Studio Wayne‘s summer show was My Little Titus Andronicus, by Don Zolidis. It’s a play about the My Little Ponies (kind of…avoiding copyright issues!), doing “Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy.” My family has been obsessed with this play for literally years. Corey Holmes and Amy Ippolito, two of my favorite people, directed this play.
Silvie was cast as one of the leads, Pixie Poo (essentially Pinkie Pie), who plays Titus. I was so mad to be out of town for this! For many reasons!
When the cast list came out, I texted Corey to say that Silvie was very excited to play this role. She wrote back, “The thing about Silvie is, they would be happy playing anypony.” It’s very true. They love playing ensemble roles. They work hard no matter what part they have. “Be happy playing anypony” is a great attitude for a life in the theater.
By all accounts, the most notable thing about Silvie’s performance, besides their solo song at the end, was what a generous scene partner they are. In every moment, they were making everyone around them look great. They were making so many offers, and receiving others’ impulses with a “yes, and.” Silvie told me a few years ago that they think their superpower is collaboration, and that’s absolutely true.
Out of everything my kid could be on stage, I think “generous scene partner” is the one that I most want them to be. I am so proud of them for putting their focus outward. It’s a rare quality in a performer of this age. I love that the team at Studio Wayne prioritizes this as a value, and that Silvie embodies it.
One other very special thing for me about Silvie doing shows at Studio Wayne is that several of the other kids are the children of my grad school friends. I get teary seeing them playing together in the way that we played together, when we were not very much older than they are. They’re all different in their personalities and how they approach the work, but they share an openness and delight that I love to see.
This was also the first of Silvie’s shows to get reviewed, by Dr. Peter Kirwan. Dr. Kirwan reviews a lot of shows, from the Royal Shakespeare Company to zoom readings. Having him spill some ink over this show is kind of a big deal.
I remain, as ever, grateful beyond measure for the artists who mentor Silvie in their development, and for the joy they have creating together.
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