Posted by Flashbulb Member Michael Malanga

I have a chinchilla.

His name is Ghostface Chilla. Named after Ghostface Killah of the Wu Tang Clan. The Wu Tang Clan is a group of rappers amalgamated from various boroughs of New York City. The Flashbulb Project is an amalgamation of international theater artists, based in New York City. This group of actors; with some working as directors or designers, are all passionate storytellers. I like to think we are the theatrical equivalent to The Wu. Admittedly, with far less street cred.

Our group of theatrical dream-weavers has begun to pull together the pieces of a fully realized production. As December 5^th steadily approaches, more pieces are falling into place and it has become one of the most exciting experiences thus far in my own time as an actor and practitioner of all things theatrical. It is, without any doubt in my mind, crucial to fall in love with whatever story you are telling. If you weren’t in love with it then why would you bother to tell the story over and over again?? I have always wanted to perform this piece but I fell in love with this play all over again last night. We had our first run through. It wasnt for anyone other than cast and creative. It was fun. It was messy. It was a truthful and committed first stumble through.

There was nothing more exciting than seeing the entire cast in one room, thriving off the energy of each other performing. The bravery of this ensemble inspires me. Happy accidents occurred, and we all lived the given circumstances in the moment, in a way that made us laugh and cry at the same time. Our goal as an ensemble is to illuminate moments that are undeniably human, be it pain and suffering, or joy and ecstasy. We all know these things can walk the line with one another all too easily. Sam Shepard has given us a conduit, with which we can explore just how closely pain and elation mingle. I am thrilled to be presenting this play so soon, in a space I love, and with an ensemble that cares deeply about the story being told.

My chinchilla is pretty excited – I hope you are too!
ALSO, check out the final artwork for our show: