Review Fix Exclusive: June Ballinger Talks ‘Remembrance Day’

Review Fix chats with June Ballinger who discusses her upcoming production, “Remembrance Day.” Detailing the creation of the play and her hopes for it, Ballinger takes us inside what is a special piece for her.

About REMEMBRANCE DAY:

Remembrance Day, written and performed by June Ballinger, will have a special series of six performances at 13th Street Repertory (50 West 13th Street): Sunday, September 11 @ 3pm; Monday, September 12@7pm; Thursday, September 15@ 7pm; Sunday, September 18 @ 3pm; Monday, September 19 @ 7pm; and Thursday, September 22 @ 7pm.

Inspired by the letters and personal diary of Nancy Annan Ballinger and discovered by her daughter, June (the writer and lone figure on this stage) after her death, Remembrance Day is a story about the cost of secrecy and how much one woman is willing to pay. Bletchley Park was the central site for Britain’s code-breakers during World War II. The most famous of the cipher systems to be broken at Bletchley Park was the Enigma. And then there was Colossus, the world’s first electronic computer that could decode personal messages sent by Hitler to his top battlefield commanders. Many believe today that the success of Colossus shortened the war by at least 2 years. Nancy Annan (Ballinger) worked with the team that created Colossus. She and all engaged in code-breaking had to sign the Official Secrets Act. While most of that information was declassified in the late 1970s, many men and women were never comfortable with “telling all” and were proud to be remembered as “Churchill’s geese that never cackled.”

Review Fix: What was the inspiration for this project?

June Ballinger: Sadly, my mother’s death at 93.  I was away at a writing workshop and missed her passing after being with her regularly for 3 months.  I said to myself “ Right, I am going to write about her then…tell the story she swore never to tell as long as she was alive.”  That journey was guided by the discovery of a carton of letters, photos and a diary Mum had been hanging onto for 70 years.

Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?

Ballinger: In writing as well as acting I try to trust my first instinct…surrender and trust.   It’s counter productive to over think things and second guess.

As an actor I have developed my personal technique over the years but the main thing is to trust, to listen and to get out of my own way. Writing is more private than acting but it’s still important to listen and write down whatever comes to the imagination. You can always toss it away but keep the pen moving.

Review Fix: What makes this different or special?

Ballinger: While it is a piece that brings me, June, into the frame it is not a story about me.  It is my mother’s narrative.  This is not how the piece started out.  It began as June’s  narrative …a mother/ daughter piece exploring where the mother in a woman’s life ends and where the daughter’s identity begins; a line more blurred than one would think.

But as the piece developed it wanted to be in my mothers voice…her journey. In writing this I have been able to give her the identity she never had in life. The character of June is secondary…her antagonist in a way. She had signed the Official Secrets Act and through her silence she suppressed her youthful self -esteem gained as a code breaker. And I get to give voice to her memories.

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

Ballinger: The importance of diligence and patience.  I am better at the patience than the diligence.  You cannot force a story that is not ready to be told. But you have to write!  The story and impulse has to be respected.

Also, this process got me over my fear of acting alone on stage.  Once in rehearsal it struck me how terrifyingly lonely solo work can be. I was used to listening and engaging with other actors in telling a story. In REMEMBRANCE DAY I play 7 other characters in addition to my mother and I play her at two very different and contrasting ages. I am my own company.  It’s fun now.

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

Ballinger: I love it.  I loved the process; the research and trips to Bletchley Park, interviews with my family and historians and decoding  the letters, photos clippings she held on to all that time.

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

Ballinger: To travel with it here in the US and to bring it back to England.  It has a special resonance for British people.  I am booking groups of women this September from a national group called Daughters of the British Empire, of which my mother was a member.

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

Ballinger: This show has appealed to such a diverse group. Everyone welcomes the insight into Bletchley Park and the women who worked there (especially since the release of The Imitation Game).  And British loyalty and allegiance to a lifetime of secrecy under The Official Secret Act.  I don’t know if Americans could be as successful with that. Also the history and “can do” spirit of daily life during the war…these men and women had character and resilience that contributed greatly to England’s success.  Another important aspect of this story is what happened afterward when social conditions changed and women were discouraged from having careers. We have come a long way since then and women’s rights have to be continuously protected.  Many of our freedoms are still fragile. Finally, a number of men and women are drawn to the technology and information on the various code-breaking machines one of which is regarded as the world’s first electronic computer….and very popular are the bits about Alan Turing and other giants who altered the course of history.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Ballinger: After this presentation of REMEMBRANCE DAY I start rehearsing a new play by Leslie Ayvazian titled OUT OF THE CITY.  She and I perform it together along with Ken Land and Grant Shaud.  Murphy David directs. It is an unorthodox romantic comedy about two couples in their 60s trying to figure out where the juice is in their 30 year old marriages. Hilarious!  It will be presented at Passage Theatre October 27- November 13 with a likely extension.