.png){kind=spacer}
With this podcast, I want to show the behind-the-scenes work of inclusion in theater spaces. It’s not just about diversity on the stage—it’s also about caring for the humans who are breathing life into these stories. I can’t think of better examples than these two actors who I had the pleasure of working with on the set of Fairview at Speakeasy Stage in Boston.
Allow me to introduce Victoria Omoregie and Jon Vellante! These theater actors are absolutely incredible and took on very tricky dynamics for this show. In our conversation, you’ll hear how important it is to have all aspects of a story present in order to tell the story—and how critical it is to care for these individuals who have to do and say things that are completely out of character for them. (Spoiler alert: you will hear us share details about the actual Fairview show!)
In this episode, we cover:
Synopsis of the comedy play Fairview
What it was like auditioning for Fairview
The huge realization at the table read on Day 1
How both actors found community and family with others in the play
What it’s like to embody a character who does and says terrible things
What it’s like to portray the character who has to hear those awful things
How playing these characters affects the individuals who bring the show to life
What actors do to release these characters once the curtain falls
How the EDI consultation impacted the process for the actors in Fairview
The importance of establishing boundaries & protocols for a show like Fairview
How Tori & Jon felt once the show was done
How are you feeling after hearing this roundtable discussion? Please come say hi to any or all of us on Instagram—we want to hear your thoughts.
More About Victoria Omoregie
Victoria Omoregie is an actress, poet, and writer. Born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, Victoria is a proud Dorchester native—a 2022 graduate from Boston University. Growing up in a household filled with Black-American and Nigerian culture has contributed to her artistic versatility.
Connect with Victoria:
More About Jon Vellante
Jon Vellante is a Boston-based theater, film, and TV actor. Recent credits include Julia (HBO Max), A Raisin in the Sun & DIASPORA! (New Rep Theater), Uprising on King Street (Theatre Espresso) and Fairview (Speakeasy Stage Company). Jon will next be seen at Central Square Theater in "Beyond Words."
Connect with Jon:
Connect with Kira:
Thanks for joining me on this episode of Inclusive Stages! If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help me reach even more theater makers, theater artists, and theater lovers who want to make our industry a better place for everyone.
Thanks to our music composer, Zachary McConnell, and our producer, Leah Bryant.
More about the Inclusive Stages Podcast
Welcome to 'Inclusive Stages' -- the go-to weekly podcast for theater makers, theater artists, and theater lovers who want to make our industry a better place for everyone. We'll chat with actors, directors, designers, scholars, and more about the current landscape of the theater scene and get their thoughts on how we can do better.
Host Kira Troilo will also give you a sneak peek into live EDI coaching sessions and offer actionable tips for creating more equitable, inclusive, and empathetic theater spaces that support and value the diversity of artists and audiences. Join the conversation, and let's collectively shape the future of human-first theater, one stage at a time.
This post may contain affiliate links, so I may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on my site at no additional cost to you.
The unedited podcast transcript for this episode of the Inclusive Stages podcast follows
Kira Troilo (00:02.274)
Hi, Tori. Hi, John. Good, thank you so much, both of you, for joining me. This is our first round table, so welcome, yay. These are two fabulous actors that I had the pleasure to work with on a show that was really, really tough. Believe it or not, we had a lot of fun, but it was really hard. So just to say at the front, the show we're talking about is Fairview.
Victoria Omoregie (00:03.536)
Hi, Kira.
Jon Vellante (00:05.546)
Hey, how's it going?
Kira Troilo (00:32.23)
Spoilers abound, so if you haven't seen the show or you want to keep it a surprise, you know, just a heads up We will probably spoil it Yeah, but I want to start by just hearing a little bit more about the two of you. So I'll start with Tori Would you mind telling me what your theater origin story is? Like how did you get here?
Victoria Omoregie (00:40.135)
Yeah.
Victoria Omoregie (00:48.679)
Yeah.
Victoria Omoregie (00:53.915)
Yes. How did I get here? Yeah, so to make a long story short, I did theater and opera a lot when I was in middle school, but for high school, I kind of like stopped doing theatrical things. And I did this program in high school called IB, standing for the International Baccalaureate Program. And so at my high school, they offered two artistic tracks.
You could either pursue theater or you could do visual arts, which is drawing and painting and stuff. And I was like, oh my gosh, let me go back to theater. So I did. I ended up competing in the August Wilson Monologue Competition, which is now known as the New Voices Competition, I believe. And it's basically where students from different high schools all across the United States pick a monologue from August Wilson's body of work. And you perform it in school. You compete with your
Kira Troilo (01:29.538)
Yes.
Victoria Omoregie (01:49.203)
other theatrical people from all across the United States just like really inspired me. And I remember like being in New York City for the first time, seeing my very first musicals ever. I was just like, I feel like something was missing inside of me and now it's complete. And so I just took the risk of following that feeling and that's how I am where I am today.
Kira Troilo (02:34.542)
Hmm.
Kira Troilo (02:43.262)
I couldn't love that more and it doesn't surprise me at all that you won. That's amazing. Yes. Um, John, same question. What is your Theatre Origins story? How did you get here?
Victoria Omoregie (02:48.167)
Thank you.
