First, the obvious one: Why Vampire Cowboys?
Qui: I’ll let Parker handle this question. Yo, Parker, break it down.
Robert: Well, it goes a little something like this. When we first wrote Vampire Cowboy Trilogy, we thought we might call it “The Bizarre Dreamings of Zolton Ripcord”, a title I’ve been trying to tie to something since high school. Then we decided this was a bad title. I think the discussion went something like this:
-"We should call it something totally odd, something that has nothing to do with the show."
-"Well, there are no Vampires."
-"True, also no Cowboys."
-"We should call it Vampire Cowboy Trilogy!"
Then as we were working on it, we felt the need to add them to the show, so we did. The rest is history.
Qui: Word.
Who are your most important influences, theatrically speaking?
Robert: It's interesting, but a lot of the work that influences me isn’t theatre. I would say firstly Shakespeare, Chekhov, Beckett, Gilbert & Sullivan, and Commedia dell' Arte. Robert LePage, the Quebecois director has been an enormous influence. I'm crazy for Wes Anderson, admire M. Night Shyamalan, and George Lucas is very important. Also Monty Python, Curtis & Elton's Blackadder, J. Michael Straczynski, The Simpsons, The Muppet Show, Robertson Davies, and Alan Moore. Lately, I'm really getting into “That 70's Show”.
Qui: The dead guys: Brecht, Beckett, and Ionesco. The living ones: Sung Rno, Suzan−Lori Parks, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Tom Stoppard, Steve Martin, and Naomi Iizuka. Films by Kevin Smith, Wes Anderson, and Quentin Tarantino. Anything by Joss Whedon. Books by Kurt Vonnegut and Chuck Palahniuk. The Family Guy. Buffy, The Vampire Slayer. And most Comic Books. Vovinam, Kung Fu, JKD, Aikido, and Brazilian Jujitsu are big influences on my fight choreography.
What was the last thing you saw in theatre (other than one of your own works) that really got you excited?
Robert: Honestly, most theatre I see frustrates me. It so seldom engages me emotionally, let alone aesthetically. I am more likely to have an emotional reaction to formulaic Hollywood schlock. I thought the Richard III at The Public was fascinating, but flawed, but great. Shanley's Doubt had me from the first moment to the last. Cherry Jones is. . . just. . . the real deal..
Qui: I’ll second Parker on this. Honestly, that’s the whole reason why Parker and I wrote VC3, as well as formed Vampire Cowboys Theatre Company (www.vampirecowboys.com). We wanted to create the kind of theatre we always wanted to see – a kind of theatre that was both fun and philosophical, hysterical and emotionally engaging. One show that I’ve seen that’s pulled this off wonderfully, in my opinion, was Ma−Yi Theatre’s production of Savage Acts by Kia Corthron, Jorge Ignacio Cortinas, Han Ong, and Sung Rno. It was damn good. Really fun. Really smart. Wave by Sung Rno also did this exceptionally well. Some damn good theatre, yo.
What book(s) are you reading right now?
Qui: Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman and Diary by Chuck Palahniuk
Robert: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson and The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl.
Qui is a writer and a fight director; Robert is a writer, actor, and director. Which of these jobs is your favorite?
Robert: Often when doing one, I wish I were doing the other. I think of myself as a storyteller no matter what my function is on a particular show. Each job has things to recommend it, but ultimately I just want to tell stories. I think stories are the fundamental building block of the human experience.
Qui: I completely agree. Both my jobs are about storytelling, one is physical while the other is on paper. As they say, the pen is mightier than the sword and in this case, it’s true. I primarily see myself as a writer. I love fights. I love putting together fights. But ultimately, the writer is who I am. The fighter gives me color. The combination is what makes me Vampire Cowboy.
What’s your collaboration style?
Qui: Before a word ever even hits paper, Robert and I sit down and figure out what the play is going to be about. Together, we create the characters, their stories, the arc of the play, as well as decide what kind of genres and fight choreography we will want to explore in this particular production. Then I go off and write the “first draft” to create the play’s “skeleton”. We then read it, give notes, and then Robert is charged with the second draft. This process of note−taking and trading the script back and forth goes on until we get to a draft that we are confident is “production−ready”. Once that happens, we bring it to our actors and continue the process of tweaking and rewriting until opening. Hopefully, by then, we’re happy. Which we usually are.
Robert: What? What are you talking about!?! That's not it, no. . .no, that's all wrong! Damn you, Nguyen, get off the crack!
Qui: Okay, okay, the truth is . . . we take turns tossing magnetic poetry at the fridge. Luckily, we keep making somewhat complete sentences. It’s like magic!
What are you working on right now?
Qui: Currently, I just finished doing the fight choreography to It's Karate Kid! The Musical. And now, I’m hard at work on the rewrites for Vampire Cowboys Theatre’s next production, A Beginner's Guide To Deicide. as well as rewrites to a one-act play that will be produced at the Metropolitan Playhouse as part of their Neighborhood Heroes Series.
Robert: I'm playing Victor in the Flying Machine's Frankenstein at Soho Rep, which is great fun. And as Qui said, we’re getting our next Vamp/Cow show ready.
What is the most important thing we should know about you that will help us understand/better appreciate your work?
Qui: My main philosophy about theatre is if you bore them, they will friggin’ hate you.
Robert: Here here! Also, I'm always interested in the combination of disparate elements, embracing both the high and low brow, the place where fart jokes and philosophy meet and have tea. I also look to Shakespeare as a model. His work was popular, and commercial, and yet artistically exciting. I believe that it's possible to be all those things, without sacrificing your vision.
What has been your favorite or most fun or most satisfying non−theatre job?
Robert: Umm, honestly, I get pretty frustrated and cranky when I have to work outside the business. Not pretty, but true.
Qui: Same here. I hates the “Joe-Job”.
In one sentence, what is Vampire Cowboys Trilogy about?
Qui: VC3 is theatre for that nerdy kid in all of us.
Robert: It's about theatre being fun and young and not some deadly stodgy play about 19th century 55 year olds who speak with some kinda funny accent.
Who are your favorite playwrights (living or dead)?
Qui: The living ones.
Robert: I like the dead ones, except for Qui. I prefer him healthy and around.
Qui’s parents are from Vietnam; Robert is from Canada. Have your family/own immigrant experiences shaped you in particular ways?
Qui: Definitely. Growing up in Arkansas in a fairly homogenous environment, my folks wanted me to have strong Asian role models. So instead of allowing me to watch things like Rambo, Mash, or shows that depicted Asians as bad guys, they fed me campy Kung Fu movies to help keep my yellow-esteem high in a land full of black and white. And it worked. It worked too well. Chop Socky flicks were my gateway drug into a world of “big storytelling”. I became obsessed with reading and seeing stories that depicted epic fights between good and evil. This led me to comic books, then sci−fi films, and, finally, theatre. Now at the age of 28, I’m still a big fan of superheroes and over-the-top action. As you can see by VC3, the only difference is I’m now creating the shows that I once loved to watch.
Robert: I always think we have this North meets South and East meet West thing going on, which is cool. I think it gives us a lot of perspective. Being a Canuck is interesting. The more time I spend here, the more I realize there are profound differences between the two cultures. And being an outsider, coming from a different country and actually slightly different value system really gives me some insight into my adopted country. I really want to do a show about that, I think it's fascinating.