Review Fix Exclusive: Jeanne Chenault Porter Talks ‘The Divvy’

Review Fix chats with playwright Jeanne Chenault Porter about her newest production “The Divvy,” currently running at this year’s Midtown International Theatre Festival in New York City. Porter also discusses her creative process, career in the music and what she hopes people get out of the production, as well as what makes her a unique playwright.

Review Fix: What was the inspiration for this production?

Jeanne Chenault Porter: As an art historian as well as a playwright, I wanted to share an insider’s view of an art world known to relatively few. This world is multi-faceted, never gentle, with some participants who are hoarders, forgers, thieves or even murderers. The hoarders, who acquire art solely as an investment, bury their treasures in bank vaults. The forgers, usually unimaginative, steal and sell the creativity of others. My protagonist, Charlie Jenkins is a true “amateur” or lover of art but ironically it is this very passion makes him a thief.

Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?

Porter: I began by focusing upon characters, in this case Charlie who lives on the fringe.  From time to time he emerges as positive and negative, harmless and formidable. Charlie steals art to save it from the unenlightened. Although he believes his jail time in Nice, France has paid his debt to society, he is still unable to relinquish one last stolen masterpiece.

Review Fix: What makes you different from other playwrights?

Porter: I am very interested in and observant of people and have a good memory for detail and dialogue. ( I can often recall exact words of past verbal exchanges.) Almost always carrying a notebook helps me to record ideas, phrases, titles, and words.

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

Porter: Yes, although I had been trained in other areas including music and art history. I studied piano for seven years at the Juilliard School of Music and violin at Mannes. I have had my own art exhibitions and sold a number of my paintings. I have written and published books and articles on art history and have many listings on Google.

Review Fix: What makes this production special?

Porter: In addition to an insider’s view of the art world, there is a bit of magic in Charlie’s extraordinary gift as a “divvy” who can tell if a work of art is genuine simply by holding it in his hands. I think this lends a sense of fun and mystery to the plot. Some questions are still open: is Charlie really a Divvy? Does he believe he’s really a divvy? After Charlie’s death, who is the “person of interest” mentioned in the newspaper. Probably the thug, Mischa.

Review Fix: How is your cast unique?

Porter: We have considerable variety in our actors and the roles they play. They are an exciting group with a variety of age, ethnicity, temperament, and theatrical background.

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

Porter: I realized that I have a great interest in, and sympathy for, many different kinds of people. Writing makes me more circumspect and open. I value both the side we see and that which we don’t.

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

Porter: It is exciting and perhaps especially so since this is my third play with MITF. My experience has always been very positive and I have found those working in this festival helpful and encouraging.

Review Fix: What are your goals for the production?

Porter: My goal is to give the best presentation possible and see how and to what extent others respond. Constructive comments are very welcome as this is always a learning process.

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

Porter: Those who enjoy it most will probably be those who know me, the actors, and the art world but this is a play about people and I don’t think my characters are limited to any particular time or segment of society.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Porter: Right now I have a comedy, Mightier Mouse, opening this month with The St. Jean’s Players on the upper east side of Manhattan.  My next play will be a historical drama about the Bowery.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14230 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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