“The Civilians became an integral part of those early years of my career, but at the time, I didn’t quite realize just how special it was, how unique, how rare, to be part of a community of artists like that,” wrote Brian Sgambati. For this installment of our 20/20 Series celebrating The Civilians’ 20th Anniversary season, we reflect on the artists who have been essential and share thoughts from our Associate Artists on what it has been like to be a part of The Civilians’ artistic community.
“I remember two things when I first met the other Associate Artists – laughing nonstop and thinking these are some seriously talented people. Everyone’s rigorous work ethic and immense talent was matched only by their hilarious sense of humor and capacity for shenanigans. I said to myself, these are my people,” wrote Brad Heberlee. Integral to The Civilians’ history and success has been the community of artists it has worked with and brought together to create and evolve investigative theater. Some of our artists have been with us since the beginning. KJ Sanchez shared “one of the constants over the last twenty years has been that you will always find the funniest, smartest, best performers around in The Civilians. Not only are they brilliant theatre artists but are some of the most loving people and I am extremely lucky to have made such dear and life-long friends.” Colleen Werthmann had similar thoughts on the artistic community she’s been a part of at The Civilians: “I was one of the very first actors to be part of The Civilians’ world. I’ve met some of my dearest friends and had some of my most deeply cherished artistic experiences through working with these brilliant,hilarious, kind, virtuosic actors, directors, composers, and playwrights. I’ve laughed incredibly hard and cried when the work broke my heart, and felt exhilarated and grateful.” For Damian Baldet, it all went hand-in-hand with the work. “We were young, sexy, smart young’uns doing work that was fresh, sexy and smart; we got to be intellectual rock stars working with the best, scrappiest, most clever writers and composers.”
At the core of this community is the drive to create leading investigative theater. “The collaborations are endless. The friendships are deep. The work has changed lives and policy and opened eyes,” wrote Marsha Stephanie Blake. It is the kind of work, as Gibson Frazier said, that “strips you of ego and forces you to engage with people you never would have otherwise.” For veteran Nina Hellman, “working with my Civilians family has been some of the most rewarding and challenging work I’ve had the privilege of being a part of.” And with the challenge has come great reward. Dan Jenkins wrote “this work, with this company and these artists has nourished and gratified me more than any other. It honors what I value most in the theater.” Anne Kauffman shared similar thoughts, explaining that “being a part of The Civilians remains one of the richest ways of making theater for me…because not only is there a community of artists that I belong to…but our method of creating has us collaborating and communing with folks from other cultural, social and political terrains.” Creating this kind of work at the core has been rewarding for the artists in many ways. “As a “multi-hyphenate” artist, working with The Civilians has been a revelation,” said Rebecca Hart. “The Civilians has been an artistic ‘landing place’ for me for a long time now and was a big part of figuring out what kind of work I want to make, what matters to me.”
Jordan Mahome captured that duality of The Civilians community work: “From the revelatory In the Footprint, concerning the Barclay’s stadium ‘take-over’, to Occupy Wall Street, the work has allowed me to not only share the points-of-view of those affected during crucial moments in history, but has given me an artistic home full of incredibly talented, dedicated theatre professionals.” That experience of finding an artistic home with The Civilians was a reoccurring notion expressed by several our Associate Artists. Dan Domingues shared “the time spent creating [The Great Immensity] with Steve, Michael Friedman and the cast and being invited to be an Associate Artist soon after reinvigorated my idea of what ensemble work and theatre-making could be. The Civilians gave me, and continues to give me, a sense of family and community.” For Alison Weller, “it has been the foundation of much of my artistic life and the source of many of my most cherished friendships. I remain inspired by this kind of work and the people who pursue it.” Investigative theater does attract a particular kind of artist, a particular kind of need to know more and dig deeper. “[The Associate Artists] I’ve had the pleasure to work with on Civilians or Civilians-adjacent projects are curious, dogged, generous and quick to laugh. That’s company I’m happy to keep,” said Janice Paran.
