Review Fix Exclusive: Lauren Lubow Talks ‘Fen’

Review Fix chats with Lauren Lubow, Artistic Director of Red Garnet Theater Company, who discusses the company’s upcoming run of “Fen.” Breaking down her involvement in the production as well as what makes this run of it a special one, Lubow ensures that the themes relevant to the play when it was originally conceived are just as relevant today.

For more information on the production and to buy tickets, click here. 

Review Fix: What originally attracted you to this production?

Lauren Lubow: The women.  These narratives are based on the lives and trials of the Fen Women and I found their determination to survive and fight to be happy is something that is not only relevant but inspiring.  There is a sense of pride on the Fens, a strength to both the landscape and its community and I think that pulled me in.   I wanted to breathe life into these characters; these women who have taught us and continue to teach the world and each other about their experiences.  That and the writing is so beautiful.  So sparse yet poetic.

Review Fix: What makes the Red Garnet Theater Company Different?

Lubow: RGTC stands alone in its mission: to create and share stories that provide an outlet for the female voice.  Our works are always bold yet intimate.  I suppose what makes us different are the stories we select.  The plays we write reveal those voices that have been kept in the dark.  We shine a light on under-the-radar events that affect women and create a platform for up and coming artists in the Off-Off broadway community.

Review Fix: What makes the cast special?

Lubow: Versatile.  This cast is incredibly versatile and willing to dive in and say yes.  Because each actor is playing several parts, Patricia Lynn made it clear from the beginning that we needed a cast that embraced the eclectic nature of the town.  Whether the actor is portraying a character that is nurturing or menacing or the comedic relief, every actor in the cast is unique and complements the qualities of the rest of the ensemble.

Review Fix: What makes the Black Box a cool venue?

Lubow: Iati’s Black Box is a great venue for our company and for this show.  Fen is a play about relationships.  This production is more actor driven and less focused on design, which makes it that much more fluid with a closer connection to the audience and the text.  Not to mention the language is so sparse and complex, and in a dialect we rarely encounter.  So having this setting allows the actors to embody the women of the Fen without having to worry about filling or layering the text as one would in a larger venue.  The intimate nature of the space makes the actors and their aesthetic seem more natural.

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

Lubow: That is the interesting thing about this piece of theatre – multiple generations and their unique points of view are interpreted and re-interpreted at every turn through the course of the play.  And while the play is about women, I think any person that has felt torn between their obligations and their aspirations will relate to this play.

Review Fix: Bottom line, why should someone see it?

Lubow: It’s a beautiful, one-hour long play written by one of the greatest playwrights of all time…isn’t that reason enough?  But seriously, it is rare for New York production companies to be given license to perform this play outside an academic setting which makes this very short run very special.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Lubow: My play, Mudpies, is being adapted into a short film that will be directed by Richard Aven and Ian Friedman.  The cast features Melissa Wolffe and Justin Garascia.

RGTC is in the early stages of workshopping Backwater Rising, a murder mystery written by Lizzie Vieh.  Directed by Liz Thaler and performed at the Wild Project, the initial workshop featured an ensemble of five women including Liz Morgan, Carmen Borla, Sarah Nedwek, and Leigh Williams.  Come April we’ll be picking up where we left off with a production to follow next year.