TVSB, a 50-year institution in Santa Barbara, will house a unique storytelling experience this February — a site-specific play produced by More Theater/S.B. Company (TVSB) in collaboration with writer David Starkey. The play, called Chinwag (British slang for having a chat), features a local access television talk-show host who is “taken hostage” by Dorothy, a guest with a lot on her mind.
Chinwag takes place in the 1970s in the town of Santa Teresa, a fictional Santa Barbara proxy. Dorothy, a second-wave feminist, confronts the host about gaining his success through unfair advantage. Starkey, known for being an S.B. poet laureate, was excited for the challenge of developing this play. “I wrote quite a few plays in the 2000s and 2010s,” he says, “but I haven’t written a play in a long time … and this is the first time I’ve written a full-length play that didn’t have scenes!”
The seed for this collaboration between Starkey and Meg Kruszewska (artistic director of More Theater/S.B.) began when Kruszewska was on Starkey’s TV program, The Creative Community. Kruszewska’s thought upon entering TVSB was, “There are stories in this building!” Starkey agrees, noting that while TVSB has not always been at the South Salinas Street location, the current building has “echoes of history.”
Kruszewska says the story is about “what happens when a small-town environment is confronted by huge political issues …. In the mid ’70s, the reality was that women were not able to move forward or get loans or jobs.”
“The TV station is underused and it’s a precious gem,” says Kruszewska. “This play is so specific to what we have in town; that’s always what I’m thinking about in creating new pieces. How can I connect with local history?” A mini tour of TVSB will be offered within a half-hour of each show, so arrive early if you’d like to see the facilities.
Chinwag runs at TVSB (329 S. Salinas St.) February 13–22, with the following performance schedule:
Friday, February 13 at 7 p.m.
Saturday, February 14 at 7 p.m.
Sunday, February 15 at 2 p.m. tea matinee
Friday, February 20 at 7 p.m.
Saturday, February 21 at 7 p.m.
Sunday, February 22 at 2 p.m. tea matinee
For more information and tickets, call (805) 951-8648 or visit moretheatersb.com.
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