On this episode, we say goodbye to one of our own Andrew Edmonson. We remember his contributions to the community and to our show.
Then, Brett Cullum has a conversation with Michael Alonzo, talking about his recent marriage and his role in Theatre Under the Stars production of IN THE HEIGHTS. Michael plays "the Piragua Guy" in the show.
Finally, Then Brett talks with Malinda Beckham and Curtis Barber, who are co-directing the play BUG, which opens at MATCH this Friday. It's produced in Houston by Dirt Dogs Theatre Co.
Queer Voices airs in Houston Texas on 90.1FM KPFT and is heard as a podcast here. Queer Voices hopes to entertain as well as illuminate LGBTQ issues in Houston and beyond. Check out our socials at:
https://www.facebook.com/QueerVoicesKPFT/ and
https://www.instagram.com/queervoices90.1kpft/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello everybody, this is Queer Voices, a podcast
version of a broadcast radioshow that's been on the air in
Houston, Texas, for severaldecades.
This week we have a sadannouncement to start off with
about the loss of a loved onewho was active in our community.
Then Brett Cullum has aconversation with Michael Alonzo
(00:23):
, talking about his recentmarriage and role in the Theater
Under the Stars production ofIn the Heights.
Michael plays the Paraga guy inthe show.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
In the Heights follows about three days in the
life of a community inWashington Heights.
It's this community that'shaving to deal with instant
change.
We have one store that ispreparing to close and move to a
different location.
We have a college student whojust returned back from a year
at Stanford and we're seeing allof these changes happening
within this community and itsculture.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Rhett talks with Melinda Beckham and Curtis
Barber, who are co-directing theplay Bug, which opens at the
Match Theater this Friday.
It's produced in Houston byDirt Dogs Theater Company.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
Bug, believe it or not, is a love story.
Without loneliness and withoutloss and without vulnerability.
We don't get to the place thatwe need to be, where this crater
of ache exists inside Agnes,which opens her up to Peter.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
Queer Voices starts now.
Speaker 4 (01:55):
It is with great sorrow that we announce the
passing of a beloved member ofthe Queer Voices family, david
Andrew Edmondson.
Andrew for many years lent hisvoice and his interest in arts
and culture, as well as his hisactivism as one of the
contributors to the program.
He died on May the 6th after ashort struggle with a very
aggressive form of cancer.
(02:16):
He was a beloved and dearfriend.
When I heard the news and Istarted thinking about him and
starting my grieving process, Ithought of him as always being
my dear and precious friend.
And then, when I started seeingother people post on Facebook
(02:39):
their thoughts about Andrew andtheir experiences with him, and
I realized that all of themthought of him as their dear and
precious friend.
He was an activist in QueerNation.
I think that's probably where Ifirst met him.
He overcame many things in life, including being a
(03:02):
self-loathing gay man.
He was diagnosed fairly youngwith HIV and he made a decision
that he was going to live aslong as he could, because back
in those days you didn't get tolive very long, so the fact that
he did get to make it to age 59was a win.
(03:23):
He grew up in Knoxville,tennessee.
His parents were teachers, hisdad became a union organizer and
they were activists.
So I guess he came by all ofthat quite honestly.
But he was a devotee of theaterand actually had thought that
someday that would be what hewould do would be an actor.
(03:45):
But life led him in many otherplaces, including living in
London, in France and in Dublin,ireland.
And how he managed to do thatwas because he could type and he
got jobs working as what wascalled a Kelly boy because they
had Kelly girls temporaryservice.
(04:06):
So he was a Kelly boy andthat's how he came to do that.
But came back to the States andin his early 20s came to Houston
to work at the Alley Theater.
He had a long tenure there.
He had a long tenure with theHouston Ballet and then
eventually the Museum of FineArts, houston.
(04:26):
I was one of the fortunatewomen in Houston who got to date
Andrew.
He would take me to the theater, we would go to events together
and, just like I said, a dearand precious friend.
And I was talking with ourmutual friend, january Fox, and
she was talking about her dateswith Andrew.
(04:47):
And then we were talking aboutall these women that they all
thought of him as theirboyfriend because he was such a
wonderful man to go out with andspend time with.
So that's kind of funny thatthere's all these women who love
this gay man and thought of himthat way.
Brian, do you have anyparticular memories of Andrew?
Speaker 5 (05:12):
I worked with Andrew on Queer Voices for several
years.
59 is way, way too young topass away.
The whole community is mourningfor Andrew.
My favorite memory probably wasat a fundraiser.
We were going to interviewsomebody and he introduced me
and I forget the name of theinterview guest, but it was just
the way he approached peopleand the way he was so open and
(05:35):
friendly and just I love thatabout him.
He was just so.
Everyone loved Andrew.
Speaker 4 (05:40):
He was a very kind man and came from a place of
kindness in so much that he did,and I think that's because in
part of his life the role hadbeen very unkind to him.
One of the skills that hedeveloped was in media, so he
wrote for Outsmart Magazine, hewrote for the Houston Chronicle,
(06:00):
he contributed to Queer VoicesI believe he was given an award
by the Gay and LesbianJournalists Association and he
would use his knowledge ofHouston's media landscape to
help with our issues.
And he was involved politicallyeverything from Queer Nation to
(06:21):
the effort of Hero.
And more recently he wasworking with the O Project,
which produced oral historiesdocumenting the AIDS crisis in
Houston, and he has raisedawareness about that project.
He talked about the worst yearsof the AIDS epidemic, saying
that it was like the LondonBlitz, except that there was no
(06:44):
place to go into the safety ofthe underground to escape the
moms.
I think that that example thathe set of using whatever skills
you have can be a way ofadvancing our causes.
Certainly you're right, brian,the community is grieving.
We each have our individualgrief, but as a community as a
(07:08):
whole, this is a very impactfulloss.
Speaker 5 (07:12):
It is a massive loss for our community.
Deborah, what is your favoritememory of Andrew?
Speaker 4 (07:18):
It's hard to sort them out.
Just saying this is just theone thing them out, just saying
this is just the one thing.
I just remember always himbeing so kind, letting me know
about things, informing me ofstuff, and just the way that he
was there for me as a friend,such a lovely man.
There will be a celebration oflife on June, the 12th, starting
(07:42):
at five o'clock going until 8pm at Bradshaw Carter on West
Alabama.
People are invited to make adonation in his memory to the
charity of their choice,certainly any of the things that
Andrew supported, and certainlyQueer Voices being one of them,
(08:03):
and certainly Queer Voicesbeing one of them.
Gladly, donations in his honorwould be accepted in support of
KPFT and to Queer Voices.
So, andrew, fly high.
Speaker 5 (08:14):
We'll miss you, Andrew.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
This is Glenn from Queer Voices.
You're listening to KPFT.
That means you're alreadyparticipating just by listening,
but how about doing more?
Kpft is totally listener-funded, which means it's people like
you who are making donations whosupport this community resource
.
Kpft has no corporate orgovernment strings-attached
(09:08):
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Will you participate in KPFTfinancially?
This station needs everyone wholistens to chip in a few
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Even if you're listening overthe internet on another
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(09:30):
Please become an active memberof the listener community by
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Please take a minute to visitkpftorg and click on the red
Donate Now button.
Speaker 7 (09:42):
Thank you, hi, this is brett cullum and today I am
joined by michael alonzo.
He is in the current productiontheater under the stars in the
heights.
It's running at the hobbycenter may 20th through june 1st
and it's a musical that hasmusic and lyrics by lynn manuel
miranda, of hamilton, fame ofcourse.
So it a story, it's kind of aromance, celebration of
(10:05):
community culture aspirations.
It's set over the course ofthree days.
It involves a lot of charactersin a specific neighborhood and
a bodega owner and all of theseother things.
It's got a lot of Latin rhythmand things like that.
But, michael, tell us a littlebit about what is In the Heights
about.
I mean, what is it?
What do you consider the storyof In the Heights?
Speaker 2 (10:26):
Of course.
Well, hello everyone.
Thank you so much for having metoday.
As you said, In the Heightsfollows About three days in the
life of a community.
In Washington Heights, it'sthis community that's having to
deal with instant change.
We have one store that ispreparing to close and move to a
different location.
We have a college student whojust returned back from a year
(10:47):
at Stanford and we're seeing allof these changes happening
within this community and itsculture, and they essentially
faced a blackout one night,which we have to remember, this
is mid-2000s, so access tophones, access to Uber, access
to anything, basically, thiscommunity's stranded and
powerless for a day or so, andthen we I don't want to spoil
(11:08):
any of the other story, but weget to see this community face
against this blackout and theycome back together and we have a
lovely ending.
But again, I don't want to giveaway any spoilers for those
that don't know what happens tospecific characters.
Speaker 7 (11:23):
You know it's hard to imagine that people haven't
seen this before yet, becauseobviously big, huge Broadway run
a lot of tours.
There's the movie, but this isa Tuts production.
Obviously you are a Piragwa guyI mean that's what you're
billed as so you sell snow cones.
Tell me about who this guy is.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Yeah so the Piragua.
It's a Puerto Rican custom, soit's basically shaved ice.
I hope people don't get mad atme, but this is the easiest way
for me to describe it.
It's kind of like a cheesegrater when, like you know, if
you have a block of cheese andyou grate the cheese and
eventually you get a whole bunchof shreds of it similar,
there's a block of ice and youuse a shredder and as you shred
it, it starts filling with allof this ice you poured into your
(12:05):
cup.
Essentially, you take yourliquid, pour it over.
For us it's very similar to asnow cone, just the methods of
how it's made is slightlydifferent.
Speaker 7 (12:16):
Hmm, just the methods of how it's made is slightly
different, Hmm.
So I mean, like obviouslyyou've got a big number about
this whole process, right?
I do, yes.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
I get to sing a really cool song in the middle
of towards the end of Act 1, andthen again towards the end of
Act 2.
We get a little bit of resolveas to why.
This poor guy's conundrum.
I guess you could say yeah, andthis poor guy's conundrum, I
guess you could say.
Speaker 7 (12:35):
Yeah, and you're also understudying one of the leads
I am.
That has to be nerve wracking,because not only are you
learning how to make paraguas,but you have to learn another
part too.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
It's not my first time understudying.
It's the coolest job.
I've told people in the pastlike I am terrible at every
other job.
I worked at a gas station manyyears ago and I struggled with
the cash register.
Everyone has their quirks andabilities.
My ability is getting to dotheater.
I can sing, I can dance, I canact and I'm great at memorizing
(13:07):
stuff.
There's a book that I read thatI've held on to for a while, the
Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo,and she expresses in the book so
many times that panic is aluxury.
And anytime I have to swing orunderstudy or just immediately
go on, I always tell myself thatyou know, panic is a luxury.
Get the thing done, do itscared, freak out later.
(13:30):
So any, anytime when it comesto understudy, I take it just as
seriously as the role I'mpreparing.
I make sure I come in with it.
The with understudying, I takeit just as seriously as the role
I'm preparing.
I make sure I come in with thematerial learned, at least
flexible enough for therehearsal process when I'm
watching what they're doing, ifthe music director wants a
slightly different thing thatthey're asking Cesar the man
who's playing Kevin to do, youneed that flexibility so that
(13:52):
it's for that production.
I think it's the coolest thing.
I'm not scared of it at all.
In fact, anytime you do get togo on, it's this great sense of
accomplishment.
You keep the show going.
You keep the show running.
Speaker 7 (14:03):
Well, it has to happen.
I mean, people have boughttickets.
It doesn't matter if somebody'ssick, somebody breaks leg,
literally, or something likethat.
