Stage Whisper
Whisper in the Wings Episode 614
(upbeat music) - Welcome back and everyone to a fantastic new Whisper in the Wings from Stage Whisper. We've got two amazing guests joining us today to talk about a new work of theirs. Today we have the director of Mahima Siegel and the playwright Rachel Collion, who are here to talk to us about their show Earth to Venus. It's playing August 30th through September 8th at feederlab@theatlea. Tickets and more information are available at feederlabnyc.com. We are especially excited about this conversation because Mahima blessed us, gave us the honor of reaching out and speaking to us and wanting to come speak with us about the show. And the more we've learned about it, the more excited we are. So we always love hearing from listeners or audience members about the work they're doing. So without further ado, let's welcome on our guests, Mahima, Rachel, welcome into Whisper in the Wings from Stage Whisper. - Thank you so much for having us. - Thank you, so excited. - I'm so excited about this piece, part of the Venus, I can't wait to learn more about it. And Rachel, what is there with you as the playwright? I would love to know, can you tell us a little bit about what this show is about? - Yeah, absolutely. The show takes place in a mental institution in one of these private clinics. So not exactly a psych ward, something kind of more. And it's women's only. And in this women's only private mental health clinic, a lady from the outside is coming to shoot a documentary. And at first, the documentary goes really well because it allows the patients as well as the staff to kind of like find their own voice and express themselves directly into the camera being like someone asking them what your truth is and they're able to share their truth. And so there's also community that is created amongst them. They feel they're able to understand each other more and it goes really well until dot, dot, dot that outsider documentary maker turns out to have motives that weren't exactly what she said they were. And the motives do change everything, at least for a part of the people. And it's kind of like, it's kind of downhill from there. And it's not only downhill, but the play is about community and truth, how one links to the other if I'm able to share my truth with you. Maybe I'm able to be in community with you and how the absence of truth can destroy community. And it's also a reflection on mental health in our society and who belongs in an institution who doesn't belong where we place that convention. And I'm not a PhD in psychology so I don't have a thesis that I'm defending. I'm just doing my artist job of kind of like questioning and moving around this conventional line that we put between this is the inside of the institution. You are a mental patient and this is the outside world where maybe you're just a little bit like this or blah, blah, blah. And how societal positioning, how societal background can inform which line you end up on. - Wow, wow, what a story. That's amazing. I am already like hooked and intrigued. This is fantastic. So Rachel, what inspired you to pen this piece? - So initially what inspired me was an opportunity to write with actors, which is something that has to really write I love to do. There was in my, at the end of my acting school, six actors dropped out of a project and ended up having the desire and time for a project. And I kind of raised my hand and was like, I write, I like to write like this kind of bespoke for a certain group of people because people's humanities allow me to imagine. I just take what they already are and I make it more dramatic, more ugly, more poetic. And it allows me to find some truth. And so we wrote that together using a lot of improv and building the story structure. And then after that, there was like a few layers that we showed the show first as this. There was a rewrite, we recasted a lot of the roles and we showed it again, and then there was a rewrite. And it's pretty much a very different script this time, pretty much the same cast. I don't know if that answers your question. - Oh, no, absolutely, that's a great answer. I love it. Now, Mahima, I wanna know how is it that you came into this mix? How'd you come upon this piece? - How did I? Well, Rachel and I, I directed Rachel. I had the honor of directing Rachel in one of her one acts called All Thumbs. And it was nothing remotely close to this project but the energetically. It was a great experience directing an actor like Rachel and just like getting the vibe. I'm a very peculiar kind of director. So I was like, oh, I love this person. I would love to work with them again. And then I heard about this project that the first version of "Earth to Venus" that was happening in Studio 3 or Studio 2, correct me. One of the studios at the Atlantic Acting School and I was invited to be part of the presentation. And I was just, I loved the use. I don't know, I don't wanna be that way much about the play. But there was like a certain design elements and like certain vision that was just very palpable, right from the get-go. So it would stuck with me. And then when fast forward to two years later, Rachel, when I received your DM, I think it was, she slid into my DM 'cause we've been like communicating in touch, you know, being a big cheerleader of each other and all the works and life and questions and thoughts that we share on the social media. So she asked for Zoom meeting, came up with the proposal, shared the