This is Gulf Coast Life Arts Edition from WGCU.

I'm John Davis, thanks for joining us.

Theater Conspiracys summer performance season continues with a production of playwright Marc Saint-Germain's romantic comedy Dance Lessons.

The humorous, clever and heartfelt show centers on two characters who, at first glance, may seem to have little in common.

Ever is a brilliant geoscientist on the autism spectrum, who has won a prestigious award and must attend a formal banquet where dancing will be expected.

Senga is a talented Broadway dancer whose career has been derailed by a serious injury.

Unable to perform, she's struggling with pain, depression and uncertainty about her future ever higher.

Senga to teach him just enough dancing to get through the awards ceremony.

And what began simply as a practical arrangement evolves into an exploration of vulnerability, trust, friendship and eventually something deeper.

Risk and vulnerability are central themes of the play, as both characters face stepping outside of their comfort zones forever.

That's socially, as he grapples with bouts of sensory overload and is averse to physical touch for its grappling with her emotional isolation in an injury that could spell the end of her livelihood.

Theater Conspiracys production runs tomorrow through August 2nd, with performances on the Off-Broadway Palm Stage at Broadway Palm Dinner Theater in Fort Myers.

Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening performances are at 730.

Sunday matinees begin at 2:00.

And this is some of the most accessible live theater in town, as tickets are BOGO.

Today I'm joined by one of the stars of this production.

Actor Steven Coe.

Steven Coe is a graduate of FSW and a certified with Meisner International, with extensive training in stage combat.

Local theater goers may have seen him in productions of Killer Joe, Noises Off, Save Hamlet, The Crucible, and Botticelli in the fire.

All through Laboratory Theater of Florida.

Also theater conspiracies, ever popular clown bar productions, and he's enjoyed roles in Players Circle theater productions of murder at the Howard Johnsons, The Foreigner and Lifespan of a Fact and Proof, just to name a few.

He also serves as board treasurer at Laboratory Theater of Florida, where he's also worked as an assistant director, fight choreographer, education assistant, and in various other technical roles.

Steven Coe, welcome back.

It's great to reconnect with you.

Thank you very much for having me.

Very much appreciate it.

And based on just how general descriptions of the characters in dance lessons and sort of the situation behind how they've initially come together, as I kind of alluded to in my introduction, at first glance, it doesn't seem plausible that their relationship would develop the way that it does.

For listeners who haven't seen the show or who are unfamiliar.

What makes this more than just a romantic comedy?

It's a really, really lovely story about human connection and relationships.

That's the core crux of the story, and it's like you alluded to as well.

You know, it's very much about putting yourself out there with no guarantee of return and just it's very much it's a very heartfelt show.

It's very, very heartfelt show all about human connection.

So it's it's interesting to see the dynamic between the two characters, of course, you know, they are very different.

Thing is very Nine Inch Nails.

If if ever is any kind of music, he's very much more talking heads.

But but yeah.

No, it's very interesting.

Aside from the job itself, what drew you to want to be part of this production?

Like, have you worked in past productions of any other plays by Mark Saint Germain?

I have not, but are you a fan of his work?

And it was.

It was just a lovely opportunity that came up with Theater Conspiracy and really enjoyed the show.

That's like I said, it's a beautiful script.

Great thing about human connection.

That is, there's many elements of it that are somewhat timely.

I would say, even if it's even if it is a romantic comedy, some of the deeper themes and things mentioned throughout the show are very, very prescient.

I'd say for for today, even thou ever more relevant today.

On top of being just a lovely romantic comedy.

Yeah, well, I mean, without spoiling anything, obviously.

What do you mean by, I guess it's timeliness today?

I mean, are you thinking about maybe Senga sort of sense of emotional isolation?

Absolutely.

Yes.

There is a strong, strong theme of the isolation that's explored through Singa and kind of elements of hopelessness there.

But also on top of that, ever as a professor of geosciences at the New York Institute of Technology, there's several scenes in between, kind of the main scenes where they're together, where he does mention themes of global warming and environmental extinction and that sort of thing, that it creates a strong through line, I would say of, you know, the isolation that we experience as human beings as kind of maybe not to get too heavy about it, but, you know, we're the monoculture is kind of died and we're all in our own little pools of influences and friend groups and everything.

