Mango trees and fathers link two works
Posted at 12:00 AM on Sunday, May. 02, 2010
When Marcel Nunis, a Fresno playwright and producer, was what he calls a “young runt” in theater, he always sought the biggest possible venues for his shows.
Over the years, however, he has come to prefer smaller spaces. “The limitations in an intimate theater actually force performers to be more creative and theatrical,” he says. “It’s how to do more with less to engage an audience.”
He gets his wish for a smaller space — and, man, is it small — with his new production of “Pho for the Soul,” which opens May 6 at the Broken Leg Stage, a new 50-seat theater in the Tower District. Nunis is resurrecting his Rogue Festival one-man show “Lies My Father Told Me,” which is one half of the program. KP Phagnasay will also perform in another one-man show titled “Tales of Laos.” I caught up with Nunis via e-mail to talk about the upcoming performance:
Question: Is there a thematic connection between your show and Phagnasay’s?
Answer: Mango trees. Both shows have a tale about mango trees. That and the fact that both of us lost our fathers at a young age. I hate analyzing, but I suppose both shows celebrate our fathers’ connections to our lives through the oral traditions we grew up with. Both the form and stories are rich legacies they left us even though their time with us was limited. I suppose we are both trying to say “Pay attention … you are richer than you think you are.”
How did “Pho for the Soul” come about?
Three words: persistence, opportunity and economics. Over the last year KP and his wife, Brandy (among several other friends), had been trying to woo me back into theater. I had pretty much given up everything three years earlier to care for my mother, who passed last summer.
KP told me about an idea he was putting together — something he wanted to develop as a possible touring show. He asked if I had anything in my stash of shows to share the bill with to round out the evening. “Lies My Father Told Me” seemed like the perfect fit. It would also provide the perfect opportunity for me to “fix” certain things in the show. I also agreed because if we did decent box office it would help with my mortgage payments.
Tell us about the evolution of “Lies My Father Told Me.”
Over the years, I shared many of these tales with my friends … usually over drinks and food. John Masier is one of those friends who always thought several would work great on stage or screen. When I started blogging five years ago, I posted several of them there. My small cadre of readers loved them. When the 2006 Rogue was coming up, I finally decided to commit and string a few of them together for a show.
The initial challenge was to pick the right ones, which I could weave together forming some sort of an arc. Then I brought John into the mix thinking I could develop the show for him to perform. He simply said, “These are your stories … you need to tell them.” In that instant he went from performer to director. This necessitated swapping out a couple of stories for different ones. Thus this show was born.
Give us a brief bio about yourself.
I was born and bred in Malaysia, where I dabbled a bit in theatre. Arrived in Fresno at the age of 21 to attend Fresno State as a journalism major. A year later I switched to theater. I cut my teeth as a playwright as one of two playwrights-in-residence at the former Children’s Playhouse. Since then I have produced, directed, and even acted (something I rarely do) for various outfits in and around the Fresno area.
Your thoughts on the Broken Leg Stage?
It’s an exciting addition to the local scene. I for one am hoping the success of the space will spawn more such spaces and raise the proliferation of theater and performance here in Fresno.
We are also introducing and experimenting with “Pay What You Want” shows for our Thursday night performances. If our first weekend does well enough … we may add an extra weekend to the show.
As an added bonus (and another experiment), [local band] Suicide Lounge will be hosting “Pay What You Want” performance after parties right after our shows on Saturdays. Get there early or buy advance tickets.
If you go
* What: “Pho for the Soul”
* When: 7:55 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays through May 15
* Where: Broken Leg Stage, 1470 N. Van Ness Ave.
* Tickets: $11 (Thursdays are “pay what you want”)
* Details: (559) 222-0674, kpactorsgym.com