White Horse Theater Company will be presenting the West Coast Premiere of Thistles, a story penned by playwright Cyndy A. Marion and directed by Tamara Ruppart.
After fleeing New York City for the countryside during a global calamity, Rebecca finds herself alone in her family’s neglected farmhouse. She must do her best to manage the anxieties and expectations of her aging relatives as they clash over whether to sell the old house, all while surrounded by doorknobs and relationships that are in desperate need of repair. Thistles keenly explores family secrets, queerness, and the desperate desire to be accepted. Tragedy lurks as emotions are buried under ancestral floorboards.
Below is our interview with playwright Cyndy A. Marion.
The action portrayed in Thistles unfolds during the COVID-19 pandemic. How did
you navigate the pandemic?
My wife and I spent most of the pandemic locked down in a tiny studio apartment in
Manhattan. Prior to the pandemic we lead busy lives between our work in offices, our
time in rehearsals and our social life. Being stuck in such a small space for days on end
was very challenging. It prompted us to escape for several weeks during the summer to
my mother’s uninhabited family farm where she grew up in Pennsylvania. This became
the inspiration for the play.
What did the pandemic teach us about ourselves?
The pandemic completely changed my life. Ultimately, in very positive ways. After
spending much of the summer in the country at my family’s old farm, my wife and I
realized that we’d rather live in the country. We fell in love with the simplicity, the
spaciousness, the connection to nature and the calmer pace. Toward the end of the
pandemic, we bought a house in West Saugerties, NY where we now spend most of our
time. Fortunately, we are both still able to work remotely and this has opened a window
of new possibilities. The pandemic was an opportunity for change. A time to clean
house and address things that we never made time for. It taught me that I don’t want to
wait for something to get better, I want to be an active participant in creating a life that
makes me happy and fulfilled.
Thistles also deals with family dynamics. From your perspective, how critical is
the nuclear family in defining who we become later in life?
I’ve always felt that nurture is a huge part of what makes us who we are. Feeling
supported and loved can make a huge difference in someone’s self-confidence and
have a big impact on who we become in later life. Inherited trauma is also real, and it’s
passed down from generation to generation. It’s hard to break the cycle and confront
the toxic behavior patterns that we learn from our parents. It takes work to be self-
aware, recognize and change. It also takes courage to break the silence and empathy
to heal. We must learn to forgive.
When did you come up with the idea for Thistles?
That summer during the pandemic when we were staying at the family farm. My mom’s
family had been talking about selling the place for years. The house was becoming a
financial burden and was serving no purpose other than as a place to gather for the
holidays. In my opinion, the pandemic was the perfect opportunity to start making some
solid plans. While we were there, mom and I started to sort through things and throw
stuff away. This ignited a fire among her siblings. I started writing the play to deal
with the intense emotions I was feeling about the situation and my frustration with the
fact that her siblings refused to take any action.
How do you shape the story and characters to get to the final product?
In general, I usually have something I need to work out or explore. Often my plays are
inspired by real events and include characters inspired by real people as well as
characters I invent to heighten or serve the story. When I start a play, I usually don’t
know how it’s going to end. I might have an image or moment in mind, but ultimately the
story unfolds through the actions of the characters and natural impulses. I can best
describe it as “channeling.” In the case of Thistles, all the characters were inspired by
real people; family members, a local handyman and a neighbor who lived across the
street. While writing the play I sort of took a break toward the end of act 1. During that
time, the neighbor who lived across the street died suddenly. It was the neighbor’s
death that became the impetus for the Laney storyline. It had a huge impact on me and
ended up moving the play in a new direction.
What did you learn about yourself writing Thistles?
That I really want my family’s love and acceptance.
Ageing, queerness, and acceptance, what compelled you to write about these
topics?
I don’t think I was compelled to write about any of these topics. They are just part of
who I am, what I need and what I am navigating as a middle-aged queer woman with
aging relatives.
How did the pandemic change or shape our society?
I think it’s made it more global. We can get on zooms with people from all over the world
and do business. I am a manager for a law firm, and I oversee a fully remote team
based in NYC, Boston, DC and LA. It’s also changed the way we make theater. The
pandemic made it possible for me to be in LA for the run of my plays as well as attend
casting and read-throughs on zoom. Incredible!
How do you achieve cohesiveness between story and character to create an
appealing play?
I focus on creating a strong structure. With my background as a director, I am very
attuned to how a story unfolds and how an audience will receive it. Creating a sense of
mystery, intrigue and revelation are very important to me. Character and behavior are a
major part of the storytelling and creating the necessary tension.
When did you decide to become a playwright?
I had done some playwriting in college and always felt I could write plays. But I was
waiting for the right story to tell. After working with Nancy Wolfe (who played Susan
Atkins in the TV movie Helter Skelter) I became obsessed with Susan Atkins and her
involvement in the Manson murders. After watching an interview of older Susan Atkins
with Diane Sawyer, I had the idea of a conversation between a younger Susan still in
the thick of the murder trials and an older Susan who wished she could have done
things differently. This became the impetus of my first play.
Is it a lonely journey to be a playwright?
Not for me. I am not prolific and I go months, sometimes years without writing a play as
I only write when I have a strong impulse or desire to do so. I also run a theater
company where I direct and produce so I always feel that I am surrounded by other
collaborators, even when I am the one who wrote the play. It’s really an ideal situation
for a playwright to be part of a theater company.
As a playwright, director, and producer, you know about art and business. What
challenges do theatre makers face these days?
The rising cost of space. In NYC, in particular, this is making it harder for smaller, Indie
theaters and self-producing artists to produce shows without reducing their runs,
partnering with other companies, or receiving highly competitive subsidized space.
Fundraising is also more challenging as more money is needed to produce plays and
especially musicals. We also face challenges on our time as most of us need to work
other jobs to support ourselves. It takes extreme dedication, time management and
perseverance to be an artist these days.
You’ve done theatre in both New York and Los Angeles. What’s the biggest
difference between both markets?
I love producing theater in LA because space is still affordable. For the cost of running a
show 1 week in NYC, we can run for several weeks in LA. Longer runs allow for word of
mouth, press coverage and a future life for a show. There is also not as much market
saturation in LA, so you have a shot at better audiences, reviews and marketing. I also
think the LA model of weekend performances is more realistic and cost-effective. LA
and NoHo in particular, still feel like a community that supports Indie artists making it a
great place to produce new plays.
With so much content out there demanding people’s attention, how can theatre
stay relevant?
In a global world, we still need a sense of human connection. That shared intimacy of
being together in small space, breathing the same air and contributing to the energy of a
live performance. That is what makes theater so special, so alive and so irreplaceable.
THISTLES
The Emerson at the Theatre 68 Arts Complex
5112 Lankershim Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91601
Nov.6–Nov. 29
Tickets: whitehorsetheater.com
