Steps To The Stage
Steps To The Stage
Bending The Spoon: 3 on the Edge Festival
How often do audiences get to experience a play directed by its own playwright? In this enlightening episode of Steps to the Stage, we take you behind the scenes of "Bending the Spoon," part of Chino Community Theatre's Three on the Edge Festival, where writer-director Ken Lay brings his own creation to life.
The play centers on a three-generation family preparing to celebrate a sweet sixteen birthday that unexpectedly resurrects a 20-year-old family tragedy. While the premise might sound heavy, Lay promises plenty of laughter amidst the tears, creating a richly human experience that reflects real life's complex emotional landscape.
What makes this production uniquely fascinating is the creative dynamics at play. Tracy Lay, who portrays Gina and happens to be Ken's wife, brings her third iteration of the character to stage, having originated the role in 2018. Meanwhile, Cindy East, who plays grandmother Carol, describes the rare advantage of working directly with the playwright: "He has so much more insight than the average director would have." This intimate connection between writer, director, and actors creates an electric creative environment where lines can be adjusted on the fly when Ken realizes something that worked on paper doesn't translate perfectly to stage.
The cast reveals how Ken's approach to balancing comedy with tragedy stems from his belief that "you just have to laugh instead of cry" sometimes. Rather than relying on slapstick or overt jokes, the humor emerges organically from recognizable family interactions—those moments audience members will recognize from their own lives. As Tracy explains, "People are going to see these characters and relate to them," thinking, "that sounds just like my dad" or "that's how I talk to my husband."
At its heart, "Bending the Spoon" explores how families navigate life's unpredictable challenges. As Ken thoughtfully puts it, "Sometimes in life, more than one thing hits you at the same time, and you don't always get to resolve one before the next one comes along." When asked to describe the play in just one word, the creative team offers three powerful options: "Life," "Humanity," and "Heart."
Don't miss this rare theatrical experience where playwright vision merges directly with stage direction. Discover for yourself why this production has the cast occasionally leaving rehearsals in emotional silence after powerful scenes, yet still finding themselves laughing at the same moments after countless rehearsals.
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Welcome to Steps to the Stage. A 7th Street Community Theatre podcast.
Speaker 2:Hello and welcome to Steps to the Stage, the community theatre podcast, where we talk to the theatre professionals you know and love. I'm Marlee and today we're going to be covering Chino Community Theatre's Three on the Edge Festival, featuring Breathing Corpses, Savage in Limbo and Bending the Spoon. Right now we're talking about Bending the Spoon and I have three amazing big participants in this play. So if we could just go down the line, introduce yourself and your role in this play.
Speaker 3:I'm Ken Lay. I am the writer and director of Bending the Spoon.
Speaker 4:I'm Tracy Lay and I play Gina in Bending the Spoon. I'm Cindy.
Speaker 5:East and I play Gina. In Bending the Spoon.
Speaker 2:I'm Cindy East and I play Carol the grandmother Amazing and from our writer and director. Could you give like a short synopsis of what's going on in the play?
Speaker 3:Sure, bending the Spoon is just the story of a three-generation family. They're about to celebrate the birthday of the youngest member of the family, who's about to turn 16. Uh, but in the process of doing that it's dredging up, uh, a 20 year old family tragedy that everybody's having to deal with. Um and uh, it makes it especially hard. Uh, it sounds heavy and uh, certainly there there may be a tear or two, but I promise there's lots and lots and lots and lots of laughs as well.
Speaker 2:Amazing. I mean, we have a unique situation, having the playwright be part of the production. So how has the process been? Just like getting to work in this theater on a play you've written.
Speaker 3:It's an honor and I'm really appreciative to CCT for allowing us the opportunity to stage this and show it off to people here in the Inland Empire. It's a great cast. It's all people, mostly people that I've worked with before, and certainly I've seen them all on stage at the very least before, so it's great to be able to work with this group.
