has Its Day – An Interview With Playwright Liz Duffy Adams
• The Seduction Of The 60s Lives On In “The Lesser Seductions Of History”
• Angel Eaters Trilogy – A Three Course Meal
• The 2012 National Newborn Festival Is Almost Here!

My husband’s home town in Michigan is so small that, to them, the word “theatre” is 1) spelled “theater” and 2) always preceded by the word “movie”. And if you want to get to that “movie theater” you’ll need a car — because the closest one is 13 miles away in the next town over. Growing up, if he wanted a theatre experience of ANY kind he needed to head to Chicago.

Meanwhile, New York is so rife with theatre space that you can’t go to a Starbuck’s without being within a stone’s throw of one. Heck … there’s one in the building where I work. There was even a theatre connected to the restaurant I had dinner in last night. If you climb on any mailbox and squint, you can see independent theatre going on everywhere in New York.

I’m particularly fond of theatre companies who put on well crafted plays written by up and coming writers. Johnna Adam’s Angel Eater’s Trilogy is just such a work, and FLUX Theatre Ensemble is just such a company.

I went to see the first installment of the trilogy, Angel Eaters (directed by Jessi D. Hill) this past Saturday, and am looking forward to seeing the second, Rattlers (directed by Jerry Ruiz) later this week. The trilogy wraps up, both for me, as well as for its run, on November 22nd with 8 Little Antichrists. For those who are interested it’s not too late — you can catch any one of the shows before then or, if you’re really up for a full-day theatre experience, you can see the whole trilogy play out before your eyes in one jam-packed day this Saturday. (For more information go to the Flux site).

Angel Eaters, the first play of the trilogy, concerns itself with a poor, depression-era Oklahoma family and their particular take on the circle of life. On one end there’s Death (patriarch Herbert has been “stinking up the living room for three days now”) and on the other end, Life — in the form of an unwanted pregnancy (nothing a little swallow of turpentine couldn’t cure.).

In between these two guideposts lies everything else from faith, to regret, to good ole fashioned hoodwinking. Each character has a different swagger on their walk through life, be it Joann’s (Marnie Schulenburg) religious devotion that swings from babbling innocence to full blow transformation, her sister Nola’s (Tiffany Clementi) caustic cynicism (she’s raised her skirt once too often and hasn’t found salvation in it yet) … or their mother Myrtle (Catherine Michele Porter) who is so blindly bent on resurrecting her husband that she allows herself to believe two sweet-talking carnies (“Resurrection Boy” and his “uncle” Fortune Clay played by Isaiah Tanenbaum and Gregory Waller respectively).

When they claim they can bring back the dead … for the unheard of sum of 50 depression-era dollars … she’s quick to hand over the money, though she holds them to their claim in a rather unorthodox way. Weaving through the story is Doc O’Malley (Ken Glickfeld) whose education of Joann runs the gamut from teaching her to identify and imitate bird calls … right up to teaching her about such bird-related “games” as “A Bird in the Hand” … or its cousin, the one in the bush. Doc is kind enough to reward Joann with some chocolate every time she “wins”.

In between all these characters are links which begin to reveal themselves, and secrets which come to light in the most unusual ways. Let’s just say, it ain’t called Angel Eaters for nuthin’. Overall, it’s a spellbinding piece, full of strange humor, and thoughtful, heartbreaking moments of desperation. The final tableau of the play is both haunting as well as disturbing.

I sat down with Kelly O’Donnell of the Flux Theatre Ensemble who is also the director of the 3rd show in the series, 8 Little Antichrists, to talk about the Trilogy.

KTL: Right now your company is doing the Angel Eater’s Trilogy. What attracted you to this project?
KO’D: We were initially attracted to the project the first time we met Johnna Adams. She brought the first 2 scenes of Angel Eaters to our weekly workshop, which we call “Flux Sunday” and I remember saying “Wow, this seems like the type of play that Flux is drawn to.” It was unique, theatrical and magical. From there, we invited Johnna to our annual retreat where the ensemble worked together with her on the play. After some intense discussions on whether or not we should take on such a massively ambitious project, we decided to just go for it.

KTL: Is this the first trilogy your company has ever taken on? Were there any unexpected challenges?
KO’D: Yes, this is the first trilogy we have ever produced and there were a lot of challenges. The #1 challenge for us was finding a way to maintain our high standards in production value for three separate shows but within the budget of what is normally one show. This was tricky and we had to be creative. There were lots of logistical challenges as well. For example, we often needed three separate rehearsal spaces for each show because they would be rehearsing at the same time.

KTL: You’re director of the 3rd play in this Angel Eater’s Trilogy – 8 Little Antichrists. It’s the longest, as well as the last of the series. While each play can stand on it’s own, is there any added pressure knowing yours is the one that wraps up the whole theme?
KO’D: Not really any added pressure. Each director has had their own challenges with this project and I’m amazed at their work. Jessi Hill and Jerry Ruiz have done a remarkable job with Angel Eaters and Rattlers, respectively. For me personally, the big challenges were “How do we create a gelatenous sustaining foam birthing vat with such a small budget?” and “What is the best way to turn someone into bubble wrap with a nanossaulter?”. When you see 8 Little Antichrists, you’ll know what I mean!

KTL: I’ve enjoyed the first play, Angel Eaters, and look forward to seeing the rest of the arc. Without giving away too much of the plot, what can I expect from these next two plays?
KO’D: Well, you can expect 2 very different plays. Rattlers takes place about 40 years after Angel Eaters and it is a much more intimate and personal play that explores how several people are dealing with the mysterious and brutal death of one woman. 8 Little Antichrists is a futuristic film-noir thriller about the apocalypse that often borders on the absurd. However, both plays follow the same family that you saw in Angel Eaters but in different generations.

Related Posts:

• Women’s History Month: Celebrating Women In The Arts – Spotlight On Emily Owens
• Dog Act – All This World’s A Traveling Stage
• Every Dog (Act) Has Its Day – An Interview With Playwright Liz Duffy Adams
• 4 Cents Review: Blessings Abound At Jacob’s House
• American Buffalo