Spotlight On...Candy Buckley

Name: Candy Buckley

Hometown:  My father was an Air Force officer.  A pilot.  A former Japanese prisoner of war.  We lived all over.  I went to a different school every year from 5th grade until I was a senior in high school.  California, Utah, North Dakota, Virginia, to name a few. As an adult, many years in Texas, a few in Cambridge at the American Repertory Theater, and NYC since 1994.

Education: BFA from TCU; MA from University of Texas, MFA from the Dallas Theater Center/Trinity U.

Select Credits:  I guess the role that changed my life was Sadie Burke in All the King's Men.  It altered the trajectory of my career.  Got me noticed by Robert Brustein in The New Republic, and gave me a ticket out of Dallas and onto a bigger stage.  It was a musical based on the great Robert Penn Warren novel and used Randy Newman songs.  Sadie's a great character.  Tortured.  Passionate.  Raw.

Why theater?:  I played pretend all the time.  I taught high school theater for awhile in Austin. And my MFA is in directing.  I love the craft of the theater.

Who do you play in HAL & BEE: Bee

Tell us about Bee:  Well, I'm still learning about her.  She's fun.  She's frustrated.  She drinks too much.  She is living a life of repetition.  Quiet desperation.  But she is not giving up.  There's a spiritedness to her. And of course, that's the hook for me.

What is it like being a part of Hal & Bee?:  I pulled out of another job to do Hal & Bee because I absolutely love the play.  Max Baker is an incredible writer.  I did a reading of the play a while ago and flipped over it.  And Sarah Norris is a young, quietly confident director.  I would work with either of them again in a heartbeat.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?:  I like it a little bit wild and surprising.  I like when theater is theater, doing what it does best, not what tv or film or kitchen sink do better.  I like sound to be incorporated.  I like actors to pop in a slightly dangerous way.  I like the knowledge that actors and audience are in the same room/cabaret.  Bootycandy, Fun Home, Blasted, Wakey Wakey, The Way West.  I'm inspired by the use of more women.  Let's get those stories up and running.

Any roles you're dying to play?:  I want to do a one-person show.  Not one where I play a lot of characters.  Not dramatic interp as we used to call it in speech tournaments.  One where I'm the same person throughout, a little bit funny and a little bit outrageous. With lots of colors.  I did Little Dog Laughed.  Someone like that.  Or maybe she's an actress.  Looking back. Hmmmm.

What's your favorite showtune?:  Currently, "Ladies Who Lunch."  I did Company and I sang that show for an audition for "Transparent."  I would love to be on "Transparent."  It's messy like me.

If you could work with anyone you've yet to work with, who would it be?:  John Tiffany.  His staging captures my imagination.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?:  Gayle Rankin and it would be called "Candy."  If you have a stripper name, use it!

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?:  The original Sweeney Todd.  I played Mrs. Lovett.  Oh.  My.  Lord.  And then I worked with Hal Prince the next year when I moved to New York.  The man can stage a musical.  I did see Evita and my mind was officially blown.  He's a master.

What show have you recommended to your friends?:  I'm obsessed with The Bengsons.  I saw Hundred Days and Sundown Yellow Moon.  Anything they're involved with.

What's your biggest guilty pleasure?:  THE YANKEES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What's up next?:  My daughter, Erin Buckley, writes.  And one of her plays is in contention for a prestigious festival this summer.  There is a role for me. That is my idea of heaven.

Spotlight On...Lillith Fallon

Name: Lillith Fallon

Hometown: Durham , NC

Education: The Stella Adler Studio Evening Conservatory

Select Credits: Readymaid in Archy by Sam Corbin, directed by Jake Beckasa as part of #SERIALS @ The Flea and Edith in Blithe Spirit.

Why theater?: I believe in it and its ability to transcend. I believe in artistic communities and their abilities to nurture and support. The theater community is a very large very warm home. As actors, no matter if you’re tired and poor or tired (everyone is always complaining about being tired) and rich, as long as you show up and connect we’ve got something.

Who do you play in In the Event of My Death?: I play Meg Winters.

Tell us about In the Event of My Death: The play is about a group of friends who were inseparable growing up, coming together after the funeral of one their closest friends, Freddy. We learn right away that Freddy has committed suicide. The play deals with what it means to change and grow up. Specifically, with this group did you get permission to change and grow up? If you could take back what you said, would you?

