What most excites you about this production?

All the sketches were written when gay marriage was still extra-legal in California. So the sketches are set mostly in other states. We get to watch them knowing something the characters don’t, that gay marriage in California is no longer hypothetical. The issues we’re looking at will have an immediate impact on our lives. Also, I’ve worked with many of these actors and admire them, so I was very glad to find out that Heidi Wolff has been cast in my piece.

What is the greatest challenge you faced with this show?

Usually a short play or a sketch is one of many pieces in an evening of unrelated pieces connected only by a topic. In “Lawfully Wedded,” most of the pieces are written by one playwright about a group of common characters. Kirk Shimano and I were invited to write additional sketches to be added to these, without knowing the characters. So I’m interested to see how my sketch and Kirk’s fit into the group of related sketches.

What kind of research did you do to prepare?

I did an hour on the internet reading about divorce laws in Massachusetts. But my sketch came out of several news clips that were flying around the first time gay marriage was legal in California and people were lining up at City Hall in San Francisco, which happened to be on my way to work.

One was a cautionary message from Lambda Legal: Don’t get married just because you can. Legal marriage will be, well, legal. It will affect your obligations, your children, and your property. And if you get divorced, it will raise all the same issues as when straight people get divorced.

The other was an article, I think in “The New Yorker,” about how vicious custody battles were becoming in lesbian divorces. Apparently, women are more prone to desiring absolute separation from a departing mate and they want to keep their children away from the other as well. So when that’s multiplied by two women, the process can be surprisingly ugly. The first sketch I submitted for this show was a drama about a potential custody battle between two women getting divorced. I was worried that people would find it too dark for an evening of short sketches. Then a friend pointed out that if the women were arguing about custody over a piece of furniture, it could be a comedy.

What have been some of your favorite previous projects?

I’ve been fortunate with 10-minute plays. I’ve had the privilege of seeing really fine actors do an anti-war piece of mine, “Gold Star Mother,” at the Cherry Lane Theater in New York and I like a nasty little play I wrote about battered wives, “A Moment of Your Undivided Attention,” that of course divided attention between two conversations. But I actually prefer long forms. Until Morgan invited me to submit, I had given up on short plays. You have to do all the work of creating characters and a setting and a situation, and then you have only a few pages to get to know them. I’m glad Morgan dragged me out of storage. Otherwise, I’m writing a full-length play about a voice-over actress who begins to hear voices. And writing, and writing, and writing.

Since this play is about the right to marry, what are some of your personal feelings regarding marriage?

To me, marriage is sacramental. Well, to me, sex is sacramental, but that’s another play. Marriage brings the community into a relationship; it’s not just about the couple anymore. The couple makes promises to the community and the community makes promises to the couple. Many people do this without a legal contract, and many legal marriages at city hall leave the community out of it. It’s just the couple and a bureaucrat.

So I wasn’t much interested in legal marriage, except as equal treatment under the law and because so many people did want it, until a legal friend informed me that marriage confers about 1,000 civil rights all at once. You’d never be able to petition for all of those rights separately.

That’s the pile of issues people ignore when they insist that marriage is between a man and a woman only. Why? Not because marriage is for having children, because it isn’t that for thousands of straight couples, and thousands of gay couples do want children. What are you conveniently ignoring when you try to stop the conversation with heterosexuality and children?

What do you hope the audiences will take away?

Admiration for Wes Cayabyab for both directing this show and stepping in as a last minute replacement for a lead actor, not to mention personally making the knives used in my sketch, “Double Edged Sword.”  And I hope they pick up a postcard for “Gorgeous Hussy,” the other play in production at Wily West this month.

ALINA TROWBRIDGE studied writing at San Francisco State University, the art of the ten-minute play with Erin Blackwell, and scene structure with Will Dunne. Her ten-minute plays have been presented by PlayGround, Pan Theater, Theaters Against War, Three Wise Monkeys, the Mae West Fest, Another Country Productions, and Yellow Taxi in Berkeley, Boston, New York, New Hampshire, San Francisco & Seattle.  A Moment of Your Undivided Attentionwas published in Smith & Kraus’s Best Ten-Minute Plays of 2005.  Her full-length plays, Seismic Surprises Enliven Our Lives and The Little Mermaid Is Not for Children, had staged readings at The Playwrights Center of San Francisco. Seismic Surprises received honorable mention at the Stage 3 Theater Festival in Sonoma in 2005 and The Little Mermaid was work-shopped by Frank Condon in 2010 at Riverstage’s Playwrights New Works Festival in Sacramento. 

What most excites you about these two shows?

For me working with artists I have carefully selected  and seeing what they do with these plays is what I find most exciting.  Good work is often the union of several creative ideas and I am lucky to have access to some really talented collaborators.  We have two up-and-coming directors: Brady Brophy-Hilton and Wesley Cayabyab both of whom I have wanted to collaborate with for a long time.   

How did the Lawfully Wedded project start?

Last summer I was approached by Roy Arauz the Artistic Director of Arouet Theatre in Seattle to help write a show about gay marriage.  They needed something fast – and wanted to be in rehearsal in just a few weeks.  They hired me, another playwright, a poet and a musician.  I was on shaky ground personally as my mother had died just a couple weeks before but I agreed to try and write some sketches to meet their deadline.  At first they wanted me to dramatize some sociology reports they had gathered from gay couples but I told them it would be better if they just assigned topics and I could create my own scenario rather than dramatize specific situations.  So each week they sent a topic like, "write about people who think they have a legitimate reason for being opposed to gay marriage" and I would think WTF am I going to do with this?   And then I would just go with it.   My goal was to write as many 4-6 page sketches as possible.  At first I didn’t think I had anything to say about gay marriage.  I usually veer away from “issue plays” or themes "ripped from the headlines" but as I started working on the sketches, I realized that this story is not only my story, as a gay man, but the story of the ever-evolving American family. Right now we are a society fiercely divided and there’s a lot of fear and bewilderment going on and a lot of anger and resentment.  But there is also a lot of bravery, fortitude and pluck. Marriage seems to be a litmus test for our culture right now.  Our opinions on marriage quickly reveal our deepest held values.   And the big issue of our time is whether or not to legalize gay relationships and how that might affect families, communities and the American culture at large. We need to acknowledge that gay people, should they decide to marry, will face the same challenges as our straight brothers and sisters (maybe more) and while marriage has a universal truth it is also an individual journey.  This has been a long, difficult path.  What hit me as I was madly trying to finish these sketches is the courage it takes not only LGBT people to step up and demand their equal rights but also the courage of our families, friends and neighbors to stand up with us and demand change. 

