Taking a Step Forward with Three Steps Back

A Conversation Between 

Director Skyler Gray & Dramaturg Kimberly Colburn

KIMBERLY: It's great to be working with you, Skyler. We've had a lot of conversations about THREE STEPS BACK with Peter already, but it's great to have a chance to hear your thoughts. I'm curious, what were your first impressions when you read the play? What drew you in?  

SKYLER: It really is great to get to work with you and Peter on THREE STEPS BACK. When I first read Peter's play I was struck by his use of perspective. You might have heard that the most exciting parts of some plays happen offstage.  

KIMBERLY: Like in ancient Greek plays. 

SKYLER: Right! I love how Peter has turned that idea upside down and shown this story from three different angles. I found myself entranced with finding clues from one act that came to fruition in the following acts. I was also struck by Peter's ability to create revelations that surprised both me and the characters within his play through exciting plot twists.  It really is a play that keeps you guessing what will happen next. 

KIMBERLY: I agree, the structure of this play is unexpected--it's three acts, but the action isn't continuous. Each act covers the same period of time, but in a different location. I love the puzzle of putting the pieces together, and I think audiences will really respond to the challenge of figuring out how the characters relate to one another. It will be a challenge for you, as a director, to help communicate some complicated twists and turns with only a short rehearsal period and with actors confined to music stands. Peter is also a director--what's it like to work with a playwright who's also got a directing background?  

SKYLER:  It is a short rehearsal period isn't it?  I bet the Broadway production of Noises Off had a bit more time to fine tune all the entrances and exits.  Game on!  Peter is indeed a man of many talents.  I am finding that Peter's keen eye as a director only strengthens his work as a playwright.  Throughout the piece Peter has dropped clues about the way the staging works in his mind.  As a director, this is very helpful as I am able to piece together the playwright's intent and fill in the blanks along the way. The playwright is setting pen to paper and it is my job to bring that to life. 

KIMBERLY: Plus, this cast looks pretty great.  

SKYLER: They really do.  I hear they are pretty talented too. 

KIMBERLY: It's exciting to have so many talented people gathering together. I'm glad to get a chance to play with Artists at Play. This is a great play to help kick off their new reading series (along with Alice Tuan's IGGY WOO)--smart and funny but complicated. There's a lot of interesting themes Peter's grappling with: a dysfunctional family, a teenage girl exploring religion, parents navigating the balance of their own needs versus the needs of their offspring.  

SKYLER:  This play really does pack quite the punch. I am excited that we get to not only work on this play with Artists at Play, but we get a chance to work together again. This play also takes me back home as it is set in Fresno, which is where I was born and raised. 

KIMBERLY: That's right! You've got the Fresno connection! And just like you, many of these characters are trying to find their way OUT of Fresno.  

SKYLER: I mean, once you leave Fresno, the only thing left to do is direct a play about Fresno. But in all seriousness, I can't wait to jump into rehearsals and work with Peter to make this play come to life.    

KIMBERLY: Me too. Only one more week until we've got an audience. 

SKYLER: In that case, people should stop reading this enthralling interview and buy their tickets now!


Three Steps Back by Peter J. Kuo will be presented as part of Artists at Play's reading series day on Sunday, March 24th.  Get your meal tickets now!

Enter the World of Alice Tuan’s Iggy Woo and the New Wave of Asian American Plays

by Alice Tuan

When I wrote Iggy Woo back in 2002, I was pretty sick of the usual Asian-American themes—alienation, immigration, cultural misunderstanding, historical injustice, cute foods, perpetual becoming—yes of course, that’s part of the experience, but what about the Asiatics who have been in the U.S., shop in malls, smoke cigarettes, are addicted to sugar and fall in love with people who don’t love them back?  It’s better now with the 4th wave of Asian-American playwrights—Lauren Yee, A. Rey Pamatmat, Michael Lew, Mia Chung, Michael Golamco and bunches of others—but back then, in the early naughts, I wanted to write just regular folks who happen to be of Asian descent.