Fostering a community that shares in such work while supporting the artists has been an important part of The Civilians’ development. The result has been a kind of artistic family. Cindy Cheung shared “I’ve always been thrilled to be associated with The Civilians – as creative, courageous and holistic a collective as ever there was!” For Alix Lambert, whose work Courtroom The Civilians is producing at Joe’s Pub in January as Lambert develops the related CRIME: IRL being produced by Patrick Karl Curley at The Model in Sligo, Ireland this year, “working with The Civilians for the past two decades has been a deeply rewarding experience for me both personally and professionally. I am excited to continue exploring the world with this investigative theater family.” That feeling of family crossed over into something more personal for some of the artists. “When The Civilians asked me to invite them into my family home theater space, Torn Page, to play the title role in Claire Kiechel’s Paul Swan Is Dead and Gone, it felt natural because folks like Steve, Claire, Dan Safer, Andromache Chalfant, Robert M. Johanson, Helen Cespedes, Alexis Scott and others already felt like extended family,” said Tony Torn.
The collective of individuals who comprise our Associate Artists continue to impress us, each other, and the theater world with all that they bring to their work. “I consider myself beyond fortunate to be even remotely in the orbit of a group of intrepid theater artists as intelligent, ingenious and fearless as The Civilians,” Steve Rosen wrote. “Being invited to join their company as an Associate Artist is a badge of honor I hold dear and I still can’t believe I tricked them into thinking I was creative enough to be in their ranks. Long live The Civilians.” We here at The Civilians feel as grateful for, and as fortunate to work with, our artists who have been integral to our last twenty years and who will be to our next twenty to come.
Interested in hearing more from our Associate Artists? Read their full thoughts below:
“With The Civilians I got to have the New York fantasy every actor dreams of – to do work that’s relevant, dangerous, compelling and plenty cheeky. We were young, sexy, smart young’uns doing work that was fresh, sexy and smart; we got to be intellectual rock stars working with the best, scrappiest, most clever writers and composers. The Civilians gave me all my best memories of being an actor. I am, and will always be, eternally grateful for being allowed to work with The Civilians.” – Damian Baldet (Gone Missing, The Ladies, The Great Immensity, and Canard, Canard, Goose)
“Twenty years of working with and watching my uncivil misfit friends put on spectacular and meaningful work. Twenty years of laughing and crying together, of telling off-color jokes backstage, getting into fights and holding grudges. The collaborations are endless. The friendships are deep. The work has changed lives and policy and opened eyes. May we continue to grow up together in the next twenty years.” – Marsha Stephanie Blake (In the Footprint, This Beautiful City, and “Showing Up”)
“I’ve always been thrilled to be associated with The Civilians – as creative, courageous and holistic a collective as ever there was!” – Cindy Cheung (The Great Immensity and “The Lobby Project”)
“My first work with The Civilians came at a time when I was seriously considering leaving performance all together. Even after signing on for that first workshop of The Great Immensity, the plan was to make it my final acting project before I transitioned to the next phase of…well…I really had no idea. But, the time spent creating that piece with Steve, Michael Friedman and the cast and being invited to be an Associate Artist soon after reinvigorated my idea of what ensemble work and theatre-making could be. The Civilians gave me, and continues to give me, a sense of family and community.” – Dan Domingues (The Undertaking, Another Word for Beauty, The Great Immensity, Be the Death of Me, and “Let Me Ascertain You”)
“Working on a project with The Civilians strips you of ego and forces you to engage with people you never would have otherwise. While investigating Civilians’ projects, I’ve been lucky enough to become immersed in conversations with cult members, civil war re-enactors, the Amish, puppeteers, city council members, comic book and animation devotees, and climate-change deniers. When you can face the world with humility and a recognition that you don’t have all the answers, then real dialogue actually happens, and solutions and possibilities tend to present themselves. I cherish my experiences creating work with The Civilians.” – Gibson Frazier (Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play)