Speaker 2 (14:11):
That's actually what happened, I want to say, the
first time I've ever had to justgo on with literally an hour
notice Because we were doing adress rehearsal performance and
in this production I was doing aproduction of Miss Saigon and
the gentleman playing John heended up hurting his leg in the
middle of the nightmare sequence.
So that was we had to hold theaudience.
(14:32):
Hey, alonzo, get backstage.
Hey, you need to go on andfinish the show.
And it was just one of those.
Okay, let's do it.
Game on.
Speaker 7 (14:40):
Well, that's amazing.
You know, Michael, I getnervous just going on stage,
even when I'm prepared, evenwhen I have an hour's notice.
So I admire you for doing this.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
I'll be honest, I still get nerves every time.
I'm anxious for anything I do.
I don't know what it is, it'slike kind of like severance.
I don't know if you've seen theshow, but as soon as I walk on
the stage it's like there's thisflip and you forget that the
audience isn't there to judgeyou, they're not there to
critique you.
They're there to be enjoyed,they're there to be entertained,
they're supporting you and Ithink of oh wait, they're on my
(15:12):
side.
That's always a reminder to theperformer of oh no, they want
to succeed and have a greatperformance.
So I think those little thingshelp to make it easier and calm
down those nerves a little bit.
Speaker 7 (15:25):
Well, and this show sounds like a good one to be in
the company, because it soundslike In the Heights is very much
a company show.
There's a lot of ensemble stuff.
You guys are really just kindof carrying the show all
together.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
Cool, it's a community there's so much
community and diversity on stageand talent and the gosh I just
I keep on pinching myself everyday that I'm here, getting to
tell this story, getting to dothis show with these, with this
group of people, the it stemsfrom the top.
We have a, a world-classdirector choreographer, an
(15:58):
amazing assistant director, andhe has.
We have an amazing set ofchoreographers and dance
captains and swings that havehad a history with the show and
they bring so much love and joyto the process that it's it's so
infectious.
I've I'm I've always been proudto be latino, but it's being
with these people again thatit's just been like gosh, gosh.
I am so proud to be Latino, I'mso proud and happy to get to be
(16:21):
in a room with these people.
Speaker 7 (16:23):
Who is directing?
Speaker 2 (16:24):
William Carlos Angulo .
He was the choreographer forNewsies production of Cubs last
year.
Speaker 7 (16:31):
And you did Newsies.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
Yes, I was one of the .
I was a Delancey brother, I wasOscar Delancey, I was Oscar
Delancey, so I played a littlebit of a bully in that show.
But I also understudied one ofthe.
I understudied Ben.
He performed the role of Davey,so I didn't dance in the show,
but Ben danced in the show.
So I was off to the side,always learning the dances,
trying to keep up, trying tokeep my endurance, just in case.
Luckily I never had to go on.
(16:54):
But I'm grateful that this ismy third time back at Tutsnow.
Speaker 7 (16:58):
The other one was South Pacific, correct?
Speaker 2 (17:01):
Yes, I did.
South Pacific, I think I wantto say three years ago.
Speaker 7 (17:05):
I remember it actually very well.
Well, tell me, michael, how didyou get started in theater?
Because it sounds like you know.
You obviously are pretty awarethat this is the job for you.
When did you start?
When did you start training andfiguring out that this is where
I want to be?
Speaker 2 (17:18):
So in elementary school we had a great choir
teacher and she loved musicalsso she made it an effort to try
to get everyone to do the showand it was this whole school
thing.
So the first thing they did wasthe music band and both days I
was sick with the fever and Iknew that, okay, if I'm this
upset that I didn't get toaudition because of a fever,
there's, there's something there.
(17:39):
There's something about thestage that I'm yearning for as a
what a fifth grader at thispoint.
So the first time I ever was onstage was the next year, sixth
grade.
We did a production ofSchoolhouse Rock Junior.
And at this point I'm sure youcan hear I have a, I have a
tenor voice.
I have a voice that's here.
But you can imagine a youngerme was way up here, so anytime I
(18:00):
had to, you know, try to singany of the music.
It just it was too high for me,so they gave me the.
It was essentially the lead,but he's a non-singing role.
That was my first experience onstage and I went to a small
school so we had some theater.
We maybe did a production ayear.
It wasn't until I saw aproduction of wicked.
That was the first liveproduction I'd ever seen of
(18:20):
anything, anything professional,anything amateur.
I've never seen anything, anylive performance.
I can guarantee.
Hundreds of others have had thesame experience.
You're sitting there, you'rewatching elphaba fly up into the
air, singing, defying gravity,the, the lights go off and you
go.
What People get paid to do this?
That's a career.
You can do that.
And I sat at the Music Hall atFair Park in Dallas and said
(18:45):
that's what I'm going to do.
I have to do that.
So my parents let me enroll in acommunity production of Joseph
and the Amazing TechnicolorDreamcoat.
They had already did auditions.
My dad sent an email saying,hey, my son really wants to be a
part of the show, can he be apart?
And they said, yeah, come onover, went into that.
First they were doing like afinal callback to sign the
brothers and we were all havingto go through sing this music I
(19:07):
had no idea about.
I was freaked out, probably themost nervous I've ever been.
But that's the beauty oftheater is regardless of where
you're at, it is always acommunity of people who is
looking out for everyone andwants everyone to succeed and
have this great experience andthe fact that these 30 or so
strangers, all of whom hadexperience together at this
community, stage, me walking in.
(19:27):
They came up to me with openarms and several years later,
now I'm here.
Speaker 7 (19:33):
Tell me about working with Tuts.
A little bit Theater Under theStars.
What do you like about workingwith this company?
I mean, you've done it threetimes, or this is your third
time.
What do you find really greatabout it?
Speaker 2 (19:43):
it is a well-oiled machine from every single
department everyone.
So let me sidetrack a littlebit.
So something that I reallyappreciate that tuts does is on
the first day of rehearsal we wehave a big meet and greet.
So we have the company, we havethe cast and creatives, we have
the teen ensemble and then wehave all sorts of different
departments within Tuts IT,human resources, finance.
(20:07):
Everyone is in this roomtogether.
We all introduce ourselves, weall say hello, and I think with
every other company I've been to, that's not a thing.
You maybe do the circle withyour creatives and cast and crew
, but Tuts makes an effort to go.
Everyone has their specificrole and assignment to make this
company and to make theproduction as successful as
(20:27):
possible room and sees thateveryone's contributing to this
bigger picture, to this biggeridea.
So that's something I reallyrespect about Tuts is it's about
everyone, that it's not justthe person at the top or this
person or that, like, everyoneis important, everyone matters.
So when I say it's a well-oiledmachine, they're bringing the
(20:50):
industry's best and brightestand foremost educators and
instructors and directors tohere.
I'm fortunate to get to be withthis company of talented,
incredibly trained performersthat you walk through the
rehearsal process.
It doesn't feel like rehearsal,because you're getting to play,
(21:10):
you're getting to make magicessentially the fact that all of
the stars are aligned.
That's kind of what it is forme that the stars align here.
Everything is perfect the waythat it's run, the way that
rehearsals go, the talent, thepreparation from everyone, the
idea that everyone is on thesame page and wants the show to
be as successful as possible.
So we're gonna put our bestfoot forward, our 130% every
(21:33):
single day.
That's what makes Tuts sospecial to me.
Speaker 7 (21:35):
I think, of all the actors that I've known
throughout my life, a lot ofthem feel like doing the shows
is the reward and the real workis getting cast in the shows,
and that's the part that is theworst about being an actor or a
singer is auditioning and theno's, the audition's the job.
So do you do this justexclusively?
(21:58):
Do you do anything else besidessinging, acting, dancing?
Do you have a day job?
Speaker 2 (22:02):
Well, my mogul jobs, as I call them.
I'm really heavy into themarching band world, oh wow so.
I used to be a color guarddirector.
I've since left directing but Istill it's technically labeled
as a tech position I like to saylike a color guard clinician
but I've been working with acouple programs over the past
couple of years, working onoutdoor marching band shows,
(22:23):
teaching classes, teachingbasically equipment combinations
, flag combinations, instructingdance class.
On a side note, before I gotinto, when I was wanting to get
into, musical theater, I went toschool for voice at University
of North Texas.
So while I was there I kind ofgot bit by the classical bug.
We were doing a production ofCendrillon by Massanet, the
French Cinderella, and Iremember being there and
(22:45):
thinking, wow, this is sobeautiful, I want to do this.
So I ventured into theclassical world for a couple
years.
So my other side gig is I'm achurch sub.
Anytime that a church isneeding extra tenors, on a
Wednesday or Sunday, they reachout to me and they say hey,
alonzo, can you be here?
Here's all the music Prepare it.
So sometimes I'm having to getthrown into the wolves and just
(23:07):
sing a song without getting toactually sing it with the
ensemble, or I'll sometimes haveto cancel and leave services.
So those are my other survivaljobs that I do.
Speaker 7 (23:17):
They all relate to performing, so I think that
that's amazing, yeah, so you'vekind of made this whole thing
out of just performing andthings like that.
Since we're on Queer Voices, Iwanted to ask do you have any
connections to the LGBTQIA Pluscommunity?
Speaker 2 (23:28):
I do and I'm so proud to share.
I got married with my husband.
Oh wow.
Speaker 7 (23:33):
Congratulations.
Speaker 2 (23:34):
December 28, 2024.
So we just celebrated our fourmonth.
Speaker 7 (23:39):
Four month anniversary.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
Yes, I guess that's amazing, but we've been together
for oh gosh eight years now.
Speaker 7 (23:44):
Okay, well, it was a long march down the aisle.
Yes, so, there you are, butwhat does he do?
Speaker 2 (23:52):
Kevin is a middle school band director and his
main instrument is bassoon, so Iconsider him a woodwind expert.
He went to school for a bassoonperformance, he has his
master's in bassoon performanceand he's taught some wind
methods and he's led a couplecamps throughout the summer, so
I'm in awe of what he does.
He used to be a high schoolband director.
(24:14):
Something that I admire abouthim was the students love him
Again, because band directorsthey work with either you're
maybe with the top band or themiddle band or this other band.
But he takes the time to standin front of the door every
single day and as the kids arewalking in hey, ashley, how are
you doing?
Oh, hey, sarah, good morningIndividually greeting the kids,
(24:35):
and I think it means a lot tothe high schoolers to just be
recognized and acknowledged, butfor middle schoolers even more
so.
They're going through atransitionary period of their
lives and I teach high schoolers.
I love teaching high school.
I'm terrified of teachingmiddle schoolers, but Kevin has
no issue with it.
He's so personable, charismaticto them and they've really
(24:59):
warmed up and received him withopen arms.
Speaker 7 (25:01):
Well, that's amazing, and you both have got a
performance background.
Does he ever come and critiqueyou or anything?
No, no.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
No, he's always kind, even when I ask him like hey, I
think I did this, and he's likeno, you were perfect to me.
You're always perfect.
Speaker 7 (25:17):
And it's so cool that you guys both can understand
what you do.
Yes, I mean, often you seecouples and they're opposites.
It's like one's an actor andthe other one's an accountant.
You know, yep, you're like, ohmy gosh, our worlds are so
different, two different worlds.
And you, yeah, but heunderstands things like endless
rehearsals and tech week and allof that comes along with doing
(25:39):
gigs for Tuts.
Speaker 2 (25:41):
Actually, now that you mentioned that, I'm grateful
for that because again you willhave some people that will say,
like well, I haven't seen youfor a week or two and they don't
understand that.
The job kind of pulls you awaysometimes and that's that's
really difficult.
