Interview: Playwright Gino Dilorio and THE JAG at NJ Rep 1/12 to 2/12

NJ Rep is proud to present the world premiere of Gino DiIorio's, The Jag, January 12 - February 12. Directed by Brendan Burke, "The Jag" stars Dan Grimaldi, Christopher Daftsios and Estelle Bajou. In The Jag, Seventy-year-old "Chick" Chicarella has one prized possession, a 1967 Jaguar that is in desperate need of repair. When his son, "Bone" suggests that they finish the car and sell it off, old family wounds and failures rise to the surface. Unable to complete the task by themselves, they hire Carla, who is an expert in Jaguars, but woefully lacking in social skills. Together, the three learn some hard lessons about repairing cars and smoothing out life's jagged edges.

Broadwayworld.com had the pleasure of interviewing Gino Dilorio about his career and The Jag.

Dilorio's plays have had productions at theatres all over the US including New Jersey Rep, Luna Stage, Arclight Theatre, Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre, Custom Made Theatre, Urban Stages, Seven Angels, Penguin Rep, The Garter Lane Theatre, and the Virginia Stage Company. He has won a number of awards for his writing including the E. Desmond Lee Playwriting Prize (Reparation), the Julie Harris Award (Darwin at Down), the BBC International Playwriting Prize (Dead Ringer), and the Firehouse Theatre's Great American New Play Award (The Jag). He is a two-time finalist for the prestigious Laurents Hatcher Award as well as the Yale Drama Series. His new play Sam and Dede will receive its NY Premiere at 59E59 Theatre in March of 2017. Dilorio is a Professor of Theatre at Clark University and a member of the Dramatists Guild.

What was your earliest interest in writing?

I wrote plays when I was very young but didn't take it seriously until I was in my 30's. I was an actor for many years and was working with a group that developed new plays, The Turnip Festival Company. I helped produced their 15 minute play festival so I was working with a lot of young playwrights and it just seemed like a natural progression. I'm much happier as a writer than I ever was as an actor.

Who were some of your professional mentors?

I had many mentors but many weren't playwrights. I learned playwriting first from an actor's perspective, if it doesn't work for the actors, it doesn't work. So a lot of different artists have helped me along the way. I was fortunate to work with F. Murray Abraham at Brooklyn College, my good friends Ray Munro and Steven Dirado, both of whom work at Clark University. Gary Garrison from the Dramatists Guild has been a great inspiration. Suzanne and Gabor Barabbas at the New Jersey Rep are theatre royalty to me. All have been very supportive.

What was your inspiration for The Jag?

My late father owned a 66 Jaguar sedan for many years. It sat in the garage and was a project that he worked on from time to time but never completed. Once he suffered a heart attack, he remarked "I can't die, I gotta finish the Jag," and that became kind of a running joke. And then a couple of years before he died, he said something like "maybe it's time to sell the damned thing." And I began think about how we make bargains with ourselves, "I just want to live to see my kid graduate college, or get married, etc." and how we do that with objects too. Kind of a take on "The Last Leaf," once I finish the car, I can go. So the play is riff on that.

How is The Jag unique to other pieces you have written?

I don't know how unique it is. I do have a tendency to put things in plays that make them difficult to produce. I have a play opening at 59 east 59th street in March that features Andre the Giant. (Where the hell are you going to get someone to play him??). My play "Dead Ringer" (also produced at NJ Rep) has a woman on stage who is never seen, she spends the play in a root cellar. And of course in "The Jag" we have a car on stage. So I suppose it has a lot in common with some of my other plays. Most of plays start with a burning question of some kind and I don't think The Jag has that. It's more of a relationship play so in that way, it's unique.

Tell us a little about working with NJ Rep.

New Jersey Rep is one of the greatest theatres in the US. Completely under rated, they're just beginning to get the recognition they deserve. This is a theatre that produces nothing but new works, they nurture writers, they take risks, and they bring the audience along for the ride. They come to readings and workshops and they see the pieces grow and develop. So I've loved working with Gabe and Suzanne. It's a great theatre and I'm very lucky to be associated with them.

What would you like NJ audiences to know about the upcoming show?

It's a show that I think a lot of people can relate to. It's a family play, it's about a difficult relationship between a father and son (Chick and Bone). It's about a young woman with Asperger's (Carla) who has trouble finding her place in the world, who has an easier time dealing with cars and inanimate objects than people. But in the end, they somehow make an easy truce with these troubles and find a way to move on. In a way Chick is everybody's dad, kind of curmudgeonly and stubborn. And Carla is a lot like many of our kids, who see the world a little differently. And then maybe if we open our eyes a bit, we can see the world differently too.

Anything else, absolutely anything you want BWW readers to know!

I hope they can make the show. I'm sure they'll enjoy it. And thanks for reading this interview.

Performances to "The Jag" are Thursdays, Fridays at 8pm; Saturdays at 3pm & 8pm; Sundays at 2pm. A special lecture by the playwright and surprise guests will be held 7pm on Thursday, January 12 and will be followed by the first sneak preview of "The Jag". On Friday, January 13 a wine and desert Meet-And-Greet will follow the performance. Opening night with reception is on Saturday, January 14 at 8pm. Tickets are $46. Opening night with reception tickets are $50. Group and student rates are available to select performances. For tickets call 732-229-3166 or visit them on the web at www.njrep.org.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Gino Dilorio

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