Taking the Plunge

Leslie Ayvazian’s new play, ‘High Dive,’ grew out of her experiences perched on the edge of a diving board, contemplating her past and approaching a new stage in life.

By: Jillian Kalonick
   Perched on a diving board while vacationing in Greece with her family, playwright and actress Leslie Ayvazian discovered an apt metaphor for turning 50 — and a good framework for a play.
   "My son asked me if I would jump off the high dive," Ms. Ayvazian explains, speaking by phone from her home in Leonia. "He had such longing in his eyes, and it was so important that I do this, because I wanted him to have a sense that he can do anything. I climbed up there for six days in a row. I convinced myself it was the right thing for me to try and do.
   "Everyone in the pool started waiting for me to start sitting up there, and they would have whole conversations with me. They would bring me Cokes and things to eat. I thought the people in the pool were the people in the audience. The lead that the audience has to take is what the play’s about — how do we jump into things?"
   Revealing whether or not she decided to take the plunge would give away her one-woman show, High Dive, which comes to the Mill Hill Playhouse in Trenton Feb. 15 as part of Passage Theatre Company’s third-annual Solo Flights Festival. The play grew out of her experiences on the edge of the board, contemplating her past and approaching a new stage in life.
   Ms. Ayvazian recruits 35 audience members for her show, who then play cameo roles by calling out lines of dialogue. Each night yields more surprises and aspiring actors than the typical one-woman show, and audiences tend to rise to the challenge.
   "In New Haven, there was a family of seven who came to nine performances and requested roles," she says. "They were wearing these T-shirts that said ‘I Starred in High Dive.’ They were very practiced and good because they were rehearsing their roles. The audience was intimidated by them — after a while I had to explain they were the returning ‘High Dive’ family."
   When an audience member misses his or her cue — which happens during almost every performance — Ms. Ayvazian has to fill in the silences.
   "There was an elderly man who always requested a line, sat in the front, then always fell asleep," she says. "I had to walk up to him and speak to him and shake his knees to wake him up."
   Her family members have gladly stepped in and appeared as themselves. "I had one night in New York City when my son, sister, sister-in-law, husband, mother and father played themselves. That was an incredibly high night. They go for the ride."
   To her relief, Ms. Ayvazian’s inevitable plunge into her 50th year was not such a cause for anxiety.
   "The 50s are terrific — there’s something where women hit their stride," she says. "I don’t know if it’s biological, I don’t know if it’s because their children are grown — although I’m not sure if it takes until then to claim themselves — but I do know I feel a kind of entitlement and glee. There’s a feeling I have about becoming a hag and liking it. I like being loud and messy.
   "It’s harder for a woman to get a job in theater and film once she passes 50. I know that’s true, but I don’t suffer too much because I enjoy writing so much, and there’s no age limit."
   In addition to teaching playwriting to graduate students at Columbia University, Sarah Lawrence College and Drew University, and working as a visiting guest artist at several colleges, Ms. Ayvazian has played several roles on Law & Order, and has a recurring role as a judge on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
   "Sometimes it makes me crazy," she says. "When you have a recurring role you sometimes don’t know until the morning of, and you have to show up with a shirt and a set of pearls. It’s a wonderful job, but it is nerve-wracking. When I was on the original ‘Law & Order,’ I played characters for them — I played the mother of the kid who did it. Impartial is a lot less fun than hysterical."
   While Ms. Ayvazian knew the plot of High Dive would involve interaction with an audience, she tried to avoid the results of other such plays she had seen.
   "Most make me a little uncomfortable," she says, "because I feel there’s something about it that the person on stage has a lot more power than the people in the audience. They’re manipulated, or patronized; I’ve avoided those types of shows.
   "It’s challenging but lonely. A certain level of artificiality is important. Whatever the convention is, you’re pretending they aren’t there, and you’re looking straight at them. I wanted to find an idea that would include them and make them a part of it in a true way."
   Her creation has inspired audience members to request roles, then run home to put together costumes and walk on stage to act side by side with her.
   "The show is about community, coming together, and having a theatrical experience as a group," she says. "I think the experience changed my life. Every time you go out there, it’s such a risky thing. I’m constantly reminded of how willing and generous (people in the audience) are, and how much they want to go for the ride and want to enjoy theater. People enthusiastically come and participate — that’s a great feeling."
High Dive runs at the Passage Theatre Company, Mill Hill Playhouse, Front and Montgomery streets, Trenton, Feb. 15, 20 and 28, 8 p.m. The Solo Flights Festival also includes: Manchild in the Promised Land, Feb. 6, 21 and March 1, 8 p.m., and Feb. 9, 16, 5 p.m.; No Lie, Feb. 8, 14, 8 p.m. and Feb. 23, 5 p.m.; and Heavy Mettle, Feb. 7, 13 and 22, 8 p.m. and March 2, 5 p.m.; Comedy Tonight!, featuring Nancy Giles and Joseph Edwards, plays Feb. 27, 8 p.m. Tickets for Solo Flights Festival shows cost $15-$20; $50 for all five shows. For information, call (609) 392-0766. Passage Theatre on the Web: www.passagetheatre.org