Interview: Director, L.A. Mars of GROSS INDECENCY: THE THREE TRIALS OF OSCAR WILDE at Nutley Little Theatre

Nutley Little Theatre presents Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, written by Moises Kaufman and directed by L.A. Mars. The show will be on stage from February 10th to February 25th.

Gross Indecency: the Three Trials of Oscar Wilde by Moises Kaufman tells the story of Oscar Wilde's public outing and downfall, orchestrated by his partner's father, the British crown, and his own hubris. What begins as a libel case against the Marquess of Queensberry becomes the trial of the (19th) century.

Written in 1997 by the founder of the Tectonic Theater Project, Gross Indecency uses courtroom testimony, Wilde's own literature, and the writing of his peers and friends to explore his fall from grace for exhibiting queerness at the height of Victorian complacency and repression. It is a stunning work of theatre, an Off-Broadway smash, and a recipient of the Lambda Literary Award. It is a piece as relevant today as it was during its inception and holds a mirror up to the resurgence of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and legislation.

I had the honor of interviewing L.A Mars who is directing the show.

Please tell us about yourself.
Sure! My name is L.A. and I use they/them pronouns. I'm 28, and I live in Bloomfield, NJ. I've worked in some form of entertainment for most of my career, though that experience varies from video editing for editorial brands to directing new work for companies breaking into NYC theatre. In my (admittedly very limited) off-hours, I can be found playing D&D, homebrewing beer, or hiking. Sometimes, I even sleep.

We'd like to know about your involvement in theater.

I'm a director and stage manager, amongst other things. I was trained initially in film at Drexel University and graduated with a B.S. in Media Production, though I began working in theatre shortly after graduating from college. Nutley Little Theatre is where I started outside of a university setting, so it's become a home for me. I've since directed Off-Off Broadway in NYC and domestic and international Fringe Festivals. I was recently elected as Co-Artistic Director of the Wolfsmouth Players Company, and I'm currently studying under Seth Barrish at The Barrow Group. Honestly, as long as I'm doing something theatre-based, I'm happy--just don't make me act!

What inspired you to direct this piece?

Before reading Gross Indecency, I was, of course, familiar with Tectonic's biggest title--The Laramie Project. The script was suggested to me as reference material for developing a different play, Effigy. While that show took a much different turn, I fell in love with Kaufman's Gross Indecency: the Three Trials of Oscar Wilde. While I've wanted to stage it for a few years now, I'm glad that everything worked out for February 2023; the show is particularly prescient at the moment, as legislation across the US is, once again, turning against queerness and transness. An actor I've worked with consistently over the past few years admitted that they were going to take some time off and skip auditioning for Gross Indecency--and then the Colorado Springs nightclub shooting happened just before our auditions, and they changed their mind. Throughout the audition and rehearsal process, I've been blown away by how much the piece touches everyone working on it. I think that's a hallmark of great theatre.

What do you want your audiences to take away from this show?

Well, there's a lot of complexity here. I'm not a Wilde apologist by any means, but he's shaped the Western idea of queerness for the past century. I want audiences to empathize with him, to want change, and to leave the theatre demanding it. I believe wholeheartedly that art should be used as a vehicle for change, and Gross Indecency is a good case study for this concept.

Since we started working on this show, six new anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in New Jersey alone, and the ACLU is tracking 184 bills across the nation. The FBI indicated that crimes against LGBTQ and transgender individuals are on the rise. and the National Crime Victimization Survey revealed that these crimes are vastly underreported. And none of this takes into consideration the self-harm and suicide committed by LGBTQ and transgender individuals. All of this is to say: the events of Gross Indecency are not relics of a bygone era. There remain lives to be saved and work to be done--and I hope that audiences leave Gross Indecency inspired to make change in the world. Even if it's just a shift in their own thinking, that's incredible. That's what I want to do with all of my work, and what I'm lucky enough to be able to pursue.

Are there any upcoming projects you will be working on after this? (Directing, acting, etc.)

I'll have a showcase at The Barrow Group in early summer, though the final dates/content is yet to be determined. With Wolfsmouth, there's a lot of work to be done; we're in the early stages of preparing our flagship show, Effigy, for an industry-only reading, and another show, Minutemen, may be featured at another Fringe show in July. Anyone interested in updates can subscribe to Wolfsmouth Players Company at www.wolfsmouthpc.com.

Winter is also submission season, so I'm working on applications for the 2023-24 season! My roster of selections varies for different venues, but I can say it's a mix of new work, small musicals, and almost every Stoppard play I've ever read.

Is there anything additional you would like to add for our readers?

I am so, profoundly proud of my cast and crew. They're all amazing, and I couldn't ask for a better team. My stage manager, Erin Sabat, is a powerhouse. The love story between Oscar and Bosie, while not the ultimate focus of the piece, is beautiful. The performances alone make it a masterpiece, so Gross Indecency is not a show to miss.

How can people buy tickets to this show?

All Nutley Little Theatre tickets are purchasable through this link: www.showtix4u.com/events/22421. After Gross Indecency is done, tickets will be up for the next NLT production, so I would recommend visiting the site regardless of when you're reading this article! We've also made a shortened URL, which you can remember easily and share with friends: bit.ly/wilde-nlt.

Plus, you should subscribe to Nutley Little Theatre at www.nutleylittletheatre.com! You can find NLT on Instagram (@nutleylittletheatrenj) and Facebook (@nutleylittletheatre). Membership is cheap and helps support local theatre! One-time donations are accepted through PayPal, GoFundMe, and Venmo. Playbill ad space and season sponsorships are also available through NLT's website.

The cast includes:

Laura Anthony, Jessi Baden, Frank Bläuer, Ginny Crooks, Aaron Drill, Scott Guzzo, Ray Hoffman, Patrick Little, Sohailla Mahjour, Sky Nelson, Camille Rhoden, Bob Russell, and Frankie Spear.

The crew includes:

Steve Crooks, Brianna Gallina, Ciara Helber, Kelly Maher, L.A. Mars, Erin Sabat, Joe Thayer.

Image credit: Stephen Crooks

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