Whisper in the Wings Episode 1554

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Hello everyone and welcome back into a fabulous new Whisper in the Wings from Stage Whisper.

We are so thrilled to get to bring you this program today because we're getting put on to

a company that's new to us and to this wonderful work by an incredible playwright, John Patrick

Shanley. On our program today, we are joined by Anthony Marino, who is the director of this

piece who is sitting down with us to talk about Brooklyn One Productions presentation of Savage

in Limbo. Now this is happening in May, now this is happening in April 23rd through May 3rd at

the Tom Kane Theater and you can get your tickets and more information by visiting bk1.org.

We love when we get to talk about our work by Shanley but we're very excited to get to talk about

this one and I have this guest on our program. So without further ado, please join me

in welcoming on our guest Anthony, welcome into Whisper in the Wings from Stage Whisper.

Hello, hello, hello. Thank you so very, very much for having me.

Very excited to be here. Thank you.

I'm so thrilled that you're here. Look, I can't wait to learn all about this piece, Savage in Limbo.

Let's start first by having you tell our listeners a little bit about what this show is all about.

Sure, Savage in Limbo is what I like to call a deep-cut John Patrick Shanley. The show,

it's an earlier work of his and it's about a group of 30-year-olds who have congregated at a bar,

a dive bar in the city and they find themselves at a loss for how to to better themselves.

They are stuck between who they are and who they want to be and its exploration of love and

relationships and existential dread and it's also a very funny and introspective piece but it's

something that is I think it's a show rather that that's not as produced as some of other

some of Shanley's other pieces. What a great story to be telling and yeah, I mean that I have

never heard of this title but the fact that of who's behind it. I was like, oh yeah, okay.

Yeah, it's an early one of the 1984 first produced. So it's you know it's I think it's even

before Moonstruck and it might even be before Daniel and Deep Blue say. Wow, yeah, we are going

way back there. So how did you go about selecting this work or how did you come upon this production?

So obviously a huge fan of John Patrick Shanley, I'm a theater, I was a theater major in college,

I've done theater my entire life so obviously you read all his stuff and when I knew I wanted to do

a Shanley piece it was really important for me that we did one that wasn't always or overly produced

and obviously doubt is iconic and Daniel and Deep Blue see is iconic. These are iconic shows,

they're well produced, the people love to do them, you study them but I felt like Savage and Limbo

which at first I'll be honest with you, I came upon it again because of the name. I was like,

ooh, Savage, like the sounds you know Savage and Limbo, it sounds fierce and then I gave it a

read and I'm like, this is good, like this is really this is really good, it's an exploration,

it's a character, it's a dissection of character, it was a unit set, easy to produce in our

black box theater and I was like, we got to do this one so that's that's how I came upon it.

That is awesome. Yeah, yeah, 13 by Shanley, I think everybody has that book, it's like it's called

13 by Shanley, it was in there, I was like, we got it, we got it, this is the one we got to do.

Love it, well at the time of a speaking we're just over two weeks away from the show going up at

Tom Kane Theater, so what has it been like for you as the director getting the show about

its feet and developing it? Yeah, it's been it's been a lot of fun, the cast has been absolutely

incredible, we have some really some heavy hitters, we're really lucky to have Francis Shanley,

who is John Patrick Shanley's son in the show playing Tony and he's making his stage debut with us,

so it's been really insightful to have someone with such access to to the show and being able to

have access to John Patrick Shanley to sort of be able to filter questions through Francis and

stuff and to have the support of him and also being in the show myself, directing and being in

it, which was a challenge, but it was something I really wanted to do and to have proved to myself,

but the rehearsals have been incredible, they have been filled with character exploration

and really really deep theatrical work and I think we're finding a lot of things, a lot of new

nuances that maybe haven't been seen before in the show. That's incredible and that's amazing,

like you said, to have that access to that well of knowledge right there, that's amazing. Yeah,

it's been wild, it's been really wild, to be able to go back to the playwright and be like,

Francis, what does what does dad think about this or what does dad think about that and you know,

and he's been so gracious, he's you know, he's like you know, you know, maybe dad said this, but

but you know, do you know, explore it and find it on your own, I'm like, awesome, like that's so,

that's so it's so lovely to be able to know that you're you know, building on this foundation

that has been done, and we're doing it in a way where like we're breaking the fourth wall

and talking to the audience directly and exploring the the concert played of the whole thing,

meaning that their monologues feel almost like like their symphonies happening where it maybe in

a musical they might break out into song, but the musicals there, you know, this isn't a musical,

so they're they're they're they're they're breaking the fourth wall and being able to express

themselves to the audience directly, it's been absolutely wild to do that and explore that.