I am fortunate and lucky tohave someone who supports what I
do, who encourages what I doand says you know, if you're
(26:01):
away for months at a time, it'sgoing to suck, but we love each
other and we're going to make itwork.
Versus that that could be astress on someone's relationship
.
Again, I'm just lucky to havesomeone who's so supportive of
my career and the things thatcome with it.
Speaker 7 (26:15):
Yeah, I always joke that if you're a spouse of an
actor or whatever, you're likebasically a theater widow
Anytime a show opens, becauseyou don't see them for long
stretches, or whatever, becausethey're getting ready for all of
this stuff.
But that's amazing.
Well, michael Alonzo, thank youso much.
Of course you were in theHeights it's so hard to say,
(26:37):
cause it's like you're in theHeights but it runs at the Hobby
Center May 20th through June1st.
It's obviously a revival forwhat I'm gathering.
This will be interesting to see, and you weren't in the first
iteration of it, were you?
This is your first experiencewith In the Heights, right?
Speaker 2 (26:50):
Actually, this is my third time doing the show.
I did it.
Yes, I did it 10 years ago.
Show I did it.
Yes, I did it 10 years ago.
Speaker 7 (26:59):
I did two productions in dallas about 10 years ago,
okay I'm lucky to be back, buttuts is definitely one of the
shining jewels in the crown, ifyou will, because it's our local
musical theater and we bringthem.
People like you, michael alonso, who get to you know, show us
your talent and all of that,your classically trained
theatrical thing, that you bringto it, and I'm sure that I'm
(27:21):
going to wait to see the Piraguaguy.
Am I saying that even right?
Speaker 2 (27:25):
Yeah, Piragua All right, piragua.
Speaker 7 (27:27):
All right, I'm the furthest thing from being in the
ice, trust me Well, thank youand I appreciate your time.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
Of course.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
Thank you so much for having me today this is kpft
90.1 fm houston, 89.5 fmgalveston, 91.9 fm huntsville,
and worldwide on the internet atkpftorg.
This is queer voices.
Speaker 7 (27:59):
Bug is a play by Tracy Letts, who has written
other works such as August ofSage County, which won him a
Pulitzer Prize.
So Dirt Dogs Theatre Company istaking on this show, and boy is
it a good bit different thanAugust of Sage, which they did
as well previously.
But this production of Bug it'sgoing to run May 16th through
(28:20):
the 31st at the match of Bug.
It's going to run May 16ththrough the 31st at the match.
So with me today to talk aboutthe talent of bringing Bug to
life, is Melinda Beckham who isdirecting, and we also have
Curtis Barber who is.
Are you co-directing?
Are you assistant directing?
Speaker 6 (28:35):
Yes, I'm co-directing and also playing a small part
as well.
Speaker 7 (28:39):
You play one of my favorite characters in the show.
You play Dr Sweet.
So welcome.
Speaker 3 (28:44):
you play one of my favorite characters in the show
you play, dr Sweet, so welcome.
Speaker 7 (28:47):
Melinda and Curtis.
Thank you Great to be here.
I'm so excited to talk aboutthis.
This is one of the shows I'vebeen waiting for all year since
you announced it as part of yourseason.
And just to bring the listenersup to speed, Melinda has
directed a lot of Dirt Dogs.
Tell me some of your favoriteshows just real quick.
Just spit them out well, the.
Speaker 3 (29:06):
You know, the earliest show that I directed
that's still very close to myheart is a steady rain was a
two-hander about two chicagocops.
Also the exonerated, which wasabout convicted convicts who did
not get their fair day in court, who get a second chance
perhaps, and also the Pillow man, which also has a dark humor
(29:30):
vein about it which I seem to bedrawn to as well.
So those are three that reallystand out.
Speaker 7 (29:38):
And Curtis.
You were an actor in the Pillowman, but you are also an
accomplished director, so tellme a little bit about your
highlights here.
Speaker 6 (29:45):
Yeah, thanks, definitely.
One of the ones that is ashining diamond that I got a
chance to work with Melinda andDirt Dogs on is Misery, which we
produced a couple years ago andthen also headed up and
directed the Birds and theRevolutionists as well.
Speaker 7 (30:02):
Just, three of the most challenging shows.
I could think of no big deal.
Speaker 6 (30:09):
Yeah, we really like creative problem solving.
Speaker 7 (30:12):
You do.
Speaker 6 (30:14):
You really do.
Speaker 7 (30:16):
Okay.
So Bug, it's a wild ride.
I wanted to ask you and eitherCurtis or Melinda can take this
one to give me a summary of Bug,because I'm scared to even try
it, so I'll let you both do it.
Speaker 3 (30:31):
Well, you know, there are a lot of different ways
that you can summarize Bug, soI'll give you my summary and
then perhaps Curtis can add toit what his summary of the show
is, which may or may not be theexact same.
So I think, first and foremost,bug, believe it or not, is a
love story.
Without loneliness and withoutloss and without vulnerability,
(30:57):
we don't get to the place thatwe need to be, where this crater
of ache exists inside Agnes,which opens her up to Peter,
which really is the beginning ofthe infestation.
So I would say it's a lovestory.
Speaker 6 (31:16):
Okay, curtis, I'd echo those.
I think there's a lot of themesin Bug and I think we've really
played with the idea of what isreal and what is not real and
how do the shifting perceptionsof each character inform what's
(31:36):
happening in the scene.
Speaker 7 (31:39):
I just want to ask you guys what made you want to
go here.
The play itself had some reallyshort runs in most of the
cities when it kind of debutedin the mid-90s and then it had
this great one-year run offBroadway.
I mean it's really a daringshow and to me Bug and Killer
Joe are like the two Tracy Lettsplays that I feel have the
(32:01):
toughest dares in them forstaging scenes.
So what made you want to do Bug?
Speaker 3 (32:08):
Well, partly just for that reason, brett, we do love
a good challenge and we do lovea good dark love story that
forces us into thesethought-provoking moments that
we don't go to in our dailylives.
We don't sit and think aboutthe depth of loneliness in this
degree, and we don't think aboutthe contagiousness of mental
(32:30):
illness when you are isolatedwith someone else who may be
experiencing mental healthissues.
These aren't things that we sitwith and think about every day
and they're not things that areexplored in the theater as
regularly as plays that make usfeel good.
So this was a season of reallyexploring, really the, the deep
(32:55):
trauma of the psyche, of theheart, of the soul, of the being
.
So that's what interested me.
Speaker 6 (33:03):
Yeah, and I think too , if you talk about theatrical
canon Brett, it's a play thatmost serious actors know of,
have studied, maybe have done ascene work from.
In that respect I felt like itwas both on Melinda and I's
radar as sort of bucket listshows we wanted to tackle and it
(33:27):
fits so nicely in with thisseason.
And, to echo her point, youknow it's a dark love story,
it's about ache, but it's alsoabout the infectiousness of
paranoia, which is sointeresting and interestingly
prescient.
Speaker 3 (33:43):
Yes, exactly.
Speaker 7 (33:45):
We're probably going to revisit that in a little
while.
But one thing that you said,curtis, that really piqued me
right here Tracy Letts is anactor, really, I mean, as are
both of you.
You both are actors.
He had a very storied career atthe Steppenwolf Theater in
Chicago and he's won a Tony forhis performance in who's Afraid
of Virginia Woolf.
He is a playwright.
(34:07):
That, yeah, as a playwright, Ithink he writes for actors, but
he's not easy on them.
So what were you looking for ina cast Like?
What did you want this troupeto bring to your vision of this
dark, lonely love story?
Speaker 3 (34:28):
Well, you know, we happen to think it is perfectly
cast and you know, what I wantedto bring is actors who are
willing and able to go to thedepths that you need to go to in
order to perform this show andto perform it authentically.
And that doesn't fit everyactor.
(34:51):
Some actors might be opposed,you know, to some the text, the
context of the play, but weneeded people who were all in,
who could fit in the skin of thehumanness of these people.
Speaker 6 (35:07):
Yeah, I think to do a Tracy Letts play is something
like emotional Olympics, and Ithink this one as much as August
.
That is a requirement.
So we really looked for a castthat was able to, and willing to
, go to that length.
Speaker 7 (35:25):
You know, there's this famous story about Amanda
Plummer, who resigned from theoff-Broadway run of this show 24
hours before it debuted, onFebruary 21st in 2004.
Speaker 3 (35:39):
Just walked off the stage and kept going.
Speaker 7 (35:41):
Yes, didn't look back and there were all these
warnings outside the theatersaying you know in the box
office that the show containednudity, it's violent, it's got
cigarette smoking.
So you really have to have apretty game cast, a group that
is fearless.
Speaker 3 (35:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (35:58):
I noticed that as Agnes, you have cast Kalina
Anderson, whom I adore.
I mean, she's an amazingactress.
Ironically, once I played across from her when she played a
waitress, so that's a weirdtrivia connection to a bug for
me.
But what made her right forAgnes in this production?
Because when I think of KalinaI think of the strong, fierce
(36:21):
women like Medea or an assassin,and here is Agnes.
It is a 180-degree swing fromanything that she's played.
Speaker 3 (36:30):
Yes.
Speaker 6 (36:35):
And what a great challenge for her, you know, and
challenge for us.
Speaker 3 (36:39):
And she has such emotional depth and you know,
agnes is not just a weak woman.
She's got some grit and somebite to her.
She actually goes toe-to-toe,you know, with her ex-husband
and really tries very hard notto back down from him.
(37:00):
So she's not completely weak asa character.
She has a lot of strength.
You have to have a lot ofstrength to be Agnes actually
but there's also a ton ofvulnerability just based on her
life experience and how she hascome to be in this hotel to
(37:20):
begin with.
So for me, I would say that itis her depth of emotion that she
is able to access, and to notonly access it but share it with
the audience to the point thatthey feel it as well that they
come with her to this place thatshe is in.
(37:44):
So for me, that was a very bigpart of it.
Speaker 7 (37:49):
Well, I feel like the thing that I'm going to be most
interested to see from Kalinais what you touched on the
vulnerability because I thinkthat a lot of times and what I
meant with my question aboutcasting her is that I think that
she has shown just thisimplacable wall in a lot of her
roles.
Before she has not been asvulnerable as I picture Agnes in
my mind, and I definitely don'tthink that Agnes is ever weak,
(38:12):
but yeah, I just see avulnerability to Agnes because
obviously she lets Peter in.
So there we go.
Speaker 3 (38:17):
Yes, exactly, you have to be vulnerable to allow
that to happen.
Speaker 6 (38:21):
Right, I think the other aspect of it, Brad, is
that, with that strength thatKalina has brought to a lot of
other roles, it's almost likethat vulnerability is the other
side of it.
It's like what happens when youlet in.
So I think her ability to showthat emotional depth hasn't been
so much of a challenge for usin the show as more as just a
(38:44):
shift in perception and kind ofyou know, yeah, To me it seems
like two sides of the same coinfor her.
Speaker 3 (38:52):
Yes, and a lot of times you know when you come
across with the perception ofstrength and strong a lot of
times that's armor for thevulnerability underneath and how
we protect ourselves.
So I think there's an elementof that in there as well.
Speaker 7 (39:12):
Well, you guys mentioned Peter, of course.
We've mentioned him a couple oftimes and he's a big part of
Bug.
And you have Kyle Clark andagain you have somebody that I
think is going to be challengedto play this guy.
He's a little bit differentthan what Kyle has done before.
What made him Peter for you?
Speaker 3 (39:27):
You know, I just saw it right away.
You know, in my mind's eye, inmy vision.
