Judge, Yuri, & Executioner is a simple, straightforward, character-driven play, and therein lies its brilliance. Written by Ed Malin, directed by DeLisa White, and starring Mac Rogers, this play is the work of three formidable talents. Incredibly strong writing and stellar acting carry the play forward, captivating the audience with wit, humor, and intelligence, as the character of Zach searches his past to find meaning in his present, illuminating the narrative with wonderfully told and expertly woven stories from his life.

Mac Rogers (photo by Lauren Arneson)

The play begins in the audience, with Zach descending towards the stage, stopping and laboring to catch his breath, moving slowly, carefully; though Mac Rogers is young, he captures the feeling of being a man of advanced age. On stage, he appears in the light wearing a leather collar, a leopard print robe, and fishnet stockings. He surveys the stage, holding some rope, looking for a place in which to hang himself. We soon discover that Zach is an 85 year old masochist whose lover has left him. He is in despair, wondering if he, a kinky senior citizen with a penchant for dominant older women, will ever be able to find happiness again.

He decides to leave a note, and thus the play unfolds, revealing Zach’s journey of self-discovery, exploring the path of his life by examining his deepest desires, as he searches for a reason to continue living. Judge, Yuri, & Executioner is an exceptional play; it is theater stripped to its barest essentials: excellent acting, strong writing, head, heart and soul. You won’t want to miss this one!

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

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

Mac Rogers (photo by Lauren Arneson)

Judge, Yuri & Executioner

Company: Temerity Theatre Company
Directed by: DeLisa White

Zack is an 85-year-old masochist who prefers older women. His girlfriend just left him. Where can he find a kinky senior citizen now? Time to tell his darkly funny life story!

Show Times:

• Thu 2/23 @ 8:00pm
• Fri 2/24 @ 11:00pm
• Sun 2/26 @ 12:30pm
• Thu 3/01 @ 9:30pm
• Sat 3/03 @ 8:00pm

Answers by Ed Malin

(Playwright)

Karen Tortora-Lee’s Question
That’s some title. How did you come up with it – and what does it mean?
Ed: The title is a pun on several episodes from the main character’s life. He is 85 years old, has seen a lot, and is a very happy masochist. As such, he finds himself identifying with Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin.

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?
Ed: I think this play can move people to examine their life choices, which makes for some potential discomfort. Perhaps people who do not believe they have choices in life should be invited. So I would go with St. Augustine, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Blaise Pascal, and Adolf Hitler.

Antonio Minino’s QuestionWhat is the biggest sacrifice you’ve ever made for your Art and was it worth it?
Ed: In the first developmental stage of this show I traveled to South Jersey for a convention of the polyamorous, where I read the first draft of the play myself in front of an audience while wearing a bathrobe and a thong. I was standing in front of a Tigger doll which was chained to a rack. The response was positive, and I think I earned it. Now, I have enlisted an experienced actor to perform the show, which he admits is therapeutic.

Geoffrey Paddy Johnson’s Question
Was there any unexpected discovery made during the development of this production and, if so, can you share it?
Ed: Mac Rogers has worked on this show with me several times. He is not an old man (but the character is supposed to be). We are discovering how best to portray a cantankerous, achey body with a sharp mind in it.We may be giving him a cane.  He will probably also pop open a can of Ensure for extra energy.

Michelle Augello-Page’s Question
What do you hope the audience receives from the experience of seeing this show?
Ed: My show’s character has always been afraid to assert himself. It takes him 85 years to get to the actions he takes at the end of the play. I would like the audience to know it’s OK to doubt yourself, everybody does.

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?
Ed: . . .

We get it, Ed.  You already feel like you’re on trial … with all the Judge yada yada.  So maybe you’d like to sit this one out.  But, like so many things in life — you can’t!  So, we’re choosing for you, and we choose ROCK.    And we’re pitting you against The Rope In Your Hands because based on title alone (not content) it sounds like your show and that show should be a double header.  So far, you’ve been challenged by Love in the Time of Chlamydia who threw a rock at EVERYONE.  So.  That’s a tie there.  Sounds like you’re off to a good start …

Thanks Judge, Yuri & Executioner for participating in The Happiest Medium’s FRIGID New York Festival 2012 Q&A. And for letting us choose your Rock Paper Scissors weapon! You’re officially ROCK 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 Judge, Yuri & Executioner!