What is it like being a part of Stable Cable Lab Co.?: It’s exciting! We put in a lot of hard work and time and in return I think we’re creating something great. At times that can be daunting and tiring, but when has anything easy ever been rewarding?

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: Can I say all of it? Truly it does. If an audience member is as engaged as the actor then I’m happy. Whether your show budget is this Dixie cup represents a wine glass and your “chair” is actually a milk crate versus the “oh¬ my ¬dear ¬Lord that stage is moving and I have seen that lead actress 18 times on TV.” I like it all. The actors who inspire me are the ones who take such risks you think they must be completely judgment free. Watching someone take big risks is incredibly liberating.

Any roles you’re dying to play?: I have always secretly wanted to play Captain
Hook! I also really want to play Rachel in Reckless or Sherry Wickman from Tigers Be Still. Lastly, I’d be remiss to not say Maureen from RENT. ¬Man, did middle school Lillith love RENT!

What’s your favorite showtune?: "Do in What Comes Naturally" as sung  by Ethel Merman. My dad bought me that CD and I listened to that specific song at least twice a day for a year.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Allison Janney and Christopher Guest

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Marcel the Shell or Amy Sedaris in "I’m Covered in Crumbs".

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: Uta Hagen in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf and Philip Seymour Hoffman and John C. Reilly in True West.

What show have you recommended to your friends?: Aside from In the Event of My Death, I would recommend seeing Men on Boats at Playwrights Horizons. Also, The Magical Adventures of Benny and Griff. Check them out www.bennyandgriff.com!

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Standing in a tub ankle deep with water. I love having clean feet. If I could do that while also simultaneously eating a chocolate sheet cake with extra frosting on it, then I would. But to be honest, I wouldn’t feel remotely guilty.

What’s up next?: I am working on a piece to present as a part of The Motherline Story project, check out their website at www.elizasimpson.com/motherlinestoryproject.

Spotlight On...John Racioppo

Name: John Racioppo

Hometown: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Education: Brown University & London Academy of Dramatic Art

Select Credits: New York: Breathing Time (Fault Line Theatre), She Stoops to Conquer (Hudson Warehouse), Untameable (The Unsoft War/Highly Impractical Theatre), Bronx Bombers (Cover for roles, Primary Stages), The Tie That Binds (The Gallery Players). Regional: Fracture/Mechanics (Brown/Trinity Playwrights Rep), Freshwater Road (Rites and Reason), One More Room (Williamstown Theatre Festival Workshop); The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Brown University).

Why theater?: I think we better understand ourselves and others through storytelling. I think theatre, and live performance in general, allows us to practice group empathy. It’s one of the only opportunities in our society to gather with a group of people and learn about ourselves and others, not just through intellect, but through emotional catharsis. I think it has the potential to remind us that we’re a part this amazing shared human experience, not just a singular individual on a rock in space. It can be comforting. It can be terrifying. It can be tragic. But for the duration of the performance, the audience, the artists, the theatre staff are all in it together, for better or for worse.

Who do you play in In the Event of My Death?: I play Peter, the guy who never left the small town he grew up in.

Tell us about In the Event of My Death: Literally, In the Event of My Death is about a group of childhood friends who come together to mourn the passing of a friend who committed suicide. More abstractly, I think it’s about how we change, how we stay the same, and how we reconcile the fact that the idea of ourselves might not be who we actually are.

What is it like being a part of Stable Cable Lab Co.?: I’m fairly new to Stable Cable Lab Co. having only joined around a year ago, though thus far I’ve loved the experience. Personally, it’s been extremely motivating to surround myself with this troupe of talented young actors, writers, and directors. It prevents me from becoming stagnant and pushes me to be better. I think Stable Cable Lab Co.’s strength is that by having a multi-talented and wide reaching network, they are able to connect artists to incubate new plays and collaborate in a trustworthy environment.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: My taste varies drastically. There’s not really one thing that I look for in a show. I think anything that displays clear storytelling and aims to engage and challenge the audience has the potential to be exciting. I’m not really interested in art created to bolster the ego of the artists. As for inspiration, my goal is always to be pulling from a wide array of sources. I’m at my best when I’m constantly watching theatre, listening to music, screening movies, and extending myself as a person. I think there’s as much to be learned watching Chekhov as there is to be learned over a good bourbon and conversation.

