INTERVIEW: Grant MacDermott brings ‘Jasper’ to NYC
Photo: Grant MacDermott’s new play is called Jasper. Photo courtesy of the artist / Provided by JT Public Relations with permission.
Grant MacDermott, a writer originally from New Jersey, has a new play that will receive its world premiere this month in Midtown Manhattan. Jasper will begin performances Thursday, Sept. 8 at the Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre at the Pershing Square Signature Center on 42nd Street. The cast features Dominic Fumusa, Abigail Hawk and Jessica Pimentel.
The story, according to press notes, centers on a couple who struggle to keep their family together as they face the difficult consequences of their son’s illness. Katie McHugh directs the drama.
MacDermott has had several plays performed over the years, including The Play About the Head Transplant, without you but also with you as well and An Independent Study on Race and the Brain, among others. This new production comes to New York City courtesy of Yonder Window Theatre Company and executive producer Lisa Dozier.
Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with MacDermott about the new work, which has been in development for a number of years. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
How long has Jasper been in development?
I started writing Jasper almost eight years ago. So I’d say for about six years it has been in readings, workshops, competitions and all that. The first few years I was doing drafts, having fellow writers read it, bringing it to my playwriting groups, etc. Then once it felt “ready,” I started to reach out to other professionals to get them involved.
What inspired you to write the play and create these characters?
I have a good amount of disabled/differently abled people in my family, so that part is always near and dear to my heart. But as I developed these characters I realized that as much as I was writing about the daily difficulties of having a chronically ill family member, I was also writing about forgiveness. So each of the three characters do things that seem questionable, and the other characters, and more importantly the audience, [have] to decide if they forgive them or not.
How involved are you with rehearsals?
I am there fairly often. I don’t live in New York City, so I am there in person when I can be, and then I Zoom in at other times. But as we begin our technical rehearsals I will be there every day. I’ll be working on the script most likely until we freeze the show right before opening night. I have to be there not just to answer questions for other artists but because the very nature of putting the show up challenges some things I’ve put on the page, and I sometimes have to make quick decisions and cut something or add something to have a new element make sense.
What’s it like working with director Katie McHugh?
A dream come true. She is so collaborative. She and I have worked together for years, so we can just be very honest with each other and don’t have to worry about hurt feelings. I can overstep and direct a bit, and she can overstep and write a bit, which isn’t overstepping at all really. It is the natural symbiosis of a director and writer on new work. We have very similar visions of what theater can and should be, so we are always working towards the same goal. And beyond all that we just get along well. We can talk about other stuff just as easily as theater, but more often than not we talk about theater since we are both indefatigable nerds.
What was it like growing up in New Jersey? Did you develop a love for theater at a young age?
Growing up in New Jersey was wonderful. I loved every part of it. I loved being so close to the city, but I loved also having a suburban childhood. It was like the best of both worlds. Also, I love malls, so Jersey is great for that. Plus being so close to New York City, my [town] was a microcosm of that. We had every kind of person when I was growing up, and that was pretty invaluable.
My love for theater was pretty instant. I have some vague memories of seeing shows, performances of varying kinds in different places and definitely being drawn to it. But the thing that sticks out in my mind most was seeing a production of The King and I on Broadway when I was about 10. I remember loving it, especially the sets. I thought it was this amazing, one-night-only, super special event. Then I learned it happened all the time, and that anyone could, in theory, be a part of it. And it was a job like anything else. I think within a year from there I was in theater summer camp, in theater classes at a local theater called John Harms that had a performing arts school (it’s now called Bergen PAC), and eventually started auditioning for community theater. And my theater addiction has just been getting worse — or better, depending on the way you look at it.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Jasper, written by Grant MacDermott, will play the Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre at the Pershing Square Signature Center on 42nd Street in New York City. Previews begin Sept. 8. Click here for more information and tickets.
