A Play is Born

  During a rehearsal on December 8, 2005, Joanna Rush and Lynne Taylor-Corbett reluctantly cut a favorite scene and the two characters in it, and after years of development, “Asking For It” finally emerged.

  One week later they showed it to colleagues and friends and a team started to come together, including:

• Dean Taucher (set designer) with many theatre credits is best known as Production Designer for “Law and Order: SVU” as well as “Miami Vice”, and “The Sopranos”.
• Brant Thomas Murray, Lighting Design Fellow at the Lincoln Center Institute, is the designer of plays such as Marie Jones’ “Women on the verge of HRT,” Ballets and Operas.
• Jocelyn Rasmussen, Vocal Coach

  That same evening, “Asking For It” was booked at the Hallmark Residence for Assisted Living; New York Society for Ethical Culture; and at The Kirk on Theatre Row as guests of Eduardo Machado and Intar. As a result of the performance at the Kirk, they were given a generous grant which helped them present 3 performances at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre in July.

Taking the Show on the Road

  Also at that run-through, Janet Barlow, Director of The Stocker Arts Center on the campus of Lorain County Community College in Elyria, Ohio, showed up on the advice of a friend. She invited Joanna and Lynne to bring “Asking For It” to Stocker for one week. They rehearsed during the day and experimented with changes at night. A lot was learned during post performance talk-backs. Many saw the show several times. The audiences started to quote lines and college students were showing up as their favorite character in the play.

  One evening, Lynne met a woman in the lobby heading into the theatre with a 12 year old daughter. She stopped the woman warning her that the material was edgy and raw and probably inappropriate for a pre-teen. The woman bounded straight for their seats: “She won’t listen to anything I say, but she’ll get it from this play.”

Audience Acclaim

  From the four experiences, Hallmark, Ethical Culture, The Kirk and Stocker, they discovered that the play resonated with a broad audience. People from ages 12 to 98, male, female, gay, straight, all different colors, red state, blue state, different religions, no religion, many different ethnicities say the same thing, “This is my story.”

  Having discovered the appeal to such a broad audience, Donna Walker-Kuhne, Walker International Communications, Inc, came aboard to handle public relations for the Peter Jay Sharp run. With only three performances, Donna, Melvin E. Taylor and their team got “Asking For It” off to a great start. Walker International helped bring a true cross section of audiences together to share a common experience.

  Because of the broad appeal of “Asking For It,” the show will likely enjoy quick success in an Off-Broadway house, on its way to the playwright’s dream of a home at the Helen Hayes Theatre. It’s perfect for an HBO special, tours, colleges, regional and community theatre. This one-actor play is a great vehicle for mature actresses who are funny, can dance, act up a storm, are under-employed and who might be looking for a tour de force … just in case there are any of those around.