I just saw it right awaybecause I've also seen as well a
side of Kyle's acting that isvulnerable, that is masked, that
(39:48):
allows him to share openlythings that he's never been able
to speak with someone elseabout.
So there's also thisvulnerability to Peter that he
has to open himself up as well,has to open himself up as well,
and I think that Kyle not onlyhas great performance technique,
(40:10):
he has a great ability to thenembody what it is he is creating
.
Speaker 6 (40:16):
Yeah, and we talk a lot Brad about at Dirt Dogs,
especially as Melinda and Idiscuss future seasons and
programming.
It's not just plays that wewant to do or think, it's about
the timing and, if we know,there's a cast aligning with it.
So we really felt that Bug wason our radar for a couple years,
(40:37):
but now was the time.
Speaker 3 (40:39):
Ten years yeah Since before.
Dirt Dogs years.
Speaker 7 (40:46):
Yeah, since before they're dogs.
Oh, wow.
Well, of course we've got totalk about Jeff.
Jeff Featherston is Jerry.
Jeff is such a nice guy and healways plays like this ideal
husband, and you have to lean onJerry, who is really sort of
violent, he's scary, he'sthreatening.
(41:07):
It's like everything that Idon't think of with Jeff.
So again you've got this actorthat's going to be challenged to
play the flip side of what theynormally do.
So why'd you pick Jeffrey?
Speaker 3 (41:19):
Well, first and foremost, I saw Jerry Goss as
someone who leads with his charmthat has the ability to draw
people in close to him, eventhough they know that that is
dangerous for them.
It's like the abuser who's ableto charm his victims back time
and time again, and there has tobe a likability about that to
(41:43):
be able to do that.
But he does have also a verydifferent side, that when you
see it, you begin to know howdangerous he can be.
Now we have Maggie.
Speaker 7 (41:55):
Maxwell too right.
Speaker 3 (41:57):
Yeah, we have Maggie Maxwell.
Speaker 7 (42:00):
Okay, and she's playing RC, which is the lesbian
character in this whole mix.
Speaker 3 (42:04):
Yes, right Married to LaVoice.
Speaker 7 (42:08):
Right.
So kind of what is married towhich one.
Speaker 3 (42:12):
LaVoice, an unseen character, but that's how she's
established.
She's the wife of LaVoice andLaVoice has a child and they're
in a custody battle in thecourts.
That's why they're in Oklahoma,because the father wants to
take the child away because ofthe lesbian relationship.
Speaker 7 (42:33):
So kind of a prescient thing too to talk
about at this time as well.
Yeah, and I'm not as familiarwith Maggie.
Is she new to Dirt Dogs, or isthis?
Speaker 3 (42:44):
Yeah, she's making her Dirt Dogs theater stage
debut with this play.
Yes, and she has just beenabsolutely delightful to work
with.
She understands the character.
There's a relationship thatdevelops between Agnes and RC
that we have to experience as anaudience before we can break
(43:06):
that relationship, and she'sjust doing a really beautiful
job with that Her and Kalinaboth.
Speaker 7 (43:12):
Yeah.
Well, I'm sure, and of course,we have the aforementioned
Curtis Barber, who is in thisinterview as Dr Sweet, and I
would cast you in this rolewithout you even reading.
Speaker 3 (43:23):
So I'm not even going to.
Well, that's kind of how ithappens, so we knew this that
was perfect.
Speaker 7 (43:34):
I was just like alright stars aligned.
There we go, and of course,you've been on stage with Kyle
before too, so it'll beinteresting to see, yeah, but
never really like.
We had a little bit ofinteraction in the pillow man,
very brief, and when we were incoyote on the fence we were on
opposite sides of the stage, soit's been really nice to have
(43:55):
actual interaction with him thistime and getting to play off of
his character well, we've beentalking a lot about bug and
about what you kind of perceiveof it, but bringing it back in
2025, what do you want thisversion of Bug to say to
audiences, like, if I'm going towalk out of the theater
afterwards, what do you want methinking about and connecting to
(44:18):
, and what has it got that 2025needs?
Speaker 3 (44:22):
Well, I think really at the forefront is better
mental health care.
I think that is really really aprimary element or thread
that's in this play is untreatedmental health for both Agnes,
because she didn't receive anyhelp for the loss of her child,
(44:45):
which led her down a differentroad, a different path.
And you know the frequency ofself-medicating when you're in
pain, when you're in, you havethese mental health issues and
you don't get them treated.
You tend to then start treatingthem yourself.
I think that's a great elementof the play, what it kind of
(45:09):
explores.
We always say at Dirt DogsTheater Company we don't send
messages, we tell stories.
So this story is the text Ithink sheds a light on mental
health issues.
Speaker 7 (45:23):
Well, it certainly does.
I mean, it's definitely goingto speak a lot to that.
Speaker 6 (45:29):
Yeah, absolutely.
I think the other part of it issomething Melinda really
brought to the table read wasthe idea of the madness of two,
Melinda, not to take away fromprobably your part of the
artistic director note, but yeah, this idea of the madness of
two, the folio, do you know?
(45:50):
It's like how can two peoplesort of become so codependent
and wrapped up in each otherthat they're led down a path
that maybe neither of them wouldhave walked alone, and so
that's been a really interestinglens to look at the story
through.
Speaker 3 (46:05):
Right and if separated would probably then be
more in based in reality.
If Agnes were to separate fromPeter I think she could find her
reality again.
So I think it very much isabout that folly Ado.
The madness of two, tracy letsaid so as self, so that's kind
of I'm stealing that from Tracy.
(46:26):
So words right out of his ownmouth, as is Love Story.
When asked you know what isthis play, he says it's first
and foremost it's a love story.
So you know I do look a lot.
You know we have the greatInternet and interviews, as much
information as I can get orhear or listen to or read on the
(46:49):
playwright and their ownthoughts and ideas about the
play and why the play exists inthe first place.
So those are two things that Ireally sunk into during that
process was the love story andthen the madness of two.
Speaker 7 (47:05):
Well, I've got to ask you about this what matchbox
are you in?
Speaker 3 (47:08):
Three.
Speaker 7 (47:09):
So you're in not the biggest, not the smallest, but
kind of that medium size.
Is that right?
Speaker 3 (47:18):
Right, the same one we did August Osage County.
Speaker 7 (47:21):
Right, right, yeah, and the same one we did the
Pillow County.
Speaker 3 (47:23):
Right, yeah, and the same one we did at the.
Speaker 7 (47:24):
Pillow man yeah, what's your physical challenge
with this?
Because I know it calls for alot to happen.
Speaker 3 (47:31):
Oh, my goodness, Does it.
Yeah.
So there are a lot of technicalelements that have to be
addressed.
We have a long list of thoseright Curtis.
Yeah, A lot of to-do lists nextweek as we move into the space.
Speaker 6 (47:44):
But you know, I think ultimately, you know, although
there are challenges, you knowwhat we've really been centering
on in the meantime is strongcharacter development and making
sure we have the plot, and thenyou know, then next week is
only about figuring out how toachieve every other thing that
he wrote in the stage directions, without you, without much time
(48:06):
in between each scene.
Speaker 7 (48:08):
And without lighting the entire theater on fire
possibly.
Speaker 3 (48:14):
Perhaps, but we do have the best lighting director
in town, if you ask me, that islending his talent to this.
Mr John Baker is lending histalent to this, mr John Baker.
So of course we tapped himimmediately for this play
because it is a light-dependentplay to set environment and mood
, and so we were lucky that way.
(48:35):
And we also have MichaelMullins on sound, who is just
also brilliant with what he'sable to bring also to the
environment that we live in.
So, as Curtis said, you know,we've been working on
relationships, we've beenworking on people, and you know,
without the people, without therelationships, there are no
bugs, right?
(48:55):
So we have to establish why arethere bugs in the first place?
Where do they come from, how dothey get there?
And then, once they arrive, howdo we treat that?
Speaker 7 (49:06):
I'll be really curious to see.
Speaker 3 (49:11):
Us too, brett, us too .
Speaker 7 (49:16):
Oh my gosh, I just admire Dirt Dogs so much for
always doing things that arenever easy.
You guys always pick thesescripts that I'm just like wow,
this is going to be a challenge.
Speaker 3 (49:31):
Yeah, sometimes we get to the end and we're like,
why did we pick this one again?
But we plow through and thatbiggest challenge is only
because we have less than a weekfrom the time we put our setup
to the time we open the showright, and so those are
limitations that we know are inplace on ourselves before we
(49:51):
even pick a play and we stillcharge.
We still charge in as thoughwe've got you know three weeks
of tech or something.
So it just takes everybodycharging in, everybody putting
their heads together, everybodybeing in problem-solving mode.
I love to solve problems andyou know everybody to be
creative, to be inventive in themoment of doing things.
(50:15):
This past weekend spent anentire eight hours with our
stage manager, barbara, makingevery wound possible under the
sun with makeup, just trying toexperiment and figure that part
out.
And then we have, you know, allthe other elements as well.
So I think it's fun.
Speaker 6 (50:36):
Yeah, I think you know one other part, brett,
really quick, is that you know,having been on both sides of the
table for Dirt Dogs and havingcome in the third season to be
part of the company, it's, it'sreally refreshing to be a part
of a theater group that reallystrives to to to open it up and
to give you that artisticfreedom to not only honor the
(50:59):
playwright but honor the actorsthat are on stage and give them
full license to explore to asdeep as they want to explore.
You don't get that with everytheater company.
Speaker 7 (51:11):
Well, it's definitely something that is a dare and
Bug runs May 16th through the31st at Match.
It's kind of a quick run.
I would love to see it go onfor weeks and weeks so that I
can see it multiple times yeah.
Speaker 3 (51:26):
We would too Brett, we would too the limitations of
a small theater company budget.
Speaker 7 (51:32):
so but it's definitely one that nobody wants
to miss.
Definitely, at the match May16th through the 31st.
It's a wild ride, I can alreadytell you.
I think that, melinda, you toldme that you saw the Carrie Kuhn
version at the Steppenwolf.
Speaker 3 (51:46):
Yes, I did.
When did that happen?
Oh my gosh, my husband couldtell you he's really good with
dates.
I'm not all that good withdates A couple years ago.
Speaker 7 (51:57):
Okay, yeah, and Carrie Kuhn, by the way, is
married to Tracy Letts.
Speaker 3 (52:01):
Tracy Letts.
Indeed she is yes, and they hadthis really cool ability, brett
not to give anything away, tobe able to fly in an entire
alternative set, which we don'texactly have.
So we've got to get a littlebit more creative about how
we're going to accomplish whatwe need to accomplish in
(52:22):
Matchbox 3.
Speaker 7 (52:24):
Well, I have every faith Every time that you do
something.
As Dirt Dogs, I am always blownaway by the solutions that you
come up with to the problem,because you never pick the ones
that are easy.
So thank you both so much Thankyou.
Do everything that you can tobug and we will definitely be
(52:48):
there.
I've already bought ticketsopening night for it, so I'll be
there May 16th and hopefullyagain before the 31st.
Speaker 3 (52:56):
We can't wait to see you in the theater.
Speaker 1 (53:15):
This has been Queer Voices, heard on KPFT Houston
and as a podcast available fromseveral podcasting sources.
Check our webpageQueerVoicesorg for more
information.
Queer Voices executive produceris Brian Levinka, deborah
Moncrief-Bell is co-producer,brett Cullum and David
Mendoza-Druzman are contributors.
The News Wrap segment is partof another podcast called this
(53:37):
Way Out, which is produced inLos Angeles.
