Featured THE NAKED I: SELF-DEFINED Artist: Eddy Samara

In what way/s are you involved with THE NAKED I: SELF-DEFINED?

I’m delighted to be a writer and a performer this year.

Why is it important to tell the stories in THE NAKED I?

Queer and trans stories are often left out entirely or pathologized. It’s so empowering to participate in a project that centers art by and for our community. It’s important for us to tell our stories—and to hear our varied voices—because our experiences are more than simple stereotypes, side notes, and statistics. Claiming our own experiences and offering them as art within our community makes more room for all of us to self-define.

What aspects of your identity do you hope to express through your involvement with THE NAKED I?

I am an older, disabled, trans guy, so I wrote from that perspective. I hope my piece highlights the need for competent, compassionate trans healthcare that goes beyond hormone scripts. Trans folks are complex individuals with a range of medical needs and too often our health is jeopardized by ignorance, insensitivity or outright transphobia.

What social issues are important to you and how do they inform your work?

I’m passionate about culture-change and social justice. I continue to try to use my artistic expression to create connections—to humanize my experiences and create cracks in the oppressive systems of white supremacy, misogyny, and ableism. I look for HOPE—hearing other people’s experiences—in the poetry of everyday struggles for a more just and livable world.

What other artists or shows have inspired you?


I’ve been inspired by so many creative people, but my poem Do No Harm for THE NAKED I was directly inspired by the work of two artists and friends: Elaine Magree and Dazie Gregor. I saw both of them perform at The Marsh in San Francisco and was absolutely blown away at their creative questioning of identity and expression. Dazie’s show “I am a Man” was the catalyst to poetically explore my recent trans-masculine medical fiasco.

Featured THE NAKED I: SELF-DEFINED Artist: Devin Taylor

Featured THE NAKED I: SELF-DEFINED Artist: Devin Taylor

In what way/s are you involved with THE NAKED I: SELF DEFINED

I am a contributing writer and Assistant Stage Manager.

Why is it important to tell the stories in THE NAKED I?

I think it’s the way these stories are told through the Naked I series that is important. One thing common to all marginalized groups is the expectation that any individual can and should speak on behalf of their entire community. This restrictive way of “listening” is a passive form of oppression. It creates tension among individuals and an impulse to override the speech of others within our shared community out of fear of being misrepresented to the mainstream. The blended voices of THE NAKED I are united in message, while maintaining individuality of voice. The message of the overall production remains dialectical and constructive, while giving voice to the subjective, the personal, and the radical.

The power of performance is everything when you are trying to make people think. Not everyone integrates new information in the same way or at the same level, and people vary in their ability to adjust their way of thinking and their capacity to accept change. The multitude of stimuli afforded through the art of theatre creates a powerful means of penetrating the consciousness of all types of minds and personalities from a broad range of backgrounds and experiences.

I don’t think the significance of THE NAKED I is entirely didactic, though. From what I’ve observed in my work on the production, it has a powerful ability to create community for those looking for community. Sometimes, that is the best thing art can give.

Talk about your background as an artist. What sort of artistic experience are you bringing to this production? 

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had an intense fear of making noise. Even as an adult, I often have trouble communicating because I panic at the sound of my own voice. I learned to write at an early age and that became a safe way for me to privately express feelings and ideas, and to record the events and details of imaginary worlds and characters that filled my daydreams. I never thought of it as anything I would share, until much later.

Growing up, I tried my hand at most areas of the arts (music, movement, visual arts), and I developed an appreciation for theatre because it combined them all. I came to realize that it allowed writers to demonstrate their craft in a visible and audible way, like other artists—one that doesn’t just depend on the interpreter’s willingness to read and interpret text. When I went off to college and began studying writing, a beloved professor turned me on to the genre of creative nonfiction and I began to understand the power of shared personal experience.

I’m still reluctant to share deeply personal writing outside trusted writing groups—but I remember the relief and gratitude I’ve often felt upon reading or hearing that perfect piece of writing at the perfect time—the sense of connection and the vulnerability entrusted to me, the reader/listener. I also remember those moments when someone else’s perspective, born of experience vastly different from mine, made it impossible for me to go on thinking about something the way I always had. It’s my hope that I, in harmony with the astonishing work of the other NAKED I artists, might challenge, inspire, comfort, and connect people in a similar way.

What social issues are important to you and how do they inform your work?

I consider myself an advocate of neurodiversity, and while I have seen this concept increasingly tacked on to discussions of intersectionality, I think we have a long way to go toward realizing it in practice. It is a frontier that people are still largely afraid to approach due to lack of personal understanding and deeply embedded social and cultural stigma. In a similar vein, equal opportunity in education has also become a major passion of mine. It’s a big part of what keeps pulling me back into special education. I think every student deserves to go as far as they can, without being held back by the effects of poverty, language barriers, learning differences, or the fear of violence or ostracism based on some aspect of their identity.

Working toward a more inclusive feminist movement is also important to me. Acknowledging the intersections of race, class, sexuality, and gender identity is an important step, and one that projects like THE NAKED I strive to achieve.

What other artists or shows have inspired you?

There are really too many to name, and it would invariably send me off on a tangent not related to my involvement with THE NAKED I!

Thinking about collaborative productions, which encompass multiple genres, voices, and identities, Eve Ensler comes to mind. As an undergraduate, I performed in a campus production of The Vagina Monologues. It was the first time I had encountered work that
empowered and prioritized the types of voices and experiences represented in the
collection. It was the first time I’d seen them be anything but mocked or censored. You don’t easily forget the first time you don’t feel quite so ashamed and afraid to be you. You never forget the first time you feel powerful for it.

In general, I am inspired by people who create art against the odds or in reaction to personal adversity. I’m inspired by those who spend their creative and intellectual efforts in the humble act of teaching, molding, and nurturing others.

What’s your favorite hangout spot and why?

Book stores, libraries, anywhere quiet. Honestly, I love being home by myself. I love and appreciate the people in my life, but when I don’t get time with myself, I really, really miss me.

When not involved in this production, how do you spend your time? What are some of your hobbies? 

By day, I’m a teaching assistant in special education. By night, I’m a personal care assistant to a young woman with autism. I fit in theatre work whenever I can. I spend a good amount of time editing academic writing for friends and colleagues, and my goal is to spend more time completing my own writing projects. I devote my spare time to staying fit, volunteering, and supporting the local performing arts.

What other projects are you working on or hope to work on? 

I hope to be involved in 20% Theatre’s 2016 production of Q-STAGE in May.

Featured Q-STAGE Collaborator: Emily Weiss

Part of the mission of 20% Theatre Company is to provide opportunities to new and emerging artists. Q-STAGE is the perfect vehicle to create such opportunity. So, as we get closer and closer to our second installment of the Q-STAGE New Works Series, we’d like to introduce you to a few artists you may not have met. Emily Weiss is a Production Assistant for The Escape Machines.

Production Assistant: Emily Weiss
Production Asst: Emily Weiss

Who are you and what do you do (in life? in the world? in the arts?)?

I am Emily Weiss. I work for the MN National Guard as an outreach coordinator by day, and by night I work as a (starving) artist. I teach yoga and meditation classes, paint, write poetry, sing and every once in a while, act.

Why do you do what you do?

I have always been attracted to art. It makes sense to me, a way for me to express all of the emotion and feelings I have about the world around me.

Tell us about your artistic background?

I started off on stage – singing and acting, and quickly realized my artistic tastes went much further than just performances. I started writing poetry shortly after my sweet 16th, and preformed it on stage for the first time around 17. I was continually searching for my next project, and it wasn’t long until I turned to the paintbrush. Art has always been what I turn to for comfort, and I continue to discover my authentic self in my search for my next project.

What themes do you pursue in your work?

I tend to follow themes about invisibility in my work. My experiences in life have often made me feel invisible for one reason or another, and as such, I turned to art to help create an area where I felt that I was seen. My paintings are all abstract arts, dedicated to making something out of chaos and there is always an underlying theme of love in my works, regardless of what they might be.

What memorable responses have you had to your work?

My grandmother is the one who first inspired me to pick up a brush and she is an incredible painter. I remember her telling me that anyone could paint, but not everyone does. I am continually showing her my work and her approval is my greatest award.

What are three things you can’t live without?

I can’t live without love, my dog and my brushes. Paint can be made from anything…I’ve been known to crush berries, and use makeup as paint or ink, but good brushes can’t be replaced.

Leah's Train: Actor Jessica Smith

Travel through three generations of adventure, grief and love. Co-presented by 20% Theatre Company Twin Cities and the Sabes Jewish Community Center, we are pleased to bring you Leah’s Train by Karen Hartman March 7-22, 2015 (all performances at theJCC).  Before and during the run of this show, we will be giving you a chance to learn a little bit more about the artists involved in our production. In this first interview, meet actor Jessica Smith.

