Selected Short Subjects
nytheatre.com q&a preview by Erica Herd
September 13, 2012
What is your job on this show?
Playwright and actor..
When did you know you wanted to work in the theater, and why?
I grew up with parents who were actors, and although it may sound hokey, I felt like it was in my blood. I performed in plays and wrote and performed skits with a friend in elementary school. Why do theatre? It's the best natural high there is and it's a collaborative effort like no other.
Complete this sentence: My show is the only one opening in NYC this fall that...?
involves dead cats and Alzheimer's disease.
Why did you want to write/direct/produce/act in/work on this show?
Writing this show was not a choice, it was a NEED. I have been writing a blog on Open Salon since last January, telling the story of my Mom who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (AD) in 2010 and how she and I have been handling it. She was living independently up until last May, when I had to clear out her apartment and put her in a nursing home. As a former actress, I think she might want her story told since she can no longer tell it herself. Maybe that's presumptous of me, but she's always encouraged my writing and performing, and I would hope she'd be proud of this show.
Groucho, Chico, Harpo, or Zeppo?
Harpo.
If you had ten million dollars that you had to spend on theatrical endeavors, how would you use the money?
I would spend some of the money bringing theatre to nursing homes, pediatric care units and schools that are lacking arts programs and funding. My mother's nursing home doesn't offer theatre programs or productions, although a singer/keyboardist comes once a month or so for parties. Selfishly, I would also use some of the money to finance my show.