Speaker 8 (53:40):
Some of the material in this program has been edited
to improve clarity and runtime.
This program does not endorseany political views or animal
species.
Views, opinions andendorsements are those of the
participants and theorganizations they represent.
In case of death, pleasediscontinue use and discard
remaining product.
Speaker 1 (53:53):
For Queer Voices.
I'm Glenn Holt, Thank you.
Hello everybody, this is Queer Voices, a podcast
version of a broadcast radioshow that's been on the air in
Houston, Texas, for severaldecades.
This week we have a sadannouncement to start off with
about the loss of a loved onewho was active in our community.
Then Brett Cullum has aconversation with Michael Alonzo
(00:23):
, talking about his recentmarriage and role in the Theater
Under the Stars production ofIn the Heights.
Michael plays the Paraga guy inthe show.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
In the Heights follows about three days in the
life of a community inWashington Heights.
It's this community that'shaving to deal with instant
change.
We have one store that ispreparing to close and move to a
different location.
We have a college student whojust returned back from a year
at Stanford and we're seeing allof these changes happening
within this community and itsculture.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Rhett talks with Melinda Beckham and Curtis
Barber, who are co-directing theplay Bug, which opens at the
Match Theater this Friday.
It's produced in Houston byDirt Dogs Theater Company.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
Bug, believe it or not, is a love story.
Without loneliness and withoutloss and without vulnerability.
We don't get to the place thatwe need to be, where this crater
of ache exists inside Agnes,which opens her up to Peter.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
Queer Voices starts now.
Speaker 4 (01:55):
It is with great sorrow that we announce the
passing of a beloved member ofthe Queer Voices family, david
Andrew Edmondson.
Andrew for many years lent hisvoice and his interest in arts
and culture, as well as his hisactivism as one of the
contributors to the program.
He died on May the 6th after ashort struggle with a very
aggressive form of cancer.
(02:16):
He was a beloved and dearfriend.
When I heard the news and Istarted thinking about him and
starting my grieving process, Ithought of him as always being
my dear and precious friend.
And then, when I started seeingother people post on Facebook
(02:39):
their thoughts about Andrew andtheir experiences with him, and
I realized that all of themthought of him as their dear and
precious friend.
He was an activist in QueerNation.
I think that's probably where Ifirst met him.
He overcame many things in life, including being a
(03:02):
self-loathing gay man.
He was diagnosed fairly youngwith HIV and he made a decision
that he was going to live aslong as he could, because back
in those days you didn't get tolive very long, so the fact that
he did get to make it to age 59was a win.
(03:23):
He grew up in Knoxville,tennessee.
His parents were teachers, hisdad became a union organizer and
they were activists.
So I guess he came by all ofthat quite honestly.
But he was a devotee of theaterand actually had thought that
someday that would be what hewould do would be an actor.
(03:45):
But life led him in many otherplaces, including living in
London, in France and in Dublin,ireland.
And how he managed to do thatwas because he could type and he
got jobs working as what wascalled a Kelly boy because they
had Kelly girls temporaryservice.
(04:06):
So he was a Kelly boy andthat's how he came to do that.
But came back to the States andin his early 20s came to Houston
to work at the Alley Theater.
He had a long tenure there.
He had a long tenure with theHouston Ballet and then
eventually the Museum of FineArts, houston.
(04:26):
I was one of the fortunatewomen in Houston who got to date
Andrew.
He would take me to the theater, we would go to events together
and, just like I said, a dearand precious friend.
And I was talking with ourmutual friend, january Fox, and
she was talking about her dateswith Andrew.
(04:47):
And then we were talking aboutall these women that they all
thought of him as theirboyfriend because he was such a
wonderful man to go out with andspend time with.
So that's kind of funny thatthere's all these women who love
this gay man and thought of himthat way.
Brian, do you have anyparticular memories of Andrew?
Speaker 5 (05:12):
I worked with Andrew on Queer Voices for several
years.
59 is way, way too young topass away.
The whole community is mourningfor Andrew.
My favorite memory probably wasat a fundraiser.
We were going to interviewsomebody and he introduced me
and I forget the name of theinterview guest, but it was just
the way he approached peopleand the way he was so open and
(05:35):
friendly and just I love thatabout him.
He was just so.
Everyone loved Andrew.
Speaker 4 (05:40):
He was a very kind man and came from a place of
kindness in so much that he did,and I think that's because in
part of his life the role hadbeen very unkind to him.
One of the skills that hedeveloped was in media, so he
wrote for Outsmart Magazine, hewrote for the Houston Chronicle,
(06:00):
he contributed to Queer VoicesI believe he was given an award
by the Gay and LesbianJournalists Association and he
would use his knowledge ofHouston's media landscape to
help with our issues.
And he was involved politicallyeverything from Queer Nation to
(06:21):
the effort of Hero.
And more recently he wasworking with the O Project,
which produced oral historiesdocumenting the AIDS crisis in
Houston, and he has raisedawareness about that project.
He talked about the worst yearsof the AIDS epidemic, saying
that it was like the LondonBlitz, except that there was no
(06:44):
place to go into the safety ofthe underground to escape the
moms.
I think that that example thathe set of using whatever skills
you have can be a way ofadvancing our causes.
Certainly you're right, brian,the community is grieving.
We each have our individualgrief, but as a community as a
(07:08):
whole, this is a very impactfulloss.
Speaker 5 (07:12):
It is a massive loss for our community.
Deborah, what is your favoritememory of Andrew?
Speaker 4 (07:18):
It's hard to sort them out.
Just saying this is just theone thing them out, just saying
this is just the one thing.
I just remember always himbeing so kind, letting me know
about things, informing me ofstuff, and just the way that he
was there for me as a friend,such a lovely man.
There will be a celebration oflife on June, the 12th, starting
(07:42):
at five o'clock going until 8pm at Bradshaw Carter on West
Alabama.
People are invited to make adonation in his memory to the
charity of their choice,certainly any of the things that
Andrew supported, and certainlyQueer Voices being one of them,
(08:03):
and certainly Queer Voicesbeing one of them.
Gladly, donations in his honorwould be accepted in support of
KPFT and to Queer Voices.
So, andrew, fly high.
Speaker 5 (08:14):
We'll miss you, Andrew.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
This is Glenn from Queer Voices.
You're listening to KPFT.
That means you're alreadyparticipating just by listening,
but how about doing more?
Kpft is totally listener-funded, which means it's people like
you who are making donations whosupport this community resource
.
Kpft has no corporate orgovernment strings-attached
(09:08):
funding, which means we're freeto program responsibly but
without outside influence.
Will you participate in KPFTfinancially?
This station needs everyone wholistens to chip in a few
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Even if you're listening overthe internet on another
continent, you can stillcontribute.
(09:30):
Please become an active memberof the listener community by
making a tax-deductiblecontribution.
Please take a minute to visitkpftorg and click on the red
Donate Now button.
Speaker 7 (09:42):
Thank you, hi, this is brett cullum and today I am
joined by michael alonzo.
He is in the current productiontheater under the stars in the
heights.
It's running at the hobbycenter may 20th through june 1st
and it's a musical that hasmusic and lyrics by lynn manuel
miranda, of hamilton, fame ofcourse.
So it a story, it's kind of aromance, celebration of
(10:05):
community culture aspirations.
It's set over the course ofthree days.
It involves a lot of charactersin a specific neighborhood and
a bodega owner and all of theseother things.
It's got a lot of Latin rhythmand things like that.
But, michael, tell us a littlebit about what is In the Heights
about.
I mean, what is it?
What do you consider the storyof In the Heights?
Speaker 2 (10:26):
Of course.
Well, hello everyone.
Thank you so much for having metoday.
As you said, In the Heightsfollows About three days in the
life of a community.
In Washington Heights, it'sthis community that's having to
deal with instant change.
We have one store that ispreparing to close and move to a
different location.
We have a college student whojust returned back from a year
(10:47):
at Stanford and we're seeing allof these changes happening
within this community and itsculture, and they essentially
faced a blackout one night,which we have to remember, this
is mid-2000s, so access tophones, access to Uber, access
to anything, basically, thiscommunity's stranded and
powerless for a day or so, andthen we I don't want to spoil
(11:08):
any of the other story, but weget to see this community face
against this blackout and theycome back together and we have a
lovely ending.
But again, I don't want to giveaway any spoilers for those
that don't know what happens tospecific characters.
Speaker 7 (11:23):
You know it's hard to imagine that people haven't
seen this before yet, becauseobviously big, huge Broadway run
a lot of tours.
There's the movie, but this isa Tuts production.
Obviously you are a Piragwa guyI mean that's what you're
billed as so you sell snow cones.
Tell me about who this guy is.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Yeah so the Piragua.
It's a Puerto Rican custom, soit's basically shaved ice.
I hope people don't get mad atme, but this is the easiest way
for me to describe it.
It's kind of like a cheesegrater when, like you know, if
you have a block of cheese andyou grate the cheese and
eventually you get a whole bunchof shreds of it similar,
there's a block of ice and youuse a shredder and as you shred
it, it starts filling with allof this ice you poured into your
(12:05):
cup.
Essentially, you take yourliquid, pour it over.
For us it's very similar to asnow cone, just the methods of
how it's made is slightlydifferent.
Speaker 7 (12:16):
Hmm, just the methods of how it's made is slightly
different, Hmm.
So I mean, like obviouslyyou've got a big number about
this whole process, right?
I do, yes.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
I get to sing a really cool song in the middle
of towards the end of Act 1, andthen again towards the end of
Act 2.
We get a little bit of resolveas to why.
This poor guy's conundrum.
I guess you could say yeah, andthis poor guy's conundrum, I
guess you could say.
Speaker 7 (12:35):
Yeah, and you're also understudying one of the leads
I am.
That has to be nerve wracking,because not only are you
learning how to make paraguas,but you have to learn another
part too.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
It's not my first time understudying.
It's the coolest job.
I've told people in the pastlike I am terrible at every
other job.
I worked at a gas station manyyears ago and I struggled with
the cash register.
Everyone has their quirks andabilities.
My ability is getting to dotheater.
I can sing, I can dance, I canact and I'm great at memorizing
(13:07):
stuff.
There's a book that I read thatI've held on to for a while, the
Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo,and she expresses in the book so
many times that panic is aluxury.
And anytime I have to swing orunderstudy or just immediately
go on, I always tell myself thatyou know, panic is a luxury.
Get the thing done, do itscared, freak out later.
(13:30):
So any, anytime when it comesto understudy, I take it just as
seriously as the role I'mpreparing.
I make sure I come in with it.
The with understudying, I takeit just as seriously as the role
I'm preparing.
I make sure I come in with thematerial learned, at least
flexible enough for therehearsal process when I'm
watching what they're doing, ifthe music director wants a
slightly different thing thatthey're asking Cesar the man
who's playing Kevin to do, youneed that flexibility so that
(13:52):
it's for that production.
I think it's the coolest thing.
I'm not scared of it at all.
In fact, anytime you do get togo on, it's this great sense of
accomplishment.
You keep the show going.
You keep the show running.
Speaker 7 (14:03):
Well, it has to happen.
I mean, people have boughttickets.
It doesn't matter if somebody'ssick, somebody breaks leg,
literally, or something likethat.
Speaker 2 (14:11):
That's actually what happened, I want to say, the
first time I've ever had to justgo on with literally an hour
notice Because we were doing adress rehearsal performance and
in this production I was doing aproduction of Miss Saigon and
the gentleman playing John heended up hurting his leg in the
middle of the nightmare sequence.
So that was we had to hold theaudience.
