Hello. My name is Tanya O'Debra. I am a writer/performer who works mainly in the laughter genre. The laughter genre is the sneakiest of all genres. It tricks people into hearing ideas to which their ears might normally be closed. I mainly force people to laugh with plays, videos and sketch comedy, but I also write screenplays, essays and poetry.
I like to write things that are accessible. I think art is for everyone. I like to take history and pretend it is the present. I like to talk about the experience of being a woman in various time periods. I like to talk about fairness in general. I like to talk about the human condition. I like to talk about shame. I like to talk about secrets. I like to make people laugh. I hope to make someone laugh so hard they pee their pants, but I don't want them to be mad about it after. I like to break hearts. I like to mend them, too. I like to collaborate with other artists. I like making things that challenge me.
I believe in showmanship. I believe in allowing an audience to draw their own conclusions instead of forcing a message on them. I believe in false eyelashes, glitter, and feathers. I also believe in brown tooth paint, stomach padding and fake blood. I believe there’s room for both the ridiculously serious and the profoundly frivolous. I believe art helps us examine the complexities of the experience of being human.
Here is an example of art that I am making right now. I am writing a play called "Shut Up, Emily Dickinson". It is an anachronistic look at a day in the life of crazy old Emily Dickinson. It all started with a notion that Emily was probably super annoying. I looked on Wikipedia and found a quote from an editor with whom she used to correspond. He said, [he was never] "with any one who drained my nerve power so much. Without touching her, she drew from me. I am glad not to live near her." I knew it! The play mocks her relentlessly, but it also takes the buttoned up image that people have of Emily Dickinson and strips it down to a real person. My brother-in-law, who wrote NYIT nominated music for my last play "Radio Star", joins me again to write the score.
I want to do a variety of things, and I hope you will support my efforts by offering fiscal sponsorship.
