INTERVIEW: The Civilians somehow find a ‘Shining Light’ in this darkness
Photo: The Civilians will offer a selection from their shuttered production of Whisper House at their virtual benefit concert May 11. Photo courtesy of Carol Rosegg / Provided by Everyman Agency with permission.
The resourcefulness of the Broadway and off-Broadway communities during the coronavirus pandemic has been inspiring and hope-filled. Although performances have been cut short and productions shut down prematurely, numerous actors, directors and producers have banded together to provide content to fans, raise much-needed funds for struggling artists and continue building a sense of spirited community.
The Civilians, the well-respected off-Broadway theater company, will soon host a virtual benefit concert that will support the company and its suite of artists. Aptly named A Shining Light, the benefit will feature the musical talents of Lesli Margherita, Van Hughes, Jason Butler Harner, Cindy Cheung, Duncan Sheik, Molly Hager, Van Hughes, Grace McLean, Ethan Lipton, Jo Lampert, Eddie Cooper, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Mary Testa, Jill Sobule and Kyle Jarrow, according to press notes.
The concert, which will have no minimum ticket price, will take place Monday, May 11 at 8 p.m. (with a VIP virtual cocktail hour kicking off at 7:30 p.m.). One only has to make a donation of any amount at this link. The stream will also be available on Facebook.
Fans of the company can expect a selection from Sheik and Jarrow’s Whisper House, a new Civilians show that was unfortunately shuttered during to the COVID-19 crisis. Wiley DeWeese and Nick Blaemire even penned a theme song for the benefit, and Lampert will serve as host.
While the benefit is going on, participants can also take part in an online auction. There is a host of interesting prizes, including exclusive virtual experiences with the likes of Kathleen Chalfant, choreographer Sam Pinkleton, Nina Hellman, Jeremy Shamos, Jill Sobule, playwright Anne Washburn and James Yaegashi.
Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Steven Cosson, founding artistic director of The Civilians. The company began in 2001, according to its official biography, and their mission is to make theater that is at the intersection of the theatrical and the real, sometimes utilizing a technique known as “investigative theater.” Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
Where did the name A Shining Light come from?
The Civilians’ spring production was Duncan Sheik and Kyle Jarrow’s musical Whisper House, which is set in a lighthouse during the early months of WWII. There are a couple of ghosts in the lighthouse (Molly Hager and Van Hughes) who sing beautifully, but are rather malevolent creatures who are exploiting the fear and uncertainty of that moment, particularly the anti-Japanese racism. In the show, love and human connection (symbolized by the light of the lighthouse) emerge as the antidote to the forces of division. We took that image of the light shining into darkness as our theme back when we thought the benefit would happen as a traditional in-person event. We also thought that we’d get at least part way through the run of Whisper House, but unfortunately had to stop on what would have been our first preview.
With the cancellation of Whisper House, is the theater company hurting tremendously during this pandemic?
Like every theater company, it’s a very difficult time. The loss of an entire box office is certainly a hit and makes for a fair amount of insecurity. It was particularly crushing to have to close the show and end employment for so many people who had, of course, planned to be working for that period. And so many freelance artists, crew, technicians, musicians, etc., they’re all facing a really tough time. So, along with the rest of the field, we’re figuring out what we can do in this shutdown period to help generate some meaningful work, and we’re working to stay stable enough so we’ll be here to produce more theater for audiences once it’s safe to do that again.
Are there plans to bring Whisper House back at any point?
We’re very committed to bringing it back, but there are no specific plans. I think there are just too many unknowns at present to be able to commit to a particular time frame. We have to know that it’s safe for the artists and crew to work again, and safe for audiences to be back in the theater.
What’s in store for the 20th anniversary of The Civilians in 2021?
We’ve been working on some very exciting plans for our 20th anniversary. Nothing’s been announced yet, and honestly, a lot may change. So I can’t get too specific. I can say that we’ve been working with Sam Chanse developing a really wonderful play of hers with the plan of producing its world premiere next season, and I’d very much like to be able to make that happen. If we can make the timing work, we’d love for Whisper House to come back next season, and there’s a possibility of a revival of a Civilians show from back in the day. During the theater shutdown, we’ll be doing stuff online and mostly letting people know through our mailing list and our online journal Extended Play.
How would you define ‘investigative theater’?
Really, it’s any kind of theater that begins from some kind of outward-looking inquiry, some kind of interrogation of lived experience. It’s a creative process, driven by curiosity and questioning, that engages actuality in some way. That can be through interviewing, research, immersion in a different place or community, or it could be anything really — riding the bus every day and listening to the people around you — whatever sparks some kind of interplay between the artist and phenomena of life.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
The Civilians’ virtual benefit concert, named A Shining Light, will take place Monday, May 11 at 8 p.m., with a VIP cocktail hour at 7:30 p.m. Click here for more information and donations.