But my!   That’s a lot of rhetoric and blah, blah.  It's not really any fun.  I needed to put all that aside and just create some characters and stories that would tell a story that you wanted to watch.  I didn’t want people to stand around and pontificate about their feelings on marriage equality, or worse, subject an audience to a sermon about acceptance.   I wanted someone to throw grandma’s wig in the dog bowl!  I wanted people to chase each other around the room passionately with gerbils and vacuum cleaners!  I wanted you to see people so in love with each other they wanted to part one another like water.  I wanted to understand my own grief at the time.  Beauty is often the trigger to grief.  Fog coming over the horizon, a roaring sunset, the photograph of someone we love brings grief right back, dead center, into our chest and I guess that led me to writing about a wedding because weddings are beautiful and deeply depressing to me -- they often make me remember those I have lost.   

Did you originally start out with Bill and Jason as characters?

No. Originally I had no intention of writing serial characters.   It was during the process that this couple, Bill and Jason, kept returning to me and they wouldn't shut up so I decided to run with them.  I didn’t have a lot of time so I needed to listen to the voices that wanted to speak.  That is often what playwriting is to me. I found I really enjoyed writing in sketch size pieces so that we have tiny slices of vibrant life that cover a very broad subject - a collage of scenes.   I really love this modular structure and would like to try it again with another project.  I wrote 18 or so sketches in about four and half weeks and Arouet presented about seven of them last October.  The show was a big hit when it traveled to various colleges and small theatres for the Arts Crush Festival.  After seeing the show in Seattle, I felt inspired that the show should be brought to San Francisco.  After a reading at Stage Werx - Laylah and Quinn agreed that we should do it for the 2013 season with multiple writers here.  I asked all my favorite gay writers in San Francisco to contribute to our show but most turned me down  or had weird conditions – fortunately my friends Kirk Shimano and Alina Trowbridge, two writers who I admire and envy, came up to the challenge and gave us two really wonderful pieces.  I wish we had more by other writers but I am very pleased with the sketches we do have.

What have been some of your favorite productions with Wily West?

MAIDRID’S BOW: An Amazon Tale has a very special place in my heart and was so beautifully realized by the actors and production team. Elise Barley, who built costumes for Teatro ZinZanni, outdid herself creating 37 costumes for Amazons, Smelters and forest creatures. David Stein, the director, was so excited about the show it inspired all kinds of great work from everyone.   The actors had these terrific fight scenes.  And there is something about scantily clad women fighting to the death with daggers that only the coldest of hearts can't enjoy.  I loved the production of RUTH AND THE SEA partly because it was almost cancelled but due to the determination of director, Stuart Bousel, and the cast - the show went on and beautifully realized.  It was our own Christmas miracle and from that Wily West continued.  I can't ever leave out NYMPH O’ MANIA because Wes & Quinn built a gorgeous set and the actors all went above and beyond to create a fantastic show.  Some of my other favorite projects: SPOOKY CABARET we had an evening with live music and theatre envisioned by Quinn that was inspirational and Stuart Bousel jumped in as impromptu MC and the evening felt like a really grand party.  I definitely want more of that!   I really enjoyed seeing our audience get into the fun of SHOWDOWN our single-evening competition where the audience votes on their favorite plays.  And the plays were all winners.

So how did Gorgeous Hussy come into the world?

Okay, I have to admit I really didn’t know much about Joan Crawford when my friend, actress Katharine Clark Reilly, asked me to write her a vehicle piece.  Joan Crawford scared the crap out of me when I saw her in MOMMIE DEAREST – oh, wait that was Faye Dunaway. Several people I talk to about my play don't know the difference.  Anyway Katharine gave me a couple biographies about Joan and I quickly became fascinated with the Crawford story.  I discovered Joan Crawford movies and I was amazed at how good she was – especially when so many of the scripts she did were so badly written.   I was impressed that she never got all uppity and artsy about acting - to her it was all business.  Everyone needs to see MILDRED PIERCE, WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE and the WOMEN.  They still hold up. Unfortunately my friend Katharine was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and she passed away before I could finish a script for her to look at.   One day, about two years ago, one of the biographies fell off my bookshelf and landed on my foot.  And I picked up the biography and took it to bed with me. So what it is it about this woman that is worth revisiting?  Joan Crawford is the American dream personified.  She literally is the rags-to-riches girl.   She started as Lucille Fay LeSueur  doing laundry in Kansas City and re-made herself, changed her name, worked hard, made shrewd choices, and became a wealthy celebrity.  I think it is part of our American mythos to celebrate that kind of success and not really examine what it costs – what we trade for a big career.  Joan Crawford wanted to be a movie star more than anything and she became one but at a significant personal cost.   We are thrilled to take Christina’s word for it and write Joan off as an abusive bitch.  But the story is much more complicated than that.  As Joan says in the play, “Our children do not forgive us so easily.  They forget we were struggling with our own problems and we didn’t have all the answers.”  I also wanted to explore how it is we make stars and take them on.   It was important to me that this be a two person play - rather than a monologue - and show how movie stars or celebrities are a reflection of us, our culture, our dreams and who we want to be as a society.  While much of what Joan says and does in the play is based on biographies – much of it is also my own personal hallucination about Joan Crawford and what she might have been like if you got her really drunk.  The play is not a photograph; it is more of an impressionist painting.

What do you hope audiences will take away?

