Mallory/Valerie
nytheatre.com q&a preview by Sarah Grodsky
July 16, 2012
What is your job on this show?
Playwright, Actor.
What type of theater do you like most to work on?
I like to work on theater that has one foot planted in a fantastical non-reality and the other planted firmly in basic human truth. I like smart theatre that has something to say, but it’s wrapped in a nice gauzy cloud of storytelling and humor. It's sort of like the way you wrap a pill in bologna to medicate a dog, only the bologna is storytelling that appeals to the imagination, the pill is a non-negotiable truth, and the dog is a theatre full of people who you hope like the show.
Complete this sentence: My show is the only one in FringeNYC that...?
My show is the only one on the Fringe that can boast church hymns, a pig-tailed puppet exchanging sexual favors for drugs, and human connection in the strangest of places.
Do you think the audience will talk about your show for 5 minutes, an hour, or way into the wee hours of the night?
My hope is that people will spend a lot of time talking about Mallory/Valerie. I think it's going to challenge a lot of people. Some will find the challenge exciting, some will find it hard to swallow, but I don't think people will be able to avoid talking about it. We're not pulling any punches, and our subject matter is far from family friendly, some may even find it jarring. At the same time, the characters are finding themselves and each other; their pain is as real as their hope and as strong as their delusions. More than just a nose dive into the gutter, I think Mallory/Valerie has the potential to really stir up an audience.
Groucho, Chico, Harpo, or Zeppo?
Scientific advancements permitting, my ideal Marx Brother would be a Harpo-Groucho hybrid. Groucho was a comedic sage and trailblazer, but Harpo was the most fun.
I was Harpo for Halloween in 4th grade. Only the librarian got it, but I had fun honking my horn all day and I kept my lunch in my top hat.
Why should people come to FringeNYC this summer, rather than the beach, mountains, or the latest movie blockbuster?
I can tell you exactly what happens in all the blockbuster movies this summer; explosions, sweaty muscles, police cars flipping, crops tops, guns, mutants, leotards and gay panic humor. There. It's like you've seen them already.
FringeNYC offers a peek into the minds of theatre artists from all over the globe, all of the work new and different. The exact opposite of summer movie viewing, you're guaranteed to see something you've never seen before. And it's happening right in front you, in the flesh. There are hundreds of different experiences at your fingertips, all of which pull you into a community of artists who live for their work.
The beach and the mountains will still be there in September.