Jon Vellante (02:55.938)
Oh man, I guess growing up I wasn't particularly great at anything. I loved watching stories and any time I watched a story I would always try to redefine my personality around that story. Like I remember that you know I saw Pirates of the Caribbean, I wanted to be a pirate. I literally saw the green mile on TV and I spent two days arguing why I wanted to be a prison guard. And then you know.
later on I kind of just realized if I act I can dip my toe into all that without actually having to commit you know my whole life to it which yeah be a prison guard be a pirate be Indiana Jones archaeologist whatever and so that's where I picked it up and I started doing it in sixth grade and my first ever role was in a definitely illegal parody of Annie
Victoria Omoregie (03:35.123)
I'm sorry.
Kira Troilo (03:35.554)
Be a prison guard, yeah.
Jon Vellante (03:54.39)
called Franny because they didn't want to pay for the rights. And you know, in Annie, I think it's Rooster and I think I played a character called Turkey and it was entirely original music and it was a great show. And I remember I felt like I did a really good job at it. And from there, I just started acting in high school and you know, my senior year, I decided to like actually go out and audition and it's just kind of gone since then. And...
I love it because I don't think it can ever be perfect. I think it's supposed to be this thing that is constantly shifting and what works for one role doesn't work for all roles and what works for one actor doesn't work for another actor. And I find there's a lot of beauty in that. So yeah, that's me.
Victoria Omoregie (04:26.801)
Thank you.
Victoria Omoregie (04:31.492)
I love you.
Kira Troilo (04:40.791)
Yeah. Yes, I love that. Love it so much. I was in an illegal production of Newsies before it was a stage show. Fun fact. Yeah, it's like literally like my college just stole the script from the movie and we... yep.
Victoria Omoregie (04:41.115)
Hmm
Jon Vellante (04:46.898)
What? Oh, really?
Victoria Omoregie (04:55.454)
Thank you.
Kira Troilo (04:57.41)
So illegal, we're gonna get in trouble on this podcast, but yes. Cool, so I was fortunate enough to meet you both doing Fairview. I didn't know you before that. For those of you who don't know, Fairview is a 2019 play. Is it 2019? Jackie Sibley's Drury, it won the Pulitzer Prize.
Jon Vellante (04:59.586)
There you go. Yeah.
Victoria Omoregie (05:00.26)
Uh oh.
Victoria Omoregie (05:18.031)
Yeah, thanks 2019.
Kira Troilo (05:24.63)
It's a very tricky show. Do either of you wanna like kinda give us a brief synopsis?
Kira Troilo (05:36.046)
I'm sorry.
Victoria Omoregie (05:37.085)
three.
Kira Troilo (05:40.61)
We could tell the director, I'm gonna try to, we love the director so much, I'm gonna try to quote her. Isn't it like, Act One tells the story, Act Two breaks it, and Act Three throws it out the window.
Victoria Omoregie (05:59.451)
Yes, yes, that's exactly how I directly describe you. Yes, come on, kid.
Jon Vellante (06:02.187)
and
Kira Troilo (06:03.046)
I feel like that's, yeah, oh, you know, I try, I try. But basically it's a story of this black family. So in the show we had four black actors and it's like very sitcom-y. You like Fresh Prince or, you know, like one of those sitcoms seems pretty fun. Act two is where John's character and three other white characters came in and we started to hear their monologuing.
Victoria Omoregie (06:19.804)
Yeah.
Kira Troilo (06:31.394)
over the silent version of the Black family kind of doing their thing. And then Act 3 just goes literally out the window. It's just crazy. So I kind of would love to hear just from both of you when you first auditioned for this play. What were your thoughts? Were you scared? Were you, you know, just like excited? Did you trust the company? Just like what came up for you?
Jon Vellante (06:54.998)
Hmm.
Victoria Omoregie (06:55.119)
Yeah. I remember when I first read the script before doing the audition, I had a completely different idea of what it felt like. You know, like when you read things, you hear the other voices and you like see the characters and whatnot. But then in filming the audition, I felt like the feelings of what it might feel like to have to do what Keisha does in front of...
Kira Troilo (07:07.269)
Mm-hmm.
Victoria Omoregie (07:24.611)
a group of predominantly white people because of what the Boston theater scene looks like. So my emotions kind of went from, oh my gosh, this play is so awesome, I can't wait to audition to, oh my gosh, this play is awesome, I'm auditioning, let's see what happens. And then when we were in the rehearsal space, my emotions then transitioned to like, this is really, really hard.
Kira Troilo (07:29.902)
Mm-hmm.
Kira Troilo (07:51.987)
Mm-hmm.
Victoria Omoregie (07:52.495)
you know, like just a completely different experience than what I imagined it would be. So like going into rehearsals, I'll never forget the first reading. Like I did not think that I'd get as emotional as I did, but as I said before, like really being in the space and hearing those voices and it no longer being just something in my imagination was very surreal and was very like beautiful and painful.
Kira Troilo (07:59.351)
Yeah.
Kira Troilo (08:07.732)
Mmm.
Kira Troilo (08:20.491)
Yeah.
Victoria Omoregie (08:22.403)
definitely amazing to say the least.
Kira Troilo (08:25.45)
Yeah, and I'll never forget that either. I remember like I met you that day and how much feeling you put into that first monologue and just like, you know, as a consultant, I just felt like I just wanted to go over and hold you while you were doing that right away. And just to, for people who aren't familiar, Tori played the character of Keisha, who is kind of the one member of the family who sees that something's wrong. And I guess we'll just go ahead and spoil it. In act three,
Jon Vellante (08:37.922)
Mm.
Victoria Omoregie (08:51.674)
Mm-hmm.
Kira Troilo (08:54.85)
the white actors actually come in, in everything blackface without the paint on their face. Like they join the family as these black stereotypes. It's highly, highly offensive, of course. And there's a lot of racist terms flying, a lot of, you know.
