FringeNYC 2013: BIG DUMMY me & my old man

All About My Show · Mary Dimino (Writer)

1. Complete this sentence: My show is the only one in FringeNYC that...?
   will tell you a secret I've been keeping close to me for a lifetime. Something no other human being knows, not even my own spouse. It is a secret that colored my whole world growing up and still affects everything I do till this day. I birthed this solo show BIG DUMMY through the pains of this secret. You see, my father wasn’t like everybody else. I was raised by a special needs parent with a learning disorder, mentally handicapped. Struggling with not wanting to be smarter than him, I found myself just that by ll years old. This show exposes my heart, my secret, my love and acceptance for both dad and myself.
2. What do you think this show is about? What will audiences take away with them after seeing it?
   BIG DUMMY is about dad. He could be your dad, your brother, your son, your uncle. It's about understanding someone who "is not like everybody else." The audience will take away inspiration, understanding that it's never too late to fulfill your destiny. And that simplicity is beauty. You will walk a mile in BIG DUMMY's shoes and you too just may become so simple you're limitless. Here is a sneak peek of our press release: Growing up as a book smart poor Italian American girl in Queens, Mary Dimino was best friends with her "simple" factory-working father. Discovering one day that dad is "not like everyone else," she suffered acute disappointment. Struggling with not wanting to be smarter than him, she found herself just that by 11 years old. With a mysteriously deficient father who works at "Gumpert's making the crunchies in Carvel Ice Cream Cakes" and a mother who thinks girls should go to beauty school instead of college, Mary grapples with her desires to be something more. Mary's apprehension about "being normal" gave way to an ironic series of both over compensation and under achievement. From her self-motivated quest for knowledge, to a series of whacko jobs, to a DJ gig gone wrong, Mary finds herself falling short on all fronts. Spurning her father along the way, she ignored him in public places, hiding him away, along with a piece of herself. Until the day dad worked a miracle, Mary then realized her father is brilliant. As is. Understanding "you can be so simple you're limitless," Mary Dimino tells the touching and hilarious journey behind her and her father's amazing fulfillment of their destinies.
3. Why did you want to write this show?
   The hinge upon which the whole law of our lives turns is this - the love we received when we were children. In order to understand ourselves, we need to look at our childhood. Why do I do what I do? Why do I feel inferior? Why do I feel different? I spent a lifetime hiding my father in the shadows, hiding him in rooms when my friends came over. Demanding he never answer the phone. Pretending I didn’t see him when I passed him in public. I was embarrassed by him, mortified. Until the day came when I realized he was brilliant. As is. I’ve only just begun to live free from my childhood demons. How? I fell in love with Dad all over again in the writing of this piece. I am so thankful for the ability to write and when I do so, I heal. I feel strongly that Big Dummy can heal others also. It is a significant show for our time. Over 30 million Americans have learning disabilities. 92 million have special needs. The reasons for these adult problems are as varied as the number of individuals. Leaving school early, having a physical or emotional disability, etc. Today’s educators are ever increasingly faced with special needs students, the learning disabled and autism spectrum disorder. As a compassionate society, we need to gain new understanding to help those individuals and the families touched by such disabilities. My wish is to help others understand. To connect. My wish for those suffering from a “secret” is to know that they are not alone, even when they are in their deepest, darkest place. Festivals are a feast of theater and The New York International Fringe is by far my favorite. The material is always distinctive, inspiring and fresh. That is why it is my honor to debut Big Dummy this August. I was honored to debut my first autobiographical solo show Scared Skinny in the 2010 New York International Fringe Festival where it won an Overall Excellence Award for Outstanding Solo Show. I can truly say it is one of my most cherished, fondest memories. And the joy of the beauty solo show writing imparted to me has inspired me to continue on this journey of writing, of healing. And I thank you, the reader, the audience, from the bottom of my heart - where my deepest secrets lie. May I never stop telling them to you, dear friend.
4. Who are some of the people who helped you create this show, and what were their important contributions to the finished product?
   It takes a village to write a solo show. Important contributors are my director, Christine Renee Miller, who sees my vision and makes it even clearer. My mentor and friend, Matt Hoverman, who has been a mid-wife to the birthing of BIG DUMMY. My lighting desinger, Kia Rodgers, who hears words and then sees those words as light.
5. Which character from a Shakespeare play would like your show the best: King Lear, Puck, Rosalind, or Lady Macbeth -- and why?
   Friar Francis because he would get a kick out of BIG DUMMY. He'd like him so much he may even feign his death till all issues about his reputation were cleared.

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