And, you know, there's a lot of isolation in the world, a lot of fractious times, for sure.

And it's a it's like I said, it's very much about human connection and finding a way through that isolation because, you know, we all tell stories.

We've always told stories around the fire and danced with each other.

As human beings, human connection is an important thing.

We're social creatures.

And so it's how these two very different people find common ground ends together.

Yeah.

Tell me about your character.

Ever.

He sees the world through a very logical lens.

Yes.

So ever it is mentioned in the show.

No spoilers necessarily, but he is on the autism spectrum.

He does have Asperger's and so he sees things as very literal.

It is set in the script, very black and white.

And so with that, he does kind of isolate himself in many ways.

And like I said, he is a professor of geosciences at New York Institute of Technology as written.

And so he has a very almost detective way about him.

He's always observing and watching other people and kind of viewing the world through glass a little bit, if that makes sense.

And so very often observe very observant character, very observant human being.

But he has a really strong internal world and beating heart that year for human connection.

And so it's a it's a very interesting balancing act of trailer.

Yeah.

Yeah.

You know, we've become more aware of authentic representation of neurodivergent characters in more recent years.

I'm curious about how those conversations may have informed your approach to playing ever.

I mean, do you think you're probably doing it differently now than hypothetically you might have a decade ago?

Oh, absolutely.

100%, 100%.

And we've spent we've taken great pains to really find the balancing act of that is very important to me, because I, of course, went into it with a fair amount of research, not just reading the Wikipedia article, but like going deeper into perspectives about Asperger's and autism.

I actually put a lot of I have actually through my own life, I've had several friends who will remain nameless but did actually have Asperger's, so I put a bit of them into it, and we've we did a lot of book work as we were going through the script, as we were even getting everything put together, we went to great pains to avoid any kind of robotic or typical portrayals of it.

He is, as written and as depicted, supposed to be a very high functioning autistic.

And so with that, we have tried to do a lot with avoiding eye contact, which is a common factor, not necessarily a guarantee, if that makes sense, but really trying to find the balancing act of where we can be realistic and accurate, where we can be realistic and respectful but still have some dramatic license and, you know, flourish as the character and as, as they as they emotionally connect between Ever and Sanga to have him become more comfortable throughout the show and show more of himself.

So it's definitely been a balancing act.

Do you think that kind of approach and the research and the work you've done to understand this character kind of makes it easier for you and conversely, for audiences to sort of discover and relate to ever beyond his diagnosis?

Oh, absolutely.

And it's like I said, he has a strong beating heart wanting for human connection.

And I think that's definitely played out through Mark Saint Germain.

Writing is it's an incredible script and it's it because it doesn't feel didactic at all.

It isn't at all something where it's just like, oh yes, here are the facts and statistics about this and that or anything like that.

It is at its core, it's that strong story about human connection.

He just happens to also be an autistic man and he's still a human being.

He still has everything and all the emotions that everyone else has.

And so that's a very important core of the story.

And, yeah.

You know, in these kind of interviews over the years, Stephen's many actors have impressed upon me the idea that as an actor, you have to like your character.

You have to find something about them that you like or connect with.

Were there moments in rehearsal, wherever maybe surprised you or where you found yourself relating to him in a particular way?

I guess what I'm going to do is what do you like about Eva?

What is Stephen Coe like about ever?

Yeah, no.

Very good question.

Very good question.

It was a lot of it was more the physical work for me that was that was difficult to get into because me as Steve and co, I am, I tend to be of a very much more logical and straightforward bent myself.

I'm very focused.

I actually part of the process as well is I actually I do have obsessive compulsive disorder.

And so I was able to in some way.

It is not exactly Asperger's, of course, but there is often comorbidity.

There is crossover there.

And so I did find a way into the character through that.

But so much of it was the physical work and finding that.

And it's like you said, there were moments that surprise me of things, the emotions that well up through it and working through the physical processes that helped me get in through the character that way.

But no.

Yeah, it's been a lovely process in that way.

But yeah, yeah, I don't know if that answers the question, but no.

And this is a true two person play.

How different is the rehearsal process when literally every scene is shared with just one other actor?

No.

Yeah.

It goes fast.

It goes fast for sure, but it's very much more intimate between the work of just the two of us and, and, you know, of course, the director and our in our lovely, lovely crew.

