1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:29,960 Hi and welcome back to Tell Me What Happened, a podcast that features folks from all over 2 00:00:29,960 --> 00:00:36,200 walks of life telling us one true childhood experience and how that event, that moment 3 00:00:36,200 --> 00:00:39,200 in time, has impacted who they are today. 4 00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:44,600 I'm your host, Jay Rehack, and like all of you out there, I've had my share of childhood 5 00:00:44,600 --> 00:00:48,400 traumas, dramas, and happy moments. 6 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:52,480 But I like to think that everything that's ever happened to me has made me a better person. 7 00:00:52,480 --> 00:00:56,920 Of course, that's not really true, but that is the illusion that I give myself that somehow 8 00:00:56,920 --> 00:01:00,000 I'm better for everything that's ever happened to me. 9 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:06,600 All right, well today I have as my guest a graduate of the Yale School of Drama, Jim 10 00:01:06,600 --> 00:01:08,000 Kleinman. 11 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:13,760 Jim is the artistic director and co-founder of the Playwright Incubator Playground. 12 00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:17,720 I'm just going to add that I just joined that group last year and that's how I got a chance 13 00:01:17,720 --> 00:01:19,000 to meet Jim. 14 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:21,600 So welcome to the show, Jim Kleinman. 15 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:22,840 Thanks, Jay. 16 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:24,920 Jim, it's great to have you. 17 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:30,840 I really appreciate everything you do on the theater side, but I'm going to not talk about 18 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:31,840 that right now. 19 00:01:31,840 --> 00:01:34,360 I'm just going to ask you if you're ready to tell your story. 20 00:01:34,360 --> 00:01:35,360 I am. 21 00:01:35,360 --> 00:01:38,440 All right, I'm going to mute myself, Jim, and at the end I'm going to ask you one or 22 00:01:38,440 --> 00:01:43,360 two, maybe three questions about how you think that whatever you're going to tell us today 23 00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:45,600 has impacted who you are as an adult. 24 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:48,120 But take it away, Jim Kleinman. 25 00:01:48,120 --> 00:01:50,760 All right, here we go. 26 00:01:50,760 --> 00:01:58,440 So when I was young, I lived just north of New York City in a little suburb, and my mother 27 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:04,480 loved New York and she used to take me on the train into the city. 28 00:02:04,480 --> 00:02:06,120 And we would go on adventures. 29 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:11,200 We would go see shows in New York and we would go to museums. 30 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:16,280 And I remember one time, I don't really know how young I was, but I do remember one time 31 00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:21,880 she took me into the city and we went to the southernmost point and I didn't really know 32 00:02:21,880 --> 00:02:23,400 where we were going or why. 33 00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:27,720 And she bought some tickets to get on the Staten Island ferry and we got on the ferry 34 00:02:27,720 --> 00:02:30,160 and we went on our way. 35 00:02:30,160 --> 00:02:31,720 And I was kind of a little bored. 36 00:02:31,720 --> 00:02:35,240 I was wondering what was going on and where we were going and why. 37 00:02:35,240 --> 00:02:39,560 And we got to the other side and I started to get ready to get off and she said, no, 38 00:02:39,560 --> 00:02:40,920 no, no, we're not getting off. 39 00:02:40,920 --> 00:02:45,560 And it turned out that by not getting off the ferry, we only needed a one-way ticket. 40 00:02:45,560 --> 00:02:48,320 We could just stay and get back and go across. 41 00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:53,200 And after everyone had deported, there was a mother with a young child, a bit younger 42 00:02:53,200 --> 00:02:56,520 than me, probably like four or five. 43 00:02:56,520 --> 00:03:02,960 And he was like knocking on the door to the bridge and the captain opened the door and 44 00:03:02,960 --> 00:03:06,920 he invited this woman and the little child onto the bridge. 45 00:03:06,920 --> 00:03:09,240 Of course, this was a very different time than where we are today. 