This month I am thrilled to interview one of my closest friends and one of the most creative people I know, Siobhan Antonioli. I met Siobhan when I was teaching Theater and English at Bronx Theater High School. I had the privileged of directing several plays during my two years there, and Siobhan supervised the amazing costume program. We collaborated on some really spectacular productions. Siobhan and I, along with a fellow teaching colleague, formed a little writing group that met for a couple of years. Over the years, she has been a real creative inspiration to me.
Siobhan Antonioli is a New York based writer, filmmaker and painter. She earned her MFA in playwriting at Brooklyn College under the tutelage of Mac Wellman and Erin Courtney. Siobhan has had artistic residences at the Brighton Film School, Can Serrat Spain and LaMaMA Spoleto. She has worked in print design, stop motion, 8mm, 16mm and has directed site specific theatre pieces. She is a member of Film Fatales and the Beehive Playwright Collective.
Siobhan, thank you so much for joining me this month on Not Even Joking. You are one of the most creative people I know. I know you as a costume designer, playwright, film maker, visual artist… etc. How do you define yourself as an artist?
Writer, film auteur and painter. I am inspired by artists such as Fellini, Tim Burton and Julie Taymor who have defined this trifecta. I wrote my first collection of short stories and poems when I was fourteen and developed, performed a monologue “Have you seen my hamster?” for my elementary school. I was “in the zone” expressing my creativity without fear. I shifted to behind the scenes work in high school and college working as a designer. That took me to exciting places like Williamstown where I saw how a theatre flipped turnovers and how the profession worked (blessed to work with the next generation of Broadway designers). I was good at finding historical props and making folk art sheep for Gwenth Paltrow. My attraction to set design carried me back to story making. A Sarah Lawrence Playwriting Intensive lit the match to my writing passion and I fell down the rabbit hole for good. For the fifteen years I have been writing plays with elements of magical realism. Luckily, I took a Pataphysics workshop with Mac Wellman and he nurtured some of my “wild” work. Sometimes words didn’t serve the emotions I wanted to communicate to an audience and I found myself painting when I wasn’t writing. My mother showed me the work of fashion designer Ruben Toledo and she said, “Look, you can draw in your own style just like this.” Visual art reflects a universal dimension that words can’t reach. I feel “complete” when I paint. It lives on a wall.
Character paintings at Can Serrat.
This is when it gets interesting! I was at LaMaMa Spoleto director’s symposium and John Jesurun taught us how to use video with live performances. POW! Suddenly I could see a story frame by frame and had the best time filming it. That planted a seed, alright. After checking out the New York playwright-read a play-workshop a play-submit a play scene I got a little bit ants in the pants and wished I could see my plays on a regular basis, similar to viewing my own art. I kept waiting for a fairy godmother to land and make my pages come to life on stage. Who has time for that? I directed (I was afraid at first) a scene “Insect Ballet” starring Eliza Bent, Paul Ketchum and Alaina Ferris at Dixon Place. A man turns to an insect on stage. Something didn’t feel right when I was walking around Brooklyn with giant insect wings. Maybe I should animate characters instead of torturing actors this way. So I studied film making at Brighton Film School and animation at SVA and have been in love with it ever since. When I was at Brighton, the film class was divided into smaller groups and did “selected” projects. I rebelled, combined the crews and actors and filmed a vampire spoof with a cast from Romania, Russia, Paris and Switzerland. Totally into the international scene. I love to get out the United States and work with people who have never been to New York. It’s refreshing. Now I write mostly screenplays and shoot my own projects.
Site Specific Theatre Piece, Can Serrat
Wow! That all sounds so incredible. A couple of years ago you came to my house for Halloween dressed in the most amazing costume. Since them, Swampira has been developed. What can you tell me about Swampira?
Swampira was inspired by Vampira, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Catwoman and an illustration I drew in grad school.
Swampira. Woodcut on rice paper.
I have always loved monster movies and gothic horror novels. I watch Tim Burton’s “Ed Wood” on a regular basis(and 8 1/2). The cinematography in Burton’s films is outstanding and Ed Wood was a B director who would not let go of his dreams. I was interested in the Ed Wood character of Vampira and read a wonderful biography of her by Scott Poole. She was only on the air for a year but her persona has outlived her. Vampira lured her viewers in a witty way. Where are the strong sci-fi female character/comic book characters that are of a different world ? The ones I have read feel underdeveloped. We need more Catwoman!
I was researching the Creature of the Black Lagoon and discovered that the female costume designer of Gillman was shoved out of the limelight and not given proper credit for her contribution to the character. Likewise, I wondered about the absent female creature of the Black Lagoon. How she would feel about her mate running after a blond woman ?
I drew a host of characters when I was at Brooklyn College and one of them is now the template for Swampira. She is a female swamp “element” who appears as a woman after a hiker falls into a polluted swamp. The journey into civilization addresses her need to be reunited with her male counterpart and take revenge on a polluted corporate America.
