BWW Interviews: John Biguenet, Renowned Playwright, Premieres BROOMSTICK at NJ Rep

Broomstick, an original play by John Biguenet, will premiere at the New Jersey Repertory Company in Long Branch. The play will run from September 19th to October 13th with opening night on September 21st.

Biguenet's play is set in a remote cabin deep in the woods in the mountains of Appalachia where an old crone lives alone in her own unique world. As she unveils her life, we journey with her down a shadowy path somewhere between our material world and the realm of fantasy. Wickedly funny and sometimes frightening, the play takes us back to our childhood, when we first wrestled with good and evil. Directed by Suzanne Barabas, Andrea Gallo stars in the one-woman production.

Playwright John Biguenet has received many accolades for his work. He is an O'Henry Award Winner for his short story "Rose," which is in his collection of short stories, The Torturer's Apprentice. Biguenet's impressive writing career includes the novel, Oyster, which received rave reviews from the NY Times, Esquire, Playboy and the Chicago Tribune among others. Among his plays are The Vulgar Soul and the story of a con man on a train, Night Train, which also premiered at New Jersey Repertory,

Biguenet is a resident of New Orleans and a professor of English at Loyola University in his home city. He maintains a teaching schedule in addition to his writing endeavors. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Biguenet crafted three plays about the devastation, Rising Water, Shotgun and Mold; the plays have had over 25 productions and staged readings. Biguenet recognizes that catastrophes have profound effects on relationships and was able to develop this theme in the trilogy.

The art of playwriting has inspired Biguenet to create roles for older actresses whose talents he believes should invite good writing. In fact, Broomstick does just that. He stated, "The subject of the independent older woman became more fascinating to me as I wrote the piece." While it has an emphasis on the condition of a mature woman, the play is comedic. Broomstick has received a standing ovation at every new-play festival where it has been presented, and in response to one of these festival presentations, the local NPR affiliate declared, "Broomstick will sweep you away!"

Biguenet is a fan of New Jersey Repertory. He said it is a "fantastic" theater and commented that it was one of the best theaters in the country to develop a new play. In late August, Biguenet travelled to Long Branch to collaborate with the creative team on the play and was delighted to be able to contribute to the production just prior to its opening. Broomstick has received an impressive distinction from the National New Play Network, being selected for the organization's Continued Life of New Plays Program. The show will be on a rolling world premiere in four venues across the country over the next year, with New Jersey Repertory as the lead theater.

The New Jersey Repertory Theatre is located at 179 Broadway in Long Branch. For tickets to Broomstick, and their other upcoming shows, contact the NJ Rep Box Office at 732-229-3166 or visit www.njrep.org to reserve your seats online.

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