The following is an interview with Soda Persi regarding the production, Hitchcock Lane, at the 2023 Hollywood Fringe Festival. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Persi about the inspiration behind the production, working with the cast and crew to bring the show to life, how you can purchase tickets, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congrats on the recent launch of Hitchcock Lane in this year’s Hollywood Fringe Festival! For those who may be unfamiliar, what can you tell us about the premise of this show?
Soda Persi: Hitchcock Lane is a touching and dramatic collection of short scenes following ten neighbors in five homes on the same street in a pivotal moment in each of their lives. Interwoven with movement by myself and original music from Michael Van Bodegom-Smith, this new work directed by Richard Piatt invites the audience into the homes of familiar characters dealing with their struggles while also remembering to laugh, love, and live before it’s too late.
BD: As the playwright, what can you tell us about your shared creative process in working with the cast and crew to bring this unique and moving production to life?
SP: As the playwright and being this is a brand-new piece, I was really open to the actors giving their take on the characters to help further develop them. We see things from our points of view and having the actors input rounded out and filled in all the little nooks and crannies.
BD: At Fanbase Press, our #StoriesMatter initiative endeavors to highlight the impact that stories can have on audiences of various mediums. How do you feel that these neighbors’ stories may connect with and impact audiences?
SP: Each character goes to very vulnerable places, and uniting them all into a community gives them the support to tell their stories. It was important for me to show real characters and relationships and the challenges that come with love. I also wanted to show that people over forty still fall in and out of love, and still have great sex, and still give each other butterflies. I think it’s important to remember the whimsy of love is just as meaningful as the weight of it.
BD: What makes the Hollywood Fringe Festival an ideal venue for this productions?
SP: Hollywood Fringe festival is a great place to debut Hitchcock Lane, because Fringe is such a supportive and welcoming community. Many shows workshop during Fringe, and there is much encouragement and helpful resources in the festival .
BD: The show is appearing at Studio/Stage throughout June. Are there any future plans to perform the show at other venues?
SP: I would love to take this show on to do a full, proper run at some point. I’d of course love to take Hitchcock Lane to NYC sort of completing a full circle. I was in Stomp at The Orpheum in the East Village back in the ’90s, and it would be wonderful to get to perform in NYC again.
BD: Are there any other upcoming projects that you would care to share with our readers?
SP: I produce work through my production company, FIERCE MAMA PRODUCTIONS. I’m currently filming a documentary following three young men with different disabilities that are about to graduate from high school, and we will document their first year “into the real world.” It’s called Here I Am. My second son Alexi is one of the stars, and he is helping write and produce it. He was born with cerebral palsy, and he just got accepted into Cal Poly Pomona as a theatre arts major! I’m in pre-production of a micro short horror film that will star my daughter (She and I are also performing in a musical together for fringe called Truly Outrageous.) I’m also producing and acting in the latest short play I wrote called I Love You in this year’s Brisk Festival in August. And I’m co-producing and starring in a comedy horror teaser called Delilah’s Grindhouse of Horror in July.
BD: Lastly, what would you like to tell readers who want to learn more about and purchase tickets for Hitchcock Lane?
SP: I was inspired by the love and friendship my parents showed in their relationship of 52 years. My mother passed away in February after a three-year battle with cancer, and this show is also dedicated to her and her love of roses, music, and dance. Please get your tickets to Hitchcock Lane here.
And follow me on Instagram: @Sodalovestar / @hitchcock_lane / @Fiercemamaproductions
