Come up to the Lab

Steve Peirick

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The theatre has been pretty good to St. Louis actor and playwright Steve Peirick lately. As an actor, he's gotten good reviews in roles as diverse as Fr. Flynn in John Patrick Shanley's Doubt at Kirkwood Theatre Guild, Joe Pitt in Tony Kushner's Angels in America at Stray Dog, Dorian in the local premiere of Opus at West End Players Guild, and Mrs. Forrest in Charles Busch's Psycho Beach Party at Stray Dog. As a playwright, he's seen his one-acts produced in nine states as well as at the 2012 St. Lou Fringe Festival. His full-length comedy Wake Up, Cameron Dobbs has been produced by both West End (where it copped a St. Louis Theatre Circle Award nomination for Outstanding New Play) and Meramec Community College. This weekend he's going for the hat trick.

This Thursday through Saturday (August 22-24) Mr. Peirick will add to his acting and writing credits by making his directorial debut with Complicated Lives, an evening of four of his one-act plays produced by Stray Dog Theatre as part of their New Works Lab project. The plays are are “The Dock,” “Peeping,” “On Solid Ground,” and “Tangled Mess.” The cast consists of Sarajane Alverson, Colleen M. Backer, Betsy Bowman, Nancy Crouse, Kate Frisina-White, Jan Meyer, Nancy Nigh, Katie Puglisi, Antonio Rodriguez, and Eric White.

Directing one's own work is often regarded as a risky proposition, but Mr. Peirick thinks the pluses far outweigh the minuses. "There are many ways a playwright can benefit from directing his/her own script," he notes, "especially when you’re working with an exceptional cast."

"Each actor has helped me shaped my vision of each of these short works. When a line didn’t make sense for an actor, we were able to discuss it and fix it immediately. If there were questions about something not feeling comfortable for an actor while in character, we were able to tackle it right then and there. I think I proved to be a good resource for my cast and, in turn, they have helped me grow as an artist."

According to Stray Dog's web site, artistic growth is what the New Works Lab is all about. In New Works Lab projects, "the audience, performers and writer all take part in the play development process. The writer creates the script, actors translate the page to the stage and audience members exchange immediate and uncensored reaction to the play, providing all with insight. Playwrights with a unique vision, innovative subject matter, and diverse perspectives are thus given a voice—which otherwise might never be afforded to them in the contemporary world of performing arts."

I can attest to the value of that, having appeared in two New Works Lab projects in the past: Richard Kelly's Mischief Moon and Joël Henning Doty's Dispersion. In both cases the experience was rewarding for actors and audience alike. The post-show talk-back sessions are especially interesting in that they give the audience a chance to get a look backstage at the acting and play writing process. The talk-back sessions for Complicated Lives will be hosted Mr. Peirick and Gary F. Bell, Stray Dog Theatre's Artistic Director.

I asked Mr. Peirick what the biggest challenge was to directing his own plays. His reply: "being open to change. There’s an old joke that I’ve seen resurface lately on Facebook: How many playwrights does it take to change a light bulb? Answer: I’m not changing anything! But it’s important to be open to hearing the feedback of those you collaborate with and your audiences."

Want to be part of that collaboration? You'll be happy to hear that tickets to all New Works Lab shows are free (although Stray Dog hopes you'll make a donation to help defray costs), but it's a good idea to reserve them in advance at brownpapertickets.com to make sure you get a seat. Parking in Stray Dog's lot is also free and there will be drinks and goodies to tempt you in their lobby. Performances are Thursday through Saturday at 8 PM.