First I hope they come to see the shows and enjoy them.   I think they will because the actors are good and have heart.  As a troupe I hope we capture the spirit of the characters we are presenting in a way that audiences can understand and relate to.  I hope they are glad they came to the theatre.   There is no place in the world you will see so many people working for the pleasure of so few. What I find most compelling about live theatre is that it allows us to share experiences and stories as a community.  I believe plays can change the way people think about certain issues or subjects and that can impact lives far beyond the evening we spend at the theatre.

MORGAN LUDLOW is the Artistic Director and founder of Wily West Productions. Morgan's play, RUTH AND THE SEA, played to sold-out performances in San Francisco and was listed as one of the "top 10 Bay Area productions of 2010" by SF Bay Times and Bay Area Theatre Critics' Circle chairman, Tom Kelly. His comedies, NYMPH O' MANIA, MAIDRID'S BOW and THE WIDOW WEST have all been critically praised and played to sold-out houses in San Francisco.  Morgan has had plays performed or read at the Eureka Theatre, the Exit Theatre, the Off Market Theatre in San Francisco, Berkeley Rep, City Lights Theatre in San Jose, Gaia Performing Arts Center in Berkeley, Ross Valley Players in Marin County, The Pegasus Theatre in Monte Rio, Arouet Theatre, Pacific Play Company, The Ethnic Cultural Center and Seattle Playwright's Collective in Seattle, Theatre Works West, Center Stage and the University of Utah in Salt Lake City and at the Interborough Rep in New York City.  

 
What Most Excites you about these two shows? 

The fact that we are doing it and doing these specific pieces together. I fell in love with the characters in Lawfully Wedded when Morgan brought them to us for a reading last fall and I'm just really pleased that we're going to introduce them to audiences. Providing Wes with an opportunity to direct for us, and bringing together a number of new and familiar actors also makes me happy. Gorgeous Hussey is another one that I've watched develop and was very excited by during the reading process. That we have Brady, Susan, and Ryan attached to it makes it even more exciting, because they are all so talented, dynamic and thoughtful and I know that they will make magic with Morgan's wonderful script. 

What are the challenges Wily West faces with the shows? 

I think that for any of the smaller theaters, doing two shows at once is going to be a stretch for resources. Something that thankfully (and unfortunately) we're already used to and do pretty well. Quinn as the Producing Director always keeps things very organized and for this production in particular, surprisingly simple. I think I kept expecting there to be more hiccups or issues, because we'd split focus and so many of our company members were also involved in the "artistic" side, but aside from the normal things you'd expect to encounter when dealing with any show, there really were no major issues. We did have a personal emergency for one company member, and in that case Quinn, Wes, and cast stepped in immediately to make it as smooth and non-impactful as possible. Right now, a week away from opening, getting audiences excited enough to visit both plays is my primary focus. Fortunately both casts are incredibly supportive of each other and the whole concept of repertory. Just in general the company has been really lovely and supportive, which always makes doing this so much easier. 

What have been some of your favorite productions with Wily West? 

I get asked that pretty often, and I have to say it's like asking a mom which of her children is her favorite. Even the ones that for various reasons might not be at the top of my list, still offered something I loved and cherish. I really enjoyed this season's Sheherezade that we produce with PCSF, and not just because I had PCSF members spontaneously hug me because they were so happy with it. Hugs are always nice though. I'm pleased to see that like every year, some of the short plays are going on to other national and international productions. "Ruth and the Sea", by Morgan, which also featured Ryan Hayes in the cast is up at the top of my list for sure. There was just something magical about that play for me. "Arrivederci Roma" was a fun one that, I think because it came from something so specific and personal for Morgan that I could relate to from a different angle, it made me happy every time I watched it. That and it had a lot of campy food humor, which I seem to have a weakness for. "Peaches en Regalia", by Steve Lyons and featuring Phil Goleman who is in Lawfully Wedded, was just very sweet and the cast was a joy to work with and be around. "Nymph O' Mania", "Juno en Victoria", I could go on and on. Mostly the fact that my life has been enriched by so many amazing people is the best part of all. 

Gorgeous Hussy explores the private vs. personal selves, how do you relate? 

My professional and theatre lives are very separate and both require a lot of time and energy. I'm lucky that I work for a company that is fairly supportive of my theatre endeavors, but my professional field is very competitive and still one that tends to look down on "creative-types", so to a certain degree I have to be very careful to balance a firm adherence to my freedom to pursue my passion outside of work, with not compromising my availability and delivery in a fast paced work environment. One that requires a significant amount of travel and overtime. Also, my upbringing in the gay community with performance artists and a strong anti-establishment ethic mean I feel divided sometimes; wanting to make big loud art that screams from the rooftops, while also wanting to keep myself out of the limelight. I'm fickle like a cat about having attention paid to me - only when I want it and only my way, but I'll scratch the furniture and twitch my tail if I'm left out, anyway. 

And with Lawfully Wedded and the themes of equality, marriage, life? 

As I said, I was raised within the gay community, and lost my Dad and dozens of others to AIDS. One of my first baby sitters was involved in the founding of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. I lived in the Castro prior to and through the AIDS crises there. I saw things by the time I was 15 that most people in the 80s wouldn't have seen by the time they were 45. I was bullied at school and by adults, because my dad was gay and my family were "weird." I've never even remotely understood what drives people to conclude that there's any real difference between "straight" or "gay." I mean, I know, I just don't get it. People are people, capable of the wide spectrum of good, bad, and odd regardless of gender, ethnicity, or orientation. I can't begin to explain the rage and hurt and resentment that I felt when I was younger having to face the prejudices directed at my loved ones, either directly or through me. I'm still outraged by the homophobic rhetoric that is driving the political agenda today. As if we don't have a million other problems, we have to spend energy fighting DOMA, Prop 8, etc.  I'm painfully aware of the privileges I have for being straight, white, and middle class, and it breaks my heart that something so arbitrary makes any difference. But I'm more hopeful than I've ever been that we can and will make progress. So many of the things that are explored in Lawfully Wedded touch me personally, because they reflect my family, my friends, myself. What I particularly appreciate is that even though there are some darker, sadder notes to the stories told, Morgan specifically wanted something that was ultimately more uplifting and celebratory of the "normalcy" of relationships regardless of orientation and no matter how odd or out of the mainstream - they're still "normal", human, and real. I love how complex humans are, even when it's driving me crazy. 

