May 24, 2008
Playwright Daniel Reitz: “I love New York small-venue theater because you can do whatever you want!” Photo by David Fletcher
Winning playwright Saviana Stanescu, an “alien with extraordinary abilities in the arts.” Photo by David Fletcher
Last Season Daniel Reitz and Saviana Stanescu captured the NY Innovative Theatre Award for best short- and long-form plays. Mr. Reitz’ one-act play Rules of the Universe and Ms. Stanescu’s Waxing West got rave reviews last season and we caught up with them both on the eve of the United Stages publication of IT Awards Outstanding Plays 2007.
Have you ever won an award before the IT Award?
Saviana Stanescu: Yes. I won the Best Romanian Play of the Year UNITER Award in 2000, before coming to the US and becoming a New York-based playwright. I also won the Marulic Prize for Best European Radio-Drama last year. Ah, and many awards in the elementary school, I was a bit of a nerd back then, collecting awards to impress my parents.
Daniel Reitz: I won a Drama-Logue Award years ago. The IT Award was heavier, and more people saw me win it, so that was fun. In fact, I don’t think they ever actually sent me my Drama-Logue Award, so this definitely beats that.
SS: It feels great! I’m being recognized in New York, the most important city of the theater world (for me). I was accepted here, I belong here, I’m not a global foreigner anymore. Although I still am an “alien with extraordinary abilities in the arts,” as my visa says. I wish this award would help me get a green card!
Were you surprised that your play was picked out of the crowd?
DR: Yes. As surprised as one could be.
SS: Yes, I was actually very surprised. But a good surprise is always welcome.
The actual IT Award is quite beautiful, don’t you think? Nice and heavy too. (I was a presenter a couple years ago so I got to hold it for a second.) Where have you put yours?
DR: It’s on a bookshelf. I have it handy in case I need to kill anyone (it really is heavy).
SS: On my bookcase. It’s my little trophy. And it looks really good indeed!
And this year your play is being published by United Stages. When you were mounting the New York production of your show was there ever a point sitting there in rehearsal when you were thinking “oh my gosh this is horrible! I must leave town!” Or did you know you had a winner?
DR: I definitely didn’t feel I needed to leave town, though I honestly didn’t know what I had until we opened. And that’s thanks to Daniel Talbot, the director, and Spencer Aste, Joel Johnstone and Elizabeth West, the wonderful actors.
SS: I enjoyed the rehearsal process and the artistic team. I knew we had a winner as the energy in the room was always great. The actors loved working on my play and that love could be sensed in their work. I’m truly grateful to all of them. I had some “omg—what’s this all about” moments when I was writing the play….
What does it mean for you to have your work published?
SS: It means a lot as I come from a tradition in which books are mostly appreciated. Productions run and end but a book remains.
DR: It’s great. All writers, no matter what they write, want to be in print.
Please finish this sentence: I love New York small-venue theater because…
DR: I love New York small-venue theater because you can do whatever you want, with no one to tell you it won’t please their subscribers, their board, etc.
SS: It’s bold, daring, risk-taking, provocative.
I hate New York small venue theater because…
SS: It’s small! But seriously, because you can’t make a living from your productions there, I truly believe good artists should be able to make a living from their small-venue art.
DR: I can’t really finish that sentence. I don’t hate any venue where people can create theater, small or large. I only hate theater that’s lousy.
What is your next play?
DR: My next play is Studies for a Portrait, which will workshop at Naked Angels June 2nd.
SS: My play Aliens with Extraordinary Skills will have its Off-Broadway premiere in September at Women's Project's Julia Miles Theatre. I also wrote a script for the Witness Relocation's dance-theater piece Vicious Dogs on Premises that will run from May 29–June 14 at the Ontological Theatre. And the funny thing is that they won three IT Awards last year and Dan Safer, who won the IT for best choreography/performance art, approached me with this project at the party after the IT gala, at the Triple Crown Bar. See, IT Awards can get you work immediately after you get them.
Thanks very much Saviana Stanescu and Daniel Reitz!
