Writer/performer Dean Temple knows what it’s like to get sued by the US government, and his new show
Voice of Authority lets you in on all the fun. The comedy solo show will be at the Pittsburgh Fringe Festival
April 6-8.
“You really don’t know what to do when you get hit with any lawsuit, never mind one this size,” says
Temple. And while he did get himself a lawyer, Temple took the opportunity to spend the next two years
– a court order prevented him from working – with family friend and mentor Zachary Solov, a former Balanchine
dancer and choreographer of the Metropolitan Opera Ballet. “Zachary’s career was just peaking at
age 23 and he got drafted into World War II,” says Temple. “What he does during the war, finding a place
in the Army as a dancer and a performer, inspires me to change my life entirely.”
Bringing this story to the stage and finding the comedy in it has proved immensely challenging. “Making
theatre from a personal and autobiographical perspective is scary. It requires vulnerability and honesty,”
says director Courtney Laine Self. “A lot of times, it means I’m asking questions of Dean that you wouldn’t
typically ask in polite conversation.”
The show, which covers the span of the lawsuit and the last years of Solov’s life, takes a humorous look
at the voice in our heads that leads us to doubt ourselves, and how giving into that voice can lead to bad
choices. Going after what you really want can be scary, but Solov’s stories teach Temple that focusing on
your dreams can get you through any adversity.
Voice of Authority makes its Pennsylvania premiere at Pittsburgh Fringe 2018 at the Allegheny Unitarian
Universalist Church. Tickets can be purchased here.
“Voice of Authority” will be held at the Allegheny Unitarian Universalist Church, Downstairs, 416 W North Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15212
Shows are at 7:30pm Friday, April 6, 4:15pm Saturday, April 7 and 8:45pm Sunday, April 8
The show contains tense situations and bawdy humor that are not be appropriate for all ages.