What do you hope audiences will take away? 

We've talked a lot about the themes the plays have separately. But I think the thing that joins them together is the humanity underneath the trappings of stereotypes and preconceptions. I hope that our audiences will see themselves reflected in these characters and their stories. I hope that they will walk away feeling good and hopeful and having been entertained by a talented group with heart and vulnerability. Because, ultimately vulnerability is the key to empathy and right now our world needs all the empathy it can get.

LAYLAH MURAN has been involved in theatre and writing creative fiction since childhood.   Laylah got her start acting with her family's avant-garde puppet theatre troupe Handghost Theatre in the 80s and continued to study acting at SF School of the Arts and later with Stephen Drewes and Studio A.C.T.  Her first short play "CENSORED IN TEHRAN" was included as part of Sheherezade X in 2010.   "PITCHFORK AND LIGHT" was included in PCSFs 2nd 24-Hour Playfest in 2012 and "OUTWARD AND ONWARD" received a reading in Southern Railroad Theatre Company's Resolutions:  I Do Declare! in 2013.  She served on the PCSF Board of Directors for a number of years and is the Executive Producer for Wily West Productions and she has been the Producer for The Playwrights' Center of San Francisco's annual benefit production of Sheherezade for the past three years. In addition to her theatrical endeavors, Laylah has worked for the last two decades in process improvement, project management, and program leadership in a number of different industries. She particularly enjoys bringing her creative and professional background together to help create an environment for dynamic theatre. She is currently working on the full-length, not-quite-one-woman show Da-Da Baby about her upbringing in absurdist theatre and the gay community.

What most excites you about this production?

It is truly exciting to be in a biographically based play about a recognizable, popular icon. It's even more exciting to think the door is open for us to intimately revisit the figure of Joan Crawford in a new work and freely converse with her, share a drink, and not just slip into some old Hollywood nostalgia and leave it at that.  The hierarchy of celebrity is played with in Gorgeous Hussy and, I think, deflated- so, what we're left with are very real people who come into contact with one another and are deeply affected and changed by that experience.  That's where I connect with plays as an actor and as an audience member.

What is the greatest challenge you face with this show?

For me, it's challenging finding the right tone of authenticity when playing the character of a person who is playing  the character of a person who happens to be someone who was very much alive. When Roy puts on the Joan make-up and attempts to speak from her point of view, he's actually pretty good at it. But, Roy is a reporter, not a drag queen.  He doesn't have experience with dressing up in a wig, being fabulous, and putting on a show. So, trying to really feel and understand the awkwardness and freedom of doing drag for the first time, and to not just be a cliche, is challenging. 

What kind of research are you doing to prepare?

I'm continuing to see as many Joan Crawford films as possible, which can be challenging to actually get a hold of. Watching old interviews and seeing clips of scenes and montages of scenes people have created on YouTube has been lots of fun. Also, reading the book, Conversations With Joan Crawford, is finding where all the meat is at. 

What have been some of your favorite previous roles (or productions you have been involved with)? 

I've created and continue to develop a solo performance, adapted from the poems of Walt Whitman called Boys Together Clinging. It's a theatrical, character driven show where I embody Whitman and attempt to tell a story and create a sense of magic and intrigue using his words only. It's  highly interactive with the audience and hopefully not at all what people would expect to see when watching a bunch of old poems being performed. 
I've been acting in San Francisco for nearly 15 years now and have been blessed to work with so many diversely talented artists and have landed some pretty awesome acting roles. 
This is my 3rd show with Wily West Productions. 
I have worked in several independent films and a few commercials over the years. I think film acting is, at it's core, the same as the stage; however, the stillness and subtly that is required, as well as hitting your mark, can be very different and can seem unnatural at first; especially, when you've grown up in the theater and aren't necessarily a subtle person. Joan Crawford was never in the theater as an actor - only as a dancer. So, hopefully some of my experiences behind the camera will inform my performance with Gorgeous Hussy. 

Since this play is about our public and private selves or personas - what parts of you as an artist are very public and what are some more private or personal interests that you would be willing to share?  

It's  difficult, for me, to find the line between a public self and private self. I'm sure it has a lot to do with social media and the fact that we're all now following and being followed by the new paparazzi...each other. Also, coming out of the closet many years ago, really stripped me of having a hidden self that is unavailable or off the table for discussion and display. At the same time, I think that things like reality tv and celebrity are very scary and I know I would never want my life and choices paraded about and dissected by the public eye.  So, really I think it's about putting your self into your art and that  is where the human heart lays bear.  Can we attempt to make privacy sacred while at the same time move though life undisguised?

What do you hope audiences will take from this production?

No more wire hangers.  As a kid, I was never into the old Hollywood movies, and as a child of the 70's and 80's, Mommie Dearest, was where I received my Joan Crawford education.  It's a really great movie that I adore and love to watch again and again. I hope, though, that through our production, younger audience members and those unfamiliar and familiar with Crawford will take a away a deep sense of a talented, fierce, giving, complex, and  contradictory soul that walked among us. I'll never look at her again in the same way after working on this production. I hope our audiences will be happily surprised and elevated by the Joan Crawford they discover with us here. 

RYAN HAYES has been acting in San Francisco for 15 years. Gorgeous Hussy is Ryan's 3rd play with Wily West Productions, along with Ruth and the Sea and Madrid's Bow. Most recently, he has performed with Dark Porch Theater in their productions of "StormStressLenz" and "The Tutor," which made it all the way to Phoenix. Last summer, he performed as Antonio in The Merchant of Venice with Custom Made Theater. Ryan is a founding member of No Nude Men and has acted in multiple productions with them, includingThe Monk, Hamlet, Love's Labor's Lost, and Love Egos Alternative Rock, to name a few. He created a solo show, Boys Together Clinging, based upon the poetry of Walt Whitman. He can also be found in a number of films and commercials. Acting is Ryan's passion, and he hopes you enjoy the show...

What most excites you about this production?