“As a “multi-hyphenate” artist, working with The Civilians has been a revelation. It’s the only organization I’ve ever worked with that has hired all the different aspects of me. I’ve been able to do everything I like in Civilians shows. Michael Friedman was the first composer I knew personally and learned from directly as I started writing for theatre, and Steve Cosson was one of the first people to cast me in anything when I came to NY. As a person who’s always loved music and theatre, but had an uneasy relationship to “musicals”, The Civilians shows helped break open the idea of what “musical theatre” could be and do. I’m thinking particularly of being in the audience for In the Footprint, amazed at the creative and poetic Event that emerged out of a seemingly prosaic topic. The Civilians has been an artistic ‘landing place’ for me for a long time now and was a big part of figuring out what kind of work I want to make, what matters to me. The very idea of “investigative theatre” – something that asks questions of perhaps a big topic, that is neither fictional narrative nor documentary nor polemic – has been important for me. As has what I can only call the ‘vibe’ of a Civilians show: funny and smart, moral and irreverent, touching and unsentimental.” – Rebecca Hart (The Great Immensity, Rimbaud in New York, “Showing Up”, “Let Me Ascertain You” and “Live at The Met”)
“My time with The Civilians was extraordinary. I remember two things when I first met the other Associate Artists – laughing nonstop and thinking these are some seriously talented people. Everyone’s rigorous work ethic and immense talent was matched only by their hilarious sense of humor and capacity for shenanigans. I said to myself, these are my people.” – Brad Heberlee (This Beautiful City, (I Am) Nobody’s Lunch, Paris Commune, and Be the Death of Me)
“The Civilians have been an artistic home and family for me for the past 20 years. From a one-night Joe’s Pub performance to a full production at multiple venues, working with my Civilians family has been some of the most rewarding and challenging work I’ve had the privilege of being a part of. Two of my all-time favorite productions were both Civilians shows: The Ladies and Paris Commune. Vive Les Civilians!” – Nina Hellman (Paris Commune, The Ladies, and Be the Death of Me)
“I’m not much for looking back. I prefer to learn my lessons and keep moving forward if I can. But if I reflect on my career, and think about the work that has felt most meaningful to me since I began forty years ago…you know where I’m going with this. This work, with this company and these artists, has nourished and gratified me more than any other. It honors what I value most in the theater and I’m so grateful I’ve had the opportunity to be a small part of its history. May it continue to grow and fuel the imagination of generations of artists to come!” – Dan Jenkins (Paris Commune, In the Footprint, Be the Death of Me, The Great Immensity, and “Let Me Ascertain You”)
“The Civilians is where I got my start, where I honed my process and aesthetic, and continued to broaden and tighten my community of artistic collaborators. Being a part of The Civilians remains one of the richest ways of making theater for me…because not only is there a community of artists that I belong to…but our method of creating has us collaborating and communing with folks from other cultural, social and political terrains. Would that this endeavor could be prioritized on a larger scale, who knows what our country might be able to achieve in this moment!” – Anne Kauffman (Tales from My Parents’ Divorce and The Ladies)
“Working with The Civilians for the past two decades has been a deeply rewarding experience for me both personally and professionally. I am excited to continue exploring the world with this investigative theater family.” – Alix Lambert (Courtroom, (I Am) Nobody’s Lunch, and “Let Me Ascertain You”)
“When you are playing and making with The Civilians, you know you will be working with the best actors around. Whether they are discovered yet or not, you can be sure they are at the top of their game. I’ve never worked with anyone there who I didn’t simply adore and who didn’t inspire me to be better at every rehearsal.”– Trey Lyford (Gone Missing, Paris Commune, Nobody’s Lunch, and The Great Immensity)
