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Planting the seeds for self love with new children’s book

S1: It’s time for Midday Edition on KPBS. Today we are talking about the arts and culture shaping San Diego right now. I’m Jade Hindman with conversations that keep you informed , inspired , and make you think. A local author uses plants with personality to help kids accept themselves in a new book.S2: It’s a great jump off point to be like , yeah , you are amazing.S1: Plus , Julia Dixon Evans tells us about the Pulitzer Prize winning play Hot Wing King on stage at Cygnet Theatre and your weekend preview. That’s ahead on Midday Edition. Plants bring joy and color to everyday lives , but turns out there’s a lot we can learn from them too. In fact , a new children’s book uses plants to promote messages of self-love and body positivity. It’s called A Little Shelf Love , and it’s written by San Diego based author and journalist Mara Altman. You may have heard of a local nursery called Aultman Plants. Well , it was started in North County by Mars parents. It’s where she spent many of her childhood days growing up. And out of that , the seeds were planted for her new book. Mara , welcome to midday edition.S2: Thanks for having me.S1:S2: And I think it’s cooler when you look back on it. Yeah , you kind of take it for granted when it’s just your everyday. But I mean , it was it was full of life and really cool succulents , cacti and also obstacles like trying to ride your bike amongst , um , you know , a whole field of golden barrel’s nice where I once landed belly first.S1: Yeah , it does sound fun. And you’re right , it is one of those things. Like , as a kid , you’re kind of like , oh , this is just the way things are. But as an adult , you look back on it and you’re like , wow , that was really cool.S2: I got to run through like , greenhouses full of poinsettias and Venus flytrap. And yeah , it was amazing. Nice.S1: Nice. Well , you know , congratulations on your first children’s book.S2: I write books for adults , typically. And I was writing on some pretty heavy topics. And at the same time , you know , I had I had twins and they were about 3 or 4. We were reading books all the time. I saw how delighted they were by stories and how much it like , opened up different conversations for us. And so it just it just felt like really natural to want to write a story and a story about something I feel so passionate about , which is plants and loving yourself , like embracing your authentic self. Yeah.S1: Yeah , that is great. Well , tell me about the book. Okay. A little shelf love. What’s the central storyline and message there ? Yeah.S2: So it’s about a pothos plant , which is a green , leafy vine , and she joins a new shelf of plants. And so she kind of sees how what all the other plants are doing and tries to be like them. And then until she realizes that she has badass green vines and it’s just inherently her and all the other plants are so stoked. They’re like , you’re doing you right.S1: Yeah , it’s a good thing. Yeah.S2: Yeah.S1: I mean , that’s such an important message to do you and embrace that.S2: At the time. I didn’t even question it. It felt so important for the stage my kids were at. If we can get our children to love themselves and who they are just for who they are and not what they do , not what they represent. It’s just like the biggest win sending them out into the world , having confidence. They’re more in touch with their gut , with their desires and can lead them into wonderful places.S1: It’s important to have that mentality. I feel like because so often , you know , value is placed on like what kind of work a person does and you know how much they can produce. You know , it’s just it’s it’s not so much placed on just their humanity or a person and their personality. And it’s so important that message is so important.S2: I think it’s such a good lesson to for for parents , you know , when we’re looking at our kids grow and what they’re interested in sometimes , you know , we think about what we’re interested in and how we grew up and what we’d like them to care about And for me , it’s I keep reminding myself , like , wow , they’re individuals. And it’s important to nurture what they love and their interests because I think what that does beyond just like letting them have their interests , is it gives them confidence in who they are and what they’re interested in , you know , and it develops a very confident person who can look beyond themselves , you know. Wow.S1: Wow. Well , you know , I’m looking at the book now and , you know , the illustrations here. I mean , they’re really eye catching and fun. I love the cute little googly eyes.S2: Her name is Rissa Baxter and she’s in LA. I was a big fan of her work , and I approached her with this story and she loved it. And she went for it. And , uh , it was it was really fun because she would develop these characters. We would kind of tweak them a little bit , but I think the coolest thing is that she infused them with this body positivity and kind of embodiment confidence that is kind of it’s wild because they’re they’re plant people , you know , they’re like anthropomorphic cartoon plants , but they’re so endearing and charming. And I think they bring smiles to people’s faces.S1: They do. They’re so cute. Your book is also a great lesson in plant names , too. I mean , every time a new plant is introduced , there’s a little pronounceable for readers , and there’s even a little watering guide at the end. So tell me about your approach there. Yeah.S2: Yeah. So I think it’s funny , you know , the publisher came up with this kind of line. It’s like kids will learn to love plants and themselves. And it’s like , it sounds so silly , but it’s true because it’s kind of an introduction on plants and that it gives the scientific names and , and kids can get super , you know , interested and nerdy about stuff. You learn. There’s kids that , like , love dinosaurs. My son went crazy about bugs. Like , he knows way more about bugs than I don’t know a lot of people , but , um , but but plants give kids another opportunity to kind of get nerdy about. And I think this is just like a little , a little taste of that. So , yeah , I want I want kids to be able to , to learn about plants and to love them and to love themselves.S1:S2: Yeah , but I mean , they’ve seen me working on it for. It’s been like 3 or 4 years of , you know , it’s just like a big process finding a publisher , you know , perfecting the manuscript , getting all the artwork. Um , so they’ve seen it from the beginning , like I’d show them page by page and , and lately , you know , it’s been like , mom , is your book out yet ? Is your book out yet ? I’m like.S3: Come on , man. Yeah. Yeah.S2: Yeah. But that’s like a long time from being 4 to 7. You know , it’s like an eternity when it’s mom’s book out.S3: I know , and.S2: Now it’s out. And they’re excited.S1: Tell me about the book launch event. It’s coming up at the Book Catapult on April 15th. Right.S3: Right.S2: On April 15th at 5 p.m. , we’re going to have a book launch. We’re going to have some plant giveaways. We’re going to have the illustrator Resa is going to come down and talk to us about her process. Um , I think it’s going to be a blast. You can pre-order your book on their website. I’m also going to be at Plant Stock this weekend at the Soap Factory 11 to 5 p.m.. Yeah.S1: That’s great.S2: I want them to , like , look at it and have a little giggle because there’s some silly stuff in there and I want it to , like , spark a little conversation , you know , with the parents. It’s a great jump off point to be like , yeah , you are amazing.S1: I’ve been speaking with Mara Altman. She’s a San Diego based author and journalist , and her new picture book is called A Little Shelf Love. She’s having a launch party on April 15th at the Book Catapult in South Park. Mara , thank you so much.S2: Yeah , thank you so much. This was really fun.S1: Still ahead , the new musical Regency Girls looks at reproductive rights in the Jane Austen era with humor.S4: We want the jokes to hit , and then we want people to realize , oh , this is actually real , you know ? And so I think that that’s that’s the gift of comedy. And that’s also , again , that’s another reason for setting it in the past.S1: Hear more when KPBS Midday Edition returns. Welcome back. You’re listening to KPBS Midday Edition. I’m Jade Hindman. If you’re a fan of Jane Austen , Bridgerton or anything set in the Regency era , there’s a new musical that you might want to check out. Tonight , the Old Globe hosts the world premiere of Regency Girls. It’s a musical comedy about reproductive rights set in the time of Jane Austen. KPBS arts reporter Beth Accomando sat down with Emmy Award winning writers Jennifer Crittenden and Gabby Allen about how they used humor to tackle serious issues. Take a listen.S3: To begin with , just explain what the Regency era is. And Gaby , maybe you want to start with that.S5: So King George , as we know , was going mad. So there was a Regency act , and that became sort of the era. Everyone just started calling it the Regency era , I think because the Regency Act allowed the prince to come in and assume the king’s duties , even though the king was still living , because the king was not able to perform his duties. But the era became , I think , sort of Notorious because he was a pretty. He was a bon vivant. He liked a party , you know , and so. So it was sort of this lush time filled with. He loved music and art and culture and sex. But there was this giant disparity between how well , a , you know , a certain swath of the population was living versus how well most people were living. There was a giant disparity. There was no middle class. And so it sort of became known as this sort of interesting time. That was all of these wonderful things were happening , music , culture , and everybody was having a grand old time except for most people or not. So. So that’s sort of I and then , you know , and then wonderful literature as Jane Austen came out of that time and , and I think that we all sort of equate and associate the Regency era with Jane Austen and Jen.S3: So explain who these Regency girls are in your play.S4: Well , they are for women. Our heroine is Eleanor Benton , and