‘The Self-Isolated Artist’ Series: Rachel Lynett
Joe Szekeres, Supervisory Toronto Critic
First, a thank you to OnStage Blog publisher, Chris Peterson, for allowing me the opportunity to interview Rachel Lynett.
I’ve never met Rachel but had the opportunity to peruse her website, her theatre website, and the artist statement for which she stands. I applaud you, Rachel, for allowing all North Americans to hear and to listen to your voice and to the voices of the women about whom you write.
Rachel is a queer Afro-Latinx playwright who writes dark comedies about complex, complicated women of colour. In her artist statement, she writes, “These women are neither saints nor villains; they’re eternally both. These women are intelligent, blistered, and, most importantly, real…who struggle with the complicated idea of what it means to be a woman today and the layered complexity that adds to their various dilemmas in the American landscape.”
Rachel attended the University of Notre Dame for undergrad in a double major in Theatre and Gender Studies, and then attended the University of Arkansas for grad school and an MFA in Theatre.
We’ve just past the four-month mark now of the medical pandemic. Here in Ontario, Canada, various cities in the province are moving into Stage 3. In what stage are you at this time? How have you been faring? How has your immediate family been doing during this time?
I’m living in Madison, WI and I’m honestly not sure what stage we’re in. It’s hard to keep track of everything because it feels like things are changing daily. I think we’re on phase 3 but restaurants are starting to close again, and cases are rising. Everything feels like it’s continually shifting.
I’ve been a mix of really great and not great which I think is a sentiment many people are feeling. Especially for the US, it’s not just the pandemic. It’s social and racial unrest happening simultaneously so this feels like a time of great change, a call to action while also trying to fight a pandemic with no strong leadership. It’s felt like a challenge to take whatever power back that we can but that can also be really draining, especially for people of color. So, on one side of it, I started a theatre company, Rachel Lynett Theatre Company, but on the other end, I was furloughed at work and had to get creative about how to pay rent while also participating in protests as much I’m able. It’s been a lot all at once.
My family, who mostly lives in Los Angeles, CA, has been okay. We had a couple of scares with COVID, but my family members have thankfully recovered.
As a performer, what has been the most difficult and challenging for you professionally and personally?
It’s been really difficult to stay motivated and hopeful when I’m not sure what our industry will look like in the next couple of months. In the next year, really. How do you plan for anything with so much uncertainty? I worry about what theatre will look like in 2021 and how we’ll move forward from and who will get left behind and that affects me personally because I wasn’t being produced by the “big” theatres but more so regionally. It really is the up and downs that I struggle with.
I started quarantine writing 5 full-length plays and now I’m struggling to edit a play I’ve been commissioned to write. I don’t think I was emotionally prepared for how long we’d be isolated. I also live alone (with my cat) and, as an extrovert who is inspired by others, it’s been hard to keep finding new sources of inspiration in isolation. I’ve had to really challenge myself to stretch my imagination while also dealing with intense loneliness.
Rachel Lynett
Were you in preparation, rehearsals, or any planning stages of productions before everything was shut down? What has become of those projects? Will they see the light of day anytime soon?
I was supposed to have 5 world premieres this year and only 2 of them have been postponed. The others were canceled. It’s been a hard hit to lose what should’ve been a really incredible year for my career. Coming into 2020, I was like “This is my moment. I’ll finally have enough momentum to really launch my career” and then the pandemic happened.
The bright side is it’s also challenged me to make more opportunities for myself, to launch myself. When I saw everything shutting down, I wanted to be proactive and make sure my work kept getting produced. But also, I wanted to give actors, especially those from marginalized communities, a chance to keep working. I wanted to uplift the voices of womxn of color and queer artists, and so I started Rachel Lynett Theatre Company.
What have you been doing to keep yourself busy during this time?
In June, I started the company but I’ve also felt busier now than I did before the pandemic. This week, I had four readings of four different plays by different theatre companies. Since the pandemic, there have been so many virtual readings of my plays by other theatre companies, it’s kind of incredible.
It feels like the pandemic, in general, has challenged us as theatre artists to be much more proactive about reaching out to artists who are outside of our networks. To people who aren’t in our immediate circles and I hope that continues even after the pandemic.
Any words of wisdom or advice you might /could give to fellow performers and colleagues? What message would you deliver to recent theatre school graduates who have now been set free into this unknown and uncertainty given the fact live theaters and studios might be closed for 1 ½ - 2 years?