Victoria Omoregie (09:06.576)
Mm-hmm.
Kira Troilo (09:16.054)
Just really, really tough, really, really tough. Tough to read, tough to hear. So that's kind of what Tory was dealing with at that time. John had the job of playing one of those racist characters. So I wanna hear too, John, like what was that like for you coming in before, you know, or even up until we got to that table read?
Jon Vellante (09:31.966)
Mm.
Jon Vellante (09:36.338)
Yeah, I remember I read Fairview, I think it was back in 2019, and I immediately just, I loved it so much. And I couldn't like picture it being done in my head. I was like, there's no way that this could ever, like, I just don't know. And I actually brought Jim Bowen's act two with the monologue.
Kira Troilo (09:46.861)
Mm-hmm.
Jon Vellante (09:59.006)
That's really just self aggrandizing gatekeeping his own existence about how he's a winner and you know, all this horrible stuff. But I brought that to an acting coach after I read it back in 2019, way before this. And she's really lovely, but she saw it and she was like, Oh, I don't know if it's very active. I don't know about this monologue. And then, you know.
Kira Troilo (10:04.413)
Mm-hmm.
Kira Troilo (10:13.776)
Alright.
Jon Vellante (10:23.69)
A couple years later, I got asked to submit for Speakeasy show with this monologue and I was like, ah, I knew it. I knew I should have learned this. So yeah, it was good to audition and I liked the audition process included an element of talking about what this play meant to us. And for me, I think it was really important for this show to be done.
Kira Troilo (10:32.319)
Yes.
Jon Vellante (10:47.386)
in I guess a quote unquote blue hub like Boston. Because I think too often, you know, we're tricked into thinking on the binary of, well, you know, we might have problems, but we're not red like them. And so we're fine, everything's fine. And I think that takes away our agency to challenge ourselves to change. And I think Fairview is that challenge. And it really stuck out to me for that reason. And that's what I said.
Kira Troilo (10:50.67)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Jon Vellante (11:17.062)
in my portion of the audition tape about what it meant to us.
Kira Troilo (11:17.575)
Mm.
Yeah. And I think it was so important to hear, I know from the theatre side, just to hear people talk about what it meant to them because this was more than hiring actors, you know, which I think everything should be more than hiring actors, but we really needed to hire the right people for this one so that we could feel as safe as possible doing that really tricky material. Yeah.
Victoria Omoregie (11:42.528)
Mm-hmm.
Jon Vellante (11:44.18)
Absolutely.
Kira Troilo (11:45.526)
Do we wanna talk about those first few days? I mean, like I said, I was there at that table read. I had read the script over and over. I was terrified because how are we gonna both care for the black people who have to hear this awful language and then the white people who have to say it? And how are we gonna make you all...
comfortable enough with each other. So I will share the story, I'm sure you both remember, but we all sat down day one, and I forget who it was that pointed out that we actually divided in racial lines. So the black people sat on one side and the white people sat on the other, and we pointed it out right away, and it was like, what is happening? What does that work right now?
Victoria Omoregie (12:19.571)
That's sweet, oh my god.
Jon Vellante (12:21.009)
Yeah, yep.
Jon Vellante (12:27.818)
Mm.
Victoria Omoregie (12:31.879)
That was wild. It kind of just happened naturally too. Like it was wherever you gravitated towards, you just popped a squat there. And it just so happened that that's how we ended up gravitating. It was really interesting, but it also felt kind of good in a weird way. Like it felt like, yeah, like this is the reality. Like we're on one side experiencing this.
Kira Troilo (12:35.671)
Mm-hmm.
Kira Troilo (12:40.685)
Yep.
Kira Troilo (12:51.118)
Hmm.
Jon Vellante (12:55.389)
Mmm.
Kira Troilo (12:55.612)
Mm-hmm.
Victoria Omoregie (12:57.883)
y'all are on the other side experiencing what you're experiencing. And like when we were reading it, it felt like, wow, this is how it feels to kind of be watched, you know? So it was very informative for me. It was weird at first. And when someone pointed it out, I was like, oh my gosh, why did we just do that? Like we had the, we were able to pick whatever seats we wanted. It just ended up that way.
Kira Troilo (13:06.27)
Mmm, mm-hmm.
Jon Vellante (13:13.15)
Yeah.
Kira Troilo (13:13.294)
I'm sorry.
Kira Troilo (13:21.866)
Yep. Yep, absolutely. Yeah, it was it was funny. I think we ended up kind of like mixing it up later intentionally. But you're right. Like we did have to come to grips with like the us versus them in the play. And.
Jon Vellante (13:22.173)
Yeah.
Kira Troilo (13:40.714)
you know, maybe I'll kind of, before we talk about how we worked together, maybe talk about those groups. Like, how did you, and I know the answer, but for our listeners, like Tori, how did you bond with the other black actors and like just kind of finding community with them throughout the play?
Victoria Omoregie (13:56.647)
Yeah, well I feel like, I'll speak from my personal experience, I kind of, when I'm around like other black individuals, especially black creatives, like there's just that unspoken feeling of community and like we have to be here for each other, we have to have each other's backs. And so when it came down to working with Yawande, Dom, and Lindsay.
