GENTRY: And now Great Arts at Eastern. Coming to you from the Portales Campus of Eastern New Mexico University. I'm Jeff Gentry, Dean of the College of Fine Arts here on KENW, Your Public Radio Network. Today my guest is Ricky Quintana of ENMU’s Department of Theatre and Digital Filmmaking. He directs the play Everybody, premiering next Thursday, February 25th at ENMU in Portales, New Mexico. Thank you very much for joining me today.
QUINTANA: Ah, Thank You so much for having me, Doctor Gentry.
GENTRY: Now, this is your second play for the ENMU stage, except the stage is virtual in your first year here. How are your players adjusting to the Zoom format?
QUINTANA: Oh, it's a struggle, but um I think it helps to think of it as if we were on a stage. Making your room your stage. That's what we're working with now, and I think we're doing it. We're doing it.
GENTRY: Great, Everybody is a new version of an old play, and I mean really old. What is the theme of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ modern language adaptation?
QUINTANA: I don't want to spoil the ending, but I think the theme is: how have we lived our life and why. And what do we do when we start to reach the end of it.
GENTRY: Alright, excellent and true to the playwright's vision, your cast has to be very nimble. Tell me about the uncommon casting.
QUINTANA: Well, there is a lottery in the show. So, we have 5 actors. We don't know what part they're going to play each night. And that is to more closely theme ties the randomness of death. While also destabilizing your preconceived notions of identity.
GENTRY: Alright, so the actors will find out minutes before the show which of the five roles they will play.
QUINTANA: During the show-.
GENTRY: Oh. During the show- they- oh wow.
QUINTANA: So, it's there's an opening scene that kind of tells us all about the play. Then the lottery happens after the first 2 scenes. And then 10 seconds later. The first line happens of the lead character, and we don't know who that is until a couple seconds before. So, it's very tight. It happens fast, speedy, and they just have to be ready for it- you know.
GENTRY: Yeah, and even though this is streaming- it's live theater.
QUINTANA: Right we're streaming it lives; everything's real-time. There might be a 10-second delay on your end, but on our end, it’s happening live. Yes.
GENTRY: Right. And so, on how can we take in this virtual show next week.
QUINTANA: You can go to enmu.edu/TheatreLive, and they'll be a registration form. And you will receive the link to our live stream on YouTube 24 hours before the performance.
GENTRY: Alright, and tell me about some of those nimble cast members.
QUINTANA: Um, well, the students, you mean.
GENTRY: Alright.
QUINTANA: The characters.
GENTRY: The cast members.
QUINTANA: Cast members. Uh, we have Laura Harkness, Nathan Gandara, Stephanie Haggerton, Austin Reeve. And Israel Stacy. Two of the actors are actually in Albuquerque and Las Cruces. So, we have we're covering all of New Mexico here with the cast. So, it's not even just nimble about what role they're playing, but then we're in different locations. But I think the really interesting thing is that we're all coming together on one platform to present the play.
GENTRY: And so, you have I think what about five shows. So theoretically, everybody could play Everybody. The character Everybody.
QUINTANA: Yes, there's approximately 120 variations that show can go. So, you'll see four of them the week it happens.
GENTRY: Alright, and so a little bit more about the character Everybody. And I guess I didn't even ask you if this is considered at least the modern version more a comedy, a drama, maybe a dramedy.
QUINTANA: It's a comedy, and it's almost says if it's decolonized version of the modern riff. Because every man he kind of took away the gender, so it's Everybody. So, the cast is very nonspecific. So, anybody could it could be any gender, race, ethnicity. So, I think that's the beautiful thing about this modern adaptation really bring it to 2020
GENTRY: Alright, and so we're so they're roughly themes of Salvation or meaningfulness of life, right and yet comedy.
QUINTANA: I mean yeah. You'll see that at the end of the day. Everybody cannot find someone to go with them to the afterlife. So, you'll see at the end who they end up bringing. But yeah.
GENTRY: Great well Everybody runs live February 25th through 27th at 7:00 PM. and then Sunday, February 28th at 2:00 PM. Showtimes are free to the public worldwide. Register at enmu.edu/TheatreLive. Thank you, Ricky Quintana, for visiting Great Arts at Eastern.
QUINTANA: Thank you so much for having me.
GENTRY: And for all the Great Arts at Eastern, see enmu.edu/fineartsevents. Thanks for listening on KENW, Your Public Radio Network.
Everybody
Written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Directed by Ricky Quintana
Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021 | 7 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 26, 2021 | 7 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021 | 7 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021 | 2 p.m.