The Buzz Intro Interview | The Abbey Theatre of Dublin, Ohio

Name of Respondent: Priyanka Shetty (Performer, Playwright)
Name of Company: The Abbey Theatre of Dublin, Ohio
Name of Show: #CHARLOTTESVILLE

“This is the most meaningful theatrical experience I have had so far and the conversations that this piece inspires, is in fact the whole point of doing this play and these dialogues and conversations are more important than the play itself.”

1. Why should people tune in to your show?
#CHARLOTTESVILLE is a play constructed verbatim from interviews with the residents of Charlottesville, VA who speak about the city in light of the white supremacist “Unite the Right” rally and the events of August 11-12, 2017. This is a timely play with a very important message, and there’s an urgency associated with sharing it, given our current political climate. I hope people will watch this play to learn about the deep-seated issues in American history, the marginalization of minority communities in Charlottesville over the years and the series of events that led to what is now known as “The Summer of Hate.”

2. What about festivals intrigues you? Any why the Atlanta Fringe?
The exciting range of work presented at Atlanta Fringe fascinates me. I love that the festival is open to artists from all over the country who present a diverse and fresh collection of new work. I’m also a huge fan of the people who run this festival!

3. What inspired you to create this?
I had read and watched a lot of news reports, books and documentaries about what transpired in Charlottesville, VA on August 11-12, 2017. Most of them gave very detailed accounts of what happened hour by hour, and listed all of the facts and figures around the “Unite the Right” rally. What I found was really missing was the human experiences and what the people of Charlottesville went through on those two days and what they had experienced and observed over the course of the many years they lived in the city. I wanted their voice to be front and center because no one else could explain what happened on those two days in the context of the history of Charlottesville better than the people who lived there. I was also inspired by the Tectonic Theater Project’s THE LARAMIE PROJECT and adopted their method of interviewing people, transcribing those interviews and devising a play based on the real words spoken by them using the Tectonic Theater Project’s ‘Moment Work’ technique.

4. This year ain’t normal and there’s no sense pretending it is. How has Covid affected what you’re doing for this festival?
The pandemic has totally changed the course of what I planned to do in 2020-21 in good ways and bad. I was originally scheduled to perform my one-woman show THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM (TEITR) at Atlanta Fringe in 2020. When I was offered the chance to present this year virtually, I chose to submit my second solo show #CHARLOTTESVILLE instead. I am so glad that I decided to do so because even though TEITR addresses racial discrimination and challenges stereotypes, #CHARLOTTESVILLE speaks about topics that most need attention right now. We need to wake up to the urgency of the situation and channel that into action. I hope this is what the play will achieve.

I originally wrote and directed #CHARLOTTESVILLE as a documentary-style ensemble play that was performed by a cross-generational, multi-ethnic ensemble of actors. This was presented with my solo show ‘The Elephant in the Room’ as a double bill at Live Arts, the theatre that is merely a block away from the site of the car attack on August 12th 2017. Initially, I wasn’t entirely convinced about converting this into a one-woman show. However, considering the fact that the two other plays in my triptych (“The Elephant in the Room” and “The Wall”) are solo shows, I wanted to explore allowing this piece to exist in a solo form. I am hopeful that this new version will have the ability to reach more people quickly because it is a timely play with a very important message, and there’s an urgency associated with sharing it, given our current political climate.

5. What have you learned from working on your show so far?
I realized I had undertaken a mammoth task – being able to switch between playing myself and seven other characters takes a lot of preparation and commitment. I also felt a deep sense of responsibility in representing everything that was shared with me with the utmost accuracy and respect for the context in which they were shared. Having performed it twice (once as an ensemble and once as a solo play), I learned the importance of sharing this play with the audience based on the community conversations that happened after the play was presented. This is the most meaningful theatrical experience I have had so far and the conversations that this piece inspires, is in fact the whole point of doing this play and these dialogues and conversations are more important than the play itself.

6. There’s a mysterious, anonymous little square watching your show and sticking around for the talkback. In your WILDEST dreams, who is that mysterious stranger grooving on your work? (Please note, this question is inspired by us recently learning that Neil Patrick Harris has been doing this.)
Anna Deavere Smith. Period.

[Above: former National Security Advisor and Ambassador to the UN Dr. Nancy McNally, who has also done some solo documentary theatre]

7. Fringes are the place to really push the boundaries so we gotta ask: are your parents getting the link are or you gonna be like, “Uhhhh, I dunno, the website doesn’t seem to be working, Mom…”
My parents have watched this play. It’s the other solo play THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM that I’m worried about them seeing, no I haven’t shared the link yet! Haha

8. We’ve asked this question every year for the past nine years or so but it hits different this year: Will your show change the world?
I think shows like this will collectively change the world. They will leave the audience asking the right questions. I don’t think inherently plays can or should tell us what to do (that would be too preachy!) They can, however, open our minds to new possibilities, and encourage us to consider perspectives that we wouldn’t normally consider because of years and years of social and societal conditioning. Plays have the ability to break that mold and free us. I hope this is one of those plays.

9. Zoom meetings: dress up head to toe or Donald Duck it?
Dress up head to toe, but no shoes! Barefeet, always.

10. We’re making an excellent Spotify playlist. Describe your show in two or three songs we can add to keep the jams flowing.
Disgustipated – TOOL