Hometown:
Amy: Maplewood, New Jersey.
Bricken: Santa Clara, California.
Education:
Amy: Currently enrolled in Hunter College's MFA program.
Bricken: Santa Clara University, National Shakespeare Conservatory and RADA
Favorite Credits:
Amy: Being an Aunt to two amazing nephews. That role is far more incredible than anything else I've experienced.
Bricken: After Amy's answer anything I said would sound selfish.
Why theater?:
Amy: I'm a natural born Drama Queen so putting that internal drama on the stage is thrilling. I also love the conversation good theatre creates which is so important. Seeing live performances and being able to discuss with each other after is a true gift.
Bricken: There was no stopping it. My mom says when I was born I lifted my head up and posed for the cameras. My dad was a photographer and artist so I was born with a Paparazzi. Tell us about Sisters Grimm: Fables of the Stage:
Bricken: It is a comedy in two "fables". Both with one foot in children's "grimm" like story telling and one foot in the theater world. Plus, music. So it is a musical comedy extravaganza.
What inspired you to create Sisters Grimm: Fables of the Stage?:
Amy: Bricken and I both had these quirky little short plays that we've talked about putting together for an evening of shorts. She came up with the idea to submit to the Frigid Festival which I was very grateful for. My work has become a bit darker over the years, and Jack and the Giant shows my lighter fun side which might surprise some people. Bricken's piece, Pointy the Starfish, is a hilarious look at what goes on behind the scenes of a children's theatre production. The plays complement each other and make a really solid evening of theatre.
What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?:
Amy: I'm inspired by other artists I've had the good fortune of collaborating with throughout the years. I'm always in awe of the wonderful theatre that grows in the Indie Theatre Scene and the true passion behind it. My fellow MFA classmates keep me on my toes and help me grow on a daily basis. All theatre speaks to me in one way or another. I respect the work behind any production because I can totally relate to the blood sweat and tears of self-producing. It's hard work, but oh so worth it when you can just sit back and enjoy the ride.
Bricken: I love good political or social satire. I love that theater can be a tool to change how people thing about things. I'm also a big believer in following the yes and see where it leads you. It has taken me all over from Shakespeare to solo work to collaboration. I always find it a worth while journey.
If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?:
Amy: I would love to work with Moises Kaufman and the Tectonic Theatre Company. A girl can dream.
Bricken: French and Saunders. Tina Fey and Amy Poehlar
What show have you recommended to your friends?:
Amy: I really loved Tribes at the Barrow Street Theatre.
Bricken: I really liked Dispatches from (A)mended America by the Epic Theater Ensemble. A fantastic look into America's reaction to electing Obama using interviews taken by the actors of real people and folding it into a terrific narrative and exploration.
Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?:
Amy: I'm not sure who would play me in a movie but when I first started working at my day job in 2002- I was the receptionist and the move "Secretary" had just come out. Candidates would come into the office and tell me I looked like Maggie Gyllenhall from that movie. I would politely say, thank you, until I watched the movie and discovered she was having a sadomasochistic relationship with her employer. Ha.
Bricken: Hands down Laura Linney! Though I wish I had Claire Danes Hair. So Laura Linney with Claire's hair in Home Land.
What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?:
Amy: People Magazine. Or as I like to call it "The People".
Bricken: "America's Next Top Model". Thought the last season was very weird. I love smizing.
If you weren’t working in theater, you would be ____?:
Amy: working in an Ice Cream Store on a remote beach somewhere. Hmm. Actually that doesn't sound like such a bad plan.
Bricken: Retire to a condo on the beach and work on my tan.
What’s up next?:
Amy: I have a reading of my new play victor at the end of February at Hunter College. It involves a Giant Mouse. Should be interesting.
Bricken: I will be directing Gregor Of Berlin. "A tragicomedy, both with absurdly big laughs and heart-breaking poignance, arrogance and sorrow, as various segments come together to spin the tale of his journey from Berlin to Paris to NYC." The title is a a bit longer. But I dont' want to give everything away now. It is a new piece from Gregory Levine.
