Responding to The Migration Series: Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm

The Phillips has commissioned five plays from local playwrights in response to Jacob Lawrence’s Migration Series.  The resulting 10-minute, one-act plays will be performed on Oct. 20. In this series, we interview each playwright.

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Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm

Why did you decide to get into theatre? Was there someone or a particular show that inspired you?
Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm: I got into theatre as a writer. I was a Fine Arts major in undergrad at the University of Missouri–Columbia. I wanted to break up the tedium of four hour studio classes, with a class where I got to sit at a desk and read and write. But I had an aversion to facts at the time. So I took a creative writing class. I took it so many times that they eventually wouldn’t allow me to take it anymore. On a whim, I took a playwriting class instead. The first play I wrote became a finalist for a prize at the Kennedy Center. I got a free trip to DC, where I fell in love with theatre and the city.

Tell us a little bit about your writing process. Do you have any writing rituals? Do you write in the same place or in different places?
TAC: I write sober and edit drunk—or vice versa. I don’t have a certain place I write, but I need to be alone. I tend to talk out loud and move around while I’m writing, so this isn’t really conducive to a coffee shop. I sometimes pick a song that I feel captures the mood, tone, and rhythm of the play, and then I listen to it on repeat. But for me, each play is different and I find that I have a different rituals depending on the play.

Please share your thoughts on what The Migration Series means to you. What excited you about being a part of this festival?
TAC: As a visual artist as well as a playwright, I’m really excited by opportunities to marry art and theatre. For me, The Migration Series represents the power of limitations. I find Jacob Lawrence’s process extremely fascinating in that he limited his palette to just a few colors. I think working within a set of limitations actually makes you more creative.

Tell me a bit about your play. What is it about, and what do you hope audiences will walk away thinking about after hearing it?
TAC: In the final hours of the project, this play became extremely personal. It follows the journey and migration of my own family from Mississippi and my personal migration to DC. At the same time, it speaks to a bigger, more mythological migration—a universal narrative. I hope the audience will walk away considering the migration of their own families and how they relate to larger migration narratives.

Which of the Migration Series panels inspired your play? What drew you to it? What was it like to write a play inspired by a work of art?
TAC: I was really inspired by Panel no. 3. I was drawn to it because of the mass of people all moving on one accord and the fact that their journey is mirrored in the flight of the birds. This forced me think of migration as an instinctual imperative. I wrestled with whether there was some inborn impulse to migrate in humans, as well as how much of human migration is instinctual and how much is practical. I’m still considering these questions.

Why do you think the message of The Migration Series still resonates today? How does your play related to that message?
TAC: I think that migration (or at least the impulse) is a sort of universal experience and it still resonates because people are still in motion.

What advice do you have for up-and-coming playwrights?
TAC: Read plays. See plays. Write plays.

What next for you? Where can we follow your work?
TAC: Next up, I’ll be joining the Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program at Juilliard this fall. And my play Hooded: or Being Black for Dummies will receive its DC world premiere at Mosaic Theatre in January 2017. You can follow me on twitter @theatrethirsty.

Responding to The Migration Series: Norman Allen

The Phillips has commissioned five plays from local playwrights in response to Jacob Lawrence’s Migration Series.  The resulting 10-minute, one-act plays will be performed on Oct. 20. In this series, we interview each playwright.

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Norman Allen

Why did you decide to get into theatre? Was there someone or a particular show that inspired you?
Norman Allen: It’s entirely my parents’ fault. They began taking my sister and me to shows when I was 7, but they were very thoughtful about how they did it. My mom would sit us down by the old record player and play an original cast album. Hello, Dolly! was the first. After each song, she’d lift the needle and fill in the story, then play the next song, then fill in the story again. The following day we went to a matinee fully prepared to have a great time. And it was magical! Broadway musicals are still my first love. They’re also the gold standard in terms of dramatic structure and character development.

Tell us a little bit about your writing process. Do you have any writing rituals? Do you write in the same place or in different places?
NA: I usually write in a big old armchair that’s roomy enough for me and my two dogs. I slouch down, get comfortable, and write on my laptop. The other thing I love is writing in coffee houses. (Never Starbucks.) I love getting immersed in the writing for 30 minutes or so, then looking up and taking a break with some top notch people-watching. Then it’s back into the world of the play. The caffeine helps too.