I already knew Lindsay, which was cool, and then I didn't really know Yawande and I had no idea who Dom was. So in going into that space, understanding what the play's about and understanding that we're all black creatives, I feel like we kind of all just like naturally saw each other as family. Like Yawande and Lindsay always called me like their little sister and Dom always said, no, I really do see you as a daughter. So it just already felt like a family from the very first.
couple of rehearsals, you know? And I felt very held and very supported in that. And then it was also lovely just seeing like, they'll create a team as a whole of Fairview, like our director was a black woman, our stage manager was a black individual, we had you, Kiera, who's a black individual. So it's like I was able to identify with so many people and therefore I felt safe and comfortable, you know?
Kira Troilo (14:56.504)
Yeah.
Kira Troilo (15:12.045)
Yeah.
Kira Troilo (15:19.454)
Yeah, yeah, and that's so... not even important, just crucial.
Victoria Omoregie (15:24.719)
It's very crucial because there is a difference when, I could say anyone, but I'll speak for me. It is, there's a difference when you don't see someone that you can identify with or can feel family towards, you know, like it does something to my body when I have that. And then when I don't have that, like I cease in every space that I'm in, you know? So yeah, it's definitely crucial. And that was a huge part as to why Fairview was like.
Jon Vellante (15:24.99)
Mm.
Kira Troilo (15:38.039)
Yeah.
Kira Troilo (15:46.178)
Mmm, absolutely.
Victoria Omoregie (15:54.123)
I felt very supported in all of that.
Kira Troilo (15:58.018)
That's so great. Yeah, and that was so important to me too. And then also important to me was the fact that we had these four white actors who had to be these horrible people. I mean, you know.
debatable, some of them maybe, I guess, but just do these awful things and say these awful things. So John, I mean, how did you create community there? What was it like for you four, kind of being in a corner and saying these things?
Jon Vellante (16:18.57)
Mm.
Jon Vellante (16:33.254)
I think a lot of it was, you know, finding the moments of levity and realizing that it's okay. It's not, you know, as horrible as the things that are being said here. You know, we still have the right to laugh and to challenge and there are comic elements to it. But I think also recognizing that, you know, we want to support that the black family in the show as well. And I think there would.
Victoria Omoregie (16:48.022)
Mm-hmm.
Jon Vellante (17:01.746)
moments where we found a lot of unity in that. Like we would sit backstage because the way we had it set up was act one would play on the screen and you know, we would get set up before doing our recording for act two and we would watch act one and we would laugh, we would love it, we would send good vibes to the stage because we would just, we had moments that we loved. So I think, you know, trying to realize that it wasn't about
Kira Troilo (17:22.046)
Mm-hmm.
Jon Vellante (17:30.882)
us even if we were the actors in any given moment and had being able to funnel it into that, if that makes any sense? No, no.
Kira Troilo (17:31.918)
Mm-hmm.
Kira Troilo (17:38.186)
Mm-hmm. Makes perfect sense, I think. Yeah. Was it hard? Like, what were those... I guess once the audience came, really, for you, John, it's like, was it hard to be seen as that kind of guy? And I know, you know, I feel like people always say, the nicest people play the villains.
Jon Vellante (18:01.622)
Hehehe
Kira Troilo (18:02.486)
play the best villains and like you are the nicest guy and I was very grateful that you were really like the ultimate villain of the piece. I think you're like the worst of the four. Yeah, absolutely. I mean is that hard? Did that involve any kind of care for you?
Jon Vellante (18:06.678)
Thank you.
Jon Vellante (18:13.734)
Oh, he's a psycho. He's a psychopath. Yeah.
Jon Vellante (18:25.098)
Yeah, highs and lows. I'm a little socially anxious. So I generally don't go out after shows all the time to say hi to people just because I cherish my time. And this time I was like, yeah, I'm not going to go out because some people might have had a very strong reaction to the show. And I don't want them to dwell on it, or I want them to process in their own way without having me butt in. But in terms of
Self-care, you know, it was just a lot of going home and telling myself that like I'm not I have permission to release This this guy from myself for the evening because you know, I think there's the risk and Tory Maybe you agree here where as an actor if you dwell too much on One moment or if you dwell too much on did I did I say that did I did I offend someone? Did I did I do this in this way even if it's within?
parameters that are established it can get a little panicky. So there I definitely had to just remind myself that similar to the initial question about how the white actors supported the black actors, it was for a higher cause. And I, you know, I wish I had a better way of phrasing it because I think that sounds so hokey, but it was for, it was for, you know, something bigger than ourselves.
Kira Troilo (19:27.)
Mmm.
Victoria Omoregie (19:27.447)
Mm.
Kira Troilo (19:46.723)
Mm-mm.
Jon Vellante (19:52.478)
Yeah, so that helped me. Anytime I felt a little. Okay, good.
Kira Troilo (19:54.57)
It doesn't sound hokey to me. Yeah, no, it sounds like-
Victoria Omoregie (19:56.726)
Uh-uh.
Kira Troilo (19:58.454)
I mean, we all have to connect to a cause, right? And in order to tell a story, we need all aspects of that story. So I just think it's important to think about, you know, the harm. And it's not a battle, you know, like we understood that in the room. It's not like who has it worse or anything. It's just like we have to consider that this is a difficult lift for everyone. And I love that you brought that up, John, about like releasing the character, because Tori and I worked a lot on that. I don't know, Tori, if you want to talk first just about like
Victoria Omoregie (20:04.94)
Mm-hmm.
Victoria Omoregie (20:13.732)
Any more?
Jon Vellante (20:13.855)
Right.
Jon Vellante (20:17.57)
Mm-hmm.
Kira Troilo (20:28.328)
your experiences once we got an audience. Keisha has this big five minute monologue. Five minutes? Maybe longer. Uh. Which for any actors out there, like five minute monologue is no joke. And this monologue was like a direct, like angry address at the audience. Like, you know, and I completely, yeah. So.
