INTERVIEW: Realities of deportation are at the heart of ‘Rare Biosphere’
Photo: The Rare Biosphere stars Natalia Plaza and Zac Owens. Photo courtesy of the production / Provided by Kampfire PR with permission.
The Rare Biosphere, a timely new play by Chris Cragin-Day, depicts a family struggling to deal with the realities of deportation. A 17-year-old named Sophie watches as her parents are deported from the country, and now she must adapt her life and take care of her younger siblings. She is still determined to fulfill her dream of studying molecular genetics and microbiology at Duke University, and her fascination in the “rare biosphere” remains intact.
The play, directed by Christopher Domig, plays through May 19 at Calvary St. George’s in New York City. Sea Dog Theater presents the work, which is a two-hander featuring the acting talents of Natalia Plaza and Zac Owens.
Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Cragin-Day about the new play. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
What inspired this play?
One of my writing students, who is the daughter of Honduran immigrants, told me a story of a Honduran-American girl she knew who came home from high school one day to find that her parents had been deported. I thought to myself, most Americans don’t have any idea that this kind of thing is going on, and, when it’s in theory, they probably don’t care. But if they knew these people, they’d probably be outraged enough to try and help them. That’s the key I think, really knowing people whose experiences are different than your own — the key to generating empathy and killing apathy. So I wanted to write a play about that.
What do you hope the audience learns or takes away from the performance?
I hope the audience is able to see themselves in both of these characters and imagine themselves in their shoes.
How long has the play been in development? Has it changed a lot since the first draft?
In 2018, it was in Luna Stage’s New Play Reading Series, and Sea Dog Theater gave it two readings. And Baylor University gave it a reading, all within about 12 months. I was able to be in rehearsals and do rewrites for all of those, so I’ve had the luxury of refining the play in several settings and with a variety of actors and directors. This it the first full production.
How has it been working with Christopher Domig?
Chris and I are old friends, so it’s been really fun. We like the same theater, share a similar aesthetic. It was just a very natural collaboration from the start. One of the things I admire about Chris is that his standards for artistic excellence are very high. He doesn’t settle for ‘almost there.’ I have a similar perfectionist streak in me, so we get each other.
How difficult is it to get new work performed in New York City?
Getting a reading is not so hard, once you’ve sort of earned your stripes. But plays often get caught in what’s called ‘reading hell,’ which means that lots of people like the play and think it’s good, but aren’t willing to take the risk of taking it to production. The competition is just so so stiff. There are so many really, really good playwrights in NYC. The density of talent and ambition is stunning. But that’s also what makes it fun. Iron sharpens iron. Engaging with good writers, directors, designers and actors makes my work better. The difficulty and the excellence go hand in hand.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
The Rare Biosphere, a production from Sea Dog Theater, plays through May 19 at Calvary St. George’s on Gramercy Park North in New York City. Click here for more information and tickets.