Iggy Woo is described as “a play about unrequited love, quitting smoking and creating amidst consumption.” How did you see these coming together, and what were your inspirations?
 
Yeah, I was trying to quit smoking.  And quit a guy.  And yeah, I grew up in the Valley.  Where the true cathedral is the mall.  And yeah am obsessed with gift wrapping.  And ate pho, like, every day.

Jimmy Choo designs shoes.  Iggy Pop is punky cool.   What if there were two mall workers who snuck cigarettes and created new designs on their break?

I gave myself the challenge of writing 8 pages a day for 9 days.  Would not get out of bed until I knew what the first 2 pages were.  Day 7 was killer—just so tired and bleary but wanted to get through. That’s when I went and sat in Macy’s gift wrap to inspire the last 3 scenes, and what a shot of metaphor for American consumption it was, down to beautiful, empty boxes and 15 second samples of Christmas favorites, the tease of sentimentality.

When my agent first sent the play around, someone said it wasn’t ‘Asian’ enough.  Ugh.  Are Asiatics forever gonna be unfun melodrama?  I say let’s have some mad joy and tear up all the pretty boxes to find that one cig during a furious nic fit.


Iggy Woo by Alice Tuan will be presented as part of Artists at Play's reading series day on Sunday, March 24th.  Get your meal tickets now!

Discovering THREE STEPS BACK with Playwright Peter J. Kuo

Photo by Michael C. Palma

What are some of the themes you explore in Three Steps Back?

As a writer, I’ve always been fascinated with assumptions and revelations. When audiences or characters make assumptions about someone, I love to take those assumptions and blow them out of the water by revealing something completely different about that person. It challenges first impressions and stereotypes. I’ve always hated the idea that because someone is “this” then they must also be “that.”

Because of the way Three Steps Back is structured -- where you see the same 30 minutes but played out in three different locations; the house, back alleyway and the garage that connects them -- you only get bits of pieces of each character’s story. I’m amazed at how people take those bits and pieces, fill in the gaps and suddenly think they know everything about someone. The play challenges audiences to look back at their own personal moments, relationships, and people in their lives and rethink them.

The play is riddled with schadenfreude. It also allows people to laugh at the misfortunes of others. The characters are cruel, pitiful, conniving, and very wicked in their humor with each other. And in the end, they get what they deserve, so it’s rather fulfilling.

What do you hope to accomplish through this reading?

I’m really excited to be working with Kimberly Colburn as a dramaturg and Skyler Gray as a director. With their insight and theatrical expertise, they are helping me smooth out some of the imperfections in the script and make the structure more logically sound while bringing more depth to the characters. When I first approached this show, it was all about the plot. I knew what I wanted to happen, what to reveal, when and how I wanted to “trick” the audience, and how it would all come together. But the characters served more as tools to fulfill a plot. With my artistic team’s help, I’ve already started reshaping more dynamic characters, with more background and depth. Their guidance is showing me that what the characters reveal about themselves is just as important to the overall story.

What is the history of Three Steps Back?

I first thought of the concept of this play in 2007. I was in the middle of writing another play The Amazing Wedding Race, when an idea for what I thought was an “edgy” drama popped into my head. So I just sat down and started hammering it out. Within one night I had already written the first two acts. But I shelved the project, and in 2008 my computer crashed and I lost everything. In 2009, an opportunity to apply for East West Players’ David Henry Hwang Writers Institute came up, and so I knew I wanted to dig up this story again and work on it. Again, in one night I retyped the whole thing from memory. I would say it was exactly the same in plot points, but fluctuated in dialogue.

It was written as a drama, because I had already written a comedy with Amazing Wedding Race. In class, the instructor Prince Gomolvilas dropped the bomb, “Why don’t you turn this into a comedy?” And so I did, and it’s certainly better as a result. When I spoke to my Artists at Play cohorts about wanting to develop one of my plays, there was interest in reviving Three Steps Back. And now here we are.


Three Steps Back by Peter J. Kuo will be presented as part of Artists at Play's first reading series day on Sunday, March 24th. Get your tickets now!