46 00:03:09,240 --> 00:03:10,600 It wouldn't have happened now. 47 00:03:10,600 --> 00:03:17,640 And suddenly saw me and my mother sitting there and invited us on the bridge as well. 48 00:03:17,640 --> 00:03:22,400 And everyone had started coming back on to the ferry to go back across from Staten Island 49 00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:24,200 back to Manhattan. 50 00:03:24,200 --> 00:03:31,240 And as we pull away, the little kid, of course, is really wanting to hold the wheel and the 51 00:03:31,240 --> 00:03:34,560 captain sort of lets him come over, but he's just too small. 52 00:03:34,560 --> 00:03:36,600 And he says, would you like to? 53 00:03:36,600 --> 00:03:43,160 And he calls me over and I steered the Staten Island ferry back across New York Harbor. 54 00:03:43,160 --> 00:03:46,720 I didn't park it or land it, but I did get to bring it across. 55 00:03:46,720 --> 00:03:48,360 So that's my story. 56 00:03:48,360 --> 00:03:49,960 Love it, Jim. 57 00:03:49,960 --> 00:03:50,960 What a great story. 58 00:03:50,960 --> 00:03:52,640 How old were you when it happened? 59 00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:56,520 My guess is I was probably 10 or 11. 60 00:03:56,520 --> 00:03:57,520 All right. 61 00:03:57,520 --> 00:04:03,320 Well, I know that you're very much into theater, so it turns out you did not become a Staten 62 00:04:03,320 --> 00:04:05,000 Island ferry driver. 63 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:09,480 So how do you think that what happened to you at that time, that experience, how do 64 00:04:09,480 --> 00:04:11,720 you think that impacted you as an adult? 65 00:04:11,720 --> 00:04:19,080 Well, I definitely remember that I was bored, if not even a little petulant, sort of like, 66 00:04:19,080 --> 00:04:24,760 where am I being dragged to and why am I doing, you know, why are we doing these things? 67 00:04:24,760 --> 00:04:33,240 And what distinctly came to me was that had I not been with my mother going on this adventure, 68 00:04:33,240 --> 00:04:38,280 had we not stayed on the ferry, had the captain not opened the bridge at that moment and seen 69 00:04:38,280 --> 00:04:44,640 me with my mother, I might not have then been invited on and had this unique experience, 70 00:04:44,640 --> 00:04:46,440 which was really transformative. 71 00:04:46,440 --> 00:04:52,040 So what really stuck with me was the idea that there are so many things that I try to 72 00:04:52,040 --> 00:04:54,360 control or plan in my life. 73 00:04:54,360 --> 00:04:57,840 And there are a lot of things that I can't plan or control. 74 00:04:57,840 --> 00:05:02,320 And some of the greatest moments, perhaps some of the happiest moments, some of the most 75 00:05:02,320 --> 00:05:07,440 spectacular things that will happen in my life are going to be the incredible accidents, 76 00:05:07,440 --> 00:05:13,440 the unusual moments that you just have to be open to and just let it happen and embrace 77 00:05:13,440 --> 00:05:14,440 it. 78 00:05:14,440 --> 00:05:20,120 And so I've tried, even though like many, I like to have my level of control in my life 79 00:05:20,120 --> 00:05:24,640 and think that I can sort of predict what's going to happen and plan every day. 80 00:05:24,640 --> 00:05:31,720 But I also like to leave a little bit of room for the unpredictable and embrace that adventure. 81 00:05:31,720 --> 00:05:38,280 That is really, really exactly what this podcast is about in the sense that that little moment 82 00:05:38,280 --> 00:05:44,920 in time was transformative because of what you just said, which is that you assumed it 83 00:05:44,920 --> 00:05:46,720 was going to be boring or whatever. 84 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:51,080 And then it turned into something very exciting, something unique, something that you carry 85 00:05:51,080 --> 00:05:52,640 with you now. 86 00:05:52,640 --> 00:05:56,880 And not necessarily because, but as a consequence, you've been more open to the idea that if 87 00:05:56,880 --> 00:06:03,120 you're not always in control, it doesn't necessarily mean it's going to be not good. 88 00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:04,120 Absolutely. 89 00:06:04,120 --> 00:06:06,600 Oh, that's great, man. 90 00:06:06,600 --> 00:06:07,960 Well, I appreciate that. 91 00:06:07,960 --> 00:06:15,960 So before I let you go, I do have to ask you, how did you become so involved in theater? 92 00:06:15,960 --> 00:06:21,120 I just, I know that's sort of a side issue, but it just feels like somehow it is related 93 00:06:21,120 --> 00:06:28,480 to that control issue or somehow to your storylines, even though it's an indirect line. 94 00:06:28,480 --> 00:06:29,480 Absolutely. 95 00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:32,800 Well, my mother certainly introduced me to theater. 