Diversionary’s ‘Ballast’ Navigates Changing Relationships

This is KPBS Midday Edition. I am Maureen Cavanaugh. The new play diversionary has been called ambitious and challenging for the relatively small San Diego theater. It features two different main stories as well as dream sequences. Sometimes with quick transitions between scenes. At its heart the play is a deeply personal story about gender transition in. And the transformation it brings in relationships. The world premiere is the centerpiece for diversionary theaters new spark play Festival. Joining me is Georgia the playwright. Welcome to the program. Thank you so much it is great to be here. Matt is here with me he's the executive artistic director and director of the play. Welcome. This seems like a play that developed from a deep familiarity with the difficulties of gender transition. Ballast is a play that I have been working on since 2012 when I was in grad school. It is sort of the result of one of my mentors Tina Howell who threw the challenge out anyway a play that has never before been seen or that you have never before seen on the American stage. For me this play is one that I have never seen before and it is one that I would have wanted to see and a moment in my life when I was in a relationship with the trans women and it is not about me or about her or about ice specifically but it is about what it means to love somebody when they are undergoing a great change. By help is that that's a relatable story for everyone whether or not they have civics and. Without giving too much away can you give us the basic premise of the play. What are some of the major themes. Beyond transformation which is pretty central spirituality. One of the characters is a pastor and another is also coming to terms with his Jewish face to face so it's about interfaith dialogue in terms of how religion or spirituality can be a help or hindrance and fully becoming who we are as people whether it is about gender or not. It is also very much a play that is set in dreamscapes so the impossible things can be possible in dreams are the impossible things that can be impossible in dreams and how that serves as a metaphor for hours of conscious for what we want for what we fear we can't have. This play I have read is pretty ambitious in terms of directing because it slips in and out of the dream sequences Georgia was just talking about. How did you make them come to life on stage. Seeing a dream on stage is such a unique challenge for our direct. First and foremost you need an amazing design team. I found that Emily Jackowski our sound designer. She is incredible. She created a soundscape to sleep is in and out of the dreams. I also worked with Todd night who's an incredibly talented projection designer. For instance so he is having dreams of flying and taking flying lessons so we are projecting sky all around her and clouds rolling by doing her dreams. For grace her dreams are about her faith and her inability to get back to look at the pulpit. So we are projecting religious iconography around her. I'm also interested in the fact that it confronts a generational divide about sexuality and gender. How is that portrayed. And somebody mentioned that. For me this play is a bit about what I will call the first mentorship were sometimes those of us who are a little bit older learn from those of us that are under. -- Younger. The two of us in the play one in the 30s and 116. 16-year-old's really have a different view on fluidity of identity in part because their identities are still being warned. They are so young. Also because generationally we are adamant interesting moment in America for the younger generation is changing how we see. Gender is changing how we see sexuality. They are a lot more comfortable with in between spaces. Not everything has to be either or. I work a lot with youth. With clear desk where you dashed youth and transient. So that comes up a bit in this piece. The transgendered characters grace and Savior played by transgender actors. George at did you consider that essential to the play. Completely. I think this play should not be done without trans actors in that role. You did a nationwide search for this actors in these roles. I think they are integral to the production success and the authenticity we are lucky enough to find back up in Los Angeles and we found data in the art. We looked all over the place where targeted theater artists and casting directors in Seattle and Chicago and Washington DC and San Francisco. We did a very thorough search to find these two very special unique talented actors.. Tell us a little bit more about this play. This features four staged readings of new place never before seen in San Diego. Is this a new thing. It is something we will be doing every year. As I said at the world premiere. One element of this play is the lack of support for the partner of the person who is transitioning. I would imagine lots of trans people say there is little enough support for them in their journey but I wonder why he felt it was important to the characters always experience whose partners transitioning. One of the goals of the play for me is to create dialogue and you are right there is not enough resource for trans folks and by extension it is not enough resources for the folks who love them and care about them whether they are partners. Her children or even just friends with the people that are trying to be allies but do not have models. I would like to start a conversation about ways for and access to people who do not have experience yet and my hope is that this will provide an opportunity for some identification with the character who is trying to be the best ally that she can and sometimes she feels pretty miserably and sometimes she gets it right and that would lead people to ask how could I be a better ally. It has been going for a few nights. They have just been embracing this new play with love and compassion. The critical response has been really positive as well which is always helpful. I think we are at the beginning of a very exciting and successful run. I've been speaking with George at Kelly and Director Matt Moore. Thank you.