Sean Daniels recounts his road from a Mormon upbringing with a rebellious mother to the toast of regional theater, then losing it all and finding his way back in “The White Chip,” a world premiere at City Theatre.
Friday, April 06, 2018
Stage preview: There's no shame in laughter when it comes to 'The White Chip'
Sean Daniels recounts his road from a Mormon upbringing with a rebellious mother to the toast of regional theater, then losing it all and finding his way back in “The White Chip,” a world premiere at City Theatre.
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6 comments:
I've really been intrigued by the lives of Mormon people lately, especially the ones who stray away from a traditional religious Mormon lifestyle. The article points out that everything that is put on stage is true in some capacity. Daniels has a candid way of bringing up the show, that I think can be piercing to watch for an audience member. The question of whether or not the subject matter is uncomfortable for an audience member comes up quite often in the writing and rehearsal process, but I think in this show it should be something that is poise and definitely pointed towards a demographic. Most importantly, I'm glad Daniels is telling a perspective that isn't really told, how to handle religion in the face of drug addiction, a topic that is rather bumpy and highly personal. City Theatre is famous for its world premieres and I'm glad that they are choosing to take on a show thats this fresh and frankly topical.
I think it takes a lot of personal power, integrity, and humor to be able to write a comedic play about your struggles with alcoholism and put it on a stage in front of everyone. Sometimes the best art comes from the darkest parts of yourself, and this show seems like a very honest look at the life of Sean Daniels when he was facing difficulties with alcoholism. It feels as though I have been reading a lot of articles lately about shows being written by a director who has struggled through something dark in the past, and has worked through it in the form of putting on a play about the specific problem in the form of a support group scene. I think this type of theatre that is so personal and specific brings a new, more intimate sentiment to the audience experiencing it. I am all for devised theatre that has this effect, even more so than shows that exist simply to entertain the audience without a greater underlying takeaway.
I agree with Sean Daniels opinion that humor is a necessary thing to have in a crisis. Now obviously I am not a recovering alcoholic, but when I was recovering from two separate surgeries, one on each of my lungs, it was difficult to look on the bright side of things for quite a while. I was stuck in a bed recovering for two weeks after each of the surgeries, and even when I got out I still in a lot of pain, and I wasn’t even able to sit up after lying down by myself for about another full week. I think that looking for the comedic in what would otherwise be tragic is one of the best ways to go forwards. Many times when someone does something stupid or wrong, people say, “Don’t worry too much. In a few years we will look back at this and laugh.” I’m glad that Sean Daniels is able to do this for himself through this play.
"The White Chip" sounds like such an interesting show! I really believe in the idea of using comedy or at the very least light heartedness to get through a crisis or hard moment in your life. Putting a positive spin or even just some laughter and lighter energy into something that can feel bad on the surface level allows you to move through and better understand where the bad moment is coming from, and I think that it is great that there is material being produced with this outlook, especially on such an intense topic like alcoholism. The idea that Sean Daniels brings up about not wanting to focus on shame is another lesson that I think everyone should learn. Shame trips people up from being honest with themselves and the people around them, and I think that this is such an interesting human emotion and issue to write a play about. I hope that this show does well, and that I have a chance to see it!
"The White Chip" reminds me a lot of the article from last week about the new play "Shooter", and the one modeled around a group sex addiction therapy meeting. More and more theatrical productions seem to be popping up that, unlike some of the current Broadway hits or the general stereotype of theater as fluffy and glitzy and made to look good but not have any substance, try to deal with big political and social issues of our time that are a lot more serious. This play especially I think is super important in the social aspect, and in opening up discussions about a real problem that is often taboo to discuss publicly or to acknowledge, or even played off as a joke in TV shows and movies or used as a stereotype. This issue is a real one, and one that needs this attention. I think they way they are dealing with it is really interesting, too. By using comedy but not making the issue a joke, they put the audience at ease and lower their guard but still prompt them to think about the issues at hand and what the show is saying.
I believe in this guy’s philosophy. I think, since there are a million different types of people are affected by alcoholism, there should obviously be more than one approach to take when trying to beat it. It is true, I have not seen many plays that address alcoholism, or any similarly serious problems, for that matter, primarily with comedy. The main point of the show is always brought to the foreground through some upsetting and tragic event that affects the main character or characters. I would love to see more theatre that dealt with these issues through comedy. These shows would obviously have to be written by someone who has gone through, witnessed, or been affected by alcoholism, in order for the comedic elements to be productive and not harmful. I hope that all those who need this show will get a chance to see it, and I hope it successfully does what the playwright intends.
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