You Better Sit Down: Salon Night Episode 3

Our play at The Flea Theater in April of this year, You Better Sit Down: Tales from My Parents' Divorce, was presented with a bunch of post-show Salon Nights. This podcast episode features original material that was created for those events. Mia Kaitgbak performs a monologue written by Jon Kern from an interview he did with his own mother, who is a divorce lawyer. Next up is a talk-back with the cast: Matt Maher, Caitlin Miller, Jennifer R. Morris, and Robbie Collier Sublett, who discuss what it was like to create the play and interview their own parents about the often sensitive topic of divorce. Then The Flea's Resident Acting Company, The Bats, perform live audience and online responses to the question, Was there an object in your or your parents' divorce that was highly contested? And last, Sam Bisbee performs a song he wrote.

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You Better Sit Down Salon Night, Part II

A talk-back with the cast of You Better Sit Down: Tales from My Parents' Divorce kicks off this week's episode. The show, which recently completed its New York premiere at the Flea Theater, featured actors Matt Maher, Caitlin Miller, Jennifer R. Morris, and Robbie Collier Sublett, who all interviewed their parents, and each plays his or her own parent (or parents). In the talk-back, they discuss the process of creating the show, talking about these topics with their parents, and their parents' reactions to the show. Then, The Flea Theater's resident acting company, The Bats, presents a short piece created from online and live audience responses that they put together during You Better Sit Down and performed after the play on the same night. Next is a monologue crafted from responses by our R&D Group artist Mia Rovegno and performed by Associate Artist Dan Domingues. The episode closes out with a song written and performed by Matt Berger.

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You Better Sit Down Salon Night, Part I

You Better Sit Down: Tales from My Parents' Divorce recently had its world premiere at The Flea Theater in New York. After the performances, the company presented a series of Salon Nights, in which artists created new monologues or songs from audience responses, online comments, and interviews. This podcast features some of that material. First up, is a new monologue by New Yorker scribe Michael Schulman, performed by Michael and his sister Alyssa Schulman, for which he interviewed their grandmother about a divorce that they didn't know that she had. Then Kamara Thomas sings a song called "Onions" that she wrote about a break-up. Lastly, Jason Grote (one of our R&D Group writers and a staff writer on Smash) and his writing partner Marisa Michelson present an original song crafted from online responses performed by Marisa.

TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE LET ME ASCERTAIN YOU PODCAST SERIES ON ITUNES, PLEASE CLICK HERE!

YOU BETTER SIT DOWN: Salon Night Video

Our critically-acclaimed show You Better Sit Down: Tales From My Parents’ Divorce is entering its final weekend of performances at the Flea. Get tickets HERE if you don't have them yet!

Take a look at some of the innovative ancillary programming we’ve been pairing with the work!

Here, New Yorker scribe Michael Schulman performs his glamorous grandmother Doris, shedding light on divorce in an earlier generation:

And watch Marisa Michelson sing an original song that she and our R&D Artist Jason Grote wrote about the objects that are lost at sea in the raging storms of the heart:

And for those of you who are looking for blue-skies in your love life, follow this courting advice:

This cartoon and the accompanying song are both original creations inspired by the show!

YOU BETTER SIT DOWN: Question 4

As we move into the last week of performances of You Better Sit Down: Tales from My Parents' Divorce, we have one final question for you!

What songs or music were you listening to during your divorce or break-up?

These responses feed our Salon Nights, where artists create all new monologues, songs, and scenes from both online and live audience answers to our questions. 

Join us for one of our remaining Salon Nights:

4/28: The Bats
5/5: The Civilians' Associate Artists

And the deals continue:
4/26 and 5/2: Code TWOFER for 2 for 1 tickets
Next Tuesday: Pay What You Can
Saturday Matinees: All Tickets $10

Plus, with this week's question, we'll put together a special Divorce playlist!

YOU BETTER SIT DOWN: Question 3

For the past two weeks, we've been asking questions about your divorce or break-up in connection with You Better Sit Down: Tales from My Parents' Divorce. We've been getting fantastic responses HERE and HERE, so check those out! This week's question is:

Was there a habit you picked up while going through or after your divorce or break-up?

Beverly, one of the characters in the show, says that she started going to the movies a lot. Did you start jogging? - start eating something unusual? - start collecting something? Let us know in the comments! All contributors will be entered to win a FREE ticket to the show!

Your responses will be integrated into a You Better Sit Down Salon Night, where an artist or group of artists will be creating some all-new material that will be performed after the show on a Wednesday or Saturday night! Upcoming writers include Jason Grote (staff writer for Smash), Jon Kern (staff writer for The Simpsons), and Michael Schulman (writer for The New Yorker). Here's a clip from this past Wednesday's Salon Night, where the Flea's resident acting company, The Bats, crafted this using material generated THAT NIGHT from the live audience!



So leave us a comment and get entered to win a FREE ticket! Plus, next Wednesday, April 25 has a 2 for 1 deal with code TWOFER (that you can also use next Thursday, April 26) or come for a Pay-What-You-Can Tuesday show or a $10 Saturday matinee!

