INTERVIEW: Carl Holder doesn’t know what to expect at ‘Out of Order’
Photo: Carl Holder’s new show is called Out of Order; it emerged from a bout of writer’s block. Photo courtesy of Sammy Tunis / Provided by Emily Owens PR with permission.
Carl Holder faced a bout of writer’s block at the age of 40, causing the playwright to think about walking away from the stage. His struggles eventually led him to the creation of something entirely different: Out of Order, an interactive parlor game in which Holder is at the mercy of randomly chosen index cards that sit in a bowl at the center of the stage.
Out of Order, which began as a theatrical evening performed in people’s living rooms, continues until July 23 at the East Village Basement in New York City. The show, co-developed and directed by Skylar Fox, is billed as a game of Russian roulette. On each index card, there’s a task that Holder must accomplish in front of the paying audience. He doesn’t know what tasks will be chosen, which lends a sense of mystery and unexpectedness to the evening.
Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Holder, who is originally from Florida but earned college degrees at the State University of New York — Purchase and New York University. His previous credits include Until You Come Back to Me and Waiter and Two Octopuses, among others. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
You’ve been quoted as facing some writer’s block at the age of 40. Could you explain?
I stopped wanting to write, plain and simple. After making theater for more than 20 years, I started to question if doing that actually made me happy anymore. The idea of walking away, heading in a new direction, felt more and more interesting to me. Of course, I haven’t stopped at all. Instead I turned those feelings and that questioning into a kind of weird show that playfully forces me to prove how committed I am to this path.
What exactly does the audience encounter at Out of Order?
Around 50 index cards are in a bowl. Each card has a task on it I must complete. I walk out, draw a card, then perform it. I do this until the bowl is empty. That’s the show! No two performances are the same. As much as I can prepare to take the ride, I truly never know what’s going to happen next.
What was it like performing in people’s living rooms?
So exciting! It felt like being in a band doing house shows. Every space offered different challenges and possibilities. After the shows, people usually hung out, and we all got to know each other a little. I’ve never seen so many cities in a single year. It was a wonderful adventure.
Has the show changed as it prepares for its New York City run?
This version is completely reimagined. Skylar Fox and Simon Henrique, the brains behind the theater company Nightdrive, helped me develop the piece with a New York audience in mind. It’s the same show in many ways but darker, grittier, also somehow more hopeful and funny, too.
What happens if a task is written on a card, and you’d prefer not to go through with the act?
I have to do every card, whether I want to or not.
Do you like the unexpected nature of the piece?
Aesthetically yes. Sometimes it’s really hard to do! But, of course, the comedy of it all is that I made this impossible obstacle course that I’m running through. No one is forcing me to do this. I am my own jailer.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Out of Order, starring Carl Holder, continues through July 23 at the East Village Basement in New York City. Click here for more information and tickets.
