Review Fix Exclusive Midtown International Theatre Festival Coverage: Crystal Rae Talks ‘Lamariya’

Review Fix chats with Playwright , who discusses her new production “Lamariya,” which is set for a run at this year’s Midtown International Theatre Festival.

For more on this production, click here.


LAMARIYA by Crystal Rae, directed by, Troy Scheid; starring Byron Jacquet, Brenda “BeBe” Wilson, LaKeisha Randle, Jarred Tettey, Rita Hughes, Adrian Porter, Samuel Harvey, Kyle Anthony Mosley and John Hall. What’s “magical realism?” Find out in this sci-fi parable set in Jim Crow-era Mississippi. Tues 7/19 @ 8:45pm; Sat 7/23 @ 8:30pm; Sun 7/24 @ 4:45pm

Review Fix: What was the inspiration for this project?

Crystal Rae: I wish I could point to a moment of inspiration for Lamariya, but I can’t. I could with more exact science tell you the things that inspire me and seem to find a voice in my writing. I love the strength and bravery of women, I find them fascinating. I love the Bible- I find the stories in it especially strange, complex, and wonderful. I love the fables we tell our children, how most of them make no earthly sense and how desperately we cling to them when faced with the more sensitive and uncomfortable moments of life. I love my heritage and as an African American writer, I write mostly from that lens. My project inherently embraces all of these. There are storks bringing babies, Biblical characters hoping for a child of their own, war and deception, and lives hanging in the balance. Troy Scheid, director of Lamariya found a way to boil the show down in a sentence, and I couldn’t be more grateful. She said, “Lamariya is a sci-fi parable set in Jim-Crow era Mississippi.” It’s been a nearly three-year long process of writing and discovery, a journey I’ve adored.

Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?

Rae: My creative process involves a lot of staring up to the left, and then giggles. There is most often a warm cup of hazelnut coffee, and some sort of white noise in the background like a local coffee shop or Youtube video of rainforest noises. I’m often acting out the scenes as I type, saying the lines in the character’s voices, rolling my neck, or my eyes, or slamming my fist on the table- making sure the timing works, or the words melt away as they should. I usually make other coffee sippers uncomfortable. Being in the throws of writing is my favorite place to be, it’s my personal Disneyland where there is no admission fee or helpful Disney workers making sure I don’t steal the merchandise.

Review Fix: What makes this different or special?

Rae: In the world of Lamariya, children are delivered by storks. The souls of the child are tied to the stork until they are four years old. Should the child perish unnaturally, then the stork also dies. The women of Lamariya, for various reasons, have secretly been “putting to sleep” their newest bundles of joys, some as old as three years of age- causing a radical number of storks to die. The conversation between warrior storks and humans whirls around the importance of life as the last of the warrior storks decide if they will wipe out Lamariya for killing their comrades. I think this fable-like approach to such a hot topic as late term abortion is what’s different about my play.

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

Rae: I always wondered how a writer could stand to rewrite something more than twice. What I realized is you keep discovering and unearthing the soul of your the characters with every go. When you stumble on a nuance that wasn’t there three or four drafts ago, it’s music.

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

Rae: Participating in Midtown International Theatre Festival feels like a warm bath. Amazing. Being a part of a festival like this one has been a hope of mine for some time.

Review Fix: What are your ultimate goals for this production and for the future?

Rae: The ultimate goal would be a full-length version of this project. I’d love to see it performed at other festivals and regional theatres. I have this small hope that my show will be picked up for an Off Broadway run and that Angela Basset will play whatever role she likes. My momma said dream big.

Review Fix: What do you think your audiences will enjoy the most?

Rae: I hope they enjoy the unusual take on the “birds and the bees” and the importance of life and family.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Rae: I hope a full production in Houston, Texas this fall and more festival fun.