FringeNYC 2013: Woman of Leisure and Panic
A whimsical combination of dance and theatre, 'Woman of Leisure and Panic' depicts a young artist's quest to remain financially stable, creatively productive, physically fit, romantically satisfied, reasonably on schedule and still standing...or should she sit?
Official production websiteShow details/ticketing at FringeNYC
Review by Sarah Lang · August 11, 2013
You could talk all day about the pressures that come with being a modern woman and not say it half as well as Charlotte Bydwell shows and tells it in forty-five minutes.
Bydwell’s dance-based performance piece follows Charlotte Bydwell (the character) through several days in her hectic existence. She humorously depicts the pressures that come at young women from every side—pressure to be in great shape, to be creatively fulfilled and also financially stable, to be a good daughter, to maintain successful relationships, to achieve (as her meditation audio guide urges gently) balance in all aspects of our lives. And it’s clear that she isn’t complaining. She isn’t railing against the injustices of being pressured toward perfect (though she’d be justified!). She is simply showing—clearly, lovingly, and with just a hint of panic, the experience so familiar to those in the audience.
The piece opens with Bydwell seated upstage in a pool of light, full princess skirt spread around her, the picture of elegance. The illusion of serenity is quickly dismantled as Bydwell is beset from all sides with phone calls from her mother, messages from “Tom, that cute boy you met on the subway,” and a call from her new boss telling her she got the restaurant job she applied for (yay!) and wants her to start right away! The full skirt, a wonderful piece of character and storytelling from Costume Designer Erica Evans, goes from elegance to disarray and back to an attempt at elegance, and at one point even becomes the bed in which Bydwell just can’t fall sleep, as her inner voice counts down the hours over the sound system.
A deafening alarm signals that it’s time to exercise—a mandate she can’t seem to ignore no matter where she is when it rings. Exercise is only one activity that Bydwell conscientiously marks time for on her comically large calendar. She’s also scheduled time to Create…time that gets reappropriated throughout the performance as other obligations and opportunities come knocking.
Even circumstances that are clearly exaggerated for comic effect or timing’s sake are instantly recognizable as real, and full of emotional truth. Bydwell nailed it, and it was incredibly gratifying (and a little eye-opening, maybe even motivating) to see my own experience and the experience of so many women I know laid bare so wonderfuly. My ONLY complaint about this performance is that it was over too quickly! I would absolutely recommend Woman of Leisure and Panic.
Preview: Interviews with Artists from Woman of Leisure and Panic
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 · Charlotte Bydwell (Writer)
- Where were you born? Where were you raised? Where did you go to school?
I was born in Canada and raised in Montreal, where I attended Miss Edgar and Miss Cramp's School for Girls (that's right, it's a real place!). I then moved to NYC in 2005 to study dance at The Juilliard School and have been here ever since. - What are some of your previous theater credits? (Be specific! Name shows, etc.)
As a dancer, I've worked with Monica Bill Barnes and Larry Keigwin, performing at The Joyce Theatre, Jacob's Pillow, the American Dance Festival and other venues around the country. As an actress, I've been a resident performer at the Williamstown Theatre Festival (I appeared in last summer's productions of 'The Importance of Being Earnest' directed by David Hyde Pierce and 'A Month in Country' adapted and director by Richard Nelson). I was also a member of the Bats, the resident acting company at the Flea Theatre in downtown Manhattan. I was lucky enough to be an original cast member in their epic production of Sean Graney's 'These Seven Sicknesses'...a 5-hour Greek marathon that included dinner, drinks and singing nurses. - Why did you want to be part of FringeNYC?
I think FringeNYC is absolutely the perfect venue for WOMAN OF LEISURE AND PANIC. One of the main ideas in the piece is how to balance your creative ambitions with the realities of surviving and making work in NYC. I'm sure that both the audience members and the other artists involved in FringeNYC will relate to this struggle. Hopefully, the show will provide them with an opportunity to step back and laugh at the neurotic behavior we all engage in while trying to make our way in the world. - What was the most memorable/funny/unusual thing that has happened during the development and rehearsal process for this show?
Back in January of 2012, I performed an excerpt of WOMAN OF LEISURE AND PANIC at a venue in Brooklyn. A friend of mine invited a playwright from Mexico named Heber Villegas. After seeing the show, Heber wrote to me and asked if he could translate my work into Spanish and remount it in Mexico. It was such an incredible surprise and I was absolutely thrilled by the idea that the material could be adapted to fit the struggles experienced by artists in other countries. Part of me now hopes that there will be more translations and presentations of this piece around the world! Even though the show has some NYC-specific elements, I've learned that the panic and leisure this character experiences are truly universal. - Be honest: how many drafts have you written of this play so far? Are you still re-writing? What’s the process been like?
Well, this piece actually began as my graduation solo from The Juilliard School back in 2009. It was just a 3-minute dance about some of the neurotic tendencies I'd developed in my four years of conservatory training and the impact they had on my artistic development. Upon graduating, all of the pressures of 'real life' combined with the baggage that I was carrying with me from school created the WOMAN OF LEISURE AND PANIC. From there, it took two years to get a solid draft of the evening-length show together. As I continue to perform the piece, I'm always adding little episodes based on new experiences that I've had in the real world. I also let my impulses as a performer shape the piece so that if I improv something funny one night, it might become a permanent line in the show from then on. Basically, as I continue to grow and hopefully mature, so does the WOMAN OF LEISURE AND PANIC.
All About My Show · Jennifer Conley Darling (Other)
- Complete this sentence: My show is the only one in FringeNYC that...?
Our show is the only one in FringeNYC that melds dance, storytelling and comedy so beautifully. Charlotte Bydwell is a natural comedienne while also making you truly consider the things about which she is speaking. - What do you think this show is about? What will audiences take away with them after seeing it?
Woman of Leisure and Panic chronicles the life of an artist in NYC. It portrays through physical comedy, aerobics, voiceover and visual drawings the daily struggle to balance auditions, physical fitness, money, day job, vacations and more. The audience will either completely relate to this as a fellow artist or get a view into the life of a struggling artist living in a big city. In both cases, it will be alot of fun! - What aspect of the show are you responsible for, and what exactly does that entail? Please be specific, e.g., if you’re the dramaturg, what are the things that the audience will experience that you’re responsible for?
I am the Producing Artistic Director of terraNOVA Collective, the producing organization behind this show. Woman of Leisure and Panic was part of our soloNOVA Arts Festival a few years ago and when the opportunity arose to be part of another run, we jumped on it. Charlotte is one of the most talented artists we've encountered. - How did you first become involved/acquainted with this show?
During the soloNOVA Arts Festival, Charlotte quickly emerged as one to watch. She is extremely talented in many ways, very ambitious and wonderfully creative. Charlotte has remained part of our Collective acting with us in several different projects. - Is there a particular moment in this show that you really love or look forward to? Without giving away surprises, what happens in that moment and why does it jazz you?
I love the sequences when Charlotte is working from home. There is a beautiful voiceover sequence where we hear the inner thoughts and neuroses Charlotte experiences. We get to peer into her brain and enjoy the absurdity that is the mind of an artist.
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