Join This American Playwright on an Onstage Healing Journey

American expat James Holt used to be a theatre kid, and luckily for us he never got it out of his system. Best known for his larger-than-life persona in the reading nights of Spittoon Collective, Holt is now about to wear his playwright hat on Jan 22 at UMU Club with his play Always and Forever, My Book and I.

You can look forward to a candid account of (darker) pandemic times, enacted by Holt himself and his fellow wordsmith Ivan Stacy and set to music by the likes of Liane Halton, Ryan Etzcorn and Young Feng.

James gave me the full scoop of this fabulous debut. Read below and do not despair — he promised me there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

Happy New Year, Mr. Holt! Spill the beans on your wonderful play, s’il vous plaît.
Well, my solitary monologues during those first few weeks of lockdown and isolation eventually turned into a fairly mean and sarcastic voice, laughing in a time of potential madness. That voice led to a book that doubled as a fun, creative sort of free therapy to deal with isolation and the darker shades of mental health that crept in during that period. One year later, I wanted to put the finished book out as a play, in the hope that it would help others, too.

Is this play fundamentally autobiographical in nature? How do you think it’ll appeal to the audience?
Absolutely, the play came straight from my daily survival rituals. This is my own story, but I sure damn hope that it’ll hold some appeal to others. After all, we all went through the first months of this ongoing scenario. This play will be touching on aspects such as that shared feeling of safety here in Beijing, the godsend of delivery services, and above all that inner dialogue we all entertain when we feel depressed, lonely or otherwise unsure of our mental strength.

I’m dying to know, will you bring your signature multidisciplinary approach to this play?
Indeed. There’ll be a live, fun-size orchestra, many costume changes, a talking book and a writer who responds. The fourth wall shall be broken onstage, and hair may or may not be cut live. What can I say — it’s one year packed in under two hours.

You’re partnering with some of Beijing’s most loved musicians. What’s their role in the show?
Liane, Ryan & Young are the magic trio behind the soundtrack to this journey, and will also offer comedy relief at appropriate times. Collaboration really is unparalleled in theatre. Live music is most definitely an enhancer of moods, thoughts and the overall narration of a play.

What’s 2022 looking like for you as a playwright?
I’d love to work with this lovely lot again, once we get through this. In fact, I’ve started writing the next play already, so there’s that. There’s plenty of room for lovely theatre performances right here, in my favourite place in the whole world… Beijing.

Always & Forever, My Book and I will be staged on Saturday, Jan 22, 8pm at UMU Club (尤木俱乐部), Guanghua Road, east side of Ritan Park South Gate, Chaoyang District (朝阳区光华路日坛公园南门东侧). Tickets are RMB 100. Scan the QR in the poster above to RSVP.

READ: Rethinking Last Light: Experiencing James Turrell's 'Gathered Sky'

Images courtesy of James Holt