W.T.F.?? Lisa Clair interviews Sauda Aziza Jackson!
New Georges affiliated playwright Lisa Clair interviews her frequent collaborator (and New Georges affiliated artist) Sauda Aziza Jackson about her new work W.T.F, Warner Thomlinson & Farrow, which premieres at MITU580 October 24 to November 7 2026 as a New Georges Supported Production! GET TICKETS!
LISA: For Warner Thomlinson & Farrow (W.T.F) you have created such a specific and vivid world, one of corporate mailrooms. I am curious where the inspiration for this world came from? And if you have had any lived experiences that helped you craft this sense of place?
SAUDA: Not to give too much away, a few things I write about in the show are actual events, some events have been skewed a bit and some were completely from my imagination. Many of the characters you see are based on a couple co-workers in my past (names changed of course) and a few are invented for the story.Before covid switched around how we earned our daily bread, I’d spent maaaany years running from theater rehearsals to day jobs in corporate America, specifically a few mail rooms.
With that said, I’m always watching people, observing. From their gaits, to their speech patterns, to what personality they wanted to wear for the day…or moment ….or hour. Lol. So to sit in a place where you see EVERY kinda person cross your path kept me satiated for days. While working on the previous piece (I DIGRESS), I would regale April with some wild stories from my 9-5. She suggested I write about it. I poo-poo’d it but the stories reeeeally started stacking up. From that initial push, W.T.F was born.
So yea, it’s vivid and specific… because folks you see in your daily life tend to be unbelievable sometimes…. Like, humans can be WILD.
LISA: This is the second project you have worked on with director April Sweeney. Can you talk a little bit about your collaboration? How it came to be? How has it developed over time?
SAUDA: April and I were working as actors with Kevin Doyle on a project with his company, Sponsored by Nobody, about nine years ago. The project never happened but that’s cool because our match-up is the thing that was supposed to happen. Our collaboration started with us talking about our upbringings during the breaks on the above show. Though she’s from Texas and I’m from Chicago…we discovered we both dealt with the arts growing up. We both even played cello as kids. But it was April who convinced me to put pen to paper for our first show, I DIGRESS: The Intimate Insights of a Childhood Weirdo.
I’m a storyteller AND I loooove to hear tales. But you truly never know who’s listening. April was listening. I wrote a little bit over the years but nothing significant. I did it for my own enjoyment. She said “just write what you told me and let’s go over it in a month…”. I did…then one story turned into tons of stories from me growing up.
Because of Covid, the stage part was suddenly done. But a partial grant and a space was donated so we became filmmakers instead. Neither one of us had done it but we had put so much into it (Script, music, lyric writing … .I had never done that!) that we didn’t want to let it go. We were given a few MORE grants and the rest is history. It was a great run during a terrible time. But we had I DIGRESS rolling to a few festivals.
I call myself a Beta with Alpha tendencies and that came in handy. I INFORMED her that I’d like to be in collaboration with her creatively and she agreed. Lololol. So she’s the director/dramaturg and I’m the writer and sometimes muscle. We have other individuals who are in the gang. Michael Weiss is our unofficial sound/music person. One of my besties, Brett K., is an unofficial producer on the first show and he assisted with the website on this one. My other bestie, Jen, is handling tickets. But April and I are the core.
LISA: And on that topic- your last project with April was a personal memoir that spanned theater, film and even music. What are the main differences and similarities between the two pieces? And how has the shift been from film to theater?
SAUDA: I DIGRESS was an easier flow than W.T.F.
I had references coming out of my pores because I lived it. It was fun to recall my life. It was the only time I’ve KINDA had the opportunity to work with my Dad before he passed. He acted around the Chicagoland area in community theater for decades.
With that said, adjustments to the arc and the script came easily. For example, after a point, we knew we couldn’t pay for music so April said with a straight face “You will have to write some lyrics”. I laughed but she was serious…and I did, with the help of our music supervisor Mike (he did the music, and is doing sound for W.T.F. also). The whole process was loose because we had nothing to lose and we weren’t afraid of the film aspect because we were throwing anything we wanted to play with to the wind. We didn’t have to worry about getting people in seats so that was a break. Plus, we are both interested in film (we are trying to film some content again). So did we know what we were doing, content wise- yes, filmwise noooooooo. But we had an excellent technical team that helped guide us.That was the magic of it. And it showed.
