South Park Tattoo Shop Becomes Stage For THE TRIP's Latest Production

THIS IS KPBS MIDDAY EDITION ON MAUREEN CAVANAUGH. WHEN SHE KEEPS IT -- WHEN SPEC SHEET -- SHAKESPEARE SAID ALL THE WORLD'S STAGE HE WASN'T CLEARED TO INCLUDE TATTOO SHOPS BUT A SOUTH PARK SET TO PARLOR IS GOING TO BE THE STAGE FOR THE LATEST PRODUCTION BY SAN DIEGO'S THE TRIP THEATER COMPANY. THE TRIP IS AN EXPERIMENTAL THEATER GROUP, THE WRITERS AND ACTORS ARE MOSTLY GRADUATE OF UC SAN DIEGO'S THEATER AND THEN DEPARTMENT. THEY ARE GAINING A GOOD REPUTATION AROUND TOWN FOR INNOVATIVE INTERPRETATIONS OF CLASSIC PLAYS AND UNTRADITIONAL SETTINGS. THIS TIME, THE TRIP IS INTRODUCING A BRAND-NEW WORK CALLED STRAIGHTFORWARDLY REPLACE IN A TIME TO SHOP. JOIN ME ARE JOSH BRODY, DIRECTOR AND COFOUNDER OF THE TRIP THEATER, JOSH, WELCOME TO THE SHOW. THANK YOU FOR HELPING US. EMILY FELDMAN IS A WRITER OF TWO PAGES EXACTLY THE SAME. ONE OF THE THREE PLAYS IN A TATTOO SHOP. EMILY, WELCOME. THANK YOU. JOSH, THREE PLAYS IN A TATTOO SHOP IS PRETTY SELF-EXPLANATORY AS TITLES GO. WHY THE TATTOO SHOP ? SO WE WANTED TO COMMISSION NEW WORKS WRITTEN BY LONG -- YOUNG PLAYWRIGHT, UP-AND-COMING COMPANY DOING IT OF EDITION OF CLASSIC WORK. AND I THINK INITIALLY I THOUGHT ABOUT DOING IN A BARBERSHOP. THE IDEA OF AN AUDIENCE MEMBER BEING CHANGED BY A PERFORMANCE IN A VERY LITERAL WAY WAS EXCITING AND THERE WAS AN INTERESTING OPPORTUNITY HERE TO EXPLORE THE COLLISION BETWEEN THE PERMANENCE OF GETTING A TATTOO AND THE IMPERMANENCE OF PETER. PETER BY DEFINITION IS DIFFERENT EVERY NIGHT. AND WE TEND TO RUN SHOWS FOR A COUPLE OF PERFORMANCES SO WE ARE EXCITED BY THAT OPPORTUNITY. I SHOULD ASK YOU TO EXPLAIN THE FACT THAT SOMEONE IN THE AUDIENCE, PRESELECTED MEMBER WILL ACTUALLY BE GETTING A TATTOO WHILE THIS PRODUCTION IS UNDERWAY. CORRECT. BILL CAN ONLY WHO IS THE AMAZING FOUNDER AND OWNER OF THE SHOP A FULL CIRCLE TATTOO AGREED TO PRO BONO TATTOO -- AUDIENCE MEMBER FOR US AT THE BEGINNING OF EVERY SHOW. SO SOMEONE WILL AFFECT BE HAVING A PERMANENT CHANGE TO THEIR BODY WHILE WE DO THIS IN PERSON EPHEMERAL -- IMPERMANENT EPHEMERAL PETER EXPERIENCE. IS A TATTOO SHOP BURNING FOR POSSIBILITIES FOR PLAYWRIGHT, EMILY ? ABSOLUTELY. I FOUND FULL CIRCLE AS OUR LOCATION FOR THIS PROJECT AND I WALKED IN IMMEDIATELY WAS STRUCK BY HOW THEATRICAL THE SPACE WAS IN GENERAL. THE AUDIENCE THAT SOME PEOPLE BRING TO WATCH THEM GO THROUGH THIS TRANSFORMATION OF GETTING A TATTOO IS REALLY EXCITING SO BRINGING UP TO 20 PEOPLE INTO THE SHOP TO WATCH SOMEONE GET A TATTOO AND TO EXPERIENCE OUR PLACE IS REALLY EXCITING TO ME. WHAT IS YOUR PLAY ABOUT ? MY PLAY IS CALLED TO PIGEONS EXACTLY THE SAME. AND IT'S ABOUT A TATTOO ARTIST WHO REFUTED -- REFUSES TO DO MATCHING TATTOOS ON A COUPLE WHO WALK INTO THE SHOP WANTING TO BE BONDED TO EACH OTHER FOREVER. AND IT'S ABOUT THEIR RELATIONSHIP AND HOW THE RELATIONSHIP CHANGES OVER TIME AND HOW THE RELATIONSHIP TO THE TATTOO ARTIST AND THE TATTOO THAT THEY WANT TO GET CHANGES AS WELL . TELL ME, JOSH WHAT ARE THE OTHER TWO PLAYS ABOUT ? THE FIRST ONE IS CALLED THREE PLAYS IN A TATTOO SHOP. THE SECOND -- THE FOR SECOND ONE THREE BROTHERS AND A TATTOO SHOP ABOUT THREE BROTHERS THAT FIND TO TATTOOS ON THEIR DYING FATHER GOES TO THE TATTOO SHOP TO FIND OUT ABOUT THE ORIGINS AND THE THIRD PLATE EMILY IS IN THE MIDDLE, AND THE THIRD THE EVENING IS CALLED THE BIGGEST THE FORBADE SUMMER AND A PLAY ABOUT A BROTHER PLAY -- TWO BROTHERS MOURNING THE LOSS OF ANOTHER BROTHER WHO OWN THE TATTOO SHOP GOING THROUGH AN ARTISTIC AND LIFESTYLE CRISIS AT THE SAME TIME. A MIX OF DRAMA AND COMEDY, THE THREE PLAYS ? ABSOLUTELY. ALL THREE PLAYS OF A MIX OF DRAMA AND COMEDY. YOU COFOUNDED THE TRIP THEATER IN 2012, JOSH. HOW DO UC SAN DIEGO ALUMNI BUILD THEIR OWN THEATER COMPANY ? WE WERE LIVING TOGETHER WHILE MENTORING THE -- GRAD STUDENT AND HE AND I ENVISIONED THIS WAY OF MAKING A THEATER COMPANY THAT WAS EXPERIMENTAL IN THE SENSE OF IT BEING A PLACE WHERE WE COULD EXPERIMENT THAT WOULD BE A LABORATORY FOR OUR WORK. WE SAYS PEOPLE WANTED TO SEE THE KIND OF WORK. AND IT WOULD ALWAYS BE A PLACE TO COME HOME TO. TOM AND I LOVED LIVING HERE. FREQUENTLY DIRECTORS, AND WE STAYED. SINCE WE LEAVE SAN DIEGO TO FREELANCE, TOM IS JUST GOT BACK FROM ROMANIA DIRECTING A SHOW. SO WE ARE HERE, NOT HERE, AND THE TRIP IS OVER THE PLACE IRONICALLY BECAUSE OF THE NAME, THE TRIP IS A PLACE TO COME HOME TO A MAKE ART WITH PEOPLE WE LOVE AND FOR THE PEOPLE WE LOVE. AND WHERE DOES THE NAME COME FROM ? I WAS AFRAID YOU WERE GOING TO ASK THAT. [ LAUGHTER ] I WISH I HAD A BETTER GENESIS STORY., AND I -- I WAS TAKING A ROAD TRIP BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN THE SECOND AND THIRD YEAR GRAD SCHOOL KICKING AROUND THE FOR SHOW WE WERE GOING TO DO. I SAID HOW ABOUT THE TRIP? I TOOK SOME COOL PICTURES AND I'M -- IT WENT FROM THERE. NOT A BAD -- I WISH IT WAS A GREAT -- WOW, TOM AND I WERE IN THE NEW MEXICAN DESERT AND HAD AN EPIPHANY BUT NOTHING LIKE THAT HAPPENED. WHAT