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The world premiere of Tim Venable\u2019s\u00a0play Adolescent Salvation opens Friday, September 5 at Rogue Machine in the intimate upstairs Henry Murray Stage at the Matrix Theatre, 7657 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046. Tim (pictured) is a multi-disciplined artist who works as a playwright, director, and actor and is currently adapting his play Baby Foot, which was produced by Rogue Machine, into a feature film.<\/p>\n
Directed by Guillermo Cienfuegos<\/a>, Adolescent Salvation takes place over the course of one night as three teens banter, bicker and push each other to the edge of danger through a haze of tequila, texting, and Taylor Swift<\/a>. With consequences that could prove lethal by morning, this searingly funny and fearlessly inquisitive play examines characters we judge most harshly – and the fatal consequences of ignoring our own complicity in the deeds that we condemn.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n I decided to speak with Tim about the creation of the play and his journey to bring it to Rogue Machine, as well as his personal experience working with teenagers upon whom his characters may be molded.<\/p>\n Carolina Rodriguez, Alexandra Lee<\/a>, Michael Guarasci<\/p>\n Thanks for speaking with me Tim. First, where and when did you first get involved as a playwright for the stage?<\/strong><\/p>\n The first thing I ever wrote was a feature-length screenplay, which I had no idea how to do, and it ended up being an amazing training ground in terms of how to tell a story. I started writing short plays, and one of those short plays I developed into a full-length play, and during the pandemic, I just kept going, and fell in love with the process.<\/p>\n Describe your journey from acting to directing to playwrighting? Or was it in a different order?<\/strong><\/p>\n That\u2019s right! I was (am) an actor, and one of the short plays I wrote (Handwriting) was produced in Chicago at the Mary-Arrchie Theatre, and was the first thing I directed. I produced\/directed a production of Romeo and Juliet for the Hollywood Fringe Festival in 2018; and then three years ago I produced\/directed my play Baby Foot in NYC in 2023, which Rogue Machine Theatre then produced in L.A. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Alexandra Lee<\/a><\/p>\n Which aspect of those three do you find the most personally rewarding?\u00a0 How so?<\/strong><\/p>\n Playwriting. I love to direct, but in order for me to do it, I have to have a kind of obsessive vision for a particular play or film, which I do for a number of (mostly) classical plays. I\u2019ve had a deeply rich and rewarding life as an actor, but I look at that life as a kind of gateway drug to being able to (hopefully) write characters and stories that actors love to play. There are myriad joys (and challenges) with playwriting that I feel totally suited for, and as crazy vulnerable as it is, the collaboration with director, actors, and designers is deeply rewarding. \u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n Why did you decide to write about teenagers?<\/strong><\/p>\n That\u2019s a really good question. It\u2019s such a raw, formative time, and I think the closest thing to universal in a way that not every period of our lives can be, at least as Americans. It\u2019s such a weird and intense time, especially in high school, and endlessly dramatic. \u00a0<\/p>\n Carolina Rodriguez<\/p>\n How do you describe what <\/strong>Adolescent Salvation<\/a>\u00a0<\/a>is about?<\/strong><\/p>\n I can’t say what Adolescent Salvation is “about,” that’s for audiences to decide, but I think, ultimately, it is an expression of faith; I have an inherent belief in our human potential, in spite of (and because of) all the terrible, beautiful, hilarious, and devastating things we do, the heartache in bearing witness to our failures, and a fire of certainty that we can do better.<\/p>\n Do you really believe it\u2019s always possible to do better, given the challenges teens face to succeed in life these days? How so?<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s always possible, but it doesn\u2019t mean we will. I\u2019m an optimist at heart, but I\u2019m not delusional. We\u2019re in a deep crisis in very existential ways, so that has to be acknowledged. But this is what I mean by the act (practice) of faith, which I\u2019ve seen in my own life (over 20 years in recovery from drugs & alcohol). And it also depends on what our definition of \u201csuccess\u201d is, which I think is being deeply interrogated by those of us unwilling to believe the grotesque cultural narrative of what it means to succeed.\u00a0<\/p>\n Michael Guarasci<\/p>\n Tell me about your previous experience working with Guillermo Cienfuegos who directed the world premiere of your play\u00a0The Beautiful People\u00a0and produced the LA premiere of your play\u00a0Baby Foot.<\/strong><\/p>\n I knew and deeply admired John P. Flynn for years, and he was an early champion of my work. But it wasn\u2019t until The Beautiful People that I felt I had something worth his time, and so I sent it to him. He immediately responded, and gave the play to Guillermo. After an incredible reading of it with the brilliant actors Alex Neher and Justin Preston<\/a>, we went into production, and it changed my life. Besides being a brilliant, relentless, world-class director, and an amazing human being, the thing that I felt with Guillermo immediately, and still feel to this day, is an artistic kinship and profound admiration for his courage. He knew and understood and felt in his bones everything I was trying to do with The Beautiful People, and now Adolescent Salvation, and beyond that he has keen insight into the plays that even I don\u2019t understand sometimes. It has been a dream collaboration, every step of the way. <\/p>\n Michael Guarasci,\u00a0\u00a0Alexandra Lee<\/a><\/p>\n Why did you decide to ask him to direct Adolescent Salvation<\/a>? Are the stories or characters similar in nature to your other plays he has directed?