Victoria Omoregie (20:35.807)
I think so. Might as well be five minutes. Might be a little longer. Ha ha.
Jon Vellante (20:40.696)
Five hours.
Victoria Omoregie (20:52.244)
breaking the fourth wall.
Kira Troilo (20:56.638)
Yeah, do you want to talk a little bit about that? Just what was that like once we got in front of audiences?
Victoria Omoregie (21:00.167)
Good.
Yeah, the very first audience we had was a very supportive audience, thank God. Because that was the first time... Well, I don't know if we were able to give the ultimate spoilers. Are we able to give the ultimate spoilers?
Kira Troilo (21:19.551)
Well, we'll cut, I mean, say what you want to and we can cut it, but I, we've given a spoiler alert, so I feel like it's okay.
Victoria Omoregie (21:22.579)
I'm out.
Okay, okay, well I'll try not to give the ultimate spoiler alerts. Um, the question Keisha asked of the audience, of specifically the white audience, the very first show was very scary for me, um, just because like I said, like when you're in rehearsals, we're doing it for each other, like we all know this story, we're doing it over and over again, but once you have an audience, that's like your last...
like I would say that's your last cast member, you know? That's your scene partner. And so when I'm doing the monologue in the middle of doing it, I kind of had like this out of body experience and I was like, oh my gosh, like this is not just a body of work. This is not just a text. This is not just a monologue. This is actually something that's invoking the audience to do something and they can choose to do it or not. And what the heck am I gonna do?
Kira Troilo (22:19.67)
Mm.
Victoria Omoregie (22:21.739)
if they don't, you know? And I didn't like think about that too much during the rehearsal process, no matter how many times the director would constantly remind me, Tori, like once you're there, it might feel weird, it might feel different, but just know that you got your family, you got your cast to hold onto, and they're gonna hold you, and I always felt that. But it was just so interesting to like actually be in the moment of asking that big question and seeing what are they going to do.
And you know the first show there were people who did not like the question There were people who were vocal and said they didn't like the question I'll never forget that show where a lady said super duper loud like who does she think she is to ask us of this request? And that day was really hard for me And I remember Kara like you brought me to the shower room and you gave me some headphones. I listened to music I just cried my eyes out and then shook it off and had to just
Kira Troilo (23:06.07)
Hmm.
Victoria Omoregie (23:20.459)
let it go. And then as we kept on doing it after like maybe three, four, five shows, it was kind of just something that like my body just knew to prepare for. It was never something that I got used to, but it was just something that I always was just prepared for. I was prepared for people to answer. I was prepared for people to be vocal about not liking what I said. I was prepared for people to comment on the white actor's costumes and touch the food and not pay attention at all to
the story that Keisha's trying to tell. And then I was prepared to somehow, with the words that Keisha speaks and with my body language, to make sure that the people of color in the audience knew, I see you in your scene. Even if you're crying, just know that you are seen and you are heard and this moment is for you, this moment is for us. And like John said, it's bigger than all of us and I just always remembered that and that was what kept me grounded.
Kira Troilo (24:18.13)
Yeah, I mean, and you were just so gracious, like, and you did make that audience feel held. You know, as someone who sat and watched your show, I think I came eight times, and more just because I felt like I needed to be there with you, you know? But it is so wild to me, and this is why I think it's so important people hear you talk about this. People don't think all the time about the human being behind the actor.
Victoria Omoregie (24:25.939)
Thank you.
Kira Troilo (24:48.526)
Because while there were things of course that you as Tori, a person connected with that Keisha said, you were speaking Keisha's monologue. And people would talk to you from the audience as though you were Keisha. Truly. And that to me, you know, the same thing could go to, you know, John, when you had your entrance as Jimbo, and it's just absurd, and you're wearing these like...
Victoria Omoregie (25:02.129)
Yeah.
Jon Vellante (25:11.382)
Mm.
Kira Troilo (25:14.654)
you know, at grills and I mean just crazy. But I think people oftentimes forget there's a human being behind the scenes. And that is really troubling to me. And you know, which is why I just really, I thought it was so important for you to have that shower room, Tori. Like you needed a place to decompress, to like become yourself again and get back to the world. But yeah, anything on there that like.
Victoria Omoregie (25:27.641)
Mm-hmm.
Victoria Omoregie (25:38.131)
Mm-hmm.
Kira Troilo (25:41.942)
I mean, John, like just audience members coming up. Again, we're hardcore spoiling the show, but, you know, the audience is asked to do something, which doesn't happen in a lot of shows that made this one especially tricky.
Jon Vellante (25:47.926)
Haha.
Jon Vellante (25:56.57)
Yeah, I mean, Tori, you did such beautiful work each night. And you know, we, the four white actors, when we, because I think we mutually decided, if I recall correctly, that at the end of the show, it was kind of like, we are dropping the guys of characters and we are just existing from where we are and speaking from where we are. And you know, the four of us, like we had, we had your back. We were, you know, every time we heard.
Victoria Omoregie (26:00.955)
Thank you Tom.
Jon Vellante (26:23.414)
things, but you know, being exclaimed in the audience, like the, I, you know, I don't know that I told you, but like someone was trying to film once on their phone. And like, I told them like, put that, why would you, why, why? So I think just, you know, it was important to us that, you know, that we had your back. And I think it says something too, about
uh, what audiences expect when they go to a theater. I think a lot of the time it is that I want to detach, I want to disconnect, I want to glaze over for two hours and not be asked to do anything, including changing, you know, which is weird because catharsis, one-on-one, but uh, yeah, I think, um, it's, it's a very tricky show for that reason though, because you can't tell people what they're getting without spoiling it entirely.
