​A graduate of the Yale School of Drama, Lauren Feldman is also a New Georges Affiliated Artist in New York City, a devised-work collaborator, a teacher of playwriting (Bryn Mawr College, McCarter Theatre, PlayPenn), and a freelance dramaturg.

On her personal website, Feldman describes herself as “a queer, feminist playwright (and circus artist) who loves theatrically adventurous, physically ambitious, intimate, inquisitive, deeply honest plays – usually about outsiders, often about searchers, always about the human connection.”

The informative, open, and unassumingly powerful PlayPenn instructor and dramaturg, collaborator and playwright wrote and/or devised many dramas that span a wide range of topics and formats. Her creative website shows an aesthetic that matches the wide range of her many talents and allows viewers and participants who are willing to take artistic risks to fly high on a creative trapeze and discover whole new worlds—inside and outside the circus world.

Feldman came to Philadelphia with a wide range of teaching experiences all over the United States. Philadelphia’s PlayPenn, dedicated to developing new plays and supporting playwrights, recently hired Feldman to teach her first 7-week course for Philadelphia area playwrights (at the Charlotte Cushman room, University of the Arts). As part of its service for Philadelphia playwrights who are taking its courses, PlayPenn hires six professional actors who stage read the final version of each 10-minute script on the last day of a playwriting course, in this case, Iman Aaliyah, Sam Henderson, Anita Holland, Anthony Mustafa-Adair, Sabrina Profitt, and Twoey Truong. This class, and Feldman’s teaching, had such an impact on the playwrights that they participated in this Phindie interview.
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For more information on PlayPenn classes for playwrights in the Philadelphia area, click this link or contact Jaqueline Goldfinger, PlayPenn’s Education Director, via this link.

​Phindie: What were your main goals for this course?

Mark Cofta: I wanted to learn more and write more, especially on some scripts that I’ve neglected for a long time. I also wanted to hang out with playwrights. 

Julie Zaffarano: Lauren had come well recommended as a playwriting instructor. My goals were simple:  (1) absorb as much as I could from Lauren’s experience and (2) complete a first draft of a play I had in mind.

Haygen Brice Walker: I’ve acted as the PlayPenn/University of the Arts liaison for the past three 7-Week workshops. My goals are always the same:  (1) Absorb everything that I can from the instructor. Literally everything. Bask in their existence. Ask them all my questions. (2)  Start a new play–which I did.

Andy Wertner: To develop a broader set of playwriting skills and complete a first draft of a new play.

Justine Marie Parks: My main goal was to obtain some answers regarding my identity as a playwright. I also wanted to acquire new skills for constructing a dynamic and compelling show for Ethos, the physical theatre company I co-founded with my partner Aaron Rose.

Alex Wilkie: My main goals were to finish a play I had been working on.

Meghan Cary: Inspiration and accountability. I originally signed up for this course to simply “throw my hat over the fence” – once the hat’s in the yard, I have to get myself over the wall to retrieve it. I knew if I signed up for a playwriting workshop, I’d have to jump in and start writing. I knew if I started writing in the company of other playwrights and under the guidance of a master playwright, I would be inspired to continue past any additional obstacles that would inevitably launch themselves in front of me along the way.

Stephanie N. Walters: Perhaps Philadelphia’s first Asian American Playwright—my goals were to further develop a work in process and begin writing a text for my one-woman show.

John O’Hara: My main goal is always to write more.

Henrik Eger: Three goals: (1)To rewrite Van Gogh’s Jewish Daughteras a monologue for a one-woman show and to let the long suffering wife come into her own, both sexually and spiritually. (2) To write my first LGBT play: Rent-controlled apartment in the Village. (3)To learn as much as possible from Lauren Feldman and my fellow playwrights.

Phindie: What were your greatest challenges during the course?

Mark Cofta: Showing up, because my Tuesdays are already very long, and because my lack of production causes a lot of shame and inner turmoil. Establishing a productive writing habit, which I failed to do—again. Finishing a play, which I’ve long struggled to do.

Haygen Brice Walker: My greatest challenges are always staying focused and finishing anything. I’m always writing like 17 plays at once and that often means that my desktop becomes a graveyard of incomplete Microsoft Word documents.

Julie Zaffarano: Lauren provided suggestions of writing techniques and explorations each week. My biggest challenge was allowing myself time to “play”—and consequently grow—instead of trying to plow through my first draft in my usual stubborn, task-oriented way.