<\/strong><\/p>\n This play has been the hardest and scariest thing I\u2019ve ever done, and having someone I love and trust with it was essential. There\u2019s an adage I like, which is \u201cif you\u2019re going to go up to the bell\u2026ring it.\u201d Working with Guillermo on The Beautiful People gave me the courage to ring the bell. The stories are similar, in terms of the main characters being teenagers, and the play taking place in real time over the course of one night, and, also, he understands the comedy of the plays, as dark as the subject matter can be.\u00a0<\/p>\n I read about you adapting your play Baby Foot into a feature film. How is that different from writing a play for the stage?<\/strong><\/p>\n Yes! My producer James A. Heim saw the play at Rogue Machine and approached me about the adaptation. We\u2019ve been working on developing the script for the last year, and we\u2019re now in pre-production on the feature, which I\u2019ll direct starring Hope Lauren<\/a> and Daniel Dorr<\/a>, who originated the roles on stage. I write for film\/tv, but this is the first time I\u2019ve adapted anything of my own, and especially being so close to something I produced\/directed in both NYC and LA, it was a huge challenge in big and small ways. But I\u2019ve found a way to tell a cinematic story of something that has been, and is essentially, a dialogue\/character driven story, and really excited to make the film in the same kind of punk rock, indie way we did the play.\u00a0<\/p>\n Carolina Rodriguez, Michael Guarasci,\u00a0Alexandra Lee<\/a><\/p>\n Tell me about the Adolescent Salvation characters and how they interact with each other to forward the story.<\/strong><\/p>\n The story is centered around three teenagers on a sleepover. Without giving too much away, one of the girls has a secret that changes all their lives forever. Come see the play to find out!\u00a0The actors are:\u00a0Jenny Flack\u00a0as Victoria,\u00a0Michael Guarasci\u00a0as Taylor M,\u00a0Alexandra Lee<\/a>\u00a0as Taylor F,\u00a0Carolina Rodriguez\u00a0as Natasha, and\u00a0Keith Stevenson\u00a0as\u00a0Mike McCaffery<\/p>\n Are any of the characters based on teens you have known?<\/strong><\/p>\n Not anyone specifically. I think all of them are versions of me, honestly. At least in terms of their emotional lives.\u00a0<\/p>\n Alexandra Lee<\/a>, Carolina Rodriguez, Michael Guarasci<\/p>\n Have you worked with any of the actors previously?<\/strong><\/p>\n No! Dream cast. Just a dream. Perfect.\u00a0HUGE thank you to Victoria Hoffman<\/a>, our amazing Casting Director.<\/p>\n Have you worked with any of the Rogue Machine production team members previously, either on your own plays or others?<\/strong><\/p>\n I have worked with Chris Moscatiello (Sound Design), Victoria Hoffman<\/a> (Casting), and Rachel Ann Manheimer (Stage Manager), each the best at what they do. <\/p>\n Michael Guarasci, Carolina Rodriguez,\u00a0Alexandra Lee<\/a><\/p>\n Did you write the play to be presented in such an intimate theater space with just 33 seats for audience members? And if not, why do you think it\u2019s a better setting for the story?\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n No! I never think anything I write will be produced. \u00a0When Guillermo and John said they wanted to do it, I was floored. The space, Guillermo\u2019s masterful staging, and what the designers have done with it, is unbelievable. The thing I love most is that we are in her room. There\u2019s no us\/them. It\u2019s just us. \u00a0<\/p>\n It certainly adds a sense of realism when we enter the room through her closet! There are several moments when you use humor to relieve stressful situations in the play. Is that a typical pattern in your writing?<\/strong><\/p>\n Michael Guarasci, Alexandra Lee<\/a><\/p>\n I think it\u2019s just how my brain works, but whenever I move into an emotional moment, or something that feels like it\u2019s sincere or honest or maybe dangerous, I have a natural inclination of wanting to subvert it. I don\u2019t think about making anything \u201cfunny\u201d necessarily, especially in early drafts. It\u2019s always the characters sort of doing what they need to say or do, but I love the surprise (and being surprised) by the very beautiful and human thing of dealing with situations with humor. <\/p>\n Not a specific example, but with Adolescent Salvation, the tone and approach of it is very much showing the way teenagers can go from talking about their parents getting a divorce in one moment, and in the next how much they love Taylor Swift<\/a>. The dynamic shift feels really funny and honest, I think. \u00a0<\/p>\n Michael Guarasci, Carolina Rodriguez<\/p>\n Since the play centers around teens, is it filled with adult language and situations or appropriate for all ages? <\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s definitely not for all ages, but we\u2019ve had teenagers come to see previews and they love it. It\u2019s beautiful and deeply moving.\u00a0<\/p>\n What do you hope audiences will be talking about after seeing it?<\/strong><\/p>\n I don\u2019t know, honestly. I\u2019m really excited to hear what people have to say. If anything, my aim as a playwright is to try and represent the super complicated and confusing and beautiful and terrible and hilarious and devastating experience of being human. This sounds lofty, but I don\u2019t have answers, and I don\u2019t think plays should have them either. \u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Interview:](\"https:\/\/cloudimages2.broadwayworld.com\/upload13\/2386855\/Carolina%20Rodriguez%2C%20Alexandra%20Lee%2C%20Michael%20Guarasci.jpg?format=auto&width=1400\" "\\"Interview:")
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