Four lifelong friends in their 60’s 2 male and 2 female — discuss their lives as one of the characters, Bella, confesses she wants to escape to the Seacoast of Chile and leave everything behind. Cast includes MaryAnn Siwek; Christie Sanford; Gregory Wheeler; and Bruce Borman. Production directed by Ginger Kipps.

Running at the Beckmann Theatre at the American Theatre of Actors, 314 W. 54th Street, New York City, July 24-Aug 4.  8pm WED-SAT.    3pm SUN

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Kaitlyn Clark spoke to the company about this new play

Playwright Meny Beriro
Tell us about your history as a playwright and your career thus far.

In John Bowne High School, I took a class Play and Production that introduced me to theater. We’d go into the city to watch a play every week. In Queens College, I first started writing dialogues in John Tytell’s creative writing class. Shortly after, I took a class focusing on the works of Eugene O’Neill and I started to go the library to read as many plays as I could. I had my first play produced, Paved Roads, in Playwright’s
Horizons Theater School Winterfest. Watching Paved Roads come to life on stage –- I was hooked. Shortly after, I met A.M. Raychel at Theater-Studio and she supported my work in their PlayTime series. It was hands-on. I mostly cast and directed my plays –
but I also saw what a talented director could do with a piece when Marlo Hunter directed Grosso Is In Jail. Gregory Pekar introduced me to James Jennings and ATA and there I found a home where I was given the chance to have my plays performed.
I’ve won several short play contests; having play performed OOB, Brooklyn College, Queens Theater, Garrison, NY, Pelham, Chicago, Toronto, Oakland, Philadelphia and Los Angeles. My full-length play, Excellent Souls was selected out of 1600 plays from 41 countries by Marsha Norman as the runner-up in the Yale Drama Series.

What inspired you to write this show?

I wanted to tell the story of four lifelong friends in their 60’and what it means to go through a life together. Friendship is one of the most powerful relationships we have.
Too often we let friendships slip away for one reason or another. I also wanted to explore the idea of childhood dreams and how sometimes these dreams are never realized but they still hover –- never fully going away.

Tell us about your typical creative process and how this production aligned or differed from it.
This play is an ensemble piece with four characters. Having to synchronize the voices of four distinct characters was a challenge — something I had never attempted before.
Usually, my plays take a long time for me to put together – I might do research –- and slowly start creating the play. Experimenting with different ideas or characters. I might need to hear the play many times and do a lot of editing until it
finally feels right.
In Seacoast of Chile –- the voices of the characters Adam, Catherine, Bella and Ed –- started talking and I started listening. They guided me to where they wanted to go. Honestly, like flotsam drifting out at sea –- I simply went along for the ride –- and sometimes when the seas would get too choppy –- I’d have to take over the helm and guide the story through the storm -– but the voices never let me down until they landed safely on the shore. And that was it –- I submitted the play to ATA and James Jennings gave it the green light and then Ginger Kipps came on board as the director. So, when we had the first read through, it was the first time I actually heard the play.

What has been your experience working with ATA?
When I first walked into ATA, James Jennings started showing me all the theaters. I was thinking why is he bothering with me? I’m a playwright with such little experience -– maybe he thinks I’m somebody else. But I found out ATA and James Jennings offers you a chance to prove yourself –- you don’t need fancy degrees or connections to get a foot in the door. Over the years, I’ve been able to put up my plays in all the theaters of ATA. James has been an amazing supporter. I don’t believe I would’ve kept writing if I didn’t have ATA as a home. James always comes to see my shows and he has given me priceless advice which I will always treasure.

What do you hope the audience takes away from this show?
Carpe Diem. Seize the day. We all get old but hopefully we continue to try to find our purpose and value the friends we have through this journey.

What’s next for you?
I am developing a solo piece based on my experiences as a NYC High School Social Studies teacher for 26 years –- Teaching in the Trenches. Also, since I was born in Gibraltar where the Neanderthals made one of their last stands in Southern Europe –- I’ve started to work on a full-length play Neanderthal Poets -– hoping to give a clear voice to our distant relatives.