KCDC Teachers Create New Work - Maturity Island
Two of our teachers, Elizabeth DeMeo and Jessica Phippen, have a new play out that they’ve written together. “Maturity Island” is a comedy about men, women, reality shows, quiches, and 2Pac, to name a few touchstones. The story follows two frustrated female playwrights on their journey to uncover the mysteries of modern male behavior. Knowledge Commons volunteer Erika Rydberg interviewed the two about their new work, which you can see tomorrow, December 12, in Virginia for free.
We know you’ve taught about fashion for KCDC. Can you tell us more about your background as playwrights?
ELIZABETH: I’ve always loved theater and regretted not being more involved in college. After taking a KCDC class with local playwright John Feffer last winter, I knew I wanted to get more involved. In February, I participated in a reading of Jean Koppen’s play “Black Hole,” and in the spring took an evening screenwriting class with the wonderful Kevin Downs. Since then, I’ve tried to do everything I can to keep myself writing, including coauthoring this play with Jessica. Finding the time to do this is not always an easy process, but it’s so rewarding, especially in D.C., which I’ve found to be a great place for playwrights.
JESSICA: I was very fortunate to grow up in London and have access to all the theater there from a young age. I remember one of my earliest plays was “Richard II,” not a light one, and then “Macbeth,” also not a light one, and I was obsessed with the witches in that play. I remember I bought this tiny leather-bound copy of the play and furiously memorized all the witches’ speeches. And I took this one class on dramatic writing where we would read plays and then go see them performed. It was amazing. Then at university I studied creative writing with a poetry focus and I wrote a few one-act plays. “Maturity Island” is my first full-length project and it was such a pleasure to write and to work with Elizabeth. I have a feeling this won’t be our only collaboration.
How do those two disciplines go together — fashion and playwriting?
ELIZABETH: I think both very much have to do with being in touch with the public mood. They’re about tapping into the collective unconscious and taking the pulse of what’s out there. Also, I think there’s an element in each of being fearless and opening yourself up that’s really freeing. In the same way it’s exciting when someone relates to your style, it’s wonderful when somebody responds to something in your play, especially when it’s a feeling or sensation you’d thought no one else ever experienced. Jess always says that art is meaningful if it means something to only one other person, and I think she’s quite correct.
There’s a quote from Alan Bennet’s “The History Boys,” which Jess and I just watched, that I think really hits the nail on the head here. The quote is about reading, but I feel it’s applicable to all art more generally: “The best moments in reading are when you come across something — a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things — that you’d thought special, particular to you. And here it is, set down by someone else, a person you’ve never met, maybe even someone long dead. And it’s as if a hand has come out, and taken yours.”
JESSICA: I’m not sure if I can really say. I love fashion, it’s definitely a passion of mine, but I’m not a designer. I wish I had that talent. Fashion to me is about personal expression and confidence in what I’m wearing. If I am confident and excited about what I have on that’s reflected in my mood and how I go out in the world and engage with other people. I find fashion to be more of an outward expression of who I am and it’s fun and I love to play around with it.
Writing for me is a slightly different experience and a much more personal one. It has always been my way of engaging with the world. It’s how I process experiences that I’ve had, how I articulate ideas, how I come to an understanding about a moment or a memory. And I absolutely love that quote from the “The History Boys.” I cry a little every time I hear or read that, because it strikes me as being so fundamentally true. And it’s beautifully written.
Can you tell us more about the play/reading? I see that it’s about maturity and the modern male/female dynamic … is it inspired by real-life experiences?
ELIZABETH: Sure! We were first inspired to write this play last summer after some frustrating dating experiences on behalf of ourselves and our friends, and the play in its original drafts was much more vindictive. But as we went on writing, we really tried to elevate the material beyond an indictment of straight men writ large. It’s my hope that when people hear the play on Thursday, they see it as something that addresses both men and women, and any number of relationship dynamics.
