Emma Goldman: Love, Anarchy and Other Affairs Interview with actress McCready Baker

Mary E. Montoro: What attracted you to do this role?

McCready Baker: Jessica Litwak’s brilliant script, and the challenge it posed to make Emma my own. I have wanted to produce and act in this piece for over ten years. At a very young age, I had a dream of ending world hunger, and cut to many years later when I first read about Emma Goldman, I felt like, yea, this woman really took advantage of her time here and made a difference in many people’s lives. Even when she was in prison, she helped fellow inmates get better food and reading material allowing them to maintain some sanity. I was attracted to this woman, because she was driven by a deep inner knowing of who she was and what her responsibility was in her lifetime.

MEM: In your research, what did you find the most interesting thing about Emma?

MB: Most interesting? Hmm, it would be doing her a disservice to point out one thing. Emma new that believing in the ideal of the good of the people was enough, and I am constantly inspired by her commitment to be a voice for many different groups of people. She was an advocate of women’s rights, gay rights, and free speech, in addition to being a trained midwife, seamstress, and owning an ice cream shop. She was a worker among workers and practiced what she preached. (ask me this question after Sunday, and I may have a different answer.) 🙂

MEM: In the piece, do you show a softer side to Emma?

MB: I suppose. On any given day, one can become more vulnerable and allow their true essence to shine. If that is referred to as softer, then yes.

MEM: What do you think made her into an icon?

MB: In the simplest terms, one of her more famous quotes, “If I can’t dance, I don’t want to be part of your revolution.” And she has inspired men and women alike, all over the world, to use their conscious as their best guide to enable revolution, which we often refer to now as transformation. She was truly committed to leaving her mark on the planet, and she trusted her gut to guide her. She is an icon, because she behaved like herself, not trying to fit the mold of what anyone else thought she should be doing.

MEM: Do you plan on doing more work such as this one? Who would you like to portray next?

MB: I don’t know. I first read this script back in the 90’s, and it has obviously been brewing for a long time. I would love to collaborate with Jessica on a piece; maybe she’ll write a piece on Betty Williams who won the Nobel Prize for peace in 1976. Moving forward, I would like to continue to work with committed, creative, passionate people like I did with this project. I assembled a great creative team that helped make this all possible. Gina Young directed, Stephanie O’Neill Associate Produced, Meagen Minnaugh production designer, Luis Guizar lighting designer, and Sybil Mosely costume design. It takes a village.

Emma Goldman: Love, Anarchy and Other Affairs plays tonight and Saturday at 8 p.m. at Civic Centers Studios located at 207 S. Broadway in Los Angeles. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased on www.emmagoldman2014.com