FringeNYC 2013: See Jane Give Up Dick

See Jane. See Jane Give Up Dick. A highly sexual Manhattanite attempts to give up 'giving it up' for one full year. See Jane discover if putting an end to her slutty ways can be more rewarding than multiple orgasms.

Official production website
Show details/ticketing at FringeNYC

Venue: The Steve & Marie Sgouros Theatre, 115 MacDougal Street, 3rd floor

Review by Kimberly Wadsworth · August 14, 2013

The name of this play caught my eye first: my own parents’ names really are Dick and Jane. But – as I very quickly learned – the “Dick” which this Jane is trying to give up….isn’t a specific person.

Based on playwright Devin Dearing Preston’s own blog, See Jane Give Up Dick concerns Jane (Meghan Mae O’Neill) , a single girl who’s had one too many bad dates and bad relationships. After one particularly bad breakup, and a string of bad hookups, she resolves to do what lots of other frustrated single women sometimes consider doing - give up dating (or, more specifically, give up sex) for one whole year.

Some of the jokes Jane cracks in the early phase of her mission aren’t anything new (see Jane stop shaving! See Jane eat lots of ice cream! See Jane think of getting a cat!), but O’Neill is wonderfully bubbly and engaging, and the audience is quickly and happily swept up in her tale. Sometimes more than they intended – O’Neill occasionally mugs or flirts with a couple of game-looking audience members, and she somehow got one audience member to happily confess to having had a threesome only five minutes into the show. She’s also a wonderful physical comedienne – the sequence in which she acts out “taking myself out on a date” is an especial treat.

But then, once O’Neill’s charm has lulled you in, that’s when Preston’s script really strikes. With more time on her hands, Jane has more time for self-reflection about her own part in her bad dating luck; after O’Neill’s earlier charm, seeing her pain as Jane comes to some uncomfortable epiphanies is a genuine punch to the gut. And even though Jane bounces back up happily again, O’Neill is just that tiniest bit graver. The script does go on to speak of the last day of Jane’s resolution, her meeting a nice guy, and the resulting, er, happy ending – but then, impressively, it goes on to speak of that moment’s surprising aftermath, and points toward a much wiser, stronger Jane going on to make her own, even happier, ending.

Preview: Interviews with Artists from See Jane Give Up Dick

We're asking artists from each show to answer questions about themselves and their work to help our readers get a detailed advance picture of the festival:

Journey to FringeNYC · Isaac Klein (Director)

Tell us about the process you used to achieve your vision of this play in this production.
We're at a big advantage, because I've been working with this same team developing Jane's journey for years, so we're all on the same page about what this world looks like. Our process with FringeNYC is less about reinvention and more about sharing the fruits of our long-time development with the world!
What are some of your previous theater credits? (Be specific! Name shows, etc.)
Most notably, I assistant directed the most recent Broadway revivals of West Side Story and Gypsy, both for my late mentor, Arthur Laurents. This past winter, I directed Nate Weida's Byuioo, a gibberish musical, at Judson Church. I am the book writer and lyricist of the musical Legend of the Word, which received a residency at the O'Neill in 2012, and workshops at the Abrons Arts Center in 2012 and 2013. Coming up are further collaborations with Nate Weida, James Stewart, Matt Cowart, Vanessa Walters, and the theatre collective Exit, Pursued By A Bear, where I am an artistic associate.
If this is your first appearance in FringeNYC -- why did you want to be part of this festival? If you have appeared in FringeNYC before, tell us what show(s) you have done here previously. What about your prior experience led you back to this festival?
I directed Hot Cripple at the fringe in 2008. Hogan Gorman, the writer and star, won an Outstanding Performance award. She went on to publish the nationally celebrated book version of Hot Cripple, which has now been optioned as a major motion picture! FringeNYC is a terrific platform for new work, and we're excited to see where it can lead for Jane!
Why are theater festivals important?
Theater Festivals are the lifeblood of the industry. Putting up a show is a herculean effort, and the communal atmosphere makes many of the hurtles more manageable, allowing us to 'get by with a little help from our friends.' Working together helps to get the work done and get the word out, bringing us all one step closer to realizing our dream of sharing these brave new visions.
What was the most memorable/funny/unusual thing that has happened during the development and rehearsal process for this show?
Our playwright actually went for over one full year without having sex. Seriously! So much of what you hear in the evening is true to life. You can't make some of this stuff up!

The Folks Back Home · Ali Keller (Other)

Who are your role models as an artist?
I'm very lucky to have worked with all of my directing role models: Isaac Klein, Matt Cowart, Lonny Price, and Kitt Lavoie.
How has the place where you grew up influenced your work as an indie theater artist?
I grew up on long island and went to a school that barely had any arts programs so it's always very important for me to get in touch with all the people I know who I think would want to be involved or see the current project I'm working on. I hated feeling like I missed out on opportunities to create or watch theater in high school and don't want others to feel that way.
Are you a New Yorker? If not, would you like to be?
I am a New Yorker!
Who would like your show the best: Mom, Dad, High School Teacher, College Roommate?
My college drama lit. teacher would probably like this show the best. She approached everything with excitement and a sense of humor which I think this show does as well.
Where would be your ideal working environment: New York in 2013, Shakespeare’s Globe, the theater of Sophocles and Euripides, Stanislavski’s Moscow Art Theater?
New York in 2013

All About My Show · devindearing (Writer)

Complete this sentence: My show is the only one in FringeNYC that...?
has it's lead actress in a muumuu! Jane investigates, in the funniest way possible, the dangerously murky waters of a post sexually liberated society. It asks, can women be sexual creatures without being ashamed of it? What happens when one woman chooses not to be dicked around any longer? All while sporting a figure flattering muumuu.
What do you think this show is about? What will audiences take away with them after seeing it?
Jane is a great 'every woman'; vulnerable, lost and searching for a meaningful connection with someone. Anyone, really! I'm certain there are a few people out there who can relate to this struggle. Audiences will come to laugh, but leave surprised by what truths Jane finds waiting at the end of her celibacy.
Why did you want to write this show?
I feel more that this show wanted to be written by me. Honestly, I started writing because I wanted a man I was "seeing" to take me more seriously. Turns out, I liked writing more than I liked him. The pithy name for a blog chronicling my many mis-steps with men was born. My hilarious journey away from Dicks and the organ attached to them, became this great play!
Who are some of the people who helped you create this show, and what were their important contributions to the finished product?
All the not so awesome dudes (too many to name) who I had the misfortune of dating, first and foremost. Isaac Klein, my dear friend and talented Director, who told me casually at a party that my blog needed to be a show. He's been a part of shaping Jane ever since. Ashely Austin Morris, actress and comedian, who helped make Jane into a real person in the first workshop in DC. Meghan O'Neil who added her personal touch in the following workshop, and has been portraying the proud celibate ever since. Steven Royal is the man behind every look of the show. Ali Keller is our dedicated Assistant Director. Add 110 Kickstarter backers, and you've got a whole community standing behind this funny and surprising little show.
Which character from a Shakespeare play would like your show the best: King Lear, Puck, Rosalind, or Lady Macbeth -- and why?
This play has Rosalind written all over it! Banished from proper society to navigate the wilderness alone, going to great lengths to woe and land the man of her dreams, strong willed and confident if not sometimes misguided in her approach... Jane, too, would rather live by her own true north, seeking out her own happiness than settle for displeasing mediocrity mandated by others.

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