Review Fix Exclusive: Susan Merson Talks 13th Street Rep, NY Theatre Intensives and More

Review Fix chats with Susan Merson, playwright, actress and producing artistic director of the Thirteenth Street Repertory Theatre, who discusses her time with the Repertory, as well as her work with NY Theatre Intensives. Merson currently leads the programs of New York Theatre Intensives in association with the artists of Ensemble Studio Theatre, of which she is a member, League of Professional Theatre Women and is currently a Resident Playwright in the America -In -Play cohort. New fiction in progress: MURDER: A NOVEL has just been selected as a PITCH Week finalist at Words That Count Writers Retreat.

Review Fix: Why 13th Street Rep?

Susan Merson: This opportunity fell into my lap when my friend Jenny O’Hara approached me last year to help the REP reorganize and stabilize the programming and the physical plant. Jenny, the founder Edith O’Hara’s daughter, is someone for whom I would do anything. She has been more than a major touchstone in my life and when she called, I said yes.

Review Fix: What’s your creative process like as an author- as an artistic director?

Merson: At this point in my life as an artist, my process is pretty integrated with my way of life. I live as an artist, see the world as an artist and live like an artist that sees the world as clearly as possible, respond to it moment-to-moment and reflect the world as I see it when it asks me to note the moments through my filter.

Images usually emerge, and they ask me to follow them, and from those images come most of my writing.

As an actress, I have integrated many years of experience and training and so am able to assume the filters of the character, allow that truth to enter through my body, heart and energetics and welcome the character to be born in the world… and on the stage or screen.

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

Merson: I like to take one day at a time. Earning a living is good. Staying healthy. Continuing to expand as a person, though hopefully not around my belly. Seeing what happens with projects for NY Theatre Intensives, the program I created with Bob Jaffe and Rod Menzies, that started as a conservatory training program for new plays and now has morphed into a producing and theatre service organization as well.

It is an interesting time of life… I have no need to prove myself to anyone.

I, of course, am eager for my work to speak to a larger audience but I am not sure that I am in charge of that one. And I have started selling my crafts. SAS QUILTZ AND OTHER STUFF on Facebook.. so that is a satisfying new, and non-verbal way to reflect the world- inner and outer.

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

Merson: I have no idea but that is not my job, As an artist I do my work as I must. If it finds an audience, terrific. If not, the process of its making is as important as its ultimate journey in the world. Remember the REP is a curated rental house so my job is to allow the artists who come forward with the desire to show their work and make a financial commitment to do so, to do their work in dignity, with integrity, seriousness of purpose and hopefully with the lights functioning. In a house as old as ours, that light thing can be a real challenge.

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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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