God Comes to Cincinnati: Interview with author Darryl Dick

November 5, 9:08 AMCincinnati Theater ExaminerElizabeth Crowe

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Ask God the tough questions on Tuesday, November 10 at the Aronoff
Photo provided courtesy of Cincinnati Playwrights Initiative

On Tuesday, November 10, 2009, 'God Comes to Cincinnati' will be at the Aronoff as part of the Cincinnati Playwrights Initiative New Voices Season of Staged Readings.  Cincinnati Playwrights Initiative often reads new shows, especially one act shows, in consideration of whether or not to showcase them at the Aronoff.

One of Cincinnati's new shows, is 'God Comes to Cincinnati'
Written by Darryl Dick and directed by Cynthia Emmer, the show is about a journalist meeting God on Fountain Square.  The journalist has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ask God all the questions she has always wanted to know.

Interview with Author
I recently had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to interview Darryl Dick.  Darryl has a long list of experiences in show business.  He has worked with Vaudeville and is a former host of the radio shows, 'Braincandy!' and 'Safe Money Radio.'  Here is what Mr. Dick had to say about the creation of this one act show.
 

What caused you to come up with the idea for writing 'God Comes to Cincinnati?'  Is there something in particular that happened that led to your wondering about what it would be like to speak with God?

The play was inspired by the song "One of Us" by Joan Osborne. The songs asks, "What if God was one of us? Just a slob like one of us? Just a stranger on the bus trying to make his way back home. What would you ask if you had just one question?" Those lyrics really struck me, I mean, what if God WAS one of us? I thought it would be a great topic for a play.

Sounds like a great idea for a story!  What has been the most surprising thing that you encountered when you started out writing about what it would be like to talk with God?

Sarah Solomon, the reporter who interviews God, goes for the jugular. She even asks point-blank if Jesus Christ was really his son. She ends up being quite disrespectful... this isn't a nice friendly chat over coffee. She's upset with him for allowing the world to fall into the state that it's in today. I was surprised by how easy it was to ask the tough questions and really demand accountable answers.

It sounds like you broke free of traditional stereotypes when writing this.  How did your views about God change through writing this show?

I believe that God has a great sense of humor! (At least I hope so or I'm in big trouble!) Writing the play has given me a greater appreciation of God. There are so many reasons to be upset with God... but there are even more reasons to be thankful and grateful.

Great observation!  What did you use as resources?

To prepare for writing the play I read the Torah from cover to cover. I took a lot of notes as I wanted to make sure the answers from God were based in biblical facts. But the answers that God gives, are at times, the exact opposite of what you'd expect.

Wow, so I guess this show really gets people thinking.  Which character did you bond with the most or to whom do you feel closest to personally?

I'd have to say that I feel the closest to the reporter, Sarah Solomon. I think that if I were truly given the chance for a one-on-one with God that I would also ask the tough questions. The big difference is that she's extremely disrespectful... but I wouldn't be! :)

How did you come up with the other characters for the story?  Are they based on different parts of your personality and values or are they based on people you know?

The characters are not based on any parts of my personality. I just had a story in my head and wanted to tell it. I gave the characters their own unique personality.

What made you decide to make the location Fountain Square?

I'm a proud Cincinnatian. I love Fountain Square and just thought it would lend itself as a great backdrop for the story I wanted to tell. Besides... I don't know of any play ever written that so prominently uses "The Square." It's such a beautiful venue... I'm really thrilled to have it as the main setting for the play. I'm also grateful for having an experienced director in Cynthia Emmer. She's been a godsend, (pardon the pun), and I couldn't have found a more talented person for the job!

Thank you for your time, Darryl.  And good luck with the show.  This show seems like it will ask a lot of difficult questions and be a source of inspiration.  Thank you for sharing your time.

You're welcome.  Before I go, I would just like to take one last opportunity to say thank you to Kalman Kivkovich of Cincinnati Playwrights Initiative.  Without his support and encouragement, this show would not be able to be staged at the Aronoff.  I greatly appreciate his time and assistance.

Show Tickets:  The Aronoff Center for the Arts, Fifth Third Bank Theater, is located at the corner of Main and Seventh Streets in Downtown Cincinnati.  Tickets are $7 or $4 for students.  Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased either by visiting the Aronoff Center Box Office or by calling (513) 621-2787 during normal business hours.  You can also buy theater tickets by visiting the Cincinnati Arts Association website.