INTERVIEW: Ace Young stars in world premiere play at The Tank
Photo: Vatican Falls, written by Frank Avella, stars Ace Young. Photo courtesy of Ashley Garrett / Provided by Matt Ross PR with permission.
Vatican Falls, the new play written by Frank Avella and starring Ace Young, finishes its limited engagement Sunday, Nov. 20 at The Tank in New York City. The show, which is co-directed by Avella and Carlotta Brentan (also a performer), is a topical drama involving the tragic sexual abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Church. The show centers the stories of survivors of the abuse, following them on a long journey — both emotional and spiritual (and even geographical, with the narrative taking characters to Boston, Rome, Los Angeles and New York City). Along the way, Vatican Falls focuses on themes such as anger, shame, love, forgiveness and retribution.
Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Avella and Young, who is perhaps most well known for his time on American Idol. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
What do you hope is the ultimate takeaway after audiences experience Vatican Falls?
AVELLA: From what I’ve gauged from our audience responses to date, they truly appreciate what we are hoping to do with this show, and that is to create a real dialogue specific to the sexual abuse of children and young adults — that occurs in many areas of society — but that seems to have thrived within the Catholic Church for God knows how many decades … centuries … and not only went unchecked but was a breeding ground for rape and torture. Within that theme, we also examine the feelings of shame, anger, love and forgiveness. One of the survivors in the play says: “Even in the me-too era, time is still not up for those who harm children.” That line seems to resonate with our audiences.
The play also delves into the grey areas of abuse. Often the person abused has actual feelings for their abuser, and the connection is real, although the abuser (usually a priest) used his/her power as a conduit between himself and God, to hold horrific sway over the survivor (and victim, since sometimes those abused chose to take their own lives for varying different reasons). And when these cases were reported to high-ranking church officials, they were ignored and/or the clergyman was simply whisked off to another parish to continue abusing youth.
Vatican Falls is based on true survivor stories, and the events cited in the play are all real. The fictional revenge twist allows us to give survivors a catharsis of sorts but also show how an ‘eye for an eye’ is never the answer.
It’s also important to note that the play is not this depressing series of stories about molestation. It’s a sweeping, deliberately cinematic, nonlinear, multi-genre production that explores each character’s respective journeys. I’ve found that the viewer takeaway is usually with what their own lives and struggles and experiences have been.
YOUNG: For me, the ultimate takeaway is opening up the discussion of carried trauma. We have all been through so much in order to be who we are today. Speaking of it in an unbiased environment allows us to accept that it did actually happen. This turns your trauma from an uncontrollable bad dream into something tangible that you can choose to no longer carry in your body. Your mind will always remember, but your body should never have to experience it again and again and again.
In Vatican Falls, we honor the “survivors.” Survivor is the important word because these experiences forced so many to an isolated lifestyle that no one else wanted to talk about. The traumas occurred in the place where they were trying to find safety and security. This didn’t allow a real safe place for them anywhere. Their families didn’t want to hear it and told them to go to the church, and then the church continued to molest them and paid them money to act like it never happened. A financed life with no purpose is a lonely road to suicide. So at Vatican Falls we celebrate as survivors with the other survivors that are still with us.
The entire reason we gather is to help each other have the best lives possible. It is time to call out the perverted bullies that are praying on the weak. They must live with everyone knowing who they are and what they are still doing today.
What has co-director Carlotta Brentan brought to the piece? What was the working relationship like?
AVELLA: Carlotta and I met when she first auditioned for the role of Claudia for a fundraiser staged reading of Vatican Falls over 10 years ago! She was too young for the role but so good that we cast her anyway. Since then, we’ve collaborated on a number of projects, but Vatican Falls kept coming back … either in reading or staged-reading form with promises of productions that were either canceled or never came to fruition. In the meanwhile, after a run at the Dream Up Festival, my play Lured was produced in NYC, and Carlotta and I co-directed, which proved to be a wonderful creative collaboration. We complement each other and often think the same things, and when we disagree (which is rare), we bounce ideas back and forth until we reach the best conclusion for the play overall.
Vatican Falls happened quickly. Neither of us thought it would see the light of day, so when we got the green light from The Tank and our producing partner, Ashley Garrett, we had to work quickly and efficiently, which is exactly what we did.
Carlotta has the most amazing creative instincts. Some days I would go into rehearsals wondering about how to stage certain scenes, and she would just dive in with these terrific ideas. She knew the play so well and had keen and inspiring ideas — always in keeping with the bold and unique vision of the piece.
I never wanted Vatican Falls to be a traditional piece. It was fashioned in the way we experience life — erratic, odd, unpredictable, tragic, comic, brutal, gentle and, hopefully, hopeful … even when things are at their bleakest. Carlotta understood that. She’s a joy to work with, as actor and director, and I hope we have many collaborations in our future.
Do you believe theater can change the world for the better?
AVELLA: Well, that’s a heady question. I sure hope it can. My work has become a lot more socially conscious in the last decade. I was always exploring taboo subjects, but I often used comedy as a crutch. Vatican Falls changed that. It allowed me to dive off that dramatic cliff that I always feared.
I think if producers and artistic directors would produce more challenging, bold theater that speaks to the times we are living in, that it could, indeed, change the world. So many playwrights are writing diverse and eye-opening stories that deserve to be experienced. But producers and artistic directors love to play it safe and produce the same-old/same-old or whatever subject is vogue (as if they’re checking boxes). Audiences want to be challenged. They want to see different narratives. Instead, we get jukebox musicals and endless revivals of musicals that never had much to say to begin with and/or films tossed onto a stage as if there were no original stories out there.
If art can ever trump commerce, then we can have theatre that matters. But that’s a much longer conversation.
The mainstream media should also start supporting stories being told in off-off houses. We have had the hardest time getting noticed by any major outlet — even with the astonishingly good Ace Young as our lead. We’re told the same stories by the media: “You’re opening at a difficult time, a crowded time. You have a limited run. It’s a difficult sell.” So get out of your self-created bubble and take a chance on something different! Change the tired old narrative! Make the time. We might surprise you.
For us, in our small house, we watch our patrons walk out truly moved, tears streaming down their faces, appreciating the work of the tremendously gifted cast and discussing the play’s themes and ideas. We might not be changing the world, but we are starting a conversation … a vital one.
YOUNG: Of course! Art is all we can leave the world. Art is the real history of our species. You are going to die. All your stories will one day no longer be told.
Art is the only possible truth or dream of a better world. One day we won’t have electricity, internet, TV and technology. That day theater will be back in its original form like the outdoor Theatre of Dionysius in 500 BC. Theatre will never go away; it is the honesty of human experiences and the dream of a better world. I dream of a world without the categories of religion, sexual preference and income level. We are all in this together, and only together we can make it right for all of us.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Vatican Falls, written by Frank Avella and starring Ace Young, continues through Sunday, Nov. 20 at The Tank in New York City. Click here for more information and tickets.