Speaker 2:Amazing. And then, as actors, how has it been working with your director? That's also your playwright. How's this experience it's so unique to talk about? I'm usually like why'd you pick this play?
Speaker 4:But it's like well, hey, yeah, I actually have. I originated the role of Gina back in 2018. We actually did it as a stage reading here at CCT and then we did it as a stage performance at the Santa Monica Playhouse Very cool. So I've played Gina. This is my third time playing the part. I absolutely love it. It's interesting having my husband as my director, but this is not the first time he's directed me and I just love it. I love this role, I love this play and I just hope it really resonates with the audiences as well. Yeah, how have you felt?
Speaker 5:I am honored to have been selected throughout the audition process to be a part of this group, and Ken is wonderful as a director. He's empowering, even though he wrote the play and I guess because he wrote it he has so much more insight yeah, very true Than the average director would have and he's given us the benefit of that insight and he's been eloquent with that information, so it's really been helpful. I'm loving doing this. The part of Carol really resonates with me. I relate to her in almost every way, not 100%. I didn't experience the tragedy that Ken referenced, but I've referenced those feelings I have. You know you have fear as a parent and a grandparent when you're raising children and you have grandchildren and you see them struggle, and so you do have those fears and luckily they've not come to fruition. But I still resonate with that, given that I'm actually the age, I believe, of my character and I've been married 52 years.
Speaker 5:You know I experience some of what she's going through so I really relate to it and I'm again just honored to be a part of this and excited to put it on the stage and I hope a lot of people come to see this because, as Ken said, even though it deals with a tragedy, there are a lot of light moments and there is some laughter and we keep it real and I think that the audiences will be pleasantly surprised to come see this.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I love it. We've had a lot of like now, because this is the third play we're talking about in the three on the edge festival. We have a lot of like the same theme of like dark comedies and like the human experience and adding all of that in. So how's it been um for you, I mean, it's different experience. But more on, like the directing, how's it been putting comedic elements into some like heavy storylines for like directing actors? How's that been?
Speaker 3:I think you have to have that if you're going to deal with heavy subject matter. You can't bang people over the head for two hours and leave them limp and lifeless. I think that this show is actually quite the opposite of that. I hope that it will infuse life into the people that see it. One of the things that we talk about is the fact that somebody once asked me after they saw the show I believe it was in Santa Monica and said well, is it about this problem or is it about that problem, or is it about this other problem, that problem, or is it about this other problem? And my answer really was it's about all those. And yet it's really not about any of them, because it's really more about the fact that sometimes in life, more than one thing hits you at the same time and you don't always get a chance to resolve one before the next one comes along. And that's really more what it's about and how you do that within the structure of a family and how a family can either contribute to those problems.
Speaker 2:Yeah, amazing, amazing. And then, as actors, how has that kind of you know, the comedic and dark, how's that been in the process? Has it been an easy process or are there some like weird things that you have to work through?
Speaker 4:The comedic part comes easily, I think for me in this show, Comedy is not always easy.
Speaker 2:Yes, very true.
Speaker 4:Drama comes easier to me, but in this particular show, the comedy comes easily to me. Our opening scene just starts with laughter, and so it's just really easy to play on that. Yeah, there's a lot of ups and downs in this show, but I think that the cast as a whole is doing a great job. But I think that the cast as a whole is doing a great job, bringing about all those light moments as well as the heavier ones as well.
Speaker 5:For me, it's just the opposite. I've always been known as the comedic actress and a comedic director I'm usually always right?
Speaker 5:Yeah, definitely. So I almost always get the comedies and I love comedy, and it is hard, but for me it's natural. So this has been a departure for me and it's a challenge, but it's a welcome challenge and what's exciting for me is to explore all the different levels. It's not just one level, there's a lot of levels. There's every emotion that a human can have that we're experiencing in the show, and so for me to find those different levels and those different emotions has been a rewarding challenge and just I hope that I'm living up to the expectations.
