in my humble opinion

Nick and Jessica: Setting the stage for success

By JONATHAN CHARLES FOX
Posted 1/15/25

It wasn’t long ago that I had read of SUNY Sullivan shuttering its theater department—which, from what I gathered, was mandated in an effort to keep the school afloat financially in the …

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in my humble opinion

Nick and Jessica: Setting the stage for success

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It wasn’t long ago that I had read of SUNY Sullivan shuttering its theater department—which, from what I gathered, was mandated in an effort to keep the school afloat financially in the wake of COVID-19 and flagging interest from the student body. Over the years, I’ve attended many shows produced by the department, which for the last decade or so has been operating under the stewardship of SUNY’s professor of theater and speech, Jessica López-Barkl.

While saddened to hear of this decision, I was unaware that in addition to the main stage productions created by those with an eye toward a life in the theater, there was a club for those interested in participating, but with different college majors and interests—and that the club was not dismantled, being an extracurricular activity. 

Recently I learned that the SUNY Sullivan Performing Arts Club’s most recent production, “Carburetor: A Ghost Sonata,” had been invited to be showcased at the upcoming Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. I contacted playwright López-Barkl (JLB) and husband/director/ Nick López (NL), also on staff in the same department at SUNY, to discuss both the production itself and what I considered to be the irony of being honored in the wake of the theater department’s closure.

JCF: I’m confused. Does the school closing down the theater department mean both you and Nick are out of a job?

JLB: It essentially meant that the school had to honor the students who were already theater majors, so I’ve been leading the program through the school year, in addition to teaching classes, because I am a fully tenured professor at SUNY Sullivan, which I’m proud of as well as the program that I developed for the school. Because he’s an adjunct, Nick had most of his teaching responsibilities revoked.

NL: Right. We’re still teaching, but while Jessie is teaching theater, I’m now teaching inter-culture communication classes at this time.

JCF: In the little research I’ve done, it appears that the board of trustees has deemed it to be the case that the theater department isn’t over per se, in that it continues to support the efforts of the club, peopled by students who aren’t theater majors. So is it fair to say that the department still has some life in it, by virtue of the Performing Arts Club?

JLB: In essence, yes. That is what gave me the green light to go ahead with “Carburetor.” Since our funding was limited, I wrote an original piece last fall to honor the students who were still part of the program, and Nick directed, all in order to help keep us limping along in some way, shape or form.

JCF: I read that the play deals with autism. What inspired the storyline?

JLB: I had done a bit of writing when I was younger, specifically about my dad, who has since passed. After the birth of our daughter and her being subsequently diagnosed with autism, we began digging into genetic testing, and there is an [as yet unsubstantiated] belief that autism may stem from the father of the matrilineal line, which [in hindsight] made sense. As it turns out, I’ve always had a form of autism, which wasn’t “caught” back then, so, yes, it all made sense. 

JCF: And that’s what this play is about?

JLB: The story recalls the work I wrote when I was younger and juxtaposes it with what we know now about autism, our child and how we both see the world, which is like a rainbow or a prism that I’m experiencing at all times and that I’m thinking our daughter, Zia, is experiencing as well. It’s when we can amalgamate those things that we can learn how to communicate. Before that, it’s just a lot of noise, both internal and external. The way Zia deals with that is with screaming, or chirping—mostly not using “novel” language. We can sense that she’s communicating, but not with words, so my attempt in the play is to honor that generational autism, and using that structure to tell the story through sound and movement.

JCF: But there is dialog in the play, correct?

NL: Yes, but in between family scenes, [the audience] gets to see and hear how Zia is experiencing things. In that sense, it’s more like a dance piece with some scenes that are non-verbal. 

JCF: It sounds like an ongoing story. Is there a beginning, middle and end?

NL: No. Not in the traditional sense. But [as is often the case with theater] it’s about provoking a conversation and the experience. 

JLB: The play does address how we begin and end a day, and what comes in-between. It also deals with grief, addressing my personal story with my father. 

JCF: Fascinating. How did this all lead to the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival?

JLP: We didn’t have any money, but the students were eager to submit the play to the Kennedy Center and we were able to do so virtually, which I learned how to do during the pandemic. I wasn’t thinking it would go anywhere, but within five days we were told we were one of only four regional productions chosen.

JCF: And that’s why I feel a sense of irony, considering the circumstances. That’s got to be bittersweet.

JLB: Well, our little theater program that was deactivated was then selected to be showcased for the quality of our work, so… yes. 

JCF: Wow. How, when and where?

JLB: The school found some money to send us and we will be performing the play January 30th at Central Connecticut State University.

JCF: So it’s basically a commentary, in my humble opinion, of what you all have accomplished over the past 11 years, and have managed, against all odds, to set the stage as it were, for your students’ success. Will there be more to the story after all? 

NL: While we’re excited to be presenting the show for other theatre professionals, we don’t want to rest on our laurels, especially where autism is concerned. We’re still learning and the story is a dynamic process, since research is ongoing. It might very well be a different story 10 years from now.

JLB: It’s not just that theme, though. It also deals with the universality of losing a parent, which many can relate to. 

JCF: In conclusion, what is your takeaway, thus far, from this experience?

NL: In the end, as with any art form—it’s a labor of love. It’s a nice reminder of why we do this kind of work.

JLB: It’s two things for me. Losing our funding not only broke my heart, but that of our students as well, which hurt even more. But in turn, that forced the hand of a solution, which reminded me to never give up. We learned how to use our own gifts to tell the story of someone we love: a man who is gone, and a child who might never be able to tell her story using her own words.

Fun Fact: The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival is a national program involving 18,000 students annually. Since its inception, more than 16 million theatergoers have attended approximately 10,000 festival productions nationwide. For more on the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, go to https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/opportunities-for-artists/pre-professional-artist-training/kcactf/

SUNY Sullivan, covid-19, theater, performing arts club

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