The Review (Or How to Eat Your Opposition)

The Review (Or How to Eat Your Opposition)
By Donnetta Lavinia Grays
Directed by Isaac Byrne

Monday May 23rd 7pm
Ripley-Grier Studios
520 8th Avenue, 16th Floor Studio 16D
(Between 36th and 37th Streets)
New York, New York 10018
($5 suggested donation)
RSVP at info@coyoterep.org

PERFORMANCE

I did a show some time ago, one I shall not mention to protect the innocent (myself included), that was somewhat challenging for me character wise. It was a demanding little piece of work, but fun and I found myself growing in the part as time and the rehearsal process went on. I was, you know, processing. We went into previews and I had still not quite gotten a handle on my role fully, but felt confident that once the audience was there I would navigate that delicate dance that performers and audiences do in the theater and it would, in fact, help me fill those gaps in my performance.

After the second preview I was growing in confidence and finding a rhythm. In the meantime I had a deadline to make in order to update my professional acting website and so I searched the internet for past reviews, quotes, images etc, to post. BIG MISTAKE. Because, of course, I came across a blog that actually had a full on review of our show! While we were still in preview performances! The reviewer dragged me through it, illuminating the same holes that I knew I was struggling with, going so far as to suggest alternate casting for the part I was playing. I was furious, felt as though the trust between critic, performer and audience had been severely violated. And I was embarrassed. But, the worst of it was that I let his words get to me. I allowed him to fill that space of joy that I needed to continue my creative process and turn it toxic.

Eventually...I got over it. Did an assessment of the situation and found myself vindicated by having reached the personal goals that I set for myself with that specific production.

And then, after the show closed and the noise died down, I thought to myself...what was that?!? That was an interesting journey. Let's delve into that relationship a little more. Criticism and its effect on the artist. For better or for worse. I began thinking about the Ben Brantley's of the world and their sway over million dollar investments, star making roles, scripts that (after years of development or, on the flip-side, was some one’s get rich quick scheme) have finally made it to the light of day. One good review from the likes of a Brantley or an Isherwood can mean the difference between an extension or the extinction of some one's life work.

But, here's the thing...we in the theater, if we can afford it, are used to taking notes and making changes. We really are. Actors, Directors and Playwrights negotiate feedback every day, it's our job. Do we change the work we create on stage completely based on some review? Not necessarily but...we could. (take the three week hiatus to improve Spiderman for example) I have seen good reviews effect actors to their detriment or elevation just as much a poor reviews. But, theater is this living breathing thing. You will never see the same show twice throughout the run of a production and actors try new subtleties with every performance.

So my question evolved into this: How far could this go? What if criticism made an artist...change. What if your artistic integrity, the precious collection of things you know for sure, is called into question by a critic? What then?

ART

I don't know the first thing about visual art. Ignorant on all counts. So, of course, this is the world I chose for this play. This world seemed like the better place to test a theory on artistic integrity than any other art-form. All a visual artist has is her hands and her inspiration. Whereas an actor (in my world) must be an interpretive conduit of someone else’s art the visual artist says, "this is unfiltered 'me-ness' here on this canvas, on this wall or on this blade of grass. It is what I believe is most important in the world and these are my views on it and this is my mind and how it works." And it's final. Once it's on display it's unchanging until the next piece is revealed. It can be a very naked existence.

So, I took to the internet again to help get some insights into this world that I'd never visited. I came across a paper written by Dr. Claire Bishop (lecturer and author of Installation Art: A Critical History) entitled "The Social Turn: Collaboration and Its Discontents."

In it she argues, "The social turn in contemporary art has prompted an ethical turn in art criticism. This is manifest in a heightened attention to how a given collaboration is undertaken. In other words, artists are increasingly judged by their working process—the degree to which they supply good or bad models of collaboration—and criticized for any hint of potential exploitation that fails to "fully" represent their subjects, as if such a thing were possible. This emphasis on process over product (i.e., means over ends) is justified as oppositional to capitalism's predilection for the contrary."

I found this concept fascinating and wanted to learn more about the evolution of contemporary criticism.

I emailed her. Told her about the idea for the play.

She emailed me back! She didn’t think I was nuts for looking her up. Thank god!

We meet in a Cuban restaurant in Park Slope along with Joe Scanlan, currently the Director and a Professor of Visual Arts in the Lewis Center for the Arts at Princeton University, and talked for hours over mojitos about the differences and overlap of criticism in our respective fields. And it was that afternoon when Naomi's the first monologue was written.