(14:32):
Hey, alonzo, get backstage.
Hey, you need to go on andfinish the show.
And it was just one of those.
Okay, let's do it.
Game on.
Speaker 7 (14:40):
Well, that's amazing.
You know, Michael, I getnervous just going on stage,
even when I'm prepared, evenwhen I have an hour's notice.
So I admire you for doing this.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
I'll be honest, I still get nerves every time.
I'm anxious for anything I do.
I don't know what it is, it'slike kind of like severance.
I don't know if you've seen theshow, but as soon as I walk on
the stage it's like there's thisflip and you forget that the
audience isn't there to judgeyou, they're not there to
critique you.
They're there to be enjoyed,they're there to be entertained,
they're supporting you and Ithink of oh wait, they're on my
(15:12):
side.
That's always a reminder to theperformer of oh no, they want
to succeed and have a greatperformance.
So I think those little thingshelp to make it easier and calm
down those nerves a little bit.
Speaker 7 (15:25):
Well, and this show sounds like a good one to be in
the company, because it soundslike In the Heights is very much
a company show.
There's a lot of ensemble stuff.
You guys are really just kindof carrying the show all
together.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
Cool, it's a community there's so much
community and diversity on stageand talent and the gosh I just
I keep on pinching myself everyday that I'm here, getting to
tell this story, getting to dothis show with these, with this
group of people, the it stemsfrom the top.
We have a, a world-classdirector choreographer, an
(15:58):
amazing assistant director, andhe has.
We have an amazing set ofchoreographers and dance
captains and swings that havehad a history with the show and
they bring so much love and joyto the process that it's it's so
infectious.
I've I'm I've always been proudto be latino, but it's being
with these people again thatit's just been like gosh, gosh.
I am so proud to be Latino, I'mso proud and happy to get to be
(16:21):
in a room with these people.
Speaker 7 (16:23):
Who is directing?
Speaker 2 (16:24):
William Carlos Angulo .
He was the choreographer forNewsies production of Cubs last
year.
Speaker 7 (16:31):
And you did Newsies.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
Yes, I was one of the .
I was a Delancey brother, I wasOscar Delancey, I was Oscar
Delancey, so I played a littlebit of a bully in that show.
But I also understudied one ofthe.
I understudied Ben.
He performed the role of Davey,so I didn't dance in the show,
but Ben danced in the show.
So I was off to the side,always learning the dances,
trying to keep up, trying tokeep my endurance, just in case.
Luckily I never had to go on.
(16:54):
But I'm grateful that this ismy third time back at Tutsnow.
Speaker 7 (16:58):
The other one was South Pacific, correct?
Speaker 2 (17:01):
Yes, I did.
South Pacific, I think I wantto say three years ago.
Speaker 7 (17:05):
I remember it actually very well.
Well, tell me, michael, how didyou get started in theater?
Because it sounds like you know.
You obviously are pretty awarethat this is the job for you.
When did you start?
When did you start training andfiguring out that this is where
I want to be?
Speaker 2 (17:18):
So in elementary school we had a great choir
teacher and she loved musicalsso she made it an effort to try
to get everyone to do the showand it was this whole school
thing.
So the first thing they did wasthe music band and both days I
was sick with the fever and Iknew that, okay, if I'm this
upset that I didn't get toaudition because of a fever,
there's, there's something there.
(17:39):
There's something about thestage that I'm yearning for as a
what a fifth grader at thispoint.
So the first time I ever was onstage was the next year, sixth
grade.
We did a production ofSchoolhouse Rock Junior.
And at this point I'm sure youcan hear I have a, I have a
tenor voice.
I have a voice that's here.
But you can imagine a youngerme was way up here, so anytime I
(18:00):
had to, you know, try to singany of the music.
It just it was too high for me,so they gave me the.
It was essentially the lead,but he's a non-singing role.
That was my first experience onstage and I went to a small
school so we had some theater.
We maybe did a production ayear.
It wasn't until I saw aproduction of wicked.
That was the first liveproduction I'd ever seen of
(18:20):
anything, anything professional,anything amateur.
I've never seen anything, anylive performance.
I can guarantee.
Hundreds of others have had thesame experience.
You're sitting there, you'rewatching elphaba fly up into the
air, singing, defying gravity,the, the lights go off and you
go.
What People get paid to do this?
That's a career.
You can do that.
And I sat at the Music Hall atFair Park in Dallas and said
(18:45):
that's what I'm going to do.
I have to do that.
So my parents let me enroll in acommunity production of Joseph
and the Amazing TechnicolorDreamcoat.
They had already did auditions.
My dad sent an email saying,hey, my son really wants to be a
part of the show, can he be apart?
And they said, yeah, come onover, went into that.
First they were doing like afinal callback to sign the
brothers and we were all havingto go through sing this music I
(19:07):
had no idea about.
I was freaked out, probably themost nervous I've ever been.
But that's the beauty oftheater is regardless of where
you're at, it is always acommunity of people who is
looking out for everyone andwants everyone to succeed and
have this great experience andthe fact that these 30 or so
strangers, all of whom hadexperience together at this
community, stage, me walking in.
(19:27):
They came up to me with openarms and several years later,
now I'm here.
Speaker 7 (19:33):
Tell me about working with Tuts.
A little bit Theater Under theStars.
What do you like about workingwith this company?
I mean, you've done it threetimes, or this is your third
time.
What do you find really greatabout it?
Speaker 2 (19:43):
it is a well-oiled machine from every single
department everyone.
So let me sidetrack a littlebit.
So something that I reallyappreciate that tuts does is on
the first day of rehearsal we wehave a big meet and greet.
So we have the company, we havethe cast and creatives, we have
the teen ensemble and then wehave all sorts of different
departments within Tuts IT,human resources, finance.
(20:07):
Everyone is in this roomtogether.
We all introduce ourselves, weall say hello, and I think with
every other company I've been to, that's not a thing.
You maybe do the circle withyour creatives and cast and crew
, but Tuts makes an effort to go.
Everyone has their specificrole and assignment to make this
company and to make theproduction as successful as
(20:27):
possible room and sees thateveryone's contributing to this
bigger picture, to this biggeridea.
So that's something I reallyrespect about Tuts is it's about
everyone, that it's not justthe person at the top or this
person or that, like, everyoneis important, everyone matters.
So when I say it's a well-oiledmachine, they're bringing the
(20:50):
industry's best and brightestand foremost educators and
instructors and directors tohere.
I'm fortunate to get to be withthis company of talented,
incredibly trained performersthat you walk through the
rehearsal process.
It doesn't feel like rehearsal,because you're getting to play,
(21:10):
you're getting to make magicessentially the fact that all of
the stars are aligned.
That's kind of what it is forme that the stars align here.
Everything is perfect the waythat it's run, the way that
rehearsals go, the talent, thepreparation from everyone, the
idea that everyone is on thesame page and wants the show to
be as successful as possible.
So we're gonna put our bestfoot forward, our 130% every
(21:33):
single day.
That's what makes Tuts sospecial to me.
Speaker 7 (21:35):
I think, of all the actors that I've known
throughout my life, a lot ofthem feel like doing the shows
is the reward and the real workis getting cast in the shows,
and that's the part that is theworst about being an actor or a
singer is auditioning and theno's, the audition's the job.
So do you do this justexclusively?
(21:58):
Do you do anything else besidessinging, acting, dancing?
Do you have a day job?
Speaker 2 (22:02):
Well, my mogul jobs, as I call them.
I'm really heavy into themarching band world, oh wow so.
I used to be a color guarddirector.
I've since left directing but Istill it's technically labeled
as a tech position I like to saylike a color guard clinician
but I've been working with acouple programs over the past
couple of years, working onoutdoor marching band shows,
(22:23):
teaching classes, teachingbasically equipment combinations
, flag combinations, instructingdance class.
On a side note, before I gotinto, when I was wanting to get
into, musical theater, I went toschool for voice at University
of North Texas.
So while I was there I kind ofgot bit by the classical bug.
We were doing a production ofCendrillon by Massanet, the
French Cinderella, and Iremember being there and
(22:45):
thinking, wow, this is sobeautiful, I want to do this.
So I ventured into theclassical world for a couple
years.
So my other side gig is I'm achurch sub.
Anytime that a church isneeding extra tenors, on a
Wednesday or Sunday, they reachout to me and they say hey,
alonzo, can you be here?
Here's all the music Prepare it.
So sometimes I'm having to getthrown into the wolves and just
(23:07):
sing a song without getting toactually sing it with the
ensemble, or I'll sometimes haveto cancel and leave services.
So those are my other survivaljobs that I do.
Speaker 7 (23:17):
They all relate to performing, so I think that
that's amazing, yeah, so you'vekind of made this whole thing
out of just performing andthings like that.
Since we're on Queer Voices, Iwanted to ask do you have any
connections to the LGBTQIA Pluscommunity?
Speaker 2 (23:28):
I do and I'm so proud to share.
I got married with my husband.
Oh wow.
Speaker 7 (23:33):
Congratulations.
Speaker 2 (23:34):
December 28, 2024.
So we just celebrated our fourmonth.
Speaker 7 (23:39):
Four month anniversary.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
Yes, I guess that's amazing, but we've been together
for oh gosh eight years now.
Speaker 7 (23:44):
Okay, well, it was a long march down the aisle.
Yes, so, there you are, butwhat does he do?
Speaker 2 (23:52):
Kevin is a middle school band director and his
main instrument is bassoon, so Iconsider him a woodwind expert.
He went to school for a bassoonperformance, he has his
master's in bassoon performanceand he's taught some wind
methods and he's led a couplecamps throughout the summer, so
I'm in awe of what he does.
He used to be a high schoolband director.
(24:14):
Something that I admire abouthim was the students love him
Again, because band directorsthey work with either you're
maybe with the top band or themiddle band or this other band.
But he takes the time to standin front of the door every
single day and as the kids arewalking in hey, ashley, how are
you doing?
Oh, hey, sarah, good morningIndividually greeting the kids,
(24:35):
and I think it means a lot tothe high schoolers to just be
recognized and acknowledged, butfor middle schoolers even more
so.
They're going through atransitionary period of their
lives and I teach high schoolers.
I love teaching high school.
I'm terrified of teachingmiddle schoolers, but Kevin has
no issue with it.
He's so personable, charismaticto them and they've really
(24:59):
warmed up and received him withopen arms.
Speaker 7 (25:01):
Well, that's amazing, and you both have got a
performance background.
Does he ever come and critiqueyou or anything?
No, no.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
No, he's always kind, even when I ask him like hey, I
think I did this, and he's likeno, you were perfect to me.
You're always perfect.
Speaker 7 (25:17):
And it's so cool that you guys both can understand
what you do.
Yes, I mean, often you seecouples and they're opposites.
It's like one's an actor andthe other one's an accountant.
You know, yep, you're like, ohmy gosh, our worlds are so
different, two different worlds.
And you, yeah, but heunderstands things like endless
rehearsals and tech week and allof that comes along with doing
(25:39):
gigs for Tuts.
Speaker 2 (25:41):
Actually, now that you mentioned that, I'm grateful
for that because again you willhave some people that will say,
like well, I haven't seen youfor a week or two and they don't
understand that.
The job kind of pulls you awaysometimes and that's that's
really difficult.
I am fortunate and lucky tohave someone who supports what I
do, who encourages what I doand says you know, if you're
(26:01):
away for months at a time, it'sgoing to suck, but we love each
other and we're going to make itwork.
Versus that that could be astress on someone's relationship
.
Again, I'm just lucky to havesomeone who's so supportive of
my career and the things thatcome with it.
