Mother Eve's Secret Garden of Sensual Sisterhood
nytheatre.com q&a preview by Erica Jensen
July 16, 2012
What is your job on this show?
Director, co-playwright.
What was the last show you saw that really excited you, and why?
I just saw a production of "The Importance of Being Earnest" up at the Williamstown Theater Festival directed by David Hyde Pierce. The concept --set in he 1920's during prohibition the family, led by mob boss Lady Bracknell, moves to England from America to hide from the police and other mob families they've angered -- was inspired. It's one of my favorite plays (funny, I'm just remembering now that I got to play Jack in a scene study class in graduate school), and I'd never imagined it as a "Guys and Dolls" meets the "Sopranos", but it totally worked.
Why did you want to be part of FringeNYC?
FringeNYC has a been such an important staple of NYC theater. And, never having participated myself this felt like a perfect opportunity to become a part of NYC theater history. I'm so proud of our show and I feel like the stars alinged at the perfect time!
Do you think the audience will talk about your show for 5 minutes, an hour, or way into the wee hours of the night?
I think the audience will talk about our show for days and weeks after! The lyrics to all orginal songs (by Uma Incrocci) are catchy, hilarious, and real life lessons you can apply to everyday situations. And, I think people are going to connect with the characters in a very personal way that will stay with them for a long time. I think audiences will leave and go on a search for their own Mother Eve!
Which cartoon character would you identify your show with: Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Mickey Mouse, Marge Simpson?
Daffy Duck. He could really benefit from a self-help guru. It's been how many years and he still can't shake that rabbit?
How important is diversity to you in the theater you see/make?
When you say "diversity" I'm guessing you're asking about racial / ethnic diversity so I'll answer with that in mind. I'm a casting director by day so this is a constant point of discussion in my office and with the theater companies, film and t.v.executives I work for. What we see on stage and screen is representative of the world we live in and we can't have an accurate representation if we only feature one type of person, whether that be by the color of a person's skin, their shape and size, or their gender. So, to answer the question, I think diversity is very important. If audiences know they will see themselves on stage they will attend, and a whole new world that may not have existed to them before is now open to and welcoming them. Just look at how popular this latest production of "Streetcar" was on Broadway! (I have lots more to say on the subject, but I'm holding an eight month old as I type. Please excuse any grammatical/spelling errors!)
