“This play needs to be out there. Now.”
Posted: May 11, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized 5 CommentsPhotos by Jay O’Berski.
I’m about to print out seventy copies of What Every Girl Should Know and send them out to theaters across the country. I will include the rave reviews, my CV, and a cover letter describing how the entire run sold out, and also maybe how after every show, audience members approached me in tears and I had to take breaks to go in a corner and breathe by myself because I had no idea how much emotional impact the show would have and I was grateful and overwhelmed.
And then…I wait. The play will sit, because piles are deep and literary managers are busy, and that’s just the nature of how things roll these days.
But I feel impatient. If there’s one thing I heard over and over from audience members, it was: “This play needs to be out there NOW. At THIS time, in THIS political climate, during THIS war on women.” This came from artists, professors, doctors, lawyers, actors, directors, parents, social workers, activists, teachers, scientists, teenagers, old, young, poor, wealthy, every gender, every race, every orientation. What Every Girl Should Know is the story of four girls who adopt Margaret Sanger as their patron saint, and what happens to them because they don’t have control over their bodies. In a time when contraception is suddenly controversial again, we must be mindful of the price of ignorance. Art needs to respond to the times. This does.
Social media means that I can reach out directly to other artists. It means we don’t have to wait. It means we can respond NOW to what’s going on NOW. And jawohl, I’m definitely taking my cue from Amanda Palmer—she uses Twitter, email, and blogging to orchestrate her art at a much faster pace than conventional methods allow, and I want to take advantage of social media to do the same.
The play is easy to produce. One simple set, four young women. If you’re an AD, an LM, a PW, or are just interested in reading it, just ask! You can reach me here. Then we can bypass the whole snailmail waltz. And then you can be the first kid on your block to consider it ; )
I hope to hear from you. Peace.
monica byrne 
Monica, Roger’s best friend works with Univ. Calif theatre div outside of L.A. We want to introduce you to him via email so you can send it to him. Roger was very active in the theatre a long time ago, but this is his one remaining contact. LOL Jackie
Hi Jackie! Oh, please do, I’d love to be introduced! And I had no idea Roger used to do theater.. : )
Roger’s major was electrical engineering, but his passion was theatre. He did summer work in professional theatre in lighting design while in college. He was an amazing light designer, and not a bad actor. He got a full scholarship at Stanford for his masters, but instead he decided continue in electrical engineering and then we married 4 months after he graduated. I have always felt guilty he did not follow his passion, and I may have been part of the reason why. But I value and cherish his giving that up.
Roger and I actually met in the theatre. He played Jeff the drunk, and I played Meg, the town floozie in Brigadoon. It was a great beginning for a 45plus year run!!!!
I am hoping in retirement to get him involved again.
The gentleman we want to hook you up with is Jeff Hickman. I’ll have Roger email him this week-end. Send us your email address again, and we will have him contact you directly. LOL , Jackie
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