Interview: Michael Marrero & Julio Trinidad Bring New Streaming Play REPAIR to The Studios of Key West's 'StudioWorks'

The Studios of Key West's streaming theater series 'StudioWorks' brings work by theater artists all over the country to at-home audiences. It's most recent streaming production is Michael Marrero and Julio Trinidad's cinematic and theatrical hybrid 'Repair'.

Shot on location at a garage in Corona, Queens, 'Repair' is a dark dramedy that follows the colliding worlds of a driver and mechanic, who are trapped in a closed body shop during a rainstorm. 'Repair' was written by Michael Marrero and Julio Trinidad, directed by Marrero, and stars Trinidad alongside Leon Addison Brown (Drama League Award nominee). Tony Award-winning sound designer Sun Hee Kil composed the score.

StudioWorks productions can be purchased as a package for $35 for the full season all four shows at vimeo.com/ondemand/studioworks. Individual plays can be purchased beginning the day of their release for $10 each. The productions are available to stream for six months from date of purchase.

BroadwayWorld spoke with Michael Marrero and Julio Trinidad about bringing 'Repair' to the screen!

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Your new streaming play, Repair, just debuted via StudioWorks from The Studios of Key West. You wrote this piece together, how did the idea for Repair come about?

Julio: Mike and I are constantly sharing ideas and throwing new material at the wall. In this particular instance, we were at a bar in New York, after a reading of one of Mike's plays at Guild Hall. I brought up this thing called Repair. Which at the time, he was convinced was a short. And sure enough, the more we wrote, the more I felt he might be right. Eventually, we wrote ourselves out of that and into what became this full-length play.

Michael: Julio has acted in several of my other plays and has been one my favorite collaborators, so this was a natural progression. We share a blue collar, down to earth, sense of humor from our respective upbringings. The initial concept was for this to be a short film but then we realized, the two actors, one location, really lent itself to a play. The longer format allowed us to take a deep dive into these two fathers and the impossible decisions they face.

Can you both tell me a little bit about your collaborative writing process?

Julio: Sharing an unpolished draft of any kind can be a sensitive affair. Fortunately, for Mike and I, we share similar views on the matter. The foundation of our process is the principle of the three t's; Trust, Tough, and Truth... We trust each other enough to tough out the grueling stages of feedback to get to the truth of the story.

Michael: For our first pass, we initially each took a character. I was the mechanic and Julio was the driver. From there we created this impossible situation and improvised how it would play out. Once the first draft was done, we each took passes at the full draft. We were probably 10 drafts in before the first read and from there it became a matter of pushing and pulling the thematic elements.

In addition to writing Repair, Michael, you directed it, and Julio, you star in it. What was it like wearing multiple creative hats for this project?

Julio: The world of this hybrid genre presented its own set of challenges which we had to constantly anticipate. As an actor, I find the immersive experience of storytelling to be the most liberating and fruitful, so it was a change of pace for sure- luckily, the prep time prior to shooting did allow for some malleability on set. I was grateful for that. Mike is the more experienced of us with wearing multiple hats. It was definitely a learning curve on my end, which took a bit of adjusting to, but I got the hang of it. This is almost always the case with a small crew- Liz Love, Marisol Demonte, and Brandan Beach (just to name a few) helped maintain a balance of creativity and urgency for the greater good of the project. When dealing with the traveling circus of indie filmmaking, the juggling act of multiple hats is almost a prerequisite.

Michael: When you're writing the sky is the limit, as long as you have the language to convey your intention. Once you put on the director hat it's a big shift. Practicality and compromise enter the picture. You look at the tools you have available and from there you try to make the best show possible. I always like to say direction is 50% managing compromises. Things change, it's the nature of any collaboration. Actors, designers, crew... they all bring their own unique energy to a project. It becomes a push and pull, and more times than not you end up with something better than you imagined. For this particular production of Repair we wanted to create a unique theatrical/film hybrid. We utilized all handheld cameras that often followed the actors on stage. For our "stage" we found a Dominican owned garage deep in Corona, Queens that used to be a World War II era airplane hangar. The audience was comprised of neighborhood locals, many who had never seen a live play before. The neighborhood, in essence, became part of the show.

What has it been like working with The Studios of Key West?

Julio: I am immensely grateful to keep being invited back into that space. They are very welcoming to artists of all walks, as it was in my case. The staff, its members, and community are some of the most supportive folks you'll find around. Great collaborators only matched by their generosity. It sounds like a plug, but they really do have some wonderful exhibits and exhibitions year-round as well. So, if you're ever in Key West, do yourself the favor, and pay a visit.

Michael: I have a long history with The Studios of Key West and they've always been fantastic creative collaborators for both myself and the island of Key West. I've been a studio artist for nearly a decade, so our history goes a ways back and covers multiple projects and I always look forward to working with them.

What do you hope that viewers take away from Repair?

Julio: There are a few themes woven into Repair that Mike and I hope ruminate long after you've watched it. Themes of the 'animal and man' in us. How (with the push of a button) instinct can override rationality. But if I'm being less heady about it; I honestly hope the viewer can leave emotionally invested for the next story. I fear this might come out corny but, I admire storytellers that leave me with that feeling, "I can't wait for the next one." Which is the highest form of flattery one can receive I think. That's how I hope to build a relationship with the audience- that feeling you can't help but be tethered by. I aim to someday earn that trust from an audience.

Michael: I hope this piece challenges the audience assumption of right vs wrong especially in the face of impossible decisions. Is there a moral gray area? Is it just absolutes? If the audience leaves with these questions in their mind, I think we've done our job.

Do you have anything else you'd like to share?

Julio: When making a project as ambitious as this one, often times there's so much red tape involved, it's discouraging to want to continue. But it was an open invitation into the space by The Corona-Queens community, which shifted any doubts. You can't help but have a sense of pride when you see your own community- invested locals showing up during the shoot. Their eagerness to learn the inner workings of theater and filmmaking, visiting behind the scenes created a special dynamic. The whole experience has left an indelible mark on me, no question. A feeling that echoes our vision at 7 Line Pictures, to bring film and theater into new spaces. Which is exciting... Who knows, your community might be next?

Michael: Repair was, hands down, one of the most uniquely challenging and rewarding productions I have been a part of. Our next goal is to have produced live on stage in a traditional theatrical setting.

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