Script, & Stage
the intersection of
Sound
an interview with
Dael Orlandersmith, Lindsay Jones, & You-Shin Chen
Written by Lydia Cochran, Literary Emerging Professional Resident
we don’t talk about ageism. The assumption is that you’re older, you’re a throw away. If you’re young, you’re stupid.”
Music pulses through the heart of New Age. It uplifts and feeds each woman’s tune as she tells her story, each isolated in her space but connected to each other in thought. Playwright Dael Orlandersmith, Sound Designer/ Composer Lindsay Jones, and Scenic Designer You-Shin Chen came together to discuss how musical storytelling has been infused into the show’s concept and design.
In the process of writing, it became important for Orlandersmith to look at the stories of women who contradict age-based stereotypes. “I mean, there’s certain people – I love the fact that Georgia O’Keefe painted literally until the day she died. You look at the work Patti Smith is doing. Yoko Ono is close to ninety, and she’s still working.” One of her primary inspirations for the character of Cass was Jackie O’Shaughnessy, who was discovered by American Apparel and became a model at age 62.
To begin the conversation, Dael Orlandersmith spoke to her initial inspirations and ideas for New Age. “I wanted to look at aging in general...What does it mean to age? What does it mean ‘to come of age’? And what it means to be female and to be of a certain age.” She has observed how women in the theater and entertainment industry can often become invisible by age 30 or 35. “It’s the last -ism, you know. We talk about racism. We talk about sexism. But 10
Women like this, female artists and icons of film, literature, and especially music, are referenced and celebrated throughout the play. “Music plays a role in everything that I write...I always wanted to write about women in music, and specifically rock ‘n roll,” explains Orlandersmith. “And so I came up with New Age.” New Age – PlayGuide