Actor: Jessica Smith
Actor: Jessica Smith


Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your background? How/when/why did you get into theatre?

I was a late bloomer when it came to theatre.  Before I got the theatre bug, I had been doing competitive martial arts for years before taking time away to focus on college.  My first play was A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the part of Helena when I was 18.  After that, it was all about theatre and the arts and creating.  I fell in love with the world that allows people to play the world’s best game of pretend with people who are so passionate, so out there, and are willing to play right along with you.

Is this your first show with 20% Theatre Twin Cities? Tell us briefly about your past experience with the company?

This is my first show performing for 20% Theatre, though I had the privilege to be the company’s fight coordinator for their production of If We Were Birds earlier this year.

Tell us what originally drew you to the Leah’s Train script. What interested you in auditioning for this show?

When I read this script, I fell in love.  It was so different than what I expected.  There’s the sense of mysticism and connection that I loved about it right away as well as these awesome raw characters.  It was actually the opportunity to work for this company again that convinced me to audition for this play and I’m so glad I did!  Once I had read the script, I was that much more excited about the possibility of being involved.

Tell us a little bit about the character you play?

Ruth desperately wants to matter.  She has this incredible ancestor (her grandmother) who has been put on a pedestal by her mother and herself her entire life.  She feels as though she is never going to measure up to her grandmother’s achievements and so she has tried to disconnect from her family while trying to matter in her career field.  She relies on her boyfriend and her patients to have a place in the world, but things are about to happen that will force her to view family in a different perspective.

This experience has probably been quite different than doing fight choreography for If We Were Birds? How has it been different to be on the other side, now acting for 20%?

It’s been interesting-both absolutely wonderful and a little scary.  When I’m fight directing, I’m in charge of what’s going on and I’m the one providing direction.  It’s a switch to be in the position of the one being directed.  At the same time, though, the process has reminded me why I love acting so much.  The letting go, the moment you decide to throw everything into a scene and just let loose.  It’s magical.

What else do you do in the world, outside of theatre and/or working on this production?

For the bills, I bartend, I’ve got a great group of regulars where I work, and hearing their stories and discussing life with them is always interesting, to say the least.  Otherwise, for free time, I love dancing, being in the outdoors when it’s warm never gets old for me, and if there’s a place with live music-I’m there, and if there’s good beer there, bonus points!

What is your favorite type of transportation?

I miss riding around on the moped I used to own.  So much fun!

Leah's Train: Stage Manager Meagan Sogge

Travel through three generations of adventure, grief and love. Co-presented by 20% Theatre Company Twin Cities and the Sabes Jewish Community Center, we are pleased to bring you Leah’s Train by Karen Hartman March 7-22, 2015 (all performances at the JCC).  Before and during the run of this show, we will be giving you a chance to learn a little bit more about the artists involved in our production. In this first interview, meet stage manager Meagan Sogge.

Stage Manager: Meagan Sogge
Stage Manager: Meagan Sogge

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your background? How/when/why did you get into theatre?

I got into theatre in high school. A lot of my friends were in it and it started with simply running spot lights for a production of The Wizard of Oz. After high school I stopped doing theatre for a year and missed it so much that I changed my major and switched schools to pursue a degree in theatre and film.

Have you been involved with 20% Theatre Twin Cities in the past? What is your role for Leah’s Train?

This is my first show with 20%, I am the stage manager for Leah’s Train.

What is your favorite part of the rehearsal/production process? What are some of the challenges?

I love watching a show come together and seeing all of the working parts work together during a full run of a show.

What types of plays/shows do you enjoy stage managing the most, and why? What are some “dream shows” you’d love to stage manage?

I really enjoy operas, I worked on two right after college and it was just amazing to get to work with the singers. A couple of dream shows are Wicked and I would love to work on a Cirque du Soleil show.

What else do you do in the world, outside of theatre and/or working on this production?

I just got a job at LifeTime teaching swim lessons, and I really love to read and explore when I have free time. Taking pictures, singing, dancing, hiking, and on lazy days I love to watch Netflix.

What is your favorite type of transportation?

I love long road trips, but I also love to fly and go on boats. Really as long as I’m traveling I’m happy!

If you have one, tell us a little bit about your most memorable train ride?

