Review Fix chats with playwright David De Almo who discusses his new production, “David De Almo is Occasionally Employed,†which is set for a run at this year’s Midtown International Theater Festival.
About the Production:
David De Almo is Occasionally Employed by David De Almo, directed by Max Friedman; starring David De Almo. From a Lortel Award-Winning producer of Mike Birbiglia’s “My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend†and “Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King,†and the star of that “Monsters Inside Me†episode where that amoeba eats that girl’s brain, comes the unlikely story of a data analyst who gave up comfort in suburbia to become a Theatrical Producer overnight. (Comedy/One Man Story Telling) *AEA
Performance Dates:Â Tues 11/01, 9:00pm
Running Time: 45 minutes
Venue: Jewel Box, 312 W. 36th Street.
Review Fix: What was the inspiration for this project?
David De Almo: I dreamt up this project somewhere between producing “Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King” at the Cherry Lane Theatre and “Mike Birbiglia’s Thank God for Jokes” at the Lynn Redgrave. Something about being around two vastly different but incredibly powerful comedic storytellers made me want to try my hand at my own story.
Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?
De Almo: My scripts tend to start out pretty standup-y and frankly, pretty pithy and judgemental. I wrote this piece all in a couple afternoons, and then spent months workshopping and finally worked with my director, Max Friedman, to hone it down to the friendlier, more heartfelt, and I would say funnier version of the show that it is today.
Review Fix: What makes this different or special?
De Almo: It’s different because of its heart, I think. You’ll definitely laugh, but you might cry as well. Happy tears, I promise. Or at least bittersweet.
Review Fix: What did you learn about yourself through this process?
De Almo: That I’m funnier than I thought I was! I’ve always thought of myself as an actor, but this standup/storyteller thing…it’s got its moments.
Review Fix: How does it feel to be a part of something like this?
De Almo: It’s just a blast. Developing something like this, a personal and in some ways raw piece of standup, it’s so much more comfortable to do it in a theatre with a supportive, theatrical audience that at say, a no-cover/two-drink minimum club where half the patrons are only here because they got conned by a ticket seller in times square.
Review Fix: What are your ultimate goals for this production and for the future?
De Almo: It’s not like it’s a small feat, but I want this show to be my “Sleepwalk with Me.”  To work it and rework it for a while, performing at different venues, until I can finally put it up in a theatre for a good long run. I see the way Mike Birbiglia and those types of performers do it, and I think, “I want that.”
Review Fix: What do you think your audiences will enjoy the most?
De Almo: That nearly all of the laughter is at my expense. If you like awkward, I’m your guy.
Review Fix: What’s next?
De Almo: I’m producing “Chris Gethard: Career Suicide” at the Lynn Redgrave, alongside Judd Apatow, which is just insane. And after that I’ll be playing Tesman in an 80-minute speedy one-act version of Hedda Gabler with Ophelia Theatre Group in Queens. Then, hopefully, this show.
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