YOU UNDERSTAND EMILY IS THE KIND OF THEATER YOU WANT TO GREAT AS THE TRIP REDUCTION ? I'VE BEEN A FAN OF THE TRIP'S WORK SINCE I MOVED TO SAN DIEGO AND MET JOSH AND TOM AND I CONSCIOUSLY TRY TO WRITE A PLAY THAT WOULD FIT THE STYLE OF THEATER THAT THEY LIKE, WHICH IS ALSO A STYLE THAT I'M VERY INTERESTED IN. IT INCORPORATES A LOT OF PLAY, LITTLE BIT OF DANCE, PRESENTATIONAL STYLE WHERE CHARACTERS ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THEY ARE IN A PLAY AND SPEAKING TO AN AUDIENCE AND I FIND THAT MY WORK HAS BEEN A GOOD AESTHETIC MATCH FOR WHAT JOSH AND TOM ARE INTERESTED IN. THERE'S SOMETHING YOU SEE, JOSH, WHEN YOU ATTEND, ESTABLISH THEATERS AROUND SAN DIEGO. WHAT YOU SEE IS A LOT OF GRAY HAIR. NOT THAT THERE'S ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT, BUT ARE YOU AIMING YOUR PRODUCTIONS TO A DIFFERENT KIND OF AUDIENCE ? YES. I LIKE TO THINK THE PLAYS ARE WELCOMING ACCESSIBLE TO A WIDE RANGE OF PEOPLE WE GET A LOT OF PEOPLE WITH GRAY HAIR. BUT ALSO PARTLY DUE TO OUR CONNECTION WITH THE UNIVERSITY AND PARTLY BECAUSE THESE TEND TO BE FUNKIER COOLER PROJECTS MAYBE OR MAYBE GEARED TOWARDS A YOUNGER AUDIENCE. WE GET A LOT OF STUDENTS AND KNOWN -- YOUNGER PEOPLE. WHAT'S COOL ABOUT THIS IS BECAUSE OF THE LOCATION, THERE IS A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO ARE CLIENTS OF THAT TATTOO SHOP WHO MAY COME SEE THE PLAY JUST BECAUSE THEY GET A HUGE FACT HE'S DONE AND I WOULD LOVE TO SEE A PLAY HERE TOMORROW NIGHT. SO THAT'S EXCITING. EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT PRODUCTIONS AND SHE WANTED TO GIVE A PLAY TOWARDS THE KINDS OF ELEMENTS THAT YOU GUYS GEARED TOWARDS. PLAYFULNESS, ACKNOWLEDGMENT THAT PEOPLE ARE IN THE PLAY MAYBE DANCE INVOLVED. ARE THOSE THE KINDS OF ELEMENTS YOU THINK, JOSH, THE MAKE A THEATER PIECE MORE INVITING TO PEOPLE WHO DON'T NORMALLY GO TO THE THEATER ? I THINK SO. I THINK WE SEE MORE AND MORE BECAUSE WHETHER IT'S THE INTERNET AND YOUTUBE, PEOPLE ARE GRAVITATING TOWARDS EXPERIENCES THAT FEEL VISCERAL OR ENGAGING OR PLAYFUL AND LESS PRECIOUS TO THEM. IN THIS PIECE, I'M IN THIS AS AN Mc SO YOU WILL COME INTO THE PLAY AND I WILL WELCOME YOU AND TALK TO YOU AND HAND OUT SOME BEER AND HANG OUT AND WATCH A PLAY. THOSE ELEMENTS -- PEOPLE ARE TIRED OF FEELING LIKE THE THEATER IS SOMETHING THAT IS GOOD FOR THEM AND THEY SHOULD SIT PATIENTLY AND QUIETLY LISTEN TO. YOU ARE NODDING, EMILY. YES, I THINK THERE IS SOMETHING INVITING AND CASUAL ABOUT A TRIP SHOW THAT PAYING A HIGH