Your play, Fall Forward, was performed outdoors, site specifically. Did you intend for that to happen when you were writing it or was it decided upon later?
We — that is, Rising Phoenix and I — were commissioned by Nolini Barretto through the Sitelines / River to River Festival of the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council to create a play explicitly for the two adjoining courtyards and interior of the John Street Methodist Church. From the beginning, that was the job at hand. I’m not sure exactly how Nolini happened upon the church as a site for the festival — the festival chooses “venues” all over the downtown Manhattan area to stage theatre, dance, etc. The play eventually happened, as it were, in one courtyard and inside the church. Daniel [Talbott, the director of Fall Forward] and I decided, in rehearsals, after seeing how well the last two sections of the play worked inside, to abandon using the other adjoining courtyard. The ambience and the atmosphere of the church were just too powerful to troop the audience outside again. The play needed to conclude within the confines of that hushed, poignant little church — which happens to be the oldest Methodist church in the country, by the way. It’s a well-known building among the Methodist congregation. One couple was in town from England and made it a point to include the church in their itinerary of New York — and ended up taking in our play.
Where'd you get the idea for the play?
I remember we went down to the church one afternoon after we received the Sitelines commission, and it was locked, and the gates to the courtyards were locked, so we couldn’t get in, and we stood out on the street and peered and talked about the possibilities. As we gazed at the courtyard on the exterior left of the church, Daniel started to riff on the idea of using Joel Johnstone, one of our actors from our production of Rules of the Universe, as some self-absorbed businessman on his lunch hour on his cell. We knew there would be some kind of continuation of the story with Joel, and the audience following him into the church, and that he would be involved in whatever happened inside with whomever. Then, the audience would follow him out and he would go and there would be a completely separate couple in the other courtyard. That was an imaginative riff — Daniel thought it might be a completely naked couple, chatting away, with maybe a skateboarder riding through the scene. And you find out why a naked couple might be sitting in a courtyard of a church two blocks from Ground Zero with a skateboarder not seeming to notice them … anyway, all kinds of ideas for me to consider and write. I instinctively knew the idea of a naked couple sitting in a church courtyard in public view in broad day and a skateboarder whipping around on church property probably wouldn’t fly, so I considered other scenarios. But that was it: with us standing around and imagining a play, as Daniel and I often do.
Rising Phoenix has produced a couple of your plays now. How'd you first get hooked up with them, and what do you like about working with them?
I’ve had three plays produced by them, in fact, and Daniel invited me to be a member of the company a couple years ago. We met in 2004, when we were both taking part in a short play festival. Daniel was acting in a play and I thought he was riveting — incredibly compelling. He reminded me of my friend Frank Wood — the kind of talent that has brilliance in it, totally unique. I had this feeling again when I saw Daniel in another play. So already I was a huge admirer of him as an actor, and we saw each other around socially. Then Daniel suddenly asked me to adapt Chekhov’s Three Sisters. And a creative love story was born, because I then learned what kind of visionary, bold talent he was as a director. Rising Phoenix is a company full of wonderful talent, comprised of actors, writers and directors. I’ve made an entire family just by knowing them.
Two of your fellow Rising Phoenix colleagues, Daniel and Crystal Skillman, are also included in Plays and Playwrights 2008. How does it feel to be published alongside them?
I think it’s fantastic that three writers from the same company are together in one anthology, and probably pretty unique. It’s a great culmination of effort for Crystal to have her trilogy published in its entirety, and for everyone to see yet another aspect of Daniel’s theatrical artistry as a playwright. It really says a lot about him — that he’s made this the little theatre company that could, and for Rising Phoenix that we’re being honored and included together. So I’m delighted to be representing alongside both of them.
You won the New York Innovative Theatre Award for another one of your plays, Rules of the Universe. What was that experience like?
Very pleasantly surprising. I just assumed that since so few people could actually get in to see the play — there was room for about fifteen people a show — we would just kind of fall off the radar, that the nominations were our awards. And we were well represented with nominations — four including Best Production. I pictured a bridesmaid scenario. Then we got word that Rising Phoenix was going to be presented with the Caffe Cino fellowship at the awards and that really made me feel that was it — that would be our night, which was OK with me. I also admit I believe in nonsense like jinxes. Daniel — who likes to talk people into spending money — persuaded me to buy this somewhat expensive but very beautiful suit specifically for the awards. As I paid for it, I thought, “I’m a fool. Now I’m definitely not going to win.” Then at the awards ceremony, I remember sitting in the middle of the row and someone said, “Would you like to switch places with me on the aisle, so you don’t have to climb over people when you win?” I said, “If I play into that, I’m jinxing it for sure. No.” Then I won, and half a row of people had to get up for me. When I passed by Addie Johnson, Daniel’s wife, she said to me, “It’s because of that suit.” My moment of winning went by quickly — over like a sexy dream. The best part was being back in my seat and watching Daniel win as director. Then there was the presentation to the company of the Caffe Cino award, with scenes from my plays presented. It was an embarrassment of riches for which I was very grateful.
What can audiences expect to see from you next?
A film of Rules of the Universe with the stage cast is in the works. And Daniel and I have been asked by Inverse Theater to create an original play at the Ohio Theatre this spring. And I’ve been a slave to making a full-length play out of a short play called Self-Portrait in a Blue Room that was in last summer’s Ensemble Studio Theatre Marathon. And one play that’s seventy percent written. And another that’s twenty percent written. And a new screenplay. Is that enough?
Interview with Daniel Reitz was conducted by Michael Criscuolo January 2008.