This June, Frigid New York hosts its 10th annual Queerly Festival, celebrating new works of LGBTQIA+ artists at Under St. Mark’s Theater. In Give Me the Macarthur Genius Grant, written and performed by Tarek Ziad, Ziad challenges the anonymous members of the elite MacArthur Foundation: “Why not give all that grant money to me?”
Let’s clarify: Ziad isn’t your typical MacArthur Grant recipient. He has the grades, sure, but not the ‘paving the way in the arts and sciences for future generations’ part. As near as audiences can tell, he’s just another messy queer youth trying to make it in this big crazy city. He’s worked many odd jobs, so he can call himself worldly, but what significant contribution to the arts does that life experience culminate in? I suppose the answer is this show.
Don’t get me wrong: there is no shortage of camp here. The show would be rendered solely a standup comedy performance if not for the camp. In Give Me the MacArthur Genius Grant resembles more of a drag performance than a typical ‘solo’ show. This isn’t necessarily bad; in fact, shows of this nature work well if the comedy is well-timed and the arc, even if vague, is clear. This show is a little more like a College Improv Night: the jokes are easy, the camp elevates the acting to absurdity, and the ‘arc’ pivots randomly to whatever Ziad thinks might be funny to say next.
One does learn quite a bit about the MacArthur Grant from the performance. The selection committee is entirely anonymous, and since there’s no way to apply, no one knows they’re even being considered. Ziad is swift to point out that anyone receiving the eponymous Genius Grant would need to already be pretty stinking rich from all the big accomplishments they made to be considered in the first place- so aren’t we just giving the rich more money? If examined further, this would be an interesting line of thought, especially considering Ziad, who by no means claims extreme wealth, is positing himself to be considered for the big grant. What would someone from a different income bracket try to do for the world with $625,000? It’s a question that doesn’t really get much airtime, smushed down in favor of loud music and photoshopped slides.
The show technically lives up to its pitch. Ziad does examine the idea of ‘success’ in life and the arts, but he does so in a shallow way. Nothing is gleaned or gained by the show's end, except maybe that one has laughed in a room with genial people for about an hour, which is a very good reason to make theatre. But it lacks the depth and exploration of the central ideas it purports. It does make for a good laugh, which is sometimes needed.
"Give Me the MacArthur Genius Grant"
Written and performed by Tarek Ziad
Directed by Yamini Nambimadom
June 14 and 17, 2024
2024 Queerly Festival with FRIGID New York
UNDER St. Marks (94 St Marks Pl, NYC)
Rita Frances Welch is… Wait, who’s asking? There are a few answers depending on the context. Rita is A) A New York playwright, actor, and director, B) The owner of 5 discrete copies of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, C) A force of nature, controlled by the tides and called to by the wind, disappearing and returning like the seasons. More material than their author, Rita’s plays have been produced by The Tank, Theatre X, Playwrights Performance, and Rogue Theatre Festival. They hold a B.F.A. in Acting from Shenandoah Conservatory, during which they studied under LAByrinth Theater’s Martha Wollner and Padraic Lillis. Rita’s writing functions as an experiment- a combination of characters in the petri dish of their world, their personal challenges and delusions in a vacuum, isolating for every variable but one: Human nature, which reveals itself every time. ritafranceswelch.com