Andy Wertner: I found it particularly challenging to delve into my personal life for inspiration as instigated by Lauren’s weekly warmup questions.

Justine Marie Parks: My greatest challenge was having a deadline! I frequently failed to send pages to my “accountabilibuddy” each week. I realized that I’m quite reluctant to write when I’m expected to do so.

Alex Wilkie: I suppose the biggest challenge was finding time to work on the assignments.

Meghan Cary: Creating space was my biggest challenge. As a mother, musician, performer, and songwriter running my own business, it was hard to prioritize writing pages. Just carving out the time to get downtown to class was sometimes a challenge. But I was so inspired by the new tools Lauren had shared that I found the space and the time—even though the kids and my husband had already gone to bed for the night when I returned home to a quiet house every Tuesday night.

Stephanie N. Walters: Feeling confident enough that I could enter a new medium of writing without any previous professional experience as a playwright.

John O’Hara: Greatest challenge? Writing about myself.

Henrik Eger: I concentrated on(1)experimenting with different genres, for example, mixing a monologue with a more traditional approach of protagonist and antagonist interacting directly. (2) Using puppets to handle the sensitive subject of different sexual encounters of a woman who got betrayed by her husband. (3) Reducing text to its essence—staying within the 10-minute time limit—without weakening the play.

Phindie: What did you learn that helped you in moving forward as a playwright?

Mark Cofta: Lauren’s lessons about language, structure, and theatrical approaches were refreshing and challenging, and I’m sure I will return to them again and again.

Julie Zaffarano: So much! Since I was working on a particular new play, Lauren helped me explore the play’s structure and language in exciting fresh ways.

Haygen Brice Walker: I’ve learned much from Lauren, but also from my peers in the class. I think the thing that stays with me most is never forgetting who I am as an artist. As a playwright, I write weird-queer-millenial-fucked up-unapologetic-brash-loud-obnoxious-scrappy-messy plays. That’s me. It’s my mantra. Risk is every fiber of what I create.
Andy Wertner: Lauren’s concise lessons on style and language were particularly engaging and helpful.

Justine Marie Parks: Being read aloud by a group of writers enabled me to feel more comfortable with my natural “voice” as a storyteller. I also loved discovering the Liz Lerman Critical Response Process. It’s a great way to manage feedback so that it is optimally productive for each artist.

Alex Wilkie: I like the tools that she introduced us to. My favorites were probably the Different Kinds of Scenes.

Meghan Cary: I got so much intangible inspiration just from immersing myself in a weekly practice of writing. But a highlight for me was when Lauren explored theatricality as a tool to writing great plays. I had never really considered this gift that the theatre alone gives us. It has given me a new freedom and sense of fun in my writing that I will carry with me from here.

Stephanie N. Walters: Artists with different aesthetics can lead to fuller, critical conversations about the work.

John O’Hara: I learned to be more open, more accepting, more encouraging.

Henrik Eger: I learned to listen to the voices of my characters, helping them to liberate themselves—no longer victims to often oppressive and dysfunctional social norms within their worlds.

Phindie: What did you think of Lauren Feldman’s method of teaching, both in terms of content and pedagogy?

Mark Cofta: Her approach is very positive and encouraging, with the underlying theme that we need to find the ways that help us succeed on our own terms.

Julie Zaffarano: One semester is not nearly enough to learn from Lauren. I hope she will be back to teach another class.

Haygen Brice Walker: Lauren Feldman is a goddess. I really loved the way that she always had a plan, but was never afraid to ask for our input. She is very open as an educator and as a human. She is talented and brave and beautiful and strong. I have found in her not only a mentor, but also a dear friend.

Andy Wertner: Lauren was extremely knowledgeable and provided many opportunities for growth and self-examination.

Justine Marie Parks: Lauren is a thoughtful and deliberate instructor with an unsurprising agility with words that made all class content a pleasure to consume. I also enjoyed the structure of her class: a writing exercise followed by a brief lesson in play craft and then 4-5 rounds of workshopping.

Alex Wilkie: I thought her teaching style was great. She was very positive and lots of her advice was spot on. I was impressed that her feedback was usually succinct but very insightful.

