By Davida Singer
“Baby Steps”, a new play by spoken word artist James Carter, focuses on 20-something, full-figured Baby Degginhart, who lives in rural Illinois. Its star, Jennifer Darling, for whom the piece was written, is actually a resident of Chelsea, but she grew up in Marshal, Michigan.
“I watched my mother in community theater from age seven,” Darling remembers. “It was amazing-that ability to transform and let go of problems. My mother was divorced, and we’d moved, but when I saw her on stage not worrying about things, it was really impressive.”
Darling followed suit, acting in community plays as a child, followed by high school shows and more sophisticated productions at nearby colleges, where she often grabbed the leads. Right after high school graduation, she came to New York on the strong recommendation of a director, which gained her entry to the American Academy of Arts.
What’s she been up to since then?
“I’ve done it all, “ says the 28 year-old, who’s often told she’s a ringer for Drew Barrymore. “There were soap opera stints where I played an inmate, a bar wench and an inmate again- all the tough chicks. Then I did some independent films in my early 20’s. But I was always cast as hardcore characters. When I would go for more ingénue types, I was out of place because I was overweight. They didn’t want my face for character roles, and they didn’t want my body for leads, so I was caught in between.”
For flexibility, Darling turned her talents to producing, and since 1998, she’s worked mostly behind the scenes, serving as Managing Director for Rattlestick Theatre and more recently, as Stage Manager for Synapse. Along the way, she and a bunch of friends co-founded the Terranova Theatre Collective, which runs out of her Chelsea home office on West 24th.
“When we started the group we also all became producers,” Darling explains. “We decided to do work we could be in, and began writing our own shows. We’ve had productions at the Chelsea Playhouse and the Connelly Theatre. Really, we’re a downtown company, even though “Baby Steps” is being done on 42nd Street. Our first fundraiser for the show was at Serena, under the Chelsea Hotel.”
According to Darling, the idea for “Baby Steps” came about one night when long-time friend, James Carter asked her why she wasn’t acting any more.
“When I told him it was a problem of rejection-because I’m overweight and pretty, no one knows what to do with me – he got an intense look, and said he was going to write a play for me. Two months later he brought me the first draft. I was shocked and even then, it was wonderful.
‘Baby Steps’ tells the story of a young woman who takes care of everyone around her – her little brother, best friend, best friend’s boyfriend. She suddenly meets a guy she knew in high school, and they get into a romance. The essence of the piece is how she learns how to take care of and love herself.”
Has this been a healing experience for the actress herself?
“We’ve been working on this for two years, so I’ve been through many phases – from excitement to fear and back,” said Darling. “The issue of size, of course, is here, and in this love story, the boyfriend allows Baby to see what he sees – a beautiful, strong woman. Playing this role is quite challenging. It’s made me turn in and really look at things personally. I’m so vulnerable here, and I get to show everything. So yes, healing is certainly a part of it.”
Darling describes Carter’s writing as naturalistic, where “everything feels like real conversations.” She hopes the audience will walk away with “a want to be themselves,” and added awareness about the meaning of beauty.
“It’s something you always have to find inside,” she notes. “When you do, it radiates off of you, and everyone can see it. It’s how we all feel about this show. We’ve done a lot to get producers, directors and film people to come and see it and move it forward.”
And is she ready to take it all on?
“Oh, absolutely. I’m radiating.”