How does that is wonderful? Well I'm curious now, is there a particular message or thought you're

hoping audiences will take away from this piece? You know, I'm hoping that people will leave

and they will say to themselves, they will say to themselves, I see somebody back there,

they will say to themselves, am I am I the version of myself? I've always wanted to be,

you know, what what things in my life, what choices have I made in my life to get me to where I am

because that's so much of what this show is about is about these characters making choices to

decide to either stay where they are or making choices to better themselves and what they really

find is at least in in the show is that they have a really hard time better in themselves,

they have a really hard time facing those demons and facing the things that they need to face in

order to to be the best version of themselves or you know, maybe they can maybe they can face those

demons and they can move forward. So I think if the audience can leave talking about their lives

and their introspection, I think that would be amazing. I love that I love that and I'm going to

use that to jump off into my final question for this speaker, which is who are you hoping have

access to this show? Well, I mean, as as a company, we always want to make sure that the community

that we're that we're in so we're located, Brooklyn one is located in Sunset Park in Brooklyn,

you know, we're putting on professional quality shows and what we consider like an underserved

area of New York City. So we want to make sure that everyone who is interested in John Patrick

Shanley, you know, certainly interested in theater can come and see see the show and interact

with the cast and the company and be a part of the community that we're building at industry city

where our theater is located.

Well, on the second part of our interviews, we love giving our listeners a chance to get to know

our guests a bit better, pick your brains if you will. And I'd love to start with our regular

first question, which is what are who inspires you? What playwrights, composers or shows have

inspired you in the past or just some of your favorites? Sure. Oh my gosh. Well, I am I am an

elder millennial, right? So I am very coded in the late 90s, early 2000s Broadway. I love

I love a good rock opera, the who's Tommy? I love rent. Jesus Christ superstar when that came out

in the in the late 90s, the Glen Carter version was absolutely mind blowing the way that they did

that show. I'm also a product of late 90s, early 2000s, independent film. So, you know, Greg

Iraqi, early Jim Favreau, John Favreau, you know, Steven Soderberg, you know, Darren Aaronowski,

I mean, you know, very, you know, Blinkwine 82, pop punk, all of this stuff drives who we are,

both as a company and who I am as an artist for sure. But rent, you know, of course, you know,

that that show was that show came out of the perfect time. You know, you know, some people would say,

it doesn't hold up well. Listen, that doesn't matter for me. That is, you know, that was that was a

show that really I was like, man, I need to I need to be a part of this, this magic that is that

is Broadway as the arts for sure. As a great list of inspirations, you already had me sold with

the who's Tommy. Oh, come on, like Michael Cerveris and the original Broadway. I mean, yeah, there's

nothing. And I see you have fun home behind you. So, you know, yeah, you know, I mean, he's he's

fantastic. Titanic. I mean, yeah, he's he's had a story career and he's, you know, you know,

but I love like tiktok boom. I remember that at the Jane Street theater back in the day. Like,

I saw that. Like, I mean, all these, you know, independent, off Broadway stuff too, you know,

like I love certainly the vibe we're going for. Brooklyn one is, is that like, like 90s, like

black box theater, like, like where it's like super cozy. And, you know, you know, you're going to see

a good show. I love it. Yeah. Well, I'm curious to know, I mean, I love hearing the way you talk about

the art form. So what is your favorite part about working in the theater?

Well, man, I mean, 20 years ago, I decided with my co-founder, Tom Kane, that we're going to start

this, this company, Brooklyn One Productions, mostly because I hated auditioning. And I said,

you know, this will be a great way for me to do and be able to be in any shows that I want to be in.