Meghan Cary: Hmmm. I had to look up “pedagogy”—just a fancy word for “teaching style” it seems. I loved them both. Writing is not a science; there is nothing black and white about it, so how can someone “teach” it? Hands on is the only way. Lauren gave us new tools each week and asked us to work with them for the next week. Then, we’d move on to hearing our classmates’ work—a great opportunity to immediately see and discuss the tools in context. It was exciting to learn about these tools that were new to me, but especially to pick them up and use them—successfully or not—just use them. I still have a list of plays to read for more examples of how they can be implemented. Yep. I loved them all.

Stephanie N. Walters: Lauren’s lesson plans were thoughtful and engaging. I particularly enjoyed Lauren’s employment of the Liz Lerman method. It made the discussion of work very productive for the artists presenting.

John O’Hara: I thought Lauren was a great teacher—thoughtful, organized, encouraging—with time for physical writing always at the forefront.

Henrik Eger: Lauren is probably one the most cheerful and upbeat instructors possible, and yet quite determined to put into practice a nurturing feedback system when we reviewed each other’s script. Of all the many fine playwright-teachers at PlayPenn, she was the most organized with detailed lesson plans, covering more than one semester’s work. I wanted copies of all those pages so that I could add comments of our discussions in class. Lauren, I’d be happy to buy your book on Playwritingon a Trapeze whenever it comes out.

Phindie: What are your plans in developing your playwriting skills further?

Mark Cofta: More classes, because I enjoy them and find them inspiring; more writing; more interaction with other writers.

Julie Zaffarano: I try to write every day, even if only a few lines or in my head. Write, go to the theater, read plays, and take more PlayPenn classes.

Haygen Brice Walker: I’m working on my next Fringe show as we speak as well as developing a queer werewolf drama with my writers’ group, Writers On The Rocks. Julie Zaffarano: Lauren had come well recommended as a playwriting instructor. My goals were simple:  (1) absorb as much as I could from Lauren’s experience and (2) complete a first draft of a play I had in mind.

Andy Wertner: I’m planning to attend a Master’s program in Writing for Stage and Screen beginning in January.

Justine Marie Parks: My plan is to write. I’m on deck to pen Ethos’ 2018 Philadelphia Fringe Festival show, so I will be focusing my efforts on that. I also facilitate a monthly writing workshop, EthoStory.

Alex Wilkie: To be honest, finishing this play is top priority. I have no other plans beyond that. I might take another play Penn class.

Meghan Cary: I’ll be participating in the “Writing Autobiographically” workshop next weekend, and intend to do more workshops with Playpenn. I’m also planning to schedule a regular writing session into my week to simply play around with the tools we’ve been given. I’ve also got that list of plays to read—learning more by osmosis, I hope!

John O’Hara: I plan to keep going to PlayPenn and remember the ‘Pop/Questions/Moments’ sequence in analyzing new work.

Stephanie N. Walters: I plan on taking more classes with PlayPenn and hopefully a writing intensive conference for the summer.

Henrik Eger: Four seasons of goals:(1) Fine-tune my existing plays. (2) Write more plays. (3) Submit my plays to theaters and competitions in the English-speaking world. (4) Write plays in German, my mother tongue, for theaters in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

Phindie: Is there anything else you would like to share?

Mark Cofta: I love how the PlayPenn classes continue to foster a playwriting community!

Julie Zaffarano: I’m grateful for the opportunity to join in this class with Lauren and my fellow playwrights. Under her guidance and with the team, I experimented, had a blast, and completed 80% of my first draft for my new play. Success!

Andy Wertner: It was very helpful and productive to be paired with a writing partner who served as motivator and cheerleader.

Justine Marie Parks: I plan to serve as a mentor but I also want to take it as an opportunity to gather feedback and refine my play.

Alex Wilkie: It’s been great meeting everyone. Such a diverse and talented group. I feel honored.

Meghan Cary: If Lauren were to do another follow-up or even the same workshop at Playpenn, I would sign up for it in a heartbeat!

Stephanie N. Walters: This class and Lauren’s guidance has allowed me to open myself up to exploring the new world of playwriting. I am beyond excited to continue with this journey.

John O’Hara: Lauren was a GREAT teacher!

Henrik Eger: Lauren carries more worlds within herself than most people I have met in the theater world—not only as an actor, playwright, dramaturg, instructor, or circus artist (I’m not making that up), but as a mensch. Lauren, many thanks, vielen Dank. Shalom and Schalom.

This interview was originally published by Phindie on November 20, 2016. 

