Q&A with Anna Fox for October's Plus 1 Solo Show Fest - Series A

This fall, Tongue in Cheek has selected 8 solo show artists to take part in its tenth Plus 1 Solo Show Festival, which runs October 20, 21, 27 & 28.  For tickets and more, visit www.tictheater.com.

Performer Anna Fox

We recently interviewed Anna Fox about her piece, Our Common Deception, which will be featured in Series A in the festival, running October 20 & 21.  Read on, and then go grab your tickets!

Are there writers who inspired you to create your solo show?

On a subconscious level, Will Eno and Caryl Churchill.

I just read “Love and Information” by Caryl Churchill this past spring, and her work always reminds me to push the boundaries of what a play “can” be. I started my career by writing poetry in college, so the simplistic poetic format of her work inspired me to write my own poetic theatrical piece (as does Sarah Ruhl's work).

With Will Eno, the simplistic nature strikes me in a different way. Every time I see a work of his performed, I simultaneously want to smile and cry. It’s the worst and best feeling all at once, and I don’t think anyone else has ever made me feel that way.  I like that his voice is so distinctive and clear, and that I can only attribute that specific feeling to his work. I aspire to be that distinctive.

What inspired the topic of your piece, Our Common Deception?

Our Common Deception, which spells out OCD, speaks to our common deceptions about mental disorders, and also the deceptions people with these afflictions face. I believe the compulsive part of OCD is highlighted a lot more in society’s depictions of OCD because that part is often visible, i.e., “I notice someone washing their hands hands 27 times in 10 minutes. That doesn’t seem ‘normal.’”

Whereas some people only suffer from the obsessive part, which is invisibly occurring in the person's head, and not always physically manifested through the compulsion. This is the story of woman who has obsessive tendencies, and what goes on in her mind.

Solo shows often require actors to think on their feet and react.  Did you ever have to overcome an unforeseen obstacle onstage?

I was in a production of Cloud 9 by Caryl Churchill in my junior year of high school and I played the part of Joshua, the African servant to an affluent British Colonial Family in the mid-1800s. Caryl Churchill is known for having men play women, women play men, white people play black people, and so forth, so the part was actually meant to be played by a white man, but the white man who got cast dropped out at the last moment, thus leaving me, originally the stage manager, to step in and take on the role.

Luckily, playing a deadpan man was pretty much perfect for me, and in one scene Joshua shows a bit of emotion by singing a Christmas carol to entertain the family. I also carried a wooden gun, which was essentially two pieces of wood haphazardly nailed together, and accented my singing with thrusting the gun in varying directions.

On one particular night my gun broke in half during a particularly forceful arm jab during the song. The scene was set so that the rest of the cast had their backs to the audience to watch me, so I was the only actor facing the audience. They naturally all started cracking up, but were easily able to hide it because the audience couldn’t see them. I knew I too was going to lose it, so I immediately stopped singing, acted as though I was too embarrassed to go on, and quickly ran offstage. This only made everyone laugh more, and was definitely a good save on my part. I love unexpected improvisational moments like that onstage, it keeps me on my toes.

OK: tell us something we wouldn't know about you from your piece, Our Common Deception.
I am working on a children’s book called The ABCs of Allergies, about children who have varying food allergies/intolerances.

Food has been significantly genetically altered over the past sixty or so years, which has then led to more allergies, and subsequently more demand for alternatives, and thus these alternatives have leaked into the mainstream, which I think is great.

Because I have many intolerances, and must always choose my food wisely, I got into cooking at a young age, and I've discovered a whole world of variety within my slightly more limited options, and it feels great to know exactly what is in my food. I would love for that information to be available to young children, so they can feel similarly empowered from an early age. My one secret: coconut flour: it's fibrous, a great gluten-free alternative and pretty cheap compared to other gluten-free flour.

Thanks so much, Anna--and we can't wait to see you perform Our Common Deception in October!

Series A of the Plus 1 Solo Show Festival runs Sunday, October 20 & Monday, October 21 at 8 pm 
@ The Bridge Theatre (244 West 54th Street, 12th Floor)

Tickets are $20 at http://www.smarttix.com/Show.aspx?ShowCode=SER9 or by calling 212-868-4444
Everything you ever wanted to know about the festival can be found at www.tictheater.com, too.