I’ve never been on a train, but I’d love to take a trip on one some time.

 

Leah's Train: Gina Sauer

Travel through three generations of adventure, grief and love. Co-presented by 20% Theatre Company Twin Cities and the Sabes Jewish Community Center, we are pleased to bring you Leah’s Train by Karen Hartman March 7-22, 2015 (all performances at the JCC).  Before and during the run of this show, we will be giving you a chance to learn a little bit more about the artists involved in our production. In this first interview, meet actor Gina Sauer.

Actor: Gina Sauer
Actor: Gina Sauer

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your background? How/when/why did you get into theatre?

Ever since I stepped on stage at age 6 for my first dance recital, I have been completely bitten by the performing bug.  I’ve been singing, dancing and acting ever since.

Is this your first show with 20% Theatre Twin Cities?

Yes!  I have a number of friends who are long-time fans of 20% Theatre, so I’m very excited!  Particularly because this is a theater whose mission I wholeheartedly support.

Tell us what originally drew you to the Leah’s Train script. What interested you in auditioning for this show/company?

Oddly enough, it was the title.  The phrase, “Leah’s Train” has a very particular meaning among my group of friends, though completely unrelated to this show.  I don’t believe in coincidences, so I took it as a sign from above that I should audition for this show.  And I was right.  Working on this script with this cast and production crew has been truly amazing.

We hear that you’ve been away from the theater scene for awhile. What brought you back?

I took probably the world’s longest hiatus from acting — more than 20 years.  One day about a year ago someone asked me what I was going to do now that my son was away at college and I was an empty-nester, and without thinking I blurted out, “I’m getting back into acting.”  So then I had to.  I was committed!

Tell us a little bit about the character you play?

You know the cliche…”there are no good roles for women over 40.”  Hannah is definitely an exception to that. She’s a multi-faceted character who runs the full gamut of human emotions through the course of the show.  Her mother’s death sends her into full-on, mid-life crisis mode and she goes on a journey to reconcile with her daughter and re-invent herself.

What else do you do in the world, outside of theatre and/or working on this production?

I like to call myself a “recovering lawyer.”  I work at a large law firm but I don’t practice law anymore, I’m more on the HR side of things now.  And I just finished writing a feature length screenplay, so if anyone out there knows any producers…

What is your favorite thing about the Twin Cities?

The fact that you can be downtown enjoying great restaurants and theater one minute, and then drive just thirty minutes in any direction and find yourself surrounded by cornfields and quaint little towns.  We stay true to our Midwest roots here, and it keeps us grounded.

What is your favorite type of transportation?

Like my character, I have a great affinity for European trains.  I especially like the German ones, which are famously punctual.

If you have one, tell us a little bit about your most memorable train ride?

Like a couple of characters in the show, I travelled through Europe alone on trains when I was young.  I had no itinerary, just got on and off when I felt like it.  One day I got off somewhere in Bavaria and ended up in a 1000-year old monastary with a bunch of monks who served me the best meal and home-brewed beer I’ve ever had!

 

If We Were Birds Interview: Dana Lee Thompson

Through the lens of Greek tragedy, If We Were Birds presents an unflinching commentary on contemporary war and its devastating aftermath, particularly for the women who become its victims.

20% Theatre Company is excited to present this beautiful, shocking and brutal new play by Erin Shields at Nimbus Theater September 13-27, 2014.  Before and during the run of this show, we have given you the chance to learn a little bit more about the artists involved in our production. In this last interview, meet actor Dana Lee Thompson.

Actor - Dana Lee Thompson
Actor – Dana Lee Thompson

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your background? How/when/why did you get into theatre?

I am Dana Lee Thompson and I was born in Kansas City, Missouri.  The world of acting was always a mysterious and interesting concept growing up, but I only contributed that interest to all the TV and movies I watched.  I would sit there in the move theatre staring at the people on the big screen thinking to myself, “I can do that.  I can entertain an audience of people and cause them to have real emotions from made up stories.” I was naive about my opportunities and didn’t grasp that I could actually participate in live theatre.  It wasn’t until high school when I was in my Debate & Forensics class, that my teacher suggested I audition for one of the children’s theatres in the area.  It was my senior year of high school when I was in my first professional show at Theatre for Young America, in Kansas City.  And even still, after that experience I waited a whole semester in college before the epiphany struck that I could major in theatre.  I originally enrolled in college under a Communications/Public Relations degree.  My mother told me, “Study something you love.  It doesn’t matter what you get a degree in, just as long as you get a degree in something.”  The theatre bug had bit me and left a mark.  After those words from my mother and remembering the feeling I had on stage, there was no turning back.  I graduated in 2005 from Missouri State University with a BFA in Theatre Performance.

What excites you most about If We Were Birds?

I’ve never worked with such dark material, hahaha.  It’s horrifying, and that brings me a level of excitement.

What is your role in the play? What do you think will be the most challenging and/or rewarding part of performing this role? 

I am part of the chorus, The Pious One.  Being part of a chorus usually provides it’s own set of challenges.  We work as a unit, but maintain our individualism because each of our experiences are important and crucial to the telling of the story.  The reward is to work with a cast and production crew that truly wants to bring forth a breathtaking piece of art.

Tell us a little bit about the character.  Is this role similar to roles you have played in the past or will this be a stretch for you?

Well, I had to look up the word pious.  And for those who are in my similar shoes, pious means “devoutly religious”.  The Pious One wants to find all of her answers through her religious beliefs.  I believe that she is looked up to in her community, but walks around with a sense of entitlement and self-ritiousness.  I have been playing with her character in rehearsals and Ive decided that no matter what the situation, whether it’s the evil things that have happened to The Pious One or the evil revenge she plots, The Pious One will rationalize everything to “God’s will”.

I haven’t played a character quite like The Pious One before.  She is not a stretch for me as an actor, but more of a stretch on a personal level.  Though I do believe in a higher power, I don’t consider myself religious, especially not devoutly so.

What do you hope the audience will walk away from this production knowing, feeling, or thinking after seeing If We Were Birds?

That’s a hard question to answer.  I imagine that this play will impact every person a little differently.  I think that part of the purpose of this production is to give a voice to the stories that many of us may choose to ignore, forget, or to even pretend never happened.  The production takes the history of women and puts it in your face and says, “HERE!”.  We will all digest it differently, but what kind of after taste will it leave behind?  Being in the rehearsal process, I’m still digesting, but I’m sensing a bit of heartburn.

What else do you do in the world, outside of theatre and/or working on this production?

I am a fulltime administrator at CLIMB Theatre.  My title is Maintainer of Excellence in Performance.  CLIMB is a non-profit touring educational theatre company.  One of the many roles of my position is coordinating the Twin Cities Unified Theatre Auditions which is going to be March 14th-15th of 2015.

What is your favorite thing about the Twin Cities?

My favorite thing about the Twin Cities is he diversity, and all the appreciation for the arts in the community.

What is your favorite type of bird?

Swan

If We Were Birds Interview: Director Lee Conrads

Through the lens of Greek tragedy, If We Were Birds presents an unflinching commentary on contemporary war and its devastating aftermath, particularly for the women who become its victims.

20% Theatre Company is excited to present this beautiful, shocking and brutal new play by Erin Shields at Nimbus Theater September 13-27, 2014.  Before and during the run of this show, we will be giving you the chance to learn a little bit more about some of the artists involved in our production. In this interview, meet director Lee Conrads.

Director - Lee Conrads
Director – Lee Conrads

 

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your background? How/when/why did you get into theatre?

I did theater all through high school, but primarily as a costume designer. My senior year I (accidentally? — I’m a little fuzzy on how it actually happened) volunteered to direct a project for my theater class. I had never thought about being a director, but it was the most fun I’d ever had. At the time I was in the throes of college application season and pretty stressed about having no clue what I wanted to do with my life. The idea that I could be a director as a profession started to percolate and I think my 17-year old self is still a little shocked that it’s actually happening.

Have you worked with 20% Theatre Twin Cities in the past? How and in what capacity?

My very first interview for a theater job when I moved to Minneapolis was with 20% Theatre –and I got the best “no” I’ve ever gotten. From my interview, I was ultimately offered an ASM-ing position for The Children’s Hour at the JCC. But then I directed two monologues for The Naked I: Insides Out last winter, and got to hang out with Rapture, Blister, Burn as the house manager last spring.  To be directing is an absolute dream-come-true!

Tell us what originally drew you to the If We Were Birds script. Why did you want to direct it?