​Philadelphia actor and playwright John O’Hara wrote 12 CHAIRS. His plays have been performed onstage at Skippack Playcrafters, the Adrienne, ACT II Playhouse, and Bristol Riverside Theatre among others. As an actor, John has appeared at the Wilma, Walnut Street Theatre, People’s Light and ACT II Playhouse. Witty as always, O’Hara once described himself as “a playwright who yearns to be a waiter in his spare time.”

12 CHAIRS emerged from O’Hara’s experiences with his mother (Madeline O’Hara, 1926-2011) and some of her relatives at her funeral. It centers on an intensive mother-daughter relationship which “seems to be eternally joyful and frustrating in the cyclical nature of life and its journey,” as O’Hara described it.

It is now onstage with ReVamp Collective (RVC), a woman-centric—though not women-exclusive —theater company in Philadelphia founded by co-artistic directors Carly Bodnar and Erin Carr, with Kristen M. Scatton as the associate artistic director and resident playwright. Six Philadelphia-based directors--Amanda Coffin, Iraisa Ann Reilly, Jess Otterbine, Michelle Pauls, Randi Alexis Hickey, and Zuhairah McGill—were each given the freedom to choose two or three actors, each of whom will present a staged reading of this play twice. None of the directors and actors have seen each other’s work before any of the six opening night performances. It’s rare in theater history for a small, young company to create an opportunity that gives multiple directors the chance to work on the same drama.

As part of the program, RVC invited six women visual artists to create original work based on 12 CHAIRS. Each artist was paired with a director and has explored their director’s vision through visual art. At each performance, audience members will have the opportunity to purchase raffle tickets for original “12 CHAIRS Artwork.” The drawing will take place at the end of the entire run on November 19. Raffle tickets will be 1 for $3, 5 for $10, and 10 for $20. For images of some of the artwork, visit revampcollective.com. Visual artists include Kate Elise​, Madison Auch, Gina Rubinetti, Lauren Doyle, and Alexandra Mosoeanu.

[Skinner Studio at Plays & Players Theatre, 1714 Delancey Place] November 9-19, 2016; web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/964963; revampcollective.com.

​Henrik: Having worked on this play about a mother and her daughter, what did that bring up for you in your own relationship with your mother?

Randi: I haven’t talked to my mother in a very long time, and this play mirrors that circumstance in a lot of ways. The scenes generally take place five years apart, and in turn present Louise and Ann with an opportunity every five years to either repair or further damage their relationship.

Amanda: I think everyone has complicated relationships with their mothers. I’m close to mine, but we’re not without our challenges. She still lives in New Hampshire where I grew up, so the distance keeps us from seeing each other often. This piece has made me think about my time with her—am I waiting to say things that need to be said? Am I waiting to ask questions?

Recently, on a visit home, my mom and I were driving when a particular spot on the road made her remember driving over that very bridge as a teenager. It made me realize how many small moments exist in my mom’s past that I don’t know about.

Iraisa: While my mother and I are different from Louise and her mother, we are very close, and I was able to connect to the idea that spirits surround us every day. I am a spiritual person, so it was not difficult to grasp the way that the afterlife is very present in this play—something that is as real to me as breathing.

Michelle: Themother and daughter relationship is a complicated thing. I have a mother and a daughter. I can hear my mother in some things I hear myself saying to my daughter—things I thought would never come out of my mouth.
I think everyone’s mother does the best she can in raising her children. I know I do, and I think there is always more I could do. I want to raise my daughter to think for herself, to stand by her convictions, and to know it’s okay [for all of us] to try to make the world a better place than what we started with.

Jess: My mother passed away after a long illness a few years ago when I was 22 years old. I love my mother and feel a deep spiritual connection to her—even now. Knowing what it is like to lose a mother definitely affected my approach to this play. I relate very much to Louise. My relationship with my mother was not perfect, but I would give anything to have one more day with her, even if we were arguing. And when Louise comforts Mom as she dies, I see myself and weep with gratitude that life goes on.  
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Zuhairah: I had moments when it broke my heart to see the relationship between the two of them. I kept saying to myself, “Please find a common ground and move forward.” But that’s easier said than done.
Mother and daughter relationships are hard because they often see themselves in each other. I had a good relationship with my mother. My daughter and I have a good relationship, too. Of course, there were bumps in the road, but forgiveness and love can be powerful.

