Acorn

Issue date: 2/8/08 Section: Arts and Leisure

Media Credit: Jennifer Toslu Lisa Kron

The Drew University Dorothy Young Center for the Arts Black Box Theatre hummed with excitement this past Sunday as the audience eagerly awaited famed playwright Lisa Kron to walk out onto the stage. Kron is a writer/performer from Michigan who wrote the Broadway play "Well," which received two Tony nominations, and the play "2.5 Minute Ride," which premiered at La Jolla Playhouse in 1996.

She has received acclaim from The New York Times, The Associated Press, The Star-Ledger and Backstage and the Advocate. The play Kron will draft for Drew is about the evils of Verizon customer service, the one call that never drops.

Commenting on a life in the arts, Kron stated that it is "about embracing the not knowing."

This was the running theme of the night as this respected actress and playwright recounted her journey from doing shows in clubs to gaining the success she has today. As a young artist, she joined an off-Broadway performance group, all the while feeling as if she should be preparing headshots and going to auditions. She kept shrugging off this uneasy feeling to pursue what was exciting for her. It was this decision that helped her acquire her current success.

As is characteristic of her work, Kron shared many stories from her life. She recounted how she once tried to encourage a young, struggling artist. She told him that it took her 22 years to get to where she is and to keep persevering because one day he, too, would enjoy success. Thinking that the young man would be inspired by the pep talk, she was taken aback when all he could do was yell in horror, "22 years!?"

Kron also used props to help tell her stories, including a hillbilly kit complete with a fake beard and pipe. Balancing out the humor were Kron's valuable pieces of advice for students. Regarding opportunities, "If someone opens a door, walk through it," Kron said. The most awaited response of the night was her advice for actors who are just starting out. "Do what's interesting to you...Go to what you don't understand but is compelling to you," Kron said.

The students were very enthusiastic about Kron being commissioned to write a play for Drew. "I am really excited that Drew has done this because Lisa's an exceptional artist," Lili Ashman ('10) said. Zachary Kanner ('09) echoes this sentiment. "I think it's a great opportunity," he said. Some students want to follow in the performer/playwright's footsteps, as Jessica Loria ('09) points out with her enthusiastic declaration, "I want to be her!" While he is disappointed that he will not be intimately involved with the partnering of Kron and Drew's Theatre Department, Jason Spadanuta-Costello ('08) is still delighted about the opportunity. "I'm happy that others will benefit from it. It's great for the department," he said.

Theater students are not the only ones excited about this collaboration. Kron herself looks forward to working with a university whose students gain well-rounded knowledge of the theater. "I feel there's a really high level of engagement here...It feels to me there's an attitude here of everyone doing everything," she said.

Who better to team up with the Theatre Department than someone who has indeed done everything in show business from setting up for shows to performing on Broadway? Associate Professor of Theatre Arts, Rosemary McLaughlin said that Kron has been a jack of all trades in the theatre industry and has "made this her life's work." This wonderful opportunity will be a great experience for students and faculty alike.

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