Victoria Omoregie (27:04.705)
Mm-hmm.
Jon Vellante (27:16.322)
And I think it says a lot about some people that they just had such a violent reaction. Not like violent, like charging the stage, but like I think internally, they had a very like, yeah, I think, yeah, exactly. Or me and my bulletproof, glammed out vest. Yeah. But I think it's, why did they have that reaction? Why did it trigger?
Victoria Omoregie (27:26.457)
Yeah
Kira Troilo (27:28.053)
Mm. They would have had to go through me.
Victoria Omoregie (27:30.287)
Yeah, Kira.
Victoria Omoregie (27:34.959)
with the bully.
Kira Troilo (27:38.498)
Yes.
Jon Vellante (27:45.33)
something so deeply in them. You know, I wondered about that every time, especially when there were vocal reactions to it.
Kira Troilo (27:54.742)
Yeah, absolutely. Oh, what, I probably should have asked this earlier, but like, what was it about the process itself? So like, when we spent three days at the table talking about the play, we talked about the play, we talked about white supremacy culture, we talked about racism. How do you think that changed our process?
Kira Troilo (28:22.59)
I guess I could ask it in a different way too, like, what do you think the process would have been like if we just started reading the play?
Victoria Omoregie (28:31.96)
I feel like, um...
Victoria Omoregie (28:37.427)
I feel as though a lot of people do that, and then it just becomes a process where like, there's an elephant in the room that no one is bold or brave enough to address. So I loved that we addressed it. You know, it just felt like it's on the table. We talked about it and I can breathe, you know.
Kira Troilo (29:01.898)
Mm. Yeah. And what, what have the experiences, because I've had so many of them where you didn't talk about it, like how did that feel?
Victoria Omoregie (29:11.343)
Yeah, it feels very tense. Like the room feels very tense and there's no actual protocol to say, hey, that's offensive or this makes me feel uncomfortable, but we also never created a space where we could say we feel uncomfortable for anyone. For anyone. And those spaces, they just don't.
Kira Troilo (29:33.669)
Mm-hmm.
Victoria Omoregie (29:40.731)
feel good, they don't feel safe, they don't feel like they're pursuing a powerful play about whatever it's about, racism, colorism, sexism, it doesn't matter. When something's not addressed, like it just doesn't feel like we're doing ourselves or the work justice, you know?
Kira Troilo (30:01.59)
Yep, 150% agree. What about you, John?
Jon Vellante (30:07.019)
Mm-hmm. I'm actually going to quote my friend, Liv Dumaine. Maybe you know her on this. She's a fantastic intimacy coordinator, the Boston area, everyone should hire her. But she talked about, she's working on the show that I'm working on right now. And she always brings up a study where children were put on a playground. And in one instance, there was no gate, no parameter put around the playground. And
Kira Troilo (30:11.187)
I do love her, yes.
Kira Troilo (30:16.566)
Yes.
Jon Vellante (30:34.746)
something, you know, the children they played, but there was almost a certain level of like, well, it's so big, like, do I really wanna, you know, how do I do that? And then when they finally established those boundaries around the playground, there was, they felt safer playing. They felt safer, you know, running around the playground and falling and making mistakes. And I think, you know, it's a great analogy to intimacy work, obviously, but I think it's the same with DEI, because with a show like Fairview,
Victoria Omoregie (30:47.453)
Thank you.
Victoria Omoregie (30:53.296)
Thank you.
Jon Vellante (31:02.614)
There are going to be uncomfortable moments. There are going to be moments of failure. There are going to be moments where, especially, you know, white actors fall flat on their face when trying to talk about or handle race. And I think if you don't have those parameters set, if you, if you don't have rules of the room of the world set, like how can you do that and not go home and feel horrible and not forgive yourself? So I think it's, it's really important for that reason.
Victoria Omoregie (31:26.259)
Yeah.
Kira Troilo (31:30.57)
Yeah, I love that. Love Liv, thank you for that. Yeah, and it's, you know, this connection between the work that I do and intimacy, it's so strong because, you know, people sometimes think intimacy is, you know, kissing. Like we have to do a kissing scene, we have to do a sex scene. But...
Jon Vellante (31:33.471)
There you go.
Kira Troilo (31:51.634)
There's so much more to intimacy. You know, like even in Fairview, we had, you know, a situation where John, your character, had to push our Black Dad character to the ground. And that would normally, you know, and a quote unquote normally would be a fight choreographer, just like you're gonna put your hands here and you're gonna push him here. ["Fight Choreography"]
But I was there to be like, okay, we need to look at the dynamics here of what is happening with this white actor who has to push this black actor down. And maybe you can talk a little to that John too, of just like, yeah, this is Dom, we're talking about the actor Dom, and how did we create that space for you to feel comfortable and safe doing that?
Jon Vellante (32:18.207)
Yes.
Jon Vellante (32:38.226)
Yeah, it was fantastic collaborating with Dom on that because he's so open and generous in terms of how he is as an actor. But it was...
Weird for me. It challenged me because I remember the first day we were trying to stage it I was looking at it so objectively and I was you know Throwing out like well, maybe I push him down. Maybe I curb stomp him Maybe I do that and you know, I was just saying all this stuff and I someone I think it was Lindsay called out Dumb you okay and like asked him, you know, how are you feeling about all this and it made me realize like oh This is a loaded image
Kira Troilo (33:06.441)
ideas.
