May Jasper: Playwright / Producer

  

May Jasper: Playwritht / Producer

What did you want to be when you grew up?
An actor

What did you become?
A call centre operator. And a playwright/producer.

What's your official title?
Co-founder, Producer and Playwright for SNAFU Theatre.

What's your background - how did you end up here?
This background is going to have to go pretty far back. When I was four years old I met Sam Wilson, who is now the Director and other Co-Founder of SNAFU. She and I were at the same primary school, the same high school, and then went to Melbourne University and did a Bachelor of Creative Arts. During our second year I turned to her one day and said, “Seriously, are you following me?” She denied everything, and so we decided to form a theatre company which would be dedicated to producing our own original work. Over the next seven years I wrote four and a half plays, and produced three and a half of them for SNAFU (Love, Coincidence 2002, Death’s Variety Hour 2005, Month of Sundays 2007 and The Dead Air 2009, which was co-written by Sam). The other play, Speaking, is currently in production at La Mama for the 2009 Fringe Festival.

How would you describe your work to a complete stranger?
Playwrighting is the laborious process of transcribing the endless conversations that I have each day, with myself, in my head.

Producing like running any other small business, but with the ever-present acceptance that you are selling a product which, in your estimation, should be worth a lot, but somehow will never make you quite enough to live on.

What's the first thing career related you usually do each day?
Depends on the day. If it’s a playwrighting day, I’ll open my notebook, read over the script thus far, sigh, and then check my email to try and find a distraction from working. If it’s a producing day I’ll open my notebook, read my previous to do list, write anything that wasn’t done on a new list, sigh, and then check my email to try and find a distraction from working. If it’s a call centre day then I just sigh, and plan elaborate, Agatha Christie style murders in my head.

Can you describe an "average" working day for you?
Not really. It depends a lot on what stage a show is at. I could be writing a script, going to a rehearsal, planning a fundraising event, writing a press release, shopping for a venue, bumping in, or just sitting around getting more and more nervous before an evening performance. Even as I write this I’m subliminally grinding my teeth because it’s the opening night of Speaking tonight, and its going to be fabulous, but it’s also completely out of my control. All I can do now is wait six hours, then walk over to La Mama, buy a glass of red wine and take my seat.

Who or what in the arts world most inspires you?
I work pretty hard, but I have so many friends who work harder. They grab at every opportunity, they are constantly writing, auditioning, directing, hassling people, finding money, working long hours for no pay. They are my inspiration, because just when I think I’m doing well I look up ahead and see them, always moving forward, gaining ground, and realize how much more is possible. Maybe one day I’ll catch up to them. Then I can tackle them to the ground, cuff their hands and feet, and head butt them til they stop moving.

Everyone needs a dream.

What's the toughest challenge you've dealt with on the job?
Venues always seem to present the toughest challenges. SNAFU has gotten into the habit of using cheap and atypical theatre spaces, which look great on the budget but cause headaches in reality. For instance, there was one SNAFU show was set in England during the winter of 1943. Unfortunately the play was staged in Melbourne during the spring of 2008 which had a sudden and inexplicable run of 40 degree days. The characters were wearing fur coats, and my venue had no air conditioning. Heat exhaustion is definitely a challenge.

Even better than that was the venue with the leaky roof. Which leaked through the lighting grid. And onto the stage. Challenging.

What's the best piece of advice you were ever given for your career?
This is a very cliché story, sorry. I wrote my first play, and I wasn’t sure what to do with it. I sent it off to lots of people to read, and they gave me lots of helpful ideas for the script, but none at all about getting it performed. One day I was talking about the script with my friend John. I described the story to him, and he seemed interested.

I said, “Would you like to read it?” and he said “No.” I was a little hurt.

He said, “Just do it.”

And I said, “What?”

“Do it,” he said, “produce it yourself. I don’t need to read it. I mean, you like it, right? You think it’s good?”
And I honestly hadn’t realized it was that simple.

Of course, I hate that ‘just do it’ is my best advice ever. But just because it’s the slogan for an evil multinational corporation, doesn’t mean it’s not true.

What are the top three skills you need in your particular role?
Creativity, organisation, and thoroughness

What's the best thing about your job?
Creating something that didn’t exist before.

And the worst?
Grinding your teeth for six hours straight before opening night. Also the constant need for self promotion (Speaking at La Mama, September 23 – October 11, check Melbourne Fringe guide for details)

And if you had to sum your working life in a word or phrase, what would it be?
Tiring, trying and fabulous.

SPEAKING
written by: May Jasper
directed by: Phil Roberts
performed by: Lauren Bailey, Adam Cass and Kellie Fernando/Bird

At La Mama, 205 Faraday Street, Carlton as part of the 2009 Melbourne Fringe Festival

Opening: Wednesday September 23, 2009 at 6.30pm
Weds, Frids and Suns at 6.30pm,
Thurs and Sats at 8.30pm
until Sunday October 11
*- no performance Thurs September 24
Duration: 70 minutes approx.
Tickets: $25 / $12 (conc.)