When I first read If We Were Birds, it felt like a play I had been looking for for a long time. I am really interested in telling stories that ask us — as audiences and artists — to sit with difficult situations and complex problems to which there are no easy answers, with the hope that that exposure makes us gentler, more empathetic and compassionate humans. But I also have an almost evangelical interest in classical and historical theater. Too often when those plays get produced they are put on a pedestal of “how theater used to be;” I’m really excited about finding ways to resurrect ancient (or even just old–this is as applicable to Ibsen and Shakespeare as it is to Classical drama) stories such that they have the same effect on modern audiences as they had on the audiences they were written for, without compromising the forms of their essential Classical-ness. It is incredibly rare to find a play that does both of those things. If We Were Birds is very special.

If We Were Birds is staged through the lens of Greek tragedy. 20% Theatre Company does not generally produce classical work. What makes If We Were Birds an exception or more relevant 20%’s mission?

The most common reaction to this play from reviews I have read of other productions of this play is that it is a “contemporary take on a classical tragedy,” but I think it’s actually the opposite. One of the most classical elements of this play is the Chorus, which Shields has populated with characters whose stories are informed by the experiences of women who have been the survivors of sexual violence as a weapon of war in contemporary conflicts.  By weaving together past & present and fiction & reality, particular through the Chorus, Shields makes it impossible to write off this story as archaic. Two of the conflicts she draws on have happened within my lifetime, and likely all of them within the lifetimes of our audiences. To me this play is so clearly a classical take on a contemporary tragedy.

Did you have a specific vision for your cast during the audition process? What purpose does the chorus serve?

It was really important to me — and also really important to Shields — that the Chorus represents as broad a swath of womanhood as possible. So it was really important to me that we have as diverse a cast as possible in terms of age, race, body shape, various presentations & experiences of feminity and womanhood as possible. It was also really important to me that the cast as a whole have good chemistry and feel like a group of people who would be able to would be able to collaborate well.

20% Theatre Company produces plays with heavy subject material and/or controversial subject matter. Are there specific trigger warnings we should make audience members aware of?

Yes.

The worst case scenario is that this production causes any kind of harm; I think that is most likely in a situation in which someone comes to the production without knowing what they are getting themselves into and that experience is damaging to their mental health.

There is an enacted rape as well as graphic descriptions of violence–sexual and otherwise.

Shields never condones any of these acts–in fact, the play is really an 80-minute condemnation of them–but it is important to the storytelling that we look directly at the atrocities that are being discussed and face them head on. The production isn’t going to do anything to soften that, but I absolutely don’t want anyone to come to the experience unprepared.

What do you hope the audience will walk away from this production knowing, feeling, thinking, etc.?

One of the things I am really trying to let go as an artist is the idea that my art says something and my sucess lives or dies depending on whether the audience “got it.” There is a universe in which I am an insufferably didactic director and I don’t want to live there. So yes, there are some very specific things I am trying to say with this play (though some of it is also just me screaming into the void about injustice that I feel powerless to mitigate — there are ways in which this play is very cathartic) but it is far more important for me that the audience goes through the experience with us — with Philomela — and is forced to just sit with a terrible situation with no easy answers. And I hope that that experience makes all of us — audience & artists — more compassionate, more generous human beings.

What else do you do in the world, outside of theatre and/or working on this production?

Unfortunately, I am historically terrible at having a life outside of theater; I’m working on it. I do have a desk job as a “data-entry drone” that I am grateful for because it pays my bills. I was a history major in college, as well as a theater major, so I spend a fair amount of time being an insufferable know-it-all about historical matters. And I spent the month of June teaching backpacking to elementary and middle school girls at a summer camp in North Carolina. It was a blast so I am trying to remember to make time in my life for the outdoors.

What is your favorite thing about the Twin Cities?

I’m pretty sentimental about the skyline. Especially in the winter, when I am racing around — over scheduled & hating the weather — every once in a while a catch a glimpse of the skyline and maybe a really nice sunset and think, “wow, this is actually an incredible city.”

What is your favorite type of bird?

Probably the sparrow, less because of the actual bird and more because it is the central metaphor of one of my all time favorite books (go read The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell). I think I am way more into metaphorical birds than actual birds.

 

 

 

If We Were Birds Interview: Tara Lucchino

Through the lens of Greek tragedy, If We Were Birds presents an unflinching commentary on contemporary war and its devastating aftermath, particularly for the women who become its victims.

20% Theatre Company is excited to present this beautiful, shocking and brutal new play by Erin Shields at Nimbus Theater September 13-27, 2014.  Before and during the run of this show, we will be giving you the chance to learn a little bit more about the artists involved in our production. In this interview, meet actor Tara Lucchino.

 

Actor - Tara Lucchino
Actor – Tara Lucchino

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your background? How/when/why did you get into theatre?

I grew up near Pittsburgh PA in a suburb north of the city called Natrona Heights. I went to a tiny grade school and later graduated with a class of 32 from St. Joseph High School. When I was still in elementary school, there was an English teacher at St. Joe’s named Mr. Carosella (Mr. C. for short), who also happened to be the director of the plays and musicals that the high school produced. Mr. C. always invited our school to see the plays that the high school performed. I remember being in awe of these upper classmen and the shows they were able to work on. It was because of Mr. C. that I chose to go to St. Joe’s. He was able to get anyone, whoever they were, to go up on stage and tap into whatever raw talent they may have possessed. I don’t know how he was able to create magic out of thin air when he worked with us but he did.  He believed in us and he inspired us to think outside the box. He used to give his opening night pep talks and always ended his speeches with the simple wish for us that we would “sparkle”, and because of him, we had the courage to do so. It was his letter of recommendation that helped get me into Penn State’s School of Theatre.

What excites you most about If We Were Birds?

I love mythology and the ancient Greeks so I was drawn to this piece for those reasons, but particularly exciting is the modern spin this play takes on an ancient tale that’s still very relevant in the world today.  I’m also really looking forward to see where this piece will lead us creatively, as an ensemble. The group that we have gathered is incredibly talented and I’m really excited to see where the process leads us.

What is your role in the play? What do you think will be the most challenging and/or rewarding part of performing this role?

Being a member of the chorus, it is essential to work together as a collective consciousness. All of us need to be on the same page at all times. Early on in the rehearsal process we had several chorus rehearsals to work on just that, and it’s been really cool to see how we’ve all started to meld into a tight knit group. That said, we also need to develop our own distinctive individual characters. As a Greek chorus we are the voice of the people, but specifically in this play, we are the voices of all the women who never had their own voice, or who may have once had voices, but then had them taken away. We represent thousands and thousands of women who have been silenced. The biggest challenge will be to develop fully realized characters who are truthful to these women; To do all the research and do all the background work and in the end to be worthy to step into their shoes and tell their stories.

Tell us a little bit about the character.  Is this role similar to roles you have played in the past or will this be a stretch for you?

I am a servant woman in the chorus, The Mysterious One. I have chosen to create my character’s backstory by drawing on stories and accounts of survivors of the Armenian Genocide of 1915. In my research I came across a collection of beautiful poetry translated into English and written by Armenian women, some of whom were survivors of the genocide and some who wrote their poetry a generation after.  I was blown away by their tenacity of spirit and their style. The pieces are incredibly lovely and they were definitely a source of inspiration for me. I have done Greek Tragedies in the past and I have played incredible and amazingly strong women, but this character is not like anyone else. She has gone through so much yet she still stands strong and keeps on fighting. I’m excited to see how she continues to develop in this process.

What do you hope the audience will walk away from this production knowing, feeling, or thinking after seeing If We Were Birds?

I can’t really say what I want people to walk away feeling after viewing this show. There are a whole range of emotions that will be possible for people to carry out with them. What I want the show to do is to continue a dialogue. I want people to talk about what happens and I want most importantly for people to walk away with these stories. The stories of these women. They’re hard to hear and perhaps soul-crushing to even imagine, but in talking about them, at least we are taking a step in the right direction and we’re keeping their memories alive.

What else do you do in the world, outside of theatre and/or working on this production?

For the past two summers I have volunteered at a grief camp for children called Camp Erin. It is run by the Moyer Foundation and it does amazing work for children here in the Twin Cities Area and their families. For more information you can watch a documentary about the camp that was produced by HBO (and nominated for an Emmy this year) called One Last Hug.

I also enjoy reading, writing and and playing guitar. I recently collaborated on a few songs with a local singer-songwriter, Daniel Bonespur and you can hear me singing on his newest album entitled Dead People. You can check it out here.

Lastly, I play Janet in Rocky Horror Picture Show (the Twin Cities Shadow Cast) at the Uptown Theatre in Minneapolis. Shows are always the last Saturday of the month at 11:55 pm. Come and catch us. You’re bound to have an excellent time!

What is your favorite thing about the Twin Cities?

