Tell us about the genesis of Antarctica. Where did the idea for it originally come from?
Antarctica was written primarily because Maggie [Cino] and I were scheduled to do something in the San Francisco Fringe in 2005 and we didn’t precisely have a play. I had started to write something that occurred to me when working on something else. My old Latin teacher, Mrs. Walden, was making a cameo appearance in the novel I’ve been working on for, like, ever, and I thought of going off in a different direction. So that became Antarctica.
In a less immediate sense, I’ve always been really fascinated with the wild places in the world, and exploration. I can’t really remember how the fairy tale element came into it. I can only say that I was writing really quickly, bringing pages into rehearsals as I was writing, and I just kind of included things that I like. And East of the Sun and West of the Moon has always been the most interesting of fairy tales to me. It’s the Nordic version of Beauty and the Beast, and the motives of the prince always seemed suspect to me. I wanted to look into that.
Antarctica co-starred nytheatre.com contributor Maggie Cino, who has been a regular collaborator of yours for many years now. How did you two first meet and what do you like about working with each other?
We met more or less through the New York International Fringe Festival and friends. We would wind up at the same parties and stuff. Oh — but we really started talking when I was doing costumes for a production of The Maids we were doing at the Theatorium that Maggie was in.
I think we just get along really well and are interested in the same things. I mean she’s the best.
You and Maggie have been working on Antarctica for quite some time. What is it about this project that keeps you both coming back to it?
The joke of it is, we really haven’t. We did it in San Francisco which was fun and challenging. It was a pretty bare bones production. And then I was working on some illustrations for a possible picture book version, and I decided I wasn’t really done with it. I wanted a more fully realized production. So we did it again.
You are also a director. For you, how do playwriting and directing go together?
Honestly, I really don’t understand why everyone doesn’t direct their own plays, at least sometimes. I guess I’m a classic type A, detail oriented control freak. I’m as much a visual artist as I am anything, and when I write plays, I write for them to be seen. Not read, either on the page or in staged readings, which I’ve always found to be really painful and unhelpful. When I’m writing, I know what I want the plays to look like. I don’t think I’m particularly precious with the text. That said, it is really nice to relinquish control sometimes. I just had a short play up at The Brick, which was directed by Daniel McKleinfeld, and that was lots of fun.
I want to mention that I’ve been working with Dan Jagendorf and Ryan Schmidt (my set and lighting designers) for as long as I’ve worked with Maggie. I’m really, really comfortable with the design aspects of theater. And I like working with Dan & Ryan as much as I like working with Maggie. Geniuses all.
How did you first become interested in theater, and the arts, in general?
That’s such a hard question. It’s all I’ve ever done. In answer, below you will find a play I wrote in 1973, one of my earliest works. If anyone would like to produce it, go right ahead, but please let me know as I’d love to see what you do with it.
Bop Bop Says Bop Bop
Marvelous runs onto the stage.
Copycat approaches.
“Hello”, says Bu-Bu.
Susan sings.
Zanzar and Cute-Cute approach.
Bop-Bop hits Zee-Zee, singing “Bop-Bop”
Copycat copies Cute-Cute.
Cute-Cute and Bu-Bu fall down the waterfall. Susan runs for help. Zanzar saves them.
You have worked in various capacities for the New York International Fringe Festival since its inception. What are some of the jobs you've done for them over the years, and how did you first get involved with FringeNYC?
Since the second year of the festival, actually. I was acting (!) in Reverie’s first go at Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy at the Present Company up on 45th Street and met John Clancy and Dave Calvitto. And then when the festival happened that summer (1998), I was dating someone on staff. I went down to the Theatorium to meet the person I was seeing and ran into Dave Calvitto who said “I need an assistant! Will you be my assistant?!”. And I said “Okay”.
Those early years were really magical. That’s the only word for it. Everything I’ve done since has seemed easy. It changed my life, really.
Back when I was on staff, I was Volunteer Coordinator. Which was really high pressure, as there were about 1300 box office shifts over the course of the festival, each of which required a volunteer. But you meet all the nice people when you’re in charge of the volunteers. And a few random lunatics to keep things interesting.
For the past few years I’ve been on the Adjudication Panel, i.e. one of the people who figures out what’s going to be in the festival. Needless to say, I’ve read more plays than most people on earth.
What else are you currently working on?
I’m still working on my novel which I’ve been working on forever. Some short stories. And I went to Africa last November and I have some thoughts about doing a project based on some photographs. And Maggie and I have a short piece we’re about to begin work on called at this point “The Sandwich Project”. And as always, I have lots of plays I’m thinking about based on true crimes.
Interview with Carolyn Raship was conducted by Michael Criscuolo January 2008.