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Saturday, June 14, 2014

Meet the "Limelight" Directors - Gama Valle & John DeBenedetto (Part One)


Thespian Production is doing a series on the directors and playwrights for its "Limelight: Go Green" playfest which is being held July 17-19 in NYC.  We want you to meet them and learn what makes them who they are.  We asked them a few questions - how they got into their field, their viewpoints on going green, and other interesting tidbits.  We will be talking with other directors and playwrights each week, so stay tuned to the blog.


One of the directors, Gama Valle, is a director for the play, Talkin' Trash.  Like he said "I went into directing because I wanted to see my plays on stage. I started in theater as a playwright. As any playwright should know, it is really hard to get opportunities to see your work alive. So I decided not to wait. I discovered I could direct and fell in love with it. I still write though."  As a playwright myself, I agree with Gama that having the chance to see your work put on live is a rare opportunity.  As we all know, there are many viewpoints and beliefs about going green.  What are the causes and implications for our planet?    Gama has his own viewpoint - "The bigger change will finally come when everyone sees the reality of our planet and take it seriously. It is important to keep educating and trying to practice it in one's daily life."  Perhaps everyone should claim a little responsibility for our planet's health.  However, Gama does have one pet peeve that he feels strongly about - he gets angry when people criticize Mariah Carey!




John DeBenedetto is a director for the play Deja Columbus.  I was not surprised that John was drawn to this play because of its historical context and the fact he is a teacher.  John is also a director, but as he says "I started out as an actor.  And, though I was happy to create a character each time I worked on a role, the idea of coming up with a vision for a whole play always intrigued me.  Once I started to direct, that desire to create an entire world proved to be even more exciting than I'd imagined.  That excitement has continued to this day.  I also like the idea of collaboration, as a director must work hand-in-hand with the actors, designers, tech people, etc."  But what about working together to conserve our planet?  Is climate change really happening?  John has a great viewpoint - "I have always been environmentally conscious, recycling, conserving water, electricity, etc..  But with the effects of global warming becoming ever more evident, the whole concept of "going green" is one of the most important topics people today must face."  There are those who agree with global warming and those who do not, but we will surely all see in the future.



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