Any roles you’re dying to play?: In the immediate future? Biff Loman in Death of a Salesman might be at the top of that list… That or a Marvel s uperhero. Saving the world would be pretty fun.

What’s your favorite showtune?: I quite literally can’t listen to " Wait For It " (from Hamilton) without getting all misty eyed.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: That list is very very long and it ranges from Academy Award winners to close friends I’ve always wanted to collaborate with. As a side note, that’s my favorite thing about being in New York City: the seemingly endless pool of remarkable talent. It seems like every day there’s always a slew of new plays, new films, and new pilots by new artists that excite and inspire me. So that very very long list grows longer nearly every day.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: I don’t know what it would be called, but it would definitely be stop motion and I’d want to be voiced by Michael Caine.

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: Does Nirvana on the Nevermind Tour in ’91 count? That feels like cheating. So I’ll go with the first ever performance of Romeo & Juliet just because I’d want to see what an audience’s reaction would be if they didn’t know what was coming when things start to go south in Act III.

What show have you recommended to your friends?: I mean, Hamilton is really, really good, but I feel bad recommending something that’s impossible to get access to. Normally I catch 3 or 4 shows a week, but because we’ve been in rehearsal almost every night, I honestly haven’t had the chance to see much theatre recently. So I’ll just say that I make a point of seeing everything St. Ann’s Warehouse produces. Its far and away my favorite venue to see theatre in the city.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: …The Bachelorette.  I’m so so sorry.

What’s up next?: I just shot a monologue with Eric Bogosian for his 100 Monologues project which should be coming out online sometime soon. Meanwhile, my production company Good Baby Films has several projects in various stages of production while my theatre company Fault Line Theatre is reading tons of plays as we finalize our plans for next season.

Review: Millennial Problems

To say that nothing happened in Because Me would be a little harsh. But finding all the checkpoints of the dramatic structure within the text is quite difficult. Written and directed by Max Baker, Because Me, presented by Stable Cable Lab Co, is an examination of the life of a twenty something struggling artist.
Because Me follows Else, a white girl, as she moves into a decaying apartment building where she becomes a minority. Through a series of scenes that chronicle her nine months in the apartment, we see her and her pals interact despite feeling alone, depressed, and struggling with life. With six supporting characters that add little to a story, Because Me struggles to find itself, much like the focal character. There surely is a point to Baker's story. But it takes an architectural dig to find it. In every scene, we watch Else battle life as her companions seem to have other cares. So is the thesis that we live in a world where we can't focus on ourselves because we tend to worry about others first? Maybe. Or is it that we're all so wrapped up in ourselves that we can't see the pain in others? Perhaps. But dramatically, it was horribly uninteresting to watch. Baker's script is filled with so much lack of explanation. From Else randomly appearing wearing a neck brace to the kleptomaniac neighbor Kyle to really who these characters are. It's as if you're watching "Lost". All set up, no answers. The big question you must ask is what do all these moments have to do with the overall arc of the play and Else's character. The most climatic moment came when Else's computer is stolen. How this isn't the end of the world for Else is quite shocking. Between it first being gone, an enormous expense to be paid, and the fact that someone broke into the apartment and stole it, the way the character handled the situation was simply unbelievable. Structurally, many of the scenes felt incomplete, leaving on awkward buttons. As far as the timeline of the piece is concerned, we're told it is a span of nine months but Baker says Else is 28 early on only to have her say it's a week before she turns 30 at the end. It's a simple switch but it's these moments that prove that with Baker playing writer and director, there are immense problems.