​Henrik: Is there anything else you would like to share?

Zuhairah: Thank you all for coming, enjoy the show. . . .

Amanda: There are young, talented female directors in Philadelphia making interesting art. [Readers,] make it a goal to get out there and see their work. Hire them and see what they can bring to your theater.

Writing this on Election Day, when our future is uncertain, I am struck by the necessity of art and particularly new art that has important things to say. Art that can change the world. Let’s engage every generation of theater-goers and non-theatergoers. My version of this play will likely speak to the millennial generation more than the baby boomers, because I am representing them. I think that is a great thing.

Iraisa: Theater is a communal, spiritual experience where a group of strangers gathers in the same room and brings its personal histories into an environment where they experience the play in their own way. I strive for the audience to recognize themselves. I want people to come to a play I’ve written, performed in, or directed, and say, “Huh. I guess I’m not the only one.”

I hope everyone relates to 12 CHAIRS—male, female, any ethnicity.Thanks to Revamp and to all those who support this work.

Michelle: I believe theater can change the world, and I believe the world can always use some changing—especially right now.

Randi: This is a play about the complex connection we have with our blood relatives, and how it can simultaneously be a lifeline as well as something completely unhealthy. Thanks to my cast and to ReVamp for having facilitated an important conversation through this presentation of 12 CHAIRS.

Zuhairah: . . . and whatever problems you are having with your mother or daughter—two words: Fix it! And God bless.
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[Skinner Studio at Plays & Players Theatre, 1714 Delancey Place] November 9-19, 2016; web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/964963; revampcollective.com.

This interview was originally published by Phindie on November 15, 2016. 

Having spent the better part of my life feeling miserable about my body, listening to the lyrics, I wept and cheered because the song is an amazing anthem to finding a home in our bodies. Song struck.
In 2006, my husband and son-in-law were in a near-fatal car crash. I still have nightmares about mangled Humpty Dumpties lying in hospital beds. Until recently, I wouldn’t and couldn’t admit to myself that I had used IN MY BODY to help reconcile my closeted PTSD.

Apparently, quite a few of everyone’s personal experiences made it into the musical. Could you give a few examples?

Dan Martin: Sure. Several of the musical scenes Michael and I created are based on Kate’s (Kate Cipriano) personal stories. “Perfect” tells the story of a large woman who overcomes societal discrimination to celebrate herself as “healthy and fat,” while Holly and Hubby became a mini opera about a married couple struggling to heal themselves and their relationship after a traumatic car crash. We also set Melissa’s personal story about dealing with chemical imbalance to music in “Cocktail.”

The show covers and uncovers a wide spectrum of topics, including aging, bullying, disability, gender identity, infertility, love, obesity, passion, pride, self-loathing, sexuality, trauma, and more—all held together through the body, the body of life. During the process of creation, how willing were you, individually and collectively, to go where many people would not dare to go?

Michael Biello: Very willing. It’s that part of art and theatre that moves me forward. As a team of five writers, we traveled through some rocky times--mentally, physically, and emotionally. Traveling together, story by story, we entered realms of darkness and light, tears and laughter.

There were moments I thought the intensity was so strong that the collaboration would dissolve, but the trust and love was stronger than the fear. We all stayed on board and continued our journey forward--toward our mission to make IN MY BODY a full-on piece of new theatre. And here we are: premiering IN MY BODY in Philadelphia!
Lis: I believe there is no place too far when it comes to making art—as long as artists avoid anything that diminishes the integrity of their art. In spite of social and financial constraints, artists need to be true to their art. IN MY BODYis full of “true.”

Melissa Hays: We’ve asked one another, “Why does no one talk about this? Am I the only one who feels like this?” We all got to a point in the process where we realized to get others to open up and talk about their issues, we had to expose ourselves.

We had to create a safe sharing space where we were not only interviewing others, but where we were joining in a circle of discussion. In the stories people shared with us, we found a new understanding, patience, and tolerance for others. In the process, I was able to shed the shame I’ve always felt for being bipolar II and for struggling with infertility.
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Dan: I’m a person who has dealt with—and is still dealing with—some of these issues. I also have a long history of using my music to help me express, understand, and heal as I journey through life. It’s a gift to have the opportunity to explore these kinds of stories creatively.
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You describe IN MY BODY as a musical that explores a wide range of important, yet sensitive and intimate subjects. How did you handle these many taboos without sensationalizing or cheapening your intent? Describe the process of working through practically a lifetime of experiences and reducing it to its essence.​

​Lis: I’m 67, so there’s a lot inside of me to contend with, but I have not yet figured out “essence.” Multi-arts is the way to go when you have much to say. Music and song and poetry and dance and sound and light and visual art all make it possible to say more. And we use all those things to tell our stories.

