Interview: Winifred Storms Talks New Play SNOWFLAKE'S CHANCE IN HELL At Post-industrial Productions

So, here's a play idea:

"Three young 'millennials' are trapped in an endless Zoom meeting with a chaotic "host", who tasks them with solving a hellish problem. Pitted against each other, a conservative, Trump-loving Texan, a superficial Instagram influencer, and a non-binary Ivy League graduate can find no exit to their salvation. This thought-provoking and laughter-inducing comedy will appeal equally to fans of The Good Place and existential French theatre and hilariously remind you that hell is other people...on Zoom."

Catch your interest? Does me!

That's Playwright Winifred Storms wonderful new Play that'll keep your interest and keep you thinking.

It's that good kind of thinking. Not the kind that gives you a headache ... and I heard "thinking" is really good at a Theater!

Let's talk to Ms. Storms,

MCL: Tell all of us a little about your Theater life?

WS: I graduated with my MFA in Fiction Writing from Florida Atlantic University where I focused mainly on short stories but also explored other written mediums such as poetry and playwriting. When I returned to Buffalo after living in Florida for over a decade and a half, I was delighted to discover a vibrant theatre community had blossomed during that time. However, it wasn't until I began writing Our Dearly Depetted about an eclectic pet bereavement support group that I began to truly explore playwriting. I thought I was working on a book about this subject but soon realized the voices weren't fitting into a traditional written narrative. This "book" turned into pages and pages of dialogue. Serendipitously, at the same time, I had reunited with local celebrity playwright and fellow Ithaca College alumn Jon Elston who advertised on his FB page about how Road Less Traveled Productions was seeking applications for the upcoming Manny Fried New Playwright Workshop which he would be leading. After getting accepted into that cohort, I met other local playwrights such as Donna Hoke and Rosa Fernandez. Since then, I've been writing more and more 10 minute plays which have been featured at the Buffalo Science Museum, Burchfield Penny, Buffalo Writer's Theater, Alleyway Theater, and Post-Industrial Productions. This is my first foray into a full-length since Our Dearly Depetted.

MCL: I started this off with a "little" teaser about your new Play.

WS: A Snowflake's Chance in Hell is streaming from September 17th- October 10th. It is a comedy but was heavily inspired by the existential French play No Exit. Many people do not realize that the line "Hell is Other People" originated from this play. When I was teaching high school a few years ago, I read this with my class. What spoke to me wasn't the three "main" characters trapped in a gaudy hotel room selected specifically to torture each other for eternity, it was the "secondary" character, the earnest, hardworking, public-facing Valet who's trying to do his best at his soul-sucking customer service-based job. Honestly, I've always had a penchant for books which take a secondary character (like The Song of Achilles and Circe by Madeline Miller) and give them a stage to tell their story. That's why I wrote A Snowflake's Chance in Hell, which originally was going to be called No Exit 2: Hellacious Boogaloo, but the director liked the other title better.

MCL: What do you want the audience to feel at the end of this Play?

WS: At the end of the play, I want the audience to be inspired to discuss the play and its topics explored throughout: sexism, classism, racism, ageism, and any other -isms I may have forgotten. It's a comedy that delves into many timely and problematic societal topics prevalent in this post-pandemic era.

MCL: Where can we see this?

WS: A Snowflake's Chance in Hell will be available through streaming video from September 17th- October 10th. Purchase a ticket and watch it wherever, whenever you want. Tickets and information are available through the Post-Industrial Theatre website: www.piptheatre.com

MCL: I know you're always Writing ... What's next?

WS: What's next? I'm taking Our Dearly Depetted and turning it into a musical! Stay tuned!

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

A Snowflake's Chance in Hell will be available through streaming video from September 17th- October 10th. Purchase a ticket and watch it wherever, whenever you want.

Tickets and information are available through the Post-Industrial Theatre website: www.piptheatre.com

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