Artist at Play Readings

Two Plays, One Day

Artists at Play announces a day of two play readings
Alice Tuan's Iggy Woo
and
Peter J. Kuo's Three Steps Back

As part of our mission to present stories of underrepresented communities, Artists at Play is developing and showcasing two new works by Los Angeles-based writers.

When Artists at Play first came together, we knew we wanted to develop writers whose works we believe have great potential. This reading series serves as an opportunity to showcase these plays to the Los Angeles community. As a local theatre collective, we believe L.A. audiences deserve L.A. writers, and L.A. writers deserve an L.A. audience.

Artists from Los Angeles have unique voices that celebrate all the complexities that our city and its people have to offer. This is why we find these plays so dynamic, and we will feature work that intrigues and excites us.

The readings will be presented on Sunday, March 24th, at the Women's Club of South Pasadena. Iggy Woo will be presented at 3:30 p.m., and Three Steps Back at 6:30 p.m.

Each reading will be followed by a talkback, and a dinner reception with hosted bar will be served between the two readings.

Iggy Woo by Alice Tuan
Kiki loves Iggy. Iggy loves Julie the Cookie Girl. A play about unrequited love, quitting smoking and creating amidst consumption.

Three Steps Back by Peter J. Kuo
Richard attempts to leave his crazed wife with his lover and hyper-diabetic daughter, but fate has other plans. A three-part dark comedy from different perspectives.

An All-Day Pass for $18 includes access to pre-show snacks, dinner and hosted bar. A $13 Dinner Pass includes access to dinner and hosted bar. All readings are complimentary. (At the door prices will go up $5.)

Get your discounted tickets now!

AAP Founding Members Regarding EDITH

A. Rey Pamatmat's award-winning Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them tackles profound issues, including parental abandonment, coming out as a teen and the redefining of family.

“We knew we were taking a risk when we decided to produce this show,” says Artists at Play Founding Member Stefanie Lau. “Our inaugural production, Ching Chong Chinaman, was a comedy that was well received by the Asian American community, a community we had grown very close to. And while this play features Asian Americans, the show really revolves around a lot of gay and orphaned-children issues, a community we are introducing ourselves to.”

“The moment we read the play we knew we had to do it,” says Founding Member Marie-Reine Velez. “My previous work in Center Theatre Group's Literary Department gave me an eye for spotting great writing, and this play and this playwright have talent written all over them. It was a battle to get the rights to produce the Los Angeles premiere, but we won and we're so grateful we get to bring this show to our theatre community.”

“There is so much to love about this play and its characters,” says Founding Member Peter J. Kuo. “Although it is set in the 90s, it is still extremely relevant. It's not uncommon to see kids becoming independent at an early age, especially in single-parent families. Edith and Kenny's mother has passed and their father is practically non-existent. He is only around via telephone calls and to tell them what not to do. The other major theme in the play involves Kenny and Benji's relationship. A. Rey has beautifully recreated what it is like to have a first love, and the fears and dangers of realizing that love as a gay youth. When Benji's mother discovers that he's gay, she throws him out of the house. Seeing every gay teen's biggest fear realized on stage is heartbreaking. But the play's ending is extremely satisfying, if not inspiring.”

“We've compiled an amazing team for this production,” says Founding Member Julia Cho. “The show looks beautiful. And director Jennifer Chang has done an excellent job leading this talented design team and cast. Every time I see a run of the show, they bring me to tears. The acting and the writing are just that good.”

There are only three more weeks left to catch Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them. GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!

To dive deeper into the relationship each producer has with this play, check out these personal blog stories:

Julia Cho: “Edith & Me, Growing Past Our Parents"
Peter J. Kuo: “Spirit Day, Coming Out and Edith”
Stefanie Lau: “My Daughter and Edith Growing Up Fast”
Marie-Reine Velez: “Taking Asian Americans Beyond Race/Ethnicity”

Photo credits: Rodney To, Brian Hostenske and Amielynn Abellera in Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them by A. Rey Pamatmat. Photo by Michael C. Palma

EDITH, Spirit Day and Coming Out

Peter J. Kuo, producer
Photo by Michael C. PalmPurch

I originally intended to write this blog for National Coming Out Day; however that came and went and I was unable to get to it. (Cut me a break, I'm producing a play!) However, I felt that Spirit Day and its purpose of speaking out against bullying and supporting the LGBT community is just as appropriate.