she is a young woman , the oldest of three sisters , and she’s at marrying age. You know , she’s a spinster at 22. Basically , she needs to get married to help her family survive because they have no male heirs. Then our other characters Jane , her sister , her younger sister , who follows all the Regency rules perfectly and is the model daughter. Perfect in every way. And she’s very frustrated by Eleanor because traditionally the older sister has to get married first. So then they have a friend named Petunia.S6: On a carriage trip. That’s how you begin to. See the world beyond the countryside. Can’t you feel that full force power. Ride your 15 miles an hour. The cool wind blowing in our hair. The hardwood on my derriere. I want to smell the thunder. We’re gonna get you.S4: She is a mother of 8 or 9 kids. She’s not quite sure. She’s just living the country life of being a mother and constantly being pregnant. And then they go on this adventure also with Jane and Eleanor’s maid , Dabney. And Dabney is a young woman who’s been working with the Benton’s her whole life. And she makes her way into this adventure for her own reasons , which I won’t spoil. So we get to discuss gender roles also class distinctions , friendship , body autonomy , all kinds of stuff with these four women in different stages and different positions.S3: And one thing about Eleanor , she I believe at one point in the play , she feels that she’s some kind of monster because she’s not conforming to a lot of these rules.S5: But she is alive at a time when she’s really not allowed to be her authentic self. And I think as far as reproductive freedom , you know , in regards to that , I think that initially she wants an abortion or needs must have one because she’s not married yet and she will ruin her family if she is pregnant out of wedlock. So at first there is just there’s no choice. But I think we wanted to explore the idea that it is a choice and that for Eleanor , it is the path for her. And if her circumstances were different , she would still choose this path. And I think for today , what we want to explore is the idea that for this character , Eleanor , not for the other characters in the play , and not for every woman , but for this character. It’s not a tragedy. It’s a choice that she needs to make for herself , to live her authentic life and to achieve the things that she wants to achieve and to achieve her potential. And for her , it’s it’s not simple , obviously , but. And she does feel like a monster , but it is just the path that she wants to take.S4: There are other things about Eleanor , too , that we explore. She loves her fiance. They can’t get married because he goes on a voyage for a year. So that’s the conundrum she’s in. Actually , as her friend says in the show , she loves him , but she doesn’t want to be defined by him. She wants to contribute to the world , and the world is not interested in her contributions. And that’s something that she bumps up against over and over and over. And I think a lot of people will feel that connection. Men and women will relate to that. They have so much that they want to offer , and they’re dismissed for some reason. That has nothing to do with their talent or ability.S3: And you’re dealing with a lot of issues that are very relevant to us today. But why did you choose or why did this play choose to deal with them in the past or , you know , a period from the past.S5: Well , just the backstory is that , um , Amanda Green is the one that , you know , wanted to do an abortion musical. Amanda’s the lyricist. Amanda approached Curtis , our composer Curtis Moore , and said , I want to , you know , do you want to work on this ? And he and it was his idea to set it in the past to make it , I think , more palatable , to make it more fun , to make it easier to have this conversation. It’s so much easier to talk about when it’s set in the past. So that wasn’t actually our idea to set it in the past. They came to us and said , bridesmaids meets Pride and Prejudice , go , you know. So then the four of us came up with the story together. So looking at it through the lens of the past , I think , just really makes it easier to talk about , to certainly infuse comedy into it , which is really what we wanted to do , which was the goal is make it funny because we never want to be preachy. We really want to have a good , rollicking time , and we’ve sort of felt like that’s really the only way to have a good time is setting it in the past.S4: Because it is so dire right now. But that’s the thing. I mean , I’ll just I’ll just say a different version of that , which is is first and foremost a comedy. And it is so fun and funny , and having it set in the past just opens up so many areas for satire that would normally , if it was set in present day , it might come off as didactic. And that is absolutely the last thing we want to do , because we have four women in this show who make all different choices and want all different things from their lives. So while there’s maybe like one hot button issue , there are so many different things being sort of discovered and skewered and examined. And so it’s really it’s the