My advice is to find ways to build community at this time. Theatre for so long has been about “who you know” and now people are searching to meet people outside of their networks so now really feels like the time to reach out to those “impossible to get into” theatre companies and just introduce yourself and your work. Many professionals are using this time to take a pause and have the time to take advantage of that.
I feel like when theatre comes fully back, we’ll remember the people who were proactive when it wasn’t. Instead of getting stuck in the heartbreaking reality of not being able to do what we love the way we love, it’s definitely a really hopeful time for me. It’s a time, at least in American Theatre, where we’re calling out primarily white institutions and demanding justice and equity. Now’s the time to be on the metaphorical frontlines and reaching out to other artists.
Do you see anything positive stemming from COVID 19?
I do! I think COVID-19 has challenged artists to take their power back and to take more control of how our art is released out into the world. I think it’s challenged us to question what’s “safe” and what’s not. For so long at least for me, my thought process was always, “well I don’t have a space so I can’t do my own shows” but moving virtually has radically changed the way I look at what I can and can’t do. And I think a lot of artists are having this same moment. I expect a renaissance of sorts to happen very soon. We’re going to see a lot of people reclaiming what it means to be an artist and I’m really excited about that.
Do you think COVID 19 will have some lasting impact on the North American performing arts scene?
I hope so. I hope we remember how to build a community outside of the people directly in front of us, that we remember how to be inclusive and lead with equity, and that we remember how much we’ve learned about our art form and how to expand it.
Some artists have turned to YouTube and online streaming to showcase their work. What are your comments and thoughts about streaming? Is this something that the actor/theatre may have to utilize going forward into the unknown?
I love it! I’m able to see shows I would’ve never been able to see otherwise. For Rachel Lynett Theatre Company, our current season is all virtual. I think it’s also given theatres more incentive to produce new work that works best with minimal production elements while still in development.
One really cool thing we’re doing at RLTC is promising that all of our plays are brand new, as in so brand new that our audience is the first audience to see each of the plays. The plays are so brand new in fact that half the season isn’t written yet. I tend to write 12 full-length plays a year so it’s been a fun challenge on my end. I am just now starting what will be our October play. It’s really cool to say “this is brand new” and to see audiences get excited about title releases and be the first to experience something that’s usually reserved for closed table readings.
I think since we’ve moved virtually, we’ve been able to look behind the proverbial curtain and see how theatre is made and the various moving parts. I don’t know that actors or theatre will have to utilize it. I think it’s a choice. There are some people who are adamantly against it and I understand the reasons why. Personally, I’ve never liked “theatre magic” because I’ve always wanted people to know what it takes to get to Hamilton, what it takes to get to Slave Play so I love that we can be open with development through virtual performance. And I think it’s a strong choice to embrace that but it’s not for everyone.
Despite all this fraught tension and confusion, what is it about performing that Covid will never destroy for you?
Connecting with other artists. I came to theatre because I was looking for community and I think theatre artists will always find ways to work together, no matter what.
As a respectful acknowledgment to ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ and the late James Lipton here are the ten questions he used to ask his guests:
What is your favourite word?
Ricochet
What is your least favourite word?
Resilient (This is new. I used to love this word, but I don’t like how it’s been used to justify abuse)
What turns you on?
Witnessing or experiencing a spark of connection
What turns you off?
Blame, abuse, and injustice
What sound or noise do you love?
A solo piano
What sound or noise bothers you?
I’m not a big fan of loud noises in general, but excessive banging or explosions really get to me because they trigger an anxiety response.
What is your favourite curse word? What is your least favourite curse word?
I love, love saying fuck. It’s truly a gift. I’m not a big fan of motherfucker though.
Other than your own, what other career profession could you see yourself doing?
It’s hard to think of me doing anything else but I like to joke I’d make a really good cult leader.
What career choice could you not see yourself doing?
I could never do anything that would explicitly hurt people and so many other careers involve some element of choosing between lesser evils. I also could never be a doctor or nurse because I don’t do well with blood.
If Heaven exists, what do you hope God will say to you as you approach the Pearly Gates?
“You were so brave. Welcome home.”
Rachel Lynett’s headshot credit: Kat Wilson Photo. You can learn more about the Rachel Lynett Theatre Company at rachellynetttheatrecompany.org. Rachel’s website: www.rachellynett.com.