Kira Troilo (33:16.714)
Yeah.
Jon Vellante (33:16.742)
Um, especially here in this moment right now. And, um, that was one of those moments where I was kind of like, huh, as a white actor, it had just, I had just viewed it as stage violence. I hadn't thought of it outside of those parameters. And, um, I was grateful that I did. And, you know, Dom and I always checked in, uh, before each show just, you know, it's so important, I think having those ways of saying, we're going to do this and now we're going to not do this.
Kira Troilo (33:21.709)
Yeah.
Victoria Omoregie (33:30.983)
Mm.
Kira Troilo (33:46.141)
Mm-hmm.
Jon Vellante (33:46.699)
So that was a big part of it as well.
Kira Troilo (33:49.574)
so important and like I usually when I work with a group will say you know if it's helpful to check in with each other great but on this show I made it mandatory because you all had to look each other in the eyes before you did this work just to ground and like this is me as a human being this is who and where I am today right before you go on stage and interact in that way.
That was always important to me, you know, when you all did like the fight call.
Jon Vellante (34:21.79)
Absolutely. And it was a ridiculous like food fight too. So it was juggling that comic, the comic nature of that going into this horrible. Yeah, man, I remember we struggled finding that in the room not struggle but like, we went through so many rough drafts.
Victoria Omoregie (34:25.02)
Hehehe
Kira Troilo (34:25.196)
Mm-hmm
Kira Troilo (34:29.239)
Oh god.
Victoria Omoregie (34:31.228)
Yeah.
Kira Troilo (34:37.715)
Oof.
Kira Troilo (34:41.014)
drafts. Uh huh. And that is, it's like we created that room, you know, and you both talked about this so beautifully, of boundaries and space so that we could create drafts. We kind of like acknowledged we're gonna make mistakes. This is gonna be rough. So here's what we're gonna do when we make a mistake. You know, that's so important. So like let's do a draft. How does that feel? Not great. Let's try it this way. Yeah. Oh.
Victoria Omoregie (34:41.208)
So good luck to us.
Jon Vellante (35:11.015)
Phew.
Kira Troilo (35:12.207)
What have you taken from Fairview, I guess? You know what, and what's more important actually? How did you feel after it was done? Let's go there first. Just like letting go of the performance. How did that feel?
Victoria Omoregie (35:32.839)
for me, it kind of, it felt like it was ready for me to let go. I felt like at one point I realized like my body was not necessarily tired, but like it was just really, really down, like just really, really like sad and hurt and like I was so happy when my mother came to see the show because I really didn't want to spoil anything for her.
Kira Troilo (35:50.943)
Mm.
Victoria Omoregie (35:59.975)
But I really just needed to come home and like talk to someone just about how I've been feeling because it's not like just, it's not just a hard play. Like I live here, like I live in Boston. And to see some of the responses that we experienced doing the show, like this is the city I live in and I'm living around these people and I have no idea who they are but I know that they're around me. Like I don't know, all these thoughts just came over me a lot and like
my body started to just feel hurt over and over and over and over again. And when we closed, like I was sad to let go of my cats because I love everybody. But in terms of like, just getting hit every time I would do that monologue, I was like, I can really breathe now and like it's time to let this go. The world is still the same world that Jackie was talking about. And I understand that.
Kira Troilo (36:33.472)
Mm-hmm.
Kira Troilo (36:40.335)
Hehehehehehe
Victoria Omoregie (36:59.807)
I didn't feel the freedom of knowing that I could let this play go and then go back to the reality that still exists in Fairview and is parallel to the world that I live in as a black woman. And so like, I was glad that I didn't have to face that audience again. But I was also sad that like, you know, even after all of those shows and after the stories you would tell, like it sucked seeing people still not be changed. So I was, I was really ready to.
Kira Troilo (37:15.594)
Mm-hmm.
Victoria Omoregie (37:29.799)
to distance myself from those feelings. I thought it was time.
Kira Troilo (37:35.85)
You needed to. I mean, yeah, I was, I remember just feeling relieved for you too. I think it's just so important for people to hear you talk about that and how, you know, the toll. I talked about that a lot afterwards when I, you know, I would speak to board members about how the show went and I really just emphasized the toll that some of these stories, a lot of these stories, especially for those of us with marginalized identities who are the victims of certain things.
Like the toll it takes on us to tell those stories has to be considered when we choose shows and when we provide care for those actors Yeah, I know John you were ready to let go as well, right?
Victoria Omoregie (38:14.903)
Yeah.
Jon Vellante (38:21.467)
Yeah, I had a goatee for that show that I shaved immediately as soon as the show is done because I yeah I just I think you know it he's a very I try to relate to every character I play but yeah of course otherwise it's so two-dimensional but Jimbo is a violent
Victoria Omoregie (38:26.119)
Hehehe
Kira Troilo (38:27.158)
That's right.
Kira Troilo (38:39.23)
You have to.
Victoria Omoregie (38:43.114)
Mm-hmm.
Jon Vellante (38:47.394)
psychopath who wants to win at all costs. And you know, you find the ways that you're similar to a character and you're like, okay, so I'm not that far out, but what if we like just planted this and then it turned into something else entirely. And I think just being able to let go of that and not, you know, I don't know. I hate the notion of
competition and winning and dominating at all costs. And you know, it's weird because I'm in theater and I'm constantly auditioning against like five people who look like me, but that's whatever. It's, I just, yeah, exactly, exactly. It's just not, just not something that I live in. So I was, I was relieved to let it go as well. Even though it was also like Tori said, I loved that cast and I loved that play and, but it was time.