Although these special days focus on the LGBT experience, they are extremely universal. As I grew up, coming out became less about being gay and more about being brave, being honest and being proud of who you are. Anyone can come out. You can come out as being gay, you can come out as being a vegetarian, you can even come out as being a lover of black licorice. (I won't judge you, but I will be wary of any dark colored treats you give me and say, “It's delicious!”)

Regardless of how you connect yourself with National Coming Out Day or Spirit Day, these special events are still extremely important. A week ago today, we commemorated the 16th anniversary of Matthew Shepard's passing, a young gay man who was brutally tortured and murdered in Laramie, Wyoming. Just recently, the Arizona Daily Wildcat at University of Arizona featured an extremely distasteful homophobic comic strip. And even in our current presidential race, there are candidates running who deem members of the gay community as second-class citizens. All these situations are grossly atrocious and need to stop. There is a hater community out there that is letting their voices be heard, and we need to respond by letting our voices be heard.

When you come out and/or show your support for the LGBT community, you are letting people who may be too afraid, too confused or too ashamed, know that there are people like them as well as those who will not judge them.

Rodney To and Brian Hostenske in
Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them
by A. Rey Pamatmat.
Photo by Michael C. Palma

I bring this back to the play that I'm producing in Los Angeles with Artists at Play. Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them is a play that is written for the gay community. It features a pair of 16-year-old boys and one of the boy's 12-year-old sister. (Note: The cast is comprised entirely of adult actors, as to avoid the awkward issue of seeing teens in rather adult situations.) While one of the main themes revolve around parental abandonment, the other central theme focuses on the two boys' budding romance. The play beautifully captures the first moment you see two people of the same sex being affectionate with each other and know “This exists in the world. It's not just me who has these feelings, others feel this way too.” 

Brian Hostenske and Rodney To in
Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them
by A. Rey Pamatmat.
Photo by Michael C. Palma

There is an awkwardness about asking someone out for the first time, especially in a gay relationship. When you finally ask someone out, you admit to the fact that there is a relationship going on, and it is indeed gay. The first date is wonderfully captured by that first romantic touch, the “move” you make to wrap your arm around someone (or be wrapped up in someone), and then that first kiss. That first-kiss moment that you've seen heterosexuals do on TV shows, movies and read about in novels. But in this gay teen romance, as in many real life ones, it doesn't happen. Because you never know when Mom or Dad is watching through the window. You don't know when they are listening to your calls or reading your notes. And when one character's mother finds a love note, she flies off the handle and throws her son out of the house. Every gay teen's worst nightmare is realized on stage.

Yes, the play has a sad edge to it, but that's what makes it so gritty and real. While the first act ends on a frighteningly heartbreaking note, the overall play resolves in an extremely satisfying way. It is inspirational, and for the playwright to have created such courageous teenage characters is something to be heavily commended. I've invited my mom, my brother and countless people to this production because, just like coming out, it's important to tell our stories and let people know about the unique experience of believing "our relationships aren't normal."

While I think the gay community will connect with this play and its characters, the most important people who need to see it are the bullies, the haters and the potential parents of young gay teens.
 
I encourage you to pass this information to anyone you feel like will connect with this play and/or will learn from its story. Or just pass this on to share the impact that coming out and/or showing your support can do for gay teens. Either way, come together, and show your support for this and many other communities who need to spread their awareness.

Also, don’t forget to show your support for Spirit Day by wearing purple! Show your spirit by using the hashtag #SpiritDay. You can easily spread the word about this blog too by sharing: http://bit.ly/EdithSpiritDay

Much Love,

Peter J. Kuo