First, the chance to be working with Wily West Productions again.  It’s such a great group.   Second is the subject matter and the wonderful roles.    The show approaches what has been a divisive issue with love, and humor, understanding and depth, that is a joy to watch unfold as my fellow actors bring their characters to life

 

 
What is the greatest challenge you face with this show?

Probably switching characters.  But, with the parts I have been given, I do find lots of threads between them, which makes it easier.   That is a credit to the careful casting I think.  I also have to be cautious with some of my parts to stay away from drifting into caricature, and finding the truth instead.    Wesley is such a wonderful, kind, insightful director that he makes the challenges much easier to overcome.

What kind of research are you doing to prepare?

As one  who has been making her living reporting and anchoring the news for decades, I’m always doing research.   The great thing about this show is that the topics are so current and timely, that we have been bombarded by both sides for quite some time now.   As a journalist I face the same challenges as an actor, in making myself open to all sides, and finding the truth and humanity in even what seems to be the most “wrong” opinions.

What have been some of your favorite previous roles?

I loved the role of Imogene Jelseby in Wily West’s production of THE WIDOW WEST by Morgan Ludlow.  My first role when I ventured back on stage after a very, very, long hiatus was in Nathan Sanders’ play “Sweet Jesus”.  It was a one act, but basically a monologue, so just knowing I could still get back on the acting horse was a thrill.  

Since this play is about the right to marry what are some of your personal feelings regarding marriage that you would be willing to share?  

I am quite the veteran, having been married for 31 very blissful  years to my darling husband, Mike Sugerman.   I think that having a formal commitment can be a great help to a relationship.   When it’s not so easy to walk out the door, and you have made a promise in front of friends and family , it gives you more incentive to see problems through.      It truly is all about compromise and consideration and respect, and starting off with someone who shares your values, goals and sense of humor.   If you can’t laugh together, you are doomed.   As a mother, I also know how fiercely protective we are of our children, and want to save them from any bumps in the road of what can be a cruel world.   That makes me very understanding of the female characters I play in the show and their actions that to some may seem harsh , but actually come out of love .   I love watching my fellow actor Heidi Wolff.

What do you hope audiences will take from this production?

These plays are about love friendship and family, whatever forms they may take   I hope the audience takes a very simple message home with them that we all deserve a chance at whatever love and comfort we can find in this world, and no other person, government or religion can dare to dictate the rules. 

JANICE WRIGHT makes her living dealing with facts, or as close to facts as possible, as a news anchor and reporter at KCBS radio in San Francisco   She also spends time in her home studio, (okay, it’s a closet) doing voice over work.  One of her favorite projects was the  book trailer for “The Peach Keeper” by New York Times best selling author Sarah Addison Allen.   And, whenever she can...or whenever she is asked...gets back to fiction and her acting roots, which were first planted in Los Angeles.  During three seasons with Bay One Acts, Janice won Best Actress for her role of Inez in Nathan Sander’s SWEET JESUS.   She joined up with the Wily West gang in 2008  as Imogene,  the hooker-with-the-heart of coal in THE WIDOW WEST.  Janice has worked with the Asian American Theatre Company , playing Bonnie in MACHO BRAVADO.  With her fellow news hound husband, Mike Sugerman,  Janice  wrote and co-starred in “The Sugermans” on 30 Minutes Bay Area for KPIX 5, and were guest co-hosts for “Eye on the Bay.”    Have a look and listen at: http://sayitwright.com/

What most excites you about this production?

As a child, I felt very much marginalized in the community I was living in at the time.  Now, as an adult, it has been very painful for me to watch large groups of people being marginalized by our society because of who they have chosen as their life partner.  I’m excited to help bring some of these issues to the stage as a continuation of the debate.

What is the greatest challenge you face with this show?

A lot of the pieces I’ve been working on are emotionally charged for me.  It’s always a challenge to bring these sort of emotions to the surface and examine them.  Of course examining the thoughts and motivations of people different from myself has always been one of the things that makes acting so fascinating for me.

What kind of research are doing to prepare?

I’ve been doing all the usual textual research - browsing through Jack Kerouac and hunting up more news about Mormons.  I’ve also been reading news and editorials on marriage equality.  I’ve also been hunting up some chocolate covered pretzel recipes.

What have been some of your favorite previous roles (or productions you have been involved with)?

Last year, I was involved with New Conservatory’s production of The Laramie Project: Ten Years later, which dealt with some similar issues.  One of the characters I portrayed was Cathy Connolly who narrates a section on a Defense of Marriage Act that was nearly put through in the Wyoming Legislature.  We toured the show in the Central Valley and it was a such a privilege to expand the playing field, so to speak, and bring the play to places outside of our immediate community.

Since this play is about the right to marry what are some of your personal feelings regarding marriage that you would be willing to share? 

For me, marriage has always been about bringing friends, family, the community at large into a relationship and making it part of a larger group.  Unfortunately, when I did get married, I found this was far from the idea my partner at the time held.

What do you hope audiences will take from this production?

I hope they find it engaging and entertaining, of course.  And I also hope they come away with new ideas and questions to debate after the show.

HEIDI WOLFF comes to us having acted with several Bay Area theater companies, including: Brava!, Last Planet Theatre, PCSF, Thrillpeddlers, and California Conservatory.  Recent projects include The Laramie Project 10 Years Later at NCTC, The ABC Trilogy at the San Francisco Fringe Festival.  She was last with Wily West Productions for SPOOKY CABARET and played Shelley in Morgan Ludlow's DROWNING KATE.  She will also appear in the upcoming films MOM, MURDER & ME and BIG DRIVER.

What most excites you about this production?

The chance to once again work with Wily West, Morgan, Wes, Kat, Quinn, and all the others. I enjoy working with Wily West and the chance to bring original works to the stage.

What is the greatest challenge you face with this show?

Having to look at and examine how I feel about where I am at with those major parts of life – love, marriage, kids, and family - and how they fit into the character, so as to build off of them to bring a real person to the stage. So the challenge is the self-examination of those aspects for myself, being honest with myself and bringing that honesty to the stage. That, and kissing a dude. 

What kind of research are you doing to prepare? 