TICKET PRICE AND SITTING IN A LARGE THEATER FEELS LIKE MORE A FORMAL EXPERIENCE THAN HOW CLOSE YOU ARE TO THE PERFORMANCE THAT IS HAPPENING WHEN YOU SEE A TRIP SHOW AND HOW MUCH YOU FEEL LIKE A FRIEND OR FAMILY MEMBER OF THE COMPANY. TELUS ABOUT THE TRIP THEATER REINTERPRETED THE CLASSIC GREEK MYTH OF ORPHEUS AND YOU RELEASE -- EURYDICE, I'M SORRY. YOU MAKE THE TRAGIC OPEN UP -- COUPLE INTERNET DATING.. WAS THOMAS YEAR HE'S AN ILLINOIS HERE ON HIS WAY. THIS WAS HIS -- HE DIRECTED THIS AND WROTE THE ADAPTATION OF THE TEXT. ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE MET ONLINE AND SO MANY PEOPLE DO THIS DAY MET IN PERSON BUT CANADIAN THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO SKYPE AND VIDEO CHAT AND MESSAGING AND DECIDED TO GET MARRIED AND MET IN SAN DIEGO FOR THE FIRST TIME. A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE. WE FLEW ACTORS FROM NEW YORK SO SHE WAS ARRIVING TO GET MARRIED TO ORPHEUS IN SAN DIEGO. THERE'S A LOT OF VIDEO AND SOCIAL MEDIA IN THERE. A LOT OF ELEMENTS THAT YOU WOULD NOT NECESSARILY ORDINARILY SEE IN A THEATER PRODUCTION. I WONDER ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT WHERE TO DRAW THE LINE SO THESE PLAYS DO NOT GET GIMMICKY ? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. I THINK AS LONG AS THE CONCEPTS REMAIN FOUNDED IN THE PRINCIPLES WE'RE GOING FOR, AS LONG AS THEY REMAIN WELCOMING AND IT DOESN'T BECOME US TRYING TO TRIGGER AN AUDIENCE RESPONSE IN A MANIPULATIVE WAY, IT FEELS LIKE WE WILL HOPEFULLY AVOID BECOMING GIMMICKY. I DON'T THINK ABOUT THE PLAYS IF YOU CAN DESCRIBE THEM IN ONE SENTENCE, ULTIMATELY I THINK IT'S AN EXPENSIVE AN AUDIENCE COMING IN, SING A STORY AND BEING PRESENT WITH A GROUP OF ACTORS THERE TO DO SOMETHING TO THEM AND TO RECEIVE SOMETHING. EMILY, HAS THE COMPANY BEEN ABLE TO REHEARSE THIS IN THE TATTOO SHOP ? LAST NIGHT I BELIEVE WAS THE FIRST ACTUAL REHEARSAL IN THE TATTOO SHOP. BUT WE HAVE BEEN LUCKY TO BE REHEARSING IN LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE SPACES UP UNTIL THEN. HOW WILL YOU USE THE SHOP, JOSH ? WE DID IT LAST NIGHT, IT TOOK US FOUR HOURS. WE WILL HAVE TO COME SEE. PART OF THE CONCEPT IS WE WILL LEAVE EVERYTHING AS CLOSE TO IT AS FUNCTIONING AS CAN BE. BECAUSE THEY WERE DURING THE DAY, THEY FINISH TATTOOING THAT DAY AT 8 PM. WE START AT 9 PM SO WE LOAD IN AND OUT AND ONE HALF HOUR EVERY NIGHT. THE TRIP IS DESCRIBED IN THE ARTICLES I'VE READ AS AN EXPERIMENTAL THEATER GROUP. I THINK YOU BOTH AGREE. THERE