script with me. And I remember, I loved seeing the change in the script from what I saw in Studio 3 to now. And I remember immediately being like a yes. I think it was a two days after reading the script. And yeah, that's how I got pulled into the project. And I have worked with the actors who worked currently in this iteration of the production. I have worked with them also previously. So I knew who was working. I knew even like the stage management. So it was like a very easy yes. - That is wonderful. And I wanna snowball off of that actually 'cause I love the process of the two of you coming together and developing, well, I shouldn't say developing, creating the work is what I wanna say because I wanna lead it into, you know, at this time of recording, we're on Tuesday, August 27th. But the show, as I mentioned in the intro, it opens on the 30th, Friday is coming down the pipeline, you know? So what has it been like developing this piece and getting it up on its feet, Mahima? - Yeah, it was, it's, I think this can be, I'm also actor first. That's why I moved to United States of Latin America. And then directing is such a gratifying experience in general as an actor to learn. And then also like a new piece and that also like a full-length play is like, there's a lot of nerves, a lot of like question marks, but then, you know, I'm being with the team that like really like sort of trusts you. And then of course, it's not like, I don't trust myself. It's just like socializations, which I think we sometimes come up in while we, you're doing table work or having conversations about the play, but just as women are perceived, you know? When it's like such a, it's like so much of doubt comes with like our socializations and then I'm like, oh, I don't know if I'll be able to do this, but just the way we started our table work, which is almost more than a month ago to now, I feel the process has been that of building, not only the play, but building one each other up. And it's just like slow block by block by block. And now we just like, okay, let's see this stands. But today is going to be our first sort of run with all the elements together. So it's kind of like exciting, kind of stressful, but then also that's what makes theater theater and gives it the life, which usually is not the case with films and TV and what have you. So it's been, it's been just like every day is like something new, like, and you have a plan, you have a structure, but then it's also, be okay to let go of that plan and just see what's present at the moment in the space and be malleable. I don't know. Did I answer that question? What was it? Nervous, just nervous. - No, I love that. That is such a great answer. Mix with an origin story too, that's wonderful. Now, Rachel, as you start to see your work get on its feet, hearing your words be said, I would love to know, is there a message or a thought you hope that the audience is going to take away from your piece? - Yes, I hope that it's going to sound corny, but this is why we make theaters so we can elaborate on these really one-liner, super corny sentences that we all share on Instagram, right? So I believe in my heart that community is the only way forward for our civilization, whether it's at the scale of New York City, like when we all feel or a big city, we feel isolated, some problems become really out of hand. I think a lot of solutions are in the ability to see each other, witness each other, but for that we have to be able to witness ourselves and to be in the presence of truth, to stand our own truths. So all that is really intellectual, but I hope that the piece that I wrote and that we put together, allows, invites their heart to come out and leaves them with an orientation for joy. Like it's going to be my next thing that's going to make me feel together with people. You know, it goes to kind of dark places and deep places and complex places. And then my intention was to boil it down to something simple, which is look at the end of the day when we have dinner with four of our best friends and we laugh our asses off and everything is fine for five hours. That might be the thing. That might be a lot of what life is about. You know what I mean? I feel like I'm shortening my message a little bit, but it's in essence, it wants to be that. - That's such a beautiful message that I love that. And the way you started that off with, I mean, ugh, ugh, yes, a thousand times, yes. That is why we do theater, ugh. Put that on a t-shirt, that's going to be part of breath. Summer, yes, get it. Mahima, I want to come to you for my final question in this first part, because as the director, I would love to know, who are you hoping have access to earth to Venus? - Obviously, the large theater community, because to reach this point about the community and like, I think there's so many things that I see is the, that's lacking in our theater community to write. And I was like, plays that are just, that takes its time. And not like, I'm talking about like, slow, but just like, conversation and really, it's like, what are we doing? What is, you know, how are we dealing with discomfort? Or so I think a lot of plays that I'm seeing off late is just like, no, no, no, we're gonna have something fun. We're gonna be cute. It's gonna be a lot as opposed to, it's all decorative than like, active. So I would love for those kind of like, community to sort of come together. And because also the way reach is written in this place, quite unique and with the design elements, it's kind of, doesn't let audience off the hook, which I think when you're in a proscenium, can be very easy, be like, okay, Apple Watch, please don't wear Apple Watch during this performance. (laughs) That's like, I can put like, PSA, please don't. But then also just like, it is, we have such a beautiful collection of actors who are, you know, putting in their everything. And it's so, like, it was a need of ours to have a very diverse cast. And like, the casting is so specific. Even so much like that we couldn't even be like, we need to find understudies, but it's also like, you know, it's so specific. And like, we had to like go through all the resources and see like who are the actors that we know the most. But that, the diversity of it is what I'm like, I want like people who look like the people in New York, kind of like, you know, feel like, oh my God, they're being represented. And also about something like so vulnerable and something so pure and something so nuanced. So I think that is like the ideal audience. And yeah, just like, I don't know, is that kind people? Is that a thing? I just want kind people. I'd be like, oh my God, yes. Like, I want kind people to come. (laughs) But yeah, I mean, other than that's obviously open, everyone who loves theater as the institution and especially that all of us were coming after, the residue of post vlog down, 'cause COVID is still very much part of our life. Just sort of who've missed that intimate kind of workings of the theater to really like revisit that experience and just sit and feel like what it's like to just be present with another human being. - Yeah, I love what you said. And I want to add that this is also why we wanted to do it in the Traverse this time and not in Proscenium. The play the first time when I wrote it with the actors, it was immediately gonna be in the Traverse. And then it's hard to put up a show in the Traverse because these spaces are more rare. So we put it in Proscenium. And now it's back in the Traverse and it's important because not only we're all sitting in the same room, but now both sides of the audience can see each other. And the line between fiction and reality is blurred. And that allows us to express physically within the conventions of theater, the convention of who belongs in a mental institution and who doesn't. Like what's in the script yet gets to be expressed physically on the stage. And I think that's the art of like, again, theater is like, something is on the page, it's great, it's theory. Like maybe I'm gonna be moved by reading a story. But now it's not only a kinetic visceral experience, but it's a collective kinetic experience. And I love that you said the word energy because I actually really believe that that's a lot of what's happening in a theater room is we just pass energy around and we kind of collectively process stuff. And we need to do that. We've been doing it since we, since civilization even existed. (upbeat music) (upbeat music) Well, for the second part of our interviews, we love giving our listeners a chance to get to know our guests a little bit better. Pick your brains, if you will. And Mahima, I wanna start with you first on this and our regular first question of the second half, which is what or who inspires you? What playwrights, composers or shows have inspired you in the past or are just some of your favorites? - God, how long is this podcast? I think it has changed, you know, I have some inspiration from back home, I have inspiration from it. And it's constantly changing, just because like I'm also like getting to know myself as a person and then as an artist. Earlier, I will say my imagination was captured by the big Hollywood of it all, the way America is, you know, it's me sifting in India and just being like, "Oh, I love Meryl Streep, who I still love, I do." But then I'm now coming here and seeing like just the bravery of like actors who are not necessarily like Hollywood. And that's not what makes an actor, but it's just seeing the bravery on stage, just the rawness of Pratol has like really sort of added more names to my list than a subtracted. But current favorites, if you will, I am, I loved public obscenities that was at Soho Rep last year. It was like a three hour long play by Himisha Chaudhary and it was, then it went to Wooly Mammoth and then it came to Tefana. And three hour bilingual play that was then Pulitzer, the finalists for a Pulitzer Prize. Which is like, half the play was in Bengali and here it is being nominated. And it was just something that was, I finally felt like a South Asian life was dealt with and I don't even want to say delicate manner, but like the most truthful, like that's how people behave as opposed to India. And then followed by all the slum dog, a million versions of India one sees already. So that I'm really inspired by Misha's work because not only did he write it, he also directed. And I think especially if you're doing something bilingual, something so specific, that's like a sort of task, which is huge, but also it requires that kind of delicacy and I and seeing his work and seeing the success it received, not success in terms of awards and trying to change that awards does not necessarily mean something is great. But more about success in terms of the community and seeing audiences reaction, even seeing myself wanting to watch that three hour long play twice and even one more time. And I immediately bought the play though I don't understand Bengali, tells me that it's really plucked at this string in my heart, which I really want to sort of also do as an artist myself. But hey, that really, that is it. That is the truth of a South Asian family. So that's my top one right now. My constant non-stop favorite is Rajiv Joseph, and I'm not just saying that because of his South Asian roots, but I recently also directed gruesome playground injuries, and I love that play because of just the way he plays with timelines and still we see the connection of the two people. So those are like kind of like my two favorite writers, writers that I want to work with as a director or as an actor. And then just a little quick shout out to my favorite Bollywood guy, Shara Khan, who will always occupy my heart and always be an inspiration, has nothing to do with theater, but he's a deli boy, big Bollywood star. And honestly, he will be like my inspiration, even when I'm like 80, 90, 95, if I live that long. But yeah, hope that answers your question. - I love that there's some wonderful names and works and just thoughts in there. I love that it's a great answer. Rachel, what about you? What are who inspires you? - Octavia Butler was one of the biggest influences on me these past few years. And I think my discovery of her storytelling and what she imagined for her future impacted my mind a lot. I'm trying to say like, as I was writing this, that I'm trying to say it. I didn't read it as I was writing this. It was a long time before, but I think something happened in my brain then that years later, not years later, a year later or so, gave earth to Venus. Rit Marling is someone who inspires me a lot, who wrote the OA. She's an actor who writes and she identified. You know, she has this whole story of, she was hungry for acting and not only was she getting little like little work, but the work she was getting was unsatisfactory to her. So she simply wrote her stories. And I identify with that because I just, I initially, when I started writing, I just wanted to do theater and not like necessarily bother with finding the perfect play that would fit the humans that were in front of me. So either way, my young brain and young and naive ignorant brain was, I was like, that's easier. We'll just come up with a story for us. And then later it was like, I just want to put up the sleeve. I don't have the right, so I'll just write a story that I have the rights to because of my story. And now I love writing. But Braid Marling was a big inspiration. And then in terms of acting, AOE Deborah is right now my biggest inspiration because she's the perfect mix of being always completely herself and always absolutely the character. And she's so in the present moment all the time. It's incredible. And just aside one French person (laughs) Celine Siamat, who's the director of "Portrait of a Lady on Fire" and Adele Nell, the main actress of that movie, are two women that have tremendous impact on my life and have had for years. Not only their work, but their interviews, the way they carry themselves in the industry, what they stand for, the way they show up to being an artist really gave me strength to dare to be myself. 'Cause I think I'm different, but also I have similarities. So seeing kind of older sister figures doing that, I was like, "Okay, I can also do that." So yeah, that's me. - That is also a fantastic list. Let me ask the two of you. What is your favorite part about working in the theater? And Rachel, you gave us a wonderful, wonderful insight in the first part. So I wanna start this question with you. It's still, I'm still beginning to understand why I love it so much. It's, there's this, I've been loving it since I was so young and then it's been a process of coming to first of all the realization that if I want to do this for a living, I may be able to. And then I'm understanding because I'm growing up and what it means to be a person in the world and things. So the initial thing was I get to be weird here. And where I'm weird everywhere else and it's apparently like caused for really bad things. Apparently it's really bad to be weird in the rest of the world. Here, oh my God, all the weird kids from the rest of the world are also here. I think that's a theater kid like universal experience. For me, and for this, the grownup version of me right now, it's the way that, so hard to print tours, but it's the perfect structural thing to put how much I love human beings and also how much like I have questions. I need to ask the questions and how much I wanna be, when I say I love human beings, like I wanna be in the presence of humans. And for some reason I wanna be invested in the liberation and the healing of people. I'm also a therapist, like I've always done this. And I think theater is a festive way without teaching anyone, teaching anyone a lesson to just naturally grow together because we're doing a fun thing which is telling a story, but it's really serious because it's more serious than the stock market because that's actually not real. But our hearts, our relationships with our mothers, what we inherit from previous generations, what does privilege mean, what is mental illness, all these things are, we can not escape them. So I love that it's a nice little conventionally accepted place to put all the super vertigo-inducing weirdness things and collectively tend to them. - That is such a brilliant answer. I love it. - Thank you. - Mahima, what about you? Let's keep this going. What is your favorite part about working in the