The play was staged by Anthony Kamani, a stranger to me before the event started, who quickly became a wonderful new collaborator. Kamani enlarged the play, skillfully seeing both my vision of these worlds as well as bringing his own to the party. Anthony introduced me to lovely new actors I've never worked with before, brought in a live cello player to accompany the reading, and generally brought a whole lot of fun, enthusiasm, and good energy to the play. This staging expressed the play with added dimension, new rhythms, and gravitas (embodied beautifully by actress Meryl L. Brown as "Augustine").
The Painted Bride Art Center, Philadelphia PAAs with all these opportunities to step inside my writing, I learned a lot from being able to see the play brought to life for a moment. Of this particular process, I experienced a wider sense of possibility for these characters, some new discoveries, and a renewed passion for the play.
It was my hope that the Bridal Salon process would convince me to continue believing in this play, and to continue to seek opportunity for sharing it with a larger audience.
Big thank yous to the Painted Bride, LaNeshe Miller, Anthony Kamani, Meryl L. Brown, Carly Bodnar, Khalil Munir, Izzy Forte, Emma Berry, and Monica McIntyre for bringing life to the play, and to the friends in attendance who shared the moment with us.
rock on,
ROMERO
