It's summer and Milwaukee is alive with fresh works of theatre! The brand new, not-embarrassed-to-call-it-what-it-is, Vanity Theatre Company is staging a reading of a new work by Milwaukee playwright Erik Ebarp. This Saturday June 20th, the Tenth Street Theatre will be hosting a reading of Giant Days. Milwaukee Theater Examiner sought out Ebarp and got the inside margin on him, Vanity, and his latest opus.
How long have you been working in Milwaukee?
Since I moved back from LA in 1992.
Are you an actor or director too or do you focus your creative energies on playwriting?
I did my masters in directing for theater, video and cinema a long time ago as well as a directing internship at the Milwaukee Rep under the John Dillon administration. But I prefer writing plays much, much, much more.
Tell us about Giant Days. What inspired you to write it? What was the most difficult part? How long have you been working on it?
Back in July 2005, the global economy was in the middle of a seismic change. With my background in the banking industry, I believed that a financial meltdown in this country was soon to be upon us, led by the banking and real estate industries. Two years prior to that I had seen an excellent production of Anton Checkov’s The Cherry Orchard. I saw parallels and wanted to do something similar only with clearly American characters, struggling with specifically American situations in a truly American setting. I completed the first draft of the play ten weeks later, and have watched as current events began to make real for Americans the circumstances and events that befall the fictional Staley family in my play.
Who is in the upcoming reading?
We are lucky to have the following very talented cast: Brianna Borouchoff, Matt Huebsch, Peter LaBonte, Allison Katula, Dan Katula, Robert WC Kennedy, Raeleen McMillion, Tiffany Vanlandingham, Michelle Waide, Jonathan Wainwright, Ken Williams, Sara Zientek
What do you hope an audience gets from the reading or the play?
Informed. Energized. Upset. The more reaction, one way or another, the better.
What other plays have you written? Which have been performed?
Over the last twenty odd years, I have written over two-dozen plays, screenplays, and teleplays. I have not had any luck getting my longer theater work produced anywhere, and when looking around the country, I saw a trend where playwrights had started producing their own work (13P, Chicago Dramatists, etc.). So, fellow Milwaukee playwright John Van Slyke and I founded Vanity Theatre for the primary purpose of producing our own work (hence the name) and the work of long-deceased playwrights whose work has not seen the footlights in this country in many, many years. Stylistically, we’ve decided to put our money and resources where our mouths are, literally, intending to produce theater with very minimal stagecraft, thereby focusing our energies on the writing, directing and acting. Tiffany Vanlandingham joined us, recently, as a co-producer and actor, and the reading of my play Giant Days is our kick-off event.
What is your writing routine?
Varied.
What do you do when you’re not writing?
Live. I have had multiple careers in my lifetime, one in sail-making, another in TV and video production, another in investment management for small banks, and yet another as a communications, marketing and PR guy. I have also script-doctored (and directed) a pair of one-person plays that appeared locally as well as on-tour up and down the east coast.
What show/performance/writing project is next for you?
Several plays are bubbling up to the top right now, but I'm not certain which one is going to break the surface and grab me enough to make a good run at a first draft. Once I have a first draft, then comes the fun part - rewriting.
The reading of Giant Days from Vanity Theatre Company will take place 7:30pm Saturday June 20th at the Tenth Street Theatre. 628 N. 10th St. For more information go to www.vanitytheatre.org
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