Speaker 2:It's been fun, amazing. It's so cool having such like a personal like touch. I feel like the anyone watching it will be like wow, I can like. You know how you can feel when, like, the actors are working together and when it's like something really special to people, they can, they can feel it on stage. From the more production side of it, how has it been like fully seeing your play like fully like realized, with like costume, and been like fully seeing your play like fully like realized, with like costume and set Like? How have those like decision-making been like interesting and fun in this experience?
Speaker 3:I think the challenge with Three on the Edge is always that you're sharing space and stage and to a certain extent, honestly, you're sharing the set as well, so there's been a lot of collaboration and cooperation that's been necessary. Chino keeps the stage busy, so even as we're recording this podcast today, they're just now doing the strike on the show that just ended, and in less than two weeks the festival opens.
Speaker 3:So there's very little time to be on stage. So the production process is quite challenging. We don't have, we have very little time on stage and and just a couple of rehearsals on the actual set before we open. So that's just the nature of Three on the Edge. It's, it's one of the challenges, but I I've seen so many of the Three on the Edge productions over the past several years and the shows always seem to rise to the challenge, I agree yeah, there's something in like the like tension, so to speak, that like makes people rise to the occasion.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, I agree, I think this would be amazing, an amazing thing to watch. What has been like this is like a unique production experience. What's been like the best or most memorable, like little moment that you've anybody's had I don't know.
Speaker 4:I going back to ken being the, the playwright and, and you know, performing in front of the person who wrote it. You don't get that experience. Not a lot of people get to do that, right, and so, um, we, we make jokes every now and then when we're, you know, for flubbing up lines or we get stuck on something like we're like talk to the playwright about this you know and you can, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4:That's cool. And so there's even been some times where he's like I'm going to change that, we're going to change the wording there, and he's like I can do that because I wrote it. I know that's so cool.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so it's just a one of the actors AJ, I was giving him a bit of stage direction.
Speaker 3:He goes, but that's not what's written here and you're like well, guess what? Yeah, I mean, I said well, at the time I wrote it it hadn't been produced yet, and now that I see it, I need to make this change, and so that's also one of the fun things, just being able to have the opportunity to direct it.
Speaker 3:You see, sometimes I wouldn't call them mistakes, but just once you get it on its feet something that you had in mind doesn't quite work, or you think it would work better a different way. So it's interesting. I've been really grateful to Cindy and Tracy and AJ and Paul and Stephanie and Dylan and to Flynn. They've all been so gracious in working with me on making changes. I do have a pretty distinct vision of what I wanted all these characters to be like, and it's a challenge for a director, especially if it's something that you didn't write.
Speaker 3:Artists can have differences of opinion, and they're not, and they can both be right. It's hard to feel like as the writer, I am right because I also want to allow some of that. I want to be able to bring the best ideas to the stage, and if somebody has a better idea than I did, I want to be able to honor that. But it can be a challenge, especially if it's a little different than what you'd originally envisioned. So it's a growing process for me as well, trying to navigate the waters both as a writer and the director.
Speaker 5:Yeah, very interesting. I think you've been relatively flexible. This is my third time now working closely with a playwright.
Speaker 1:The other two times.
Speaker 5:I directed, I was directing plays and the playwrights were local and Tracy was in one of them that I directed where our playwright came. Tracy was in one of them that I directed where our playwright came. Even though he didn't direct, he watched and he loved some of the things that we directed and that the actors came up with some of their ideas. He even said, even though they were both published plays or one was one was not, one was published, the one I'm referencing right now he said I'm going to try to alter that because I liked what they did and so yeah, that makes you feel good.
Speaker 1:It does right, it does yeah.
Speaker 5:And so, yeah, it's been an interesting process. Being in a play directed by the playwright, though, has been quite different than having the other playwright be by my side or be there to critique what we've done yeah, it's kind of unique thing about theater and like writing theater.
