Two full-length plays and two one-acts have been selected for performance in Bloomington and Indianapolis by Starrynight Productions in association with the Indy Fringe Theater.
Russell McGee, Artistic Director of Starrynight Productions, director Amy Moon and actors Aaron Moon and Emily Solt gather to talk about the shows.
Four Out Of Eight
"We had eight submissions and they went through a six month process of readings, feedback and suggestions for rewriting. Then in a blind adjudication we narrowed the group down to four," says McGee.
Three Out Of Four
Actor Emily Solt appears in three of the plays. "I'm playing Marnie, quite a nasty character, in Love and Hitchcock. In A Country Drenched in Tears, I'm Holly, a very sympathetic, caring character. And then in Uncertainty, I play Dr. Werner Heisenberg, which is wacky and off the wall and a great deal of fun." How does she describe the experience of acting in all three at once? "It's really, really exciting, and joyously stressful. "
Four For Four
Actor Aaron Moon is one up on Emily Solt; he appears in all four of the Starrynight Productions. "In A Country Drenched in Tears, I play a Haitian gunshot victim who speaks only French. In Cinderella Dressed in Yellow, I play a fairy godmother.
"In addition, I've got the role of a twitchy little guy who's trying to kill his wife in Love and Hitchcock, and of Steven Hawkins in Uncertainty." Moon confesses that the variety does offer a challenge, but there's a plus-side to the difficulty: "The roles are so different that I don't have to worry about mixing up my lines. There's no way the fairy godmother is going to speak French, or that Stephen Hawkins is going to be plotting to kill someone."
One And One
It's in the role of Stephen Hawkins that Aaron Moon must tackle one of the special challenges of the Festival. His wife, Amy Moon, is directing Uncertainty. "It has been good to work with my husband," Amy says. "I've enjoyed watching the show come together, and he's been very responsive." The challenge? "Since we work together so much on this project, we try to avoid taking it home. Dinner conversation has to be on other topics."
Two For Two
In addition to the performances, the Indiana New Play Festival offers two open seminars. "We wanted to offer more than just the shows," says Russell McGee, "so we have two free seminars."