INTERVIEW: Source Material considers ‘These Uncertain Times’
Photo: In These Uncertain Times, influenced by Anton Chekhov, features Grace Tiso. Photo courtesy of Source Material / Provided by Emily Owens PR with permission.
Zoom will be the destination for the virtual premiere of Source Material’s new theater piece, called In These Uncertain Times and presented July 25 through Aug. 2. Donation tickets to experience the play are now on sale for the 60-minute performance piece.
“Stemming from a group of artists wondering if COVID-19 is the death of theatre as we know it, In These Uncertain Times is a tragicomic, Chekhovian Zoom performance,” according to press notes. “From drinking competitions, sad Chekhov monologues and coronavirus meme collages, In These Uncertain Times’ focal point is the impossibility of theatre as we’ve known it and forges a new path in the art form, while grieving for the past.”
The cast for the virtual show consists of James Cowan, Miles Hartfelder, Annelise Lawson, Stephanie Regina, Raven Scott, Victoria Sendra and Grace Tiso. Samantha Shay, artistic director of Source Material, directs the performance. In her role for the company, which was founded in 2014, Shay stresses a cross-cultural pedagogy that respects diverse artistic lineages.
“The entire piece was made remotely and specifically for Zoom,” Shay wrote to Hollywood Soapbox in a recent email interview. “The biggest challenge is the technology and learning how to use it. It is a new discipline. I have thought about how this is a site-specific work. If I was entering a unique performance space I would sift it for its gold, not ignore its limitations, and make them work for the piece. This has been learning to use Zoom. I definitely didn’t want to pretend we were in a traditional theatrical space, but to theatricalize the space available to us on the digital platform.”
Shay stated that she believes the play offers a unique opportunity for artists to confront the uncertainty of these historic times. For example, when considering her own thoughts, she has been considering the need for innovation in the theater community, whether that innovation came on the artistic or on the business side. The COVID-19 pandemic, which obviously inspired this new play, has made the sustainability of theater a bit shaky.
In response to a question about whether the pandemic has permanently changed theater, Shay had a simple answer: “God, I hope so!”
“I go between many emotions,” Shay wrote about these past few months. “I must say that the time at home and the loneliness has made me more clear in a way. I know what matters to me and feel closer to my authentic self during this time. So much has fallen away that I thought was important, but was a distraction. I feel invigorated to make work when the time comes, and there is a way in quarantine that I am able to get lost in a deep sense of creativity. I do feel anger, frustration and deep sadness about the lack of leadership in our federal government, and how it has put people in such danger.”
It definitely feels like In These Uncertain Times fits into Source Material’s overall mission of being influenced by the world and its many artistic traditions. This company practices what it preaches.
“My primary influences as an artist come from different parts of the world, and I truly believe there are so many ways to tell stories,” Shay stated. “So diversity is not just who is in the room, but the ways we communicate, create and express ourselves. This has always been central to my work and who I surround myself with when creating projects.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
In These Uncertain Times, directed by Samantha Shay and presented by Source Material, will run via Zoom July 25 through Aug. 2. Click here for more information and tickets.