Please share your thoughts on what The Migration Series means to you. What excited you about being a part of this festival?
NA: I’ve known the series for a long time, ever since writing a documentary about The Phillips Collection for PBS back in 1999. In a way, it’s a theatrical experience, certainly a narrative one. In the world of theatre we’d call it a “promenade production” where the audience follows the action through a series of locations rather than sitting in their seats and letting the actors do all the work. The Migration Series is like that. You move through it. I also love that it’s about travel, about movement—both the sweeping, epic movement of a people and the courageous journey of each individual. And courage is key. Anyone—any immigrant—who leaves what is known and sets out for the unknown is a person of great courage.

Tell us a bit about your play. What is it about and what do you hope audiences will walk away thinking about after hearing it?
NA: I kept the basic movement from a repressive, dangerous situation to the supposed freedom of New York City, but I set in 1980 and I made my protagonist a young, gay man who’s escaping an abusive family and community. He meets a conductor on the train who was actually part of the Great Migration, and who becomes a kind of mentor—and friend. In studying The Migration Series, I was struck by the similarities to the migration of gay men to urban centers during the last half of the 20th Century. Places like Greenwich Village in New York and the Castro in San Francisco became havens—then became thriving, rich communities. But there’s the dark side too. I set the play in 1980 so that the characters would be unaware of the AIDS crisis that was about to hit. They’re unaware, but I hope the audience still remembers that devastation, and feels the weight of its approach.

Which of the Migration Series panels inspired your play? What drew you to it? What was it like to write a play inspired by a work of art?
NA: I chose Panel no. 5. It depicts a black locomotive moving through the night. Heavy smoke pours from the top and flows toward the back, but a headlight shines forward and a bright yellow bell is swinging. I was initially drawn to it for personal reasons. I’ve traveled a great deal by train, crossing the United States several times, and traveling across Europe, including a couple of long trips from Amsterdam to Moscow. And I especially love being on a train at night, watching the lights of small towns or farmhouses pass by. I didn’t realize at first that the panel is also a hopeful image. All that is dark falls behind, and the light shines on what’s ahead.

It was fun to write with a specific visual as my inspiration. In my early years I used to spend hours in museums, writing short stories that riffed on classic paintings. It was nice to return to that. It was also great to be able to visit the Phillips on multiple occasions and experience the work firsthand—and observe others doing the same. It’s always interesting to find what emerges when a writer is given a specific prompt or a visual to start from. There’s the possibility that it’s going to be limiting but it usually becomes a launching pad, and whatever is lurking in your subconscious, the story that wants to be told, is going to bubble up. There’s no escaping that.

Why do you think the message of The Migration Series still resonates today? How does your play relate to that message?
NA: As I said above, I found direct ties between The Migration Series and the experiences of gay men escaping their abusive homes and communities. But there’s a much more immediate resonance in the vast movement of refugees today. The journeys are arduous and dangerous, sometimes deadly. They take great courage. Unfortunately, what we’re seeing today often mirrors what happened during the Great Migration. That act of courage is met with distrust and exclusion, with slamming doors rather than open ones. But not always.

What advice do you have for up-and-coming playwrights?
NA: Get your work off the page and onto a stage. Hear it, assess it, and revise, revise, revise. You don’t need a full production at some high falutin’ theatre. Gather your friends in your living room, order some pizza, and hear the play read aloud. Raise the funds to self-produce your work in a small venue, or as part of a fringe festival. Find an audience, listen to them, learn from them.

What’s next for you? Where can we follow your work?
NA: My musical retelling of Carmen re-opens in Prague this fall, where it’s been running on a repertory schedule at the Karlin Music Theatre for more than five years. The score is by Broadway veterans Frank Wildhorn and Jack Murphy, so it takes me back to my musical theatre roots. It’s also in its second year at the State Musical Theatre in Kaunas, Lithuania. These are beautiful theatres, built at the turn of the last century to house operettas. I just love that my work is living in those spaces. Here at home I’m in the midst of getting a Masters of Divinity from Wesley Seminary. A lot of my published work these days are essays on spiritual and religious topics—always from a liberal perspective. And I still can’t escape my musical theatre roots! One of my most popular pieces was for the OnBeing website, an essay called A Sound of Music Theology!

Responding to The Migration Series: Jacqueline E. Lawton

The Phillips has commissioned five plays from local playwrights in response to Jacob Lawrence’s Migration Series.  The resulting 10-minute, one-act plays will be performed on Oct. 20. In this series, we interview each playwright.

