5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche
nytheatre.com q&a preview by Evan Linder
July 25, 2012
What is your job on this show?
Playwright.
Where were you born? Where were you raised? Where did you go to school?
I am a southern transplant who now calls Chicago home. I was born and raised in Memphis, TN and I graduated from the College of Charleston in Charleston, SC.
Have you been part of FringeNYC in the past? If so, how did you particpate? (Be specific! Name shows, etc.)
Two years ago, we brought "Hearts Full of Blood" by James Asmus which was a darkly comic tragedy. I played Kirk, the lawyer who seemed like a jerk, but was actually a huge jerk. I'm excited that we are now bringing an absurdist comedy to the Fringe that was created through the same process. I hope it is going to show the versatility of what we can do at The New Colony.
In your own words, what do you think this show is about? What will audiences take away with them after seeing it?
The show follows the five officers of the Susan B Anthony Society for the Sisters of Gertrude Stein as they prepare for their 1956 Quiche Breakfast. I suppose that is all I should tell you to keep this spoiler-free.
Immediately before our first full-length run of "5 Lesbians" in Chicago in 2011, we did a very personal drama called "The Warriors" that was based on interviews with the survivors of the Jonesboro, AR school shooting. It was a hugely meaningful project for us, and "5 Lesbians" was put on our season because we knew that we wanted to follow that show with something ridiculous and funny. The show was designed to make you laugh. So while we hope the audience feels that we tackle issues of identity, sexuality, friendship and America's obsession with fear, we really just want you to laugh your ass off.
Which cartoon character would you identify your show with: Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Mickey Mouse, Marge Simpson?
Definitely Marge Simpson. Remember, it took her sister Patty years before she had the courage to come out as a lesbian. I'm sure Marge would be able to relate to the repressed widows of the Susan B Anthony Society for the Sisters of Gertrude Stein.
If you had ten million dollars that you had to spend on theatrical endeavors, how would you use the money?
Children's Theaters. Build them, staff them and make them an integral part of the community. I had a children's theater I was active with starting from the age of 11. I cannot begin to describe the effect that theater had on the rest of my life. I got to perform Shakespeare when I was 12. I directed my first show when I was 13. That theater closed about 5 years ago due to insufficient funding and I hate knowing that there are kids in my old neighborhood who won't have the same opportunity that I did.
