Geva - The Author's Voice: Greg Kotis

Geva is experimenting with a number of ways to create direct relationships between their patrons and artists.  One is the "Cohort Club," in which I am participating this fall.  Another is "The Author's Voice," where several of the upcoming season's playwrights will discuss their work in a facilitated conversation, sort of like Inside the Actors Studio.  This particular evening featured Greg Kotis, author of All Your Questions Answered, which is one of the plays I am watching develop as part of the Cohort Club, and which will open on September 19, as part of the Fringe Festival.

I was honored to be invited to this event, and while I understand Geva's desire to keep the evening intimate, I also think it's too bad there wasn't a broader and fuller audience - I can see this type of thing being useful to engage a younger crowd and get them excited about theatre in general.  My sister was in town, so she accompanied me. I'd estimate there were about 50 of us in the audience, and Greg sat at the edge of the stage, with Jenni Werner, Literary Director / Resident Dramaturg, who guided the conversation. The first question she asked him was how he got into theatre, and his reply was that he'd had a crush on a girl in the drama club in high school, and joining the club was his way of approaching her.  Of course his crush led to love - of theatre - acting first, writing next.  He acknowledged that his goal is to make people laugh, and described his foray into improv and work with the Neo-Futurists in Chicago, primarily writing short skits.  His endeavors weren't particularly lucrative, and he decided to write "one last show" (Urinetown the Musical), then "get a real job."  With that show's success, he didn't need to leave theatre after all!

Kerry, Greg, & Jenni

He was joined by Kerry Young to read a few scenes from his first solo play, Jobey and Katherine, which read more like a novel, with somewhat stilted, non-conversational language.  They also read from Pig Farm, and he explained the messages he was trying to communicate in the show - the impossibility of staying clean, personally and politically, as well as how we survive the success of humanity.  Big issues for a farce.  The final scene they read was from a play called The Truth About Santa, in which Kotis portrays Mr. and Mrs. Claus as Greek gods, along with their immortality and peccadilloes.  Mythology is central to many of his plays (along with a mild obsession with Sam Shepard).  It was interesting that in describing these plays, he'd forgotten some of the details and needed to be prompted (almost as if, having written them, he was free of them).  He also insightfully admitted that the play that's in his head doesn't necessarily survive the collaborative process, but grows and (hopefully) improves with the input of the actors, directors, designers, etc.

Kotis explained that All Your Questions Answered will consist of a series of 2- to 10-minute plays (when does a "skit" become a "play"?), some of which have previously been staged, others have not, and still others were written specifically for this production.  One of the challenges will be to make something "scattered all live in the same evening and feel satisfying."  Indeed, it will be interesting to watch the process of rising to that challenge over the next several weeks.

It might have been nice if they'd opened the conversation up for a few brief questions from the audience before breaking.  On the other hand, in keeping it 'short and sweet' I left wanting more, rather than wishing I had sneaked out early.