most fun that I’ve had working on a project , just because there are so many ways , there are so many ways to make jokes and so many different styles of comedy happening. And I think , you know , the audience has been really appreciative and it’s been fantastic.S3:S4: But if there’s a veneer of comedy around it , people will laugh and listen and then go , oh my God. And that’s sort of what we want. You know , we want we want the jokes to hit , and then we want people to realize , oh , this is actually real , you know. And so I think that that’s that’s the gift of comedy. And that’s also , again , that’s another reason for setting it in the past.S3: And I was just curious , did this musical start before or after Roe v Wade was overturned ? Before.S5:S4: Oh , God. Beth.S3: Beth. Before.S5: Before. I mean , we started working on it in 2018. So Trump was president and maybe the writing was on the wall. You know , that was the concern. And then Roe v Wade was overturned. And then it sadly became more relevant and then really sadly continues to become more and more relevant. So I feel like we’re at this incredibly specific time where now I’m , you know , just the other day we were that March was happening all over the country and we were doing a show , and it was pretty it’s sadly very timely.S3: And one of the things that it does is it addresses or tries to remove the stigma around women talking about their bodies in all sorts of different ways. So talk a little bit about how you wanted to tackle that and how you used comedy.S5: Well , I mean , you know , there’s men have their locker rooms and , and , and and , and women talk about stuff , you know , quietly amongst themselves. But it’s just there’s not a lot of conversations about masturbation necessarily or , or sexuality and , you know , women are pretty quiet when talking to themselves. And I think one of the things that I’ve learned and appreciated going through so many , you know , puberty to motherhood , to menopause , is that when women are talking to each other about what they’re going through , how they’re feeling , how their bodies are feeling , not just emotionally but physically when they’re talking to each other. It’s such a gift because first you realize you’re not insane that this is happening to everybody. Then because you start to connect about it , then you can laugh about it. So now we can laugh like , you know , when I sneeze and pee in my pants , I can call Jen and we can crack up. But because there’s so many funny things around it , well , it’s also really hard. But making light of it with friends that are going through it to really helps take the stigma. It helps just make it palatable and easier to experience together. Experiencing it together with other women who are willing to talk about it is a gift.S4: There is sort of this , you know , women are sort of seen as sexual objects. And when they don’t fit that perfect model , they’re disgusting. And not worth talking about is generally the vibe that that society gives us. And so I think that it’s been incredibly joyful to see the entire theatre of men and women crack up during the song. Are you finding me right now where a character discovers how to masturbate ? Not on stage , but it’s hilarious. And people are like they have their heads in their hands , laughing like they can’t believe this is on stage. And that’s what we were going for. We talk a lot about different shows that we love , and I think of the Book of Mormon when I was in that theater , and I could not believe what I was seeing and hearing on stage , and the shock of that , and then the joy that everyone around me is laughing. And same with Oh , Mary. I mean , being in that theater and watching this unique vision come to life. And it’s so niche and weird and hilarious. Yet the entire theater is loving it. And that’s what we’ve been seeing at previews. That makes me so happy. These characters are so great , and I think part of it is , you know , the music is incredible , so I can brag about that all I want. The music is amazing and it just lets you in to know these characters better than you would if it was a straight play. And it is just so joyful.S3: You mentioned that this was sort of bridesmaids integrated with Pride and Prejudice. I also read that Wizard of Oz was an influence.S7:S5: A journey looking , you.S7: Know , for.S5: Something , right ? And so that we loved that model because it it they they each and we have this character Madame Austell , who is inspired by a real person. We fictionalized her quite a bit. She was actually in New York in the , in the 19th 20th century. So that’s a real person who was offering all sorts of cures for female troubles on every level. She was a midwife. She was an abortionist. She would help with , you know. So they all they all need something from her. Different , as Jen said earlier , like they all are looking for different things and they all need different things. Aside from reproductive health , they are looking for birth control. One of them has a sexual awakening , you know , so that’s kind of why we thought it was sort of a , you know , that she and also she was called the