The Ivy Substation
presents
Clarinda Ross
July 10, 2016
Q: How did you first hear about the Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival (LAWTF)?
A: "When I first arrived in Los Angeles I saw an
ad in Backstage West calling for submissions. I responded and was
accepted. I believe that was 1995."
Q: How has being a part of LAWTF impacted your life
and your performing career?
A: "I’ve been active with the Festival for over twenty
years now as a performer, a teacher, and a student. I’ve taken Adilah’s
workshops several times."
 |
| Clarinda Ross as her grandmother, Willie Sue |
A: "The friendships and the support network that have grown out of my
participation. You always get more than you give at LAWTF. We are about
lifting up women’s voices, women’s stories; which is great, because we
have a lot to say."
Q: What advice would you give for someone just
starting out in the performing arts industry, with regards to seeking out
opportunities like LAWTF to further their careers?
A: "Just show up to workshops,
come to the performances, volunteer. Adilah Barnes is always looking for talented
interns and work trades. So just show up and offer to help. No
doubt you will learn something."
Q: Are there any moments in your LAWTF experience
that you are certain you will never forget?
A: "Yes, once we did a show at the Barnsdall Gallery Theatre on
Hollywood Blvd. My grandmother Willie Sue Tanksley was alive then, living in
rural Georgia I used to call her every Sunday like clockwork. That day I
performed an except from 'Grandmother', her character Willie Sue, in this gorgeous space, the Barnsdall... I called
her as drove home to Santa Monica and said, “The audience really liked you
Grandmother,” and that tickled her; that in a way she was live onstage in
Hollywood, California. That is one very positive thing about LAWTF, we
always perform in great spaces around the city."
Q: How has LAWTF helped you promote your show
further?
A: "Yes, definitely. My first play, 'From My Grandmother's Grandmother Unto Me' had toured extensively in the Southeast but when I moved to LA to focus on
TV/film work I ceased touring that show, but over the years I’ve performed
segments for LAWTF. It was a great way for me to keep the show fresh. This
year is the 30th Anniversary (of) my first performance of the play and marked that
anniversary with a sold out run in Atlanta, my old stomping ground. So
that was pretty cool."
Q: What was your inspiration for your solo show
(the one you are performing at the Ivy Substation)?
A: "My mother Charlotte is a
folklorist, she studied with Joseph Campbell in the 1980’s and the show is
based on her stories as well as interviews with her mother my grandmother
Willie Sue Tanksley. So I am from a family of big talkers and I had a director, and producer, David Thomas, who had a vision of creating a storytelling play.
This was in the 1980’s and yuppies were all the rage. People were moving
to the cities in droves and leaving the rural areas. I had grown men and
women tell me they didn’t know their grandmother’s first name, let alone the
details of their stories. So, I like to think I was a small part of
getting people interested in their own heritage, years ahead of
ancestry.com."
 |
| Clarinda Ross as her mother, Charlotte |
Q: Any advice on what it takes to create a solo
show and suggestions for someone embarking on their first solo show?
A: "Have a
burning story to tell, something that matters. My best wisdom is this: in
the specific lives the universal. Tell your story. Tell it true. If you do
that, it will become everyone’s story. So it goes beyond you and your
experience and it affects the audience and becomes a gift to them. They can
identify a place where they can see and reflect on their own lives. And
just very practically, the old adage "he who represents himself in court has a
fool for lawyer..." I believe... "she who directs herself onstage..." fill in that
blank. I would never ever attempt a solo play without a trusted director. Adilah and the Board members are all mothers and grandmothers so
there is this feeling that as an artist you are cared for and your work is
honored and respected, not just because they give us nice theatres, and they
pay us, (but yes I think that is important) but it is more than
that. It’s because there’s true care and consideration. For instance, there’s always water some fruit or a ‘thank you’ note or a gift bag. Just
those tiny touches that say to an artist 'you matter', 'care about you', and 'thanks for playing with us.'"
"...a simple story, beautifully told." - Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"Ross is a master storyteller and part of the vigorous revitalization of that art form." - LA Weekly
For more reviews: www.clarindaross.com/grandmother-reviews.html
Click here for a synopsis of Clarinda Ross' play.
No comments:
Post a Comment