Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Planet Connections Interview - Mike Poblete of "Antenora"

By Byrne Harrison

Name: Mike Poblete
Play: Antenora
Relationship to production: Playwright
Website: http://www.antenoraplay.wordpress.com/

How did you first get involved in theatre?

I wrote my first play in college about my first apartment and roommate. I thought that no one would believe the hilarious squalor I was living in unless it was documented.

Who are your biggest influences?

I'm a big fan of modern dark naturalistic playwrights like David Mamet and Martin McDonagh.

What is your show about?

Two regular men are ripped out of their lives and thrown into an anonymous prison without trial where they are regularly tortured. The play is about how they survive through companionship and imagination.

What inspired you to write it?

Habeus corpus and torture have become majorly publicized issues in the last few years. In between all the debates I didn't want people to forget what it means to the prisoners that have to live through it.

Why was it important to you to be part of an eco-friendly theatre festival?

I think it's a great concept that will hopefully serve as an inspiration to other artists.

Planet Connections donates a portion of the box office for each show to a charity. What charity has your production chosen and why?

We are working with Amnesty International because of their tireless efforts to advocate human rights across international borders. At every performance we will have a representative with a petition for the audience to sign to help reinforce the message that every person has the right to a fair trial.

What's next for you after Planet Connections?

I have a show in the New York Fringe Festival examining modern online socializing through the lens of sexual dysfunction called Flaccid Penis Seeks Vaginal Dryness. I will also start working on a Playwriting MFA with Trinity College Dublin in the fall.

And finally, if your play was food, what kind of food would it be?

It would be a filthy bowl of gruel handed through a slot in a door.

Antenora
Thursday, June 02 at 4:00PM
Saturday, June 04 at 3:40PM
Sunday, June 05 at 9:00PM
Thursday, June 09 at 8:30PM
Saturday, June 18 at 8:40PM
Monday, June 20 at 6:00PM

The Robert Moss Theatre
440 Lafayette Street

No comments: