My father, brother, family dog Bella, 1972.

My father didn’t raise me to be a happy person. He raised me to be a good one.

I’m so grateful he was my father. There were many times I HATED him growing up. He was tough. There were many times we feared him. Not that he ever raised a hand to us — no, not once. But if you did something he disapproved of (and you always knew beforehand if it was something he disapproved of), he’d give you this look, this gaze, that just shamed you to the core. There was no need to shame us publicly. When you have a strong parent like that, their scorn alone us all the humiliation you need.

So thank you pops. You didn’t make it easy, but life now is easier, because you taught me well. About respect, and self respect. And Family. You were a great father. I miss you. The world misses you.

What do you call that random moment of LOL levity that get you through a time of XXL gravity? Hey, It Is What It Is.

Oh, you wanted a real answer? Okay…

It Is What It Is (IIWII) incorporates multimedia (texting, emailing, IMing), onstage and in real time, to illustrate the many simultaneous lines of communication we conduct at any given time — and how the medium affects the message.

Siblings Peter, Lena, and their much younger brother Bink reunite at the deathbed of their elderly father, George. In doing so, it comes to light how childhood “memories” (or, are they?) shaped the adults they became. The seeds of Peter’s need to control, Lena’s obsession with documenting events, and Bink’s lack of attention from his father are put under the microscope – and projected onto the stage wall, through their text, email, and instant messages – message that often contradict the actual words they speak.

As they struggle through this crisis — and the other issues in their lives — they consciously or unconsciously are “shaping” these new experiences; thus curating future memories. And in the end, they come to understand the people that they call “family”.

Check out the reviews!

Download the 2008 SF Fringe Festival (abridged) version of the script here. iiwii_2009

CAST & CREW

Lena……………..Katarina Fabic

Bink………………Robert Anthony Peters

George………….Duane Schirmer

Peter………….Colin Stuart