La Jolla Playhouse Presents World Premiere Of 'The Last Tiger In Haiti'

This is KPBS Midday Edition. I'm Maureen Cavanaugh. Stories that we've reality with folktales, storytellers who rely on listeners to chime in with responses. Those are the kinds of stories told the mid-the horse backdrop of poverty in the The La Jolla Playhouse world premiere of ,"The Last Tiger in Haiti" . Acclaimed playwright and graduate Jeff Augustin minds his own heritage to bring truth to this mixture of fact and fantasy. Joining me is Jeff Augustin. Welcome to the program. Thanks. Joshua Brody is directing ,"The Last Tiger in Haiti" . The five young characters in your play our restavek. I don't think many people are familiar with that term. Restavek is a form of Haitian indentured servitude. It's all relative because it's Haiti, they will give their children to a cousin or a family friend in hopes that the child would had a chance at education or life. Usually they are just physically abused and used as labor and then kind of kick out when they are 18. Part of the children people are sent to live with others is because of the crushing poverty and Haiti. Years after the earthquake, our condition still bad? Conditions seem to keep getting worse. Most of the aid from foundations and charities have not made their way to the community or two cities. There seems to be some correction -- corruption. Joshua, as I read the synopsis of this play and what's it's about, it seems to move back and forth between fantasy and reality. There are moments that do. The way that we tell stories, there's a large storytelling component in the play. The plate traffics in the way that the theater does, there are contractors in the audience and performance we are entering into someone else's reality. Where do we meet this children? In the story began in 2000 In the story began in 2008, -- it's and Haiti, they are in the shop that they live in. What's the last Tiger referred to? I don't want to spoil it. The last Tiger is the title of one of the stories that is told during the play. Jeff, you talk about the tradition of creek and crack. In Haiti, there are well-known storytellers in every village. It's the same Haitian folklore. If I want to tell a story I say creek if I want to tell it I say crap. -- Crack. A gym happen that way, -- it shouldn't happen that way, does it work itself into your play? There's a great moment where one of the characters -- You are telling these children stories as they are telling their own stories in the play. To the stories belong to the teller or the listener? I think it belongs to both. It was part of my interest in writing this piece, I do think in theater it's a community, we tell stories to heal ourselves and hopefully to your other people. I think it belongs to both the teller and the listener. The way it works in this play, these kids are feeding off of each other and finding strength in each other's stories. Joshua, you both met in grad school at UC San Diego. What is it like working together? Jeff and I have known each other for five years. There's an ease to the work we do together. Jeff is a fantastic collaborator, he goes off sometimes and rights, we talk about the work, mostly it's like coming to work with your best friend every day. It's really easy. I look forward to coming to rehearsal, every day. The actors, some writers do and don't like to take part with the actors, to varying degrees. Jeff jumps in. I'm going to turn it around for you Jeff, what does Joshua was directing bring, to your play? Josh has such a great theatrical vocabulary. My work is sort of muscular and Josh's direction is clean. He has a sense of stillness. Something that can get lost in this play is that kids love each other, they of great need for love and a desire to give love. Josh has such a huge heart, you can feel the love in the room and in the play. Why did you want to tell the story, Jeff? I wanted to tell the story because, I remember reading the New York Times and there was an article about restaveks. I'm shocked that I've never heard of them. I called my mom and she told me it was just another fact about the country. She never partook and neither did our family. I wanted to bring light to it. There's another part of the story about ownership of storytelling or one's narrative. My entire family was born in Haiti, I wasn't. Sometimes I have questions about what right do I have to the stories? Am I getting these stories right? That's partly what I'm investigating in this play. Jeff, a final question, the Tony awards were just this last Sunday. Unlike the Oscars, the 20 words were the most diverse, ever. Is a Haitian American, how does your background in -- form your work? I don't think I would be a storyteller without that. I remember my mother lighting candles, as it kid, taking family time was telling stories with my mom. A lot of it was Haitian folklore, everything can be said with three words. That is him big part of my writing. I became a writer, the first day that I read in the prologue, these are the stories behind the faces we see but never get to know. Going up, I never got to see stories about my community and my mom, it became important for me to tell those stories. I'm so glad you were able to come in and speak with us. I've been speaking with Jeff Augustine author of ,"The Last Tiger in Haiti" and director Joshua Brody. The play opens on June 28 at the La Jolla Playhouse. Be sure to watch KPBS evening edition at 5 and 630 tonight on KPBS television. Join us again tomorrow for a KPBS Midday Edition at noon. If you do ever miss a show check out the midday edition podcast at If you do ever miss a show check out the midday edition podcast@KPBS.org/podcast. I'm Maureen Cavanaugh. Thanks for listening.