About the Play:
In SCHWARZ! (Hansel und Gretel), two diabetic children (Hansel and Gretel) discover that sometimes stepmothers and witches are exactly the same thing.
Produced By:
About the Author:
J. Julian Christopher received an MFA from The Actors Studio Drama School at The New School. His first play, Beast: A Parable, debuted in FringeNYC 2008. Julian’s play Metro Psalm was selected as a finalist for the 34th Off Off Broadway Samuel French Short Play Festival. The Doorway to Righteousness and Enlighten Me were presented in The Second Annual One-Minute Play Festival (Shoestring Productions). He has just recently been nominated for the Montblanc Young Writers Project for The 24 Hour Plays (2009). His play, Man Boobs, premiered at The Public Theater’s 2009 Emerging Writers Group Spotlight Series in March and will have it’s debut during the 2010 Fresh Fruit Festival. Julian has performed in various productions such as TBA (Second Generation Theatre), The Karaoke Show, The Three Gods (director: Elizabeth Swados), On Broken Wings (Traveling Omnibus of Ireland), Our Lady of 121st Street (director: Ellen Barkin) and The Flea Theatre’s ‘Twas the Night Before… Julian is a founding member and Artistic Director of Three Monos Ensemble.
J. Julian’s Forty Days to Forty Plays Interview:
OOB Festival (OOB): Tell us a little about your playwriting career. When did you start writing plays? What are some of your proudest accomplishments as a playwright?
J. Julian Christopher (JJC): I started writing plays about two years ago. I’ve been an actor for many years before writing. Writing always scared me. I didn’t really think I had much to say, or more importantly I didn’t think that someone would want to listen.
My first attempt to write a piece was really in February of 2008. It was a one-act play called, Beast: A Parable. Actor friends of mine wanted to perform together but couldn’t find good material that suited them, so I figured “why not?” I would write them something brand new to perform. I would have to say that my proudest accomplishment was finishing that first piece. I wrote it and I didn’t hate it. I actually thought I had a voice. I think I am most proud of discovering my voice and so thrilled at the opportunity that someone else might discover it as well, and maybe, just maybe speak to them.
I also wasn’t seeing the types of stories that I wanted to see. I consider myself a proactive person, so if what I want to see is not happening, then I felt an obligation to have those stories told. That’s really how it all began.
OOB: Talk about your entry to this year’s festival. How did you come to write this play? Was there a particular inspiration behind its creation?
JJC: SCHWARZ! (Hansel und Gretel) was written for The 2009 Public Theater’s Emerging Writers Group Retreat. Each of us in the group was given a title, premise or style for a short play by our fellow playwrights. I was given Black Hansel and Gretel, so I wanted to put a twisted spin on the famous tale and turn it into a black comedy. It is not an adaptation by any means. I really tired to have fun with this particular cautionary tale, trying to highlight the violence and show how truly disturbing this story is…of course through the use of humor. I hope it works!!!
OOB: We saw your play METRO PSALM in our Festival last year. The style of that piece is extraordinarily different than that of SCHWARTZ! (Hansel und Gretel). Can you talk a little bit more about the voice of these two shorts, and how you came to your stylistic decisions? When you have an idea for a play, how do you begin to find the “voice” of the play?
JJC: Yes, Metro Psalm and SCHWARZ! (Hansel und Gretel) are quite different in style. SCHWARZ! the off-the-wall comedy just came to me. It wasn’t a choice really. By that I mean, I knew I wanted to do a retelling of this German Cautionary Tale and I just start to write. As I wrote, the style began to show itself. That is true for most of my work. I start with a question; a question that I want answered. In this case the question was, “Why are these stories so violent?” Through my writing I try to answer the question I have posed and that is where the style shows itself. I don’t control the voice of the play. The Voice controls me.
OOB: SCHWARTZ! obviously pulls from a classic text and plays with it. Can you talk a little about the process of transforming a text that’s already written as opposed to creating something entirely original? Was there any research or special care you took when approaching this play?
I’ve been pretty obsessed lately with German Cautionary Tales and how violent and painful they are under the guise of silly circumstances (e.g. The Candy House in Hansel and Gretel). I wanted to use the silliness of the original and make it as violent and unnerving as the rest of the piece by using these devices to further the plot. I treated the original story as a skeleton and just let loose.
OOB: Do you plan to hone and further develop the play in upcoming rehearsals? Has it already been produced?
JJC: SCHWARZ! (Hansel und Gretel) has not been produced. It has been work-shopped at The 2009 Public Theater’s Emerging Writers Group Retreat. I don’t believe that a play is ever finished. I believe it constantly evolves, so yes, definitely I plan to further develop it with the cast and director. I am also looking into writing a collection of twisted German Cautionary Tales, hopefully that can be performed together.
OOB: Tell us a little about your producer? How did you come to form your relationship together?
JJC: Well, the producing company that has sponsored this piece is The Public Theater, one of the most incredible theaters in New York City. Being a part of The Public Theater’s 2009 Emerging Writers Group has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Their care and support of playwrights is to be admired.
I will be actually producing this piece via my theater company, Three Monos Ensemble. Three Monos Ensemble is interested in socially activated theatre which inspires and challenges perceptions through new work. I self-produced my piece Metro Psalm in last year’s festival and it was quite the experience. I’m looking forward to the stress again!
OOB: Looking back over your personal history in the theatre, what emerges as your favorite memory? Is there a particular story you’d like to share?
JJC: One of my favorite memories is at the end of one of the rehearsals of my first play BEAST: A Parable, I was so overcome with emotions I started to sob. It was so overwhelming to see what the actors brought to the piece (One of the actors being Dennis A. Allen II, who has his piece The Mud is Thicker in Mississippi, in this year’s festival as well). It felt like I didn’t even write it. It lived and breathed right off the paper. It was an unforgettable moment. That is when I knew I needed to do this. I guess you can say it’s like a drug. I’m always looking for that feeling. Constantly.