wickedest woman in New York. We’ve changed it to the wickedest woman in London. You know , we read a lot about her before we started writing this show. And , I mean , that’s what people were calling her all the time. She’s a pretty amazing character. And I think also Eleanor’s journey is similar to Dorothy’s , although Dorothy really wanted to go home and and and Eleanor does not.S4: They think they know what they want , but the journey changes them and they end up getting exactly what they need , which is not what they originally set out for. And I think that that’s that’s a great arc of growth for all the characters.S3: And on your journey through this play.S5: It’s for drinks later.S4: I do think , though , coming from the world of TV and film , this has been a huge learning experience. And to know what it takes to put on live theater , regional live theater , a place like the Old Globe , which is so prestigious and wonderful and everyone here is at the top of their game. It has been a total joy , but also still a struggle. It’s still hard even with everybody firing on all cylinders. This is a Herculean task getting the show on , and I am so in awe of everybody who does this. So my appreciation of theater has just really skyrocketed. And I miss the craft service table on our TV sets. But it’s been really , really wonderful and yeah , life changing.S3: And one last thing. I was reading through the program and I saw a comment from Barry Edelstein , the artistic director , and he was connecting this abortion musical to Greek theater , noting that the Greeks created theater as a public forum , a place where strangers could gather together , sit in the dark and think through great human issues , including great political issues of the day.S4: That’s theater. Absolutely , yes. And I love I mean , that’s our goal. Our goal isn’t to , like , change any minds or like , recruit people to our side of whatever the discussion is. It’s to have a discussion. So we’re really excited about we we leave the theater and we hear people talking about it. And it’s like every character , you can have empathy for every character in the show , and every character makes a different choice. So it’s that’s what we want. We want it to just create a little empathy , even though apparently that’s becoming a bad word. We want to create a place where people can talk about having differences of opinion and still be able to communicate.S5: Here , here. I mean , I think , um. Theater is not church. It’s not moralistic. There’s not a right and wrong. It’s to inspire discussion , conversation. And as Jen said , there are many characters that make different choices that can represent all sorts of different people and their beliefs. And so , yeah , I think he’s right and I hope he’s right. And that is our desire and hope is that people come out talking and connecting and communicating. And that’s what it’s for. When theater works , that’s what it does. So we’re hoping that that’s what our show does too.S1: That was book writers Gabby Allen and Jennifer Crittenden speaking with KPBS Beth Accomando about the musical Regency Girls. It opens tonight and runs through May 4th at the Old Globe Theatre’s main stage. Up next. The Pulitzer Prize winning play Hot Wing King is on stage at Cygnet Theatre. Find out what drew the director and actor to this story.S8: This beautiful piece about Fen family , about this relationship that’s trying to figure out what it means to just be in love. This , this , this battleground for belonging. I was immediately just , like , in tears. I loved it so much.S1: That and your weekend preview when KPBS Midday Edition returns. You’re listening to KPBS Midday Edition. I’m Jade Hindman. The Pulitzer Prize winning play The Hot Wing King opens at Cygnet Theatre this weekend. It’s set in Memphis and follows Cordell and his boyfriend Duane as they await the city’s annual Hot Wing festival and navigate a big disruption to their lives. It’s a cooking competition , a family drama and a comedy all wrapped in one. Director Kian Klein Chilton and actor Tristan J. Shuler recently sat down with KPBS arts reporter Julia Dixon Evans to discuss the play. Take a listen. Kian.S9: Kian.S8: And me and Sean. We had read a lot of plays and something really beautiful that happened upon all of the racial reckoning of George Floyd and all of that , and this really black renaissance of work came out , and this play landed in my lap , because a couple of friends of mine had been in the Off-Broadway production , and when I read it the first time , just that first page , you know , you read so many plays , but this one , it’s rare that you read a play that feels like something you already know , and that it’s like to hear it and see it on the page every time. It’s like your breath is just like , wait , you’ve unlocked things that I thought nobody else knows but me. And yet suddenly here I am , bringing something that feels so familiar to me. So this beautiful piece about Fen family , about this relationship that’s trying to figure out what it means to just be in love , this , this , this battleground for belonging. I was immediately just , like , just in tears. I