theater? - I think I'm just really inspired by what Rachel just said. Like, theater is not necessarily, it's not therapy, but it is therapeutic. And I think another thing that I love what about just, you know, from across the 70s also, it's just like the, it doesn't let you off the hook. Like you have to, that's why I have like such resentment of Apple Watch because I'm like, oh, you were trying to sneak in. So someone can like, you know, sneakily look at their thing. No, sit. And even if it's uncomfortable, like sit with that. I love when my beautiful ushers, they come down the stairs and it's like, no cell phones. I was like, yeah, tell them. Because I think this is the only medium that is left right now where it's not socially acceptable to sort of be like, like, hey, Rachel, if you're making a contact talk with me and I'm just like, kind of, you know, yeah, bad. Oh, I could have also raised that. But I don't know if you can, we were raising our phones as we were doing silent acting. But that is, and there's a Lin-Manuel, and as an immigrant myself right now, I feel Lin-Manuel Miranda really beautifully captures the essence of theater is like, you're entering into someone else's story here and the immigrant is you, you know? You get to have that. You'll play with this kind of like your passport and you're just like, okay, here with the information and you have to sit and like observe what's going on and be an active participant in like a choice that you've made to come into a space, a story and inhabiting that space. So there's so many other reasons behind theater, but I think those two really pluck out like it doesn't let you off of the hook. And I'm not saying that, oh, you have to sit and enjoy my show, have fun and write great reviews. No, it's not that. It's just like questioning why you're uncomfortable. Like, if you're sitting and you feel uncomfortable or irritated or whatever your body feels while in a life theatrical experience, it almost always positively leads to reflection, which is so lacking as is in humanity right now but is also even more palpable and with the tech heavy age that we're in, just the space to reflect. And I don't know about you all, but anytime I leave a play, I cannot look at my phone. I just want to like step out, go for a walk. No matter what play I'm watching, I just feel like I need to sort of be with myself and be like, huh, I don't know, what did that bring up for me? And then of course I'll make like a social media post being like, so XYZ at the Glasgow theater or whatever. So there is like some room for reflection and that practice that theater automatically makes a human do which is so lost in this day and age, yeah. - That is also just such an inspired answer. And you know, these answers are really a great lean into my favorite question to ask guests. And that of course is, what is your favorite theater memory? - I think if I can, I mean, I'm tempted to respond in a way that's like all the times that because I have a hard time having just one. And for me, it's again, collective and there's a moment every time that that's so universal whenever I'm sure every person that came to the podcast, I've always said that, but before the show, you always feel like it's just not gonna come up. It's not gonna come together. It feels like I don't see how in the time and space that we have with the resources we have, we're gonna do this thing. And it always does come together like a miracle. And it is a miracle because what I said before about Wall Street not being real and grief being real, that's not how our society is organized. Theater is superfluous. Like we don't need to be doing all this and to, we put so much importance in, you know, no, it's downstage, right? It's really important that you went through downstage, right? And we humans do this, like we will assign meaning to something and become so invested in it. And sometimes that gives incredible miracles and I like experiencing that alone. Like when I'm, I have a big clean to do if I'm moving out and I feel like I'm never gonna, I'm, I have to leave it three and I'm not done. I just continue on stubbornly and somehow it gets done. That's one of my favorite things. And then getting to experience that collectively where this trust that you assign yourself and kind of like destiny, you assign it also to like, of course the stage manager is gonna pull through. Of course this person and everyone collectively is gonna do their little part and the sum is gonna be miraculously, immensely greater than the parts. So every time that this happened where we were all exhausted and we turn to kindness and patience with each other 'cause everyone's tired and confused. And then something magical happens and the reward, the natural tenderness that comes from, we just did all this together. Like it's not that we're tender to each other is that we all experienced the tenderness that we did something that now exists and it was hard. So that's my favorite memory but it happens every time it applies to every time that that happened. That is such a wonderful, wonderful answer. I love it. - Thank you, thank you. - Mahima, what is your favorite theater memory? - I was like, I mean, I think you all have captured. I hear everything about, you know, the community and people showing up and like the aha moment, the collective sign, the collective, like I don't know if it's gonna work but then just knowing that it's the miracle of it all. It does work out and the story is told and just like that sort of satisfaction and notness and it's very different from the types of sections. Like, we got like five cheers or six laughs. No, that's obviously in theater world, we know that's not the litmus test for success. But I think my, when you said theater memory in my mind, I was like, I remember my first time watching something and like I think it was once on Broadway and like fancy theater, I got like that student rush ticket. So I thought the theater memory is like, watching theater, that kind of memory is, I wanted to get like a snack and those snacks are obviously obnoxiously expensive because of course, let's just, a few people who do watch theater, let's just rob them by telling them like $5 worth of M&M but into like, I don't know, $20. So I was just like, I didn't know that that was the thing. I just went there and I remember being like, my face that, oh God, that it's that expensive. And behind me was like, well, one of my, you know, like not necessarily teachers, but like someone who I had just like met like a month ago and they knew who I was, they knew that I'm here straight from India. And they were like, let me cover that for you. Like, you know, it was just like, usually I don't have that happened to me often and like regular, but it just felt like the spirit of theater was like so about the community. And they're like, let's just like help this poor girl out who does not want to like, not anticipate the, didn't have a budget for M&M's and here she is shaking and then they just like bought me. And I just, I think that really added to the experience of my overall once watching theater experience. So yeah, that was like a little thing that stands out. Again, kindness and little gestures, which I think theater really sort of manifests just by us being in this space, people just automatically become kind, knock a word, knock a word. Like, even if you remember post lockdown when people were all masked, did you see like, there were still people who were like removing masks and then in theater, everyone was just like entering masks. And I just remember being so thrilled by seeing all these faces who are so respectful, not only to their audience, fellow audience members, but also to the people who are on stage. So I think that was something very, that sticks out, meanwhile other events people were just like, nah, I got my vaccine. I'm not putting this thing again. Yeah. - I love that. What a fabulous memory to share, especially with that great show and around it out was such a wonderful thought. Yes. Thank you both so much for sharing those. As we wrap things up, I would love to know, do either of you have any other projects or productions coming on the pipeline that we might be able to plug for you? - I, in July, signed a contract with the big theater company in France. So you're a long contract where it's called the (speaking foreign language) and it's kind of like the government centric. I mean, the centralized theater troupe. And the way that the system is in France, the more government, the more something is done by the government, the more it's prestigious, like the most prestigious school, schools or government schools. It's not like here where community college is less prestigious. So that, you know, we have the (speaking foreign language) France will have these institutions. Like that's our government institution for theater. That's our government. So this company offered me a contract to work for them for year and small roles and big productions. So I've been doing a lot of bigger roles and smaller productions until now. And I feel like this is a great step up for me also 'cause I just spent four years in the U.S. of A. And, you know, I'm kind of tentatively building an international career, but it's difficult in terms of visa and of industry. It's hard to build a career period. So, so right now I'm gonna go into like a little bit of a France focus because it's just more viable. And I just got this great opportunity. So it's a great fit as someone who's coming back from four years of expatriation to have such a demanding but also securing contract. You know, I'm secured in this contract for over a year now. So it's gonna be my first time being a paid actor for a long time. I haven't actually really been a truly paid actor before. I've done a lot of things, but as we know, like, between having an actor career and having an actor career that pays you, there is a big difference, there is a world. - That is incredible. Congratulations. That's amazing. - Yeah, thank you so much. - Are you imagining for you? - Yeah, I basically also, I'm international office. So I'm here, but that meant like I had to get into a lot of acting is obviously my first skill set, but been directing, been writing as well. So we have with a fellow Delhiite, we call people from Delhi, Delhiites. Rohan Bhargava, I'm working on his production called Barat, which is a dance kind of drama. Peace inspired by Indian Street theater culture. So it's in collaboration with Roboco Dance Company. We got a grant. So that's coming up in October. So we're working on the last scene, last act, and that will be something that we'll be doing at three as soon as it's wrapped. So writing that and hoping to sort of get, you know, like it's like, that's the hard things. Like theater community is like so, like the audience is just like fixed set. And then there's dances fixed. So we're trying to like merge these two and just be like, hey, arts. Just support the art, especially