FringeNYC 2013: Naked in Alaska

All About My Show · Valerie Hager (Writer)

1. Complete this sentence: My show is the only one in FringeNYC that...?
   Tells the true story of stripping in the Last Frontier.
2. What do you think this show is about? What will audiences take away with them after seeing it?
   Naked In Alaska is my story of working as an exotic dancer in clubs from Mexico to Alaska to California. Told with live pole dancing and over a dozen characters who danced in and frequented these clubs, Naked In Alaska is a fearless look at the object I made of myself to fit in and the buried truths I had to face to have a chance at coming home. I began writing Naked In Alaska to begin to claim those periods of my life and those parts of myself that I had judged as shameful or unworthy. What Naked In Alaska has become is a story for all about choosing not just to survive in fragments, but to thrive by facing what has kept us from becoming whole. I hope that what is gives people is a feeling of empowerment, inspiration, and courage to step into the whole of who they truly are and share it boldly and fearlessly with the world.
3. Why did you want to write this show?
   I began writing Naked In Alaska in 2009 after moving out of Los Angels and into New York City. I was at a place in my life creatively that either I was going to make something myself or stay stuck. The traditional ways of getting work as an actor weren't working for me. I wasn't getting the calls I thought I would be getting. And quite frankly I was pretty over waiting for "the" phone call to decide my fate. On top of that I have never been the type to pay a casting director, or agent to see me. So here I was at a crossroads. Most actors I knew were doing all of these other things to further their dreams but it just wasn't sitting right with with me. I knew there had to be another way. So maybe in that tiny-sized rebellion a louder more fierce part in me rose up. And I knew I had to reveal and get raw with the things I'd gone though that people had often told me to keep quite about. So I began to explore the experiences I had had as a meth addicted teenager and exotic dancer. And as I began to open up and share my story I felt something in me shift especially when I saw how much it impacted and connected to other people. I realized I had to develop this part of my life into a longer narrative because I believed it could have the inspiration and heart to empower others. Ultimately, Naked In Alaska is my effort to give back what I went through so that others know that they can grow and give back, too no matter what road they traveled. It's a show dedicated to the outcast, the forgotten one, and the star that still shines in each of us waiting to be let out. I wrote Naked In Alaska for any of us who have ever felt different and or on the fringe. But most of all I wrote Naked In Alaska for the little angry outcast of a girl I was for so long, so long ago.
4. Who are some of the people who helped you create this show, and what were their important contributions to the finished product?
   There are many many people who've inspired me throughout this process and that have kept me riding my blazing path with Naked In Alaska. These people are all of my beloved family and friends! And every single audience member who has ever come to see Naked In Alaska perform. As well as Cullen Thomas' Advanced Memoir Writing class at Gotham Writer's Workshop. This memoir writing process helped me tap into the raw, unresolved, and deep memories and impressions that would eventually form the foundation of Naked In Alaska. Then there was the wonderful and brilliant Matt Hoverman and his Create Your Own Solo Show Workshop. I met Matt in 2009 and it was in these advanced workshops with Matt that Naked in Alaska was truly developed. I am also truly grateful to my dear and talented friend Cheryl King, owner of Stage Left Studio whom I met in early 2012. With Cheryl's encouragement, and the ability to perform Naked In Alaska in its early stages at Stage Left Studio, I gained even greater courage and determination to push forward with Naked In Alaska. And then in mid-2012, true visionary and maverick storyteller, Scott Wesley Slavin came on board as Naked In Alaska's director and dramaturge, and continues to work with me on both Naked in Alaska and other original pieces. The magic-maker Molly Pearson of Produce Your Own Work has been a huge advocate for Naked In Alaska as well and for this I am eternally grateful. Last but not least I've also been so lucky to have shared each Naked In Alaska show with lighting and technical director Alex Chmaj. He has helped make every performance come to life with vivid color and sound. And with that we welcome our new technical director Ian Wehrle and very much look forward to the mystery and life that he will bring from behind the booth in this year's 17 annual FringeNYC!
5. Which character from a Shakespeare play would like your show the best: King Lear, Puck, Rosalind, or Lady Macbeth -- and why?
   Puck! Without hesitation. Puck absolutely!

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