“All the work I’ve done with The Civilians has been an artistic thrill, steeped in community, humanity, and activism. From the revelatory In the Footprint, concerning the Barclay’s stadium ‘take-over’, to “Occupy Wall Street”, the work has allowed me to not only share the points-of-view of those affected during crucial moments in history, but has given me an artistic home full of incredibly talented, dedicated theatre professionals. These working relationships have spurred friendships and deeply meaningful artistic collaborations that continue to this day. I love The Civilians and what they stand for and what we do.” – Jordan Mahome (In the Footprintand “Let Me Ascertain You”)
“I first worked with The Civilians in 2006 on (I am) Nobody’s Lunch, and I’ve looped back in periodically, adding my two cents to the development of The Great Immensity, You Better Sit Down (Tales from My Parents’ Divorce), and, most recently, Sam Chanse’s What You Are Now. As a dramaturg, my work is always investigative in nature, always chasing the how and the why, and it strikes me that the same can be said of all of the Associate Artists. Those I’ve had the pleasure to work with on Civilians or Civilians-adjacent projects are curious, dogged, generous and quick to laugh. That’s company I’m happy to keep.” – Janice Paran (Tales from My Parents’ Divorce, (I Am) Nobody’s Lunch, The Great Immensity, and What You Are Now)
“I consider myself beyond fortunate to be even remotely in the orbit of a group of intrepid theater artists as intelligent, ingenious and fearless as The Civilians. The two productions I’ve been lucky enough to perform in (the world premieres of Anne Washburn and Michael Friedman’s Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play at the Woolly Mammoth in DC and Steve Cosson, Bess Wohl and Michael Friedman’s Pretty Filthy at the Abrons Arts Center) have been two undeniably high points in my 20-year professional career. As a company, the choices they make and the chances they take are the kind of things I blue-skied about being a part of when I first dreamed of pursuing a life as a theater artist. Even their fundraising galas are legendary in their creativity and scope. Steve Cosson and his band of merry geniuses are my kind of people. Being invited to join their company as an Associate Artist is a badge of honor I hold dear and I still can’t believe I tricked them into thinking I was creative enough to be in their ranks. Long live The Civilians.” – Steve Rosen (Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play and Pretty Filthy)
“I’m not sure what my artistry and professional career would look like without The Civilians, to tell you the truth. Twenty years ago, Steve shared interview techniques and a whole pile of exciting ideas with me and a group of early Civilians and I fell head over heels in love with making this kind of theatre. I have taken what I learned from Steve and Michael and my fellow Civilians and have had a ball writing plays that chronicle our time. I’ve made about fifteen of them, which have been produced at various theaters across the country and internationally and none of that would have happened without Steve and The Civilians. I also found some of the most brilliant long-time collaborators while working with The Civilians. Emily Ackerman and I made a play about Marines returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, which had a fantastic life touring, Alison Weller and I worked on a project about philanthropy and just this year I’ve had the great fortune to work with Aysan Celik on her solo cabaret show. Over the years I’ve been able to work with many Civilians, casting them in productions I was directing, because one of the constants over the last twenty years has been that you will always find the funniest, smartest, best performers around in The Civilians. Not only are they brilliant theatre artists, but are some of the most loving people and I am extremely lucky to have made such dear and life-long friends. And though I haven’t been an active Civilian for several years, I have been so entertained, so moved and have been so inspired by each and every Civilian show. Oh! And I’m married to a Civilian! Richard Huntley, a drummer, played for Civilians shows including Gone Missing. We’re a little Civilian family, a satellite now living in Austin, Texas, where I teach what I learned from The Civilians at the University of Texas. Not sure who I’d be or what I’d be doing without this amazing company.” – KJ Sanchez ((I Am) Nobody’s Lunch)