Kira Troilo (39:15.891)
Mm.
Kira Troilo (39:23.307)
Yeah.
Victoria Omoregie (39:26.823)
Hehehe
Kira Troilo (39:27.874)
Topic for another day, yeah.
Victoria Omoregie (39:29.699)
Mm-hmm.
Victoria Omoregie (39:42.043)
Yes.
Jon Vellante (39:42.822)
And I think we did a really good job with it, you know?
Kira Troilo (39:47.414)
Me too. And I don't think we could have... I don't think we could have done the play if you all didn't get along. You know? Cause you... No.
Victoria Omoregie (39:53.827)
Oh, absolutely not. Absolutely not. Like, yeah, one of my favorite takeaways from this process was like,
Jon Vellante (39:55.609)
Whew, yeah.
Kira Troilo (39:58.178)
Peace. Yeah.
Victoria Omoregie (40:05.399)
If it's done right, you can really turn a cast into a family. You know, if it's guided right and if it's protected with the right intentions, you can really create a family in a cast. And I really felt that way. Like, we had so many jokes and we laughed a lot, just like John said, despite like the heaviness of the play. And that's because we created like a family within the cast. Yeah.
Kira Troilo (40:37.27)
So true. And anyone who thinks it's a waste of time to focus on the culture of the room, I hope they listen to this because it really is everything when it comes down to it.
Jon Vellante (40:49.695)
Mm.
Victoria Omoregie (40:50.993)
Yeah.
Kira Troilo (40:52.258)
I just like I have one more question for each of you, but I just want to thank you. I honestly, I could cry right now just thinking about how beautiful you both are in your vulnerability in your performances and just like, just thinking back to working with the two of you and the eight of you.
Jon Vellante (41:12.822)
Mm.
Kira Troilo (41:13.246)
and how generous you were with each other. It just makes this work a joy. And I hope people can see the value of talking across hard things and coming out feeling like you said family. Yeah, so on a lighter topic, or maybe not, I don't know. We'll see. I'm gonna start with you first, John. I ask this of everyone, what do you think inclusion looks like in theater for you?
Victoria Omoregie (41:22.779)
Good night.
Jon Vellante (41:40.598)
Hmm. I think inclusion. I would say that it's presenting a picture on stage where if a young person looks at that stage or that story or one of the shows in a season, they think, wow, there's a place for me in theater, in film or TV. And, you know, I talked earlier growing up about all the stories I saw
people I tried to embody, but I had so many of them. That's the thing. And I don't know that it's always, it's been like, I have this many. And then in recent years, you know, it's been starting to hopefully catch up, but it's still just such a high ratio of, you know, visibility and representation in terms of my favor. So I think, you know, it's basically presenting a better future.
and saying that, yes, there will be a theater, and yes, there is a seat for you there. So, yeah.
Kira Troilo (42:44.322)
Couldn't love that more. Yay. What do you think, Tori?
Victoria Omoregie (42:45.639)
Hmm.
Victoria Omoregie (42:48.871)
Going after that, wow. Yeah, inclusivity to me looks like creating a space where everyone can be seen, where everyone feels like I can do this, I can be a part of this safely.
Kira Troilo (43:10.178)
Beautiful. Anything else that I didn't ask that you'd love to share before we wrap up?
Jon Vellante (43:18.466)
I just want to say that part of Jimbo was based on Quentin Tarantino. I like telling people that. My initial, when I read that monologue, I was like, this is if Quentin Tarantino corners you at a party and is yelling in your face about movies. It's like, yeah, man. I just like sharing that little tidbit. Yeah.
Kira Troilo (43:34.462)
I totally see it. Mm-hmm. Quentin Tarantino. Amazing. And you're both in shows. So I don't know if either, if you wanna share anything that's coming up that happens after April. So I'll ask, yeah, I'll ask Tori first, do you have anything coming up that people can come see you in?
Victoria Omoregie (43:37.267)
Boop.
Victoria Omoregie (43:41.336)
Oh my gosh.
Victoria Omoregie (44:02.707)
Yeah! So I will be in Fat Ham at the Alliance Theater in Atlanta opening, I believe, April 12th. So if you're in the mood to fly to the A, come see Fat Ham!
Kira Troilo (44:03.227)
support you in any way.
Kira Troilo (44:10.806)
Woohoo!
Kira Troilo (44:18.194)
Mm-hmm. You will not be disappointed, I promise you. Yes. What about you, John? Anything coming up that we can send folks to?
Victoria Omoregie (44:22.796)
Yes, you won't.
Jon Vellante (44:29.614)
Yeah, if this is out in early April, I'm currently in a show at Central Square called Beyond Words, which is a delightful story about an African gray parrot and her scientist parent, Irene Pepperberg, who is an actual doctor in the Boston area, and how they challenge the status quo in science. And it's a very fun, very ensemble driven show. And I hope if you're listening, you're able to see it.
Victoria Omoregie (44:57.491)
Yes.
Kira Troilo (44:58.403)
So cool. Well, if you get the chance to see either of these actors, just run, don't walk. They are amazing. Thank you both so, so much from the bottom of my heart. I'm so grateful you joined me today.
Victoria Omoregie (45:10.023)
Thank you, Kira.
Jon Vellante (45:10.198)
Thank you. Thank you so much.
Kira Troilo (45:15.118)