Review Fix chats with playwright Diana Rissetto who discusses her new production, “Warmth,†which is set for a run at this year’s Midtown International Theater Festival.
About The Production:
WARMTHÂ by Diana Rissetto, directed by Lionel Ruland; starring Diana DiCostanzo, Lev Harvey, Matthew Dean Wood, Stacey Lightman, and Taylor Henkin. Quirky comedy about a young woman who volunteers at an offbeat Holocaust charity. (Comedy-Drama)
Performance Schedule:Â Wed 10/26, 7:00pm; Thurs 10/27, 6:00pm; Fri 10/28, 7:30pm; Thurs 11/03, 8:30pm
Running Time: 90 minutes
Venue: Jewel Box Theater, 312 W. 36th Street.
Review Fix: What was the inspiration for this project?
Diana Rissetto: WARMTH is pretty much autobiographical until the introduction of the elderly Holocaust rescuer the main character befriends.
I was out of work for a while about five years ago and was extremely stressed out about my unemployment situation. I went to my mother’s house in Florida to chill out and a lot of the infomercials that were on in the morning were religious/inspirational. There were two of them that were for charities that supported Holocaust survivors. I kept watching them and felt so moved and vowed that I was going to find a similar charity to volunteer with.
The only one that was in New York was a charity that offers support to rescuers of the Holocaust, as well as supplies them with handknit scarves.
I’m a huge crocheter, so I was amazed there was such a charity and I wasn’t the one who started it!
I signed-up to volunteer and the first day I went in was actually Good Friday. (Oh…did I mention I’m a devout Catholic?) 

I was given a stack of mail to open and stamp, and was sitting with an older man that I later learned was a Holocaust survivor. He was wearing an American flag pin, was saving stamps and carried around his own little radio. We didn’t speak at all, but it was the first time I had been in the presence of a Holocaust survivor and I thought about him all day.
Looking back, I am so grateful for that bout with unemployment! I never would have been on vacation watching that infomercial and been inspired.
Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?
Rissetto: I always say that sitting down at the computer is the least important part of my writing process. I tend to take very long walks all around New York and that is when my mind turns and I get ideas. It’s not unusual for me to go for a twenty mile walk and compose half a play during that time.
Review Fix: What makes this different or special?
Rissetto: This play has “Holocaust†and “comedy†in the description but it is extremely sensitive and tasteful. I know some people are automatically going to be taken aback by that description, and I am okay with that.
We did the play for a fundraiser for a Holocaust museum two years ago and it was extremely well-received in an auditorium filled with children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors. I knew if I had their support, I could go anywhere with this project.
Review Fix: What did you learn about yourself through this process?
Rissetto: Ultimately, as cliché as it sounds, that as long as I stay true to myself and write what I know, I’ll always be okay. I am also always reminded that I have so many creative friends and they all have creative friends, so I will always find a “crew” of talented people to help me out.
Review Fix: How does it feel to be a part of something like this?
Rissetto: Another one of my plays was in the Fringe Festival several years ago, and I truly loved that process then and I do now as well! It’s an incredible feeling when you are surrounded by people who are all in it for the love of theatre.
Review Fix: What are your ultimate goals for this production and for the future?
Rissetto: I am so excited to finally have this play performed in New York after it was all over New Jersey. I’m hopeful to have some “industry” people see it, as well as members the Jewish press.
I would love for this play to have an off-Broadway run and I think it would definitely work well as a small indie film (starring Tovah Feldshuh, obviously.)
Review Fix: What do you think your audiences will enjoy the most?
Rissetto: The humor and the heart.
Review Fix: What’s next?
Rissetto: I have no idea–and that’s the fun part.
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