Tell me about the play you are working on for Emerging Artists Theatre. What do you love most about this play?
Sex Work/Sex Play is a farce that follows one week in a Gen X mom’s life after a guy who had ghosted her from a dating app unexpectedly returns into her life. The play is a hilarious ride & there’s a lot for people to relate to—middle-aged mating & dating, the perils of raising Gen Z kids, Gen Z kids trying to figure out the hand that’s been dealt to them, & how we talk about or don’t talk about our sexuality. Oh, and like any good farce, there’s a porn star!
Can you tell us a little about your artistic process or background? How is that process being realized in your work on this play?
I’m an artist who also has a doctorate, so research is my jam! I love to dig into as many nooks & crannies as possible while analyzing the script. that specificity is key for my character-building; it helps me see the world from Alex’s point-of-view & navigate her journey.
What do you love most about the role you are playing? What is the most challenging aspect of the work for you?
To explore Alex in the space of rehearsal & the collaborative exchange that occurs with each artist involved—actors, the director, and the designers. That is always the MOST fun! The challenge is what Jon Jory calls “the muddled middle”—that period in rehearsal where I’m just off book & learning the blocking & everything feels so damn awkward. It IS awkward because my thoughts are not yet firing quickly enough as the character. I do know conditions will improve (they always do), but sitting in the middle of that part of the process & being present to it is a challenge for me.
Is there anything important or meaningful about this piece to you?
For me, Caytha has writen a very interesting story about the position of Gen X women at this stage of our lives—not only our sexuality but also how we relate to our Gen Z children. for the past decade, Gen X women have been raising Gen Z children in the middle of what i call a Boomer—Millennial sandwich. That sandwich hasn’t made it easy for us to find what we have to offer the Z generation. both of these generations—X & Z—have had a lot thrown at them economically and culturally to shape their worlds. Alex is a woman who once thought she had a perfect life, until she realized her choices had ultimately chipped away at her life—supporting her husband, being a mother, sacrificing her career goals—and now she feels more or less invisible & let down by her generation. she sees where feminism has failed; that parity never existed. I know these women—these women are my people & I want all of us to know we are not alone in the struggle. we may not know the next step yet, but we will find it!
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“As Alex, the gifted Constance Zaytoun is a standout.” – Lavender After Day
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Constance Zaytoun (Alex) NY Theatre: And Baby Makes Seven (New Ohio Theatre), Broken Hands (Theatre Row), Why We Have a Body (Blue Heron), Seen by the Dog (West End Theatre), The Piano Men (DTW). Television: Dr. Norton in Saint X (Hulu), FBI: Most Wanted (CBS), Gossip Girl (HBO). With Marc Stuart Weitz, her partner-in-crime, Dr. Zaytoun (!) co-created Constance Cooks, a multi-award-winning culinary comedy series. She is also a published author with a Master’s in Feminist Performance from NYU and a Doctorate in Theatre Studies from CUNY Graduate Center. She loves to eat so she’s doubly thrilled to be part of EAT for this premiere!
