NYC playwright, essayist and monologist Lisa Haas brings her one-woman show to the Vancouver Fringe

The queer content at this year's Vancouver International Fringe Festival just bigger!  GayVancouver.Net (Gay Vancouver Online) caught up with Lisa Haas who is bringing her one-woman show, Crown Hill Cemetery, from New York to Vancouver.

Tell us about your upcoming show, Crown Hill Cemetery, at the Vancouver Fringe Festival. What can audiences expect?

Crown Hill Cemetery is a solo comedy about growing up near a cemetery and my resulting fear of death. It’s also about my family’s totally kooky relationship to death. My show is a monologue in which I address the audience directly and create an intimate and fun space where people can check their Serious Hat at the door. The piece mixes performance genres of storytelling and stand-up comedy with a dash of improv.

Is the show based on real-life?

Yes! All events recounted actually happened. No names have been changed to protect the guilty ... or innocent.  Everyone’s identity is wide open for pot-shots.

Why death as a subject?

Death just won’t get out of my face! And, in my opinion, death is so horrible.  If we aren’t able to laugh at some parts about it, life would be unbearable.

Given the subject matter you use what you call a “break bag” where anyone in the audience can interrupt you and you will talk about something else for a moment. Do you find it difficult to move from the Crown Hill Cemetery monologue to another topic and back again?

I don’t find it difficult because life is constantly interrupted by death and you still have to get back on track and go forward. And, every interruption to me is completely horrifying! Even if it is something as seemingly benign/mundane as a dead mouse in the garage.  I never find myself saying, “Oh, there is a sweet little mouse who has peacefully passed away.” It’s always, “AAhhhh!! There’s a mouse, crushed in a snap trap – and I think I heard it scream!” I feel like we need to have the option to interrupt death, take a break from it, or at the very least treat ourselves to a temporary distraction.

Why did you choose the Vancouver Fringe to perform at, it is an awful long way from New York!

I have been to a number of fringes in various Provinces in Canada but have never been to the British Columbia area. I was lucky to get into the Vancouver Fringe and apparently, my show is running in the official Sexy Venue: Origins Organic Coffee. I can’t wait to take in the metropolis billed at the “most livable city in 2009.” Plus, I look forward to visiting the Vancouver Zoo!

You recently did the show in Winnipeg. The critics seemed to have liked it (4 out of 5 from the Winnipeg Sun) but how was the reception in Canada’s equivalent to a square State?

I was astounded by the massive turnout of the audiences in Winnipeg for the festival. The demographic was very broad in terms of age, sex, sexual orientation and occupation. People were genuinely interested in seeing all kinds of different shows. If I had to compare Winnipeg to my square state of origin, Colorado, in terms of seeing live performance, I would say Winnipegians are much more adventurous and hip to the shit. There are of course pockets of communities in Colorado which turn out for various performing arts events, but given the high density of the population of Denver, it does not seem to have as broad of demographic of folks interested in “fringe” type performing arts.

This piece came about through a Jerome Foundation Fellowship. Can you tell us about the Fellowship and how you came about to receive it?

A number of years ago I made an application for a writing residency at the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center in Minnesota. The cultural center noticed I qualified to be considered for Jerome Foundation funding and I received the fellowship as part of my acceptance to the residency. Due to funding from the Jerome Foundation I was able to attend this residency where I drafted out the idea of Crown Hill Cemetery and started scripting it.

How important are things like the Jerome Foundation Fellowships to artists such as yourself? Would this piece have been done without this Fellowship?

Support is essential, whether it comes in the form of space to work in, or an organization that produces or helps produce your work, or in cold, hard cash. We live in an economic climate, especially in America, and especially in NYC, where it’s very difficult for artists to make a living from their art. Even “just getting by,” is a huge challenge. The cost of healthcare, rent, education, transportation, etc. continues to soar. Most things vital to living demand a serious chunk of change. Because of financial support from the Jerome Foundation, I could afford to take a break from my day job at the time and go to the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center and spend an un-interrupted period of time to write the major body of the piece.

Without the fellowship, I would have still found a way to do the piece, but it would have taken much longer, and maybe have taken a different shape. The support definitely allowed for the space to work without extreme compromises. I understand that financial support for artists in Canada is by and large more generous than what is available in the states. I’ll be sure to mention how fantastic I think that is to the immigration officer at the Vancouver Airport Authority!

You bill yourself as a monologist (as well as playwright and essayist). Why monologues, what attracts them to you as opposed to more traditional theatre?

The one particular thing that most attracts me to monologues is addressing the audience, and in particular, addressing the audience directly and being present with them. And being present for me, for my solo shows, means that we are all in the same time and space, right here and now. I won’t in any way pretend like the audience isn’t there, even if someone says something to me.  And why shouldn’t they – there’s no fourth wall blocking an interchange. Nothing is more thrilling to me about drama or acting than to see a performer who is totally present whether onstage or in film, with another actor or the audience. That’s where you get to experience a genuine exchange.

Also, a monologue is a chance for a character to share information with the audience that they might not otherwise reveal. This medium creates a different kind of space with different types of social filters. And in Crown Hill Cemetery, I’m actually not pretending to be a character. I’m there as myself.

Tell us about the lesbian a comedy group The Lesbian Overtones. The Youtube video we saw of your very cheesy holiday promo was hilarious. Do you have plans on bringing that group West?

The Lesbian Overtones are an all female singing group from Northampton, MA dedicated to celebrating all things lesbian, most specifically, honoring popular lesbian singer/songwriters. Whether it is k.d. lang, the Indigo Girls or Melissa Etheridge, The Lesbian Overtones brings you the best of lesbian music – a’cappella style! We are in actuality a comedic group of NYC-based queer performers portraying the characters who make up The Lesbian Overtones. The Tones would love to come out west, and wouldn’t say no to any offer of funding to help us travel!

What’s next for Lisa Haas?

In addition to writing a new solo show for next years fringe circuit, my director Jocelyn Sawyer and I are currently developing a comedy titled “In Heat.” The central character of this piece is Doris Anderson, a lesbian in her 60’s who has realized that due to the rise of a new gender-queer generation, nobody wants to be a lesbian anymore. Consequently, she has formed a cultural hospice for the last of the lesbians who will all be dying off in the next 30 years. It’s a trilogy, and several parts of it have been performed in New York City. We would like to take this show to colleges, festivals and other venues throughout North America. Doris Anderson is quite a lesbian sensation who has caused a stir in the LGBTQ community. Folks worldwide have been clamoring for her advice! Find out what all the fuss is about by visiting her website http://www.inheat.org where you can find a link to her blog and also friend her on Facebook!

Crown Hill Cemetery
Vancouver Fringe Festival
Origins Organic Coffee Co., 1245 Cartwright St, Granville Island

Friday, September 11 - 8:45pm
Saturday, September 12 - 5:15pm
Sunday, September 13 - 5:00pm
Tuesday, September 15 - 7:25pm
Thursday, September 17 - 9:00pm
Saturday, September 19 - 5:15pm
Sunday, September 20 - 1:45pm & 9:00pm

Comic monologist Lisa Haas presents her morbidly funny tale about the struggle to avoid death while growing up next to a burial ground in the suburbs of Denver. Embracing life seems impossible when it is trampled on by embarrassing coffin-side calamities and telemarketers selling cemetery plots. Read more about why critics have said "Haas delivers monologue with moxie" at http://www.lisa-haas.com.

For tickets to Crown Hill Cemetery and for all the information on this year's Vancouver Fringe Festival be sure to visit http://www.vancouverfringe.com.