Guest Writer, BAMBI EVERSON at the Drama Book Shop with MARK GARCIA

Fables Folklore and Farces: A conversation with Mark-Eugene Garcia

The enthusiastic audience in the Drama Book Shop consisted of people that knew Mark’s plays, had worked on, or been in Mark’s plays, and me, who only knew Mark through my many visits to the Drama Book Shop, and his musical “Shining in Misery” which I am mildly obsessed with.
Mark is a natural storyteller and his playwriting arc over the last two decades was filled with humor and humility.​

---

Mark admitted his first musical “Up in the Air” although inspired by a fascinating true story about  Viagra fumes in a small town in Ireland that caused strange events wasn’t terribly good. Even so, there was something there he couldn’t quite let go of. 
Mark always searches for the “Why” in a story. Why am I writing this? Does it have a heart? Years later, “Up in The Air” was stripped of its songs and became “With Bated Breath.” It had a successful run, so much so that Mark thought it might become a musical once again.
Mark was quick to praise his actors and what they bring to the table.
“The first draft of my play is not what winds up on the stage. When an actor does something unexpected, I tell them I am stealing that, and they have now become part of the process.”
His “8 Tales of Pedro” went through many iterations and is probably his most personal piece to date. Mark melds a sense of justice, and Robin Hoodesque stories within the claustrophobic atmosphere of a van bringing immigrants into a new world. The stories focus on people trapped between two worlds who use fables as a coping mechanism.

---

​A scene from “Goat Blood”, his latest, was read by two accomplished actors.
A funny, spooky play with a possible monster lurking in the midst had the audience completely riveted and invested in the characters. Mark keeps us safe and laughing so when the scare happens, we are taken unaware.
It’s a play that will work with any budget which makes it accessible to everyone. It is clear Mark is a fan of the horror genre. He builds tension in a very cinematic way. I am looking forward to seeing this one.
When asked what was up next for Mark-Eugene Garcia, he laughed and said he really wanted to do a play based on “Bad Santa” but no one is answering his emails.
They really should.

---