96 00:06:32,800 --> 00:06:36,960 It was a regular ritual going into York and seeing Broadway shows. 97 00:06:36,960 --> 00:06:42,680 And I started to see more local theater in my community as I was growing up. 98 00:06:42,680 --> 00:06:46,120 And I wanted to be involved, but I was also really shy. 99 00:06:46,120 --> 00:06:51,400 And so in some ways, there was this conflict that I was so drawn to theater and the idea 100 00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:56,560 of creating community around theater, but I also couldn't sort of imagine myself as 101 00:06:56,560 --> 00:06:59,080 an actor or a director. 102 00:06:59,080 --> 00:07:02,240 I wasn't really a creative writer at that point. 103 00:07:02,240 --> 00:07:04,320 And so I didn't see myself as a playwright. 104 00:07:04,320 --> 00:07:09,040 I'm not even sure I knew all the opportunities that theater offered, design and all of that. 105 00:07:09,040 --> 00:07:10,720 I was a visual artist. 106 00:07:10,720 --> 00:07:12,640 And so maybe there was something there. 107 00:07:12,640 --> 00:07:19,520 But I was a musician also, and I think my first experience working with theater was actually 108 00:07:19,520 --> 00:07:26,000 playing as a musician in the pit for a musical and wanting to get more involved. 109 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:32,320 And then when I did go to college, I ended up helping to start the first improv theater 110 00:07:32,320 --> 00:07:34,400 at Brown University. 111 00:07:34,400 --> 00:07:37,240 And that was kind of my closest connection to theater. 112 00:07:37,240 --> 00:07:40,000 And it did allow me to meet some other theater folk. 113 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:45,440 And then after I graduated, I started to realize that a lot of the things that I was drawn 114 00:07:45,440 --> 00:07:47,240 to were in the arts. 115 00:07:47,240 --> 00:07:51,800 My first job out of school was working for the New York Philharmonic, and I thought it 116 00:07:51,800 --> 00:07:57,840 was just a job, but it turned out to be a pathway that ultimately helped in strengthening 117 00:07:57,840 --> 00:08:00,600 my application to the Yale School of Drama. 118 00:08:00,600 --> 00:08:04,320 And it was really when I got to Yale that I suddenly saw it all come together. 119 00:08:04,320 --> 00:08:06,040 And I was like, I could do this. 120 00:08:06,040 --> 00:08:08,160 I could actually be a producer. 121 00:08:08,160 --> 00:08:10,280 I also have an artistic voice. 122 00:08:10,280 --> 00:08:12,040 I want to direct. 123 00:08:12,040 --> 00:08:17,040 I have helped to write some of the works that have come out of Playground Writers. 124 00:08:17,040 --> 00:08:21,080 Mostly, I work as a dramaturg these days. 125 00:08:21,080 --> 00:08:24,920 And I also still get to be involved on the visual side. 126 00:08:24,920 --> 00:08:28,520 I work often on the graphic design side for Playground. 127 00:08:28,520 --> 00:08:34,680 So in many ways, theater was a chance for me to embrace all of the artistic interests 128 00:08:34,680 --> 00:08:41,760 that I had, the visual, the music, the text, and the actual collaboration with other people. 129 00:08:41,760 --> 00:08:43,680 And I've just been so happy. 130 00:08:43,680 --> 00:08:47,040 It took me a while in some ways to get to that point. 131 00:08:47,040 --> 00:08:52,120 But I feel like once I saw the Yale School of Drama and a real pathway to the professional 132 00:08:52,120 --> 00:08:53,960 theater, I never looked back. 133 00:08:53,960 --> 00:08:57,840 Well, man, I really appreciate the story. 134 00:08:57,840 --> 00:09:04,120 I think that running the Staten Island ferry for that distance or whatever, I think somehow 135 00:09:04,120 --> 00:09:09,960 it still links to me to the idea of you as director or master of the ship as a 10-year-old 136 00:09:09,960 --> 00:09:13,640 with the help of the captain, I guess. 137 00:09:13,640 --> 00:09:14,640 But it's still. 138 00:09:14,640 --> 00:09:17,520 I hope he was close by. 139 00:09:17,520 --> 00:09:22,440 Now we think of the idea of letting a kid on the bridge, first of all, and driving the 140 00:09:22,440 --> 00:09:24,200 Staten Island ferry. 141 00:09:24,200 --> 00:09:25,200 It would never happen. 142 00:09:25,200 --> 00:09:28,160 But yeah, it was the kind of things that could happen in those days. 143 00:09:28,160 --> 00:09:29,560 Well, thank you for the story, Jim. 144 00:09:29,560 --> 00:09:32,680 I appreciate you coming on the show, taking the time. 145 00:09:32,680 --> 00:09:35,040 Thanks so much, Jay. 146 00:09:35,040 --> 00:09:36,720 All right, well, that's our show. 147 00:09:36,720 --> 00:09:41,360 So until next time, this is Jay Reheck asking you all to please stay safe out there and 148 00:09:41,360 --> 00:10:04,840 try not to hurt anybody.