Becoming the Nightingale - An Interview with Deedra Wong

Theater is arguably the most collaborative artform in existence. It requires a reliance on others bringing their talents, skills and expertise, and a trust in their decisions and intuition. With The Song of the Nightingale opening at Altarena Playhouse in a few weeks, I wanted to showcase some of the amazing people who are helping me bring this show to life. First, I interview Deedra Wong who is playing the title role of The Nightingale.

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MIN: One of the most fascinating things to me about this project is the fact that most of the actors in this show do so much more than perform. Can you describe a little of what you do beyond performing?

DEEDRA: I like to read tarot cards and help people gain insight into their life.  I love the mystical arts and I love sharing what I know with people. I  started reading cards in 1986 and started my business Tarot Perspectives in 2012. I read for people over the telephone or in person.

I teach dance and choreograph musicals as well, and I like helping people become  better performers. In addition to Nightingale, I am choreographing The Gold Rush Musical! produced by Bay Area Children's Theatre, which will go on tour to local elementary schools in October.

Deedra's album Pisces Dream is available on iTunes or Amazon

I also wrote an album called, Pisces Dream. It's a  self-produced electronica album on iTunes. I hope to write another album  again at some point. Maybe I'll write a book too. The artist in me  needs to constantly be creative!

M: What drew you to work on The Song of the Nightingale?

D: A friend told me there was a local playwright in the Bay Area who wrote a  musical written for an all Asian cast featuring a dancing bird. I knew at  that moment I wanted to be in the show. I wanted to be a part of a local,  original project and help bring it to life. When I saw the first staged  reading in 2010, I originally thought I wanted to be play Feng because I  wanted to use my voice and be comedic. But then as time went on, I  realized the Nightingale role was more fitting since I am primarily a  dancer. I like the challenge of not using my voice at all and only using  movement to convey my character. To be graceful and smooth is a good  challenge for me.

Photo by Peter Lichty

M: What are your creative sources of inspiration in working to craft the  character of the Nightingale?

D: The music is my true source of inspiration for the Nightingale. The  music tells me what to do.

M:What kinds of dance are influencing her  movement?

D: I use a little bit of everything to craft  her movement: ballet, modern, jazz, latin dance, hip hop, Chinese  dance. The one thing I knew about the Nightingale was that she is not  only one style but all styles mixed in one body.

M: Well, I'm certainly thankful that you are a part of this project. Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions as well.

The Surprise of the Nightingale

The creative process is unpredictable. Case in point, check out these drawings:

"What am I looking at?" you ask. These are character sketches I created for my upcoming musical The Song of the Nightingale from about 20 years ago. Of course, back then I wanted to be a Disney animator, which is why I drew the characters out. Do you see how I even created a Nightingale logo (check out the upper left hand corner)? Ever the brand marketer I was.

Starting from the top right corner, you see the earliest iterations of the characters now known as Madam Wu, Xiao Hai, The Emperor (who uncannily looks like the Sultan from Disney's Aladdin; that film must have been fresh on my mind), Mei Lin, The Nightingale, The Fake Nightingale and Lord Liu Bing Wen.

This drawing had been tucked away in an old sketch book until recent years. And there was a good stretch of time when I thought it was all just meant to be a relic of a child's imagination. In fact, I used to consider making a living in the arts to be wishful thinking (would you believe I once thought of going to business school because I had no idea what else to do with my life?). Thank God I snapped out of it. Thank God I actually decided to take that first acting class after college. And I auditioned for that first show. And I volunteered to vocal direct for that first community production.

All this to say, the creative process for The Song of the Nightingale has been a circuitous one. It has been as much about how I have arrived here as it has been about how did I write this. Just as the Emperor in the fairy tale is surprised by the effect of the Nightingale's song, I find myself repeatedly surprised that this show is actually being realized. But I think the me from twenty years ago is sticking out his tongue at me and saying "I told you so."

Sorry to be so cliche...

EBCF is hosting The Business of Art Workshop in Oakland

...but it's all a process. This is what I'm learning right now. As I make a more conscious shift of focus in my career from being a jack-of-many-performing-arts-trades to more specifically owning the title of writer/composer, I am made keenly aware of how "process-y" it all is.

Folks who make a living in the performing arts are very familiar with that word: "process." We talk about our artistic or creative process. Our work undergoes a developmental process. And many artists are highly invested in the self-examination or self-growth process. (Has it ceased to sound like a real word yet? "Process... Process... Process") Most recently, I am learning that forging the career path I am on is a process as well.

I have the fortune of being an inaugural participant in Theatre Bay Area's ATLAS for Playwrights Program. I am also participating in a Business of Art workshop, hosted by the East Bay Community Foundation in partnership with the Center for Cultural Innovation. The goal of both ATLAS and Business of Art is that I form a practical business plan or career map for myself in order to reach a level of success which I define and desire. Now, I would say up to this point I have run a good business for myself. But I am seeing so clearly that there are many ways in which I can improve my business practices as a writer/composer. I am on the cusp of moving into a new stage in my professional or career-building process.

ATLAS at the Theatre Bay Area offices - I promise there are more people than the photo lets on.

Which has led me to begin this blog. With the changes occurring and the projects I'm blessed to be working on, you can imagine that there are a lot of thoughts and experiences I need to process for myself. I figure I'll capture some of these thoughts about my various processes - creative, career & personal - and invite anyone who wants to read about them to feel free to do so (Now, don't all flock to this blog at once...). And to drag the overused word to its virtual death, I am sharing these thoughts by using aword process-or. So, it all comes full circle. Or everything is linked. Or so it goes.

I'll end with another cliche: "The process never ends."

So this blog will go on forever. You're welcome.