loved it so much.S9: And Tristan , what about you ? What particularly resonated with you about this play and your character , Dwayne. Absolutely.S10: Absolutely. Thank you. Julia. Um , everything kinda said , like , hands down , but I actually had no previous information about the play other than being familiar with the playwright’s television work.S9: This is Katori. Hall.S10: Hall. Tory hall ? Yes. Who wrote The Hot Wind King , which we’re performing right now and also is a showrunner and writer of P-valley on Starz , which is one of my favorite TV shows. So I had been kind of hunting her down and saying , I need to do something that was written for a while , and Hot Wing King , you know , being produced all over the nation and specifically at Cygnet here in San Diego. I said , okay , let me check this out. But after reading it and after doing my due diligence on researching the play , what really excited me the most is that for all intents and purposes , this is a modern American drama for black gay men. And my whole career , my whole theater training , all drama education. ET cetera. ET cetera. I’ve been studying Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams and on all these plays that are four walls and a family , and I’ve never been able to do those plays for the sadly obvious reasons of things like my identity or my skin color , you know , So I’ve always been trained in this type of work but never been able to do it. So having such a beautiful like slice of life family play in four walls , that looks like the people I know and the people I grew up with , the people I’m around and the people that I am like , oh , what a gift. Like , I get to be in a contemporary , modern American drama for the first time , and I’m so excited to add that to my resume.S9: Justin , let’s talk a little about the characters. Your character , Duane , has a boyfriend called Cordell who’s entering his hot wings into the annual hot wing contest in Memphis. Can you talk a little bit about Cordell and Dwayne and what this contest means to them ? Absolutely.S10: I know , that’s right. Um , so the play takes place in Memphis in Memphis , Tennessee , and , uh , Cordell and Dwayne have only been living together for two months. Um , they’ve known each other for about five years. But Cordell is coming from a marriage with a woman and two kids , and coming to live with a man for the first time and redefine what his life looks like entirely. And my character Duane , is holding all of that on his shoulders and saying , is this a phase ? Is this an experiment ? Is this , you know , so this weekend that you get to watch in the play is supposed to be this moment of levity and this moment of salvation to a kind of rocky situation that these couples in. And this weekend , all the girls are coming over , all the gals are coming over , we’re cooking hot wings , and we’re going to do our tradition every year , which is go down to do our best one on this hot wing competition every year. Um , so for all intents and purposes , there’s a big Band-Aid being put on our relationship at the top of the play. Um , but the character is what they’re forced to deal with is my character’s nephew , um , who ends up being a part of the weekend unexpectedly. And that’s basically the play and my nephew comes from , you know , the streets from the hood in a very different part , a very different class system than where Dwayne is , um , who is managing a hotel and has that big boy job and is trying to build this beautiful , quote unquote , American dream life and all of the characters. I kind of call this like the multiverse of black folk. Um , what you see on stage , you get to see every different stereotype of a black person you’ve seen be the token in other things. And we’re all in one room now , and we’re all from different worlds , because black people are not a monolith and gay people are not a monolith. So you get to see 4 to 5 different versions of what a black gay man can look like , all coexisting and , um , going through this hot one competition together in their own little universes. It’s really a lot of the comedy comes from , um , these extremely different men on stage and how they interact and how they also connect and what they connect over. Can.S9: Can. Can you tell us how food plays into the production ? I read that in a New York production. They wafted the sense into the audience.S10: Did they.S9: Really ? Which seems real cruel. Yes.S10: Yes. What are we doing that we should do ? That we should make this audience hungry.S8: I think we will , because we do cook. We do cook. I was. You know , there is , you know , as a director , there’s many things that I think you you have a bucket list that you’re like , you know , if I could accomplish these things , if I could work on these things , I think I want to challenge myself. I want to try this. And I have to say that this has been one of the most fun and also like invigorating processes , because food is not something that I know how to fake. You know what I’m saying ? Like , especially in black culture , you’re like , that’s that’s love. You know , it’s like , if I’m going to accurately do a