Speaker 2:It's like you can like have like a proofreader, but it's like you almost it needs to happen to know like what's gonna gonna work and stuff. So that's been, that's been really interesting. Has there been anything, um, on the director side and writing side, that's been like surprising.
Speaker 3:That's happened that like work, like just like I know there's been readings and stuff, but seeing it like like a fully fledged production that you were surprised about, that worked or something that you had an expectation for that ended up being different yeah, I mean there are a lot, a lot of big laughs that I expected to be smiles from the audience, that and and I've been really gratified by that that that things that I never imagined that there would be the laughter that there has been for some of the things there's at least one moment that has never worked very well but I thought was going to be really funny and actually in this version I've altered the lines a little bit. It'll be interesting to see if it plays a little bit differently. But yeah, you get surprised sometimes and especially, I would say especially the laughs that have come consistently, that I was just kind of expecting to be smiles.
Speaker 3:You actually get the laughs.
Speaker 4:Yeah, there's still some scenes that I'm not a part of and I'm watching, and I still giggle to myself as I'm watching it, and I've seen it many, many times and they still make me laugh out loud.
Speaker 5:And even where there's not outright laughs or guffaws or how you, in the heartbreaking moments, there's also heartwarming moments, so that it may not be an outright laugh, but it's, it's pleasant.
Speaker 2:It's warming, amazing. I know it's so cool, such a unique, such a unique experience to be a part of. So everybody should come and see because it's a a new thing that you won't be seeing before. Um, in in the process, what was for for our actors, like what was? I know we kind of talked about the drama being most challenging for you, but did you have anything else? That kind of like you got stuck on and you feel like you like overcame now in this part of the process for me.
Speaker 5:I would say that it's's learning the number of lines that I have. It's a lot of lines and it's one of the bigger parts I've had over the last two or three years, so I've had to sharpen the brain cells a little bit. Yeah. It gets harder to remember those lines the older you get. Tell me it does Absolutely. Tell me it does Absolutely.
Speaker 4:I think for me there's been a couple of times where I'm kind of stuck on a line reading and I'm not normally one to be like, how do you want this said. But I did ask Ken. You know I'm stuck on how you envisioned this line being done and he's not one to give line readings either. But when he was asked, he provided and I was like, oh, that makes more sense. Okay, yeah, okay, I got it, you know. So, other than that, I feel like these lines just, they just flow from me, they just yeah lines, just, they just flow from me.
Speaker 5:They just, yeah, they're with those, with a minor exception that there's a couple. I have a handful of lines that are all really similar in different scenes, so remembering which line comes where, yeah, yeah, it's always those tricky ones, those lines that get you every now and then, yeah yeah, so amazing also.
Speaker 2:I know it's kind of we're looking at the setting of a family, looking at bigger things. What was kind of the inspiration on having that being what we're focusing on and why specifically with a family element? Like, why that? Why were you drawn to doing that?
Speaker 3:It's partly my personality I do. I mean, I have a sense of humor. I do feel like I wouldn't say that the humor is really self-deprecating humor per se, but I do feel like sometimes you just have to laugh instead of cry. And I do feel like some of the and don't ask me to name any off the top of my head, but I know that a lot of the movies and plays and whatnot that I've seen that are dealing with heavier subjects, the ones that also spend a generous amount of time making me laugh, are the ones that generally I'm more drawn to. And so, as far as inspiration, I think it's just being part of a family and the challenges of being part of a family and trying to deal with life's challenges. And family can be defined any way, whether it's by blood or maybe by the group of people that you call your family, whether they're blood or not. When you have that support, it's nice to have.
Speaker 4:I think, too, the comedy that comes with it is not slapstick, it's not farce. It's just things that happen in families, in relationships, the way you say things to each other. I think the comedy comes from the fact that people are going to see these characters and relate to them. Oh my gosh, that sounds just like my dad.
