The Trigger Gene closes

On Saturday, May 28, 2016, we closed the 5-performance run of Rita Kneiss Barkey's The Trigger Gene, to an energetic, full audience at The Crystal Theatre in Missoula.

I feel very lucky to have had this experience, working with a strong, caring group of talented people, almost all of whom I just met (and all of whom I hope to continue working with).  It was a great first theatrical experience in Missoula, and I am very thankful to this group of artists for trusting me and gently demanding the most from me.  I am very proud of the collective work we all did together, and I think the production was a success in many ways.

Sarah (Robin Rose) and Terry (Greg Romero) in The Trigger Gene; Missoula MT.  Photo by Michael Stafford).

Acting in this new play was a really important experience for me personally, forcing me to confront some vulnerabilities I had been able to avoid for some time.  Taking a break from acting for so long, I was surprised to discover how hard it was (all the layers and worlds and intentions and sensitivities involved in a single moment), much harder than I remember, making me wonder if, in previous roles, I'd ever fully appreciated all of the detail and possibilities involved in creating a performance.

I am very happy to have put back in touch with these creative muscles I'd let atrophy a little.  Now exercised, I am curious to keep using them, open again, for the first time in a while, to an expanded view of possibilities.

Big thank yous to the whole Trigger Gene team-- Diane, Diego, Howard, Nathan, Rita, Robin, Shaun, and everyone else who contributed and participated.

--ROMERO

The Trigger Gene

Later this month I will be performing in The Trigger Gene, a new play by Missoula playwright Rita Kneiss Barkey.

This is the first substantial role I've had in a full theatrical production in quite some time-- certainly my most involved performance since my project, Thirty-Three, which was nearly 7 years ago, and one of only a handful of performances in the past 15 years since I graduated college.  This experience has stretched me and humbled me in many ways already, for which I am really grateful. 

 
With help from the good folks of Third Ear Productions, we go into performance at Missoula's Crystal Theater from May 19-21, 27-28, and I am very much looking forward to the continued work on this part, and sharing the play with an audience.

Many thanks to those who are working on this project with me, it has been a very rewarding journey so far.

For more information on the performances, please visit here.

much love,

ROMERO

PLASTIC THINGS in Kingston, Jamaica

It makes me so happy that Of Plastic Things and Butterfly Wings continues to live on, most recently finding new audiences in the excellent waters of the Caribbean.

 Reginald the Blue Crab and Sam the Plastic Water Bottle (Edna Manley College; Kingston, Jamaica).

From March 11-21, 2016, this young audiences play was presented by the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts at the Dennis Scott Studio Theatre, in Kingston, Jamaica.  I was unable to attend the performances, but the show's director, Pierre LeMaire, tells me that his students had a good experience working on the play, the school audiences enjoyed it, and that it was quite interesting to talk with the students after the show about pollution and recycling.  This is all excellent, and a huge gift.

The Gyres (Edna Manley College; Kingston, Jamaica).

This play is well-journeyed, having been in performance in Philadelphia (with the workshop at Drexel, the Philly Fringe production by Little Fish Theatre Collaborative), several schools in New Jersey (as part of Little Fish Theatre's touring production), Phoenix (thanks to the good folks at Space 55), and internationally in Victoria, British Columbia (Kate Rubin Studio Theatre), and now, Jamaica.  I'm so very grateful for all of these experiences, and continue to be humbled by them.

Reginald, Sam, and Billie the Parrot (Edna Manley College; Kingston, Jamaica).

 

Big thank yous to the Edna Manley College and Pierre LeMaire, and continued thanks to: Cara Blouin and the original, wonderful Drexel ensemble; Chris and Josh Totora of Little Fish for believing in me and commissioning the play; to the wonderful actors in the Fringe production and tour; and to Jon Dorf and YouthPLAYS for publishing the script.

Much love,

ROMERO