A featured event in Ken Davenport’s inaugural Rave Theater Festival is BACK, a new play written by and featuring Matt Webster with Terra Mackintosh and directed by David Perlow
This 90-minute drama will perform on Saturday 8/10 @ 2:15pm; Tuesday 8/13 @ 8:45pm; Friday 8/16 @ 7pm; Sunday 8/18 @ 4pm; Friday 8/23 @ 9:15pm with tickets being available at http://www.BackThePlay.com (further info at @BackThePlay)
Leah travels to New York City to reconnect with her best friend Derek. Their undeniable chemistry and inherent trust would otherwise make these two a perfect match, if it weren’t for something in the past keeping them apart. Leah tells Derek about an incredible opportunity: a chance to go back in time and change the course of their lives. But there are rules about altering the past that could have devastating effects on the present. Will they risk everything in search of a second chance at life?
The acute observations and style of director, David Perlow, comes from his years as an actor, appearing on Broadway in La Cage Aux Folles and on tour in Wicked. He sat along side Joe Mantello, Sam Gold, Michael Arden, Sean Mathias, and Michael Grief on Broadway productions including Casa Valentina, The Humans, Blackbird, and Once On This Island as their associate director. He is also Artistic Director of ATTENTIONTheatre and founder of The Actor’s Gym.
Director David Perlow enthralled us with wise words:
“I’m an artist who surrounds myself with the smartest people I can find, and then is the first one to say: “I don’t know”.
My creative process varies from show to show, and from actor to actor. I don’t acknowledge any difference between working on- or off-Broadway, per se. In my experience, there are professionals and there are non-professionals, and where professionals are – wherever that may be – very exciting and inspiring work can get done. I make sure that each environment is optimized for the individuals with whom I am collaborating. The demands are high, and I hold my colleagues accountable to being the best version of themselves while we work, an occasion to which we all usually agree to rise. I make as few pre-determinations as possible – saving a thorough knowledge of the text of the piece – and trust that we’ll all find the answer together. The most important thing I learned from working with Joe Mantello as much as I did was to have patience, and resist the urge to fuss. When you trust a play as much as I trust BACK, you can feel safety in allowing two people to stand still and talk to each other.
I hope [BACK] will remind people that a commitment to love means persisting in love through moments of great doubt. I hope that people will leave holding hands with their partners because of our play.
Speaking of partners, after this, I will continue to run my acting studio, www.theactorsgym.com; Artistic Direct my theater company, as well as directing my beautiful partner, Ali Stroker, in some upcoming projects of ours, yet to be announced!”
OUTER-STAGE 