Review Fix Exclusive: Emily Dinova Talks ‘Copse’

February 3, 2015 Patrick Hickey Jr. Theatre 0

Review Fix chats with playwright about her newest production “Corpse,” currently running at this year’s Midtown International Theatre Festival in New York City. Dinova also discusses how her creative process and “voice,” all which play a key role in making “Copse” something unique and different.

Review Fix: What was the inspiration for this production?

Emily Dinova: My inspiration came to me after developing a short scene. I reread the words and thought to myself, this sounds like a conversation that might take place between Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Going to school in London, and traveling to Hampton Court Palace had already piqued my interest about the notorious Tudors, so I did some more research on the wives. That somehow developed into Copse.

Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?

Dinova: It varies with the project. Although my first draft is always written by hand. There’s something about the transfer of an idea from my head to the page that doesn’t compute with typing.

Review Fix: What makes you different from other playwrights?

Dinova: My voice. It’s very stream of consciousness. I like to mix language, the classical with the abrasive, the offensive with the poetic.

Review Fix: Is this what you always wanted to do?

Dinova: Yes. It’s a lot cheaper than therapy.

Review Fix: What makes this production special?

Dinova: The cast. The crew. The unique and focused collaboration that we have found in one another. There is nothing but positive vibes and trust.

Review Fix: How is your cast unique?

Dinova: They are a cultural bunch, all nine of them! They range from New York to Texas to Iran to Michigan to Utah to France to Connecticut to Denmark to Seattle. And their passion is contagious.

Review Fix: What did you learn about yourself through this process?

Dinova: I had forgotten how much I truly enjoy being part of the theatre community.

Review Fix: How does it feel to be a part of this festival?

Dinova: Exciting, Stressful in the best way. Productivity is good for the soul.

Review Fix: What are your goals for the production?

Dinova: To learn more than I already have about the script and find all those delicious subconscious moments and connections. I want those who come to see the production, loosing sleep and gaining insight.

Review Fix: Who do you think will enjoy it the most?

Dinova: Those who abhor commercial theatre, those who are intrigued by the darker side of life or go to the theatre to think. Any Tudor fanatics. Viewers who engage and invest in what is happening before their eyes.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Dinova: Hopefully NYC Fringe for another play I’ve written that was recently licensed. For Copse, I would love to see it find a home in New York City. Also, would love to see it go up in London, UK.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13870 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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