TRANSCRIPT: Local Screenwriters Bring New Holiday Play to CNY Arts Center
Marisa Nuñez: Rising fog and shining lights set the scene for an upcoming play at the C-N-Y Arts Center. “Dis the Season” is the latest Christmas story from writers Juliet and Keith Giglio.
Keith Giglio: We always love the title Dis the Season, like disrespect, and it’s about people having trouble in the beginning, celebrating the holidays like a lot of people do.
Nuñez: “Dis the Season” follows four estranged sisters who are forced back together when their mother dies. Her will says they’ll only receive their inheritance if they spend a week in their old Maine mansion, decorate for Christmas and throw a party in her honor.
Juliet Giglio: I would say we were, we were inspired by the people in our own lives and how we know how Christmas can be challenging, because you try to do so many things.
Nuñez: For more than 30 years, the Giglio’s have written and produced holiday movies for the Lifetime Channel, including some starring Melissa Joan Hart and Reba McEntire. But they say bringing this story to the stage feels different.
Keith: Coming from movies and TV movies and books, this was such a nice change. It’s so much fun to get it on its feet each day, getting better, watching it come to life in front of us.
Nunez: The play has been in the works since the summer, but it’s a practice 30 years in the making. And even after decades of working side by side, this is Juliet and Keith’s first time co-directing.
Juliet: What’s the co-directing experience been like for you?
Keith: After 36 years, what are we gonna argue about? Stage right, stage left… you know, whatever little disagreements we have, they’re really not disagreements at all.”
Nuñez: And both agree that of all the projects they’ve created, this one has been the most fun.
Juliet: I think I finally understand why they call it a play. Because it’s like playing.
Nuñez: Tonight, they’re adjusting lights, sound and blocking, making those final touches before opening night.
In hopes that audiences leave with a new perspective on the holiday season. Marisa Nuñez N-C-C News.
Behind the curtain of the black box theater at the CNY Arts Center, actors rehearse lines while final set pieces fall into place, signaling the arrival of a new holiday play preparing to take the stage.
“Dis the Season” is the latest Christmas story from local screenwriters Juliet Giglio, an associate professor at SUNY Oswego, and her husband, Keith Giglio, a television and film professor at Syracuse University.
“We always loved the title ‘Dis the Season,’ like disrespect,” Keith Giglio said. “It’s about people having trouble at the beginning and struggling to celebrate the holidays, like a lot of people do.”
The project came together after Bonnie McClellan, executive director of the CNY Arts Center, saw one of the Giglios’ one-act plays performed in Oswego and invited them to create a holiday production for the theater.
The play follows four estranged sisters who reunite after their mother’s death, only to learn her will requires them to spend Christmas together in their childhood home in order to receive their inheritance.
For many, the holiday season can bring stress. The Giglios intentionally explored this experience through blending humor with heartfelt moments in their play to ease that feeling through the holiday season.
“I would say we were inspired by the people in our own lives and how we know Christmas can be challenging, because you try to do so many things,” Juliet Giglio said.
For more than 30 years, the Giglios have collaborated on numerous Christmas movies for the Lifetime Channel, including ones starring Melissa Joan Hart and Reba McEntire. However, they said “Dis the Season” offered a new creative experience.
“Coming from movies and TV movies and books, this was such a nice change,” Keith Giglio said. “It’s so much fun to get it on its feet each day, watching it get better and come to life in front of us.”
Despite their decades of collaboration, this production marks the first time the couple has co-directed a project together.
“After 36 years, what are we going to argue about, stage right or stage left?” Keith Giglio said. “We’ve been through ups and downs in our career, and whatever little disagreements we have now really aren’t disagreements at all.”
Out of all the projects they’ve created, they agree that “Dis the Season” has been the most fun.
“I think I finally understand why they call it a play,” Juliet Giglio said. “Because it’s like playing.”
In watching their upcoming play, the Giglios hope audiences leave feeling lighter after seeing “Dis the Season.”
“The stress of the holidays gets to a lot of people,” Keith Giglio said. “You worry about shopping, money, family coming over and cooking. Hopefully, when people see this, they’ll feel better.”