Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts’ annual theater production is right around the corner!
“We Are Pussy Riot or Everything is P.R.” follows the true story of Nadya, Masha, and Katya, as well as other members of the Russian Punk Rock Feminist Group, “Pussy Riot” through a tedious and extravagant trial after being arrested for protesting in Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior on Feb. 21, 2012.
Maddy Burger, the station manager of the official radio station of The New School (WNSR, The New School’s Talk Radio Station) and dramaturg sat down with “We Are Pussy Riot or Everything is P.R.” director Mahayana Landowne. The conversation between Burger and Landowne circled the layers of social and political activism within the play, as well as the challenges and joys of the directing process.
“We are Pussy Riot Or Everything Is P.R.” is written by Barbara Hammond and centers around the Russian feminist punk rock group Pussy Riot. Why don’t you paint us a picture of what this play encompasses?
LANDOWNE: Think of worlds colliding. There are scenes that are set in prisons. Scenes set in courtrooms, scenes that swirl around you. It’s a collage piece based on actual material from the time period of 2012, when Pussy Riot was arrested and trialed. I think at times it’s cacophonous, at times it’s very gentle, but it takes you on a ride. A wild ride.
Why this play now?
LANDOWNE: Feminism is always important to talk about. I think it’s great to be doing this at Lang because it’s very much empowering people to be feminist and to stand up for what they believe in and care about. It’s a play that speaks to people’s voices being heard, and I think any time is good for that.
What interested you in doing this production at The New School with Lang students?
LANDOWNE: I am so inspired by this play, and the students that I’ve met are very inspiring students. It’s incredible to have people with a passion and a sense of the world working on material like this. For me, I’m a theater director, an activist, and an interactive performance artist — and this play encompasses all three of those. It’s also very timely with the need for women to be heard and valued. When I worked on projects before, the students weren’t always activists, and I’m finding that a lot of the company is very involved [in activism].
You have directed this play before. Can you talk about the newness of this specific production, your favorite change, or alteration this time around?
LANDOWNE: I directed this before in 2018 at Hofstra University, and that was my first time doing it. It was a different time, a different world. I think I’ve grown a lot as a person and it’s been exciting to bring more of my whole self to the piece — and to trust and discover it with the students. It’s a very complicated play and you can’t just apply ideas onto people. You have to discover it with them in a lot of ways.
One of the amazing things the second time around is Barbara Hammond, the playwright, has been involved, which is really exciting.
The play itself is very physical and so any company working on it is going to have to discover it for themselves. The times have changed a lot since the play, and things haven’t changed because the script is set in 2012. So even though Russia’s at war right now, we’re not in that zone. We’re telling the story from 2012.
I really am drawn into [the play’s] optimism. It’s a wide breadth of experience, and I’m really inspired by Pussy Riot. [Pussy Riot] changed a lot since the play, and that’s been interesting too. A lot of the play is the same, and I hope that my experience before has brought more of a sense of confidence and flow to it. I think sometimes it’s confusing because I sort of know things and sort of don’t know things, but we’re finding it together and the cast has been very brave. It’s exciting.
Inside of this production, there’s a fast paced evolution that we see in 90 to 120 minutes. Has that been a challenge during this? What has been the biggest challenge in directing this production?
LANDOWNE: Well, the biggest, of course, is that it’s a 19 person cast, and everyone’s busy. So when we’re all together, it’s such a treat but many times we’re not. I had thought and hoped to have all 19 [students] all the time. But, everyone’s really brave and rising to it. The tricky part is you can have ideas of things you want to try and do, but if you’re not seeing the actual people doing it, it’s a little harder to sculpt. It’s very complicated and not your regular play.
Can you describe the role of the audience in “Pussy Riot”?
LANDOWNE: I want you to be brave, dear audience.
There’s a lot going on. The play is interactive, but it’s not going to force you into anything that’s not comfortable for you. I don’t want to give away the beginning, but there’s a little surprise at the beginning. Throughout, the audience is at times spoken to, there are actors that will at times surround the audience — but I see them there as friendly guides and there to be your companion in the experience and help you shape your experience. It’s engaged, interactive and protects your journey a little bit. You as an audience are witnesses; you as an audience are sometimes on one side and sometimes on another. You get to make your own choices as you’re there.
Previously mentioned in this interview you consider yourself an activist. What inspired you to become an activist and how did you become involved in your chosen causes?
LANDOWNE: I really believe that everybody has value, and I want to support that in the world. I’d say the core of my activism is lifting people up. It’s engagement; it’s inspiring in that sense that we — all of us, have the ability to lift each other up. And if we could create a world where we listen to each other generously and support each other’s vision, then all the other things might be a little bit better. I was originally doing social justice work and anti-war work when I got into environmentalism. Before that, I went from street activism to something I call “art activism,” which is using aspects of art to get your message across more clearly, so you can do more with less people, and you can also make sure that your message is really clear. It was a way of marrying my theater directing with the activism and using things like costume, like clear messaging, like performative techniques to get crowds to become part of what you’re doing.
I see it all as theater and all as ways of getting the message across that everybody is fabulous and extraordinary, and I want you all to believe in yourselves. Through my own life experience, I believe in putting my body on the line and standing up for what I believe in physically. I know that there are lots of other kinds of activism, and everyone can find their own way. I don’t want to force anyone to do what I do. One of the big things now is how to have hope when we’re in a state of despair and how activism can also be about health and listening and healing. It’s not just shouting or putting people down, it’s about how do we build community around the things we believe in and support each other as we face our fears? I think the next thing coming is a need for us to support each other, because it’s, in my opinion, going to get pretty messy. The key of all of our activism is to be loving and kind towards each other.
Part of what [theater] does is it gives the audience a chance to live in an imaginary world where change is possible. I choose to direct plays that create worlds that I believe in and want to have exist. One of the things with “We Are Pussy Riot” is it’s really looking towards how we have joy and accept each other for who we are. Celebrate the possibility of change.
“We Are Pussy Riot or Everything is P.R.” will run Nov. 16-19 at the Second Floor Theater. The performances on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday will start at 7:30 p.m., followed by a Sunday matinee at 2:30 p.m. Registration prior to the event is free.
122 Community Center, Second Floor Theater: 150 First Ave., New York, NY 10009