Creating a “Wonderful Life” with Jason Lott

We chatted with Jason Lott, the fantastic actor behind the colorful characters of Bedford Falls, about his work on Wonderful Life. Enjoy a sneak peek at this happy holiday production!

Jason Lott in Wonderful Life.

Q: What first drew you to this project? Was there a certain spark or idea that led to wanting to work on Wonderful Life?

It’s all Helen’s fault…  Helen first approached me about doing a one-man holiday show at The HUB for the 2011 holiday season.  She had been researching various shows based on It’s a Wonderful Life, but hadn’t fallen in love with anything.  She told me she was thinking of writing her own version and I asked if I could contribute.  She considered it for a bit and, thankfully for me, threw caution to the wind and agreed.

We immediately started collaborating and were continually amazed at the depth of the original story and how timeless it is.  I felt that timelessness in every performance last year, as parallels between the Great Depression and the Great Recession continued to resonate.  For better or for worse, those parallels are still with us this year.  Just as George Bailey had to find his way out of his depression, so to does our country continue to find its way out of its recession.



Q: How many times have you seen the film?

I’ve lost count…

Funnily enough, before we began working on the play, I had never seen the film all the way through.  I’d seen parts, of course, but had never seen it from beginning to end.  As soon as Helen and I agreed to go forward with the project, however, I immediately went out and bought a copy.  I popped in the DVD and fell in love.  It’s instantly classic and infinitely loveable.  I eventually had to stop watching it, though, as our production is based on the story, not the movie performances, and I wanted to make sure I didn’t try to copy them.  I mean, there’s only one Jimmy Stewart…


Q: Was there something in particular that made you want to bring the project to a Capitol Hill audience?


I have always been a fan of Capitol Hill audiences.  Ever since my first show at the H Street Playhouse (Painted Alice at Theater Alliance), I have loved working on the Hill.  The audience members are so supportive and so smart that you can feel them absorbing absolutely everything you’re doing on stage.  That connection is key, especially for a show like Wonderful Life that relies on the audience being a part of the story.  It’s like having a scene partner you know you can count on.

Q: Are there any unique difficulties you think this project poses?


There are always comparisons to the movie and, for people who are die-hard fans, it might be considered sacrilegious for anyone but Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed, and Lionel Barrymore to play the parts.  That difficultly, though, is also part of the fun.  We think that the story of It’s a Wonderful Life is so powerful that it can exist without those iconic performances.  What is more compelling than a man searching for what he thinks he has always wanted, only to discover that he’s had it all along?


Q: What has been your favorite part of working on the show? Do you have the most fun doing any particular character?

Two things.  First, working with Helen and with Gregg Henry, the director, are some of my favorites things about the show.  Helen is so smart and so giving as a writing partner and Gregg is just brilliant about seeing what the show can be and then guiding me to get it there.  The show wouldn’t be what it is without them.

Second, the opportunity itself to bring this show to audiences is something for which I’m incredibly grateful.  I love walking out on that stage every night and knowing that the audience is ready to go with me on this hopeful and heart-breaking journey.  Having the chance to help people think about things in a different way and see things from a different point of view is why I do theatre in the first place…

I don’t have a favorite character, but two stand out at the moment: Potter and Ma Bailey.  One of the things I love about playing Potter is the challenge of bringing his humanity to the surface.  He’s a tragic and wounded man and he has covered up that humanity in an attempt to survive.  Potter does terrible things, but I think it’s important for audiences to understand why.

I also love to perform Ma Bailey.  She’s such a strong, smart, loving, and resilient woman.  She reminds me of my own mom and it’s an honor to try and even bring one ounce of that goodness and graciousness to the stage.

Wonderful Life is playing at the H Street Playhouse from November 29-December 30, 2012, and is co-produced by Theater Alliance and The HUB Theater. Please visit our website for more information and to purchase tickets.

The Real Superheroes in YOUR Life

We at Theater Alliance recently requested stories of the ‘real-life superheroes’ from our audience for the chance to win free tickets to Reals.  Whether it be a loved one, friend, or favorite barista, we wanted to hear about the people who help make your life a little more….super!

We are delighted to share the submissions by Leah Daniels and Harriette Wimms, both of whom have won two tickets to Reals.  Big congrats (and a bigger thank you!) to both of them for sharing these superhero stories with us!

Leah Daniels, owner of Hill’s Kitchen, filled us in on the heroics of retired Capitol Hill lawyer Gary Peterson.  In 2007, Peterson witnessed a police chase cross through his back yard.  In an attempt to escape, the suspect, a teenager connected with several local robberies, darted into the Peterson’s kitchen.  Without thinking, Gary Peterson grabbed a copper frying pan and whacked the criminal on the head.  The night ended with the suspect’s arrest in the Peterson’s home.  The copper frying pan is now holds a place of honor in Hill’s Kitchen; look for it next time you visit!

