Interview: Playwright Boni B. Alvarez Making APARTMENT LIVING Appealing For Pandemic Times

Skylight Theatre Company and Playwrights' Arena join creative forces to present their second world premiere offering, Boni B. Alvarez' APARTMENT LIVING opening March 12, 2022, live at the Skylight Theatre. Jon Lawrence Rivera directs the cast of Gabriel Leyva, Geri-Nikole Love, Charrell Mack, Gigette Reyes, Andrew Russel and Rachel Sorsa. I had the opportunity to field a few queries to Boni on APARTMENT LIVING and his previous relationships with Skylight and Playwrights' Arena.

Thank you for taking the time for this interview, Boni!

When and where did APARTMENT LIVING begin its germination?

Playwrights' Arena commissioned the play in May of 2020, through the generosity of one of the theater's supporters David Román. The only stipulation was that the play had to address the pandemic.

Was there a particular person or incident that inspired the creation of APARTMENT LIVING?

It was hard figuring out what I wanted to write about specifically. The pandemic was - and still is - not something that evoked any type of joy. And when I began writing, we were right in the throes of it, so there was no distance from it in which to assess or reflect.

What would your three-line pitch of APARTMENT LIVING be?

Neighbors in an intimate Los Angeles apartment building are forced to navigate increasingly tighter quarters. What happens when your home no longer provides safety? And those closest to you no longer provide comfort?

Your plays have been produced at a number of Los Angeles theatres. What made you pick Skylight to world premiere APARTMENT LIVING?

Playwrights' Arena shared the play with Skylight Theatre Company as a possible co-production, and when the two companies decided last year to work together for a whole season partnership the play was chosen to be one of the four world premieres for their 2021/2022 season. This will be my second production with Skylight, the first being AMERICA ADJACENT in 2019.

Is this just the second time Playwrights' Arena's Jon Lawrence Rivera has directed one of your shows (the other being BLOODLETTING)?

This will be the fifth play of mine that Jon directs. Our first collaboration was my first production ever RUBY, TRAGICALLY ROTUND.

How involved in the pre-production of your premieres do you allow yourself to be?

I weigh in on choosing the director and casting. Other than that, I'm not involved. I'm usually pretty busy with trying to get the script rehearsal-ready.

When does your scripts become set in stone? After workshop read? Post-dress rehearsal? After the first public performance?

I'm always revising throughout rehearsal and into previews. Then, I leave it alone after opening. But I don't think of my scripts as ever being set in stone. They can always be improved upon.

What have you been working on in Skylight Theatre Company's SkyLab?

A new play about the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair in which the most popular attraction was a 'living exhibit' of the Philippines meant to showcase America's imperial prowess. Over 1,000 Filipinos were shipped in for the world to ogle.

Did you master the new communication tool of Zoom during our long lockdown?

Not really. I always feel like technology masters us. I have a like/hate relationship with Zoom. It allowed me to teach remotely and therefore earn a living. It made artistic collaboration beyond our local circles easier. But inevitably, interacting via screen isn't ideal for teaching or making theater, and it's exhausting.

What did you do to keep creatively sane during those months? Zooming your plays? Remotely teaching your students at USC School of Dramatic Arts? Writing some new work?

I was fortunate to receive some great writing opportunities. I did A LOT of writing, not all of it inspired. In fact, I'd say most of it wasn't. Pandemic made my writing very labored. There was a feeling of 'why am I writing this play'? It seemed like theaters opening back up was a faraway fantasy. But due to our pandemic friend, Zoom, I was able to keep artistically active with writers' groups, workshops, and readings.

What's in the near future for Boni B. Alvarez?

More writing. More teaching. Hopefully more productions.

Thank you again, Boni! I look forward to checking out your APARTMENT LIVING.

For tickets to the live performances of APARTMENT LIVING through April 24, 2022; log onto www.skylighttix.com

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