Mainly as with most role I take on, I begin with the internal research and how and where the character and I blend, and I bring myself to the character to bring him alive and make it real.

What have been some of your favorite previous roles (or productions you have been involved with)?

Some of my favorite roles include, Norman in “Peaches En Regalia” with Wily West, George in “All My Sons” and Cohen in “The Underpants” with Ross Valley Players, the numerous characters over 4 “Sheherezades” and as an understudy who got one performance as Laertes in Cal Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”

Since this play is about the right to marry what are some of your personal feelings regarding marriage that you would be willing to share?
  
I’m open to the idea of getting married, feel free to email any of my online dating website accounts. But for the most part I think back to when I was younger and I met my mom’s uncle. What sticks out in my memory of him was that he had a life size poster of Marylyn Monroe, when asked about it he would say “she’s the only women that could hold a candle to my Kitty”, and that he and Kitty (his wife) only spent 1 day apart during their marriage – it was so bad they decided to never do it again. If you have that love – what should stop you from being together.

What do you hope audiences will take from this production?

The sense that two people that love each other should be together.

PHILIP GOLEMAN is excited to be back working again with the Wily West team, he recently appeared in ALL MY SONS as George at Ross Valley Players. Other recent performances include an understudy step-in performance as Leartes in Cal Shakes' HAMLET, along with SHEHEREZADE[S],  PEACHES EN REGALIA with Wily West, ZINNIA ROSENBLATT at the SF Fringe Festival, and MUSEUM with Boxcar Theatre. Philip has studied at Studio ACT, and continues at First Take. He is a Graduate of the University of Southern California Cinema School; he lives and works in San Francisco.

What most excites you about this production?

Working with a great group of theater people, almost all of whom I have never worked with before and getting to play such a wide variety of characters.

What is the greatest challenge you face with this show?

I think the greatest challenge for me will be to creating such a wide variety of characters and making sure each is fully developed and distinct, as well as having to change from one character to another with very little time between shows.

What kind of research are you doing to prepare?

My research primarily involves my character’s backgrounds. For "Mormon Mother" and "Brother of Bridezilla" I have been reading and watching documentaries on the Mormon religion so that I can understand how Elliot’s religion has shaped his views on life; in particular homosexuality and what it would mean for a Mormon to devote himself to creating a perfect gay marriage. For Rites of Passage I have been reading up on heroin addiction to learn why someone may get involved with the drug, and what withdrawal from it would feel like. I have also been watching documentaries to see its effects, and how and what users feel about the drug and their addiction.

What have been some of your favorite previous roles (or productions you have been involved with)?

I feel so lucky to have been in some great productions here in San Francisco. Since I was little I always loved the movie CLUE and wished there was some way to be in it, so getting to play Wadsworth in Boxcar Theatre’s production was beyond a dream come true. No Nude Men’s production of THE EDENITES stands out because I loved my character Xavier so much and I was able to perform what is now my favorite monologue. And Eric Birling in AN INSPECTOR CALLS with SF Stageworks holds a special place in my heart because it was the most demanding role I had been given up to that time and every performance felt challenging and exciting.

Since this play is about the right to marry what are some of your personal feelings regarding marriage that you would be willing to share?

Prior to these last few months my main thoughts on marriage were whether I would want to get married or even be allowed to.   Now the idea of marriage has become a big part of my life due to the recent Supreme Court decisions, my sister’s impending wedding and of course working on LAWFULLY WEDDED. I see marriage as something that creates major change in a person’s life and identity, which at this moment in my life, I find pretty scary. But being with my sister as she faces this major life change I understand a little more clearly, that when you feel you have found the right person, the fears are worth facing. 

What do you hope audiences will take from this production?
I hope audiences leave the theater feeling satisfied and entertained, thinking about the ideas the plays have raised, perhaps with a greater understanding of human nature and why marriage equality means so much. 

BRIAN MARTIN is excited and grateful to be working with Wily West on LAWFULLY WEDDED; he previously worked with the company when he appeared in two stage readings for SPOOKY CABARET this past October. Brian is a native San Franciscan and a recent graduate of San Francisco State, where he majored in theater with a performance emphasis. Brian has worked with various theater companies throughout the Bay Area and was most recently seen as Stephen in ROCK N' ROLL with Actor’s Ensemble of Berkeley and as Lucentio in San Francisco Theater Pub’s production of THE TAMING OF THE SHREW.  He also recently appeared in Custom Made Theatre’s production of THE MERCHANT OF VENICE where he played Lorenzo. Some of his favorite roles include Xavier in THE EDENITES with No Nude Men, Geoff in A TASTE OF HONEY with Virago Theatre, The Little One in HOW TO LOVE PERFORMERS UNDER STRESS,  Eric Birling in AN INSPECTOR CALLS with SF StageWorks, The King of Hearts/Dormouse in ALICE IN WONDERLAND  with Atmos Theatre, and Wadsworth in Boxcar Theatre’s production of CLUE.

What most excites you about this production?

I love getting to play multiple roles in an ensemble cast setting, which is something I haven’t done since performing in Sheherezade in 2009.  I also haven’t performed in a fully staged production since Wily West’s NYMPH O' MANIA in 2010, so it’s exciting for me to be back on stage without a script in my hand.  I am thrilled to work with this cast- some old friends and some new faces.  And of course, I’m really psyched for Wes’ directorial debut- he has already hit the ground running, juggling 16 short scenes and 8 actors. 


I’m proud to be a part of something that focuses on the issue of marriage equality while the Supreme Court makes history.  I’m glad to be artistically addressing this issue while the rest of the world is debating, protesting or cheering.

What is the greatest challenge you face with this show?

Playing multiple roles in a production of short plays is always challenging.  Besides the various (sometimes lightning quick) costume changes, it can be difficult to switch between characters seamlessly.  I oscillate between playing the pragmatic best friend to a heroin junky, then from a menacing wood nymph to a grieving daughter who just lost her father to cancer.  It’s psychological and emotional aerobics. 

What kind of research are you doing to prepare?