play in which my culture is going to be on the stage , and we’re looking at a real version of what love looks like in between talking and dancing and all those things. Food is that next big thing. And so it’s been super , super exciting to work with each other and go like , okay , we have fake chicken , we have real chicken. We have a stove. You know , we have sauce that has to be made. So what page do we have to look at to go ? Actually , you know what ? If that’s supposed to be steaming by the time you say this line six pages later , we have to make sure that in that transition , we’re turning that stove on so that that baby is at a high enough temperature , that when that line hits , we’re seeing the smoke for the first time. So , you know.S10: It’s not easy.S8: It’s not easy. It’s math. It is such I mean even like as we’re you know , we are we are with real garlic and butter and and you know , you’re going to smell that stuff. But it’s also been like really exciting to be like it’s the groundwork for how this love just spreads. And it’s and it’s the , the centerpiece to all these men being able to be in a space in which they can have really honest conversations that the world won’t let them have. um , so food is both a device to join , but it’s also a device to conquer.S10: I will even add to that if I can. Like Signet’s production team and design team has literally built an entire house on this stage with working , plumbing , a working stove. It is wild what they’ve done in this small space to be one of their final shows in this space before they move , um , Cygnet Theater. But like , y’all gonna see a whole kitchen. It’s it’s really , really impressive.S9: It’s incredible.S10: Fully cooked and wash dishes and it’s it’s really cool.S8: I mean , especially because , like , you know , I worked at the globe , I worked at the Playhouse , and I’ve and I’ve worked at these bigger theaters where , you know , the director asked for something that big , and they get it the next day , you know , and I worked at Cigna for years. It’s still a huge part of my life. It’s always going to be home. And so it’s really exciting to be coming back to the theater as a director and to be like , oh , all those years of dreaming and watching these big American plays have these cool sinks and all those things that people are like , oh my God , it’s like , no , that’s us. We did it. So it’s it’s.S10: Lovely to. See.S8: See. Yeah , it’s really.S10: Rewarding and a beautiful design. Fully.S8: Fully. Thank you for saying that. Yeah.S9: Yeah. What do you want audiences to take away from this play ? I’ll start with you , Tristan.S10: Oh , gosh. There is so many themes in this play. There’s we touch on so literally like it’s it’s insane in the way that Katori writes this play. It is going up and down from comedy to the drama and from romantic to family to police brutality to mental illness. You’re going through it all. But I think today and maybe it’ll change tomorrow. But today , what I want folks to take from the Hot Wing King is that just because your family might not look like this does not mean that you cannot feel the same things that we feel , and that we cannot feel the same things you feel. And what we get to see in this play is that something that may not look anything like what you know is real and beautiful and tender and protected and protective and scarce and scary. All of the things that we feel in a family , we all. We all have that. And that’s universal. At the end of the day. Yeah.S8: Yeah. I also agree that it may change , but I’ve been feeling pretty solid about this , which is like to just care , to know that , like we have to care about something , because the more that we allow ourselves to just let things wash over , the more that we’re losing the value of what anything means to us. And I think that , like care is in the smallest way of like sometimes you may be doing something and you may have a deadline or whatever , but it’s like , did you take care of yourself today ? Did you call somebody that you need to call ? Did you take the time to go outside and walk ? Did you do anything to make sure that today you receive some sort of joy for yourself , even if it means that it’s like , oh , I , I looked at this certain color in the sky today and it really brought me joy. Or I went to the grocery store and all I bought was like apples and grapes , but now I have snacks and it’s like , how are we remembering , remembering that that everything that we do for ourselves , for the world , for each other to be amazing and to be people who actually enjoy life is to care. Amen.S10: Amen. Um , I know that’s right.S8: You know , so it’s like , I hope that people watch this and they want to call their family and they want to. Maybe you have enough Christmas with the family for years. Well guess what ? Maybe December is just a couple of months away , which is crazy to say , but but , you know.S11: It’s like wild. Crazy.S8: Crazy. You know , you’re like , Christmas is gonna come fast , but but it’s like , you know , call your relatives or , you know , you broke up with that friend. Well guess what ? Yeah. Can we go talk ? You know , it’s like we are. We are the only people who make the journey the best thing it can be. And when we arrive to the destination , don’t we want to say , you know what ? I really tried , and I did the best I could. So for me , I’m like , start caring. Period.S11: Period.S1: That was Hot Wing King director Ken Cline , Chilton and actor Tristan J. Shuler , speaking with KPBS arts reporter Julia Dickson Evans and Julia joins me now to talk more about the play and what else is on her radar in the weekend Arts preview. Julia. Hello.S9: Hey , Jade. Thanks for having me.S1: It’s always a pleasure. Um , that was a fun interview. Definitely something to check out.S9: And , yeah , they’re really making food on stage , so. Oh , do not show up hungry. Right.S1: Right. Very nice. So , um , you know , a new exhibit also at the Minjae , and it’s all about spoons. Speaking of food and all , you know. Uh , tell me more about that. Okay.S9: Okay. So it’s called across this universe. And the idea is that spoons are really everywhere. They’re utilitarian , but also kind of luxury. Um , they can represent Present sustenance , abundance , and even the sacred. And this exhibit has over 100 spoons from all over the world. Some are centuries old , some are brand new. And I love niche things like this. So if you’re already planning to go to the Minga to see their other new exhibit , Fashioning an Icon , that’s about Our Lady of Guadalupe in clothing , this is another great , great exhibit to check out. It opens Saturday and is open through August 17th.S1: Well , the Asia Project is unveiling a new installation at the downtown library called Language of Silencing. Sounds very interesting. What can we expect ? Yeah.S9: So this is the work of their civil liberties fellows. These are six immigrant and refugee emerging artists in San Diego , and they were chosen to do some work specifically with the history of Japanese-American incarceration. And April marks the 86th anniversary of Executive Order 1966 , which forcefully relocated hundreds of thousands of Japanese-Americans to concentration camps during World War Two , and this project is intended to kind of explore that history in the context of current civil liberties struggles. And this ended up being this gigantic book , seven feet tall with six giant pages. And it tells the stories of some of the families that were impacted by these incarceration camps , and also includes things like recipes. There’s augmented reality. It sounds really fascinating. And this event , the kind of unveiling of this , is going to be at the downtown library on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. , which is conveniently before the Padres game. So you can still park in the parking structure and validate before you have to get out of there.S1: Very good to know. Uh , also , that sounds like a very timely , um , uh , installation as well. All right. One more. In the visual art world , Burn All Books has their first annual postcard show still on view. Tell us about this. Yeah.S9: Yeah. So this contains hand decorated or adorned postcards from 200 artists locally and from all over. And they had an open call and asked anyone to illustrate paint or whatever on a postcard and send it in for the show. And Bernal also worked with Project Paint and their visual arts program at the Donovan Correctional Facility to send postcards from incarcerated artists as well. And this is all up at Burns Books Gallery space. It’s right next to their shop in Normal Heights , and it’ll be up through the rest of the month.S1: And we have an interesting combination of music and visual art with Art of Elan.S9: It’s a solo adaptation of Steve Reich’s Music for Mallet Instruments , voices and organ by local percussionist Fiona Disney , who’s really dynamic , incredible to watch. It’s held at the Institute of Contemporary Art , San Diego North in Encinitas , and it’s in conjunction with a dual exhibit that they have on display there. It’s called Heavy as Ghosts by artists Ethan Chan and David Pena , and it explores these like ideas of healing and also identity , which is a big theme in the music. So it’s nice to see those things working together. And this is 7 p.m. Friday night.S1: All right. And finally , before we go , Shane Hall will perform a masquerade show at Lulu’s Jungle Room on Saturday night. Right.S9: Right. This is called Riding Hood and Wolves Masquerade. It’ll feature Oceanside based indie and blues singer Shane Hall. We’re listening to his song Under My Voodoo , which won a San Diego Music Award a couple of years ago.S12: Come on down. Now I know how gonna make you come.S9: Also performing at the masquerade show is Aviator Stache. And yes , audience members are invited to wear their own masquerade mask.S1: Sounds like fun. All right. You can find details on these and more arts news and events on our website at KPBS. I’ve been speaking with KPBS arts reporter and host of our new podcast , The Finest , Julia Dixon Evans. Julia. Thank you.S9: Thank you. Jade. This is fun.S1: That’s our show for today. I’m your host , Jade Hindman. Thanks for tuning in to Midday Edition. Be sure to have a great day on purpose , everyone.