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

(photo credit: Kelly Davidson Studios)

Eating My Garbage

Dumbfounded by a call from a political pollster who sounds suspiciously like Laura Linney, David searches himself for a rational reason to believe the nation isn’t utterly doomed. When he can’t quite think of one, he turns to irrational reasons. That’s when his search gets more promising.

Show Times:

• Wed   2/19 @ 10:15 pm
• Mon, 2/24 @ 7:05 pm
• Fri  2/28 @ 5:30 pm
• Thurs  3/6 @ 7:05 pm
• Sat 3/8 @ 2:05 pm

Answers by David Mogolov  (Writer and Performer)

1. Your tag line is out there on postcards and press releases so we know the PR version of what this play is about.  But when you talk to your family and friends, how do you explain the show to them?

DM: I’ve started calling it a comedic refutation of the idea of human rationality. That makes it sound pretty noble, much more noble than the equally true statement that it’s about my totally unreasonable fixation on the Subway sandwich franchise.

2. Here’s a scenario: After the show some audience members go have a drink.  What’s the part of the show you hope they’re discussing?

DM: Oh, boy. I really hope they’re talking about a particular moment about twelve minutes into the show, only because I enjoy performing that part so much. I fear, though, that they’ll be having a conversation about dental hygiene.

3. What drives your show – character, theme or plot?

DM: Definitely theme. My revision process is intensely focused on theme. I cut far more words than I keep, and ultimately for something to remain that isn’t thematically tied in, it has to be really funny. And often, that’s not enough.

4. In rehearsals, read-thrus, or prior incarnations, what’s the one thing someone said about the show so far that made you (or the team) the most proud?

DM:  ”I’m never going to be able to think about Subway the same way again.”

5. Let’s fantasize for a moment. Let’s take the “off-off” off. Imagine this show is on Broadway. Would that change the production itself?

DM: I think it would have to, at least if I were performing. The production would have to be reconsidered from the perspective of “how do you make something intimate and conversational at a massive scale?” Though it’s a monologue, I do everything I can to establish a rapport and understanding with the audience very early in the show, and what I read from the audience does guide me to a great extent.

6. Taking that one step further – after paying everyone what they’re worth of course, what is the most lavish, luxurious, pointless thing you would spend money on if there was no constraints?

DM:  I would build a cross-section replica of my house so that I could more effectively physically demonstrate an absurdity of its construction that comes into play midway through the show. Or, you know, I’d pump in the smell of fast-food subs.

7. Is there a scene, a moment, a gesture … anything at all in the show that you anticipate may get a completely different reaction depending on the audience that night?

DM:  I think there always is! One of my favorite things is when I have a joke that just doesn’t land two nights in a row and I think, “Huh, why isn’t that hitting?” and then the third night it draws the most uproarious laugh of the night. There are so many factors that come into play, especially with joke delivery. I think I have a strong candidate for it this time, but I can’t figure out how to refer to it without spoiling it here!

8. What’s your favorite line from the show?

DM:  ”He’s kept the weight off, but the remainder of his body weight is now composed of nutrients he derived from eating Subway sandwiches, meaning that at the molecular level, he’s emitting Subway smell.”

9. Is the world of this play sustainable outside a theatre? In other words … do you think people live the way the characters do? Would you want a world where they do?

DM:  Well, since it’s a monologue based on my own experiences, I’d say yes and no. Any given show provides a viewpoint, not a panorama. On top of that, I purposefully get hyperbolic in describing that view. It remains an honest view, but an even more incomplete one. And I’m fine with that. An hour is a fabulous amount of time to dig deep in one area. Stitch a few monologues together, and you’re still pretty far from a portrait of a functional person (maybe one a year until 2050′ll do it). Breathing life into the David in “Eating My Garbage” would not produce a solid citizen. 

10. You scan the audience and you see a face that stops you dead in your tracks – who is it? And why are you shocked?

DM: The first girl I ever kissed. Because, well, the show might be awkward for both of us.

Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament of DEAAAAATH

In the THM virtual Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament of DEAAAAATH which FRIGID Show do you take on? And what do you throw?

CHALLENGES: Charlotte the Destroyer.

THROWS: Scissors.

Thanks EATING MY GARBAGE for participating in The Happiest Medium’s FRIGID New York Festival 2014 Q&A. And for playing our game! You’re officially SCISSORS in any and all challenges.  You may win, you may lose – 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  EATING MY GARBAGE   ~~~ 

  ~~~

Horse Trade Theater Group will present the 8th Annual FRIGID New York Festival at The Kraine Theater (85 East 4^th Street between 2^nd Avenue and Bowery) and UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place between 1^st Avenue and Avenue A) February 19-March 9. Tickets are available for purchase in advance at www.FRIGIDnewyork.info or by calling 212-868-4444. 

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