INTERVIEW: ‘Georgia Mertching’ confronts addiction and death head on
Photo: Georgia Mertching Is Dead, a production of Ensemble Studio Theatre, stars Layla Khoshnoudi. Photo courtesy of Jeremy Daniel / Provided by Matt Ross PR with permission.
Ensemble Studio Theatre’s 2019-2020 season recently kicked off with the world premiere of Georgia Mertching Is Dead by Catya McMullen and directed by Giovanna Sardelli. The show, presented by the company’s Youngblood and Radio Drama Network, recently wrapped up a limited engagement at the Midtown Manhattan theatrical venue.
The play follows three women — Gretchen, Emma and Whitney — who set out on a road trip to remember a particular figure from their shared past. Along the way, they have many adventures and confrontations about addiction and death.
Layla Khoshnoudi, of Dance Nation, plays Whitney, one of the three central characters. She recently exchanged emails with Hollywood Soapbox about the production. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
What first attracted you to this role and this play?
Well, firstly, it’s a play about contemporary women, which is risky and important. I also love my character, Whitney. How delicate she is. She has such a light touch, and there’s so much magic in that. She’s also super devoted to her friends, which is just beautiful. She’s wholly trusting, and I learn a lot from her in that respect.
I almost didn’t do the play because I had made a decision to focus more on my own stuff this year, but when I found out they got Diana Oh to play Gretchen, I just couldn’t pass that up.
What do you think this play says about the important issues of addiction, death and confronting one’s past?
I think it captures what a delicate balance it can be to really just stay head-above-water. These women’s propensity to push the limits has cost them a lot (something many of us relate to). They are among a small and lucky percent of addicts that had the courage and support to kick their addictions and turn their lives around. Funnily, that darkness has afforded them an unmatched appreciation for the absurdity of life — the frivolity. This makes them very funny to be around. We find them in this moment where they’ve lost a very close friend, and as is so often the case with tragedy, it reminds them to appreciate what they have and how damn ephemeral it all is.
What’s it like working with your fellow ensemble members?
It’s a good group, a uniquely seasoned team of young actors with big, open hearts. The friendships became very real. That aspect of the process was very easy and fulfilling.
Has the experience working at the Ensemble Studio Theatre been a positive one?
I think, as both an artist and a person, I’m always longing for a sense of home. This might have something to do with being born to immigrants (my amazing and brave Iranian parents), or from growing up in a household which was so wildly different from the world outside, or from fleeing to New York City from Texas less than a week after graduating college. Searching!
I tend to feel more and more that the Iranian diaspora is an especially quirky one, and it can be very challenging to feel seen. The sense of continuity at EST is something that allows for that to happen naturally. Sometimes artists are shy, and it takes time to connect. It’s necessary to feel seen in order for your work to deepen. There is a feeling of home there, and that intimacy is important to me because this work can cost a lot. Home comes with highs and lows, but hopefully there’s deep investment. That’s a positive thing.
When did you realize you wanted to be an actor?
It’s weird. I always knew, even though I didn’t admit it to anyone until I moved to New York and proved to myself that I actually could. I think I was afraid of getting made fun of because acting is … ridiculous.
Do you ever get nervous before taking the stage? What’s going through your mind right before the lights go on?
Oh yes. That moment is actually something I’ve often wished I could share with people because it’s so strange and hilarious. My mind turns into a total cloud puff, and I’m fully certain that I’ll just evaporate in front of the audience. But what I’ve realized is, you just have to know what you’ve been doing, what you’re going to do, what you desire and what your first line is. Beyond that, it’s best to just hope the work you’ve done will show up and see what happens.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Georgia Mertching Is Dead recently played Ensemble Studio Theatre. Click here for more information.