But no, it is very it's a different beast.

And you do have to kind of prepare for the, the sprint of it as it were.

It's a, it's a marathon, not a sprint actually.

So you have to have that and you definitely have to have that endurance for it.

But you get to know the script very, very well and know exactly where you're at.

And so it's been a lovely process, but you definitely have to rely on the other person.

And because there's there's no out, there's no escape.

So yeah.

Yeah.

And you know, trust is really at the heart of this story.

How did you and Chloe Elliott Chan kind of build that trust during the rehearsal process, or was that not really a thing?

Like, I know the two of you have worked together on stage in a number of past productions.

Proof that players circle save Hamlet at Lab Theater, just to name a couple off the top of my head.

Having worked together before, does that just kind of make it easier?

No.

Yeah.

I mean, there is an inherent trust working with someone that you work with several times, especially after, like you said, proof, which was it was not a true two hander, but it was pretty close in many moments.

So we had already had that kind of basis of trust a little bit.

But it's like I said, this was even more so because it's a it's a I believe it works out to be a 44 page script, and we are on stage for all of it.

There's about 32nd break where we each individually can have a sip of water.

So it's one of those things where, you know, yeah, we did have to work on building that trust.

And like I said, strong script knowledge as well to to really, truly have it all in our heads, have the through line of it and have the arc of the characters.

And that's that's something that I think is lovely about the process too.

Is it being a true two hander and the script being is well written as it is, we know the arc of the characters, we know where we start, we know where the climax is and we know the ending.

We just have to get through it and we trust each other very well to get us there.

So yeah.

know, so much of the humor in this story comes from from timing rather than just punchlines.

So I imagine developing that rhythm must have been a crucial part of the rehearsal process.

Oh, absolutely.

That was a strong part of the process is finding.

And it's like I said, with with ever specifically where we definitely wanted to avoid any robotic or like, flat level.

And that's that's where I kind of mean, like with kind of having the artistic license versus being just fully realistic necessarily with the Asperger's versus having a little artistic license and having the levels in there.

So a lot of its time, some of it's very dry, but a lot of it is timing.

And saying in her own right is a very strong character and has a good streak of sarcasm.

And a lot of the humor comes from that as well, and just kind of the situation itself.

But but yeah, a lot of it is time and we've gone to a great lengths and to to be very mindful of that.

So yeah.

Yeah.

You know we've talked about what makes your character relatable.

Chloe's character Sanga though, I mean, what she's going through I think is really relatable, maybe not so much because we've all experienced it because it's a fear we can all understand.

I mean, she's a professional dancer.

She's have this injury.

She might not ever be able to dance again.

But you know how dancers are.

It's not it's not a profession.

It's a whole lifestyle.

It's an identity.

I mean, what she's going.

Exactly.

Yeah.

Absolutely.

And it is that's, you know, I can speak on my own character plenty, but with her it's very relatable as well, where it's it's like we said, you know, mental health awareness has come a long way in ten years where the kind of depression and start of a loss of identity that she's going through and the loneliness and isolation that she experienced is very realistic, very relatable, very sad.

And, you know, and, you know, dealing with a medical injury in America.

So, you know, it is one of those things where, no, she's a very relatable character, but she still has this incredible strength about her.

It's like I said, she has that sarcasm, that irony that will to push through, that she has to deal with the entire show.

That also lends her an incredible arc and and incredible humanity.

So it's a it's a it's two really great characters, and we just get to watch them for about an hour and a half.

So yeah.

Yeah.

You know, going back to what we were talking about before in terms of, you know, timing and developing that rhythm, I don't know how you do that without an audience.

I mean, tonight you're going to be having a special preview performance before official opening night.

But at this point.

Have you had the chance to perform this before an audience and, you know, see where the laugh lines really are?

We have not fully yet.

We've had a couple of people.

We've, of course, had crew come in and our own assistant director, and like I said, we did have the the Autism Advocate, but it's a we have smattering of where those laughs are.

But that's they actually talk about it in the show as a Broadway dancer specifically goes to lengths to try and describe to to ever like, this is why people go to theater.

Here's the beautiful things about it and changes every night.

Because you have an audience and people are going to react things differently.

And that's something that we're going to experience in some of days is fine.

