Sunday, June 16, 2013

Planet Connections Interview - Marcus Yi of "The Procedure"

By Byrne Harrison

Name:  Marcus Yi
Show:  The Procedure

Relationship to production: Writer / Director
Website:  www.marcusyi.com


How did you first get involved in theatre?

When I was 19, I wrote a horrible musical called Who Wants to Kill a Millionaire? It was a murder-mystery musical set in Singapore played by high schools students…not the highest form of art, but I realized I loved to write and direct, and have been doing it ever since.

Who are your biggest influences?

Christopher Durang, Jane Martin, Prince Gomolvilas, Young Jean Lee, Bob Fosse, Bach, Mozart, Chopin and Richard Wagner.

What is your show about?


Love. Adrian, a man in his mid-thirties, is living the dream. He is a lawyer, married to a loving husband, Jacob, and is about to become a citizen of the United States. Everything seems rosy until the immigration interview, where he learns that the path to citizenship requires a microchip implant. In his eye. In the end, Adrian has to choose between the staying with the people he loves, and standing up for what is right.

What inspired you to write it?


Ingénue Theater invited me to be a part of their writing circle in the Fall of 2012, to create plays about the theme, “Home” I had been thinking a lot about immigration reform and how immigrants feel about their adopted home so decided that immigration would be a central theme. I also had never written anything with Singaporean characters so decided to add that flavor as well and The Procedure was born.

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

My biggest collaborator in this project is my co-director Sonia Nam. I directed her in my play Will Hurt in 2010 and we have been friends ever since. She is an amazing performer, director and has the best sense of humor in the world. I always feel she has my back in the rehearsal room.

My actors are also wonderful people to work with. Stephen Thornton, Lauren Gralton, Richard Glucksberg and Fenny Novyane have been working on the play since January and always a joy to work with. The new additions Reynaldo Rivera and Shubhra Prakash bring new life to the piece.

Planet Connections donates a portion of the box office for each show to a charity.  What charity has your production chosen and why?
 
Amnesty International. They help immigrants. Seems fitting for a show about immigration.

What's next for you after Planet Connections?


My next play 29x/y an experimental collage play will be opening at the Fresh Fruit Festival on July 11, 12 and 13.

If you could do one thing to change the world, what would it be?

Free Twinkies for everyone!


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