Review Fix 2016 MITF Coverage: Eddie Shields Talks ‘Julie’

November 15, 2016 Patrick Hickey Jr. Theatre 0

Review Fix chats with playwright Eddie Shields who discusses his new production, “Julie,” which set for a run at this year’s Midtown International Theater Festival.

About Eddie Shields:

Eddie Shields is a NYC/Boston-based Actor/Director currently living in Brooklyn, NY.  THEATER; Playwrights Horizons, The Drilling  Theater Company, Huntington Theater Co., SpeakEasy Stage Company, Rebel Theater, Company One Theater, Actors’  Shakespeare Project, Berkshire Theater Festival, Metatwee River Theater, Midtown International Theater Festival and  many more theaters across the US.  FILM/TV; Moonrise Kingdom; Unsure/Positive; The Entertainment.  Eddie holds an  MFA from Brandeis University and is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association*.

Review Fix: What was the inspiration for this project?

Eddie Shields: The original play Miss Julie has haunted me for years and years. The character Julie, and the story itself is an endless source of  inspiration.

Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?

Shields: I’m always aware that, at the end of the day it’s called a play for a reason!  No matter the    subject, it’s always vital for me to have fun and explore.  Say “yes” to everything—sometimes    things work, sometimes things don’t.  Wine helps.

Review Fix: What makes this different or special?

Shields: It’s always a special thing to see a well known classical play done with  modern awareness, language, and soul. Julie, although originally written in 1888, is  even more relevant now.  And the whole play takes place in a kitchen!

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

Shields: The process never ends so I’m still learning. I think I’ll have a better answer when it’s over.

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

Shields: I’ve been a fan of the MITF for some time—the audiences are smart and vibrant and there’s    always a show for everyone.  This is the perfect place to premier Julie.

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

Shields: Julie is the first piece in a bigger project I’ve been working on.  Classic female characters in  the theater set my brain on fire- Nora, Hedda, Yerma, Courage..etc…I like re-telling their stories  how I, and I think others, may see them today.

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

Shields: The Rage.  The Absurdity. The blood of the play is boiling.  Nothing is given to the  audience on a platter.  Everyone will have to determine for themselves what happened/what  didn’t happen.  Who’s lying? Who’s telling the truth? They’ll enjoy having that power.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Shields: Hedda Gabbler sounds très intéressant…

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14267 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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