PURCHASE TICKETS HERE! 

YOU BETTER SIT DOWN: Question #2

For the run of You Better Sit Down: Tales from My Parents' Divorce at The Flea Theater (our show in which four of our artists asked their parents about their parents' divorces, and play their parents in the verbatim conversations), we are asking a question every week, and your responses will inspire what we do in our post-show Salon Nights. The first post-show event is this Saturday, April 14. Last week's questions got some amazing responses  - see them HERE.

This week's question is:

Where were you when you told the kids about the split and what was their reaction? 

For those who aren't divorced, let us know where and how you told your close friends about a break-up!

This was a question that the artists in the show asked their parents. Here's a clip of the answers they got:



Get your tickets to the show HERE!

TALES FROM MY PARENTS' DIVORCE Apprentice Show: Cake on Passover?!

Tales from My Parents' Divorce is going strong at ArtsEmerson! The show is getting some fantastic feedback. Check out this awesome video of audience responses, plus a few snippets from the show! For tickets to the remaining shows, click HERE!


Plus, here's another clip from the Apprentice Show made this summer by apprentices at Williamstown Theater Festival when the show was there. The apprentices conducted their own interviews about home and holidays: this one is about what can happen when a cake comes into the house on Passover - probably not what you'd expect!

Happy Valentine's Day from The Civilians!

Here are what a few of our shows have to say about the relevant, contemporary topic of this week - which is to say, love!

From YOU BETTER SIT DOWN Tales from my parents' divorce:

So I guess the main question is – why do people fall in and out of love?  Why is one second children are in the middle of a stable family, and the next moment, you know… you’re driving up to a vacation in Maine, right?  (laughs)  And you know, who is this dark-haired woman sitting next to you… Dad? 

As far as your Mom goes, there are two separate possible explanations, as far as I can see, and I don’t know which it was, really… either she fell out of love with me, or she just wanted to fuck other guys, you know?  (Laughs)

From PARIS COMMUNE:

I always will love, the cherries of spring,

The season which leaves a hole in my heart,

A wound that is never healed.

And all that may be by Fortune revealed

It never will soothe the grief in my soul.

I always will love the cherries of spring,

And think of the hole I guard in my heart.

From (I AM) NOBODY'S LUNCH:
I mean I’m not sure just hearing about things is real. The radio sings about love, for instance, but love’s something you have to experience for yourself to know it… That’s true. Or at least I think that’s true!

YOU BETTER SIT DOWN at Sarah Lawrence

The creators of and performers in YOU BETTER SIT DOWN: Tales from my parents' divorce (Matthew Maher, Caitlin Miller, Jenny Morris, and Robbie Collier Sublett) were at Sarah Lawrence College for a presentation of the play this past weekend! Jenny Morris went up there two weeks ago to teach some classes wherein students conducted their own interviews with each other, friends, and parents about what a home is. They asked questions like:

What is the difference between a house and a home?

How do you feel about wall-to-wall carpeting?

If your house caught on fire, what objects would you try to rescue?

- and lots more. They made their own short play, which they performed as a second act to YOU BETTER SIT DOWN! Here's an excerpt from the students' presentation:

Rory enters, repeating his “First Thing I Do When I Get Home Gesture.” Then Jesse enters, does the same. Followed by Lydian, Followed by Tina, Followed by Calder. They keep repeating as the others speak.

Rory: Take off my shoes…I can’t really relax till I’ve taken off my shoes…I come in and I take everything off, really—I mean, my outer layers--and I go sit on the couch for a minute….

Jesse: I check to see if my family is home first. Because if they're home I can't relax. But if they're gone, then I can relax and just be myself. If my mom is home, I'm always afraid that she's mad at me about something. But if they're all gone then I can breathe.

Lydian: First thing I do when I get home? I go to the fridge. See what’s in the fridge. And then I feel ashamed.

Tina: Usually the first thing I do is take of my bra.  Then I take of my shoes, and socks. And then I take off my pants. I enjoy a pants-free lifestyle when no one is watching.

Congratulations to the students and YOU BETTER SIT DOWN's creators/performers on a great presentation of wonderful investigations!

And if you haven't seen the clips from YOU BETTER SIT DOWN, check them out on WNYC's Culture Page HERE!

Welcome!

This is The Civilians' company-wide blog, where you can find out about The Civilians' many projects and investigations about real-life topics. For older posts, you can check out our Individual Show Blogs:
Brooklyn At Eye Level (Atlantic Yards Investigation, 2008)
Pretty Filthy (must be over 18 years old)
The Great Immensity (Princeton Residency, 2009-2010)
YOU BETTER SIT DOWN (with WNYC)
And you can always find more info at www.thecivilians.org.

Please comment and let us know your thoughts. Ask us questions, voice your opinion, give us feedback. Nothing that The Civilians does is a one-sided conversation, and blogging is certainly no exception, so don't be a stranger!

Thanks for visiting!