ROBOT TEAMMATE RETURNS WITH ‘TURBULENCE!’

INTERVIEW: KAT PRIMEAU

BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO

Last year Robot Teammate delighted audiences with their original musical Thug Tunnel which also won an award for “Outstanding Songwriting” at the 2016 Hollywood Fringe Festival. Now Robot Teammate’s new musical has skyrocketed out of the ground and into space to bring us Turbulence! Much like many of the groups works the musical was conceived during an improvisation, specifically for Turbulence! at Impro Theatre in 2016; and the book, lyrics, and music have since been refined through writing sessions with the Robot Teammate ensemble. Turbulence! is set at the 4242 Intergalympics and follows the bitter rivalry between the people of Earth and Mars at an all-time fever pitch. The cast features Kat Primeau, Miles Crosman, and Molly Dworsky as well as “Most Unleashed Performance 2016” nominees Dave Reynolds and Chris Bramante. Miles Crosman serves as head writer, with direction by Molly Dworsky and Sam Johnides as musical director. In this Tin Pan L.A. exclusive Kat Primeau shares insights into this new musical and tell us what audiences can expect from Robot Teammate’s newest musical endeavor: Turbulence!

What are each of your backgrounds in terms of theater and creating new work?

We each came to musical improv through different schools of thought, and our theatre experience is likewise varied, but we all grew up putting on our own plays and making our friends sing and act in them. I got involved in devised theatre in college, and find Robot Teammate’s process to be very loosely inspired by artists I admire such as The Wooster Group and The Paper Birds. We aren’t afraid to get weird, or experience real emotion in our comedy. When we’re at our best, we are kids again, just as playful and collaborative, which is great when it’s your job to create hundreds of songs and dozens of musicals a year as an ensemble!

How would you describe Turbulence! in a nutshell?

TURBULENCE! is a sports comedy in a sci-fi universe, with eclectic characters and high-octane musical numbers.

How did the idea for your musical come about . . .inspiration?

TURBULENCE! was a musical we improvised at Impro Theatre in Los Feliz in early 2016. We loved our spontaneously created space crew and wanted to do an ensemble piece after last Fringe’s THUG TUNNEL, so we set out to turn what we remembered from that improvisation into this year’s scripted piece.

How do you write songs? Which comes first, music or lyrics?

Songs come into existence in a variety of ways, with everyone lending ideas to lyrics and melodies for group numbers. Some are inspired by movement (Spacercise), some are composed first by Sam or Branson and written to (Turbulence!), and some are crafted melodically and lyrically before they’re arranged (Power’s Out). In musical improv, songs always come when the emotion is so strong, speaking will not suffice, so we generally look to compose in heightened moments and allow that drama to inform the number.

What is your favorite moment in the show?

We are pretty excited about a certain costume moment that happens early in the show. That is all we are going to expose for now.

What can audiences expect from your show?

It’s our third Hollywood Fringe, so we hope by now our audiences feel we consistently bring fresh, funny, and heartfelt original stories to the stage. We want the fun we are having onstage to be contagious!

MORE INFORMATION AND TICKETS:

Performances will take place at Sacred Fools Theater Main Stage (located at 1076 Lillian Way, LA, CA 90038). The show is family-friendly (ages 10+), contains flashing lights, and runs 55 minutes. Admission is $15 ($12 for Fringe Participants, $10 preview on June 10th). Tickets are available for purchase here: http://hff17.com/4557

Saturday, June 10, 2017: 6:30 P.M. (preview)
Wednesday, June 14, 2017: 8:30 P.M.
Thursday, June 15, 2017: 10:30 P.M.
Saturday, June 17, 2017: 8:30 P.M.
Sunday, June 18, 2017: 7:30 P.M.
Wednesday, June 21, 2017: 8:30 P.M.
Thursday, June 22, 2017: 10:00 P.M.