Friday, February 24, 2012

FRIGID Festival Interview - Alexis Roblan of "Daughters of Lot"

By Byrne Harrison
Photo by Rachel Kerry

Name: Alexis Roblan
Show: "Daughters of Lot"
Website: http://www.brainmeltconsortium.com/

How did you first get involved in theatre?

I was always in plays in middle and high school, then I moved to LA for college (and, obviously, to become a movie star). Reading Artaud and John Guare during my freshman year of college started to seriously open my eyes to what the stage can do better than screen, and I've been really passionate about live performance ever since.

Who are your biggest influences?

As mentioned above, Antonin Artaud and John Guare. Also Caryl Churchill, Sarah Kane, Jean Genet, Susan Faludi, Kevin Barnes, Euripides, Judith Butler...

Tell me a little bit about "Daughters of Lot."

It's a neo-2nd wave feminist response to 3rd (or 4th?) wave feminism, set in an underground burlesque club and involving the Bible. And magic. YOU'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT.

What inspired you to write it?

The Spice Girls. The Pussycat Dolls. Every play that thinks it's "edgy" because it says things like "men want to have sex with everything."

Who are your collaborators and how long have you been working with them?

My director, Rachel Kerry, and I started a company together in August 2010 called Brain Melt Consortium, and our first project was actually a staged reading of the full-length version of this play. We've been working very closely ever since. We found our stage manager, Mandy Kelsey, while working on our 2011 Fringe production, "The Flowers of Fantastico," and she's become and integral part of the company. Everyone else is new to BMC, but they have all been godsends. Molly Ballerstein, who's been working on really exciting projects like "Sex in Mommyville" and "Chimera" (COIL 2012), is our amazing assistant director, and our cast is phenomenal. I couldn't be more excited by 5 brilliant, gorgeous actresses.

What's next for you after FRIGID?

BMC is putting up an awesome performance party at the Magic Futurebox in Brooklyn on March 31 -- "More Like the Rachel RADdow Show: An Unofficial Birthday Party for Rachel Maddow Celebrating the Ridiculous Circus that is Cable News." I'll be helping to produce that. I'm also in the process of developing a solo show with my friend R. Ernie Silva, who's been touring around for the last few years with his amazing debut solo piece, "Heavy Like the Weight of A Flame."

And finally, if you could say anything to your potential audience, what would it be?

If you're the kind of person who always walks into a night of theatre hoping that it will change your life just a teeny tiny little bit, this show's for you.

"Daughters of Lot"
Company: Brain Melt Consortium
Directed by: Rachel Kerry and Molly Ballerstein

The Kraine Theater
85 E. 4th Street

Feb 25, 5:30PM
Feb 28, 9:00PM
Mar 02, 5:30PM
Mar 04, 4:00PM

$15.00

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