Film and play maker Joshua Crone returns to New York with a stage/film hybrid that pushes the envelope… WASHED IN THE BLOOD is a stage/film hybrid piece about a school shooter and some unlikely targets. The shooter singles out a teenage evangelist, a juvenile delinquent, and a youth pastor with a shady past in this dark parable. Presented after the Easter holiday, WASHED IN THE BLOOD explores a perpetrator of one of the 21st century’s most shocking and now-prevalent crimes. Based on fact and eye-witness accounts, Crone’s play offers audiences a tour through the mind of a victim-turned-shooter.

Winner, Encore Producer’s Award at the 2016 Hollywood Fringe Festival. “A tightly-wound piece that packs considerable emotion into its brief run time.” – Kurt Gardner, ArtsBeatLA.

The NuBox Theater at John DeSotelle Studio – 754 9th Ave, New York City
ONE WEEK ONLY: Friday, April 26 @ 8 pm, Saturday, April 27 @ 3 & 8 pm, and Sunday, April 28 @ 3 & 8 pm – Tickets: $25/$15 (https://washedtheplay.brownpapertickets.com/)

We spoke with live performers of the piece, Daniel Saulle and Alec Nevin, who play Keith and Kevin respectively.

Why are you doing this piece?

DANIEL: I always jump at the chance of doing new works especially when the playwright is involved with the process.  It is such a unique experience to get to work with the writer, you are able to get such a deeper level of understanding of the material and although we aren’t the first iteration of this piece to exist, I found this to be such a collaborative experience between us and Josh in finding who these characters are and what this story is really about.  This past year I found myself doing a lot of comedy and farce, which I really do love, but it was so nice to get the opportunity to dive into something intense and topical and gritty.

ALEC: This piece and its characters center around teens and the characters remind me of the childlike nature we all have when we are younger. They are sensitive, clumsy, silly and human. I think as we grow older, we lose some of that and I wanted to regain a sense of myself that I felt I lost.

 

 

Do you find that your work level or responsibility changes when doing something so topical and important?

DANIEL: My work level didn’t change in the way that I approached the material or the way that I explored during the rehearsal process.  It is a very topical and important issue, but my job as an actor is to live in the world of the play and to tell my character’s story.  I approached this material in the same way that I would approach a comedic play or even a musical.  The subject matter is something that I have personal opinions on and feel very strongly about, but I don’t let that change my work ethic or the way in which I inhabit my character.

ALEC: I take every project I do seriously. I do, however, think that this play deals with topics that need to be continuously addressed.

What do you want the audience to walk away thinking/feeling/doing from this?

DANIEL: I hope audience members are able to make the real-world connection with our piece.  Our characters are fictional, and their personal stories may be as well, but this show does not live in a theatrical vacuum.  The issues that they face are very real and are happening in our society right now.  Hopefully we can provoke thoughts and start a conversation.

ALEC: I hope to soften the audience’s heart and bring light to topics that need to be discussed. This I hope will help to evoke change.

What’s next for you?

DANIEL: The million-dollar question.  Next, I continue working my survival job as an ice cream man and get back to the audition grind.

ALEC: I have some fun projects coming up! I hope to bring with me a better understanding of myself that I have discovered through the privilege of playing this role.

Tim Palmer, assistant director (and understudy, playing Keith Sunday at 3 pm) also weighed in on these thoughts

Initially when I read the play, I became very attached to the story, the characters and the journey they went on. But more so now as we have worked on it more, about the underlying tones of the play and the message it’s to deliver. I feel a responsibility to show the human behind the character and how such tragic events, such as a shooting, can drastically affect/change someone’s life. Because of the fact the gun violence is still so prevalent today and political climate, with innocent people’s lives being ruined. I feel that it is especially important for us as the cast to present this play and these characters with honesty and integrity, to be sensitive to the subject but not shy away from it. I hope the audience comes out with a different perspective on this especially the fact that the play deals with such things as religious violence, gun violence, free thought individuality and good vs evil.

Featured in the cast: