Erin Mallon on Bertolt Brecht and the Brooklyn Generator

This month finds me settling into rehearsals for Sara Farrington's "Untitled Play About Brecht & His Girlfriends & Boyfriend & Wife." I play one of the girlfriends, Bess, aka Elisabeth Hauptmann, a German writer who collaborated with Bertolt Brecht. I'm convinced I must be in some kind of actor heaven right now. The script is gorgeous and thrilling, I'm working with some of the most playful and present actors I've ever had the pleasure of encountering, and we have two extremely talented artists at the helm. Sara, our playwright and director, works with the actors very closely and generously builds our contributions into the show, constantly rewriting and fine-tuning as we go, while Katie Rose McLauglhin, our movement designer, makes sure our every gesture counts. The result of this kind of collaboration is a production filled with performers -- there are a whopping 12 of us in this one -- who feel wildly connected to and invested in the play, like we've been woven into the very fibers of the text. It's been one of the most joyful experiences I've had in the theater yet. The show will have a nine-performance workshop run Aug. 8-18 in Brooklyn.

In other news, I've long been on a quest to name the monthly play-generating project I produce in Brooklyn. I think we can all agree that "the monthly play-generating project I produce in Brooklyn" is far too awkward and unsexy to serve as a suitable moniker? Agreed. Well, at long last our name has arrived -- The Brooklyn Generator. The dictionary definition for "generator" reads "noun -- 1. A thing that generates something, in particular; 2. A dynamo or similar machine for converting mechanical energy into electricity." The name feels just right and speaks to what I love best about the project. See, each month on a Friday night six writers and 12 actors gather without a clue as to what plays they'll write or what kind of performances they'll give. Then, quite mechanically, the writers pick two actors' names and a piece of inspiration out of the hat (truth be told, we use a pasta strainer), and by Sunday afternoon we've generated six new plays and a whole lot of electricity.

When this article hits stands, I'll be mid-flight to Omaha, Neb., for the awesome Great Plains Theatre Conference, where I'll be performing in "Mickey and Sage" and participating in PlayLabs galore. More on that next month. Check out my website at www.erinmallon.net.