One of my favorite things about acting is the research you get to do.  You might study philosophy, dance, sign language, religion, or motorcycles, for example.  Since my best friend IS gay and I would LOVE to see her get married, one of my characters is not a huge stretch for me.  However, having never done heroin, I will probably have to experience it for myself to really get into the role. (Just kidding!)

But, Wes is teaching me the proper syringe etiquette and I will probably re-watch Trainspotting or Naked Lunch or something. (Even though I’m only on stage for about 2 minutes as that character!)

What have been some of your favorite previous roles (or productions you have been involved with)?

Most of my favorite roles have been written by Morgan Ludlow!  I absolutely loved Woman in a Box, written by Morgan for Sheherezade 2009.  NYMPH O' MANIA was my favorite Wily West production, because I got to play an uptight, neurotic and narcissistic woman, who, with the help of some psychedelic mushrooms, comes completely unwound by the end of the play.  A similar favorite of mine was Janet in Rocky Horror Picture Show, for basically the same reasons. (And they both strip down to their underwear during the show!)

Since this play is about the right to marry what are some of your personal feelings regarding marriage that you would be willing to share?  

Oof, what a question. I understand and respect those that “don’t believe in the institution of marriage.”  I don’t like thinking of marriage as an “institution” either.  That, I don’t believe in.  I do believe in a lifetime commitment and partnership shared between two people with a ritualistic ceremony (and big party!) to commemorate it.  When my husband and I had our Jewish marriage ceremony, our Rabbi gave us the freedom to decide what we wanted the breaking of the glass to symbolize.  Since this was 2011, and no progress had been made in California, we decided to have our Rabbi speak of marriage equality, and the breaking of glass symbolized that our society was still broken on this issue.

What do you hope audiences will take from this production?

I hope that this production will offer insight into real human experiences of this subject matter.  These stories (besides a couple of hilarious fantasies) offer a realistic view into the lives of people any of us could know and/or relate to.  I hope that they are moved to tears and laughter, and will feel an even deeper sense of satisfaction with the history that has just been made.

KAT KNEISEL just served as director for Wily West's production of the PCSF annual short play festival SHEHEREZADE 13.  Kat has been an artist for Wily West since the very beginning when she took a lead role as Mrs. Brannan in THE WIDOW WEST for the maiden production in 2008.  Since then she has served as the Assistant Director for MAIDRID'S BOW and took a lead role in Wily West's smash hit NYMPH O' MANIA.  Kat has studied at Sarah Lawrence College in New York and the British American Drama Academy in London.  She had a brief theatrical career in Manhattan before moving to the Bay Area in 2005.  She has worked with the Playwrights' Center of San Francisco, PianoFight and the Actor's Ensemble of Berkeley.

What excites you most about this show?   

The discovery in creating a character that, hopefully, will be recognizable and accessible to the audience.
 
What is your greatest challenge for this show?  

Playing five distinct characters with their own back stories: foibles, flaws and nobility that they bring with them to
their stage personas.
 


What kinds of research have you done to prepare for your roles?  

My personal demons and fears needed to be examined in the back stories of a couple of the characters, which was both painful and liberating.  (Not having particularly good role models of what it means to be a husband or father, some of the traits of my characters were more accessible and therefore more painful than others).
 
What are some of your favorite roles and past productions?

The quick answer, and not particularly original is:  the last one.   Several come to mind though.  I had the privilege of working with David Dukes and James Doohan in: "Teddy and that Splendid Little War", which was produced at Zellerbach Auditorium in Berkeley back in the 70's.  Just the sheer size of the production and number of seats kept me in awe.  More recently I got
to participate in my first music video...no I don't sing well enough...but I did act well enough to be cast as "Sugar Daddy" in a video of
the song, Desdemona, by techno-pop band, Dangermaker.    Also, back  in the 70's, I got to sing and dance in a musical "Centralia, 1919",
at the Berkeley Stage Co.  An amazing piece about the labor movement during the first world war.
 
What are some of your feelings about marriage?

I have been in two long term relationships.  The first when I was in my 20's with a Hollywood "star" that lasted 7 years.  They were exciting and dangerous years...partly because of the nature of the times, partly because of the supposed glamour and partly because we were a biracial couple.  My family, scandalized at first, would eventually become incredibly supportive.  He was my first great and true love.  When it ended, I was devastated.  The second relationship sailed along for quite a while then limped to its conclusion after 25 years.  That 'divorce' was messy and extremely painful, not to mention expensive...taking two years of legal wrangling...and we weren't even "married".  I don't think that it would have been any easier or less expensive had we been lawfully wedded.  In 2004, when Gavin Newsome began allowing marriage in SF, I bought rings at Cartier and asked my partner to marry me.  He said 'no'.  We had been together for 20 years at that time and had a business together.  It took another 4 to realize how destructively co-dependent we were before going to therapy....alone....and another year to grow the balls to leave.  So my feelings about marriage?????  I guess I am glad we
have the right to make the same mistakes anyone else might make.  But I must admit when I see the images of these current marriages, I
cry with them and wish them all the joy held in the promise of a new beginning in a life shared.
 
What do you hope for the audience?  

The recognition of a shared humanity...that we are all connected in many ways through love, pain and the challenges of life....and not to judge or throw stones.   The love you save may be your own....thank you M.J.

 JEFFREY ORTH  is excited to make his Exit Theatre and Wily West debut in LAWFULLY WEDDED. Jeffrey has worked in Marin the past several years creating roles at Ross Valley Players, (RAW) and at the Fringe of Marin.  He was featured as Freddy the bartender in PICASSO AT THE LAPIN AGILE and as William in HOW THE OTHER HALF LIVES, both at Novato Theater Company.  Jeffrey was recently cast in Wily West's upcoming world premiere ofHOPE'S LAST CHANCE by Rod McFadden at the Exit Theatre this October.  His excitement at creating the role of Mackie, the Lighthouse Keeper with a deep secret, is palpable.     

What most excites you about this production?

When I was asked to be in this production, I had this very enthusiastic pleading from Morgan and Quinn.  And I'd auditioned for Wily West several times before; so when the call came, it was like, "Finally!"  There is a fantastic stable of actors behind this production, and to have a chance to take on several challenging roles was very exciting.  The subject matter is very topical right now, and the stories we're presenting here have a very broad range, but all hit home in their own way that I find appealing.