We all agreed to stage the show in an intimate setting. However, we certainly have not covered and uncovered everything. We practically have a trunk of additional “stuff” we decided to eliminate from the show, which could have been two acts. I guess this paring down has something to do with “essence.” We were trying to get our show down to the core of our message--our “essence.”

I hope we have not sensationalized and cheapened anything. However, there is a bit of cheese and some desperately needed comic relief, and some of the characters might be making fun of themselves—sometimes.

Dan: We’ve all been in agreement from the beginning that we want our tales to take our audience on a journey in ways that honor and empower—but don’t gloss over the real struggles involved in these stories. We’ve tried to incorporate humor whenever possible, which is a great theatrical tool that helps us deal with serious issues. Musically, I’ve also worked hard to incorporate as much beauty into the telling of these tales as possible.

Michael: As the lyricist on this project, I’d say for me it’s through the process of writing and being willing to re-write and re-write and edit-edit-edit until the piece communicates the essence of the story we wish to tell. I would give Dan [the composer] pages of lyrics. Together, we then pass our work back and forth until we are both satisfied with the blend—hoping that our music and lyrics work together to tell the story as clearly and as honestly as possible.

Tell us what gave you the strength to invest heavily in this production—not only financially but emotionally and spiritually—to open many doors for all the participants and the audience.

Dan: This definitely has been an emotional journey for me, and I appreciate your recognition that it’s a spiritual journey as well. Our producers, thankfully, have been very generous with their financial investment in the project, which helps a lot.

My investment of time and energy in this show over the past seven years has absolutely required serious strength and commitment. My belief in the beauty and importance of the stories and the songs we’re writing—and my desire to share the work with as wide an audience as possible—is what has carried me forward.

Michael: The main bulk of IMB’s financial support comes from the producers—Flying Bulldog Productions. Their love and support of the creative arts, and IMB in particular, is admirable. Their investment in IMB helped keep the piece moving from page to stage.
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The time and energy put into the creative process go way beyond financial support. This is where emotional and spiritual support come into play. IMB has it all. It’s this passion that carries me forward as an artist—and keeps me centered.

Lis: The show was birthed from a non-profit project about body image held in Philadelphia in late 2010. Investing in this project is like investing in a painting or sculpture you adore, except that IN MY BODY—THE MUSICAL is live art.
We knew, when we decided to work on this project, we couldn’t possibly make any money. However, we did it anyway, like many other people invested in the arts. It’s about passion for what the arts can do. It’s Michael and Dan. It’s Leah (MacDonald). It’s KC (Musical Director Kathryn MacMillan), who is collaborative and brilliant. We are so fortunate in having everyone on board.

Musicals, like films, rely on working with a wide range of people. Tell us about that process. What worked, what was difficult, and how did you solve any issues? 

Lis: Throughout the five-year IMB musical journey, our Bulldogs team worked with brilliant and talented people, including those who helped develop the show through mentoring, interviews, working sessions, readings, and workshops—and all those who are making the premiere a reality.

Five people managed to collaborate and create IN MY BODY—at least three of the people are control freaks. Yes. We moaned and groaned and whined and cursed. A lot. Sometimes, we were even mean to each other. Sometimes we cried. Sometimes we hugged. But, no matter what, we always returned to each other and moved forward. I’m thinking this has something to do with love.

Dan and Michael, both of you have decades of working cooperatively on lyrics, songs, and musicals behind you. Tell us about some of these skills that you brought to bear on this highly collaborative approach with producers who actually wrote the book.​

​Dan: Collaboration is a beautiful and challenging process. Michael and I have been collaborating as theatre and song writers—and life partners—for 40 years. So we definitely have a strong history of finding ways to express our theatrical ideas through words, lyrics, and music.

Working with Lis, Kate, and Melissa added new layers of collaboration which were really interesting. For example, Kate wrote several stories that Michael and I turned into musical scenes, including “Chewing,” “Perfect,” and Holly and Hubby.