AREN'T MANY EXPERIMENTAL GROUPS IN SAN DIEGO. WHY DO YOU THINK THAT IS, JOSHUA ME START WITH YOU. I THINK THERE ARE A FAIR NUMBER OF EXPERIMENTAL GROUPS IN SAN DIEGO. IT DEPENDS ON WHERE YOU DRAW THE LINE AND WHAT THAT MEANS AND WHETHER IT'S ABOUT SIZE OR STATIC. IT'S DIFFICULT ANY WAY TO RUN AN EXPERIMENTAL THEATER -- THEATER COMPANY ? Y ? BECAUSE THEY ARE EXPERIMENTAL AND THINK OF THE NEGATIVES ASSOCIATED WITH THAT BECAUSE EXPERIMENTS FAIL SOMETIMES. AND THEY THINK THEY WON'T UNDERSTAND IT. BUT THINK IT'S INACCESSIBLE, INSCRUTABLE OR OFFPUTTING. AND WHEN THEY COME SEE THE WORK AND A LOT OF EXPERIMENT OF PEOPLE PEOPLE FIND IT WELCOMING AND ACCESSIBLE AND NOT OFFPUTTING AND CHEAPER. OUR TICKETS ARE $15 WHICH WE LIKE TO THINK IS A DRAW. AND YOU GET FREE TATTOO WITH THAT. IS IT HARD TO PUT ON THESE PRODUCTIONS ? INCREDIBLY HARD YES. THERE ISN'T -- ESPECIALLY WHEN EITHER TOM OR I IS A WAY, IT'S JUST US AND OUR COMPANY. WE DON'T HAVE A STAFF, THERE ISN'T MONEY AND IS A LOT OF LABORS OF LOVE AND SLEEPLESS NIGHTS AND WORKING HARD AND WORTHY BECAUSE THESE ARE -- THERE'S A LINE THAT THESE ARE OUR THESE -- THESE BROKEN THINGS IN THE ATTIC AND NOBODY -- WE LOVE THEM BECAUSE NO ONE ELSE WOULD WILL. IT'S DIFFICULT. IT'S ALSO WORTH IT AND WE ARE SUPPORTED AND GET AMAZING SUPPORT FROM UCSD AND LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE AND BILL CANALES AND HIS TATTOO SHOP. IT TAKES A VILLAGE. PEOPLE HAVE A WONDERFUL. WHAT YOU THINK A GROUP LIKE THE TRIP ADDS TO THE OVERALL THEATER OR ARTISTIC EXPERIENCE IN SAN DIEGO ? I MEAN, WHAT IS THAT WHOLE THAT THE TRIP IS FILLING ? I THINK THE TRIP IS FILLING A HOLE RIGHT NOW -- TECHNICAL TERM MIGHT BE SOMETHING LIKE THE POSTER MEDIC THEATER WHICH WOULD TAKE A LONG TIME TO EXPLAIN. THERE'S A SENSE OF THE TRIP MAKING PRODUCTIONS THAT ARE ACCESSIBLE AND YOU ARE IN THEIR WITH A GROUP OF PEOPLE READY TO TAKE THE JOURNEY WITH YOU. A JOKE THAT HERMAN WILDER SAID ONCE THAT WHILE WE ALWAYS MANAGED TO HAVE A GOOD FIND -- TIME, NO MATTER HOW IT GOES. SOMETHING WITH A LOT IS WE ALWAYS DO MANAGE TO HAVE A GOOD TIME AND AESTHETICALLY, THE AUDIENCE CAN FEEL THAT AND THERE'S LITTLE PRODUCTION IN THAT WAY. I HAVE TO END IT THERE. I WANT EVERYONE TO KNOW THREE PLAYS IN A TATTOO SHOP OPENS THIS THURSDAY, RUNS THIS WEEKEND AND NEXT WEEKEND AT FULL CIRCLE TATTOO SHOP IN SOUTH PARK. I'VE BEEN SPEAKING WITH JOSH BRODIE COFOUNDER OF THE TRIP THEATER AND PLAYWRIGHT EMILY FELDMAN. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU.