Cramming as much action possible into one scene. Photo by Jesse Herndon.
I directed a (fully staged because that’s more fun and dynamic) reading of Squishy Emotional Insides, a new play written by frequent collaborator, playwright Mehrnaz Tiv, for Breaking and Entering Collaborative’s Rooftop Readings Series in July, and The Tank’s LimeFest in August. I fell in love with this script (and Mehrnaz’ artistic collaboration) in TAG, a writer-director group run out of the Tank Theater, and knew I had to bring this dromedy about band kids applying to college after a traumatic adolescence to life.
We were covered in Staff Picks Week 56, where writer Laia Comas said “As a former band kid (alto sax), this is the representation we need. Brought to you by Mehrnaz and psycho urbanist deviser collaborator Sabina who has a particularly keen eye for creating tensions between danger and safety, I am eagerly awaiting the “seniors of the Ruby Valley High School Jaguars Marching Band, victims of an elementary school shooting in 2006” as they parade by.” This piece starred Mohammad Saleem, George Copeland, Tasiya Roseborough, Rozz Srabi, Maribelle Flint, and Alex Scelso, with sound design by Sriram Iyer, and graphic design by Minna Lee.
Fun fact: we used real instruments for both productions from the same place I rented the saxophone, cello, and base for in grade school. I played the saxophone in fourth grade (because I felt cool being a Girl playing a Boy Instrument), but for the most part, I was not a band kid (not enough opportunities for attention and praise) and opted for drama club instead.