Speaker 7 (26:15):
Yeah, I always joke that if you're a spouse of an
actor or whatever, you're likebasically a theater widow
Anytime a show opens, becauseyou don't see them for long
stretches, or whatever, becausethey're getting ready for all of
this stuff.
But that's amazing.
Well, michael Alonzo, thank youso much.
Of course you were in theHeights it's so hard to say,
(26:37):
cause it's like you're in theHeights but it runs at the Hobby
Center May 20th through June1st.
It's obviously a revival forwhat I'm gathering.
This will be interesting to see, and you weren't in the first
iteration of it, were you?
This is your first experiencewith In the Heights, right?
Speaker 2 (26:50):
Actually, this is my third time doing the show.
I did it.
Yes, I did it 10 years ago.
Show I did it.
Yes, I did it 10 years ago.
Speaker 7 (26:59):
I did two productions in dallas about 10 years ago,
okay I'm lucky to be back, buttuts is definitely one of the
shining jewels in the crown, ifyou will, because it's our local
musical theater and we bringthem.
People like you, michael alonso, who get to you know, show us
your talent and all of that,your classically trained
theatrical thing, that you bringto it, and I'm sure that I'm
(27:21):
going to wait to see the Piraguaguy.
Am I saying that even right?
Speaker 2 (27:25):
Yeah, Piragua All right, piragua.
Speaker 7 (27:27):
All right, I'm the furthest thing from being in the
ice, trust me Well, thank youand I appreciate your time.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
Of course.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
Thank you so much for having me today this is kpft
90.1 fm houston, 89.5 fmgalveston, 91.9 fm huntsville,
and worldwide on the internet atkpftorg.
This is queer voices.
Speaker 7 (27:59):
Bug is a play by Tracy Letts, who has written
other works such as August ofSage County, which won him a
Pulitzer Prize.
So Dirt Dogs Theatre Company istaking on this show, and boy is
it a good bit different thanAugust of Sage, which they did
as well previously.
But this production of Bug it'sgoing to run May 16th through
(28:20):
the 31st at the match of Bug.
It's going to run May 16ththrough the 31st at the match.
So with me today to talk aboutthe talent of bringing Bug to
life, is Melinda Beckham who isdirecting, and we also have
Curtis Barber who is.
Are you co-directing?
Are you assistant directing?
Speaker 6 (28:35):
Yes, I'm co-directing and also playing a small part
as well.
Speaker 7 (28:39):
You play one of my favorite characters in the show.
You play Dr Sweet.
So welcome.
Speaker 3 (28:44):
you play one of my favorite characters in the show
you play, dr Sweet, so welcome.
Speaker 7 (28:47):
Melinda and Curtis.
Thank you Great to be here.
I'm so excited to talk aboutthis.
This is one of the shows I'vebeen waiting for all year since
you announced it as part of yourseason.
And just to bring the listenersup to speed, Melinda has
directed a lot of Dirt Dogs.
Tell me some of your favoriteshows just real quick.
Just spit them out well, the.
Speaker 3 (29:06):
You know, the earliest show that I directed
that's still very close to myheart is a steady rain was a
two-hander about two chicagocops.
Also the exonerated, which wasabout convicted convicts who did
not get their fair day in court, who get a second chance
perhaps, and also the Pillow man, which also has a dark humor
(29:30):
vein about it which I seem to bedrawn to as well.
So those are three that reallystand out.
Speaker 7 (29:38):
And Curtis.
You were an actor in the Pillowman, but you are also an
accomplished director, so tellme a little bit about your
highlights here.
Speaker 6 (29:45):
Yeah, thanks, definitely.
One of the ones that is ashining diamond that I got a
chance to work with Melinda andDirt Dogs on is Misery, which we
produced a couple years ago andthen also headed up and
directed the Birds and theRevolutionists as well.
Speaker 7 (30:02):
Just, three of the most challenging shows.
I could think of no big deal.
Speaker 6 (30:09):
Yeah, we really like creative problem solving.
Speaker 7 (30:12):
You do.
Speaker 6 (30:14):
You really do.
Speaker 7 (30:16):
Okay.
So Bug, it's a wild ride.
I wanted to ask you and eitherCurtis or Melinda can take this
one to give me a summary of Bug,because I'm scared to even try
it, so I'll let you both do it.
Speaker 3 (30:31):
Well, you know, there are a lot of different ways
that you can summarize Bug, soI'll give you my summary and
then perhaps Curtis can add toit what his summary of the show
is, which may or may not be theexact same.
So I think, first and foremost,bug, believe it or not, is a
love story.
Without loneliness and withoutloss and without vulnerability,
(30:57):
we don't get to the place thatwe need to be, where this crater
of ache exists inside Agnes,which opens her up to Peter,
which really is the beginning ofthe infestation.
So I would say it's a lovestory.
Speaker 6 (31:16):
Okay, curtis, I'd echo those.
I think there's a lot of themesin Bug and I think we've really
played with the idea of what isreal and what is not real and
how do the shifting perceptionsof each character inform what's
(31:36):
happening in the scene.
Speaker 7 (31:39):
I just want to ask you guys what made you want to
go here.
The play itself had some reallyshort runs in most of the
cities when it kind of debutedin the mid-90s and then it had
this great one-year run offBroadway.
I mean it's really a daringshow and to me Bug and Killer
Joe are like the two Tracy Lettsplays that I feel have the
(32:01):
toughest dares in them forstaging scenes.
So what made you want to do Bug?
Speaker 3 (32:08):
Well, partly just for that reason, brett, we do love
a good challenge and we do lovea good dark love story that
forces us into thesethought-provoking moments that
we don't go to in our dailylives.
We don't sit and think aboutthe depth of loneliness in this
degree, and we don't think aboutthe contagiousness of mental
(32:30):
illness when you are isolatedwith someone else who may be
experiencing mental healthissues.
These aren't things that we sitwith and think about every day
and they're not things that areexplored in the theater as
regularly as plays that make usfeel good.
So this was a season of reallyexploring, really the, the deep
(32:55):
trauma of the psyche, of theheart, of the soul, of the being
.
So that's what interested me.
Speaker 6 (33:03):
Yeah, and I think too , if you talk about theatrical
canon Brett, it's a play thatmost serious actors know of,
have studied, maybe have done ascene work from.
In that respect I felt like itwas both on Melinda and I's
radar as sort of bucket listshows we wanted to tackle and it
(33:27):
fits so nicely in with thisseason.
And, to echo her point, youknow it's a dark love story,
it's about ache, but it's alsoabout the infectiousness of
paranoia, which is sointeresting and interestingly
prescient.
Speaker 3 (33:43):
Yes, exactly.
Speaker 7 (33:45):
We're probably going to revisit that in a little
while.
But one thing that you said,curtis, that really piqued me
right here Tracy Letts is anactor, really, I mean, as are
both of you.
You both are actors.
He had a very storied career atthe Steppenwolf Theater in
Chicago and he's won a Tony forhis performance in who's Afraid
of Virginia Woolf.
He is a playwright.
(34:07):
That, yeah, as a playwright, Ithink he writes for actors, but
he's not easy on them.
So what were you looking for ina cast Like?
What did you want this troupeto bring to your vision of this
dark, lonely love story?
Speaker 3 (34:28):
Well, you know, we happen to think it is perfectly
cast and you know, what I wantedto bring is actors who are
willing and able to go to thedepths that you need to go to in
order to perform this show andto perform it authentically.
And that doesn't fit everyactor.
(34:51):
Some actors might be opposed,you know, to some the text, the
context of the play, but weneeded people who were all in,
who could fit in the skin of thehumanness of these people.
Speaker 6 (35:07):
Yeah, I think to do a Tracy Letts play is something
like emotional Olympics, and Ithink this one as much as August
.
That is a requirement.
So we really looked for a castthat was able to, and willing to
, go to that length.
Speaker 7 (35:25):
You know, there's this famous story about Amanda
Plummer, who resigned from theoff-Broadway run of this show 24
hours before it debuted, onFebruary 21st in 2004.
Speaker 3 (35:39):
Just walked off the stage and kept going.
Speaker 7 (35:41):
Yes, didn't look back and there were all these
warnings outside the theatersaying you know in the box
office that the show containednudity, it's violent, it's got
cigarette smoking.
So you really have to have apretty game cast, a group that
is fearless.
Speaker 3 (35:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (35:58):
I noticed that as Agnes, you have cast Kalina
Anderson, whom I adore.
I mean, she's an amazingactress.
Ironically, once I played across from her when she played a
waitress, so that's a weirdtrivia connection to a bug for
me.
But what made her right forAgnes in this production?
Because when I think of KalinaI think of the strong, fierce
(36:21):
women like Medea or an assassin,and here is Agnes.
It is a 180-degree swing fromanything that she's played.
Speaker 3 (36:30):
Yes.
Speaker 6 (36:35):
And what a great challenge for her, you know, and
challenge for us.
Speaker 3 (36:39):
And she has such emotional depth and you know,
agnes is not just a weak woman.
She's got some grit and somebite to her.
She actually goes toe-to-toe,you know, with her ex-husband
and really tries very hard notto back down from him.
(37:00):
So she's not completely weak asa character.
She has a lot of strength.
You have to have a lot ofstrength to be Agnes actually
but there's also a ton ofvulnerability just based on her
life experience and how she hascome to be in this hotel to
(37:20):
begin with.
So for me, I would say that itis her depth of emotion that she
is able to access, and to notonly access it but share it with
the audience to the point thatthey feel it as well that they
come with her to this place thatshe is in.
(37:44):
So for me, that was a very bigpart of it.
Speaker 7 (37:49):
Well, I feel like the thing that I'm going to be most
interested to see from Kalinais what you touched on the
vulnerability because I thinkthat a lot of times and what I
meant with my question aboutcasting her is that I think that
she has shown just thisimplacable wall in a lot of her
roles.
Before she has not been asvulnerable as I picture Agnes in
my mind, and I definitely don'tthink that Agnes is ever weak,
(38:12):
but yeah, I just see avulnerability to Agnes because
obviously she lets Peter in.
So there we go.
Speaker 3 (38:17):
Yes, exactly, you have to be vulnerable to allow
that to happen.
Speaker 6 (38:21):
Right, I think the other aspect of it, Brad, is
that, with that strength thatKalina has brought to a lot of
other roles, it's almost likethat vulnerability is the other
side of it.
It's like what happens when youlet in.
So I think her ability to showthat emotional depth hasn't been
so much of a challenge for usin the show as more as just a
(38:44):
shift in perception and kind ofyou know, yeah, To me it seems
like two sides of the same coinfor her.
Speaker 3 (38:52):
Yes, and a lot of times you know when you come
across with the perception ofstrength and strong a lot of
times that's armor for thevulnerability underneath and how
we protect ourselves.
So I think there's an elementof that in there as well.
Speaker 7 (39:12):
Well, you guys mentioned Peter, of course.
We've mentioned him a couple oftimes and he's a big part of
Bug.
And you have Kyle Clark andagain you have somebody that I
think is going to be challengedto play this guy.
He's a little bit differentthan what Kyle has done before.
What made him Peter for you?
Speaker 3 (39:27):
You know, I just saw it right away.
You know, in my mind's eye, inmy vision.
I just saw it right awaybecause I've also seen as well a
side of Kyle's acting that isvulnerable, that is masked, that
(39:48):
allows him to share openlythings that he's never been able
to speak with someone elseabout.
So there's also thisvulnerability to Peter that he
has to open himself up as well,has to open himself up as well,
and I think that Kyle not onlyhas great performance technique,
(40:10):
he has a great ability to thenembody what it is he is creating
.
