Meet Benjamin Kamine (Director) 
Tell us about your invisible friend, or your “friend’s” invisible friend.
I had an invisible friend name Jack growing up. He began as a doll that I carried with me, and then when the doll “disappeared” as I got older, I kept talking to him for a bit. Eventually he was replaced by my younger brother, Tovy, who is very very visible.
Have you traveled overseas? Any interesting stories or experiences?
Yes! I’ve actually spent a considerable amount of time in India, although I have never been to Ahmedabad (the setting of SAMSARA). I have been to four weddings in India. They are incredibly theatrical. There are choreographed dances (involving sticks) that everyone knows how to do, and the groom rides a horse, and there’s a fire that the bride and groom circle seven times while the pandit (Hindu priest) prays. But my favorite part is the Sangeet, a sort of talent show the night before the wedding, in which the friends of the bride and groom dance for them. I have been in four Sangeets. And there’s video. If you ask nicely, I might show some of it.
If you could speak to your unborn child, what piece of advice would you give?
Take your time. All of it goes by too fast.
What’s your favorite baby picture? Can you share it with us?
I honestly don’t have one. I don’t really love my baby pictures. I was a super fat baby. Like so fat it’s awkward.
If you met any of the characters on the street, who would you share a pint with and who would make you turn and walk away? And why?
I would totally share a pint with Amit. He’s a raconteur. He’s vivacious and enthusiastic about life. And he loves deeply and fiercely. He’s also a child, so I guess that would be illegal. Maybe when he’s older. I would give the Frenchman his space. He’s a truth-teller. I have enough of those in my life.
What do you connect to in this story?
I think this play is fundamentally about the gap between what we want and what we deserve, and the ways in which we can confuse the two. It takes real perspective to differentiate those things, and in a world where we’re told we can be anyone we want to be from the age of 2, I am still not sure I’m great at consistently identifying what class a particular dream falls into.
What was your first job in theater?
I operated sound for a staged reading of Machinal by Sophie Treadwell done by the Antaeus Company. This was in high school, 15-20 years ago. It was directed by the director of my high school theater, and I was happy to do anything to help.
Leave a Reply