SEX

“In the mainstream theater, I guess I'd have to say that there is still a painful dearth of girl-on-girl action. There are lesbians in plays nowadays, but please, can we have some hot lesbians who are sexual and like to make out? Not to objectify dykes completely, but I would vote for a more public displays of sexuality.” - That's a quote from Moe Angelos, one of the founding members of the Five Lesbian Brothers, from an interview in GO Magazine back in Oct. 2009. I was actually interviewed by Kathleen Warnock along with Moe, Carloyn Gage, Sarah Schulman and others for a piece entitled "Dyke Drama: The Enduring Power of Lesbian Theater"

Now, a lot was covered in the article. And I am not saying that The Review (Or How to Eat Your Opposition) has this quote as its foundation, but it definitely has stayed with me throughout the writing process. Because if I unpack what Moe is saying here. She simply wants to see truth in lesbian relationships on stage. As do I. So my central characters help bring to life the ideas of artistic and personal integrity and happen to be gay. These women suffer moral dilemmas and power struggles in the same way that being asked to take out the trash on my way out is a lesbian act in my household. And, yes...there's sex.

About the playwright.

Donnetta Lavinia Grays is an actor and playwright living in NYC. Her plays include the cowboy is dying, The B Factor, The New Normal and Absence of Faith. She is a founding member of Coyote REP and currently serves as its Artistic Director. More at www.donnettagrays.com

They Were Ours by Larry Manogue and William Walter White

They Were Ours

By Larry Manogue and William Walter White

Based on a book by John Campbell

Directed by Beth Gardiner

Monday, May 16th 7pm

Ripley-Grier Studios

520 8th Ave, 16th Floor Studio D
(between 36th and 37th Street)
New York, NY, 10018
($5 suggested donation)
RSVP at info@coyoterep.org

From Larry Manogue

“THEY WERE OURS” is a play about 43 soldiers from Gloucester County , NewJersey , who died during the Vietnam War. In December 2008, I attended a children’s theater production in Woodbury , N.J. of a Christmas play I wrote many years ago. After the show, the director approached me. Marianne asked, “I have a friend who wrote a book about the soldiers from our county who died in Vietnam . Could you turn it into a play?” I was dumbfounded. This was the first time I had ever met her, and the only writing she’d ever seen of mine was this children’s play from years ago. I mainly write comedies, (at least that’s what I think they are). I’ve never written about something with the heavy subject matter of war and death. How would I even write an adaptation? I told Marianne to send me a copy of the book, and said I’d think about it. In February 2009, she emailed asking if I had read it yet. No…I hadn’t. I was working on another play and the thought of reading a 300+ page book was the furthest thing from my mind. I showed the book to Bill--- he grew up in the county too--- and he was interested in reading it, when flipping through it, he noticed the author grew up in the same town as him. He was moved by the book, and offered to collaborate on the play with me. Still, how would we even go about writing an adaptation? In April 2009, we read the latest course offerings from Primary Stages School of Theater (ESPA). We had already taken several playwrighting classes there, and for their summer session a new course was: Adaptation by Rogelio Martinez. I called Bill and said, “I guess we’re supposed to write this play next.” So we signed up, and started working on the play two years ago.

By October 2009 we completed the first draft, had an informal reading, and were discouraged—it ran over two and a half hours and it was just too much to sit through. Little by little we worked on edits and rewrites. Working on this blog entry, I found the old email from November 2009—when I proposed having a staged reading in the South Jersey theater, where Marianne approached me. In it I wrote:

“The process of writing this play has been a life changing experience. Looking at their pictures in uniform, it appeared as though the photographs could have been taken last week. Reading the stories of these young men and the survivors they left behind were very powerful in their own right, but we couldn’t help but think about the parallels with the situation our country is in now. We both felt a sense of duty to these young men who went to war so many years ago and yet were shipped out yesterday.

We feel we've become very close to the men and women in these stories and were inspired by their courage, compassion and love for each other and country. This is a first for us in many ways. Neither of us had ever attempted an adaptation before, nor had we ever collaborated. We certainly never expected to be writing a play about the Vietnam War. We both have very different styles, and approaches, yet once again the insight of another writer, so close at hand was integral. “

In February 2010, we had a staged reading of this early draft at the Sketch Club Players Theater in Woodbury, NJ directed by Marianne—the woman who put us on this journey. We also finally got to meet John Campbell, the author of the book. We received a positive response from the audience, but we knew there was still more work to be done.

We met Donnetta Lavinia Grays, artistic director of Coyote Rep, while she was working on “The New Normal” in a playwrighting class at ESPA instructed by Cusi Cram. We were trying to put a cast together for an informal reading in NYC and we asked Donnetta to be part of it. She wasn’t able to do it, but she invited us to join the Antreaders Group here at Coyote Rep. “They Were Ours” fit Coyote Rep’s mission statement of plays about ordinary people doing extraordinary things… so we brought this play to Antreaders, and revised it a few more times. It’s been a real challenge trying to write a play telling 43 stories, with 90 characters portrayed by 10 actors, and trying to keep it under two hours.

