Mardee Bennett is a longtime Baltimore resident, but he spends much of his time working in NoVA’s thriving theater scene. The playwright will workshop the script for his play The Reapers on Woodbrook Avenue at a reading on Dec. 10 as part of SigWorks—an initiative from Arlington’s Signature Theatre that supports aspiring artists in the theater community.
Where did you get the inspiration for your play?
My grandmother passed away, I guess it’s almost been 10 years. After that happened, I just started really thinking about family and history and how so many of us are immigrants or refugees who are living in America. I wanted to tell a story that was really specific to me and my family and my experiences, but I feel like the more specific you make a story about family then the more universal it becomes.
What does an opportunity like SigWorks mean to you?
Theater is really a collaborative art. You can sit in your room, or your apartment, or go to a library and write a play, or you can be in your rehearsal studio by yourself dancing and singing, but the real purpose of at least the theater arts is to collaborate. When you’re in that rehearsal studio with all these talented, experienced actors, sound designers—you sort of feed off of that collaborative energy and start to think of things maybe you’d never thought of before, see things in a different light or a different context.
What are the next steps for your play?
Ultimately, I would love to see it produced, whether it’s by Signature or another theater. But also that’s up to I guess Joe [Calarco] and the artistic director Eric Schaeffer, and if there’s a demand from the audience.
Quick Hits
On performing in NoVA: It’s just that the level of artistry in D.C. and Northern Virginia is sort of unparalleled, at least in this area.
Signature Theatre resume: I did Show Boat the musical in 2009/2010.
Most admired playwright: I love Edward Albee. I’ve just always been inspired by him, read many of his plays, seen a lot of them live.