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

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The greatest gift you could give a playwright is time.  Endless time to work and re-work the kinks out of a plot, time to make the characters feel more real, time to make the situations ring more true.  Time to write and re-write until all you are has been put on that page and there’s nothing left to do but have it read by someone else and sit back, watching as it comes to life.

Men in Northpoint Training Center have a lot of time.  And they have no shortage of ideas, given the circumstances of their lives.  What these men need in order to be playwrights is an example.  A leader.  A teacher.

Here’s where you come in.   But wait … maybe I should keep telling their story so you understand what exactly is going on here.

Northpoint: Voices from a Kentucky Prison was founded to support Voices Inside, the playwriting and theater arts program at Northpoint Training Center, a medium security prison in Burgin, Kentucky. The goal of Northpoint: Voices from a Kentucky Prison is artistic exchange between the prisoner-playwrights at Northpoint and professional playwrights.

I sat down the other day with Lanie Zipoy who, among other things, is part of the production team of this program.  She gave me the history of the program that she has become so closely involved with.  Three years ago the Pioneer Playhouse was  a 60-year-old stock company that was looking to branch out in the community.  And so, Voices Inside was born.

Earlier this year, during the summer, playwright Mac Rogers spent two weeks teaching classes at Northpoint Training Center … but he did more than teach.  Right off the bat everyone involved knew there had to be an exchange of ideas in order to build trust and gain the much needed sense of community if this project was to succeed.  So the inmates were first given excerpts of Rogers’ play to read — and to assess — so they could give their honest feedback.  The play was VIRAL – the topic was edgy and controversial but certainly something that would keep these men engaged:

A woman Googles “painless suicide” and finds the people who will help her end her life – if she will let them film it. And sell it. VIRAL is a frank, humane and surprisingly funny look at some very complex issues—assisted suicide, fetish, dignity and privacy in the age of viral videos, where there’s nothing so twisted that it doesn’t have an audience.

Of course this is still prison so some of the text had to be cut out, but overall the men were able to be reviewers and critics which gave them a dynamic way to interact with the man who was about to come and teach them.

One of Rogers’ exercises dealt with silence – and in an environment with its own hierarchy, rules, and swift justice silence is something these men know about.  But learning how to use it as a tool to tell a story was something that opened up a whole new innovative way of looking at their lives and their world.  Sure, many of these 10 minute plays took place in prison.  But not all of them did.  And, regardless of the scenarios the one thing that each play had in common was  that it reflected the inner dialogue of a man who is already living in a world that is inherently dramatic.  Only now each man had been given an outlet to voice things in a way that hadn’t been available to them before.

Resources are different in prison.  There are no photocopiers.  If an inmate writes a two-person play, he must write the play two times.  Just this exercise alone helps the writing process and gives the playwright a better feeling for his words as he writes them over and over again.  This is a labor of love for a man who now is able to realize and foster his gift.

Even more exciting for the men who participate in this program is the fact that later in the year their work is read in New York during an evening of readings.  This validation of their hard work is critical in the process and support for that evening is as important as any other step.  So rest assured I’ll be following the journey closely and letting you know when the class of 2012 comes to our town.

Meanwhile – I started off by saying that the greatest gift you could give to a playwright is time.  The men in Northpoint have the time – let them give you something through this experience that will change the way you think, change the way you live, and quite possibly change the way you write.  Any number of people involved with the project have seen the amazing changes that have happened not only to the inmates but to all those involved.  Why not take a chance and see how you could come through this experience a changed  person?  Don’t you think it’s time to be part of something bigger than yourself?

If you think you have what it takes to apply, please follow this link for application information. Deadline is November 19th - before applying please read the requirements.

Related Posts:

• Judge, Yuri, & Executioner: The Verdict Is In (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)
• Judge, Yuri & Executioner: 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)