INTERVIEW: ‘what you are now’ explores trauma from generation to generation
Photo: what you are now stars Pisay Pao, Sonnie Brown and Robert Lee Leng at the Ensemble Studio Theatre. Photo courtesy of Jeremy Daniel / Provided by Matt Ross PR with permission.
The new play what you are now by Sam Chanse centers on the character of Pia, a researcher who is exploring various ways to heal the human mind from past trauma. For Pia, her hopeful scientific discoveries are both personal and professional. Pia’s mother was a witness to the genocidal violence in Cambodia in the 1970s, so Pia’s experimenting and questioning have a greater purpose beyond writing an academic paper about the topic.
what you are now, directed by Steve Cosson, had an interesting development phase. The Civilians theater company was awarded grant money by Ensemble Studio Theatre and The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for the project, and a scientific consultant was available to Chanse so the play’s dialogue felt authentic when discussing memory and trauma.
Performances of the play continue through Sunday, April 3 at EST’s Curt Dempster Theatre in Midtown Manhattan. Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Chanse about what you are now. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
How did the development of what you are now begin?
Technically, it began as a commission from the EST/Sloan Project, but the idea emerged in part from an article I’d encountered about memory, profiling a neuroscientist whose father is a Holocaust survivor. (I didn’t know it at the time, but the neuroscientist featured in that article was already involved in EST/Sloan. And we were able to meet after I received the commission. She wound up becoming the official scientific consultant.) That first year of the commission I also developed the play in the Civilians’ R&D Group and at MacDowell, so, there were several pieces involved in the initial stages.
What was it like having a scientific consultant attached to the project? How did this person assist the production?
Dr. Schiller was a wonderful resource — she reviewed the script for scientific accuracy, and it was great to know I could reach out to her for support. She was also involved in one of the panel discussions after performances started, although I wasn’t able to be there myself unfortunately (I had to leave town right after opening). As a scientist and human being, she also had a huge impact on the development of the play — from what I learned about her research and perspective (in the article I referenced above), and later from meeting with her in person (before she was attached to the production).
What do you find interesting (perhaps distressing) about this exploration of memory and trauma?
So much (interesting and distressing). It’s troubling knowing and thinking about all the ways in which fear is wired into our memories, how it persists into the present, and how trauma can be passed down and inherited. And it’s troubling (troubling of course being an understatement) when it’s a whole community dealing with a collective trauma and those fear memories, then years later traumatized again by family separation, and the reverberations of that double trauma. There were also some disturbing experiments I learned about — for instance, a 1919 experiment called the Little Albert experiment, which basically trained a baby to be terrified of a pet rat and other furry things (this used to be in the script but was cut).
But it was also really interesting to learn about the different elements of a memory and how different regions of the brain are involved in the different elements. And I found (and still do find) it hopeful thinking about the possibilities for developing a different relationship with our memories, and our past — not that we can or should deny the past or cover it up (which would be damaging), but that we can try and relate to our past differently, and how that can have an impact on how we live in and experience the present.
Do you feel there are real-life takeaways for the audience members?
Maybe tied to what I just mentioned in the last question — the possibilities of approaching our past from a different perspective, and the impact that can have on the present, and on our relationships in the present. Aside from the memory piece of it, I think there are other takeaways in terms of the experience of Pia’s family, and their history.
Did the pandemic disrupt the plans for the production? Was there ever a chance it wouldn’t happen?
Yes, to both. We had initially talked about a production in maybe fall 2020, although a date hadn’t been set before the pandemic hit. Once the pandemic did hit, of course, all dates were off the table, for all productions everywhere. We did some Zoom readings and workshops, and we discussed possible production dates. But it felt as all things have felt throughout the pandemic, uncertain and subject to change. When we did finally put “official” dates on the calendar, we wound up pushing them back three weeks once Omicron hit. So, the idea of it not happening always felt very present to me because nothing has been certain. That feeling has continued, for me. Every time we had a rehearsal, every time there’s another performance, each time feels like a small triumph — just that it’s happening at all after all this, that we’re coming together in real space and time. I feel a lot of gratitude for it, and to be going through this with such a hugely talented, compassionate, and resilient cast and crew.
How would you describe Pia as a character?
I think of her as incredibly strong and committed, but with a whole lot of armor — someone who cares and feels deeply, longs for connection, but has difficulty accessing that part of herself and showing any vulnerability. She wants to help her family, tend to their wounds, but maybe doesn’t see how she’s wounded too. Ultimately, I see her as someone who loves deeply, hurts deeply and is a survivor.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
what you are now by Sam Chanse continues through Sunday, April 3 at Ensemble Studio Theatre’s Curt Dempster Theatre in Midtown Manhattan. Click here for more information and tickets.
