Does NOT What is the heart of your story about and who do you think it will most appeal to? Hunter is an overweight gay man who got burned by love in the past. The ghost of that relationship leaves him unable to find love even in his fantasies. Only when Fit All a sexy stranger from Idaho enters his life does he have the courage to finally face those demons preventing him from finding happiness. I imagine this story appeals to just about everybody. You could probably poll a hundred people on the streets of New York from all walks of life and asked if they have been burned by love and the majority of them would say, “Definitely.” The theme is pretty universal. We just happen to tell it with an overweight gay man, a drag queen, a former-stripper-turned-Conservative, a lazy-eyed nymphomaniac and a mysterious woman named Afrodite. You have partnered with Theater for the New City on four of your shows. How did that relationship come about? My collaborator Joey and I were walking around Manhattan trying to find a space to perform “Fat Asses: The Musical.” We randomly passed Theater for the New City and decided, "What the hell? Let's go in." We explained who we were and then Crystal Field, the executive director, turned the corner. I knew I had about 30 seconds to pitch the show. So I did, and she just paused, looked at us and said, "Well, you two look really interesting." When we walked out the door, we didn't even make it to the subway before we got a call. Crystal wanted to present our show. And we've been there for four years in a row. We work with the whole TNC design staff. They're family. You are an actor, writer, director and teacher. What do you like about each, and is there one that you prefer and why? Writing is the most solitary and spiritual part. You are actually creating lives to present to the world so it really feels like giving birth. Directing brings the baby to life as you assist them to learn to walk, to talk and feel. Actors get to be the life of these characters and agree to temporarily lend their bodies and voices to these creations. And the teacher in me beams during rehearsal when any discovery is made by the artist. Ultimately you hope to create a piece of material that will ignite the passions of all artists involved, which in turn will make for a very enjoyable experience for the audience. In your last play "Under the Knife," which also debuted at Theater for the New City, you were the writer, director and one of the actors. What made you step back from acting in this piece? “Under the Knife” was a fantastic experience. We had a solid ensemble of top-notch actors so it was easy to inject myself into the craziness of that farce. But it is quite taxing. MAY 2016 | BOROMAG.COM | 21
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