"The Devil & I," a play born at New Paltz, premieres in NYC
A play that was born at the Department of Theatre Arts' annual New Pages festival and produced as a staged reading in Parker Theatre in 2023 found a new venue earlier this year: the Hudson Guild Theater in Manhattan.
"the devil & i"—written by Milo, directed by Sumire Muratsu ’24, and produced by William Reymann ’24, was presented on Jan. 27, 29, and Feb. 1 as part of the New York Theater Festival.
"I got to met a bunch of different people whose creative minds were so powerful, and I was inspired to apply to different festivals to try to get it out of campus and onto a larger stage," says Milo. "I was lucky enough to get accepted into the New York Theater Festival, which was such a joyful revelation. ... It was this brand new, terrifying, massive thing for us, that none of us had ever done before."
Originally produced as a staged reading, the NYC production of the play was performed as a full off-book production, complete with new choreography and movement, as well as a soundtrack. The production was supported by a Kickstarter campaign, which Muratsu—who directed the original staged reading in New Paltz—says helped enable the play's cast and crew to "expand the circle of voices that the work has."
"This is my first ever time directing a full production," said Muratsu in the days leading up to the NYC premiere. "I would not have been here if I was not in New Paltz theatre. The knowledge, experience and the inspiration I got in New Paltz has been guiding my life path so much in a very human way, which I cannot be thankful enough for."
The play tells the story of Kay, a transmasc college student who is reconnecting with his chosen family over winter break from college. He’s lost touch with them—especially with his childhood best friend, Juna. But after asking to take refuge in their home, he’s let back into their lives, and faces the consequences of breaking up with Juna’s older brother and coming out as trans via a Facebook post.
Milo says he hopes to keep telling the story on more stages in the years to come. He's also in the process of writing another play and aspires to build "a body of work that encapsulates different trans experiences."
"It's extremely important that it does stay alive, especially with what's happening in the country right now with trans healthcare and trans safety—it's absolutely imperative that we talk about it," says Milo. "I think it's really important, in whatever way I can, that I keep the message alive: That we deserve to be angry, and we deserve to be flawed, and we deserve to be imperfect and alive."
There's a great video posted on the play's Instagram account, created by digital media producer Chinaza Sol ’22, that tells the tale of the original production of "the devil & i" at New Paltz, featuring interviews with the original cast and crew. Check it out!
