What I'm Working On

Updates have been a little light for the last week, partially because nothing particularly interesting has happened, and partially because I've been busy with work, on a show that is quite interesting itself.

Now that we've got some digital publicity materials available, the time has come for me to plug my show. It's a new play produced by The Working Theatre (who hold a special place in my heart since I got my Equity card with them). It's called Back from the Front, by Lynn Rosen. I'm not the best press rep, so let me quote from the show's publicity material:

Back From the Front paints an absurd picture of America at war, a hilarious and finally tragic portrait of a family coming apart at the seams.

When a government liaison announces to the Walker family on national TV that their son, Robbie, who's been mysteriously inaccessible since his helicopter was shot down in Iraq, will be delivered home for Thanksgiving, they are overjoyed. But when a strange young man in uniform arrives on their door-step, they go to record depths of denial to avoid the unbearable prospect of loss.

Yes, it's a farce about the possible death of a young man in Iraq. When this job was pitched to me, my first reaction was that it would have to be some amazing writing, or else it was going to be really bad. The first read-through removed all my doubts -- it actually works. It's hysterically funny, and at the same time tragic and moving. And we have a great director and cast, so I can't wait to see the full production, and hear how it plays with an audience.

The set design has me particularly excited, but I don't want to say much, as all the really cool things about it are meant to be surprises. I didn't even mind spending two hours taping it out on the floor this morning -- I was just so happy to see it come to life in actual size, if only in the form of yellow lines on the rehearsal room floor.

It plays at the Riverside Theatre at Riverside Church (where I did my first professional show, so that's another nice homecoming), throughout May.