The original treatment of Swampira is about an actor’s journey in the creation and production of Swampira, the film, a la Ed Wood. I am also developing it as a tv host and comic book character/screenplay. How did I make the leap to put on the costume instead of hiding behind a camera? My desire to film a character was stronger than my fear to be the character. I wanted to go on the actor’s journey and failure would be part of the storyline. I felt that I had no business directing film unless I experienced life in front of the camera.
I filmed a Christmas special and New Year’s Eve special hosting as Swampira. The Christmas special featured LLOP “The Wolf”. I shot it in Spain this past summer at Can Serrat. I was working on a novel, painting and starting post on my feature outside of Barcelona in the Montserrat region. The landscape is breath taking and I filmed wolf skulls that come to life and plague a town. I realize that my films have a Tales from the Crypt, Twilight Zone feeling and that Swampira is an appropriate platform host. Hence, I become my own curator and commission myself to do regular work. Sounds odd but feels empowering.
Swampira has three different costumes, a host of skeleton friends and her own logo I designed. I transformed my living room into a studio and recorded myself. Very “Wayne’s World” but it is better to DIY and have a product then to be talking about a project that never happens.
I have shared the concept with fellow female playwrights at the Bee Collective and film makers at Film Fatales. Everyone is excited for Swampira and that is encouraging.
I can’t wait to see more of Swampira! You can watch the SWAMPIRA CHRISTMAS SPECIAL BY CLICKING HERE.
You’ve also made some very interesting short films. What are you working on right now?
I hope to shoot “Dino Love,” a dinosaur love story for Valentine’s Day. I have set up the dinosaurs and their rocks.
I am in post production for my feature “Antomia.”It is inspired by the art/performance art of Montserrat Vargas. We met three years ago when she was developing “La Morida,” a piece that addresses the violent and sensual nature of the mouth and its significance in a life-altering event. I filmed Montserrat for ten months on weekends and vacations. The film uses live action footage and After Effects animation. Antomia takes the viewer through the fantasy life and fears of the protagonist so I had to wrangle the plot in order to show reality, memory and subconscious. I might be in crazy “Eraserhead” land with this one. I stayed away from heavy dialogue because the visuals take the lead and I want make a film for humans,not nationalities. Side note, Montserrat sings in Spanish and it is wonderful so that may be the only dialogue part.
Montseratt Vargas acting as the Queen in the Antonioli's film ANATOMIA.
What else gets you up in the morning?
My cat. I think she needs to be in one of my projects as the oracle with my Dad’s voice. Besides Marmalta, I get up when I have something new to learn such as a new class in tv writing, animation or fashion branding. Working with others puts a project into high gear even if it is one or two people. Most of all, the promise of the next step on a project gets me up in the morning. That could be a painting, a novel chapter, a film shoot or an edit.
What are you passionate about? And how does this influence your creative life? (or does it?)
I am passionate about being in the moment, whether that is finding the real heart of a scene I am writing, discovering the best camera movement or being a good friend. That covers everything, right ? Observe to create. That helps to create forward. I am passionate about many topics such as monsters, outsiders and secret histories. Those are tools to think about the unthinkable.
You are also a teacher. What advice would you give to a young person who is considering a career in the arts?
I am passionate about this topic. I read biographies/autobiographies of artists looking for a map or path. This is what I have come up with.
1. Create your own Golden Ticket: In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory a golden ticket is hiding in the candy bars. Could a grant, residency, paycheck or contract feel like a golden ticket ? Perhaps. The best golden ticket is the one who create yourself, the personal goals you have met or standards you are reaching for. This also means events and platforms of your own creation. Some artists “made it” because they literally “made it”- made the work before there was a frame, stage or organization for it.
2. Listen to the Little Voice: “I should really go to….”, “What if I…”, “I think I am more of a ..” I totally go for gut feelings and listening to your inner voice. This lead me to make costumes in India, film a vampire film in England, paint in Spain and chase after childhood dreams. Your dreams will chase you, listen to them.
3. Build your own education: After college, build your own education. There are so many resources and ways to cross-bred disciplines.
4. Find the Freak Show: Everything changes when you find others like you. It doesn’t take away the hard work but it helps the path.
5. Fill the Tank: Go to a museum,a concert,Barneys or a toystore. It is easy to run on empty and a good book,change of scene can fill your creative tank.
6. Don’t Be Bullied: Don’t let people bully you out of your dreams. Listen for helpful feedback but don’t be bullied.
7. Show Up
8. Do the Work no matter where you “work”
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I hope every creative person out there reads this advice. I know that I needed to read it today. I really look forward to all of your creative projects.
You can connect with Siobhan at on her website http://www.siobhanantonioli.com/ and on Swampira’s YouTube Channel.