There was a tremendous amount of back and forth between the three of us as we worked to find the right tone and shape in telling these stories. Honest, constructive communication guided us.

Some musicals are so successful that they become crowd-pleasers and get performed all over the place for many years. However, I have a sense that IN MY BODY could spark a large “in my body” movement that includes other multidisciplinary projects—leading to more awareness and renewal through theater, workshops, and discussions—way beyond the city limits of Philadelphia.

Dan: I hope so! From the beginning, IN MY BODY has been a theatre, music, and art project, focused on telling stories related to the journeys we take to find peace, comfort, and healing within our own bodies.

Our collaborators and producers have worked hard to create a development process that includes interviews with people in the community, feedback from audience members at our readings, and special presentations at local colleges. Hopefully, this kind of outreach will continue as the piece moves further out into the world.

Michael: My dream is to have the work live on in a big way beyond me, beyond us—beyond even what I imagine. It’s part of the picture we hope to create as a new form of theatre that we can share with others.

Dan and I begin each project with a glimmer of hope that it will find a way to ripple out into the world. IN MY BODY can do it. It’s needed in the world. It’s a piece that speaks to all ages, races, and genders about self-love, about finding light even when darkness falls. We need more light and love in the world, and I believe IMB was created to do just that.

How did Leah McDonald’s artwork inspire the musical.

Lis: I am a passionate, crazy collector of visual art. Another powerful inspiration for our show is the encaustic photography of Leah MacDonald. I first saw her work in 2009. Her photographs tell stories of people living in their diverse bodies. Honoring the fantastic stage design concept created by our scenic designer, Mellie Katakalos, Leah has created original works of art for our show.

Leah is an important inspiration behind the musical. I met Leah years ago to discuss the possibility of a multi-arts collaboration about body issues. We talked about how her works tell stories about people living in their bodies. I was particularly drawn to Leah’s study of black women embracing their bodies. Leah’s artwork is a significant part of the show.
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After a number of successful engagements with the multi-talented Javier Muñoz in your musicals, you invited this well-known American actor to perform in your latest world premiere as well. Little did you know that he got snapped up to play the title role in this year’s Tony Award-winning musical Hamilton. However, he liked IN MY BODY so much that he has promoted the musical, including an this interview:

Dan: Michael and I first met Javier in 2011 when we cast him in the ensemble of the original workshop of our musical Marry Harry at New York Stage and Film at Vassar College. We instantly knew he was a great person as well as an unusually gifted actor with extraordinary focus. We subsequently invited him to participate in IN MY BODY—as well as in readings of our musical Breathe.

He’s an excellent communicator of our work, a gorgeous voice combined with a fierce willingness to investigate the emotional depths of the characters we create. We were sorry to lose him for this production but so happy he’s now starring in Hamilton and getting the kind of recognition he deserves.

Michael: Javi is a special friend and a gift to both Dan and I as songwriters. He brings life to our newly written characters, life to our words and music—in his brilliant Javi-way. We had the pleasure to work with him on several of our musicals. His emotional connection to a Martin Biello tune is moving, inspired, and inspiring. Inviting him into the developmental process of IMB was pure joy. He’s a gem to have on our team whenever possible.

Your musical challenges all of us to embrace who we are. Is there anything else you would like to share?

Lis: We gathered a lot of raw material for the musical from the IN MY BODY project. We interviewed dozens of people and did a body image workshop. But, let’s not forget our own life experiences. Our characters and stories are all true.

In my mind, the arts is the best vehicle I can think of for social change and for bringing people together. IN MY BODYis more than a musical. It’s a movement—a movement toward respecting, understanding, and loving who we are in our personal and collective bodies.

Michael: IN MY BODY—THE MUSICAL was born from a place of love. May it continue to grow and share this love with the world.
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You all must have done a lot of things right. In my many years as a theater interviewer, I have never encountered a production where every single show was sold out before opening night—with the exception of Hamilton. You are off to a good start.

In My Body performs from November 9th to 13th, 2016 at Prince Music Theatre – 1412 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, PA.

Running Tim: 90 minutes, without an intermission.

For more information, contact Flying Bulldog Productions, LLC. All the performances are sold out.
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IN MY BODY features Donnie Hammond, Michael Indeglio, Austin Ku, April Woodall, and Katie Zaffrann.

This interview was originally published by DC Metro Theater Arts on November 1, 2016.