Speaker 6 (40:16):
Yeah, and we talk a lot Brad about at Dirt Dogs,
especially as Melinda and Idiscuss future seasons and
programming.
It's not just plays that wewant to do or think, it's about
the timing and, if we know,there's a cast aligning with it.
So we really felt that Bug wason our radar for a couple years,
(40:37):
but now was the time.
Speaker 3 (40:39):
Ten years yeah Since before.
Dirt Dogs years.
Speaker 7 (40:46):
Yeah, since before they're dogs.
Oh, wow.
Well, of course we've got totalk about Jeff.
Jeff Featherston is Jerry.
Jeff is such a nice guy and healways plays like this ideal
husband, and you have to lean onJerry, who is really sort of
violent, he's scary, he'sthreatening.
(41:07):
It's like everything that Idon't think of with Jeff.
So again you've got this actorthat's going to be challenged to
play the flip side of what theynormally do.
So why'd you pick Jeffrey?
Speaker 3 (41:19):
Well, first and foremost, I saw Jerry Goss as
someone who leads with his charmthat has the ability to draw
people in close to him, eventhough they know that that is
dangerous for them.
It's like the abuser who's ableto charm his victims back time
and time again, and there has tobe a likability about that to
(41:43):
be able to do that.
But he does have also a verydifferent side, that when you
see it, you begin to know howdangerous he can be.
Now we have Maggie.
Speaker 7 (41:55):
Maxwell too right.
Speaker 3 (41:57):
Yeah, we have Maggie Maxwell.
Speaker 7 (42:00):
Okay, and she's playing RC, which is the lesbian
character in this whole mix.
Speaker 3 (42:04):
Yes, right Married to LaVoice.
Speaker 7 (42:08):
Right.
So kind of what is married towhich one.
Speaker 3 (42:12):
LaVoice, an unseen character, but that's how she's
established.
She's the wife of LaVoice andLaVoice has a child and they're
in a custody battle in thecourts.
That's why they're in Oklahoma,because the father wants to
take the child away because ofthe lesbian relationship.
Speaker 7 (42:33):
So kind of a prescient thing too to talk
about at this time as well.
Yeah, and I'm not as familiarwith Maggie.
Is she new to Dirt Dogs, or isthis?
Speaker 3 (42:44):
Yeah, she's making her Dirt Dogs theater stage
debut with this play.
Yes, and she has just beenabsolutely delightful to work
with.
She understands the character.
There's a relationship thatdevelops between Agnes and RC
that we have to experience as anaudience before we can break
(43:06):
that relationship, and she'sjust doing a really beautiful
job with that Her and Kalinaboth.
Speaker 7 (43:12):
Yeah.
Well, I'm sure, and of course,we have the aforementioned
Curtis Barber, who is in thisinterview as Dr Sweet, and I
would cast you in this rolewithout you even reading.
Speaker 3 (43:23):
So I'm not even going to.
Well, that's kind of how ithappens, so we knew this that
was perfect.
Speaker 7 (43:34):
I was just like alright stars aligned.
There we go, and of course,you've been on stage with Kyle
before too, so it'll beinteresting to see, yeah, but
never really like.
We had a little bit ofinteraction in the pillow man,
very brief, and when we were incoyote on the fence we were on
opposite sides of the stage, soit's been really nice to have
(43:55):
actual interaction with him thistime and getting to play off of
his character well, we've beentalking a lot about bug and
about what you kind of perceiveof it, but bringing it back in
2025, what do you want thisversion of Bug to say to
audiences, like, if I'm going towalk out of the theater
afterwards, what do you want methinking about and connecting to
(44:18):
, and what has it got that 2025needs?
Speaker 3 (44:22):
Well, I think really at the forefront is better
mental health care.
I think that is really really aprimary element or thread
that's in this play is untreatedmental health for both Agnes,
because she didn't receive anyhelp for the loss of her child,
(44:45):
which led her down a differentroad, a different path.
And you know the frequency ofself-medicating when you're in
pain, when you're in, you havethese mental health issues and
you don't get them treated.
You tend to then start treatingthem yourself.
I think that's a great elementof the play, what it kind of
(45:09):
explores.
We always say at Dirt DogsTheater Company we don't send
messages, we tell stories.
So this story is the text Ithink sheds a light on mental
health issues.
Speaker 7 (45:23):
Well, it certainly does.
I mean, it's definitely goingto speak a lot to that.
Speaker 6 (45:29):
Yeah, absolutely.
I think the other part of it issomething Melinda really
brought to the table read wasthe idea of the madness of two,
Melinda, not to take away fromprobably your part of the
artistic director note, but yeah, this idea of the madness of
two, the folio, do you know?
(45:50):
It's like how can two peoplesort of become so codependent
and wrapped up in each otherthat they're led down a path
that maybe neither of them wouldhave walked alone, and so
that's been a really interestinglens to look at the story
through.
Speaker 3 (46:05):
Right and if separated would probably then be
more in based in reality.
If Agnes were to separate fromPeter I think she could find her
reality again.
So I think it very much isabout that folly Ado.
The madness of two, tracy letsaid so as self, so that's kind
of I'm stealing that from Tracy.
(46:26):
So words right out of his ownmouth, as is Love Story.
When asked you know what isthis play, he says it's first
and foremost it's a love story.
So you know I do look a lot.
You know we have the greatInternet and interviews, as much
information as I can get orhear or listen to or read on the
(46:49):
playwright and their ownthoughts and ideas about the
play and why the play exists inthe first place.
So those are two things that Ireally sunk into during that
process was the love story andthen the madness of two.
Speaker 7 (47:05):
Well, I've got to ask you about this what matchbox
are you in?
Speaker 3 (47:08):
Three.
Speaker 7 (47:09):
So you're in not the biggest, not the smallest, but
kind of that medium size.
Is that right?
Speaker 3 (47:18):
Right, the same one we did August Osage County.
Speaker 7 (47:21):
Right, right, yeah, and the same one we did the
Pillow County.
Speaker 3 (47:23):
Right, yeah, and the same one we did at the.
Speaker 7 (47:24):
Pillow man yeah, what's your physical challenge
with this?
Because I know it calls for alot to happen.
Speaker 3 (47:31):
Oh, my goodness, Does it.
Yeah.
So there are a lot of technicalelements that have to be
addressed.
We have a long list of thoseright Curtis.
Yeah, A lot of to-do lists nextweek as we move into the space.
Speaker 6 (47:44):
But you know, I think ultimately, you know, although
there are challenges, you knowwhat we've really been centering
on in the meantime is strongcharacter development and making
sure we have the plot, and thenyou know, then next week is
only about figuring out how toachieve every other thing that
he wrote in the stage directions, without you, without much time
(48:06):
in between each scene.
Speaker 7 (48:08):
And without lighting the entire theater on fire
possibly.
Speaker 3 (48:14):
Perhaps, but we do have the best lighting director
in town, if you ask me, that islending his talent to this.
Mr John Baker is lending histalent to this, mr John Baker.
So of course we tapped himimmediately for this play
because it is a light-dependentplay to set environment and mood
, and so we were lucky that way.
(48:35):
And we also have MichaelMullins on sound, who is just
also brilliant with what he'sable to bring also to the
environment that we live in.
So, as Curtis said, you know,we've been working on
relationships, we've beenworking on people, and you know,
without the people, without therelationships, there are no
bugs, right?
(48:55):
So we have to establish why arethere bugs in the first place?
Where do they come from, how dothey get there?
And then, once they arrive, howdo we treat that?
Speaker 7 (49:06):
I'll be really curious to see.
Speaker 3 (49:11):
Us too, brett, us too .
Speaker 7 (49:16):
Oh my gosh, I just admire Dirt Dogs so much for
always doing things that arenever easy.
You guys always pick thesescripts that I'm just like wow,
this is going to be a challenge.
Speaker 3 (49:31):
Yeah, sometimes we get to the end and we're like,
why did we pick this one again?
But we plow through and thatbiggest challenge is only
because we have less than a weekfrom the time we put our setup
to the time we open the showright, and so those are
limitations that we know are inplace on ourselves before we
(49:51):
even pick a play and we stillcharge.
We still charge in as thoughwe've got you know three weeks
of tech or something.
So it just takes everybodycharging in, everybody putting
their heads together, everybodybeing in problem-solving mode.
I love to solve problems andyou know everybody to be
creative, to be inventive in themoment of doing things.
(50:15):
This past weekend spent anentire eight hours with our
stage manager, barbara, makingevery wound possible under the
sun with makeup, just trying toexperiment and figure that part
out.
And then we have, you know, allthe other elements as well.
So I think it's fun.
Speaker 6 (50:36):
Yeah, I think you know one other part, brett,
really quick, is that you know,having been on both sides of the
table for Dirt Dogs and havingcome in the third season to be
part of the company, it's, it'sreally refreshing to be a part
of a theater group that reallystrives to to to open it up and
to give you that artisticfreedom to not only honor the
(50:59):
playwright but honor the actorsthat are on stage and give them
full license to explore to asdeep as they want to explore.
You don't get that with everytheater company.
Speaker 7 (51:11):
Well, it's definitely something that is a dare and
Bug runs May 16th through the31st at Match.
It's kind of a quick run.
I would love to see it go onfor weeks and weeks so that I
can see it multiple times yeah.
Speaker 3 (51:26):
We would too Brett, we would too the limitations of
a small theater company budget.
Speaker 7 (51:32):
so but it's definitely one that nobody wants
to miss.
Definitely, at the match May16th through the 31st.
It's a wild ride, I can alreadytell you.
I think that, melinda, you toldme that you saw the Carrie Kuhn
version at the Steppenwolf.
Speaker 3 (51:46):
Yes, I did.
When did that happen?
Oh my gosh, my husband couldtell you he's really good with
dates.
I'm not all that good withdates A couple years ago.
Speaker 7 (51:57):
Okay, yeah, and Carrie Kuhn, by the way, is
married to Tracy Letts.
Speaker 3 (52:01):
Tracy Letts.
Indeed she is yes, and they hadthis really cool ability, brett
not to give anything away, tobe able to fly in an entire
alternative set, which we don'texactly have.
So we've got to get a littlebit more creative about how
we're going to accomplish whatwe need to accomplish in
(52:22):
Matchbox 3.
Speaker 7 (52:24):
Well, I have every faith Every time that you do
something.
As Dirt Dogs, I am always blownaway by the solutions that you
come up with to the problem,because you never pick the ones
that are easy.
So thank you both so much Thankyou.
Do everything that you can tobug and we will definitely be
(52:48):
there.
I've already bought ticketsopening night for it, so I'll be
there May 16th and hopefullyagain before the 31st.
Speaker 3 (52:56):
We can't wait to see you in the theater.
Speaker 1 (53:15):
This has been Queer Voices, heard on KPFT Houston
and as a podcast available fromseveral podcasting sources.
Check our webpageQueerVoicesorg for more
information.
Queer Voices executive produceris Brian Levinka, deborah
Moncrief-Bell is co-producer,brett Cullum and David
Mendoza-Druzman are contributors.
The News Wrap segment is partof another podcast called this
(53:37):
Way Out, which is produced inLos Angeles.
Speaker 8 (53:40):
Some of the material in this program has been edited
to improve clarity and runtime.
This program does not endorseany political views or animal
species.
Views, opinions andendorsements are those of the
participants and theorganizations they represent.
In case of death, pleasediscontinue use and discard
remaining product.
Speaker 1 (53:53):
For Queer Voices.
I'm Glenn Holt, Thank you.
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