All the amazing people who have welcomed this Pittsburgh girl with open arms and who have made me feel so very much at home! Xxxx

What is your favorite type of bird?

For this show I have been studying Cranes. They are such beautiful and graceful birds and they have an air of mystery to them, which is perfect for my character. It’s fascinating to me that they pop up in mythologies in many different cultures all around the world. Watch a video of the Japanese Cranes doing their mating dances and it looks like a ballet. They’re all incredible birds!

 

 




 

 
 

 

 

If We Were Birds Interview: Anita Kelling

Through the lens of Greek tragedy, If We Were Birds presents an unflinching commentary on contemporary war and its devastating aftermath, particularly for the women who become its victims.

20% Theatre Company is excited to present this beautiful, shocking and brutal new play by Erin Shields at Nimbus Theater September 13-27, 2014.  Before and during the run of this show, we will be giving you the chance to learn a little bit more about the artists involved in our production. In this interview, meet our sound designer Anita Kelling.

Sound Designer - Anita Kelling
Sound Designer – Anita Kelling

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your background? How/when/why did you get into theatre?

I knew I wanted to be a part of theatre when I first realized that the stories on television weren’t real.  I wanted so very badly to make that kind of magic my whole life since.  It was a super secret wish for most of my life.  One I didn’t share with friends or family for fear it would never come true.  Fast forward to college!  I took a chance and fell in with the theatre crowd at Augsburg College.  I majored in theatre there but narrowly escaped without a degree.  I tried being a “grown up” for a while but I was miserable in an office setting.  My only joy was performing in a folk rock band. So, I went back to school and shifted my theatre focus from performing to sound.  It seemed like a really good fit for me.  Little did I know at the time just how much.

Have you worked with 20% Theatre Twin Cities in the past? How and in what capacity?

Yes, I have!  Both really wonderful experiences too. My first show with 20% was Where We’re Born and I also worked on Changes in Time.

Tell us what drew you to designing the sound for If We Were Birds?

I love a challenge and this is a challenging show.  There are so many things about this play that are uncomfortable.  My general rule of thumb is, if I am uncomfortable with something, I should do it.  There are some really powerful moments in the script that I think are nice opportunities for sound to make them even more powerful.

The play involves four main characters and a chorus of additional actors? Will sound play a part in differentiating the roles and personalities of these characters?

It is always my intention at the beginning of any design process to differentiate characters, places, moments, by changes in music.  Whether that be the mood, tempo, or even style.  At the beginning I think in very broad terms about changes and as other elements are introduced to me, like actors, sets, costumes, or colors, I refine my ideas.  I try to support the actors and the overall production. Sometimes that means I can really makes some bold choices about sound and sometimes my touch needs to be much more subtle. I never really know for sure which way it will go until we are nearly to tech week. Rarely the music I am drawn to at the beginning of a design project, remains in the design until opening night.

What do you hope the audience will walk away from this production knowing, feeling, thinking after hearing your sound design?

I hope that it doesn’t get in the way of their enjoyment of the production.  I hope they remember the actors performances and perhaps when thinking on those performances they have bits of sound from the show in their memory without realizing that it is there.  I hope they like the music, but aren’t distracted by it.

What else do you do in the world, outside of theatre and/or working on this production?

I’ve been pretty busy with sound design this year which is awesome.  I also help run the entertainment department of the Minnesota Renaissance Festival.  That takes over my summer and has for the last 6 years.  Other than that, I read a lot and write fiction a fair amount of the time.  I also have a folk duo called Briar.  We perform mainly out at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival, but also the occasional coffee house around town.

What is your favorite thing about the Twin Cities?

You have to understand that I come from a small town in the east central part of Minnesota. We don’t have a stop light in that teeny town of about 1000 people. Nothing ever happened there and there was almost nothing to do. So my very favorite thing about the Twin Cities is the activity that is always present.  There is always someplace close to go and something to do.  People are all around rather constantly and they are always up to something interesting.

What is your favorite type of bird?

A hard choice.   Since my childhood it has been the red winged blackbird.  Seeing them clinging to cattails in ditches along my rural bus route, red winged blackbirds just remind me so much of home.  Lately, being a city dweller cardinals have become my backyard companions.  Whenever I do a backyard soundscape I often include a cardinal in the mix. Red winged blackbird calls are so distinctive and they really are only near water. I delight in being able to use them and those soundscapes are always special to me.