Working on this play has given me a new appreciation for those who serve our country, and life itself. There are no guarantees in life—so many of these young men died before they reached age 22. I’m blessed that I came of age in a time without war, and I am here to help tell their stories. And they are some great stories. John Campbell took seven years researching the subjects in his book. Many of the people he interviewed shared funny stories and memories…that’s how I’d like to be remembered one day. We know war and death is a tough subject matter. Hopefully we’ve balanced the sadness with light. We hope you’ll also give yourself permission to smile and laugh, as you’re introduced to 43 guys who have become a big part of my life these past two years, stealing a piece of my heart in the process.

From William Walter White

I first became involved with this piece, when Larry told me he was
asked to adapt a book about Vietnam into a play. I have to admit, I laughed. It's not a project I expected him to ever undertake. Not that I didn't think he could do it; I just never thought it would be a subject he would tackle.

When he handed the book over to me, the first thing that struck me was the photographs of each soldier. They were so young...it was as if they were taken last week. These weren't pictures of soldiers from the two World Wars.

Everything looked so much more contemporary and current. The second thing to strike me was finding out the author of the book, John Campbell, grew up in the same small town as I did, Colonial Manor, NJ. I read the first story and that was that. I asked Larry if he would mind a collaborator. So far, this has been a two year journey for Larry and me, intersected with John's own twenty to forty year journey; depending on what years you're counting. It has been both an honor and a privilege to work on this project with Larry. I know it has changed me.

Photos of the soldiers included with the blog are:

Stephano J. Fiducioso… February 11,1947 to November 2,1967

Donald F. McDowell… August 24,1945 to December 26,1967

Augustus J. Ponto, III… September 29,1945 to June 10,1967.

About the Playwrights

Larry Manogue has written “The Jersey Girls” (produced off-Broadway at The Actors’ Playhouse), “For Better or Worse”, “Stuck in Traffic”, “Rowhomes”, “Help Wanted: Santa” and “Tuesday Night Threesomes”. His plays have been read or developed at Primary Stages/ESPA, Theater Row Studios, Coyote Rep, Theatre 603 and the Woodbury Sketch Club Players Theater. He is a graduate of Temple University.

William Walter White's other play’s include “Comrades,” “Supreme Beings,” and “Your Mother's Eyes/ Your Father's Smile.” His plays have been read or developed at Primary Stages/ESPA, Theater Row Studios, Coyote Rep, and the Woodbury Sketch Club Players Theater.

SICK by Greg Ayers

SICK

By Greg Ayers

Directed by Paul Dobie

Monday May 9th 7pm

Ripley-Grier Studios

520 8th Avenue, 16th Floor Studio 16D

(Between 36th and 37th Streets)

New York, New York 10018

($5 suggested donation)

“You wanna see something really scary?” Does anyone else have that first scene from Twilght Zone: The Movie etched into their brain? My answer is always just excited and enthusiastic as Albert Brooks’ character- “Yes! Yes, I do! Show me, please, now.”

OK, maybe he didn’t answer exactly like that in the movie- he was cooler about it than I usually am. But I can’t help it, scary get me excited. And just like Albert Brook’s character, I’ll usually end up regretting saying yes. You see, although I love to be scared, I also have an overactive imagination. Watching a scary movie or listening to a scary story, although thrilling at the time, will almost always come back to haunt me. I’ll lose a night or two of sleep because I’ll have convinced myself that the only way to keep the nasty things that live in the dark at bay is to keep my eyes open. But still, I say yes. I don’t know what it is- maybe it’s the adrenaline rush or the glimpse into the unknown. Whatever it is, it has a hold on me.

Growing up I never imagined theater could be scary. Going to see community theater productions of Plaza Suite and the Odd Couple kinda gave me the impression that theater was a little (or a lot) hoaky. I still loved it and wanted to be part of it, I just sort of accepted that if I were to succeed, I would need to be hoaky too. Fine. No problem. I can do hoaky.

But all those preconceived notions about the limitations of theater were shattered when I saw my college’s production of Wait Until Dark. In that last scene, in the dimly lit apartment, where Roat is coming at Suzy with a knife while she frantically tries block the light coming from the open refrigerator- chills up my spine.

Of course it helped that the actor playing Roat in this particular production was especially good at bringing the creepiness. He would adlib horrible but wonderfully scary things like “Suzy. Suzy, I’m coming. I’m coming Suzy. Do you see me, cause I see you.” I remember, leaning forward with all my muscles tensed up, captivated by what I was seeing- This aint Neil Simon! My heart was racing. I desperately wanted her to get away from him- but how could she?- he was just inches from her. Then black out. She unplugged the refrigerator! Then a scream cut through the darkness- Suzy’s scream. WHAT HAPPENED?!

That moment has stayed with me for close to 15 years. It inspired me to write SICK.

About the Playwright:

GREG AYERS is a proud member of Coyote REP. His two other plays are Rated M for Mature and John and Greg's High School Reunion (which he co-wrote with John Halbach). As an actor, he's currently appearing in Alky, which will run at the PIT in June/July. Greg is a graduate of the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts.