INTERVIEW: ‘Mon Valley Medium’ is latest example of streamable theater
Photo: Alec Silberblatt wrote, directed and stars in The Mon Valley Medium. Photo courtesy of the artist / Provided by Fortune Creative with permission.
Although most people in the theater industry would love to forget the difficult years of the pandemic — with constant closures, and uncertainty amongst company and crew members — there are some practices that emerged during the tumultuous time that seem like they will be with audiences forever. For one, theater is still being experienced in nontraditional ways, including being available to stream from the comforts of one’s home.
Case in point: StudioWorks is a streaming platform that brings theater pieces to audiences around the world. Their recent offerings come from The Studios of Key West, and the first production is Alec Silberblatt’s The Mon Valley Medium, which premiered earlier this month and continues on the platform into 2023.
The show, which is written, directed and performed by Silberblatt, centers on a community that has been greatly impacted by a murder case, according to press notes. The story comes to the audience courtesy of the character Mack (Silberblatt), who feels great guilt over his role in the criminal act.
Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Silberblatt about The Mon Valley Medium and streamable theater. Future productions from The Studios of Key West and StudioWorks will feature the acting talents of Michael Urie, Constance Shulman, Colby Lewis, Leon Addison Brown, Julio Trinidad and Orlando Bishop, among others. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
What’s it like to wear so many hats — writer, director and performer?
It’s fun and risky — but maybe the risk feeds into the fun. The amount of control that comes with writing, directing, producing and performing in a piece is what dreams are made of, for me anyway. When I get an idea in my head, I wanna see it through the way I see it. When others get involved, the opportunity for your vision to get lost starts to become more of a reality. When you’re the one creating and determining what choices are made, you can ensure your vision is what makes it to the stage or the screen. That all said, if it fails: It’s on you. So, it’s stressful and risky and nerve-wracking — but fun.
What inspired you to put pen to paper and create this play?
Lots of things. I wanted to write something where a guy nobody pays any attention to gets to speak for 70 minutes. The 2016 election made me wonder why so many people believe what they believe about people they don’t know anything about at all. I was interested in telling a story that was funny and thrilling in a very simple way. I wanted to make something that could be done anywhere for any budget.
What’s the significance of the title?
Well, the story takes place in the Mon Valley (just outside Pittsburgh city limits), and it hinges on a character that is a medium. It’s also about a guy who’s stuck in the middle. He doesn’t know what to believe. He believes in justice, but when faced with a kind of justice, he’s forced to question his belief in it. When faced with reality, he must reexamine his opinions, and that puts him in this middle space — this medium that is incredibly uncomfortable to live in. I find that I live in that place most of the time. I see the value in both sides of an argument, and it makes it hard to know where you should land. Also … Mon Valley Medium just sounds cool. It’s the Ms.
What do you hope is the ultimate takeaway after watching the show?
“Wow, that was fucking fun!” “Whoa, I need to tell my friends about this!” I think the play brings up lots of questions that can spark conversation after, but ultimately I want people to have a good time. I want them to feel like they got their money’s worth. I hope they choose to stream more theater, or go out and buy a ticket to a live theater experience. Theater should be — needs to be — fun first and foremost, in my opinion.
Do you feel that streaming theater has the same impact as experiencing the show live?
I dunno if it’s the same. There’s something to being in an audience and experiencing a show with others that (unless you watch this thing with an audience) you do miss when streaming a piece of theater. However, I think that the experience of the story is the same. I mean, there is something (I’m not sure what) about experiencing a piece of theater alone — watching it alone on your computer or TV, what have you. There’s something very personal about it that can be very powerful. It’s also accessible. The culture and price of going out to a night of theater is/can be intimidating, even for me. So being able to sit comfortably and watch a piece of theater at home for a fraction of the cost … there’s an equality and comfort to it that I think is incredibly valuable. Specifically for this piece: A close-up can do something no theater outing can do. You get a very humanizing experience watching this thing.
When did you first fall in love with theater?
Either when my grandma took me to see A Tale of Two Cities at the Pittsburgh Playhouse, or when I started doing community theater in Pittsburgh and met the nicest people in the world, or when I saw The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh in Pittsburgh.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
The Mon Valley Medium, written, directed and performed by Alec Silberblatt, is now available to stream on StudioWorks, courtesy of The Studios of Key West. Click here for more information.
