Interview: Playwright Marylou DiPietro and BONE ON BONE at NJ Rep 1/9 to 2/9

New Jersey Repertory Company kicks off 2020 with a world premiere play, Bone on Bone, written by Marylou DiPierto. Directed by M. Graham Smith, the show will be on the Long Branch stage from January 9 to February 9.

Bone on Bone is a comic-drama about a NYC couple who realize that their lives are moving in separate trajectories. Jonathan is a successful attorney, pretty set in his ways, who likes his life and the way his 35 year marriage has been going. Linda is an artist who has just been offered a top position at a prestigious art school - the career path she has always dreamed of having. Neither want to end their marriage, but neither want to divert from their chosen path. Who will bend, and who will break?

Broadwayworld.com had the pleasure of interviewing playwright and poet, Marylou DiPietro about her career and the upcoming show at NJ Rep.

DiPietro is a prize-winning playwright whose plays include The Anatomy of Shame, Black Butterflies, Bone on Bone, Cold Water Flat, Finish Line, Goodwill, In Love with Cancer, and Sweet & Low. Her work has been produced and/or developed by the Abingdon Theater, Boston Playwrights' Theatre, Broadway Bound Theatre Festival, Manhattan Rep, the Tennessee Williams Theatre Festival, the Road Theatre, and the United Solo Festival. She has a M.A. in Theatre Education from Emerson College and is a member of the Dramatist Guild.

When did you first realize your talent for writing?

When I was in the first grade, my sister, who was in the third grade, wrote what I believed was the most beautiful poem ever written. I remember thinking, "Someday I am going to write a poem as good as my sister's." I guess you could say I am still trying.

Have you had any particular mentors?

My most important mentor was Carol Rosenfeld, my acting teacher at HB Studio. Not only did Carol and her class ignite my passion for theater, it turned me into the playwright I am today.

Who are some of your favorite playwrights or authors?

Top on my list of favorite writers is Tennessee Williams, because his female characters are as complex and fully developed as his male characters. Also, because, like Willliams, I think of myself, as a "poet who writes plays".

What was your inspiration for Bone on Bone?

My inspiration for Bone on Bone was the confluence of: 1) challenging myself to write a 10 minute play, which is what Bone on Bone was originally intended to be, 2) meeting with the first person who took my work seriously after not having seen him 20 years, 3) the line, "It was as if the glue was missing," which became the first line of the play.

How is Bone on Bone different than other plays you have crafted?

Bone on Bone is different than other plays of mine because it tracts a critical, year- long turning point in a thirty-five year marriage as opposed to, say, a single moment or event.

How do you like working at NJ Rep?

I love working at NJ Rep because everyone is passionate about and committed to new theatrical work.

Tell us a little about the cast and creative team at NJ Rep for Bone on Bone.

The cast and crew at NJ Rep are a playwright's dream team of talented, committed theater professionals. Any playwright would be extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to work with each and everyone of them.

What would you like audiences to know about the show?

I would like the audience to know that they have permission to laugh even if it is nervous laughter born out of discomfort for the situation the characters find themselves in.

Can you share any of your future plans?

I plan to work on plays, stories and poetry I started but haven't had a chance to get back to, and to continue to submit my work for production & publication.

To learn more about Marylou DiPietro, please visit her web site at https://maryloudipietro.com/.

Bone on Bone will be performed at NJ Repertory Company from January to February 9. The theatre is located at 179 Broadway, Long Branch, NJ 07740. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit http://www.njrep.org/ or call 732.229.3166.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Marylou DiPietro