Rhubarb Profile: Cancun

Greg Kearney's show is part of this week's Rhubarb!

He answered a few questions about his show for me via email.

Can you introduce yourself and your piece?
I'm Greg Kearney. I wrote and directed "Cancun". The play concerns two irritable travel agents who try to kill and/or drive each other insane.

Who would you say is your ideal audience?
Shrewd, jaunty libertines, the well-hung and Kate Bush. And Louise Lasser. And Sissy Spacek.

What inspired/motivated you to create the play?
Last year, I had a smidgeon of success with my first book, "Mommy Daddy Baby". I got several glowing reviews, and immediately assumed that I was about to become self-sustaining as an artist. Of course, this didn't happen, and I went on working my modest customer service job.
The play is that situation, in extremis. It sort of addresses the various ways that one's personality and juissance can totally erode when one has to work a job that doesn't pertain to one's passion.

How long have you been working on it?
I wrote the first draft last summer. I've been tweaking the text ever since.

Tell me about the process of writing/performing about the piece?
The process of writing the first draft was unremarkable; as always, I was just going with my hottest impulses, trying to cobble them together. The real revelation was in directing my own work. It has been so, so thrilling to help impart my cadence and diction to brilliant actors. The two actors in the show have also been incredibly indulgent, in letting me re-work the text during rehearsal.

What makes Rhubarb a good venue choice for you?
I'm not a theatrix. I seldom go to theatre. The few times I've produced theatre outside of Rhubarb have been repulsive and heart-breaking experiences. I consider myself a prose writer with a good ear for the conversational; I simply love hearing my words spoken. I have absolutely no ambition as a playwright. There will be no workshopping, no re-mounts, no kiss ass email to Darren O'Donnell, etc...
Rhubarb is killer 'cuz I can rock out, safely. Rhubarb is all the theatre I'll ever need.

What's next?
I'm desperately trying to find a publisher for my novel, "How Did I Know", about a confused woman who discovers that she's a pervert.