You can't ignore the timing of this production, in light of recent events, right?  So, to be a part of the dialogue and to present these stories and anticipate our audience's feedback will be very exciting.

What is the greatest challenge you face with this show?

Getting my lines down, I think!  Its quite a challenge to work on getting lines down with so many other distractions out there. I've had to perfect my own method of line memorization over the years, of course. But with a show where I'm playing five different characters, each one's story, history, purpose and life on stage presents another challenge; one where making specific choices (as with any character) and defining each role - will be quite a challenge.

What kind of research are doing to prepare?

Not that I don't research, because I love that process and am very good at it; for this, I'm giving myself a break. In other words, my main way of approaching this is to look at this as something that is supposed to be fun, and take a break from the heavier stuff I've been doing over the last year. I have been asking around as to whether I can talk to people who have had similar experiences.  I've been thinking a lot about my own personal experiences and have been drawing some parallels, of course. So, emotionally speaking, I'm right there with the characters as they go through their story. 

What have been some of your favorite previous roles (or productions you have been involved with)?

Oh, where to start?  There have been many. Last year I worked with Thrillpeddlers and did "Marat/Sade" with a fantastic group of artists. I played the Nurse, with no dialogue, and all stage action. It was a lesson in stillness, observation, and brute force. I was on stage for the entire 2 hours.  I still get people telling me how much they loved that production.

I think I'll always reference my very first play, "Romeo & Juliet" as the moment when I really thought, "this is what I want to to."  I had been through several rough years as a teenager, and had finally left high school and enrolled at Santa Rosa Junior College.  In 1991, I auditioned for this production and to my surprise was cast. What I find so fascinating now is that - for those of you who knew him - Michael Ward was in this show with me.  Even then, he was an inspiring and passionate force, and his acting was kinetic. Very recently, before he passed, we reunited and we were able to reflect on our friendship and careers in theatre. It was really a special family of people who came together very night and lived this story.  I still think on the friendships and snapshots of emotion or action in my mind, and I'd call that the genesis of my acting career.

Since this play is about the right to marry what are some of your personal feelings regarding marriage that you would be willing to share? 

Having never been married, I do get a sense from others what the joy is, and what the challenges are.  I only know that being free to love whomever I want to love is paramount. I don't believe it should be imposed, and it shouldn't be taken away, either. I suppose the bigger question for me is whether I want to be married, someday. And that would be "yes." 

What do you hope audiences will take from this production?

Each of these scenes speak to someone's truth, and whether you agree, or sympathize, or find it outside of your understanding, these short plays do move.  I think there is something here for everyone. I don't think it hits you over the head either, and it lets the audience decide for themselves, what to take from it.

We're in such an important moment in history; it's impossible to overlook that struggle for equality. So, I just hope it opens up someone's heart and changes their mind. After all, as an artist, we are here to incite debate and present different points of view, yes?

www.scottragle.com

SCOTT RAGLE (JACK, YASH, SEAN/ SHAWN, DOCTOR) Scott Ragle is a San Francisco based actor. Last year he debuted with Wily West in SPOOKY CABARET. He has worked with Marin Shakespeare Company ANTONY & CLEOPATRA; San Francisco Shakespeare Festival THE TEMPEST; Dark Porch Theatre COMEDY BALLET; as well as co-founding & co-producing The Magnetic Theatre Company THE HOUSE OF YES. Regionally, he has worked and trained with Shakespeare & Company (Lenox, MA).  He has worked in print, television, and film. His first film premiered at the 1999 Seattle International Film Festival AROUND THE FIRE.  More recently, he's been working with local playwrights and participating in staged readings for the Playwrights Center of SF and Lorraine Hansberry Theatre. 

What most excites you about this production?

I always enjoy when multiple voices contribute to a single project, so it's great to see how Alina's and my perspective have been woven into Morgan's overarching story. It's also just great to be back with the Wily West team and to have my work directed by Wes for the first time!



What is the greatest challenge you face with this show?

I think nearly every audience member enters the theater with their own opinion on marriage equality, so one of the greatest challenges as a writer is to present a new perspective that doesn't already feel like it's been presented a hundred times over. 

What kind of research are you doing to prepare?

My part of the script's all done, so I'm just sitting back and letting everyone else prepare!

What have been some of your favorite previous productions you have been involved with?

Wily West's San Francisco Stories included one of the first short plays that I had ever had staged. Working with local writers and actors to tell stories that are relevant to the people of our community was an introduction that I'll always remember.

Since this play is about the right to marry what are some of your personal feelings regarding marriage that you would be willing to share?  

As a gay man in a long term relationship, the question of marriage equality is one that has very immediate personal implications. I feel really privileged to live in a time period when so many people are fighting so hard to make history. I feel that marriage is a profound intertwining of lives that grows from a fundamental human need for companionship, and there is no basis for excluding individuals from it based on their sexual orientation.

What do you hope audiences will take from this production?

Well, as with any production, my first hope is that they will be entertained. It's a warm, heartfelt show that has humor and joy as well as drama, and I hope the audience enjoys it.

In addition to this, I hope that audiences will get a sense of the real scope of what the fight for marriage equality means. I think it's easy to agree that the right to marry is important, but it can be difficult to see all of the repercussions of denying that right.

KIRK SHIMANO first teamed up with Wily West Productions when his "Billy's Got Issues" was part of "San Francisco Stories" in the 2010 season. His “Love in the Time of Zombies” was produced by San Francisco Theater Pub in October of 2012. He is a PlayGround Writers Pool member, where his “Miss Finknagle Succumbs to Chaos” was featured in the 16th annual “Best Of PlayGround” series and was adapted into a short film this year. He has worked with the San Francisco Olympians, PianoFight, and the Playwrights’ Center of San Francisco. By day he works as a lighting technical director at Industrial Light and Magic, fiddling with digital knobs to occasionally make things brighter and occasionally make things darker. For more information, please visitwww.kirkshimano.com