Plus One Fest: Sun Oct. 21-Mon Oct. 22 - Q&A with Ira Gamerman

During the Dark Nights of OUR TOWN, Tongue in Cheek celebrates the solo show with our Plus One Solo Show Festival, which runs Sunday October 21 and Monday, October 22 at 7:30 pm at Theatre 54 @ Shetler Studios (244 West 54th Street, 12th floor).  Plus One features 5 short solo shows and a musical guest.  Tickets are $18 online and at 212-868-4444.

We sat down with writer/performer Ira Gamerman to hear how this piece came to be and he likes living in NYC.

1. What excites you about writing and performing your own work? 

These days, I primarily consider myself to be a playwright. But, way back in undergrad- before I decided that writing was the butter on my toast--I studied acting.

The thing is: in order to be a devoted writer, you've kinda gotta spend a lot of hours sitting alone in your room in the practice of putting words on paper- which consumes WAY more of your energy and concentration than you'd, maybe, expect it to- and doesn't really leave you with much time to memorize lines, or do as much yoga as you'd like, or rehearse a play 5 nights a week.

One of those sad adult lessons that artists occasionally have to learn is: sometimes unfortunately, when you have more than one passion, you've gotta make a choice between them and figure out which one is DEFINITIVELY your thing. It's mostly a practical decision. Pursuing any art takes time and practice (Your 10,000 Malcolm Gladwell genius hours and such), and at the end of the day, I figured it was better to be a REALLY GOOD playwright OR actor, than a moderately passable playwright AND actor who could stand to be significantly better at both. (And I'm a musician to boot... but don't even get me started on that). So, I sort of unofficially "retired" from acting at 23. And even though it was absolutely the correct decision to make and I have no regrets, I still miss acting a whole lot.

So, writing work that I actually intend for myself to perform is like planning a business trip that's ACTUALLY secretly just an excuse to hang out with a close childhood friend who lives three states away.

2. If you held a bake sale inspired by your piece, what kind of food would you serve, and why? 

Well, since my piece takes place in Ireland and involves alcohol, I think a bake-sale full of cakes, brownies, and pastries baked with Bailey's Irish Cream would be culturally and thematically appropriate. But really, it'd just be an excuse for me to eat lots of Bailey's infused pastries, which- seriously- ARE SO DELICIOUS, YOU GUYS! (I'm pretty much of the opinion that all pastries should be baked using Bailey's. The Irish are totally on to something there).

3. You're new to New York, right? 

I am! I just moved to the city in September after finishing my MFA in Playwriting at Ohio University. It's my first time living in New York (I'm a native Baltimorean), so it's pretty exciting/ scary. My performance in Plus One is actually my first official acting gig in the city (hopefully not the last!). So, thanks a bunch to Tongue In Cheek, for taking a gamble on the new guy! Really happy to be here!