Do You Party?
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SYNOPSIS
College freshman Abby thinks she’s going out to eat with a friend from class and her friend’s sister. This is exciting for Abby, who is desperate for a community. It quickly becomes clear that she may only be there as a potential Mary Kay recruit. How much is belonging really worth?
PLAYWRIGHT’S BIO
Megan Rivkin is a playwright and director from Lincolnshire, IL. She is currently developing a new musical with Caleb Martin-Rosenthal, Caleb Needs A Kidney. Recent credits include Timmy (dir. Miles Sternfeld, Columbia), babybird (Providence Fringe), We’re Here (dir. Catalina Beltrán, Harrisburg Fringe), We’re Here (LakeHouseRanchDotPDF), Heard You Were Leaving (dir. Sam Gibbs, Columbia), The Circle (dir. Miguel Bregante, Columbia) and Outdoor Bird (dir. Lila Marooney, Northwestern). In addition, Megan produces outdoor, immersive and audio projects through Wednesday Nights Company. MFA Columbia 2024.
A BIT ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
When did you start writing plays? If you had a moment where you realized you wanted to write, what was it?
I participated in the Trinity/La MaMa program in the Fall of 2018, which is an incredible semester-long program run by Trinity College where we took workshops in everything from puppetry with Loco7 Dance Puppet Theatre to Moment Work with Tectonic Theatre Project. We also got to see a performance almost every night. I took a playwriting class with Bryan Quick and wrote my first full-length play, We’re Here, inspired by the different experimental theatre classes.
How did you come to write your OOB play? Was there a particular inspiration behind its creation? How has it developed?
Do You Party? was originally presented as a site-specific work in a collaboration class at Columbia. We were curious about how the embarrassing nature of being pitched an MLM in public, especially when the pitch involves preying on physical insecurities, would come across to other restaurant patrons who didn’t know that the performers were actors putting on a play. I tried to write the dialogue to sound like real people talking using lots of overlap and “likes.” Since that performance, I’ve been finding the balance between maintaining the hyper-naturalistic dialogue style and making sure the play feels theatrical and cohesive.
What are five words that describe who you are as a playwright?
Curious, romantic, skeptical, compassionate, comedic.
What/who are some of the major influences on your writing?
Lately, I’ve been inspired by true stories featured in podcasts about scams and catfishing. I consume a lot of anti-MLM content. I was also influenced by the perspectives of my professors and cohort, as well as Will Eno when I worked with him as my mentor at Columbia.
What’s one fact someone would never guess about you?
I could, at one point, eat gluten.
What are some of your favorite plays?
There are too many! But some current favorites that I’ve been thinking a lot about lately are Gloria by Branden Jacobs Jenkins, Stop Kiss by Diana Son and Late, A Cowboy Song by Sarah Ruhl. A brand new favorite is Three Houses by Dave Malloy.
Any new projects you’re working on or shameless plugs?
I’m bringing a new play, Bar Play, to Providence Fringe this summer with Wednesday Nights. We’re performing on July 26th and 27th. If you’re in Providence, definitely stop by 🙂
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