INTERVIEW: ‘Ectoplasm,’ a play featuring a seance, begins spirited run
Photo: Jillian Cicalese and Caitlin Dullahan-Bates star in Ectoplasm, a new play by Sara Fellini. Photo courtesy of Nick Thomas / Provided by Emily Owens PR with permission.
Ectoplasm, the new play written and directed by Sara Fellini, begins performances Thursday, Jan. 13 at the Players Theatre in New York City. The production comes courtesy of the spit&vigor theatre company and stars Adam Belvo, Jillian Cicalese, Caitlin Dullahan-Bates, Federico Mostert, Sophia Radix, Drew Reilly, Florence Scagliarini, Raina Silver and Nicholas Thomas.
The show is set in 1912 at the location of a private seance. One of the guests is a world-renowned magician, according to press notes, which should remind audience members of Harry Houdini. Some people at the table believe in so-called spiritualism, while the mysterious magician is out to debunk the phenomenon.
Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Fellini, a theater artist known for Hazard a Little Death, The Other Mozart and In Vestments. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
What can audience members expect from Ectoplasm?
Ectoplasm is phantasmagoric and doesn’t really take a side when it comes to the reality of mediums and spirituality, but ultimately it’s the story of unrequited love between two women, and the tension that’s added when there’s an outside source of attention for one of them.
Did you have to conduct a lot of research on the time period, Harry Houdini and spiritualism?
Yes. I’m an amateur historian, and I’m constantly doing research into different times in history. So that’s the base with which I go into research for a play. Then once I know the actual time period, I can research a lot of practical everyday things. For instance, for this play, in my research I came across an adorable tidbit that they used to have engraved signs on electric lights, advising people not to try to light them with a match. There’s a character in the show based on Harry Houdini, and Houdini himself wrote a book about why he did his best to be-bunk mediums. He insisted that he was a believer, and he was only trying to weed out fake mediums. But I wondered how he would react if he encountered the real deal. That’s one thing we explore in the play.
Have you ever been present at a seance? What was the experience like?
I’ve never been at a seance, but I was an extra in a prank TV show where they were trying to convince a woman that she was being haunted. As a prank. Even though we absolutely, 100% knew that everything was fake, we were briefed on the tricks and breakaway props, etc. Once the lights went out I was terrified and absolutely clutching at the woman next to me who I barely knew. There’s something about being in absolute darkness that triggers something very primitive in us and makes us believe things we wouldn’t otherwise believe. I really believe that’s how spiritual mediums mostly functioned — preying on our primitive vulnerabilities.
Are you a believer in spirits and the afterlife?
I think so. I think you have to believe in something. There are very solemn and serious scientists who study this kind of thing for a living, and we as humans don’t know all the answers. I think it’s possible that spirits exist or other dimensions that bleed through our world.
How difficult is it to produce new theatrical work in New York City?
It’s almost impossible, and I honestly don’t know how most producers do it, especially if they’re like us and they don’t have any money. We are so grateful to theaters like The Players, who provide artistic residencies to small companies like us. Otherwise, we honestly don’t know how we’d make it work. There are more and more demands on small theater companies, expecting us to keep up with larger companies, and it’s just completely unrealistic. And it crushes us. Off-Broadway spans theaters like Signature to HERE Arts to the Players. Those are insane budgetary differences. We have to always remember that we don’t only want art created by people with a lot of money, so we have to support our small theater companies and understand that there are a lot of complicated issues that go into producing a full piece of theater. Not everything is cut and dried, even if we’d like it to be.
What’s it like to be both writer and director?
It can be hard. In one sense, you can really mold the play to represent your vision completely. In another, it’s a lot of responsibility, and it can be hard to absorb all of the thoughts, needs and feelings of every cast and crew member if you’re discussing your own writing, since you (or at least I) have a protective instinct towards my work. But you have to kill your babies, and the whole point of theater is that it’s collaborative. So ultimately, it’s a beautiful and painful experience.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Ectoplasm, written and directed by Sara Fellini, begins Jan. 13 at the Players Theatre in New York City. Click here for more information and tickets.