South Asian arts. And then next year in May, I'll be working on a new Nicole Mahapatra play called Love You More, directed by Nikimaju. And that is going to be, it's kind of like King Learish, but set in India, which I think, if Shakespeare was Indian, he was inspired by certain dynamics of the Indian father and the Indian daughters and those sibling kind of relationship, which is very exciting. And then we have like about a month run at the tank. So those are like the two things coming up and that I'm very excited about because it's just so close to, it's not necessarily about identity, but that is good because it made me, there's so much more nuance and so much more. I can add or bring to a project as opposed to just, hey, we just gave you this role. Can you, yeah, be generic, but it's a, there's something very specific about these two projects, which I'm very excited about. And yeah, and I will, I might reach out to you, Andrew and be like, bye. - Yes, please do. Because, well, the things the two of you are doing, and I love the global impact and the global reach of all this. And that is a fabulous lead in to my final question, which is, if our listeners would like more information about Earth to Venus, or about either of you, maybe they'd like to reach out to you, how can they do so? - I think in this day and age, Instagram is gonna be the best way. There's, thank you for asking that, by the way. We'd love it if people wanted to find us or support us or make contact with us. And I mean, I'm saying us, but I'm, maybe I can let Mahima answer first off. The play itself has an Instagram called Earth to Venus Play. The spelling is those straightforward. There's no, there's no spelling, originalities. And my Instagram is my full name, Rachel Colignon. And it's linked on the Earth to Venus Play Instagram. They both are linked to each other. So if you have one, you have the other. And even before Mahima says hers, I'll say that she's also tagged pretty much everywhere on the recent posts of the Earth to Venus Play Instagram. - Yeah, I agree with Instagram being the, the app. And mine is, as she said, it's pretty much like, my presence is quite well known. They did an amazing, but they're real, which I loved and got so many views. Also, Rachel has done some amazing like voiceover work for Earth to Venus with like a great animation that we have. So please go check her. It's like a whole little mini play going on in our page and any love and support would be lovely. But my handle is The Saggle and I think if Instagram crashes because I don't know, Congress decides something. Who knows, regular email would be lovely. I have a website, I have my email. I'm pretty Googleable. I don't think Google is going anywhere. But yeah, if in case a DM is not reachable to me, but I think emails are always welcome. And I love having, I keep on adding on my mail list and just I think that has been a consistent way to reach out to people for me, at least in the last 10 years that have been here. - Wonderful. Well, my HEMA, Rachel, thank you both so, so much for taking the time to speak with me today and for sharing not only this amazing play, but oh my gosh, you're brilliant insights. This was such a wonderful conversation. And I truly thank you so much for your time today. - Thank you, Andrew. - Thank you for having us. - My guests today have been the amazing director, HEMA Siegel, and the amazing playwright, Rachel Collion. They joined us today to talk about their new work, Earth to Venus, which is playing August 30th through September 8th at Theater Lab at the ALTA. And you can get your tickets and more information by visiting theaterlabnyc.com. We also have some contact information for our guests, which we'll be posting on the episode description as well as on the social media posts. But truly, this is such a brilliant show, brilliant premise. You're not gonna wanna miss it. If you enjoyed this interview, which I'm gonna tell you right now, whether you did or not, I loved it, you're gonna wanna check out the show. So again, the show is Earth to Venus playing August 30th through September 8th. And we also wanna add for our American listeners that Election Day is November 5th. Make sure you are registered to vote, have a plan to cast your ballot and do your democratic duty. You can find out how and where you can register to vote by visiting vote.gov. The future demands that we fight for it now. So until next time, I'm Andrew Cortez, reminding you to turn off your cell phones, unwrap your candies. - And keep talking about the theater. - In a stage whisper. - Thank you. (upbeat music) (upbeat music) - If you like what you hear, please leave a five star review, like and subscribe. - You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram at stagewhisperpod. - And feel free to reach out to us with your comments and personal stories at stagewhisperpod@gmail.com. - And be sure to check out our website for all things stage whisper and theater. You'll be able to find merchandise, tours, tickets and more. Simply visit stagewhisperpod.com. Our theme song is Maniac by Jazzar. Other music on this episode provided by Jazzar and Billy Murray. You can also become a patron of our show by logging on to patreon.com/stagewhisperpod. There you will find all the information about our backstage pass as well as our tip jar. Thank you so much for your generosity. We could not do this show without you. ♪ Way from there on square ♪ ♪ I don't care anywhere near your town ♪ ♪ Makes me there ♪