Playing depressed and dejected is not an active action to play on stage. Alice Johnson as Else was set up to fail. Due to the nature of the character there was no way to give Else life. You could see Johnson wanting to do something but it would stray from Baker's intent and text. With nothing interesting to play, appearing committed to the story was hard. There is a character study to be explored but perhaps the stage is not the place for it. Roman is a lively, energetic character but his dialogue is so soap boxy. Thankfully, Arthur Kriklivy's high energy sold it. Sadly, spewing personal opinions seemed to be his only purpose in this piece. As self-centered sister Celia, Samantha Strelitz created a character that was beyond recognizable. Though she only seemed to care about herself in the moment, the scene between Celia and Else post potential breakup was the strongest of the entire play. There was actual substance within. Keeping with the self-centered characters Even Marie Mugar's Mimi is the millennial we all hate. She created her with great ease. She got under your skin with every ignorant comment and ability to use anyone in her path. So she was successful in that regard. Neighbor Kyle was by far the most interesting element that Baker needed to explore. Emmanuel Elpenord offered all he could to leave you wanting more. But with that crucial character moment that never gets explained, you're left wondering why he's really necessary.
It was clear that Because Me made sense to Baker and only Baker. By directing his own work, what was on the page did not translate to the stage. Baker was in desperate need of a collaborator to fix the problems. With the play exploring a nine-month time frame, scenic designer Doss Freel created an apartment in transition. Freel's mishmash of items seemed to fit Else's style though not seeming like it was actually suitable for living. Though there were discrepancies between text and design, it didn't cause much issue. The way Freel and Baker laid out the space was very much in line with the square of the stage with the sole exception of the angled table. Being the singular item that was not in grid formation threw it all off.
Because Me was problematic from start to finish. It's possible that Because Me was not ready for this level of production.

Review: About That Ending

1969.  It was a vivacious year. It was the end of an era and the start of a new decade. A time where women stood strong and a man walked on the moon. It is also sets the scene for Max Baker’s wildly captivating drama Live From the Surface of the Moon. Presented by Stable Cable Lab Co., a group of friends celebrate a series of personal and historical moments while old and new relationships are tested.
On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong was set to be the first man to walk on the moon, broadcasted live on national television. It was also the night that Don and Carol were to be parents. To celebrate the momentous occasions, Don and Carol celebrate with their swinging couple Wendell and June, Carol’s decrepit dad and her gal pal Holly. As Carol goes into labor, Wendell and Holly are left alone with Don in the corner, as they engage in a game of domination. What ensues months later on New Years’ Eve is the aftermath of a optimistic night for some and a night of terror for others. Max Baker's living room drama begins slowly but picks up steam. When the dramatic damage is done and intermission begins, you can’t help but wonder what happens next. How will this chance encounter alter their lives? Will a confrontation occur? Rather than handling the catalyst of excitement, Baker lightly touches on it and instead explores different themes and character arcs. As Baker does this, you can’t help but long for that big explosive moment between Wendell and Holly where Holly reveals all as the calendar switches to a new year. But just when all is to be revealed, Baker blindsides you with something unsatisfactory. You can’t help but mutter to yourself as you sit in the dark. Regardless of the ending, Baker’s script is filled with some dramaturgical questions that could use some addressing including the nature of Wendell and Carol’s relationship, Joe’s presence in the play and an overall character history of Wendell.

photo courtesy of Sara Watson

Live From the Surface of the Moon was filled with some well-rounded performances. Leading off with great strength was Brian Edleman as Wendell. Edleman had a grand task of finding redeeming qualities in the antagonist. Edelman expertly finds an attractiveness in Wendell that by the time he turns, you may have already fallen for him. As meek Holly, Lisa Anderson goes full force. Anderson easily finds the highest highs and lowest lows of Holly. The dynamic between Edleman and Anderson is vibrant. Their haunting scene to close act one was the strongest in the entire play. Ian Patrick Poake and Breanna Foister as Don and June respectively captured the essence of the time expertly.
Playwright Max Baker took on the role of director as well. While it didn’t serve the script best in aiding in the issues, Baker’s direction of the actors and the production was quite strong. Baker brought the highs and lows of the story and balanced them to give a complete theatrical arc. With a strong ensemble behind him, there was no doubt that his work would shine. From a production standpoint, Live From the Surface of the Moon was a knockout. The attention to detail in all aspects made the piece shine. The set by Doss Freel and costumes by Natalie Loveland brought the late 60s to life. Their specificity and appearance evoked the times and looked mighty fine doing it. Freel’s set was mostly practical for Baker’s staging. The only issue was the table for the board game as much of the scene forced backs to the audience. Even the prop’s by Zachary Sitrin were skillfully selected. The costumes by Loveland fit each characters’ personality well without feeling forced. The lighting by Sara Watson allowed for some stunning stage pictures, especially in the finale scene of Act I.
Live From the Surface of the Moon is one of those special pieces that, despite its flaws, is dynamic, chaotic, and invigorating. With some tweaking, this play could find a very long future.