Five Things: A Webcomic in 3-D
nytheatre.com q&a preview by Jillian Tully
July 21, 2012
What is your job on this show?
Playwright/Actor/Producer.
Who are your heroes?
Oh, I have many. Here are but a few: Debbie Harry, Pippi Longstocking, Bruce Dickinson, Batman, Neil Gaiman, Bjork, Leonard Nimoy, Edward James Olmos, George Harrison, Karin Bergquist... can I totally say Mac Rogers and Cesar Alvarez? Because they're brilliant. Oh, and my Vaudevillian grandmother, Hoo Shee.
Complete this sentence: My show is the only one in FringeNYC that...?
... has a genius cat who tap dances. Just in case I'm wrong, I will also state that we have a ukulele ode to Nathan Fillion.
In your own words, what do you think this show is about? What will audiences take away with them after seeing it?
This show, at its heart, is about becoming yourself through facing your fears. It's about tearing down your own walls to find happiness. Hopefully, audiences will walk out the door wanting to tackle their own Terrifying Things, though I wouldn't mind it if a few of them left the theatre with a better understanding of their cat.
Which famous New Jerseyite would like your show the best: Snooki, Bruce Springsteen, Thomas Edison?
As a Jersey girl, I had to pick this one! Absolutely Thomas Edison. Though Rhubarb is a bit more of a Tesla fan, I'd like to think Edison would admire her tenacity and determination as a scientifically-minded inventor.
Can theatre bring about societal change? Why or why not?
I certainly think so. When something new is presented through entertainment, the public can watch it and experience it through a filter, making the newness less frightening. New or different ideas are then digestible, which I believe is what eventually leads to acceptance and change. Theatre has always been daring and experimental, a place where alternatives and misfits shone bright. As time goes by, these misfits are more accepted. At least that's how I see it, but I'm a theatre baby.