Like because that's that's inevitably, no matter what you're doing, whether you're doing a drama that has, you know, one moment of levity or if you're doing a full out comedy, there's inevitably going to be one joke that slays and you have to stop and you're like, I didn't even think that was funny.

Okay, great.

So we're going to just go for those moments.

And yeah, and sometimes you have bits that you think are going to be like, oh, this is going to be the best thing ever.

And it's just dead silence.

And you're like, okay.

Yeah, yeah.

Well, and Stephen, this production is taking place in the Off-Broadway Palm Stage at Broadway Palm Dinner Theater.

I'm embarrassed to admit I don't think I've actually seen a show in that venue.

How would you compare this experience from the audience's perspective, compared to the traditional proscenium structure, where there's that greater physical separation between you and the audience?

Oh, it's very much more intimate.

It's very much more intimate, and it's lovely for that.

I don't know the exact sequence.

I want to say it's around 80 something, I think, but it's you're right there.

And the way that we have the set set up, it is just saying this living room and you're right there it is.

It is on the race stage there.

But you're right there in there with them.

And so it's going to be a very intimate setup.

And that's that's always a lovely thing to, to experience.

Yeah.

It's it's a great little space.

As an actor.

Is that something that you like being that close to the audience or do you prefer the separation?

Honestly, it depends on the show a little bit.

It depends on the show a little bit.

I like a little bit more separation.

It helps them.

The lights are on, honestly.

Yeah.

Because after a certain point, you know, you can't really see much because the lights are in your eyes.

But no.

Yeah.

It is nice to feel that energy.

It's like I said, one of the beautiful things about theater is the the ephemerality of it, that it changes every night, that you're there with the audience and you can feel them going on that journey with you.

So having that intimate setting is actually very lovely in its own way.

Just have to keep your focus as well.

Right, right.

Well, and I mentioned in my introduction you also serve as board treasurer at Laboratory Theater of Florida.

Why is it important for you to be involved in local theater, not just on the stage, but doing this support and really service work?

Yeah, well, it is one of those things where this area has, I mean, a lot in the past few years, but there is a truly outsized amount of theater in this area for the size of town that we are.

You know, we're not necessarily Tampa, we're not Orlando, and we're certainly not New York City, but we still do have all of the Cedars in the area, all the opportunities.

And it's just one of those things where arts outreach is very important.

It's very important to me.

And so it was one of those things to where I kind of had that moment as an adult to go like, well, you know, this is important to me.

Put your money where your mouth is, do the outreach, do the work, do the help as best as you can.

And yeah, no it's not.

Yeah.

And, you know, final question, Steven, this play asks us to reconsider our assumptions about disability identity.

And you know what it means to connect with another person.

What conversations do you hope audiences are having on the drive home after they see this show?

That's a very great question.

I don't necessarily have an immediate answer to that, but that's that's always one of the things that I've held to is that a show is just as much about the drive home and the conversation you have over a glass of wine after that is about watching the actual show.

That's one of the beautiful things about art is making people think.

And so yeah, I do hope there is some awareness that's brought through of it for, you know, obviously the what we're trying to portray, but also, you know, the the human connection and everything, how people find it a lovely time.

But it also does make them think.

And they have some of those great discussions about that.

And if you think from a news perspective, I mean, that's that's one of the incredible things about art, is seeing someone else's humanity and seeing their other perspective.

And yeah, hope does bring some thought in that direction.

Absolutely.

Well, we have been speaking with actor Steven Coe.

He's starring alongside Chloe Elliott Chan in theater conspiracies, production of Marc Saint-Germain's romantic comedy Dance Lessons.

There was a preview performance tonight before the show officially opens tomorrow and runs through August 2nd on the Off-Broadway Palm Stage at Broadway Palm Dinner Theater in Fort Myers.

Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening performances are at 730.

Sunday matinees begin at two and tickets are Bogo.

For more information or to secure your tickets, visit Theater Conspiracy.

Steven Coe, thanks so much for taking the time.

I can't wait to see the show.

Thank you very much.

Thanks for having me.

Look forward to seeing you too.

And for now, thanks for listening.

I'm John Davis, this is WGC, UFM Fort Myers 90 point 1WM Cayo Marco Island, 91.7 FM, NPR for Southwest Florida.