The play you both co-wrote, Pulling the Lever, is a docudrama centered on the 2004 Presidential Election. Could you talk a little more about it, and where the idea for it came from?
Purohit: In June of ’04 Rising Circle was all set to produce The Laramie Project but the rights were pulled from us without explanation. We were stuck with a theater and no play. Rod Bowen, the co-founder of Rising Circle and myself sat down to strategize and started thinking. We started talking about how it was a pretty charged election year and that it would be a great opportunity if we asked some people, who we normally wouldn’t see in the media what they thought about voting and what it means to them—as a citizen or non-citizen living in America. This brainstorm came on the heels of the release of Fahrenheit 9/11 and we were interested in how to capture voices in documentary style theater (similar to The Laramie Project). So the group (which consisted of about 8 people) went out and interviewed over 40 people of different ages, genders, ethnicities, sexual orientation to get their view on voting. What came out of those interviews was so much more than that. We elicited their personal stories about their parents and children’s influence on their politics or their experience fighting in a war, or their experience of coming to America or being born here. Keep in mind in July ’04 the Abu Gharib atrocities had just been exposed and the war was also in the forefront of people’s minds, so a lot of perspectives on that issue came out without us directly asking about it. It was really an amazing experience. Sanjit, Rod and I ran a series of workshops with a talented group of actors, some of who were in the show and some of whom were not, to glean the most important, compelling aspects of the stories and to shape the interviews into a dramatic structure. The result of the interviews, the workshops, and our writing was Pulling the Lever.
Pulling the Lever was nominated for six awards at the very first New York Innovative Theatre Awards, and won the award for Outstanding Ensemble. What was it like to get that kind of recognition for the production?
Purohit: You know, we learned a lot about producing and marketing through the experience of Pulling the Lever. We thought, wow no New York Times review even though our show was produced at a time when people were searching for what they term “political shows.” And we had a lot of people come out and see it. Like many self-producing entities starting out, we just didn’t have the connections. So when we decided to enter ourselves into the running for the New York Innovative Theatre Awards, we had no idea that this outfit would turn out to be such a great champion for Off-Off Broadway in a real and very visible way. It was their first year too! They’ve done such a great job of getting their name and what they do out there and they are very responsive and supportive of the artists who were nominated. We were lucky to be on the first ride with them and recognized for our hard work. That felt really good. Some of the actors who were part of the ensemble are emerging on the New York theater scene and doing a lot of work. For some it was their first time on stage in a long time or ever. So that mixture created this great energy of support which paid off for the production and won them an award.
The Awards were a huge surprise, but also an affirmation of a belief that we hold in our mission as an organization. The theater world has a long way to go when it comes to diversifying its audience, providing support and opportunities for artists of color, and most importantly telling the stories of people of color. Rising Circle is an essential part of helping to make that happen. The recognition from NYITA just affirmed our belief that our mission, from which every bit of our artistic expression spawns, is an essential part of helping to shape NYC theater for the future.
As for winning the Outstanding Ensemble award, Sanjit acted almost like a casting director and pulled together an AMAZING cast. Some were members of the Collective and some were not. The timing was just right and the folks who dedicated their time to this story, we know, did it solely because they believed in getting the voices of those people out there.
You are both involved with the company that produced Pulling the Lever, Rising Circle Theater Collective. Could you tell us a little more about the company, what you do for them, and how did you both first got involved with them?
Purohit: “Rising Circle is a collective of theater artists of color committed to producing work that reflects the diversity of the world we live in. By creating a home for artists of various disciplines and backgrounds, Rising Circle empowers this community of artists to challenge cultural misperceptions and raise social awareness through developing original stories and staging unique adaptations of published works.”
That’s our mission. Rod Bowen and I co-founded the company in March 2000. I am the Co-Artistic Director with Rod, and Sanjit is the Associate Artistic Director.
Both of you came from very diverse educational backgrounds that, in part, avoided traditional actor training. Could you both talk a little bit more about that, and how you both eventually came around to your current vocations?
Purohit: I am a former teacher. I learned a lot of my acting skills by watching brilliant teachers tell the truth to children. Many of the teachers I worked with as time went by, I realized were artists “on the side” Some in the theater, some in music—real creative types. Though it seems that an undergrad degree in History and a grad degree in Public Health have nothing in common with the field of theater, there is a common link. All three satisfy my need to deeply examine human behaviors. I am fascinated by what motivated the English to colonize Africa as much as I am fascinated by what motivates people to use or not use condoms. Storytelling elucidates human behavior on a really personal, spiritual level. That’s where my love of acting and writing fit in. My teaching experience and education have only made me more whole as an actor/writer/artist.
DeSilva: I was pre-med in college, and I ended up double majoring in Biology and Performing Arts. Two seemingly opposite things, but they are connected in that science and the arts are all about exploring what makes us human. Biology does it through the physical body and the arts do it through the human spirit. Both search for ways to better understand and explain what it means to be a human being. I think in the end I realized I was more interested in that intangible part of our existence and that storytelling was the way I could enter into that search. I then did end up going the more traditional route and went to the NYU Graduate Acting Program which was a vital experience in my growth as an artist, because it was the first time I realized how much of a craft acting is and how much hard work and dedication it takes to become a successful and meaningful storyteller.
On top of everything else, you're both married to each other. How'd you meet?
Purohit: Funny story. We met workshopping a scene for Rising Circle in 2001. It was a scene from David Mamet’s Speed-The-Plow and a mutual friend who is a close friend today wanted to direct the scene for the workshop. He cast the two of us and the rest is history!
When you're working together, how easy or difficult is it for you two to strike a good balance between your personal relationship and your professional relationship?
Purohit: You know, it’s difficult working/hustling in the entertainment world because sometimes one may be luckier than the other or the opportunities don’t come at the same time and the going can be tough. But when we’ve worked together, we’ve just clicked. We also fight for what we believe in especially when we don’t agree, but we’re really good at listening to each other and recognizing each other’s strengths. It helps that we know each other well, our strengths and weaknesses and our teamwork is usually good because we each have different strengths and weaknesses. It’s quite exciting to craft something together. This profession can be an “all about me” sort of thing especially when we’re working on different projects. Working together is more gratifying because then it’s teamwork. And for me crafting art as a group is so much more exciting than doing it alone.
DeSilva: I concur!
What's up next for you, as both actors and writers?
Purohit: I am currently working on my first solo full-length play. Rising Circle is also embarking on its next project that will be another full-length play slated for production within the next year or so. Sanjit and I will most likely be leading the writing team again.
DeSilva: Like Deepa said I’ll be leading the writing team with her on the next Rising Circle show, and in terms of acting, I’m just hoping to get a gig that pays the rent!
Interview with Sanjit DeSilva and Deepa Purohit was conducted by Michael Criscuolo Frebruary 2006.