Filmmaker Statement

Have you ever done something so vile, so indefensibly horrible, that you begged to be punished? Shame, fairness, and the right to inhabit and express one’s feelings authentically in a stifling society are the themes of Will You Please Hit Me?, which if you would believe it- is a comedy. Through a months-long devising process that utilized movement, dance, music, and experimental downtown theater techniques, we slowly worked to create Lisa and Tanya. In this process, I became more of a facilitator of Melissa and Lia’s deep reservoirs of memory, heart, and intelligence. At times, it almost felt like they were speaking in tongues because of the abstract nature of what was bubbling out of their subconscious. We were constantly surprised. It’s fair to say we did not set out to make a comedy, but if life has taught me anything, it’s that where there is truth, there is humor.