Four writers plus one audience equals Connect Five – The Common Tongue’s evening of one-act plays which will be going on from January 5 – 16 at The Ars Nova Building.  The night brings together two emerging playwrights – Danny Mitarotondo (recipient of the Edward F. Albee Writing Fellowship) and Bronwen Prosser (Vital Theatre’s The Picasso Project) – with two established playwrights – Wendy MacLeod (Schoolgirl Figure; The House of Yes) and Lucy Thurber (Scarcity; Bottom of the World).

All four writers were kind enough to take a moment out of their busy schedules to do a short Q&A with me before I go to review the show.

Wendy MacLeod

Wendy MacLeod / LAST NIGHT

◊ Juliet tries to do a little something extra in the bedroom for her boyfriend but the morning after finds him full of some ungrateful suspicions. ◊

I’ve been a huge fan of yours since I saw The House of Yes and have been lucky enough to see both stage and screen versions. You are brilliant at bringing the unexpected to life! Last Night sounds like something that will resonate with a lot of people. What’s the most unexpected thing about it?
In this play it’s the guy who is needy, jealous, and pre-menstrual. The woman just wants to get to work.

What drives Last Night more – the theme or the characters?
Characters always drive the play. I’m not a big believer in “theme” because I don’t know what a theme looks like.

What’s your favorite moment in the play?
I think only audience members are entitled to choose favorite moments.

How do you hope audiences will react to the piece?
I hope they will laugh. Then I hope they will recognize themselves in the man or woman or, ideally, both.

What has it been like being part of this night of theatre? What’s been the most rewarding thing working with The Common Tongue?
It’s nice to meet talented young actors and work with eager, hard-working young companies because you never know who will be the NEXT Atlantic or Labyrinth. It’s also nice to have my play in the firm hands of director Karen Kohlhaas.

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Danny Mitarotondo

Danny Mitarotondo / THE ROOM AND A RICHARD

◊ Strangers Cynthia and Alex, having an ordinary New York exchange over an apartment, suddenly sink into an extraordinary interchange of loss, love, and memory. ◊

What drives THE ROOM AND A RICHARD more – the theme or the characters?
The Room and A Richard is completely driven by the characters (as is, hopefully, every play). Their language, and therefore their intention, literally changes them as they speak it, which changes the plot, the room and (hopefully) us.

What’s your favorite moment in the play?
The whole damn thing.

How do you hope audiences will react to the piece?
I hope that people will immediately feel something in their stomachs that makes them, two days later over a coffee, think.

What has it been like being part of this night of theatre?  What’s been the most rewarding thing working with The Common Tongue?
It’s been amazing. Heather, Blaze and Mo are a dream team and I couldn’t ask for more. Producing the whole evening – standing alongside Broni, Lucy and Wendy as a writer and then Shannon, Katie, Kathleen, Sarah, Lila and Mike … it’s a dream come true. TCT is my family. They inspire me every day to be a better me.

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Lucy Thurber

Lucy Thurber /YOUNG

◊ Ava just can’t seem to stop hurting the women in her life. Can they forgive her one last time? ◊

What drives Young more – the theme or the characters?
I think actually the characters and the theme are equal in Young. Or the characters are the theme.

What’s your favorite moment in the play?
The end moment between Ava and Timmy. I like seeing friendship that functions like family on stage.

How do you hope audiences will react to the piece?
I hope they laugh a little. Being young is beautiful, agonizing and often funny in it’s intensity.

What has it been like being part of this night of theatre? What’s been the most rewarding thing working with The Common Tongue?
How much The Common Tongue loves true collaboration.

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Bronwen Prosser

Bronwen Prosser / THE MAKE-OUT QUEEN

◊ A young woman’s fierce and spastic quest for magic through the revolutionary art of kissing. ◊

What drives  THE MAKE-OUT QUEEN more – the theme or the Characters?
The theme: It is the main characters intense desire for magic which in turn creates characters- some more magical than others. But then again the theme doesn’t exit without the character of The Make-Out Queen. She decides to go on this fever-quest in search of magic saliva, ao there is no theme without her very strong personality. So I change my answer: Character. But you can see they are inextricably linked. Because as the playwright I can honestly say the character and the theme emerged right along together. They take turns pulling each other forward.

What’s your favorite moment in the play?
The very top! Because it’s the first moment the audience and I see each other and it’s so insanely unpredictable- and so exciting because it’s the moment we all begin this voyage together. It’s also the most challenging moment for me because it just doesn’t work if I have any preconception of how I want the piece to appear. The actor part of me always gets annoyed with the playwright part of me during rehearsals when I’m working on the opening monologue.

How do you hope audiences will react to the piece?
I hope they will take my call to arms seriously and try kissing someone with a whole renewed energy and awe. I hope they re-commit to the magic. Because it is a conscious choice: re-committing daily to wonder.

What has it been like being part of this night of theatre?
Well, I feel really honored that my company picked my piece. It means more to me than anyone else in the world producing it, and I am in total awe of the other playwrights I’m sharing the stage with. It is such an immense honor to be in a night of theater that includes Wendy McLeod, Lucy Thurber and my Artistic Director Danny Mitarotondo. I am proud and humbled and I want nothing more in the world than to do right by this fabulous night of theater.

What’s been the most rewarding thing working with The Common Tongue?
They are my family. The rewards come abundantly. I do not get to produce work in such a supported personal way- and within a net of friendly arms- anywhere else. The reward is that communication is always kind and honest and keeping the best interest of the company in mind. It’s a challenge and a balance, and it’s very rewarding. And then there’s the sexy rewards: I’m part of a hot young theater company doing really exciting work with some very famous playwrights and some very talented new playwrights and some of New York’s finest actors.

We are dedicated and we love kicking ass.

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Thanks again, to all the writers who took the time to tell us about their new one-acts.

Related Posts:

• Connect Five – Four Plays With One Thing In Common
• What The Sparrow Said (Fringe Festival 2011)
• Standing On Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays – Before And After “I Do”
• It’s A Family Thing At “The House Of Yes”