Interview: James Long, On the Line with Joseph Planta (thecommentary.ca)

James Long

Thursday, 24 January 2008

James Long, co-artistic director of Theatre Replacement, writer, and performer talks to Joseph Planta about a suitcase of photos he found a couple of years ago, which is now the basis of a show, Clark and I Somewhere in Connecticut.

You will need the Real Player to listen to the interviews. If you don't have it, you can download it at http://www.real.com.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line. This is THECOMMENTARY.CA.

So some time last fall, I decided to sign up for a subscription to Geist magazine. I didn't sign up for the magazine because I was familiar with it. I can honestly say that I'd never picked it up before. Daniel Francis, who was on last fall for one of his books, is a regular contributor, and it's probably on that basis alone did I sign up for a year's subscription.

Around New Year's my first issue arrived, the 2007 Winter edition. I did a leaf through and the one feature that caught my attention was contributed by my guest now. James Long tells the uniquely interesting story about how while walking his dog in East Vancouver, he finds a suitcase of photo albums and scrapbooks sitting amidst a pile of garbage ready to be picked up. He rescues the case and sifts through someone else's memories. Skip to the present and on 29 January 2008 through to 03 February 2008 at Performance Works on Granville Island, opening the PuSh Festival, Theatre Replacement, a company where Mr. Long is co-artistic director, will be performing Clark and I Somewhere in Connecticut. It is a play based on the abandoned suitcase Long found a couple of years ago, the photographs therein, and the process of finding the people so photographed. Rumble Productions co-produces, and tickets can be had through www.ticketstonight.ca or 604 231 7535. In March, the show goes to Toronto. It's a fascinating story. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, James Long; Good morning, Mr. Long.

Weblinks:

Rumble Productions: http://www.rumble.org/

Theatre Replacement: http://www.theatrereplacement.org/