With all the Fringe craziness going on, I was very pleasantly surprised when we were able to catch director Brian Balcom and playwright Trista Baldwin for this week’s FringeFamous Five. Brian and Trista collaborated on the current Fringe show American Sexy.

Give us a feel for American Sexy. Word on the street is that it’s pretty sexually charged.

BRIAN BALCOM: It is. The show is about how technology and culture are changing the way we value ourselves. Things like MySpace and YouTube are changing the game and it feels like we’ve got to go further and be more shocking. It’s about how common it’s become to degrade and exploit ourselves to get the attention we want.

Because of this, it does, at times, have a raw, sexual energy that is sometimes good, sometimes uncomfortable, very real, and also absurd. Our hope is that we’ve created a memorable, visceral experience — even if you feel disgusted by what you see (and at times, you should).

TRISTA BALDWIN: Yes, and what does it mean to be sexually charged? What’s real sexual energy and what is a put on? That’s one of the questions I’m asking.

Was the show put together with the Fringe in mind, or was it ready to go before hand?

TB: I had a version of the play in mind before I wrote it specifically at Brian’s command.

BB: I do enjoy commanding playwrights to do things. It helps that I carry a big stick. Really, the playwrights always have an idea or an outline or a feeling. When Alan Berks and I began working on How to Cheat, all he said was “I want to write a play about happiness”. And Steve Moulds wanted Killer Smile to be about a surprise birthday party. That’s where we began for those shows. Once we got our cast together we started talking, sharing, listening, and building. Only after that did they start writing the script.

Who/What is The New Theatre Group?

BB: The New Theatre Group is just me — there is no core artistic ‘group’. I opened a small business checking account before I thought of the name so I was suddenly pressured into making one up, but I think it’s pretty appropriate. Everything we do is created for the particular group of artists — we cast our shows before the playwright begins and the play is then tailored to/inspired by the actors involved. It creates a unique situation where the actors can really feel like they own the play and their character.

TB: The New Theatre Group goes way beyond Brian, really. It’s a movement.

Have there been any talks of producing American Sexy post-Fringe?

TB: Maybe. Maybe…

BB: I know that Trista’s plan for American Sexy goes beyond the Fringe. I hope she feels that this is a phase of development on its way to becoming a richer, deeper, full-length piece. There’s so much more in it than our 60 minutes allows and we’ve already had to cut it down to its present form. With or without me (or us), I do hope that it goes on.

How did The New Theatre Group and Trista Baldwin connect for this project?

BB: I had been after Trista for a while to do a Fringe show and the schedule never worked out. It was actually luck and good fortune that American Sexy even exists this year — one of her plays got picked up off-Broadway which rearranged her schedule and allowed this to happen. But we had met years ago through mutual friends and that’s the most important ingredient to this particular process. Creating and developing a play is such an intimate process and requires a strong relationship between playwright and director.

TB: I was finally able to succumb to his demands. And I’m glad I did. Even though I’m so Big Time… Seriously, I like writing for specific purposes, and writing/revising in rehearsal. I’m not the kind of playwright that likes to write in my shed and push the script out through a hole in the door. For me, seeing things physically move is great. I’ve gotten a lot of ideas on how to further develop the play in just this last week of rehearsal, and I know more ideas will come as I see it in front of an audience.

Brian Balcom grew up in Minneapolis and has assisted on several shows at The Guthrie, The Jungle, and The Old Globe theaters, and has directed with Pillsbury House’s Chicago Avenue Project, Illusion Theater’s Lighthouse Group, Actors Theatre of Louisville, and Walking Shadow Company.

Trista Baldwin is the recipient of two Jerome Fellowships and a McKnight Advancement Grant. Her work has been developed and produced Off-Broadway and throughout the U.S., and in Japan and Australia. Plays include Forgetting, Sand, Doe, and Patty Red Pants. Trista is an Associated Artist of New Georges, a Core Writer of The Playwrights’ Center, and a founding member of Workhaus Collective.

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