“The Civilians came early in my career, when I had just moved to New York. I had graduated from UCSD like so many of that early core group, and had arrived to take NYC by storm. The Civilians became an integral part of those early years of my career, but at the time, I didn’t quite realize just how special it was, how unique, how rare, to be part of a community of artists like that. It’s only in retrospect, looking back over the 20 years since, that I can see just what an extraordinary time and what a tremendous opportunity it was to be a part of the creation of a show like Gone Missing, and to work on the development of a piece like Canard, Canard, Goose or Paris Commune. Few people have a chance to be a part of something like that. It’s very special to me, and I’ll always be a Civilian at heart.” – Brian Sgambati (Paris Commune, Gone Missing, In the Footprint, Be the Death of Me and Canard, Canard, Goose)
“Working with The Civilians has always been a special experience. In Rimbaud in New York, I had the rare opportunity to engage in a special interest of mine, the French poet Arthur Rimbaud and his influence over popular culture and the birth of punk rock. I felt my personal obsession with such a subject was a little obscure, but much to my surprise, Steve Cosson was obsessed with it, too. Thanks to him, I found myself onstage at BAM exploring all things Rimbaud along with the great composer Michael Friedman and an all-star cast. When The Civilians asked me to invite them into my family home theater space Torn Page to play the title role in Claire Kiechel’s Paul Swan Is Dead and Gone, it felt natural because folks like Steve, Claire, Dan Safer, Andromache Chalfant, Robert M. Johanson, Helen Cespedes, Alexis Scott and others already felt like extended family. I’m excited to see where The Civilians’ quest for challenging and entertaining material leads them in the next 20 years and beyond.” – Tony Torn (Paul Swan is Dead and Gone and Rimbaud in New York)
“I’ve been an Associate Artist with The Civilians since 2002 and am certain that my life over the last 20 years would have been entirely different, and much more boring, if this weren’t the case. It has been the foundation of much of my artistic life and the source of many of my most cherished friendships. There’s no bonding experience like putting on your makeup as you try to calm your nerves– in a tiny club bathroom as your first audience starts to pour in– and starts to join you– they have to pee, after all– before getting through that first performance which has you competing with the loudest ice machine in the five boroughs (Gone Missing,Galapagos). How else could I find myself in an intimate discussion with Evangelicals about spiritual warfare and demon hunting in Colorado caves — in an innocuous office in a strip mall — with the pastor providing supplemental illustrations of said demons in purple marker on a white board (This Beautiful City). I remain inspired by this kind of work and the people who pursue it. It’s a dynamic way to interrogate our world, bear witness to it, and encourage tough and necessary conversation. Yay, Civilians! Here’s to the next 20!” – Alison Weller (Gone Missing, This Beautiful City, and The Ladies)
“I was one of the very first actors to be part of The Civilians’ world. I’ve met some of my dearest friends and had some of my most deeply cherished artistic experiences through working with these brilliant, hilarious, kind, virtuosic actors, directors, composers, and playwrights. I’ve laughed incredibly hard and cried when the work broke my heart, and felt exhilarated and grateful. I was in the insanely silly Canard, Canard, Goose and then had the joy of being in a hit Off-Broadway show for months on end with Gone Missing— recorded its cast album, and toured with it to many venues around the country, including the late great Aspen Comedy festival. We went skiing. We saw Patton Oswalt absolutely destroy a pro-G.W. Bush heckler at a small bar. We sucked oxygen from an offstage tank (we were no match for the altitude). I got to confront race and privilege with our cast of Brooklyn at Eye Level/In the Footprint, and I had the honor of helping actor-generate some of the raw material that would later become part of Anne Washburn’s life-changing play Mr. Burns, which Steve directed with at Playwrights Horizons. The only time my husband and I have ever been in a show together was when we got to both act in Be the Death of Me. I would trust anyone I know from Civilians with my life. I hope they’dtrust me with theirs. I don’t do theater so much these days — I’m writing for TV now, mostly — but I continue to thrill to The Civilians’ work, and adore its people.” – Colleen Werthmann (Gone Missing, In the Footprint, The Ladies, Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play, Be the Death of Me, Canard, Canard, Goose, and “Let Me Ascertain You”)
Extended Play is a project of The Civilians. To learn more about The Civilians and to access exclusive discounts to shows, visit us and join our email list at TheCivilians.org.