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Jacqueline E. Lawton. Photo by Jason Hornick

Why did you decide to get into theatre? Was there someone or a particular show that inspired you?
Jacqueline E. Lawton: My mother introduced me to the theatre through her love of MGM musicals. I was immediately transfixed. The first play that I saw live was a theatre for young audiences touring production of Jack and Beanstalk. It was already one of my favorite stories, because Jack longed for more and ultimately learned the value of what he already had at home. It was magical! I was completely enchanted and knew that I wanted to be part of telling stories in this way. In middle school, I was able to do this through poetic interpretation, and in high school, I was able to take part in the theatre. In college, I was introduced to the professional world of playwriting and solo performance by playwright Amparo Garcia Crow. It was Dr. Oni Olomo Joni Jones who introduced me to performance ethnography and the beauty and complexity of the Black Aesthetic. While earning my MFA in Playwriting, I was introduced to playwright Ruth Margraf, feminist theorist Jill Dolan, and actress Fran Dorn. Each of these women had a deeply profound and lasting impact on my life and artistic journey. It is no exaggeration that I would not be who I am today if it weren’t for them.

Tell us a little bit about your writing process. Do you have any writing rituals? Do you write in the same place or in different places?
JEL: I sit in front of my laptop, stare at the blank page, and ask, “How has anyone ever written a play before?” I ask this, even though I’ve just finished writing a play. From there, I start with the characters. Their names are revealed to me, and I endeavor to learn as much as I can about their hopes, dreams, fears, secrets, and desires. I investigate their worlds and everyday lives. I watch films and documentaries. I read books, articles, and plays. I listen to music and look at art. I learn about their politics, social customs, and food ways. Then I name the play, which in and of itself is quite a process! From there, I outline the structure of the play and start to write. I don’t always follow the outline, but it helps as a guidepost. While writing, I continue to research. Also, I keep a journal and pen with me, because a piece of dialogue, a monologue, or stage directions will come to me at any given moment.

Please share your thoughts on what The Migration Series means to you. What excited you about being a part of this festival?
JEL: In April of 2014, I was invited to join a select group of scholars and practitioners to help shape the interpretation and programming of the People on the Move: Beauty and Struggle in Jacob Lawrence’s Migration Series exhibition. I was honored. As a teaching artist, I had used the panels as part of my classes for years. I guided students to create plays, poems, sculptures, and dances based on the panels. I felt it was important for the students to study the history of this country through art. I created this festival to honor the work of Jacob Lawrence and the lasting impact of his great art.

Tell us a bit about your play. What is it about, and what do you hope audiences will walk away thinking about after hearing it?
JEL: My play, A Long Arduous Journey, is about the devastating civil war in Syria. It follows a young woman, Sabeen, who has emigrated to the U.S. with her family. Her brother chose to stay behind and fight for their homeland. While in the U.S., Sabeen meets Malcolm, who helps her update her resume and look for work. He has been out of work for two years, but does odd jobs now and again. Over the course of the play, the two of them learn more about each other and their lives. My hope is that audiences see this play and remember that immigrants coming to this country are searching for a better life for themselves and their families.

Which of the Migration Series panels inspired your play? What drew you to it? What was it like to write a play inspired by a work of art?
JEL: My play was inspired by panels 57, 13, and 25. Panel no. 57 is my absolute favorite. The woman is determined, focused, and purposeful. It takes great strength to stir all of those clothes. She reminds me of my mother. Panel no. 13, this image of barren land, reminded me of the drought in Syria and the South during the Great Depression as well as the strife that comes when the land can no longer yield fruit and vegetation. Panel no. 25, the image of an empty corner of a room, made me think of the homes that were left empty and unattended both during the Great Migration and also during a war. The process of writing the play based on the panels came quite easily. They already have such a strong, inspiring narrative. I can imagine coming back to these same panels and writing something else entirely.

Why do you think the message of The Migration Series still resonates today? How does your play relate to that message?
JEL: Jacob Lawrence’s Migration Series is a masterful piece of art. While capturing the challenges of life in the South and the hope of a better life up in the North, Lawrence captures the harsh realities of migration and a new life that so many faced. He creates a space for the viewer to experience the journey of the migration and that is powerful. I hope that my play does this as well.

What advice do you have for up-and-coming playwrights?
JEL: Be bold, honest, and determined. Have the courage to write plays that show the world the way you see and experience it. You’re the only one who can do that, which makes you absolutely essential to the American Theatre. See as many plays and readings as you can. Make friends with other theatre artists. Talk, argue, complain, yell and cry to them about the kind of work you want to be creating, the kind that isn’t being created where you live, and then go create it. Honor and protect your writing time. Don’t ever stop writing!

What next for you? Where can we follow your work?
JEL: From February 24–April 2, 2017, my play Intelligence will receive a world premiere production at Arena Stage. It’s very exciting! Of course, you can follow me at my website.