JESSICA: The play started with a joke, really. We had this idea for a reality show where frustrated women could nominate the men in their lives to go to this place where they would have to do challenges like showing up on time or responding to emails and texts in a mature manner. That sort of thing. It was very tongue in cheek. But in the end, with the play, I think we were just as hard on ourselves as we were on the men. It’s very easy to blame someone else for issues that arise in a relationship, be it a romantic one or a friendship or a relationship with a family member. It’s much more difficult to take responsibility for one’s own actions.
What inspires your creativity day to day?
ELIZABETH: It’s going to sound sappy, but being able to write with Jess is really inspiring. Not only is she great to bounce ideas off of, but she’s incredibly intelligent and seems to have a literal library of classic and modern works in her head at all times that she can reference. It’s rare for me to find somebody whom I merge so well with creatively, so being able to work with her is a continual joy.
Beyond that, reading, watching plays, and just generally seeing what other people are doing is very inspiring to me. Jess and I started an art/culture blog last December, and it’s been an excellent gateway into the D.C. art scene. I’ve also found that attending classes and writing groups is incredibly helpful — it’s lovely to talk with people who know what you’e going through and how frustrating it can be, and who can bolster your confidence when you feel like you’re writing the worst material on earth. And as an artist, it’s nice to feel like you’re not out there alone in this hardscrabble world.
JESSICA: Elizabeth absolutely inspires me. She is incredibly gifted at mapping out the full story and figuring out how all of the threads can be woven together. I can get bogged down in the details of a particular scene or character and I can get stubborn about keeping a line or joke, but she always has her mind on the big picture. She also has a pretty sick sense of humour, which I love. I think part of what drives our creative relationship is this need not to disappoint the other person. We both want to live up to the other’s expectations of what we are capable of. I want to make Liz proud. I want her to be inspired.
Beyond Elizabeth, reading is a major source of inspiration. I usually read about two or three books at a time in different forms or genre. Right now I’m reading Noel Coward’s “Private Lives,” “Stranger in a Strange Land,” and “The World’s Wife” by Carol Ann Duffy. Workshops are also immensely important to me. A good workshop is the best thing in the world.
If you could be taught anything by anyone, what would you want to be taught, and who would be the teacher?
ELIZABETH: What a question! There are so many options, but I think anyone who knows me would agree that I’d die for even an hour with Virginia Woolf. I’d let her choose what she’d want to teach — I’m sure she’d do a much better job than I would at knowing what she ought to profess. And if Virginia wasn’t available, I’d love to sit with Oscar Wilde and learn about aesthetics. I think we’d have a splendid time.
JESSICA: I’m with Elizabeth. Virginia would definitely be one of my top choices. Besides her, James Wright would be amazing. One of my professors at school knew him and said that he had this insane memory. He could just recite a poem, any poem that you gave him. I would do most anything to have some time with him. Or Elizabeth Bishop. Or Ibsen. Or Coco Chanel. I bet she would have a thing or two to teach me.
In a sentence or less, why should we go see this play?
ELIZABETH: If you’ve ever felt attracted to, frustrated with, isolated from, or merely bemused by the opposite sex, I think you’ll very much enjoy this play. And there’s wine during the intermission!
JESSICA: If you want to have a good night out! And are prepared to laugh at yourself a little.
Any Knowledge Commons teaching in your future?
ELIZABETH: Oh most definitely! I’ll be teaching in Malaysia for 10 months starting in January, so probably no more teaching or attending KCDC classes for a while. But the moment I’m back, you can be sure I’ll get involved. I’d also just like to note how wonderful KCDC is. I think the motto that “everyone has something to teach and everyone has something to learn” is really true, and vitally important for all people (but especially those of us in our 20s) to remember.
JESSICA: I would love to teach another class at the Knowledge Commons! I think it is such a cool organization and I sing its praises to almost everyone I meet who lives in the D.C. area. I need time to prepare myself for the honour of teaching another class, but I will definitely be attending classes as often as I can.
Erika Rydberg, a D.C. transplant from the northernly lands of Boston, got involved with Knowledge Commons DC after an awesome experience in a Brookline, Mass., community skillshare during her college days. By day she works at a library and by night she can be found performing poetry, listening to music, or cooking copious amounts of vegetarian food.