Harriette Wimms movingly described her personal heroes in her own words: “I have three: 1) My dad, who was 60 when I was born.  He met my mom, a young widow with 5 kids, asked her to let him help her raise the children…and then poof! I arrived.  He filled my life with love, wonder, kindness, and adoration.  2)  My son…who I believe looked down from heaven and said, ‘Yep, even though they’re a mess, I pick those folks as my parents.’  I am so grateful to be his mother, and I am guided by his insight and grace.  3) The kids at The Mount, who face painful rehabilitation and extended hospital stays and yet still retain the joy and wonder of childhood.”
-Harriette Wimms

If you would like to submit a story of a real-life superhero, email Theater Alliance Managing Director Lee Daugherty at lee@theateralliance.com.

Andres C. Talero and Blair Bowers in Reals. Now running at the H Street Playhouse until September 16.

 

Real Life Superheroes are Fighting Crime and Spreading Kindness

“Simple acts of kindness are within the reach of all of us.”

-The Real Life Superheroes Project

They keep on popping up on the local news. They have professional photographs of themselves in action. They have army grade armor to protect themselves on the job. Some focus on service, some on crime. They are a contingent of citizens who help those in need- and they’re doing it in costume.  Their credo is the following: to follow and uphold the law, to fight for what is right, to help those in need, to be role models, to be positive and inspirational, and to create a better tomorrow. However, the world is having a mixed reaction to their actions.

Colorado’s Wall Creeper helped shut down a nightclub’s OxyCotin ring.  Geist runs crime deterrent patrols in Minnesota.  Child brother and sister duo Soundwave and Jetstorm hand out marbles in Virginia that they claim remind people to love America.  The movement is also not confined to the United States: the UK’s Angle-Grinder Man walks the streets in Kent and London, looking for drivers who have had their wheels clamped and setting their cars free, and Superbarrio roams Mexico City, symbolically protecting poor squatters and labor unions by leading protest rallies, filing petitions, and challenging court decisions. Some of the real life supers shun the press. Some of them will only meet in costume.

Soundwave and Jetstorm, Courtesy of The Real Life Superhero Project

The District’s own DC Guardian is one of the great ones. He is former military, and now patrols the metro area of the capital, handing out copies of the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Declaration of Independence. He is a member of the Skiffytown League of Heroes, which focuses on service, and has worked for Make-A-Wish, The Joyful Heart Foundation, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Army Fisher Houses, the Autism Research Institute and more. He has spoken to high school students about peer pressure and their responsibilities to their community.  However, he is not as well known as some of the flashier real life superheroes.

DC’s Guardian, Courtesy of The Real Life Superhero Project

Phoenix Jones, founder of the Rain City Superhero Movement, is perhaps the best know real life superhero. He has been cited by GQ as the “baddest-ass ‘real life superhero’ of them all, having sustained injuries like stab wounds in his fight against crime.”

He has a fan following, including his own t-shirts, and is well known on the streets of Seattle, where he patrols late at night. He has also stirred up a lot of controversy. He faced a trial when accused of pepper spraying people leaving a nightclub.  Police officers while discussing Jones have explicitly stated that they do not want people who are not officers putting them in danger.  Jones has claimed that he has had “over 30 bullets shot at him or in his general direction” and “been threatened with murder and stabbed” and is now attempting to raise money for costume pieces, some of which are worth roughly $100,000.

Other real life superheroes have blasted him, pinning him as a glory hound who wants limelight more than he wants to help other people.  In spite of his controversies, however, he remains one of the most visible parts of the movement, even while sharply contrasting heroes like Master Legend.  Master Legend lives forever on the edge of eviction in Florida, more concerned with helping others pay their bills and get food than for his own needs. He was one of the first to call himself a real life superhero.

Master Legend, courtesy of rlsh.org

Most real life superheroes can be found on the World Superhero Registry.

Melissa Englander is the Theater Alliance’s Artistic Assistant. She is a recent graduate of American University’s Theatre Arts program.

Why We Love Reals

Why the Theater Alliance family loves Reals, and why you will, too!

“I love Reals for the last 15 pages of the script.  I thought I knew where it was going, but I was wrong and then…wrong again.  Talk about a blindside!”
Steven T. Royal, Jr.
Reals Scenic Designer & Theater Alliance Production Manager

“I love Reals because of the well-rounded, kick-ass female characters.”
Melissa Englander
Theater Alliance Artistic Assistant

Melissa Englander

“I love Reals because it is a funny and touching story about the illusion of self-reinvention and how far people will go to escape their past.”
Andres C. Talero
Reals Actor

“I love Reals because it’s a chance to both live out and investigate my childhood superhero fantasties at the same time.”
Gwydion Suilebhan
Reals Playwright

“I love Reals because it questions how ordinary people can make their city a better place.”
Lee Daugherty
Theater Alliance Managing Director

Lee Daugherty

“I love Reals because our Production Manager knows even Artistic Director superheroes need help sometimes.”
Stephanie P. Freed
Reals Lighting Designer

Scenic Designer Steven T. Royal Jr. assists Artistic Director Colin Hovde suit up his superhero identity.

