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61spotlightnjpart2_2024-06-01-11-21-37

Kate Douglas is on the faculty at Rutgers University Mason Gross School of the Art. She is a writer, performer, news, 12 producer, Bernice Dewa saw her in a play off Broadway and these ladies wanna discuss that, tell them what the play is. And you all have. I did get to see the play. I had the privilege of seeing the play, The app which was off Broadway. And Kate, I just, I had some questions for you because I mean, the play was something that it was something I'd never seen before and before we even get into the process that it took to get to there. Why did you think theater was the right medium to tell your story? Gosh, I, I've been working in theater for so long. I think it's just sort of the, the first medium. It's sort of what comes out of me. Sort of naturally, I wrote this play during lockdown. So I really had a sense for the first time that live theater might never happen again. And in that time, I actually thought I felt very free to write my boldest, strangest, most imaginative idea and try to put it on stage. So something like putting these on stage didn't seem like a problem during lockdown because I, I didn't know if it would ever actually happen. So that's where the play began, I think for me and, uh, in my most fearless state, I suppose. Yeah. And I mean, for those who haven't or didn't get to see the play while I was on show, can you just talk to us a little bit about it? Tell us why you chose bees and specifically like why the time period that you chose after, after you explain it to us. So the A P A is set 20 years in the future. It's about these two lab assistants who have a very unconventional job working in a synthetic apiary ending to these bees indoors. It's a future in which honey bees no longer exist outside. They're only kept alive inside in these labs. And these two lab assistants secretly concoct this plan to help the bees and follows how far they'll go for that plan for the bees, basically. Yeah. And I'll tell you right now they go pretty far. So um for the staging of the play there, for those who didn't get to see it, there was a big box in the middle of the set. And um for me as sort of a viewer who was taking everything in. I wanted to ask you as the playwright, whether you got a chance to work with the director when it came to staging and what sort of the box symbolized for you. I worked with the amazing director Kate Wary and we spoke at length about that box and its contents, we the box and its contents basically are an expression of the bees as a character. It was really important to me that the bees have their own story arc and that, that felt visceral and real and immediate to audiences. So, Kate Whisky and I spent a lot of time experimenting and theorizing about what are different mediums and ideas that we could do to express this. Uh We went the full range. We had, we thought of puppets, we tried sound, but eventually we settled on uh the using movement to tell this story. Bernese did a great job with Kate. They had a good time together and coming up in our next segment at Noon, Kate and I will talk about her production called Tippa Debuting in August.

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62spotlightnj4_2024-06-02-09-50-04

We are with writer and performer, Kate Douglas, who is also on the faculty at Rutgers University Mason Grove School of the Arts. She in August has a production coming out the first as a matter of fact called Tippa. Tell us all about that, Kate. So another thread of my creative life is that I'm trained as a horticulturist. And I've always wanted a horticulturist. I wanted to make sure I heard that. Yeah, a Gary Horticulturist and I have, I've always wanted to write about plants and I and our humans relation chips with plants. So this piece is a, it's a monologue set against the backdrop of tulip mania in the 17th century, which was this economic bubble in short, in the Netherlands, in which the price of a single tulip just completely skyrocketed and then crashed as soon as it went up. So it's about a, a widow in this time who gets swept up in the tool of trade. And then, you know dot dot dot It stars the amazing Jessica Hecht who you may know from breaking bad or friends or dozens and dozens of theater production. It's directed by the, she's so incredible and it's directed by Kate Whiskey, who I worked with previously on my show, The A P A. So it's our second collaboration. Where do these ideas come from in your head? Your brain? I, that's a great question. I feel like I, if you, you have to practice writing a whole bunch of really scrappy, not so great ideas and you write towards something true inside of you, something that is actually trying to get out. I think everyone has a, has a gift or a story that they're trying to get out. And the more that you write, the closer you get to that truth. When did you discover you had this gift and this talent to create productions like this? Oh, gosh, I was writing for theater as soon as I could write, I, I was a writer as soon as I could, I, I read very early and I was writing from a very young age and then I completely fell in love with theater in middle school in sixth grade. And as soon because I could perform in it, I wanted to write for it and it just felt very natural. I think it's, it, it called me. I didn't even, I didn't think too much or question it too much, but it's sort of definitely the bug. I got the bug quite early. You just did. What came naturally? How does it, I just did off Broadway. Oh, gosh, that was, it's very surreal. I think I never, I, I've already exceeded my wildest dreams in so many capacities. I, every, every piece of the a the and every subsequent opportunity I get to keep making with like deliciously talented and people I just, I keep pinching myself in short. So it's, we're, we're way beyond anything I thought was possible. Middle school, Kate. That was ever possible. She is just adorable to talk to. Kate has a production called Centuries Debuting in July. We'll talk about that next on spotlight New Jersey at noon.

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62spotlightnjfinal_2024-06-02-12-36-14

We are talking about several projects created by writer, performer Kate Douglas. This July, she has Centuries, the concert that will be performed in New York. Tell us where and tell us all about it. Kate Centuries is a collaboration between two of my favorite songwriters, Matthew, Dean Marsh Rena Sokolow of Gonzalez and myself. We are building this show at the Anchor Center for the Arts in Antrim Dale, New York in the Hudson Valley. And this piece is unlike anything I've ever been a part of making before. It's also unlike anything I've ever seen before. It's a completely sung through opera, I suppose about a small town in Ohio and how it changes over the course of 25 years. And uh I mean, I, I'm, I'm just thrilled these the, these two songwriters and I have been in dialogue for many, many years and this is the first time we're getting to realize our dream. So it's, I, I can't wait for folks to see it. That's going to be, we're gonna have a concert in July July 7th at the Anchor Center for the Arts at 4 p.m. And then we'll also have a full run of the show October 25th through November 3rd, also at Anchor Center for the Arts in upstate New York. You've got, so we have, I've got some, what's going on? I was gonna be a busy summer here. Let's tell everybody about each of your productions again and where they can attend them. Of course. Yes. So, Tippa, there'll be a reading of Tippa at New York stage and film at Marist College in Hudson Valley. That'll be on Thursday, August 1st at 7 p.m. There'll also be a garden party before. Should you like to join us? Is a garden party. That sounds like fun. I think it's just like some lovely cocktails in the green. I think it's gonna be wonderful at the same place at uh at Marist College. So outside, hopefully weather permitting. So join come, we'll talk about plants, we'll talk about bees, we'll talk about everything. It's gonna be great. The lucky few in concert, the lucky few. So that uh no, can't see it in concert currently, we're cooking up some things but are my single nowhere. But wherever we wanna go is coming out this Friday May 31st. So it'll be streaming on all platforms. You can hear that and two other singles from the show which include Beg you featuring the amazing Broadway star Colton Ryan and Clumsy second single from the show. Did you say streaming on all platforms? That must be exciting streaming on all platforms? It's very exciting. How does this Jersey girl feel? Seeing how she's blowing up? She feels amazing. She feels, she feels like the luckiest, the luckiest full stop, the luckiest it. Oh, no, we're, we're above and beyond anything. I could have. I could have possibly dreamed of sitting, you know, writing my, my plays, my middle school plays in my basement. I never would have thought in 100 years. That's what happened. So, thank you. Thank you. Ok.

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Off Broadway writer and performer Kate Douglas joined News 12’s Della Crews to discuss her new single and projects.

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