Frigid Festival Previews

Y, marilyn unstitched

Author: Irene Glezos & Brad Calcaterra

Y, marilyn unstitched is a solo play that explores the inner landscape of a woman who was given the name Marilyn Monroe.  It's about a longing for self in a world strongly bent on defining and possessing us, a world where others are sure they know us even if we aren't sure we know ourselves.  Weaving truth with imagination '— and with liberal use of free association, alter egos, pill-induced manic episodes, and, especially, an open heart, Y follows MM as she tries to solve her own death.  We like to call the process by which we arrived at this play, and, for that matter, the playing of it:  "making proper use of the crazies."

This show is pertinent because who wouldn't want an intimate hour with Marilyn!  I would!

Y, marilyn unstitched was developed by Irene Glezos and Brad Calcaterra in an ongoing workshop called "Risk" under Brad's direction at the Sally Johnson Studio over the course of one year.  In "Risk," a group of solo performers meet on Mondays to explore their truth in front of each other.  We call it "Live Diary" or "Stand Up Drama."  Out of these improvisations, characters emerge, and stories begin to take shape. We believe that the things we want to hide from or about which we are ashamed are actually the seeds of our creativity.  The performer's improvised material is videotaped each week, then transcribed and shaped into the play.   The attempt is never to impersonate but rather to engage an archetype, and through the character and play, to find ways of telling our own truth. 

Irene Glezos, co-creator/actress