Gwydion vs. Gwydion

This fall, Theater Alliance will produce the world premiere of Reals, DC-based playwright Gwydion Suilebhan’s dark comedy about real-life superheroes.  Suilebhan is a prolific writer who wears many hats: playwright, DC representative to the Dramatists Guild, resident playwright for Taffety Punk, lecturer, blogger, and poet, just to name a few.  We thought it might be fun to see two of these dual Gwydions interview one another:

Gwydion Suilebhan

Gwydion Suilebhan, DC Representative, Dramatists Guild: You know this is weird, right? Me interviewing myself?

Gwydion Suilebhan, Playwright: Get over it. I’m your secret identity. You wrote a play about real-life superheroes. It works.

Gwydion Suilebhan, DG: Speaking of that…why real-life superheroes?

Gwydion Suilebhan, PW: Because it’s a totally theatrical subject! Costumes, masks, adventure, conflict, hidden agendas, good vs. evil.

Gwydion Suilebhan, DG: We have them here in DC, too, right?

Gwydion Suilebhan, PW: Yup. The Guardian, Captain Prospect, the Super Squad, and a guy out in Montgomery County who dresses up like Batman.

Gwydion Suilebhan, DG: Are any of them playwrights? You know, like Superman’s really a reporter?

Gwydion Suilebhan, PW: No comment.

Gwydion Suilebhan, DG: Come on.

Gwydion Suilebhan, PW: All of the playwrights in DC are heroic, if you ask me. They have storytelling superpowers. They might not keep the city safe, but they sure do keep it entertained and enriched!

Gwydion Suilebhan, DG: You’re corny, you know?

Gwydion Suilebhan, PW: This whole idea is corny. I have no idea why you insisted we do it!

Jon Hudson Odom, Brynn Tucker, Andres C. Talero, Blair Bowers

Reals runs at the H Street Playhouse from August 25 – September 16, 2012.  Ticket prices run from $10 – $35 and are available at www.theateralliance.com

Cast and Creative Team for World Premiere of Reals Announced!

Theater Alliance is thrilled to announce the cast for the company’s first production of its Tenth Anniversary Season.  Reals, a world premiere by DC-based playwright Gwydion Suilebhan and directed by Shirley Serotsky, opens on August 27 and runs through September 16 at the H Street Playhouse.

Check out Gwydion’s blog about the casting process here!

The District’s own Batman of the Beltway was just the tip of the iceberg.  Welcome to the world of real life people (aka “Reals”) who dress up in disguises and fight crime.  Nightlife is an earnest “real” launching his superhero career, complete with an origin story and a cape.  When he meets two other reals whose crime-fighting philosophies differ from his own, he is forced to grapple with the subtle shades of justice, his own fragility, and what it means to actually do good in his city.

Andres Talero will play Nightlife. Andres was most recently seen in Keegan Theatre’s Twelve Angry Men and in The Clockmaker at The Hub Theatre. He has also performed for Constellation Theatre, Young Playwrights’ Theatre, Discovery Theatre, Catalyst Theatre, and GALA Hispanic Theatre.

Blair Bowers will play Nightlife’s partner Belt. Blair will also be performing in Theatre J’s upcoming production of Apples from the Desert and Forum Theatre’s upcoming production of Church. She has also performed with Adventure Theatre, Rorschach Theatre, and Flying V.

Brynn Tucker will play the incendiary character of the Girl. Brynn was most recently seen in Forum Theatre’s production of The Illusion, Synetic Theater’s production of Genesis Reboot, and Constellation Theatre’s production of Arms and the Man. She has also performed with the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival, Rorschach Theater, Georgia Shakespeare Theater, and Toby’s Dinner Theater.

Jon Odom will play the mysterious character of Sensei. Jon most recently performed in You Can’t Take It With You at Everyman Theater, Yellowman at Rep Stage, and in A Christmas Carol at The Goodman Theatre. He has also been seen at Constellation Theatre, Open Dream Ensemble, and Roanoke Festival.

Theater Alliance is also proud to announce the outstanding creative team for Reals:

Gwydion Suilebhan – Playwright
Shirley Serotsky – Director
Steven T. Royal Jr. – Production Manager, Scenic and Props Designer
Kendra Rai – Costume Designer
Stephanie P. Freed – Lighting Designer
Elisheba Ittoop – Sound Designer
Nathaniel Mendez – Fight Director

Theater Alliance Announces $15 Tickets to HUM