Stage Notes: The Great Recession
By Tom Murrin
The Flea Theater may be named after a small insect, but their ideas are inevitably grand. Here they have asked six top-flight young playwrights (Thomas Bradshaw, Sheila Callaghan, Erin Courtney, Will Eno, Itmar Moses and Adam Rapp) to come up with short plays that reflect the current economic situation. Upwards of 40 actors, from their stellar resident acting company, The Bats, will bring the ten minute (or so) plays to life. The Flea's artistic director, Jim Simpson, is directing one of the plays. I spoke with the lively Carol Ostrow, the Flea's producing director.
Hi Carol. How did this idea come about?
While Jim (Simpson) and I were experiencing the great recession last spring, we were talking about next season (now) and wondering whether there would be another season. Also, with full knowledge that Jim and I feel it is a part or our duty as a part of downtown theater, and the mission of the Flea, to produce plays that speak to the times we are living in, and Jim said, "We should write about the great recession," and we both said, "Yeah," and "Let's commission playwrights to write about the current economic situation and the changing tides." And life has changed.
OK, that's good.
We didn't want the plays to be about what our generation (Jim's and mine) was thinking about; that is, the generation that had lost money in the stock market, or knew someone who had been bilked by Bernie Madoff or worked at Goldman Sachs. That was not interesting to us. What was interesting to us was how the next generation was going to live their lives.
All six of the playwrights have been produced at The Flea before.
We commissioned six playwrights, and we didn't know if all six would be interested, but within 48 hours we got six yeses. All six said, "What a great idea," and "You bet, I'm in." All of the playwrights felt they had something to say.
Tell me about the plays.
They couldn't be more different in terms of subject matter, the perspective, and the way they went about exploring what "the great recession" means. We have despair, high comedy, and one is so full of hope, a youthful belief that it's going to be OK, that love will see us through.
Would that be Erin Courtney's play by any chance?
Erin's is one of the more charming ones. We were so taken aback by all the plays, but hers is charming and lovely.
How about the running times? I understand you asked for 10 minute plays.
All the plays are a little longer than 10 minutes. We're in the midst of teching the shows now, with sound effects, etc. It will be a full-length evening of theater. There's so much to grasp, the plays are so visual.
I like the idea that it's a look at the recession from younger person's points of view.
For me, I'm a baby boomer, and we grew up thinking every year it would get better. I saw my parents struggle. I was a middle-class kid and I have a kid younger than the Bats company members. They (the six playwrights) didn't see the world in the same way. It's boom or bust. There's a different relationship to money. This play is not a baby boomer play. It's really about How you live your life, given the fact of what money means (today).
The Flea Theater, 41 White St., (212) 352-3101. Nov. 20-Dec. 30. Times vary. $25.
Hi Carol. How did this idea come about?
While Jim (Simpson) and I were experiencing the great recession last spring, we were talking about next season (now) and wondering whether there would be another season. Also, with full knowledge that Jim and I feel it is a part or our duty as a part of downtown theater, and the mission of the Flea, to produce plays that speak to the times we are living in, and Jim said, "We should write about the great recession," and we both said, "Yeah," and "Let's commission playwrights to write about the current economic situation and the changing tides." And life has changed.
OK, that's good.
We didn't want the plays to be about what our generation (Jim's and mine) was thinking about; that is, the generation that had lost money in the stock market, or knew someone who had been bilked by Bernie Madoff or worked at Goldman Sachs. That was not interesting to us. What was interesting to us was how the next generation was going to live their lives.
All six of the playwrights have been produced at The Flea before.
We commissioned six playwrights, and we didn't know if all six would be interested, but within 48 hours we got six yeses. All six said, "What a great idea," and "You bet, I'm in." All of the playwrights felt they had something to say.
Tell me about the plays.
They couldn't be more different in terms of subject matter, the perspective, and the way they went about exploring what "the great recession" means. We have despair, high comedy, and one is so full of hope, a youthful belief that it's going to be OK, that love will see us through.
Would that be Erin Courtney's play by any chance?
Erin's is one of the more charming ones. We were so taken aback by all the plays, but hers is charming and lovely.
How about the running times? I understand you asked for 10 minute plays.
All the plays are a little longer than 10 minutes. We're in the midst of teching the shows now, with sound effects, etc. It will be a full-length evening of theater. There's so much to grasp, the plays are so visual.
I like the idea that it's a look at the recession from younger person's points of view.
For me, I'm a baby boomer, and we grew up thinking every year it would get better. I saw my parents struggle. I was a middle-class kid and I have a kid younger than the Bats company members. They (the six playwrights) didn't see the world in the same way. It's boom or bust. There's a different relationship to money. This play is not a baby boomer play. It's really about How you live your life, given the fact of what money means (today).
The Flea Theater, 41 White St., (212) 352-3101. Nov. 20-Dec. 30. Times vary. $25.
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