Speaker 4:Or that's oh my gosh, that's how I talk to my own husband or whatever, and I think people will connect with that and they'll relate to that. It's not so much here's a joke here, here's a joke here but it's like yeah, that's how people talk to each other, it's how family members.
Speaker 2:It's pouring out of real life.
Speaker 4:Exactly, exactly, exactly, yeah, definitely.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what's everyone's like best moment, or like a moment, something that happened that you're most proud of? You know something you want, like a listener, to like know about when they're watching you play For me it's delving deep into my emotions and being vulnerable.
Speaker 5:Yeah, because I'm not that type of person.
Speaker 1:My personality, I'm not vulnerable.
Speaker 5:I'm strong and I have a tough facade, and so for me to dig deep and find that vulnerability has been rewarding.
Speaker 4:Yeah amazing, I think, for me some of the topics are kind of starting to hit home in my own life. Yeah, okay, yep, all right, let's you know. So there's and there's I think there's not just me, that's done that, you know, we finish up a scene and everybody just kind of goes okay.
Speaker 1:You know we got through all of that.
Speaker 4:But I'm just super proud of my husband. You know, when I first, he would not let me read a lot of the script. When he was first writing it. I would get maybe little bits and pieces, but you know he wanted it to be something that was more complete. I think it was. I don't recall you. Correct me if I'm wrong, dear.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I didn't let you read much of it until it was pretty close to being finished.
Speaker 4:Yeah, and just super proud of this because it's like we've said throughout this podcast here that it's funny, it's heartwarming, it's gut-wrenching at times, it's real, it's gut-wrenching at times, it's real and I think that's what people will connect with just the realness of these characters, the realness of the issues that they're dealing with. And I just could not be more proud of Ken for what he's created and I'm so glad to be a part of it again.
Speaker 2:Exactly. I love it. What's been your best moment?
Speaker 3:I know there's probably a lot going on, but just like a small little thing, what each actor brings, that's different from what the others have brought, and as a writer, it's very gratifying because if I want this to live on, it's not going to be the same cast every time and you have to see if other people can bring other things and that the characters are still living and breathing and doing what they need to do. It could be a little different than what somebody else brought to it, but if it's a real play and if it's going to last, it has to be able to do that, and so it's been really great seeing Cindy and AJ and Paul and Stephanie and Dylan and Flynn bringing different things to these roles, because none of them have played them previously. So it's nice to see that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like people create their own relationships with this play that you obviously had for a long time. That's cool. That's nice to see that. Yeah, like people create their own relationships with this play that you obviously had for a long time, that's cool. That's cool to see. Okay, it's been amazing talking to you as we kind of wrap things up. If you were to sell the show in one word, what would you say? We've been doing that for the rest of them. Just one word to kind of just describe the play Something that would draw someone in.
Speaker 5:Wow, one word. It's hard to distill it down to one word it's life I love that. That's very cool oh my gosh um humanity oh cool I love it um heart wow, those are.
Speaker 2:Those are good. Those are good words. I love it. So, everybody, bending the Spoon will be performing May 10th and 25th at 2.30, and then May 17th, 13th Sorry, whoa 15th, 17th and then on the 23rd at 7.30. So, everyone get your tickets for this unique experience watching Bending the Spoon. And thank you all for talking to me. It's been amazing, thank you so much, marlene, thank you.
Speaker 1:Thanks for listening to Steps to the Stage, a 7th Street Community Theatre podcast. Follow us on your favourite podcast platform and leave us a review and a 5 star rating. It really helps. You can also find us on Instagram, facebook and YouTube. Special thanks to Chino Community Theatre and Chino Community Children's Theater for their generous support and very special thank you to the listeners. Steps to the Stage was created by Joey Rice and Kirk Lane. Logo created by Marley Lane. Original music by Joey Rice. Your host, marley Lane. Engineer and producer, joey Rice. Engineer and executive producer, kirk Lane.