And, you know, for the most part, you know, I've had, I've had, you know, I've had an opportunity

to do that, you know, we transferred to show off Broadway for years back, all the heavens of hell

that I was in and stuff. And, you know, but my, you know, years ago, I would have said,

acting is my favorite part. You know, that's, you know, because I'm always an actor first,

but as an actor, a director, a producer, artistic director now, you know, my, my love of it is like

bringing the community together for the whole thing. Like, it is, there is just a magic,

there's magic in the room when a show has, it's, it's, it's, it's, that like, it's like

opening night and, and the cast is nervous and the crowd starts coming in. And there's like that

energy that you cannot replicate. Like, you cannot replicate the energy of a show. And

that to me is like, and at the end of the show, whether you're in it or you produced it or you

directed, you know, somebody comes up to you and they give you like a, you know, thank, thank you

for that. Or, you know, that was really great. Or, you know, I really got something out of that.

There's nothing can replace that emotional exchange. No AI bot can, can replicate that,

that emotional exchange that theater can create in a room together with people.

I love it. That is a perfect set to my favorite question to ask, which is what is your favorite

theater memory? My favorite theater memory, that's, I have so, so, so many. But I, I will say,

and I want to be, I want to be a real softie is, now I'm a dad, I have two girls. And so we,

we have the, the Tom Kane theater at industry city and seeing them now walk into a theater.

And, and like, the, the joy, they're not into it just yet, but they know like, this is dad's

place. And they know like, there's a pride. I think that like, knowing that I'm, I'm building a legacy,

like that, even if it's just in my own little corner of the theater worlds right now, like for me,

that, that is my favorite memory right now. Like, that is, that's a, that's a core thing that really,

that really drives me to keep doing what I'm doing. Oh, I love that. I love that. Thank you for sharing

that with us. And thank you. Well, as we wrap things up, I would love to know, do you have any

other projects or productions coming on the pipeline that we might be able to plug for you? Sure,

of course. So after this fantastic production of Savage Elimbo, we will be auditioning for our

summer Shakespeare, which we are doing 12th night this year at the industry city ban shell,

which is on campus near our theater in August. So auditions for 12th night will be coming up in May.

We also have auditions coming up for our production of King Kirby, which is a show that is about

the life and times of the Marvel artist, Jack Kirby. And that goes up also in the end of August.

And we're doing a big rollout for Kirby, other doing a street naming for him in the city that we're

a part of. We're bringing the Kirby museum into our theater for, for a time during that production.

And then, you know, in the fall, we have the Rocky Horror Picture Show that we do on stage,

October 24th of the live shadow cast. We have dialogue with three chords, which is a sister company

that we do monthly readings with. So we are, we are packed out with a full season. And we hope,

you know, you'll come to our website and come check us out.

Incredible, incredible. So some amazing stuff that we have to keep tabs on.

You're seizing out incredible. So that is a perfect setup for my final question, which is,

if our listeners don't like more information about Savage and Limba, what about you?

Maybe they like to reach out to you. How can they do so?

The best way to do that is honestly, like, we keep a pretty active Instagram. So you can find us

at BK ONA, underscore productions on Instagram. You can direct message there and contact us.

We are not an inaccessible company. We want people to be involved. We want to grow our community.

We're a professional theater happening on the community level. And we want to just keep growing

that. So, you know, reach out to us. And we'd love to have you, you know, come down. Come down,

May 2nd to see Savage and Limba. John Patrick Shanley will be there doing a talk back with us.

Fabulous. Well, Anthony, thank you so very much for taking the time to speak with me for sharing

your company and for sharing this amazing production. You all are putting on this. This has been

such a great conversation. I hope it's the first of many. So thank you very, very much.

Yeah, thank you, Andrew. I really appreciate being on this podcast and I look forward to

coming back and talking about many things. Absolutely. My guest today has been the incredible director

Anthony Moreno, who joined me today to talk about Brooklyn One Productions presentation of Savage

and Limba. It's playing April 23rd through May 3rd at the Tom Kane Theater. And you can get

your tickets and more information by visiting bk1.org. We also have some contact information for

our guests, which will be posting in our episode description as well as on our social media posts.

But do not miss this amazing show. Come on out and support an amazing company. Get yourself

to bk1.org right now and get your tickets for Savage and Limba. April 23rd through May 3rd.

So until next time, I'm Andrew Cortez reminding you to turn off your cell phones, unwrap your candies

and keep talking about the theater. In a stage whisper. Thank you.

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12 Months at towel. Piano. Enjoy being fully alert.