W.T.F. was easier, kinda. Since we both are long time theatermakers we understand the plumbing of putting together a stage show. April has a better command of the financial and technical aspect of doing it. Me, not so much. I mostly acted for 20 plus years. So to know the inner workings is a bit of a shock for me. Having to figure out the promotion has been eye opening. Just being on the other side has been an education. And I’ve taken notes for sure.
The one thing that holds DNA in both projects would be magic, weirdom, self-reflection, a touch of nostalgia (I drown in mine, lol) and truth we bring to the projects. Despite the differences I pointed out, the shift wasn’t bad. Though it was a bit awkward for me writing W.T.F., to have a partner in crime helps iron a lotta stuff out.
LISA: You come from the world of Downtown theater, mostly as a performer. Can you speak a little bit about your history and lineage within the downtown? I am curious if any of your experiences as a performer helped push you towards writing and producing your own work?
SAUDA: I’m from Chicago so had no idea that New York downtown theater was as vital as it was when I moved here for graduate school in 1997. When we started in my first year, a woman in my class was in a show called Lucky Man. I sat there going “what is this??” I’m still not sure what I was watching but I adored it. From that I had a couple of background parts in one or two of DJ Mendel’s films. Those were amazing experiences… But what shifted me, what I was taught and how I envisioned what theater looked like was dealing with a group called International Wow. I personally call it…
Theater devising: Guerilla Style.lol.
The casts were HUGE but felt like family. And we didn’t just devise. We trained in methods I hadn’t touched on ever (I still despise a slow 10). We spoke about film and theater and music and how it all rolls into life and our art, our work. Not like one separate from the other, how it all makes our ideas go.
A quick thought expressed or a joke could land in a scene out of the blue. It was the most magnificent trial by fire I’ve had before or since. Then I looked for more work that was off the wall, well thought out and lacked tradition. I was hungry for it at this point. So, I moved on.
I worked with a group called Sponsored by Nobody. That was amazing. We did a show at the ontological called Behind the Bullseye and we began work on a show concerning the NEA called the ARTS….But that wasn’t the hit I needed.
Then I tripped into Michael Levinton’s group called Little Lord. I did a show with them called Now is the time. Now is the Best time. Now is the Best Time of Your Life.
It had a childhood whimsy spirit with a bit of a darkness on the underbelly.
And from that show, I met you, ma’am.
I was lucky enough to do a reading and two shows of yours over the years and it’s been the best. You seem to never arrest your imagination and it’s fascinating to see how you unfold your stories. Your big monologue in Willa still makes me swoon and tear up a bit.
And there might be a few more performances over the years but those are the ones that made a mark on my creative journey and altered who I am creatively. It also forced me to take unconventional chances and not be afraid of outcomes.
LISA: Your piece premieres at MITU 580 at the end of the month. What drew you to that space? What’s been the most exciting part of working there so far?
SAUDA: Ooooooh, The first and only time I’ve worked there was doing your play, Willa’s Authentic Self. It’s a small space but so organized and homey and clean.The lobby felt like someone’s library in their apartment and the restroom had a bidet (I mean, whaaaaat?!). The performance space was minimal but the design team was creative and it allowed the imagination to run wild. So when it was suggested I jumped at it. Working with Justin Nestor (Co-Artistic Director) has been a dream. When dealing with so many moving parts with mounting a show it’s nice to have a safe place to land.
LISA: I know that the task of self producing your work in NYC can be daunting and scary, but also hopefully thrilling and full of happy surprises. What is one (or more! ) discovery that has thrilled you?
SAUDA: I enjoyed casting. I sometimes get stuck on what a character looks like or how they are moving through the story. All of a sudden someone entered with a fresh approach or interpretation and I perked up. I’m glad I’ve matured enough to appreciate those adjustments. A younger me might not have.
One actor came in and flipped a character on its ear and I was like “what just happened???” I really enjoy being surprised in that way. It’s nice to see actors be confident enough to play.