Review Fix Exclusive: Diana Arnold Talks ‘On the Table’

Review Fix chats with playwright Diana Arnold, who discusses her new one-woman show, “On the Table,” set for its premiere at the Train Theatre on May 12. Detailing the origin of the production and who will like it most, Arnold lets us know that it’s about a lot more than waiting tables.

Review Fix: What inspired the creation of this production?

Diana Arnold: On the Table is inspired by 15 years of waiting tables in New York City.  Those years made me think – why are there no stories about this?  If all the servers in this city are artists and storytellers – and if the chefs and bartenders are becoming celebrities, why is there no voice to the waiter?

Is it because…..once we clock out and collect our tips, we black it out?! It’s so awful sometimes that we go out with our co-workers and just slouch and complain.  We see ourselves as being “the help,” and that can be so engrossing that we don’t see our work as something important to share.

I’m unique in that, I don’t feel this way.

Restaurants have saved my life! I walked into one on my second day in New York in 2002, and the service industry has brought me everything I have: my longest lasting relationships, my identity, my rent!

You know, I feel such a joy from being on the dining room floor – and after many, many years, I became mature enough to see that I might be the last waitress on earth who enjoys it!  And once I could see that, accept it, fully…I would come home at 2 am after a shift in the west village and my pen just wouldn’t stop.
After I turned 30 I was finally at a place in my life where I could write about it – I could write about why I wait tables.  I finally saw being in service as a choice, and the choices we make are powerful, and that is really what I’m trying to convey in this work.

Review Fix: What was the research process like?

Arnold: 5 shifts a week, for 15 years at New York City’s best restaurants.  Working alongside all the people I have, has been the greatest gift and training I could possibly ask for. Talking and listening for 8 hours a night, is the greatest research I’ve ever done.

Review Fix: What are your goals for this project?

Arnold: I have been workshopping On the Table in different iterations and venues for a year, always adding new and current material to it each time.  This excites me, and I will always make every theatre show different so my audience can keep coming back!

I am also very eager to create a community where the service industry can come and tell their stories.  A series is in the works called FOH (front of house stories), and I’m very excited to hear what has so long been left unsaid. Get in touch with me, if you’d like to share.

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

Arnold: I dedicate this work to anyone who has ever sat in my section.

I think what makes On the Table so special is that it is really for anyone who has ever stepped foot in a restaurant.  It is for all the people in the service industry who have ever clocked in, trained, wiped a table, washed a dish, poured a glass…But it is also for anyone who has ever received a dish, or heard the specials, or waited for a table, or asked their server their name…or had a dining experience that stuck with them. It is for everyone.

And, this work is for my dad.  I think he would have really loved it.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Arnold: Next, we are going to film this theatrical version in a restaurant with customers at tables, and have that lead to a half hour original TV show that I’d be the creator of. A girl can dream…


Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add?

Arnold: Come see this show at the Triad Theatre on May 12th at 9:30 pm.

Currently, I’m working on a book that is sort of a how-to guide for becoming a great server.  Look out for it.

mm
About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13819 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.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*